BuickNut

If you put both long shoes on the rear brake, instead of long and short - are there any other modifications you need to make ? Is there a very noticable difference in braking and stopping distance ? <P>Thanks for your input....

How much were you asking including shipping ? New ? NORS or NOS ?<BR>Thanks.

You can wind up going far enough, if your picky enough , that there are no actual such things as NOS.......however most of what has been said here I do agree with...though for my purposes, since I have mostly drivers, or just get into local shows at most..is that if it has Delco, AC, GM, etc on it.....it's NOS as long as its never been on a car. Just make sure if you have particular NOS/showcar requirements - you get pics of the parts including the date codes, etc.......

I have rebuilt a number of carbs.....from the Q-Jets to the one on my '49 Buick, to the one on my Dad's 48 Nash. Not a terribly difficult job - jut be patient, work slow, get lots of carb cleaner to either soak or spray it clean (care to the passages when you spray them....the spray either comes back at you through the plugged up passages, or out unexpectedly !!! ). If you have done any amount of work on your car - have a pair of good needle nose pliers....not a problem for you.

Probably between a couple hundred to 500-800 for used or rebuilt ? You might want to do a search of the web under "used car parts", "used transmissions", etc....they have some national search website entities (no direct cost to you....though the yards might pass on a small invisible fee to you since THEY are the subscribers to the service...) that are connected to numerous junkyards that will get back to you with various priced and various milage transmissions...you juse put in what you want, and if there's anything out there, they'll get back to you.

As much as we all like to work on cars - be they rods or resto's, I very much agree that no need to flame anybody. I think it respectful that if you're a buyer, you let the seller know of your intent with the vehicle if you both should agree on selling/buying. We all consider our cars our "babies", and want them kept as much down the path we put them on as possible. I must admit to wanting to put, on occasion , a different engine/tranny combo in various cars....but MY (please note opinion here...)idea is such that I would always make things reversible.....but in general, I probably consider myself on the restorer's point of view and what I plan for my cars for the most part. I guess it just comes down to respect between buyer and seller...if your the seller and want it kept on the path you put it on, let it be known, as Don did, that is how you wish to sell it. If your the buyer...mention to the seller your intent...a little consideration on both sides is great....cuz we ALL gotta make sure we keep 'em out of the boneyards and don't let them get legislated to bajeeziz !<p>[ 12-31-2001: Message edited by: BuickNut ]

Just like the rest of us...with "can't do that right now....have other places for my money " Take it as you can. Even with what I said about airshocks, I did as you said with my wagon to get the rear end up to ride height.....though I say that with a caveat - it already had the airshocks on the car when I bought it. Used once in a while in that way, in a low load manner, airshocks are a good, cheap alternative...though I still will replace the rear springs on the wagon...as soon as I can get extra money too !

Mmmm, I would be a little skeptical about anything over metal that would increase the weldability of it However, while I have had mixed results with POR-15 (except engine paint which I found excellent), the idea behind POR-15 in their advertisements is that its best over a rough surface (and doesn't work over already painted surfaces) - typically that which is left from areas cleaned/scrapped of the loose rusty scale - the pitted areas. POR-15 doesn't do well on smooth surfaces, so if you use it on virgin steel, you have to skuff/rough it up some. As to the prep, after the scrapping of loose stuff (ok, actually have to get as much as you can off) and its been degreased - you use a metel prep, which is just a zinc oxide to etch and pretreat for painting. Zinc oxide is typically used across the board no matter what paint you use - it helps with adhesion and rust prevention. Then you put on the POR-15. Again, I've had a very mixed bag of results on my truck frame - areas that are still sticking after 2 years and is rock solid - and I've had areas after 6 months peels off. I've been told by their tech support that I probably didn't degrease well enough - or (which this part WAS true and I agreed with ) I should have used 2 coats of the base POR-15 before the optional topcoat, instead of using 1 coat base, then the top coat. Nobody has really has anything that has been foolproof - though in earlier threads there seemed to be a few that wrote in with nothing but accolades about Corroless with nobody saying anything bad about it.....

Typically, load levelers are for the rear - though I can't say for certain there aren't any for the front. I agree with the previous post about going at this from the perspective of using newer material (polyurethane...) bushings, different tires, heavier sway bar (frt and rear) with polyurethane bushings there too, new coil springs (the old ones may be kinda tired...). Putting that much stress on the shock mounts might not be a good idea. Even using airshock at the rear or the load levelers in the rear, especially on cars, is not too terribly a good idea to increase your load over a long timeframe (though sometimes ok for short term usage that way) Shocks are used just to dampen the ride...not to help support the load. If anything...maybe use a higher dampening shock without the coilover springs if you didn't want to go the above route - though the higher dampengin shocks might just slow the roll a bit instead of eliminating it.

