rmartens

1951 Buick special straight eight 1500 obo Not mine, saw this on CL this evening. Here's the text: "I have a very nice decent 51 buick for sale I think it would be a beautiful car fixed up...its all there all the way down to the hubcaps all original, 27,000 miles...sat for about 20 years until the owner and his wife passed away and three years ago their children sold it to my friend and I bought it from him...If it doesnt sell I am going to chop the top and make it a tail dragger, car has all the stainless interior etc...919 283 5278...Also WILL TRADE FOR A 67-81 Firebird or trans am in good shape has very minimal rusting here and there"<!-- START CLTAGS -->

I've got the chrome bows on my '56 Century Riv, but according to the auto fabric place that made my headliner (in OR), that wasn't in the book of factory patterns they had. Fortunately I sent pictures and the original headliner, as the headliner attaches to the bows with a sewn in cardboard insert. Rick

I pulled the rear axle out from under my '56 Century before I removed the Dynaflow. I removed the tires so I didn't have to lift the car so high. As already noted, you'll need to remove the brake line and parking brake cable. I made guide pins by cutting the heads off of some long bolts--all thread should work as well. I pulled the torque tube back into position using nylon straps--gave me good control by using straps every which direction. Once it was on the guide pins securely, I replaced the pins with long bolts and used the threading action to pull things into place slowly. Have fun!

Thanks for all the insights--and the photos! The other explanation I had heard about the hood scoop is that the mesh version was used only on AC-equipped cars. I've got the snorkel air cleaner as pictured, and had seen a TV program once where a Tri-5 Chevy had its hood ornaments turned into intake scoops that were plumbed to the air cleaner. It wouldn't take much plumbing to do the same with the mesh screen and the snorkel air cleaner. I've also seen '56 air cleaners without the snorkel--what models used those? As a side note, I no longer use an oil bath in my air cleaner--I found a paper filter that fits and seals perfectly. I think it was off a mid-80's Chevy S-10. I'll have to look up the part number. Rick

I've noticed some variation between my Century and parts advertised on E-bay and elsewhere: 1) I have the large hubcaps that cover almost 100% of the wheel. They have the plastic Buick inserts. But I've seen some smaller "dog-dish" styles advertised. Which is correct? 2) I have the "Century" in script on the rear doors. But others advertise the more block-lettered version. Which is correct? 3) My hood scoop has the painted grill, but I've also got a spare scoop that has the actual ventilated grill. What is correct? Thanks, Rick

Say this on the local Craigslist this morning... Rick http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/935618367.html 1941 buick eight - $1500 (oxford) Reply to: sale-935618367@craigslist.org [?] Date: 2008-11-26, 8:14PM EST 1941 buick 8 roadmaster.runs good,3 speed on column,straight 8 w/dual carbs.!needs some body work,there is rust,but besides a hole underside ,left of driver floor, i don't think there's anymore.car was actually kept up pretty well considering it's age.frame and suspension looks good, engine runs cool,oil clean as a pin, new points, has most parts there, but some not perfect.it's actually a must see vechile.bill of sale only!!!i won car at an auction,planned to fix really nice, but need money for more important reason. my lost, your gain.paint on car was just put on to help protect from weather,before i totally stripped it down.

I did the same--started with 9/16" Grade 8 bolts, cut the heads off and turned the other end down to 1/2". No, I didn't do it myself--took it over to the machine shop at the local tech school along with a picture of the car, typed up a bit of history of the car and why I needed the special bolts. They did the work as a class project--IIRC, each bolt took 4 passes at the lathe to cut the thread. The studs worked out great, I could use the appropriate centering lug nuts instead of bolts and washers which couldn't hold the wheels on center. Rick

I actually had thought about the stator idea--but was thinking electro-mechanical with a fuel level sending unit linked to the stator linkage and a fuel gauge for the indicator... Rick

