Fr. Buick

Stick-cars usually came with lower compression. I think that was the only logic. Go for high!!

The lid looks '55 to me, but aside from lid, bucket and pulley, I believe it interchanges with at least the '54.

Thanks a million, Willie, you just saved me a tone of money!!! I had no idea the stuff would be so easily gotten. They look like a perfect replacement. Thank you. I figured my only option was to pay a certain vintage AC shop to do a replacement. Now I am off and running! Yes, Paul, the old ones are fried. And even if they are holding pressure now, add a hundred PSI, plus heat and engine vibration and see what soon may follow... Best to start with new rubber, especially with the price of R-12. Once again, THANKS, WILLIE!!!

I am slowly putting together a factory AC system on a '54 Super hardtop. So far all my hard parts, even the compressor, are tight and working. The copper hard lines have about nine inches of flex hose near the compressor, with a copper mesh around them, and mine are shot. Has anybody had luck in replacing that flex hose? Who, what, how? I want to keep it as stock-looking as possible, but don't want to loose any of my R-12 in the process. Any help is appreciated.

To pull the pan you will need to remove the cross-over exhaust pipe and the idler arm to let the steering linkage drop down and out of the way. THEN, remove engine mount nuts, lift engine with a jack and a piece of wood under the oil pan, and add some wood between mounting pads and the frame for extra height. Let the engine down to rest on the wood and you should have enough room to pull the pan. Once you see what lurks therein, you will be glad you did all this work...

Semi-gloss black.

SWAG is engineering-speak for a Scientific Wild-Ass Guess. It means you really know what you're doing!

Greetings to Buick Land!! I have a used set of wires on my '54 Super - the reproduction wheels from Wheel Vintiques, that have so far been trouble-free. I was giving them a once-a-year removal and detailing for a big show comming up, and discovered a broken spoke on one wheel. I called Wheel Vintique hoping they could supply me with a few spair spokes to have on hand and take care of my problem locally, and got an emphatic NO. The guy on the phone was helpful like snott on a door knob. Paul Reiker (a local restorer of Larks and Eldos and a Fiesta or two) gave me a tip to call Buchanan Wire Wheels in Azusa. I took the wheel in, they sourced me a spoke and a nipple OFF THE SHELF and a really cool wrench to torque it all in. I would NOT recommend doing more than one spoke like this, but I put it in myself, and SWAG'ed in to about as tight as the other spokes. They were extreemly helpful, their hardware is much nicer than what comes out of Wheel Vintique, and for any further issues, I am going to them. They do mostly motercycle stuff, but knew exactly what I had, and spent time to get me back on the road. Hope this helps....

Old Buicks love a good drive. Good for you!!!

Turn up the radio? Is that the best you can do? Ya know, after all the work to install a Selectronic in the car, I discovered that there is no good oldies station on AM in this area!!! BOOH!! All I get is mariachi music and sports or politics talk. Not fun. I solved my noise problem - It was the pressure hose after all. I installed a spare, and the problem is solved!!! But the hose is old and "iffy" and will need to be replaced quickly, so now the hunt is on to find someone who can fab a new one. Any ideas??? Thanks to all...

Thanks for stepping in, Willie. I am using factory original hoses, and the '54 is similar with a funny change of diameter in the pressure-side hose. Though as an aside, mine are rubber from end to end. The '55 seems to have some short sections of hard line at one end or the other.

