Fr. Buick

Looking for a good '56 Distributor to help get a Buick on the road. Any help is most welcome, Doug Cook SoCal cell 714-488-1664

I had similar frustrations on a '50 Super. I blew out three gaskets trying to figure this out. Problem was finally solved by having the exhaust manifold resurfaced on a mill. Turns out over the years of heating and cooling, the manifold warped. After a proper resurfacing, no further leaks. The only trick was to find a machine shop with a mill table long enough to cut the manuifold from end to end in a single pass. It is frustrating, I know, but this solved my problem permanently.

First thing would be to replace engine and trans mounts and the thrust pad. These will impact how the trans performs quite a bit.

Thanks for the ad. I sent a private message to your email. Doug Cook

I had problems recently like this - Can't be the fuel pump. It will either work, or fail completely. Try replacing the coil, they can start getting tempermental when heated up. That solved my problems recently...

Anything out there?

I have three already, and I only need two more to complete the set for my '54 Super Riviera. I am looking for good originals, and any help is appreciated. Doug Cook cell 714-488-1664

I would be grateful for Ken Mitson's contact as well. Good to know these are being reproduced.

Sounds like several possible problems before you conclude that the fuel is boiling, i.e. vapor lock. First is to check that there might be a leak in the fuel line. The fuel pump would then draw air into the system, making it look like boiling. I would disconnect the fuel line at the carb, have a friend apply air pressure at that point in the line, then trace the the fule line all the way to the tank and listen for a leak. Or better yet apply soapy water with a small brush and look for bubbles at all the fittings along the line. Next, I would rebuild the fuel pump. It is not hard to do yourself. Lastly, I would look at the carb. It sounds to me like the throttle shaft is worn out and the carb needs a rebuild. Happy wrenching!

A very big part of keeping brakes working their best is regular adjustment. I just do it at every oil change at two thousand miles, Follow the service book to the letter, and it will make the old brakes much more livable. As said before, upgrades to the larger plates, shoes and drums is an easy adaption, though you need the Roadmaster for the big front ones.

The lower joint will always wear faster because it carries the weight of the car. The coil spring is bushing down on the joint, and the road is pushing up on it, as it were... The upper joint is there just to hold things steady. This is one reason why the upper A-arm is smaller in length and width. I am always amused at the thought of my '54 having 26 or so zirks to lube on the front suspension, which I do every two thousand miles when I change the oil and adjust the brakes. Short story long, whatever you do, keep it lubed!

I'm 44 and drive a '96 Impala SS for a daily driver - my newest car. I have a '54 Special since high school, now under restoration. My day-off driver is a nice surviving and largly original '54 Super hardtop.

Anybody out there?

I have a '96 Impala, mechanically very similar to this. A very reliable drivetrain, comfortable ride, easy to work on, and GOBS of off-the-line torque. Check out the Impala SS forums on the web for an idea of how much after-market support there is on these cars. I say go for it!

Ladies, Gentlemen: I would be grateful for any help in getting hold of a usable '54 Steering Knuckle support. Any series, any side will do - they are all the same. Mine had the lower bushing work its way loose and distorted the hole to the point that it won't hold a new bushing... so any help is appreciated. Doug Cook

There is a nice write-up on him in today's Wall Street Journal.

A lot of the big parts would be identical, I suppose, but valve body, governers and vacuum pieces might be different - even depending on the 401-425 option, or what gearing was in the rear-end. Each of these has their own code number on the ID plate. A good book is by Ron Sessions, How to Work With and Modify the Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 Transmission, MBI Publishing, Osceola, Wisconsin 1987. It might amount to nothing, and a trans expert would know better. Regardless, a good book.

It has been a while since I played with these, but it looks like your second one is correct.

Marty, I may have something for you, call me when you have time to chat. I believe it is a 3.42, but I do know it is a posi. Doug Cook c. 714-488-1664

No, no, nothing so drastic just yet. Do not start removing heads... There is a freez-plug right behind the starter. I would pull the starter - simple procedure, but heavy! - and see what the plug is like behind it. My bet is that it has started leaking, now that you have replaced so many things and the system is starting to see pressure again after so many years. Inspect all the plugs on both sides of the block while you are there and replace what looks iffy. While plugs are out, do what you can to remove sediment and rust in the water passages. Get a propper-sized bushing driver to fit the plug, a long and heavy bar, and a big hammer. That will get you access to several of the plugs. Others may require an exhaust manifold to be removed. Rus Martin at Centerville Auto Repair in California can get you brass plugs. You can find him on the web, or Bob's Automobilia. I hope that helps, Doug Cook

How about a nice pair of wing-window assemblies for a '54 Super-Roadmaster 2-dr hardtop? Thanks, Doug Cook cell 714-488-1664

Flare nut wrenches are the way to go, but it sounds like even that might not do it. The problem is that the nut rusts onto the line itself. You may have to cut the line to get the nut off. But then the best bet is to replace the whole line. If there are rust problems in the valve and switch, it may be time for the sake of safety. Try one of the brake-line companies - they make stuff pre-bent and flared and ready to go for an amazingly broad line of cars and trucks. And on a truck, it would be much easier to remove and replace something like this, I would think. Good luck, and be sure to check five times for any leakes once it is done, Doug Cook

The current issue of the Bugle has a nice article of a very original '51 Roadmaster, page 18. The article mentions that the car has the chanel-seeking radio, and asks if 1951 was the first year for such an option. While I have no literature to support it, I can vouch that I stumbled on a very stock, unmolested '50 Roadmaster a few years ago with the WonderBar option. Amazingly, it was in Madera, CA at a local "pick-u-part" and still very complete. I pulled the radio for a friend, and it now resides in his '50 Super Rivi Sedan. The darn thing needed absolutely nothing. I took it right to my local radio man in Anaheim. He hooked it up, turned it on, and hit the seek-button. That set off a whirl and a click, and Rush Limbaugh came roaring through the speaker - "It must be a Republican radio," he said! A good question, thought I would share a Buick story... Doug Cook

Replace your mounts: engine, trans and the unique-to-Buick thrust pad especially. The latter locates the engine and trans length-wise in the car and will impact how the trans responds to the shift-lever - to the point of not going into gear properly or not holding in Park. It is not hard to do, and parts are easily to be had. Do this before trying to rebuild anything. And get yourself a shop manual so yo can adjust the trans linkage once all the new stuff is in place. You should be on the Buick Club side of this forum...

I would advise instaling electric brakes on that thing - which would likely mean a whole new axle... And a big trans cooler for the Dynaflow. I have also seen period pictures of Buicks pulling trailers, and always thought it must be a 3-speed car, because a Dynaflow would sure heat up under a load like that. Buicks certainly have the torque to pull, but brakes and trans are the weakest links in the chain. Doug Cook