Fr. Buick

I would try taking the unit apart for a good cleaning and lube job before anything else. Watch how the little valve pieces go in and be careful of the thin paper gasket under the top lid, otherwise a very simple evening project. If it is more serious inside, send it to the pros for a rebuild. Also check your vac lines to be sure they are good. FInally, if it is only working so-so, the vacuum side of the fuel pump may be out. This is often overlooked when the fuel pump is rebuilt, and not hard to do yourself with the proper kit. I say keep it stock. Like the Dynaflow, it's all part of the car's personality, which has almost vanished anymore. How often are you driving in the rain anyway? Happy wrenching,

Hey, very nice job on the Roadmonster. I like what you did. Are you happy with the Tri-Y headers? What brand did you get? I am thinking of a set from CIA for my '96 SS. Good job, esp. the GS on the grill. Doug Cook

It could be an alignment issue. Try thumping the front face of the hoop. Or gently - gently - pulling up on the ring of the hood ornament - but for God's sake, do NOT on the shaft of the ornament. Hope that helps, and happy wrenching,

You should be able to buy a new bracket that mounts to the frame along with a new bushing. Try Bob's Automobilia on the web, also Ebay has them now and then. It sounds like that is what you need to do. Remember, these things like lots of regular lubing. I think the recommendation from the factory was every one thousand miles. These things wear out fast on my '54 for some reason, even with regular lubing. Happy wrenching,

One of the hot rod mags in '54 featured a blown 322 on the front cover and an article on it. Sorry I don't have access to it just now to give you more psicific info, but it shows up on Ebay now and then... Happy wrenching,

"Have you found any product that will replace the actuation tape. The ones that I have are generally flat and look and feel a bit like plastic or nylon. Suggestions?" Kevin: I think the technical term is a "mast cord." I have not found anything of a similar size. It seems to be made of nylon, similar to a weed-wacker cord. But the shape of the original is so odd that we will likely be out of luck. I am sure that it could be reproduced, but at considerable cost. If anyone wants to investigate and finds some possibilities, I am all ears. I suppose a machinist could make new wheels that might grab onto a round mast cord such as from a weed-wacker, as another possibility. A friend of a friend found me an NOS mast center and cord with Oldsmobile markings but the same basic part, and I am keeping that as a spare. It is not for sale. Happy wrenching,

If you have all those parts, then you are in very good shape. I attached a good cord to the inner-most mast section (really just a stainless rod) by completely taking the inner rod out of the other sections of the mast: the top-most little "ball" unscrews from the thin rod and then you can remove the rod from the rest of the mast assemply. Take a lighter to the point where the rod attaches to cord and remove old, broken cord. Install the good one in its place with a similar use of heat - just enough to sort-of "melt" it into place. A good tug will tell you it is in OK once it is cool, and then put it all back together. You do not need to completely take the mast apart - only the inner piece needs to come out, and you might even be able to do this trick with the piece in place - It has been two years and I do not remember. Be sure the shape and diameter of the cord are the same as the one you are replacing. I may be wrong, but they may changes some from unit to unit. A manual mast CAN NOT be used in a power unit. I can't share any pics, but hopefuly this helps. Once you ave taken one apart, I think you will get my drift... Test your motor before reassembly by touching the electrial lines to the terminals of a battery. All my motors are in good shape, since the mast fails or gets broken before the motor ever gets worm out. Then put it all back together and test again to make sure the mast moves. Tension can be adjusted with the spring and screw-plug on the top of the motor housing in case the little wheels are not getting traction on the cord. For smooth operation, I also put graphite dust on the cord and into the lubular housing that holds the cord when the unit is down. The mast sections so delicate that I doubt a rechrome is possible. You are best off using the best mast you have. Sometimes I was able to take the other mast sections apart by pulling one section out of the next backwards. So perhaps you can compine mast pieces that way. I have never seen a manual for these things, but there is a guy in Hemmings by the first name of Kause from Florida. He has an advert in the Cadillac section. He rebuilds them with new masts and cords for about $500 or so. Forget about calling him for parts or advice, though. He just wants your business, not your questions. At least that was the impression I got. Hope this helps, it was a very satisfying project for me on my '54.

I've seen one done at a car show once, granted it had a 401. Holes were cut in the X member of the frame inboard from the master cylinder. It strikes me as a bad idea for two reasons: First, you got a hole in the frame!! And second, heat is getting to the master cylinder. An option - It would not be hard to remove the lousy restriction in the way the factory Y pipe was made, and then run duals down-stream from the muffler for a balanced look. Since the engine in not big displacement or high revs, I would not imagine much improvement in a true dual exhaust. Just some untried thoughts as I consider the same on my own '54...

I think this stuff is fairly standard, so here is what works on my '54: They are usually held in by a tensioner - for lack of a better word. Put a hand under the front of the seat bottom on each side and lift. It will snap out of its holder, allowing the bottom to be removed. The seat-back usually has a bolt on each side towards the bottom that is sometimes up under the upholstery, so go fishing around with your hand if you can't see it. Happy wrenching,

Oh, wow, you are right. The guards are different between bigger and smaller series. Part numbers for 40/6- Series as follow: Group number 7.828 1163630 Right side 1163631 Left side Happy wrenching,

These things have a HUGH radiator, so cooling should not be a problem except for a very steep climb on a hot day. I agree with taking out the radiator for a good cleaning. Also look into a radiator filter. These are made to be placed in the middle of the top hose with a mesh screen to catch rust and debris, a common problem after a rebuilt engine. Google search "Russ Martin Nailhead" and ask him where to buy. He is a great mechanic and knows his Nailheads in case your problem continues. Have fun with a cool car,

If you want to be accurate, those bolts should be silver cadmium (or was it silver zink?) plated, not chrome. Chrome is a fortune in the US, which is another reason not to do so. But regardless, have fun.