There are many types of products out there doing as descibed to you in the email..to name some - Corroless, Extend, even Navel Jelly (I think), which converts rust to another material being hard, that is paintable afterwards. I have a qt f Corroless which I'm going to try on the other side of my truck frame, the first side being covered with POR-15. I've also heard of various results of the product type which was described......I guess if there were one product which absolutely worked, word would spread through out the hobby pretty quick. <P>As to the salt spray testing - that is very misleading most of the time. I work in the auto industry, and have done mucho testing using a number of coatings (the type we hobbyists use is way too expensive for the auto industry, so I haven't been able to get it on test). However, that doesn't simulate real world conditions of hot and cold cycling, dirt and grime and real world road salt, stone chips, etc. Its used in the industry as VERY basic benchmarking so you can at least talk apples to apples comparisons - but it truely doesn't give real world results. I tried powder coating on a part - it withstood unbelievable salt spray hrs - but it couldn't take high heat. Just give it a try yourself and check the results. If you keep your car garaged - probably almost anything will work for years and years - its when you get a car outside everyday in the elements that causes the problems. Good luck...and sorry for the long winded response

Oh...now just go out and buy a NEW car and don't worry about ANY of it ....JUST KIDDING, JUST KIDDING.......! Depends on how messy of a painter you have or are, or how clumsy a trimmer you have (...or how clumsy you are if you do it yourself )

I very much agree....the Rend IS made in Mexico, and why buy it vs some Toyota or other rice burner that is made here in the US ? What the heck does American car company mean anyway ? Yeah...very disappointing. It seems the only division of GM that really had the designers eye towards younger buyers was Olds....Pontiac is about the only hope right now. They do have some neat cars comiing out in the Vibe...but it is still too much like the Aztek as to styling - and you know where that's going ..(yeah, lets throw some bigger tires on it, and oh yeah, a rear spoiler too - ain't that way cool ??? )

I agree with most points put out, that once the car is sold, the new owner can do anything he wants with it. But there is nothing wrong that the seller ask what is the intentions for his "baby" BEFORE it's sold . If the seller doesn't care, or doesn't bother to ask beforehand - then game overwith - the seller hasn't a thing to cry about. It all depends on the wishes of the guy who owns it NOW and what his wishes are. Of course, there are those that will lie about their intentions to the seller, say that it's going in a well heated garage, and only driven on Sundays....and then will turn around, knowing before hand that wasn't his intentions, and run it in a demo derby...or rod/customize it up.....lying about ones intentions is pretty bad. Either way, the current owner has everyright to ask what ever questions he wants - hoping to get the honest answers. Honestly, I think the rodders would feel the same way if someone disgustingly rich said they wanted to buy their custom, baby it...then turns around and runs it in a demo derby. Both situations would be a bad deal.<P>The seller can't TELL the prospective buyer what he can or can't do with the car after its sold...but there is no law that says if the current owner doesn't like the intent of the buyer, that he has to sell to him. Its called being picky to who you sell to...just as the buyer is picky about who he buys from.<p>[ 12-04-2001: Message edited by: BuickNut ]

True....but I REALLY needed to whine about this......

Carbuff....Mr Rawlings has my point ! The prices being charged PER CUSTOMER on a singular basis are very fair...and I applaud him for selling them for that price. However, if he is going to invite vendors in on the deal - one does with assuming to sell a LARGE number of them at a discounted rate. How long do you think you would get the price you got, if vendors bought their stock for those singular prices, for the whole lot. No vendor in his right mind would buy a couple of dozen carbs for $35-$50 A PIECE, pay gobs for shipping, and then turn around and sell them for $35-$50 to their customers. Try a little economic sense here.....and maybe some basic horse sense too. If he didn't want to sell to vendors for the going vendor to vendor rate - why say that vendors were welcome ? His carbs...he can do with them as he pleases, but he shouldn't get upset when a vendor got upset with the ridiculous price he was asking for the entire lot. I notice there were not other vendors jumping in trying to get in on his "sweet" deal for the entire couple dozen he had for sale......

