Bhigdog

Thank "YOU" Peter.........Bob

Sounds like this miserable heat and humidity has got everyone everyone in a bitchy mood. Try a nice cool shower and some Gold Bond medicated powder in your undies. ..........Bob.

Soooooo.......... What method did they use to hole the glass? Bob.

If you are restoring a 56 Olds (or anything else) a subscription to Hemmings Motor News is a MUST as is a shop manual. The pump can be rebuilt using available seals from your local bearing supplier. Ed Strain, Pinellas, FL. does a good job on the boost unit for about $200. Lares inc. is supposed to do a good job on steering units but is a bit pricey.......Bob

I know this is almost silly but is anyone interested in a complete set up to run a 303/324 4 barrel engine on propane? Everything included except the tank. bhigdog1@ptd.net

WTB, robe ropes with teardrop shaped end pieces from GM car. Color or condition of ropes unimportant. I need a pair (2 ropes, 4 end pieces ) for a two door Olds but other GM ropes are fine. Please contact me direct, bhigdog1@ptd.net......Thanks, Bob.

Well, they're not quite that simple. But they are really one speed trannys, no changing gear ratios involved from zero to top end. That does uncomplicate things a bit.......Bob.

WTB, robe ropes with teardrop shaped end pieces from GM car. Color or condition of ropes unimportant. I need a pair for a two door Olds but other GM ropes are fine. Please contact me direct, bhigdog1@ptd.net......Thanks, Bob.

Yup, why pay outragiously inflated prices to save a couple of minutes, especially in these days of Email and internet. Besides, half the fun of a restoration, for me, is doing for myself and being sharp about how much bang for the buck I can get. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying buy the cheapest P.O.S. you can find. Just buy and work SMART. For example, one interior parts supplier buys his materials from a another well known supplier and simply marks it up 100%. I bought the EXACT vinyl from the original supplier at $35 a yard, the other guy quoted me a price of $70, and told me frankly where he got it.......Bob.

A 56 Dynaflow is a really simple tranny to rebuild needing only a few special tools that you can fabricate yourself. BUT, you WILL need a shop manual, it will take you through the process step by step. They are readily available for about $35, and if you have the car you really should have a munual anyway.......Bob.

For parts try Terrill Machine Inc. 254-893-2610. Same exact parts as Fusick, Kanter, etc. but at about 1/2 the price. Specialty houses will just eat you alive if you let them. Here's some examples of prices from Terrill vs Fusick. Piston set $208 vs $465, lifters $6 vs $13, gasket set $80 vs $169, valve guides $3 vs $10, ring set $45 vs $75, and the list goes on but you get the point. You can probably get a lot of the parts from NAPA cheaper than the specialty houses. I've rebuilt 2 Buick nail heads and am in the middle of an OLds 324 rebuild and they all are in the neighborhood of $1200. That's with me doing all the assembly except the cam bearings. The rebuild included boiling and shot blasting the block, rebore/pistons, all new bearings, lifters, etc, heads redone with the guides bushed and hard seats. Do your homework and be a knowledgeable shopper.......Bob.

If you are looking for someone to repair/restore your Buick tube type radio I can't speak highly enough of Alan Kriss. He advertises in the Bugle. Outstanding work at a fair price.......Bob

The interior Of the 55 S88 I'm working on is not original and I want to make it as authentic as possible so I have questions. It appears the rear panels of the front seat (under the robe ropes not where your back contacts ) are plain smooth vinyl. I suspect those panels were embossed with a patten of some kind. Does anyone know for sure? Thanks........Bob.

From experiance I have learned that while you may find cheaper rubber than Steele you won't find better fitting/quality.......Bob.

That depends on what you are looking for. There is virtually no repro sheet metal available other than patch panels. Engine/suspension/mechanical parts are readily available. Many trim items are available either as repro or used. Interiors are available. A must have is a subscription to Hemmings. Leads to Almost anything you might need will be found there, and of course there is EBay...Bob.

Now that's impressive. Thank you........Bob.

Assuming you want to lock up the engine, an old trick is to feed a length of clothes line into one cylinder, through the spark plug hole.

Does anyone know how I can get a copy of my judging sheet from Batavia? Thanks......Bob.

Sorry, I should have made myself more clear. Start with an 8 point socket. All you have to grind away are 2 points on each opposite side........Bob

Start with a 3/4" SQUARE socket ( made for square nuts ) With a die grinder and a tapered stone grind the opposite two sides of the cavity round leaving two sides flat. Worked for me.........Bob.

Thanks, That helps an awful lot. What is the meaning of "Flying Colors?"

Vin #558C10631. The car is (was) Grove Green and Polar White. My intention is to change the color to Regal Maroon and Polar White. The rear shelf is just bare metal now, hence my question. I also, at some point will need to know what interior color options were available with that combo and what the codes were. Thanks....Bob.

with 95K on the engine you could have lots of different problems and most likely a combination. The lifters could be leaking down or frozen. The rocker shaft/arm worn. The push rods/arms worn. etc etc. Most likely all of the above. You could chase one thing at a time but if it's smoking, blowing, leaking, and making noise my guess is it won't be right with out a rebuild.......Bob.

I've got 3 of them installed, 2 on Buicks one on a corvette. I left the ballast resister on as per instructions and wired as per instructions. I've had absolutly no problems. My coils are stock units........Bob.

I used an epoxy 2 part system thats been down about 6 years of HARD use. It's been indestuctable. The key to good adhesion of the paint is the concrete MUST be clean, dry, and at least 30 days old and the floor MUST be etched with an acid solution to give the concrete the "tooth" to hold the paint........Bob.