Fr. Buick

Looks very original, hope the deal woks out for you. Starting: Turn the key to the 12:00 position and press the gas pedal. When the car fires, let off so that it idles normally, and you are off and running. THe starter switch is actually in the carburator, not in the dash. If it is hard to start and you ned to pump the gas, you must turn the key left or right so that the starter does not activate. If it is a Dynaflow trans (I can't quite tell from the pictures) put it in D (Drive) and leave it there. You only use L (Low) for going up steep drives or maneuvering a parking lot. And do not shift from one to the other unless you have your foot off the gas. Doing so under power is very hard on the trans. You will have lots of questions. Feel free to post here. A bunch of us have '54s and love to talk about them. Welcome to Buick!!

According to my 1929-1954 Buick Master Parts Book, number 4571960 and ...61 were superseded around 1953/4 to part number 4569545 (Rt) and ...46 (Lt) of the same group, 10-650. They fit: --1950-40; 504507-4569-4707-4769 --1950-59-79; 514507-4569 --1951-52-53-59-79R Happy wrenching.

Forgive me if I am telling you something you already know, but since you recently joined... Go easy on that Dynaflow. It will never perform like a modern trans, so just accept that. And whatever you do, DO NOT powershift between high and low ranges. Take your foot off the gas and let her fall into gear, and even that should not be done too often, i.e. not at every stop light. Oh, and adjusting your brakes every thousand miles will make a world of difference. Cool car, looks like it has a lot of potential. Have fun!!

Remember that they were making a TON of these cars in the post-War auto boom, and Buick had at least two assembly plants around the country putting together the final project, IIRC. What carb you got was, I imagine, simply a question of supply and convenience at the factory. I have had a Carter similar to yours on a '54 Speecial for years and it is a good unit. I highly doubt there is any performance difference between the various makes. Just start collecting one or the other as you find them - spare parts aint growin on trees. Pay careful attention to that little electrical switch on the side - they break easily and do not interchange between the makes. Happy wrenching!

Th Orange County Chapter is a good bunch, but that would be a tough drive to Tustin for Friday evening meetings. Good news is the next meeting is Sat, Jan 13 for lunch and a planning meeting for the year's activities. At least it gets you a chance to meet the members. Look for the link to the OC chapter on the main page of this site. I am out of the country for grad studies, so you will have to tell the members I said HI. Congrats on a great car you got. Doug Cook

Lamar, are you sure about it closing? I smell idle gossip and speculation here. I want evidence. Last I was there, about a year ago and before the dear old lady behind the counter passed, the owner was talking about all those cars from the 1970s as his retirement investment. Granted some of the old Buicks are well picked over by now, partly by yours truely. Now they might therby be heading to the melting pot, but a complete close-down is hard to beieve. Good Lord, the only neighbor they have is Ridgecrest, which has plent of its own eyesores. Could Ridgecrest ever get upity enough to zone them out of existence? The rumor sounds odd. At the very least, it is a cool place to visit on a very scenic piece of highway, and I would be loathe to see it gone. If you ever go, bring water - plenty of water.

Besides replacing the flasher, try using some electrical contact cleaner on the bulb, socket and where the socket plugs into the dash. Dust and residue can sometime mess up the contact for a good grounding. As for trim, Ebay will be your best friend... But be sure to also get a parts numer book so you know wht yo are buying - i.e. interchanges between models, bodies and years. Happy wrenching,

I have a very good right door. But it is in SoCal and I am in Rome till August. It is there for pick-up, but I can't ship until summer.

I have a very good clean right door, but it is in SoCal and I am in Rome until August. It is there for pick-up, but I can not ship until summer.

I have a door for you from a LeSabre hard-top, located in Placentia, Orange County, CA. Very clean but a slight indent along the trim line, but should be quite workable. Email me and we can discuss.

I am amazed nobody has brought this to the forum yet, but I think it's cool news... Buick paired up with eleven customizing shops and displayed 11 new Lucerns as a result. I didn't make it to the show, but the pics look interesting. I find this encouraging for the future of Buick. As well, an impressive '64 Electra convert made the show. The whels are a bit extreem, and the Nailhead went missing, but the car was there to make a big impression. All in all a good news day for Buick. Did anybody see the show? Happy wrenching,

A spring compressor (the kind that works internally - inside the spring ) can be rented, but be VERY careful. Compressed, these springs are a bomb ready to go off. Or you can buy a good compressor for around $100 or so - or at least tht was the price I paid 10 year ago... Happy wrenching,

Talk to Fred Rawling from the Orange COunty chapter web page. A good man, and will treat you fair.

First Rule: Keep it Nailhead. Seond Rule: Keep it Nailhead. If no help here, try the Yahoo group for Buick Nailhead. A lot of good resources there.

Nobody out there???

