Sgt Art

Most successful body shops rely heavily on repeat business from insurance companies. I know this because I've worked in car dealerships that had body shops and a good friend of mine owns one (in fact that's the only reason he took my son's car in for an all over job). A good shop doesn't want to put out low grade work. Their best advertising is a good job and the customer bragging about it. A poor job can be detrimental, "stay away from ABC Body, their a bunch of crooks." To really do the job right, you need to strip the old paint off down to the steel, especially on older cars. We've all watched Boyd and the boys on American Hotrod. You'd be amazed how much Bondo and rust you'll find when you do that. I was! We sent one old Ford Crown Vic (52, I think) that was litterally being held together in some spots by paint! All of a sudden the job goes from paint to pretty extensive metal fabrication. And the customer doesn't want to hear that it's now going to cost another $_________(fill in the blank). Although, the shop can make some money on an all over job, it's not optimal for them when they can knock out 3 or 4 front end collisions that State Farm is paying for and would be ever so grateful not to have to pay additional rental car fees while the customer's car is tied up in the shop. It's easy to criticize this, but most body shops are small businesses and there's a lot of competition. The failure rate is also pretty high. So, you have to make a business decision of what type of work will yield you the best return. Generally, if they accept the job, don't be in a rush. True artisans work when they are motivated, and contrary to American Hotrod, American Chopper those deadlines simply don't exist. It gets done when it's done. I've found this to be true of firearms restoration specialists as well. I've waited up to 9 mmonths on two old guns I sent out, but it was worth every minute of it in the end. I agree that MAACO and some of the other assembally line shops can do an adequate job for a driver. I've seen their work and it's nothing special, but much cheaper and faster. Also, who says you can't do some prep work before bringing it to them? Ask the guy if it would help if you sanded off some of the old finish. Do that and you'll have an appreciation of what those guys have to do. I painted my pick up truck once and right then and there decided it was not a line of work I'd care to get into. Sorry for going on so much. But, I'm a firm believer in there's two sides to every story.

I just had a 77 Buick Electra painted all over for $2000. It's a very good but not show quality job. In this case, the guy was just getting his business started up and of course wants to build a reputation and get some cash flowing. He was quick and less than a 1/2 mile from where I worked. I stopped by a couple times to see how it was going. He had numerous (70 some odd) dings to fix but no real body work in the sense of rust of major straightening. Some shops really don't want to do all over paint jobs. They'd rather do doors, fenders, or hoods. Also, expect to wait. They guy is going to take care of the insurance jobs first. He wants to stay on the good side of the adjusters and insurance companies by getting their customers handled quickly. This saves the insurance company rental car fees. My son's car took three months because of this situation.

Here's the best site I know for ID'ing this sort of thing: http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/oftrn.htm#TRAN%20Auto%20Transmission%20Identification

My bet is the factories use pneumatic compressors similar to the ones we have at the dealership for struts. How much torque does it take to compress a front end coil spring? Seems like it would be like wrestling with a boa constrictor.

Better do what Rocket said, get the right tool for the job, there has to be one. Check with a front end guy in your neighborhood. Maybe you could get him to stop by and do it for you on the side. It would be well worth it, certainly cheaper than the ER and easier than trying to pick your nose with your elbow. BTW, that frame looks great and so do the control arms. Did you send those off to be rebushed? I had to do both uppers on my Lincoln and I could take them off but my service manual indicated it required special tools to press in the new bushings and then I'd need an alignment anyway. So, it went to the shop. I learned you can ruin a set of front tires ricky tick with bad upper control arm bushings, brand new set of Bridgestones shot!

Dave, I'm with you on this one. In fact, the connections to the batt terminal are the new FL (see picture) they look different than the factory GM ones because they don't have that big fat round connector that GM uses. The battery mount is brass (at least brass plated) and is normally used when you hook up two batteries in parallel for addition amperage (as in Diesel engines). Years ago, in my reckless youth, I had a Corvette and wired something right off the battery. I had the wiring running up the drivers side but did not properly secure and protect it. Somehow it got entangled into the steering column and the insulation scraped off. I had a dead short that started the insulation on fire. I had just pulled off the interstate and saw smoke coming out of the hood. I opened it up, not a good idea in some cases, and saw what was happening. Fortunately, it took care of itself, the wire became an FL. Burned right through. Had it not, I'd have probably had to try to grab it an pull if off the battery which would have hurt somewhat or watch my Vette turn into a pile of "hair".

Yep in fact, that's how one of my manuals recommended removing the upper control arm in order to replace the bushings. But, in this case, jacking up the lower control arm was to keep the spring in place. I'd much rather do it your way than use a spring compressor. Man, if that thing came loose at the wrong moment.

