JohnD1956
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Posts posted by JohnD1956
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Aahhhh !!! Nothing against the Chevy, but that's music to these ears....
Do I see factory bucket seats? Got an interior photo?
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As for that starter switch, it needs to be cleaned internally. But this can be tricky. Lets see if I can describe this.
The switch is plastic and contains a lifter that rides on a ball bearing which in turn rides on a hump built into the secondaries butterfly rod. When you start the car the rod turns pushing the ball bearing against the lifter, then lifter pushes against a spring loaded set of contacts inside the switch. As the points in the switch make contact the car starts and then two things happen to stop the power through the contact points. First is the ball bearing is sucked out of play by engine vacuum. Second is still greek to me although I know it works. Essentially as the engine begins to run, the generator begins to produce electrical current which then causes a relay to break the continuity from the starter switch to the solenoid. I point this out because the basics are important to the repair.
# 1 the switch needs to be cleaned inside, not sprayed outside. Todays Chemicals are strong and I would not spray anything on the outside of the switch unless I had a second switch available.
#2, the switch assembly should be marked so it goes back together right. If wrong, the ball bearing cannot be sucked out of play and that negates one failsafe. It will also cause the starter to begin turning as soon as you turn on the key.
#3 I believe the 56 manual says to clean the inside of the switch with a cotton swab and reassemble without lubricant. That contact point set needs to be able to move freely and lubrication can impede that, especially in cold weather.
The gas pedal starter is a cool piece of Buick history. And the good news is it is very reliable. But just be careful not to torque the screws too much lest you crack the 50+ year old plastic.
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I noticed I do have a slight fluid leak out of the right rear drum, so maybe I need to check the brake reservoir.
There is a good chance they need to be bled. ...
Where is it that I need to spray to clean the starter on the carb?
You should pull that drum off and see if that's brake fluid or the rear axle seal. Either will cause the shoe to gumm up and slip. Have some brake cleaner available before you pull the drum and then clean the shoe surface.
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Along with the other previously mentioned, we toured with Russ and Susan Bushnell, who provided an exceptional discourse via FRS radios on the sights we toured and saw.
Thanks for the read.
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This is the original post office located within the General Store: According to the documents there, the Postmaster earned $50.00 per year, based on the postage she sold. However the year that Calvin used the Summer Whitehouse, she earned $1,500.
Pictured below is the Kerosene Fuel Pump. The tank is located in the basement of the store. It is interesting to note that due to the winters this was indoors, and the houses had attached barns for their implements.
The family home of Calvins Paternal family is way down in the valley. That was not part of the tour.
Calvins immediate family home. The display in here is priceless. There is even a picture of Calvin on the farm with visiting dignitaries, Henry Ford and the Firestone Brothers. Lots of original furniture including the lamp, table and Bible used to swear Calvin into office.
Here is the family workshop. Full of tools and other period farm implements. This is across the street from the family home.
There was so much more to see, and it is all close enough to touch. It really puts you into the flavor of the day. An awesome sight indeed.
Lastly, some fall colors:
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Here's some of the things we saw:
Calvins Mothers family house:
The Genral Store, owned by Calvins father. Note the Gulf fuel pump out front. there is a picture inside showing this to be in place in 1924.
The summer White House was on the 2nd floor of the store. A large room for a town hall, it was taken over during the summer for the Presidents office.
Note the counter tops which were hand built and installed in 1890, and the 1900 circa cash register.
Lastly:
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...to Vermont.
Several members toured to the Calvin Coolidge Homestead in Plymouth Notch, Vt. this past weekend. Despite a blowout for yours truly, the day turned out to be a lot of fun. Many thanks go to the other BCA members with us, Gary and Karen Braglia, Jim and Lynda Jakubiak, and Ed Allmond, for their valuable assistance in our hour of need.
We traveled some rural routes to Route 100, a scenic highway right up the middle of the state. We met up with members who live in Vermont at the Weston Country store.
Then we traveled to the site.
The site is special because the entire village, not just the house of the President, is part of the display. In addition the home of the Presidents family is unique because it contains all the furniture and nick-nacks which were donated to the State with the home.
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Oh man! My eldest sister had that car ( with the exception of white under the sweepspear) when she graduated from college and got married. I still remember it idling in the driveway next to Dad's 55 Special, as I compared exhaust tones. Love the work you did Pete. Kinda wondering how you find the time to edit the Bugle and restore cars at the same time? You gotta clone or something?
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Cool addition to your collection. There's something to be said for a turn key car. And something nice to be said if it'a also a Buick...
Congrats
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Beautiful Buick and a nice Chevy too, Ruud. Which car do the kids like better?
And welcome to this forum. Always glad to see new people in here. Thanks for posting.
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Welcome to this forum and I hope you take the advice to join the BCA.
As for the brakes, Bhigdog called it right. Leave extra room between you and the car in front of you. BUT, you might also want to have a look to see if the brake shoes are worn, or covered in grease/ or moisture. If you can pull off a front tire, and then the drum, you can assess the thickness of the shoes, and while you have the drum off, lightly sand the surface of the shoes and the inside ring of the drum. I would use 100 grit paper for this.
