The Old Guy

When I rebuilt the engine in my 32 90 series back in 1975, I checked the crank, and it was within ,ooo4 for round and had no taper. The engine had 90,000 miles on it. I hand scraped the original babbetin the rods to allow a larger pattern, and pulled shims until I had 75-80% contact. I pulled a 1935 house trialer all over the country with the car and sold it in 1984. I talked to the new owner at the BCA national in Batavia last year, and complimented him on the beautiful job he had done in detailing the Buick. I asked him what he had done to the engine, and He said "all I did is clean it up , as it still runs great ,and carries good oil pressure" The original bearings had some edges missing, but it must not have hurt anything, as it still sounds GREAT!

I went past the speculating stage, and built a 37 special coupe with a 455 Buick engine, TH400 tranny, and a 2.56 posi rear end. It has AC, power windows brakes and steering, remote keyless entry with shaved door handles, tilt steering, AM_FM radio and a built in 12 volt cooler.The seats are from an Olds Trofeo, and have 6 way power lumbar It is a GREAT highway car and in the past 6 years has been in most of the continental US

The man from "down under" has it nailed. Check all the grounds , make sure they are all good,and your problem will take care of itself.

In the 50s , if you went to a drive-in movie, they had a spot that you could chase with your spotlite on the screen during intermission. It would start in one corner and move across the screen. It was not easy, as most spotlites were hard to move on an angle. I had twin spots on my 39 Pontiac while in highschool, and still have a pair on my 40 Buick convert. They work !!

I received a call from a friend in Wisconsin about 2 1957 Buicks (1 Special and 1 Century) that are in a bone yard by Greenbay. These are manual transmission cars. The bodies are rusty ,but the complete drivelines are there. Thay are going to be crushed in a week, but can be bought for $300 each. If anyone is interested,let me know and I will give you the particulars Joe Taubitz buickjoet@comcast.net

The pattern is 5 on 5 , so any of the big series Buick wheels up to 1976 will fit, but you will need to modify the front hubs and the centering rings on the rear axles, as the later wheels have a smaller hole. It requires that you grind flats on them to clear the later wheels.

Congratulations Derek! I finally got to meet you at the Sloan, and your Buick is a great car.

Derek, There is nothing that says a BCA member must own a Buick. All they need is an interest. I have told many of my friends that the best way to get a good Buick is to join the club. This gives you a group that can help you.

The only obvious thing in my 40 Super is the fact that you have considerable wind noise. The car itself handles and drives just like a coupe.

Glad to help Tom.

You are welcome! I'm glad I could help.

inlet: opens 14 degrees before TDC closes 71 degrees after BDC Exhaust: opens 56 degrees before BDC closes 25 degrees after TDC figures above give the timing when the valves are .004 off their seats after being set to a .015 lash

inlet: opens 14 degrees before TDC closes 71 degrees after BDC Exhaust: opens 56 degrees before BDC closes 25 degrees after TDC figures above give the timing when the valves are .004 off their seats after being set to a .015 lash

AAron, the Wildcat and the Special belong to members of the Buicktown chapter. You were probably through the area before my son got there with the 40 ,as he worked Saturday. You should think about joining us because we do quite a bit in the chapter. I am selling the 63 as I have a 69 Sport Wagon with AC for a replacement. The wagon also belongs to a member of the Buicktown chapter, and is really a beauty.

Aaron, was your Buick the 53 Special ( blue & white)? I saw it parked on Saginaw street , andwondered why it was not on Kearsley street with all the Buicks! I was in charge of the people on the gates, and did not have time to stop and look for the owner. If it was yours, it is a beauty. Did you get down to where the Buicks were parked? I drove my 63 Electra, my wife drove in the 37 coupe (street rod), and my son came in my 40 convert. We had about 40 Buicks from the Buicktown chapter on Kearsley street.

Aaron, where do you live in Michigan? The Buicktown chapter just helped the Flint Downtown Development Authority put on a cruise in Flint . There were over 1000 cars of all makes and models, and we had Buicks of all descriptions. There were low riders--street rods-- and lots of really nice antiques. If you live close by, you should consider joining out chapter.I drive my Buicks also! I have put over 100,000 miles on my 40 with the old straight eight, and I just finished a few years ago , a 37 that has a 455 in it. That one already has 30,000 + on it. Tha BCA has a group called the Buick Driving Enthusiasts (BDE) and there emphasis is on driving and enjoying our Buicks. Give us a chance , and let us prove we are not all bad!!!

If you are talking about Flint,There were numerous Reattas at the friday night cruise, and one of the original members was there ( Bob Neuman ) You are more than welcome! Come on up !!!

If you are tired of the parking lot that the "Dream" cruise has become, come up to Flint (60 miles north) and join us for the "Back to the Bricks--under the arches" cruise! We have shut down the downtown area , and only "Cruiser" cars are allowed in! We have a DJ,2 bands , and activities throughout the day! The first 1000 cars get a free "Bricks" T shirt! I ran out of "Teds" years ago, and dont go to Woodward because I hate to see our 5 lane drag strip turned into a parking lot!

GM has a product called "heat valve lubricant" Your dealer can get it ,and it works better than anything I have found to free up a stuck exhaust flapper valve.

The kickdown switch is used to shift from drive into passing gear. if you are fortunate enough to have an early TH400 with the "switch pitch option" then you will benefit from being able to control the stators in the convertor for a racing application.

Where do you live??

I don't remember them all, but here goes! President Paul Meyer Secretary Pete Philips Bill Stoneberg elected to the board, and I think is treasurer. Barney Eaton given a plaque for service Dick Gauchat and Bill Darrow reelected I should have written them down because my memory is getting worse by the day.

When my Grand kids ask me how old I am , I just tell them "When I was born, the dead sea wasn't even sick, and General Motors was still a Private"

Thank You NTX5467, You are much more tactful than I am. It really disturbs me that so many members of this forum are adamant about the judging, but won't step up and get their chapter to commit. Everyone knew 'WELL IN ADVANCE' that the Buicktown chapter bid was for a non- judged meet. It is disturbing that the simple solution ( have your chapter do the 2008 meet) has not been mentioned by the naysayers. The BCA board had no choice in the matter as Buicktown was the only group willing to step up for 2008.

The 2008 national meet in Flint will be a NON- judged meet. If the board wants to implement judging ,it is up to them to do it. The Buicktown Chapter has stated that they will not do the judging! It is amazing to me that so many people want thair cars judged, and they have a hard time getting judges! A friend of mine in the Auburn -Cord-Duesenberg club informed me that in order to pay the costs of judging (seminars-breakfasts- hats-manuals etc.) that judged cars pay $40 more at registration. It has always appeared to me that the $5 we charge doesn't even come close to paying the bill. That means that every Buick on the field ,whether for display -driven whatever, is paying for the judging. Everyone has their own ideas on this, and we can beat it to death, but the fact remains that the 2008 BCA National meet in flint will NOT be judged! The board still has time to find someone else, because as thay were told in Rochester, " If you want a judged meet, we will have a Great Lakes Regional