The Old Guy

When you reassemble the unit, tap the holes out and use neverseize or it's equivilent on the bolts and you will never have to worry again.

I feel like a ping pong ball !! The post has been up and down so many times!! It looks like it will be up at least through April. <BR> <p>[ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: The Old Guy ]

The only difference in the engines is primarily the compression ratio. The 72 engine has lower compression and will run on lower octane fuel. the 72 engine also has heads that will run unleaded fuel without having a valve recession problem. The only reason to install the matching numbers engine is if you are into concours judging. Leave the engine in it and enjoy it. If you spend the bucks to find the correct one ,you will end up not driving the car.

A Regal T type has the same running gear. The trans is a 200-4R not a 700 ,but it is actually a better tranny. The 700 -R4 has a chevy bolt pattern and the 200_4R has a pattern compatible with the Buick. Some 700s have a dual pattern ,but the also have a wider spread in the gears.

Dan Bower, the man that owns Factoryautomanuals is the most honest and helpful man I know. he has a large inventory and if he does not have what you need , he will check his sources and try to find it.

All the tune up charts I have seen ,list either the AC46 or AC48 for straight eight Buicks. The are hard to find ,but the AC 44 is used in LOTS of V8s and is readily available in this area. I run AC46 in my straight eight and have put over 94,000 miles on it and it still runs GREAT !

I also have a 40 and the stock 6 volt lights are surprizingly good. I used regular 6 volt replacement bulbs and was careful about the alignment

The main difference between the A body stage 1 and the Riv stage 1 was the cam .The Riv cam was ground to give more bottom end torque,as the car was MUCH heavier than the A body GS .The original cams were recognized by the lines behind the front bearing. One had one line and the other had two. I don't remember which was which tho.

If you soak the stud sticking out with a good penetrating oil for a day or two, then every time you walk by the car ,you tap on the end of it with a small hammer , it will loosen up and come out with channel lock pliers.

The bolt pattern is the same for the 350 and 455 engines. The 430 is also the same ,so if you have a 430 available, go for it! Most of the flywheels have a dual pattern,so you cane use either tranny. The 350TH will work fine as long as you do not abuse it<p>[ 01-23-2002: Message edited by: The Old Guy ]

The TH350 will bolt to a 455 , so if you want HP ,go for it!!!!The TH350 will hold up under stock 455 unless you put some sticky tires on it.

Skip Boyer makes all the plastic for your Buick. His father started the business years ago. The address: Boyers restorations <BR> 1348 Carlisle Pike<BR> Hanover PA 17331<P> Phone: 717-632-0670

There won't be any judging at the meet in 2003 ,so put the electric wipers on and enjoy your Buick! The 57 has a rubber piece that hangs in front of the wiper motor. If your 58 has the same thing,they probably won't even notice.

I am sure that someone out there with a straight eight will trade you the 4.1 from their car for your 3.4. That will give you a decided boost from the lights ,but as the earlier post stated, it gets a little buzzy on a long trip.

I have three sons,and they are all on there own now .the oldest has a GS that he will be restoring as soon as his commitment with the Navy is done. The middle son has four children and is hoping to get an antique car in the near future, and the youngest has a 67 Skylark that he is working on now. When they were young (5-9),they would come into the garage and ask to help.and I would clamp the vise grips close to where I was working and have them hold them. By the time they were 14-16 they were doing minor engine repair and wiring. The oldest boy put the complete wiring harness in my 40 Buick faster than I could because he was much more agile than I. Get them involved young and you get them hooked!!<p>[ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: The Old Guy ]

The 57 had the same vacuum pump ,and plugging the line just slowed your wipers. If you need the wipers,you can replace the vacuum unit with the elecric wiper motor from a 57 Chev ( it is a bolt in) and be back in business.

I switched to multi grad oil about 25 years ago and my cars are all doing fine. If you do run them when it is cold ,it is a good idea. It is easier on the starter and the oil flows much better.

The GS for the Riv was mostly badging,but they did use larger sway bars and I think ,a larger tire. The only way to be sure it is a stage 1 is to pull a head and check the valve size.they used the same castings for both.The cam had 2 grooves behind the first bearing and if the carb and distributor have not been chsnged,the numbers on those will help.

Martinsr ,you are absolutely right , but the funny thing is Chevrolet did not get the machinery to build engines with that Buick did! I worked 37 years for Chevrolet in Flint Mich( Buicktown) and we got old machines from Buick to make engines and they got everything new. Buick wrote off the machines and then we got them and did it all over again.The guys that worked at Buick would tell us how good they had it compared to us, and now both plants are history.

I have the dynamax on my 37 Buick street rod with a 455 and they really crackle when you give it lots of throttle, but they are fairly quiet on the road. You have to be careful as some Gendarmes find them a little much in town. They are fine as long as you don't get too tempted from a stop light.

If you have not checked the timing yet,that would be a good place to start. It may well be that it is too far advanced and that will cause the problem.

Bob Carubba has been in business for a LONG time and his products are of high quality. I would not hesitate to buy from him

You have lots of room under your car ,so it may be the best thing is to put the three chamber flowmasters and a glass pack used as a resonator behind the flowmaster. This will keep the noise to a minimum and still breathe VERY well.I have the three chamber mufflers under my 72 GS and they are a little too loud for your big car.

Perhaps you are remembering that the steering column could be raised and lowered by shims under the dash. This would set the wheel position but it was fixed until the shims were changed

Sometimes relieving the pressure on the lock helps. You might try pushing the button and the pushing on the door itself. This will take the pressure from the lock and maybe allow it to drop.