Also look at the condition of the rubber hose to the front wheels. If they are cracked or appear to be exceptionally old, then you would want to replace them. If it were me, I'd do these things before messin around with the brake booster.
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What you may be missing is a clean connection at the pigtail positive or at the negative bolt on the fender. Also your new bulb may be defective.
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Great. Drive it some too.
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If you have a separate speaker, try hooking it up to the radio and see if that helps. Also, remember, there are only two or three AM radio stations around here that are powerful enough for the radio to capture.
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It's great to get the jump on parts like this, but the big problem here is the relatively small portion of the Buick folks that frequent this site limits the number of people viewing your ad. If you are a member of the Buick Club you can post an ad in the monthly magazine, the Bugle, and reach a much larger population, who no doubt would like to have this hood as a backup.
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The patches look great Adam. Nice work!
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the road wheels fit but not with the lug bolts
i would like them on there but they will not be safe
the holes are to big for the bolts and the bolts just bottom out before getting them tight enough
Well, I never would have suspected this to occur. Offhand, do you know what year car the wheels came off of?
But the color scheme sounds great. The Chassis looks really good too. Can't wait to see some pics of it done. I'm really growing fond of the 50-52's. Something about the shape and size just screams "perfect"...
BTW, great to see your sons involved with you on this project. How do they like the car?
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My experience has been that unless someone complains, no one will ever bother you about any of these types of laws. This particular law was most likely considered just so the authorities would have something to throw at someone when there's a problem and they want to slap you around. Looking at the other parts of the law I noticed that no one is allowed to have a building that has rodents in it. Well, who the heck is gonna enforce that one? But in case the authorities get called to a place that is infested and there is no local ordinance, they can revert to this statewide code and cite the owner.
Basically just a way to cover their behinds.
In my case I was cited because one of the townboard members lived around the corner from me and did not like the sight of one of my cars in the back yard. In my town they won't let you have any unlicensed car outside in your yard. So they slapped me around and forced me to register the vehicle even though I had no intention of using it. Of course once it was registered, I pulled it out from behind the shed and put it on prominent display where everyone could see it. But it actually worked out as I fixed the mechanicals and had a good time driving it. But I left it unpainted and parked it in my legal driveway right by the road every night.
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Doesn't look like there is much you can do. Our Legislature has apparently voted for this overall Law, and in the case of local ordinances which are looser, this law superceeds. I found a better site on the web regarding this law and have put a link below. Meanwhile here is their official definition of an inoperable automobile:
INOPERABLE MOTOR VEHICLE. A vehicle which cannot be driven upon the public streets for reasons including but not limited to being unlicensed, wrecked, abandoned, in a state of disrepair, or incapable of being moved under its own power.
How sad that it has come to this. The next step is to fight this and have it turned over, but be honest, how many people are going to be willing to do that when so many other people keep trashy yards to begin with, impacting their real estate values?
Perhaps in your dad's case he might argue some sort of grandfather clause? But you probably need a lawyer for that argument.
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Don't know why people always drop those other engines in. Seems to be a lot of Buick power available. For me it's always dissapointing to see a nice Buick hot rod without a Buick engine.
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That one ought to have a fuse in the fuse panel. Looks like you may need to find a panel BUT, if you need a temporary solution I'd go with what JP said about making a new line with an inline fuse. If you go to NAPA or another car store, just buy a package of alligator clips, an inline fuse holder, and some 14ga wire. Then make a by pass that you can clip to the stubs of your fuse box.
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There was a period in my life when I ran out of gas at least once every year with the 56. The 3rd to the last time that happened I was in a very tight spot. I was on a Parkway which had cross roads for exits, not exit ramps. To make a long story short, without help I had to push the back half of the car up a small hump in the road to get off a blind curve of the parkway. All I could see was someone coming around that turn at 55 MPH not expecting a car blocking that lane. My back hurt for a few days after that.
That day I vowed to fix that gas guage and untill then EVERY time I went out in the car I made sure I had sufficient gas, and I never took it on that parkway again either.
But five or so years ago I had it out and was headed to the gas station when it ran out a few hundred yards short of coasting range to the gas station. Thanks to the neighbor with an extra gallon for his lawnmower.
And this summer I ran out again. Seems the gas guage works okay as long as the battery is fully charged and I've got at least 1/4 tank to go. Either of those conditons not met, and it's off.
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I'm no expert but the blue and white Buick shield on the radiator seems to stand out on the car on the left, so I think it's a Buick. The car on the right has the sweep out grill of the 35 Buick so I thought that's what it was. It would be great if someone has more definite information though.
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Well, do it up right for her. She and the car are both golden...
By the way, what's the plans for the car? what color and are the wheels staying on? Did those road wheels fit over the rivits on the front brake drums or did you have to grind the rivits off?
electrical connection question. Odd !
in Buick - Post War
Posted
Would love to see this bulb, and all I can think is the back of the bulb is either not touching the postitive lead in the socket, or the socket is isolated from the housing in terms of a ground.