Would this type work? Ebay

I'd go with the TH350, it's lighter and was the standard bolt up to a 350 engine. I have a factory 403 Olds engine/TH350 in my 1977 Buick Electra. It's more than enough tranny for the job. They're also pretty cheap to repair if they fail. The TH350 and 400 use different out put shafts or slip yokes. I think the 350 will be more like your existing trans. As far as length issues, just set them side by side and then have the driveshaft shortened if necessary, sometimes you get lucky and there is little of no difference. There's almost certainly a driveshaft machine shop somewhere around where you live. Check with the local car dealerships and see who they sublet that kind of work to. That way the guy can balance it too. Make sure the trans you get has the BOP bolt patter and not a Chevy type. It's a do-able swap, but you'll have a few little adjustments to make.

I wonder it the guy is serious or just seeing how stupid people are. It costs less than a dollar to list that junk and if it sells (I have faith that no one is that stupid) he stands to make a nice profit. I once put our cat on Ebay as a joke. I got all kinds of emails about him. In the end, EBay cancelled the auction because it violates their policy regarding live animals. They refunded the 45 cent fee as well.

I went ahead and wired it to the batt (+) terminal. I got one of those side bolt extensions for the batt cable that has a threaded stud sticking out. Put the fuse link right to it had to splice a piece wire (12 gauge same as the headlight circuit) to make it all long enough did the same for the other wire (except it's 10 gauge). Now both wires go directly to the batt instead of the starter solinoid. There are existing cable retainers along the drivers side fender well for other wiring so I was able to make a neat job it by running these wires along with the others. Looks factory, works great. The bonus is, if it fails, I can repair much quicker than if they're under the car. Only thing is I need to get the soldering gun out and do it right, I used butt connectors and although the service manual says this is okay (the replacement fuse links come them already in place, I too prefer solder and shrink wrap, more professional.

UPDATE: Jan 25th It was the fusible link that failed. My guess, when the tech changed out the starter motor, it was damaged somewhat, but not completely. However, I'm guessing some of the strands of wire separated and the others may not have been able to carry the load for long. I clipped the headlight feed wire on the firewall side of the link and then probed the link with check light. Nothing. I connected a new fusible link to the headlight feed wire and then ran a jumper from the positive battery connection to the connector on the link. I have complete exterior lights including high beams and all markers etc. I felt for heat in the link and wire and didn't detect any which I feel a short would have zapped the link almost instantly if there was one. The reason I did this, is I can't get under the car because my son is working on his car and has the level concrete spot and the jack & stands. I worked over the fender. I have never really liked GM's design of placing those wires on the starter solinoid. My thoughts are to run a suitable cable from the positive side of the battery and a mounting posts for the fusible links connecting them on the fender well which is plastic material. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks both for the confirming what I believe is the problem. RR, you're right, there are two FL coming off the starter, one for the lights, the other for everything else. I studied the wiring diagram until I was cross eyed (man I hate those things) and traced it back in the service manual. I haven't had a chance to get under there, but the symtoms sure point in that direction. The tech who changed the starter for me is a good guy and knows what he's doing, but I've found things in the past (vacuum lines left unconnected) that needed attention. As soon as it warms up a little, I'll crawl underneath the car and change both FL as they both look ratty. The diagram calls for 16 gauge for both feeds. Sound right to you? BTW, the dimmer is on the steering column so I'm guessing that takes it out of the equation, right? Best, Art

I've got no headlights, or other exterior lights at all. Everything else works fine. I replaced the headlight switch but it didn't correct the problem. I've tested the wires in the switch harness/connector and there's no current reading on any of the wires. The shop manual says check the read wire, no current, open circuit possibly fusible link. The starter was replaced recently. The car is a 77 Buick Electra ("C" chassis) with the standard GM pull on/off light switch. Any ideas?

Where is that guy located? I got took pretty good on an Ebay purchase. Pics looked great, and the guy's description although not out and lying, was deceptive. What was described as a crack in the windshield from a pebble/stone (which I took to mean a bullseye) was a crack the ran completely across windshield and had to be replaced. The passenger door had no doorlock but the picture showed on. Instead I had a hole in the door where the lock should be. The seller claimed "it was there when it left me". The paint described as really good with some crazing on the trunk turned out to be badly nicked scratched and dinged all over. The drive motors for the driver's power seat were badly damaged. I ended sinking more money in the car than I should have and there wasn't much I could do. The seller said he would send me $150 for the windshield but never did. I will NEVER buy another car on Ebay or without looking at it first. The pics looked so good, but in person, awful.

I've got 77 Olds 403 engine with a Quadrajet that's giving me cold start problems. The choke is funtioning; it closes when cold, opens as engine warms. In order to get the engine to start I have to prime the carb with some gas. It takes two or three primes (just dumping some gas into the carb) to get the engine to keep running. It will start instantly when add a little gas run for s second to two and quit it's as if theres no gas in the carb bowl. Once I prime it couple times, the engine runs fine. Any ideas on cause and correction. Thanks.