Gents, please, please....I admit, I do get irritated when I see/hear of a mint car that has been chopped up for customizing - however, I do appreciate the WORK that person has done - despite that fact that I do object to the non-restoration ...no offense intended, that's just my point of view. I really prefer to see non-restorables go for rodding - still keeps them out of the boneyard and from the crusher (!) - as I still appreciate the work going into it whether resto or roddo, and I do get a kick out of seeing an older car with a 455 in it at times....just for something different. But with all due consideration to the gent selling the car, as you say, he can do with it as he pleases. If he has enough work in on the car, and would prefer NOT seeing it get chopped up, frenched, etc - that is his perogative. Admittedly, I myself would probably put the same trailer after most of the cars I would sell about not wanting it rodded up. We all have different tastes, and wishes for our cars - includeing "life" after us with another owner. Give the guy a break - as much as rodders salivate at the thought of putting a 455, 5 spd, posi into a '49 or whatever ....this guy feels just as stongly about preserving what Detroit originally made. And one thing the rodder gents do forget, just as with the cars they own, they can do with it as they please - the fact is he STILL owns it and this is how he pleases......Just a different point of view is all. Again, I do like the rods - just wish they were made from non restorable cars - but wanting to preserve what Detroit originally made is not an antique attitude - now lets REALLY get after the people that need getting after - THE RICE BURNERS <BR> <p>[ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: BuickNut ]

Ok...definatly both sides to the story. I would be upset if I could afford a numbers matching machine, and somebody was advertising an "original" that was a non-numbers matching resto. On the flip side, I would love to put a GS hood on a regular skylark or such....but not the markings (my preference - thus I wouldn't be truely "cloning"). But a question, I ran into certain shocks from the 60's that were called "spiral" Delco shocks that were supposed to be on the vehicle straight from the factory floor that were supposed to be NOS ...also came across some shocks that were Delco which were non-spiral that were also NOS advertised. How can you upkeep the maintenance on the vehicles to make it EXACTLY numbers matching, factory original (???) when those "factory original" parts aren't made anymore ? There was a difference between Delco stuff on the car from the factory, and even what the dealerships sold over the counter as "factory original" per their definition. Truely fodder for arguements and for the lawyers when you get down to it. I agree with the synopsis that seems to be forming here....take what you have, and be happy with it whatever work or research you put into it I know I am ....

Very good response on the "matching numbers" question. While there is no harm to "cloning" a vehile to either a GS or GSX, it should very well be noted upon selling the vehile of that fact, to the new owner. I guess that its funny about cloning...I went to the Detroit Woodward Dream Cruise for the past 3 years, and you couldn't go 5 ft without seeing a '66-'67 GTO....couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting one. Darn funny though, because it was more rare to see just a regular Tempest or LeMans....by the numbers of them you see on the road - THOSE are the rare cars.....as are the regular Skylarks.

Bill, Thanks for the offer and the info, guess I'll pass- as you're correct, shipping would be quite a hit.<p>[ 11-28-2001: Message edited by: BuickNut ]

BUICKFAN.....yes, I did. I was hoping to get to my GS, currently in storage back where my folks live, and check out the steering column over the holidays. Go figure, that was last on the list and didn't get done. I'm still hoping to get to it sometime in the next couple of weeks. If you still have it by then, I'll give you a yell. Thanks for the info about the decals. I'll be writing off to see about getting them. There's a '73 Stage 1 for sale on EBAY right now.....I saw the pics and got me all worked up about mine, and it makes me wonder which is the next vehicle to come out for restoration - the '73 or the '49 ....decisions, decisions !<P>BUICKRACER: yeah, if you could send some pics it would help in placement of the decals. Thanks for the offer !<p>[ 11-28-2001: Message edited by: BuickNut ]

Don't know about the paint, but the cracks in the steering wheel can be repaired with a 2 part epoxy compound sold in hardware stores - its called PC-7. If you take a gander at either the Eastwood or Sears AutoStore magazines, they show a steering wheel repair kit, and the pic shows the PC-7 cans....a lot cheaper to get it through the hardware stores.

Darn....needed to talk to you guys about 3 years ago. We were working on my dads oldie, pulled the tank, and from your description, I believe it was the sock we cut off due to its being all crapped up. Just thought it was a type of filter in the tank, and never replaced it except for an inline fuel filter - didn't realize it filtered out moisture as well. Learn something new everyday......

Hi.....I'm looking for the 2 "GRAN SPORT" decals for the rear quarter panels back by the bumper behind the wheel wells, as well as the decal that I believe was on the trunk lip all way across, for a 1973 Buick Century G.S. Was also wondering what color these came in.....I'm assuming either black or white ?<P>Thanks.<p>[ 11-27-2001: Message edited by: BuickNut ]

Do the bumpers have the bumper guards (2 chrome uprights) and the rubber molding as well ? Is there any other way to get this other than pick it up ?<P>Thanks.<P>Ray

How much did you want for the seats, and how much would shipping be to Canton, Michigan 48188 ?<P>Thanks.<P>Ray