old-tank

Last night 21 warriors got together to eat Italian food. My last count of Buicks from Texas was 6 driven and one trailored. Willie

What is the difference between the Kahler Grand hotel and a Super8?....the Super8 has intenet access! Dang snooty hotels. But hey, I'm here to have fun. the car is washed and parked. Last 2 fill-ups=14.5 mpg (10% ethanol); 16.2 (the good stuff again). Got to meet some forum members and look forward to meeting more. Willie

We decided to stop in Cameron also...maybe I can out-fumble Bill for the check again. 430 miles; 16.6mpg. Mike (Buick5563)is back on the road again near Oklahoma City after a delay getting towed and replacing a burned distributor rotor...the same problem that I had last year. Pertronix struck again! He will look for a loaded distributor at the swap meet and will need a timing light. Hint: Jake?? Willie

I give mine to Bill Stoneberg and let him worry about them <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> Willie

We made it to Norman, OK yesterday ~460 miles. No car trouble, 16mpg. It was very hot 100+ in north TX and OK. The factory AC was barely adequate. Then last night were some heavy rain....at least i did not have to drive in it. Met with Bill Stoneberg and his dad for dinner and they report no problems. Tonight maybe Council Bluffs...need to get off this boring I35. Willie

We had so much fun and adventure last year ( Batavia ) that we will try it again. I will be driving the same car...the one in the avatar and will leave Seguin (San Antonio area) TX early tomorrow morning and try to meet Bill Stoneberg in Norman, OK. Willie

Greg On all 3 of my 55's the hole is just in front of the rear flange on the torque tube. I just looked at some parts and noted that if the hole is drilled 4.5" in front of the flange you can drill into the driveshaft to empty it if you suspect it to contain fluid. I drill the hole to be tapped for a 3/16 bolt/screw. Willie

John D The following comments are about my 55...your 56 may have some differneces. The fluid gets into the driveshaft either through the splines or through an imperfect weld at the rear of the driveshaft tube. To get the fluid out of the driveshaft, drain the torque tube and hopefully it will come out where it came in. Looking at some of my 55 parts you could drill a hole in the torque tube and then into the driveshaft 4.5 inches in front of the rear flange. Otherwise remove the driveshaft from the pinion and drain/flush. The unit that I was referring to in my previous post had about a quart of fluid in the driveshaft when removed. The vibration your are experiencing sounds like it is from fluid in the driveshaft...anything over 60 mph and the rear view mirror is a blur. Willie

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I tap the hole and install a small screw to act as a plug. This will keep dirt/water out and if you do have a 'leaker' then you can drain it regularly instead of having a mess. Willie

I recommend drilling a hole in the torque tube just in front of the rear flange to check/drain fluid. If your car has a pinion seal and it is is good the torque tube will fill with trans fluid and it will get inside the driveshaft and give bad vibration problems. Changing the pinion seal is another (big) chore. The part about trans fluid ruining rear ends is probably sometimes true, but personal experience is different. My origianl 55 Special routinely filled the rear with trans fluid to the point of leaking out of the axel seals and contaminating the brakes...usually washed the brakes with gasoline and removed the fill plug to drain it back to a normal level. If I had time and money I would pull the bottom cover bolt, drain the whole thing and refill with cheap hypoid 90 that did not have the recommended wear inhibitors. Anyhow that rear went about 250,000 miles (car croaked at 374,000 mi) with various dilutions of trans fluid in the rear. I pulled ther rear end a few years ago and rebuilt it...other than a few pits in one of the pinion bearings and an axel bearing there was no abnormal wear. I just cleaned it, replaced the bearings and pinion seal...it is now happy in my CVT. Willie

The horizontal ribbon speedometer as used in Super and Roadmaster in 54/55 was used in all series/models in 56. Willie

The variable pitch rod is attached to the pivot linkage that is attached to the back of the left cylinder head (1955). The carburetors (54/55) should be the same since there is only one rod that attaches to the carb. You need the pivot linkage from a 55+ and need to fabricate a bracket on the straight 8 to attach it to. Another possibiity is to use a vacuum servo to operate the variable pitch. Willie

Keith "The Buick Club of America is a non-profit membership corporation dedicated to the preservation and restoration of those vehicles built by the Buick Motor Division of General Motors Corporation." "BCA National Awards are based on how well the vehicle compares to the original factory product as judged under the BCA 400-point system." A club with these philosophies needs to have judging at every national meet. Willie

The meet needs to have judging. I agree that the centennial was a special situation and judging would have been impossible. The first BCA national meet that I attended was the 1988(?) in Flint. I remember the extreme heat, the great engine and vehicle assembly plant tours, the swap meet with only Buick parts. But the cars were a disappointment: most were local and just 'pretty good drivers'. I was expecting the cars to be at least as good as those at some local/regional brand X shows. No one with a fresh restoration is going to trailer a car 1500 miles to display it; and a year later that car will deteriorate even if placed in a museum. The 2007 meet out west will be judged, but will be out of reach for many, so you may have to wait 2 years to have a car judged. Willie

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Bill, that is the plan, there has never, ever been a judged meet in Flint. </div></div> That's a bummer. Some sneer at judging in general, but to some it is important to get some recognition for the hard work getting a car up to standards. Willie

I'm getting thirsty... Willie

Jon The jackstands are adequate as long as you can get the car at least 18' higher than the low point of the transmission jack....I had mine 25" high. The floor jack is OK for jacking the car (do it in stages), but don't use it on that heavy tranny (might get squashed like a roach). Willie

sherlok The dimensions are 32"wide x 58"deep x 8'long. I designed it and dug it larger to allow for later forming of the walls and floor. The depth is about right, but it could be longer if you don't want to have to move a car around to get to all of the underside. The width will handle all vehicles large and small. Willie

Get it running first then report back on abnormal noises and function along with pressures. Willie

http://www.sem.ws/where_to_buy.php

SEM Vinyl And Plastic Color Coat (Aerosol Can)...I used this to touch up a damaged area on one of my daily drivers. 2 years later it still looked good. Also I painted and area on a junk tire on one of my parts cars as a test and it still looks good after 3 years. Willie

buke Buy quality points like from NAPA, always change the condensor, be sure all connections are tight and clean, try a replacement coil. Also be sure that the ballast resistor has not been bypassed. Willie

Ed Get rid if the heat riser! You don't need it for a fair weather car. These old ones either leak around the shaft like yours or stick in the closed position leading to driveablity problems. You will need to remove the manifold to cut it out and plug the holes. On those that are stuck just cut out the butterfly. Even on a restored car you cannot see the riser and probably will not get a point deduction. Willie

1. What is your current daily driven car? Year 1976 Make Olds Model Delta Royale (this is what I consider a proper size automobile) 2. How many miles do you commute per year? <5,000 5,000-10,000 10,000-15,000<------ 15,000-20,000 25,000+ 3. What MPG do you currently get in your daily driver? 12/15 4. Have you ever owned a hybrid vehicle? No 5. If you answered NO for question 4, do you plan on purchasing a hybrid in the future? No 6. If you answered NO for questions 4 and 5, please state the reason. Too small 7. If you answered NO for questions 4 and 5, would you be willing to purchase a diesel with equivalent gas mileage rather than a hybrid? No I had a 1980 LeSabre diesel and even the extra required routine maintenance ate up any savings over the similarly powered V6