capgage

Well, I'll still pick one up if I can find it. However I found panels from a Century 4-dr on ebay that I believe can be worked. Integrated arm rest shell looks the same on the front, and the stainless trim is the same except shorter to reach the front and rear edges of the panel. So I can use some extensions borrowed from the rear panel to finish it. There will be a splice or two. Better than nothing. Future work anyway.

Though I'd throw it out there to see if anyone has leads on a donor car. Or has one of these. Almost any condition really, what I need need is the metal trim pieces and the integrated arm rest shell. I've already got scripts. It's for a convertible but 2-dr hardtop will work. Mine is just "missing".

also you can reach me at my email capgage1@gmail.com

Great! Check it out and let me know what you find.

To clarify, looking for an original. No painted steering wheels for me. Just to make it harder. Checking just in case. You never know.

I am looking for a driver quality or better one of these. Not with a thousand cracks, but a few is OK.

Thanks Mike! That's what I needed. Just a lead and advice from someone local who's been down that road. I am going for an open trailer. Will check out Magnum it's close.

BTW, the best trailer I have ever seen was one built by Pete Levchik in Bynum. He had some kind of metal hole filled grates on the whole thing, and the 'spare tires" on the upper sides had bearings and were spinnable. I remember it took him up to a year to make this right after many tries. The spinnable spares were "just in case you ever get in trouble'. I wonder who ever got that trailer.

Hi guys, been a while since I was on this forum. Anyway the time has come to bring my 58 Century Convertible body and frame home from storage having been all rust repaired / frame blasted repainted. I want to buy the most best and reasonable trailer I can find to transport these and other whole cars that I have (58 Buick Special 4dr sedan, 73 Electra 2dr hardtop, 93 Bronco), without starting from scratch. Any suggestions?

For what it's worth, I successfully put a new windshield in my 58 by myself and also removed and replaced the backlite with a new gasket. Probably lots of luck was on my side, but I just followed the manual. One thing I was surprised about was how hard I had to pull the cord when going around the A pillar. Like it was said before, let it sit for a few days to a week before getting dissatisfied with the way the windshield and gasket are set - it will center itself and the gasket will orient the right way (no gaps between the gasket and glass on outside) if you wait.

Guys, this is a tough situation but not undoable, I've done it several times... * No matter what, you have to unbolt the brackets for the brake pedal from the firewall. Probably even if you have the KM tool. * Take the entire brake pedal assembly off. There are a couple more bolts than the firewall ones, but they are obvious when you look at it. Go get a 1-3/4" socket from Sears. Grind either hex or oct flats on the small end. Now, you WILL have to remove the yoke, by loosening the jam nut, from the shaft. Not hard to do though. Once this is off, you can slip the socket onto the shaft and hopefully get enough leverage to get the nut off. You should. Either use vise grips, channel locks, or for a really slick way - if you ground hex flats, you may be able to slip a long impact socket from HF onto there and clear the end of the shaft to get it off with true leverage from a socket wrench, using the right adapters. You can stack sockets this way for extra depth. Some eyeball bench grinding required, but it's easier than you think. I have made many tools like this using Harbor Freight impact sockets which are very cheap compared to Sears. In fact, use one of the HF 1-3/4" impact sockets instead of Sears. I prefer to do this in a situation where the dash is off. But it doesn't have to be. It just turns it into an upside-down operation if the dash is not off. Mark

Forgot to mention, when I tapped it seemed that I was mostly chasing the existing threads. It wasn't a "new cut" tapping operation. But I can't say for sure that I had it perfectly centered (probably not) but it really seemed that somehow I was just chasing threads.

Adam, I have successfully drilled out 3 of the 4 bolts on my 58 Century that I broke. I did this while under the car, body still on frame. I used one of those low profile Milwaukee drills. I centerpunched as best I could, and worked up from small bits. I don't think I actually removed all of the original bolt material, but when I drilled up to the right size for tapping, I tapped and the bolts hold really tight. I would suggest doing this with the body off and on a rotisserie, but it can be done as I did. I would think this is worth a try before you go cutting. Mark