Haggerty, Grundy, Taylor all exclude daily driver activities such as commuting to work (7 miles RT in my case, less than 2,500 mi/yr) and errand-running. Farmers linked me to Taylor's, so that didn't help either. Any suggestions? What's killing me is my teenage kids, who never drive my car but the ins co jacks up the rates anyhow. The vehicle is a 1956 Buick Century with a stated value of $6,000. Rick

John: I replaced the heater core in my '56 Century 17-18 years ago. I can't remember how I did it except to say I <span style="text-decoration: underline">did not </span>remove the fender and I did the task <span style="text-decoration: underline">single-handedly</span>. It wasn't easy, but I don't think I had to do anything especially innovative to get it done--no tricks to pass along-no unique tools to recommend-sorry. Rick

'56 Buick Century--As far as I can tell, overflow tanks weren't used, as the overflow tube is soldered to the side of the radiator all the way to the bottom. Should I install an overflow tank? If so, any recommendations for something that still looks period-correct? Thanks, Rick

Reminds me of the time I was working on a small push lawnmower with starter cord problems. Removed the shroud and the pull-start mechanism. The shroud included the dipstick/fill tube and kill switch mechanism. The genius then fired up the mower with a cordless drill, it started and spewed oil 12 feet up the side of the house--and I couldn't kill it. After what felt like way too many seconds, I yanked the plug wire. Rick

I finally have another vehicle so I can take my '56 Century off the road for a few days to test the fuel level sending unit and replace the gasket it's mounted on. Does anyone recommend a supplier (have a part #?) for the rubber straps/mounts/insulators that protect the tank from damage from the metal mounting straps? Thanks, Rick

If it's like the '56 Century, and you're talking about the outside trim... The key is the C-shaped trim piece of trim at the sides of the rear window where the upper and lower trims meet. It is held on by two screws from the INSIDE of the car--you need to remove the inside trim first. The rest of the outside trim just snaps in. Rick

I just had the vacuum wiper on my '56 Century rebuilt. The control cable controls basic on/off operation. The wide/fast switch operates off of vacuum, as does the washer pump switch. I'm not currently running any vacuum to the switch (doing some testing) and the cable operates the wipers fine--albeit at the fast speed, meaning a fairly narrow sweep. I do not have any vacuum connected to the wide/fast port on the wiper motor. Hope this helps. Rick

My daily driver is a '56 Century 4-door hardtop. I've been driving it regularly for the last 10 months. My commute to work is only 3 or 4 miles each way. The primary advantage is no car payments--I've owned the car for 18 years, and back then it only cost me $1,800. Insurance is slightly higher than my '95 GMC Safari. It seems like the special rates are reserved for people who drive only to and from car shows. The car is so simple, and with the help of other enthusiasts on this forum, we've been able to deal with any problems that arise. Even with a fuel pump problem, I've never really felt at risk of being stranded. It's not much more maintenance than any other car when you take care of problems. Rick

On my '56 322 I've used Fram CH106PL. Rick

Update! Gentlemen: Thanks for all of the advice! My previous posts indicate what I thought the problem was. I was wrong. First I replaced the plastic see-through fuel filter--it was very small, looked only "partly" dirty--but when I cut it open I noted it was very dirty. I replace it with another clear one with about 5 times the volume and sized for the 5/16" fuel line instead of the previous one that stepped down to 3/16". As I watched the new filter fill, I could see the fuel stream was very weak and inconsistent, and the fuel pump (Napa-branded Facet "square" electronic pump) was almost too hot to touch. I replaced the pump with a small Mr. Gasket unit rated for the correct PSI, and mounted it on the frame rail as close as prudently possible/accessible to the tank. It's noisier than heck--even worse than a Chevy Suburban. Performance-wise, I haven't had a problem. Yesterday I made the same trip under the same conditions as one of my previous problem runs, and it worked flawlessly--even when I drove it hard. It's also completely eliminated a small hiccup that used to occur under heavy acceleration. I think the problem resulted from trying to use the pump to pull fuel, and the pump was probably 14" above the bottom of the tank, and it was hot under the hood, and my filter was too restrictive. Again, thanks for the help! Rick

