JohnD1956

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Posts posted by JohnD1956

  1. Posted

    3 hours ago, Wildkitty64 said:

    Is it worth the upgrade? 

     

    This is an age old argument.  I still drive my '56 with the cast iron brake drums, and my '69 GS with the aluminum drums and no power assist.  Both cars stop well, and are reliable.  My recommendation is to put that 800 into getting it back on the road and try them out before pursuing a swap. 

     

    BTW, Nice Buick!  Hope you'll stick around with some updates along your way. 

    • Like 1

  2. Posted

    On 8/5/2020 at 8:38 PM, RivNut said:

    Following the Rivera's four seat personal luxury car.  Has anyone seen one in person.

     

    There was one in my area several years ago.  I was surprised when I saw it.  It was a 2 dr and looked pretty sporty!  Unfortunately the 88 was equipped with the 2.8 engine which I had previously  found to be weak in the main bearings, so I kept on moving past it.   Would have been great with a 3800 ...  

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    Well, till you do I just wanted to let you know the dynaflow has a shiftless feel to it while in Drive, and some find this unsettling, thinking the trans needs repair.  Feel free to come back to the site with any questions before sending the car for repair work.  

     

    And otherwise, enjoy the ride!  

  10. Posted

    IMO I would add that the status of the car will also influence the price I'm willing to pay for something.   Since I am not planning to restore my cars but instead just wish to accumulate driving time while they still run, I am actually willing to pay a bit more than reasonable prices when I need something.  I justify it in two ways, convenience, and overall investment. 

    Convenience is the amount of down time avoided by just getting what the car needs to get her going again.  For example, I bought repopped outside rear view mirrors for two of my cars rather than await purchase and refurbishment of originals.  

    Overall investment is a rationalization that;    because I am not fixing or replacing everything, the few parts I am replacing can cost a bit more without souring the investment aspect of the vehicle, or overall crimping my "old car" budget.   An example here is that re-cast steering wheel for my '56.  

     

    So I may have paid the $200 for that door latch, provided it was working and immediately available.   

     

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

  16. Posted

    That valve cover hose should not have a PCV valve, but it may have a short brass sleeve that allows the hose to be hooked up to the cover itself.  The other end would likely go into the factory air-cleaner.  That hose would provide fresh, filtered, air into the engine so that the PCV system can suck out the fumes.

     

    As for engine oil loss I would check the connection for the oil pressure sender unit.  If you still have the electronic sender unit for the light I would replace it.  I have seen several of these begin to leak externally and you won't ever see a drip.  You may see some oil on the bottom of the car but I have seen cases where that did not happen.  

     

    If your car has a gauge it may be worth trying to tighten that line at the same spot.  

  20. Posted

    1 hour ago, Bluebeard & Rainbow Brite said:

    Hey everyone we are newbs.  A few weeks back our Buick found us

     We made a wrong turn, passed by a dealership that was closing and the owner was liquidating his inventory.  Long story short we bought her and named her Frida (Kahlo).  I work in Youth Justice and my beautiful partner is an Artist and Teacher.  We put a rebuilt radiator in her, changed the thermostat and thermostat housing cover is on order.  She needs some interior work upholstery and one of the levers for the heat the knob broke off. We also found a 55 special rolling Chassis with operational motor and cowl and steering wheel and components.  Got that parts car for 800 dollars.  I suffer from PTSD due to my line of work and this car has given me a new outlook on life.  We look forward to meeting people in this forum and any tip you folks have please share.

    20200712_144852.jpg

     

    Welcome to you two!  Nice Buick!  I have a particular fondness for yellow and black tri 5 Buicks!  Hope you start a Me and My Buick thread to fill us in on your adventures.  

    May we assume your car has the Dynaflow Automatic transmission?  And if yes, have you ever driven one of these before?

    • Thanks 1

  25. Posted

    Over time the gripping fingers will bend so they are not really sticking to the rim.  I use a pair of pliers to bend the gripping fingers out from the hubcap.  This will make them hard to install, and will stop them from flying off.  It will also stop the covers from creeping around the rim and bending the valve stem. 

    • Like 3