The Old Guy

If you install a lower numerical number ring and pinion,EG: 3,4 rather than a 4,4 you will essentially have the best of both worlds! the first gear will be more than sufficient to get you under motion, and the higher rear gear will make cruising much more pleasant. The old cars were made to run in situations that they will probably never see today ( deep mud,rough gravel etc. ) I regeared my Buick from a 4.4 to a 3,4 and it made a whole new car of it. It runs effortlessly at 70MPH

Chev Pickup from the 50s

Seattle won the bid, but I have not heard any date either.

From $1000 to $40,000 ! If you want a price on a particular Buick, you need to give us some particulars! Model number -series-condition,etc.

Thank you Bob for a job well done!!

Buick had a body service manual available. Try : www.factoryautomanuals.com

The last E-mail address I had for him was :vpmeyer@sbcglobal.net

I am sure you will do a GREAT job! It is amazing how the busiest people always step up to do the things that must be done.

The rear end MUST be removed from the car.even if you tried to leave the torque tube on, you would still need to remove the rear end to get the drive shaft off.

The torque tube bolts up the the rear end. and if the surfaces are clean, you should not have any misalignment. ( at least I have never experienced it) To remove the splined collar, you need to knock out the pin and what I did was heat the collar and using a "big" (one inch by 16 inch)brass drift, and a BIG hammer. I blasted it a good one, and it came off The big job is getting the drive shaft to run true

My brother in law lost a cap from his 89 Estate wagon, and has not had any luck finding a replacement. The Buick has the aluminum wheels, and the cap is about 6 inches in diameter. It has a black background, and a tri shield in the center. If anyone knows where he can get one or two ( it never hurts to have a spare) please let me know Thanx

In order to install the ring and pinion, you must remove the drive shaft anyway. The torque tube unbolts, and the drive shaft is pinned to the pinion with a splined collar. The collar is sometimes VERY stubborn to remove. After installing the drive shaft on the new rear unit, you can put the torque tube on ,and see if the drive shaft runs true. If it does not, the you need to bend the drive until it does run true. It isn't easy, but if it does not run true, it will vibrate like mad. I did this to my 40, and it took three tries to get the vibration out.

The tension on the visor can be adjusted to compensate for the extra weight.

I don't know about the 50s frames, but the 40s Buicks used thicker metal. My 40 was stamped from metal .030 thicker than the sedans

This is not uncommon. You need to remove the bulb from the head, and send it to one of the people that repair this type of unit. Hemmings has a list of people that repair them.

The connector by the master cylinder is supposed to hook to a hydraulic switch ,which completes the circuit to the stop lights. Take a piece of wire ,and short across the two terminals in the connector. If the stop lights work, you need a hydraulic switch screwed into the master cylinder.

The wire wheels were an option on both the Special and the Century. Special Convert: 54-4467X Century Convert: 54-4667X Keith is right about the carb. the Special has a 2 BBl and the Century has a 4BBl

Joe, If you loosen the cable at the speedo head, you can pull the cable out ,and use "lubri-plate' to lube it up. While you have it out ,you can also look for any shiny spots that may point you toward a tight spot in the casing.

You can order the proper engine mounts from TA Performance, and a competent tranny shop can change the rear of the trans from a long to a short tail shaft. There are U-joints available that have different size ends, so you can switch from the big to little ends on the drive shaft, if it is necessary. You will also need a drive shaft. The rear tranny mount can be slid back to the second set of holes and should work just fine.

Skyking, I owned a 57 Caballero some time ago, and I agree with you. I do not have my cars judged, and it also had the skylark wires. They really make the car!

The 1940 50 series has a rear axle center section that will interchange with all the Buicks (except 80-90) up through 1955. The 53-55 V8 Dynaflow cars had 3,3-3.6 gears. I have a 3.4 in my 40 Super convert, and I drive it at 70-75 on the interstate where ever I go (I have driven it 100,000 mile +) Just remember that you need to stop it also. I installed the larger brakes from a Roadmaster, and that seems to keep me out of trouble.

The wire wheels were not an option on any 57 Buick. There were many that ran them, but they are not a legal option, and you will be gigged for them at a BCA meet

Check the rotor and cap, and if they look good, i would put it in the engine.

If it is a 455 engine, it will fit with no changes. If it is a 350 engine, it will require a different gear, The 430-455 has a 13 tooth gear, and the 350 has a 14 tooth gear. The only change is that you will need to run a new wire to it,as the HEI needs 12 volts, and the standard uses 8 volts. The wire in the loom for the standard ignition is a resistance wire.

190-210 is not a problem ,if you have a 50-50 mix of antifreeze and a good pressure cap. The system will not pop until it gets in the 250-260 range. My 40 runs 200-210 on hot days, and I have put LOTS of miles on it with no adverse affects.