I had to pull the starter on my '56 Century last June. It was a challenge, but my 15 year-old son and I teamed up on the top bolt with either an open-end or box end wrench. He was under the car, I was working through the engine compartment. Can't remember who did what, but one of us was able to keep the wrench on the bolt head, the other did the work. Of course there was no way to measure torque putting it back together, so we did it as tight as we possibly could given the limited access. Rick

1956 Century. Shop manual says to start with a known good sending unit or a known good gauge. Unfortunately I don't know for certain either one is any good. I need to drop the tank to change the gasket anyway, and I'd like to test the sending unit at the same time. I've got a digital voltmeter--is there a range I should be looking for? I can also check the unit for continuity to ensure the fine wire isn't broken and the contacts are good. (I'm assuming it's got that coil of fine wire that the float arm contact moves up and down on.) I've heard (read here?) that it'd be wise to install a dedicated ground wire from the sending unit to a solid ground to eliminate a weak ground from causing a malfunctioning gauge. Rick

Heat affecting the pump wasn't something I had considered. It's getting warmer under the hood due to the extended idle, and the pump is working against an all but closed float valve for a long time, so it's probably heating up internally as well. It's an electronic pump I installed as a "temporary" solution 8 years ago. (I think the brand is Facet?) Not sure exactly what excess heat might do to the electronic pump (or how it actually moves fuel), but for an electric motor-driven pump, I can imagine some cavitation may occur. Eyeballing the picture in my shop manual, it looks like the exhaust manifold valve is open when the largest end of the counterweight it down. The counterweight appears to be down on my car, so I assume the valve is open. I'd have to pull a significant portion of my exhaust system to be sure. Rick

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I'm leaning away from the vapor lock theory for the following reasons: I'm using the steel line from the fuel tank that leads up to the original fuel pump location, from there it switches to 5/16" rubber fuel line and runs to the passenger fender where the electronic fuel pump is located. From there it runs directly to a plastic in-line fuel filter and into the carb. It's not mounted to the engine anywhere, so I can't see that much heat being transferred to it. I am thinking there might be some leakage past the float-operated needle valve due to excessive fuel pressure at extended idle. I need to test my fuel pressure just ahead of the carb and watch to see if the pressure climbs over a period of extended idle. I may need to buy a fuel pressure regulator to tone it down to match the original mechanical pump specs. There are no apparent visible fuel leaks on the outside of the carb, and the car runs fine under all conditions other than those described in the original post. Thanks, Rick

It'd be prudent of me to have a spare tire, I'm thinking... I'm looking for an original 15" steel wheel, somewhere in the Raleigh, NC area. Of course with gas prices what they are, shipping from out of the area might be not be that bad by comparison. Please quote price and condition. Thanks. rtmartens1@juno.com

While contemplating this repair, I also read in my shop manual last night that there is some filter material in the crankcase ventilation system intake (before the road draft tube) built into the valley pan. Is this material cleanable or replaceable, or should I just leave it alone. I'm thinking it might be well clogged or saturated after 50 years and maybe I need to take care of all of this at the same time. Thoughts? Experience?

1956 Buick Century w/original 4-bbl, cheap electronic fuel pump. The car is a daily driver. Starts well, runs well, idles well, takes off well--generally. It's happened before, but I'm only now recognizing a pattern. It seems that if the ambient temp is 80 degrees or so, and if I have to sit at a stop light idling (in Drive) for 3-5 minutes or so (haven't timed it yet), after getting on the throttle I get up to 25-30 mph or so, then the car starts to bog down--like it's flooded. It happened 3X on Friday. I try pumping the gas pedal to clear it, but that probably only makes it worse. Friday it died completely but restarted fine each time. With the electronic fuel pump it shouldn't be a vapor lock issue, and once I get things cleared out and good airflow moving again, no problems. Engine is not overheating, exhaust manifold valve is stuck open (at least I assume so, as volume and pressure out of dual exhausts is identical.) Oil pressure is fine, fuel capacity is fine. Any ideas? Rick