lancemb

There are places in U.S. that do great pot metal restoration but it is costly. If you are willing to pay for it there is a place in Chicago "The Finishing Touch" that will make them better than new. They have done stuff for me before and I'll be making a drive over there soon to drop off a couple items. I would be happy to facilitate getting a couple done for you with no markup by me if you have some crusty cores and are out of options.

Well, I DO have a bigger garage than I did last year, but I will probably always need a bigger garage. It MAY get a bit more crowded though...we'll see.

Yes rust free cars tilt a LOT to favor. I can understand your weak moment. It's a great looking car - and I totally agree on the hood swap btw. WAAY better looking. I feel another weak moment possibly coming on myself...

Yes mine. Maybe a couple small specks. Check out the pics. Nicest originals you'll ever see probably.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/VERY-NICE-SET-1955-BUICK-FRONT-DOOR-HANDLES-ROADMASTER-SUPER-CENTURY-SPECIAL-/252406521689?nav=SELLING_ACTIVE

Yes and you can also build a support out of 2x4s to help stabilize the front of the engine while it is on the stand.

The tool is a big socket that the pushrod goes through. It then has some holes on the outside in which to insert a bent rod type handle at various clock positions. I actually have the socket and plan to make the handle next time I have to change one. The first time I changed one I just used a long chisel to break the nut loose then took it off by hand. Made a couple knicks on the outside of the nut, but no biggie!

So super cool to get a car that well preserved for that cheap with family history! DEFINITELY KEEP THE ENGINE ORIGINAL! It's true, you can get what you need. It's a simple engine and these straight 8s are super smooth when running properly! Way too good and original of a car to not save the engine. Even the valve cover paint snd decals look good; I'd leave it just like that after you fix the engine since it's so well-preserved.

Since Adam made this car so dang shiny, I have started to upgrade the chrome pieces that were not as shiny, starting with the rear bumper. Here it is last weekend at the first show of the season!

I read about that 57 elsewhere before the auction and it was described as unrestored, which it looks to be and with only 39k miles. Plus it's a 75. Even if it had been repainted, I'd take it for $23k with a beautiful factory color combo, no rust, and well-preserved originality any day over the one above with the non-factory color, patched floors, twice the mileage and non-original non-functional AC.

Well if you are going to restore the car then I agree. However, that will not be the fate of most of these I fear. There just aren't enough buyers with pockets that deep. When you look at them as parts cars or low cost drivers even, the economics becomes very different. As parts cars the 3 57s are about 2x too high to make it worth all of the effort and transportation.

Very cool video. Tons of neat cars! I think I was born late.

I think it's a fair price but not a steal. The fact that it changed colors hurts the value a lot for me personally also.

I have always wanted to make a couch out of the back of a 57. That would be one expensive couch if done right. I wonder what my wife would say if I surprised her with it in the living room?

Thanks for all the info! I am going to try bleeding it with a helping hand raising and lowering the top and go from there. I called the guy I bought it from and he clarified that he did not replace the cylinders but just the hoses but said it did work fine when he was driving it and said he had a similar experience, so hopefully it will work out. If so I'd like to try to take it to a show in a couple weeks.

Yes that's a pretty good summary of steps. Once all the way down I kept filling the reservoir after running the pump a bit at a time until I couldn't get it to take any more. The motor was indeed running and it still would not budge. The top would go up and down under its own power until I put it down enough for gravity to take over. The frame mechanism looked pretty sound and clean but I did not do a thorough inspection before. However, the seller was a very conscientious and honest guy with me in my dealings and he said it had worked fine a few years back before the top remained down and he burned up the motor. I can walk around to either side and lift it partially by hand easily, so I don't think there is anything binding, at least not at the lowest point. How difficult is it to service the cylinders? I've never done that. It's also very difficult to fill the reservoir so I was thinking of trying to find a fitting that would screw in to make the opening right side up at least.

Thanks that sounds like a good idea if I can get to the cylinders fairly easily. Do you think just a bleeding could take care of it then? It just seems odd because I remember when I bled these before they would still move up a bit even with some air or maybe slowly but this won't budge from all the way down.

OK, so I am having troubles getting the top fully functioning. The previous owner said he had installed new hoses and top cylinders around 2008 and the top then functioned, but then he burned the motor up trying to get it going again after sitting a few years. When sitting, he just left it with the top down. He said it was stored this way most of the time, because they always drove it only in top-down weather anyway. I hooked up a new pump/motor, filled the reservoir, and activated it. The top easily retracted a bit until I stopped it and then it easily went back down under it's own power. I then fully retracted it, and filled the reservoir, but could then not get it to budge to go back up. I tried letting it sit, topping off the reservoir again a couple times, and still got the same result. Many moons ago I bled motors on a couple mid-sixties Buicks and was easily able to get them going myself by just refilling the pump and activating it, but this one won't budge. Any suggestions? Is it likely that my cylinders are weak/bad or do I need to keep at it and do something differently? Right now I just left the top down and put the boot on. It looks great! But, I will want the option to put it back up soon!

I think putting the form online somewhere would be a logical addition and alternative to my online survey suggestion; it's just another means to get the ballot. I still think an online survey in addition to the mail in ballot is the way to go if we want to greatly increase voting.

If needed I do have the innards to a 57 unit I'd sell complete.

91vert is right. I recommend the following, which could be implemented easily: 1) Set up a survey online through a 3rd party site such as Surveymonkey.com. cost is free or negligible. 2) Tabulate mail votes in a spreadsheet. 3) Download online survey results. 4) Lookup online list vs. Mail list to ensure no double voting. A precedent rule would have to be set for any double counts, such as mail vote trumps e-vote. Done! Lance Basiorka

SOLD

SOLD

Stupid price!

Very, very cool. Complete and unmolested and a great body style. My only beef with it is that dang green and red color combo again!