I know of two wagons, both '54, outside of Casper, Wy. Plan a road-trip, because it is a very small yard, and they will not ship. Or is there a club member in the area? Send me an email and I can give somebody directions. Or try Steve Rostam (sp?) who is active in the San Gabriel chapter in SoCal. He restored a very nice '55 wagon and may have your part. Happy wrenching

Having visited salvage yards from CA to CT, $100 a drum, with some good meat left on it is not bad at all!!! He should have snatched those up without hesitation. Think of how old these cars are, people! Think of the price of gass and how the resulting parts market has been in decline for years, think of the cost of storing these cars somewhere, the growing restrictions on the salvage industry from federal to minicipal, the price of scrap iron and the temptation to close down and sell to a condo developer, and you realize that parts are not getting easier to find or cheaper to find And when you do manage a find, thank Divine Providence and kiss the feet of the yard operator. And besides, salvage yard hunting is just good plain fun. Happy wrenching,

Looking for a missing piece for my '24 four-banger, and I just discovered it is the same as the bigger engines. Delco part number D-2176. Used on 1923-1925 sixes and 1924 fours. Any help appreciated. Best to reach me by email - fr.dcook@rcbo.org

For Buicks from the late '50s to the late 60's, the aluminum drum housing was cast around the iron break-surface, which was waffle-patterend on the outer side, not pressed in, which strikes me as a disaster waiting to happen. Too much heat expansion in being used, and too critical of a surface to mess around with. If it gets loose or the drum shatters, God help you! Welcome to the old car world, these are a wear-item. Start hitting the phone and start searching salvage yards; and buy now because they only go up over time. Fortunately, Buicks sold like crazy over the years, so the cars are still out there, but you have to look long and hard and be ready to spend some money... Tell us what area you are in, and somebody might recommend a place...

Wow, lots to go over here... I could be a lot more help with my '54 48D, but the car is at home in Anaheim, and I am in grad school out of the country. Trim under each side window is snapped into place with tiny clips that are tensioned-help in the holes in the body ad can only be removed from the body by needle-nose pliers that press in on the sides to contraact the holding tabs. I do know that Olds 88 sedans of similar years ('54-6) have the same trim and the same clips. For the sweep-spears, front fenders are help on at each end by a piece that bolts from the back, and on the doors a screw comes in from the back. Everything in the middle of these trim pieces is a press-in type. Seems like the quarter panel are all held on by a clip with nut and washer. If you asked me a year ago, I could give you pictures, but the projet is on ice for three years and I am nowhere near the car. Sorry, but hope this helps. Best bet is a hunt of salvage yards. Give me your area, and I might be able to point you to a few places that could be of help. For something like this, you will want to go yourself and see how it all comes off, even if you have to buy another set of trim just to get the clips. Or sometimes the clips will be left behind even if the trim is gone. As for replacing the parts that are no good from your set, just forward of the rear wheels (group remember that '54 and '55 small-series are identical in their stainless trim in each respective body-style. According to a quick look in my parts books, a hard-top car will not carry over to the two-door post cars. And of course there is Ebay. I have seen and gotten used and NOS this way - a piece at a time, but it ads up. In my books for '54 at least, the parts you need are:group 8.214, 1163676 (right side) and 1163677 (left side). Hope this helps,

First of, throw your modern concept of handline right out the wing-window. At their best, these cars are a little vague - more like herding sheep down a road than pointing a modern sports car in a precise direction. Second, be sure wheel bearins are in good shape. Then continue on to the idler arm and tie-rod ends and replace if needed. I think there is also an adjustment on the intermediate rod as well. The steering boxes on these things are heavy units, and should be the least of your worries. Having rebuilt an entire '54 front end, I can verify that A-arm bushings should be the last thing to attempt. Seems you have ball-joints instead of king-pins? If that is the case, others will have to step in. IIRC, these are a hard piece to locate. Above all, have fun!!

I believe only about 5% of Buicks came with the synchromesh transmission and not the Dynaflow. If I remember right, the Century got a stronger trans than the Specials did, in which case, you have a nice set-up. The were frequently bought to haul a trailer or haul a#$... Doug Cook

I am believe there is no such thing as a '97 Roadmaster, likey a '96. But it is not your car, so close enough... That said, send your friend to www.impalassforum.com, a very active and helpful group for all the cars that share the same basic platform, including the Caprice/SS, Roadmaster and Fleetwood from that vintage, which ended (along with Roadmaster name) in 1996. You will find something helpful there, I think. Happy wrenching,

Way cool, looks like a lot of fun!

It is a lot of work to get tht grill out. You will do better to clean it in place. Get some good chrome polish and a soft old tooth brush. Take your time, ad enjoy the resulting glamor of a dash with real chrome. To remove the radio, start by removing the two knobs. I think they have small allen set-screws. Put masking tape over the push-buttons to protect from scratching. Then crawl under the radio on your back and look for the wire-mesh insulated antena wire, which whould pull out with a little effort. Also look for the power line, which should have a fuse in the line. That fuse might need to be replaced. Remove the line going into the radio housing. Last come two bolts that hold the radio in the dash on either side toward the bottom of the housing on each side. With the last one out, support the radio with one hand from the bottom, push the face into the dash, and the radio should come down and out. Be careful, it is heavy!! The Buick Bugle should have an ad for Alan Kriss in NJ who rebuilds these hings. I have had very good experienes with him. You will be surprised at how nice these play. And you will love the humm and warm-up of a vacuum-tube radio. Happy wrenching, Doug Cook