I'm with RR on this one. Unless it's really pouring out, live with it, it's part of owning American cars from the era. Tip: A Ford 460 rear main seal (neoprene or rubber type) will work in an Olds 455, I heard about it and did it. I don't know of any that will work on the small blocks, however.

Which is basically what BWM and Merc-Benz still do with their various numbering series of cars. 325, 325i, 525, 530, etc.

My understanding is the motor mounts are the same, but the big block chassis mounts or connecting points sit a bit lower than the small block types. I've swapped a 455 in place of a 307 in a 1985 LeSabre. Everything bolted up fine, but the big block engine sits up higher than it would if I had used the big block chassis mounts. At the time I didn't know about that and it did cause some clearance problems with the air filter.

The best solution is to complain to the credit card company. I know from past experience they do forward the complaint to the seller and allow them 30 days to respond. I recently had a customer complain to Visa that we wouldn't give him a refund on an electronic part (wiper motor interupt card) that he wanted to return (we don't give returns on electronic parts and it says so on the invoice). I still had to send a copy of the invoice to Visa to prove this. Otherwise Visa will debit their bank account for the charge.

It's a 403 Olds engine. I don't think you'll see any appreciable gains in MPG with fuel injection over a properly tuned carb. Today's cars get better MPG for a variety of reasons, mostly because they are lighter and can use smaller engines. By going to front wheel drive, they eliminated the drive shaft, large auto trans, and differential. These are power robbing items. In addition, overdrive auto trans have made a big difference in economy. The main reason for closed loop fuel injection systems was emmissions. The on board computer receives information from sensors located throughout the engine and exhaust. This data can then be used to adjust fuel mixture many times per minute, a carburator has always been something of a compromise in that department. Any cost savings in MPG would be offset by the cost of the system assuming you could even install it. Case in point would be most of the SUV's. Even with TPI, they still get rotten mileage, probably worse than your car. The prices on the cheapest Holley systems (throttle body) start somewhere around $800 and can exceed $2000 depending on which one you use. As far as dependibility goes, a properly set up carb is a lot less complicated than an after market EFI. Sounds like you have a project. Good luck.

I don't think Pontiac made a 403 cid engine, they did make a 400 cid in 1977. I believe that the 403 is exclusively Olds. Easy way to check quick; if it has an oil fill tube with cap on top that sits just behind and to the passenger (right) side of the water pump area, it's an Olds. Only Olds has this type oil fill. The 403 Olds was only made for three years, 77, 78 and 79. Some guys have had success building them, but I haven't. They do make good torque but due to the siamesed cylinders and hollowed main webs aren't good candidates for building. Also, there's only one cylinder head for them, and they're not much in the way of high performance items. I've heard of 350 Olds heads being used, but you have to have the bolt holes drilled out to accept the bigger 403 head bolts. It filled in for the big block 455 when they were dropped after 1976. Buick, Olds and Pontiac all made a 455 bb but they have almost (maybe no) parts that interchange. As your car is an Olds, why not stay with an Olds engine? They're damn good engines, very rugged, strong castings. You didn't mention what trans you have (I'm guessing either a TH350 or Th400) but if there is a Buick, Olds or Pontiac engine bolted up to it, a Chevy probably ain't gonna. A 455 Olds will deliver gobs of torque and that's what launchs you off the line. The bonus is, it will run fine on 87 octane gas. You don't have to go overboard on modifications. A double roller timing chain and sprocket set, a bit more cam (Crane has a nice one, very streetable) replace the other valve train components (lifters, push rods, rocker arms and pivots) because there is no adjustment on these, an Edelbrock Performer and Carb set up will get the job done. True dual exhausts and forget headers, they don't really do all that much and are just a royal PITA. If you can find some of the earlier heads (C or G castings, F's are really expensive) that will help too. This will give you a stout engine without blowing a lot of money. However, you'll still end up spending about $1500 or so. As far as fuel injection goes, Holley and others make kits, but I've never bothered with them. The cost is about as much as the engine! All the testing I've seen in "Hot Rod" and other mags don't indicate a significant gain in HP. You can get a real nice idle with a 600 to 650 Edelbrock Performer carb. I used one on a 455 Olds with the above mentioned parts and was real happy with it. It's a remake of the old Carter AFB square bore carb. Much easier to tune than a Quadrajet and mileage was about the same. The only think I didn't do when I did this was to get BB chassis mounts. I've since learned, that by doing that, the engine will sit a little lower in the chassis. Otherwise you may run into clearance problems with the carb, air cleaner and hood.

Body mount bushings. You may not be able to find the exact part for your car, but I don't think it would be too hard to find a workable substitute. Body shops usually have good sources for that kind of part. If you can bring them one as an example, they may be able to find one that will work.

What type trans are you using? TH350 or TH400?

When you put your 455 Buick in the LeSabre, I assume you replaced a 307 Olds. Isn't the starter and related wiring on the passenger side for the Buick engine vs the Olds being on the driver's side? Did switching that over cause much of a problem?