Don't anybody mention this to his wife!!!

Wow, sorry to hear of your trouble. Rear bumper guards are not hard to find on Ebay. Be patient and you will have a good set soon enough. Even if just one at a time. Remember, they are Left and Right, and the '55 look very similar but will not work. One size fits all Series (40, 50, 60, 70). Are the bolts you are describing between the outer fender and the inner fender? If so, not a problem. They are reproduced in shiny new zinc with new star lock-washers to match. I am away from my project, so I can not give you a size or source, but others will speak up... While you are buying hardware, ask them for a measuring tool that will help you determine Standard (inches and fractions of inches) sizes and threads. It is usually a simple plastic board with lots of holes in the middle, cheap and easy to use.

Before you go putting anything back together, though, take the manifold to a machine shop to check for warpage. I worked on one for a friend, putting it on and taking it off several times. Darn heavy to muscle around in there, and kept blowing gaskets. A couple of passes under a milling machine, and it is quiet as can be, and not blowing gaskets. The only trick was finding a shop with a mill big enough to machine the thing length-wise in one clean pass. Happy wrenching,

I was able to grab an NOS complete set on Ebay a couple of years ago for my '54. I am out of the country for grad studies so the wires are not handy to look at for you. They were pre-cut and with terminals installed, and read PACKARD DELCO on the box and on the wires. The part number matched my references I had on hand at the time - but that book got lost at a swap meet, darn it. In the parts books I have here with me, it lists them seperately going back to 1932 - strange... But for your year: Group number 2.240 For plugs 1-4, part #1345412 For plugs 5-6, part #1242422 For plugs 7-8, part #1242424 Hope that helps...

PS, are you SURE it is not just leaking out of the pump, down the hoses and onto the stearing gear housing? The only place I can see a possible leak would be the seals on the steering gear power cylinder adapter - which has two O-ring seals (part 6.556) to the cylinder housing, and another seal on the inside (part 6.581) to seal the rod that passes through it. Or perhaps the rod is chewed up? You DO HAVE a shop manual, don't you? Keep us posted,

Wow, that is a mess on your hands. These units are well-built. I am surprised you are having this much trouble, which is not to discourage you, but only to say that once it is done right you will be fine. I found a NOS rebuild-kit a year ago on Ebay, so keep an eye out there, but it did not include bearings. I would suggest you contact this site for help with the bearings and perhaps even a rebuild-kit - www.mosesludel.com. Shipping the unit to them from Germany would be darn hard to do (weight plus that darn steering shaft attached), but perhaps they can help you with parts to let you do the job out there. Good luck,

Hey, Lamar!! I will be in Maryland this summer. Any chances of a name and address? I might go check it out myself. Thanks,

No way, no how for '53 and '54. BUT you are in luck with '52 being the same, as long as you match it Special to Special or Super/Roadmonster to the same. Group numer 1.267, and it is officially called a "grill frame" with an "inner" (center) piece and the two "outer" extension pieces on the left and right, all of which interchange. So says my BMD interchange book. Have fun, and good luck finding a nice one. The money you spend on a good original is money saved come time to rechrome it.

I wanna learn how to do that when I grow up!! Very nice work. Thanks for showing.

My '54 Special runs 30WT Penzoil in SoCal, and I have used that since I bought her 70K miles ago, and changed every 2000 miles. Anything made today is better than what they had back then. If your driving conditions are exreem, you might use something a litle thicker or thinner. Happy wrenching!

I used thin black vacuum hose form the local auto parts house on a '50. Just be sure there are no markins on the hose to detract from for appearance and enough diameter for the wire to fit. Lube up the wire, and it should slide on through. Happy wrenching, Doug Cook

What Mr. Earl said is correct: Be sure to clean out the area of the heater under the seat. The seat stuffing will start falling down with you sitting on it for the first time in years. A vacuum will be very handy here. The fuse box is located under the dash, near the stearing column. It would be a good idea to purchase some electrical contact cleaner. Give the thing a good cleaning as you remove any fuses to check their condition. As for operation of the heater controls, you have two electrical switches for the two different fans. The under-seat fan has a high/low switch (Off in the center, high and low on the sides), and the dash heater/defroster fan is only off and high. The two big leavers (Be careful to move them, as the plastic knobs can break off easily!!) control the hot water valve (Valve is located above and to the right of the passenger floor.) and another controls the defroster function, more or less. Precise operation you will figure out. If these leavers do not want to move, get under the dash and soak the cables with some kind of penetrating lubricant like WD40. They will move in time. Also beware that the heater valve will likely start leaking as soon as you try using it again. You can get a rebuilt one on Ebay or Bob's Automobilie, I believe. As for jacking, DO NOT USE the bumber jack. That was made of the idiot average driver who did not care much about his bumber and needed to change a flat in a hurry without the proper tools. Use a hydrolic jack to jack the car up at the frame. Place it just behind the front wheels at the flat spot of the frame, or just in front of the rear wheels at the flat spot. Use jack stands, becaue these Buicks are damn heavy. Try to avoide leaving the car lifted from side to side. Lift the front end up, or the rear end up, or both. You are very lucky to have working radio and wipers. Sounds like a nice survivor!! Let us know how it goes, and have fun. Whe you get frustrated, walk away for the night. Doug Cook

Never mind on the Dynaflow. I see from the clutch pedal that you don't have to worry about such things...