Check out this discussion. http://groups.google.com/group/rec.autos...60598d50c2677ba Seems like there are arguments for and against rechrome for reflectors. I am trying to decide whether to rechrome my taillight reflectors or do something else, was wondering what recommendations/experience anyone may have. I assumed rechroming was the way to go, but I have discovered that the reflective surface is actually something different which is soluble in laquer thinner. Also the reflector, back and front, seems to be coated with some sort of enamel (like ceramic enamel) prior to this reflective stuff being added to one side. This stuff is NOT soluble in laquer thinner, I had previously thought it was paint. I think the reflective stuff may be some kind of silver, or aluminum deposit. Not trying to get factory perfect here, hell I may just blast and paint with "chrome" reflective paint. Some say chrome is only 67% reflective, while the aluminum coating (this is what the "chrome" paint really is essentially) provides more like 90% reflectivity for brighter lights. Mark

Yep, you'd think I would specify what rim I DO need, that's the one (15 x 6). I should preview my posts better. Will call you today. Thanks, Mark

Hi all, Looking for one of these, guy who did my floors lost one of mine so now I have a set of 4. I know that many years interchange but I forgot which ones, seems like I remember 48-58 or something like that. More than one is good too! Note these are the big series rim (small is 15x5.5), but the Century got big series rims. Thanks, Mark

Mike, Well...I can't drive it there. But I do need to make it to the show and I can bring pictures. I have had this car 6 years, and there has been so much rust repair and parts collecting to do (I got it sans front clip for example) that I still have not put an engine in it yet. The frame and body were twisted a bit too, with door alignment problems on one side and decklid alignment problems. But it's a Century convertible. Good news is, rust repair is all done, windows all rebuilt, parts collecting 99.9% done (you chase the last .1% forever I think), and alignments resolved/frame straigtened. Time to start assembling. I also spend parts of the past year COMPLETELY rebuilding the convertible-only rear seat frames, including grafting pieces onto the rusted-away frame, replacing all sinuous springs, and bending all new edgewire. I don't want to even think how much I would have had to pay to get that done, but then again I also do not want to think about how much time and torture it was to do the work. But I am satisfied! Starting to see the light... Mark

Doh! Thanks for checking wit him - I'll have to give him a call and talk to him about it some more. This is actually good since I like the Daytona. Now since I can't get it "correct" anyway, I can go with modern loop or Daytona and still be OK! Mark

So this thread has got me thinking of what weave I should put in my 58 Century convertible, to be "correct". I'd like to use the Daytona, but is that a "correct" weave for my car? I seem to remember that this was put on the performace-oriented GM cars, not sure if Century counts as that. Not that being "correct" is my only criteria, I just want to make an informed decision. If not the Daytona then it would be the 80/20 Rayon/Nylon, which I think has more of a "tough" feel to it than the straight up Nylon. Is the 80/20 more like the wool that they used to use originally on the non-Daytona loop pile?

These are the same ones I am talking about above-

before you scoff, hear me out - Go to Home Depot or Lowes and look in the specialty fastener drawer section. They have grade 5 bolts called "serrated flange head bolts". They have a flange, and recessed heads. Just about any size you want, and are automotive-style. Found some factory-correct oil pan bolts there for my bronco that I could not find ANYWHERE else. The bolts may very well serve your purpose, at least they are flanged.

I am interested too if it doesn't work out for Pete. I am in Austin, TX. mschmerbeck@austin.rr.com Mark

The key is getting the square pyramidal lock washers. You can't get those anywhere as far as I know, though I have not checked with GM myself but I should. I went to the trouble of sending a sample of one of these washers, that I found in an old bag of Shakeproof washers in my grandfathers toolbox, to Shakeproof - but they could not find any record of ever having made that washer. I still think they did make them, though. Mr. G's has a similar square washer, but it's not the same one. Like Willie said, probably your best bet is to replate the ones you have. The washers are captive, so you'll have to have the bolt and washer plated together unless you are very clever and can figure out a way to separate them. I don't think you need to separate them, though. When I get mine done, I am going to either blast them first or soak them in molasses/water (this really works! 10 to 1 water to molasses, takes several weeks though) and then send them for plating so I know they started with a clean surface. Probably it would be best to soak them, then blast them. Soaking will remove ALL the rust where blasting would not, and blasting will work harden the surface and hide any pitting to a certain extent where the rust was removed by the soaking. I could not ever be sure that a plater would go to this trouble, soaking AND blasting, so I will just do that part myself. Although I think they will go ahead and hot tank or acid bath them anyway when they get the bolts. Can't hurt. Mark

still looking - this one is going to be difficult to find! Anyone know of a rotting 57 or 58 buick or olds convertible anywhere?

still looking - this one is going to be difficult to find! Anyone know of a rotting 57 or 58 buick or olds convertible anywhere?