Greetings all in Buick Land! I recently restored and installed a correct power unit in my '54 Super. The assembly was out of a parts car (Thanks, Mr. Earl!!!), so I don't know how it ran before. But inside was very clean, with almost no sign of wear, and it all went back together beautifuly. For the first few months, the unit has worked perfectly. It turns easier than my old '54 Special with power ever did, and was a welcome improvement over the manual steering the car came with from the factory. Now it is developing a noise, a sort of hydrolic hiss. Only when warmed up, and only when the wheel is not strained to engage the power system. I can't hear the noise under hood at the gear box, even with a listening device. The noise only seems to be traveling up the shaft to the wheel. It makes the noise at all engine speeds, even at idle, and perhaps only a bit louder at high speed. I thought it might be something small and loose rattling around in the column, but it sure sounds to be like a hydrolic hiss. I have flushed out the Mobil One with a different ATF, with no change. The fluid does not seem to be gettig too hot - only 140 degrees. It is not low on fluid, with air getting into the system. I know that noise well, and would only make noise when the power system engages. Help!! My only guesses: --I adjusted the big nut on top of the valve assembly on the looser side of things. (With the valve assembly bolted down with the adapter, I could just barely turn the thrust bearing race by hand, per FSM, and left it at that and staked the nut.) Could that be oscilating when it has no pressure on it to move up or down the shaft? --Or could there be an obstruction in the hoses? Why would that only make noise when the system is just "idling" as it were, and not under strain? Your thoughts would be most helpful before I start undoing things. Thanks!

"Evil bay has ones listed for $25 ea, which seems a little steep, but I don't know." Have you priced cigars lately? Glad to see you named the lighter properly - for a cigar, not anything less. I always found it funny how it was presumed a Buick driver was of enough substance and taste to be driving with a cigar. I know my Buicks run better when I have a cigar going,

I recommend finding a good used one or rebuilding the original. They were a cool design from the factory, and a new spedo will stick out next to the other original guages.

All kidding aside, put a couple layers of masking tape over the push-buttons to protect them from scratching. I have found it necessary - after disconnecting all lines and removing all mounting hardware - that the buttons have to be pushed in all at once to allow the the radio to drop down. Also beware that a big fat rubber gasket around the speaker has to seperate from the dash. Do this by pushing the radio at the bottom toward the firewall. It will swing away a bit enough to break the seal loose. Good luck. Lightin and patience are everything,

Whats the power steering doing? Don't assume you need to rebuild!!! Trust me, it is not something easily removed, much less rebuilt. You can do it, but a big project.

DO NOT put hardened valve seats in a Nailhead!!! You will ruin the heads because the water passage is too close - Either the machining will break through, or a crack will develop soon into use. The Nailhead has low spring tension in the valves, the dia is small, and the heads have very good metal - There is no need for seats regardless of the dangers in trying to install them.

"an awful high pitched whining sound..." Sounds like a girl I dated in Hish School. Are you sure that noise is not from the trans?

Count me in for two, please!

I had alwasy loved mid-50's GM. In high school, I begged and pleaded with my Mom to let me buy whatever was for sale in the neighborhood - chevies galore, a '56 Olds, Pontiacs, etc. One day - Easter Day of my senior year, a local cop had a '54 Special 48D with new paint and low miles for sale - a little old lady church car - and I could talk Mom into letting me buy it. It was a great car, and pulling into the senior parking lot, I had arrived!! Stuck on Buicks ever since.

A common problem I had over the years with a '54 Special was the Idler Arm. It seemed to wear out prematurely, and gave the front end some slop. Beware that your car will never drive like a modern one, even with everything new. It was just a level of handling that was different then. You herd the car down the road more than precisely point it.

Lamar Wilkins in Lancaster rebuilt a '54 Dynaflow for me some years ago, and did a good job, he should still be around. Do a search of his name, and good luck!

So long as you have a back-up car to drive while the '56 is down for repairs and parts-searching. I drove a '54 through high school and college and it was reliable. Beware the brakes, and have fun!

Go to the Buick section of this forum, there are a lot of helpful people there. Beware, this is a big job, but not impossible - I just rebuilt one and installed it in a '54 Super. Glad I did it, but it took time and work Also, when posting such things, mention your location, since such a big and fragile part will not be so easily packed off for shipping. You may have to drive some to bring such a piece home. A steering gear withing 200 miles is much more realistic than one across the continent.

At least in my '54 Buicks, I have never seen paint on a transmission except when rebuilt. As you take the thing out, give it a good cleaning. If there was paint from the actory, it will be hiding in some crevices still. My bet was it came out naked metal. Give it a good wire-brushing and use Eastwood as-cast (semi-gloss) clear. I put that on a steering gear recently, and was pleased with the results. The fun is in the details, so have at it!