kenmatthews

Hehehe...my mistake on the drawing. I was at work and was going from memory. So it does have the flange at the top so I'll give it a good whack and see what happens. Rebuilt engine going well...much smoother! Here's some interesting stats for you. It took me 2.5hrs to swap out wheel cylinder on L-side and only 45 min on the R-side! Dohhh!!

I was replacing my brake cylinder on driver side up front and ran across a piece I couldn't shake loose. It grabs the end of the brake line not threaded into the wheel cylinder and holds in place. There is a bracket held onto the chassis with a single 1/2in bolt and then a U-shape piece that I couldn't figure out how to take off. Anyone know how? I took U-shape/bracket off chassis and studied up close. Shoving a flathead screwdriver and prying between hose and the U contour gave me a little clearance but that's it. ANy thoughts on how to pry it off?

Marc, You'll probably not come close to it, but on US29 headed southbound from I-66, there is a junkyard called Leon's Salvage. I don't have any contact info but he has a large lot. KEN

Thanks Bruce. No problems with the master cylinder. There was air in the lines and I got it out...with only marginal improvements. Got wheel cylinders and brake hoses on order. It's high time I changed them out anyway. K

Hey there SIXPACK, AT this point, I'm willing to try bleeding in the order you mention. You know, I went by the shop manual which says to bleed starting closest to master cylinder to get the air out there first and then work towards the back. My master cylinder happens to be under my foot accessible through the floorboard. In the next couple of days I'll do the adjustment. I seem to remember there's a star nut that you turn to move the brakes in or out...right? We probably have the same setup btwn 51 and 55.

This weekend my dad and I bled brakes on my 55 Super (orig. brake system- no PB). The reason is most of the power to stop the sled is the last few inches of travel close to the floorboard. If I let off and pump a little, I get better breaking higher up. So I bled each cylinder in this order (FL, FR, LR, RR). I tested and didn't get any improvements. Could it be a matter of adjusting the brake clearance on the pads rather than bleeding? At least I can knock bleeding off my TO DO list.

We finally got it off. Used a Dremel tool and cut the nut perpendicular to the threads. As we cut the spread apart enough to take off with an impact wrench and the threads are still good. Important so my buddy can get his core charge back! Thanks all!!

I have a friend who is looking for a nut splitter to fit 1-5/16in. nut. After checking JEGS and Eastwood, no luck. Already tried the local NAPA without any luck. Closest size we could find is 1-1/8 in. Anybody have any suggestions out there? THanks!

Just wondering if there are other Buick owners within stone's throw. Would be great to meet some folks in the immediate area.

Thanks for the advice Willie. The master cylinder is only 3 yrs old...forgot to mention that. I may have more questions as I get deeper into this project. But I have some direction to move forward with for now.

Well now that my car sat for 1 yr+ I've been going through and checking everything that needs attention. The brake system seems to be more mushy now than before. I've inspected each rotor and the brake shoes themselves look good. I also didn't see any signs of worn/rotting brake line that connect to steel lines. I plan on bleeding the brake lines in the next few days. Is there anything else I should give some attention to? Do I need any special tools if I decide to change/rebuild the wheel cylinders? Thanks guys.

Mark...just wanted to get back with you. The guy I mentioned in above post in MD has sold his cadillac limo and hearse. Looks like your trip was fruitful though...best of luck to you. K

Mark, I know a guy with extra cadillacs and buicks in Maryland (eastern shore). In the collection, I know he has at least one caddy limo that is either 49 or 51. I'll try calling you in case you don't have access to email during the next couple of days.

Hey Heine, See Judd's post on a different forum below. In case you can only find dual-exhaust headers... 56 dual exhaust manifolds will work but you'll have to cut holes in the drivers side frame like on a 56 for the pipes. I think there are issues with the brake cylinder also but I know others have converted a 55 to duals so it can be done. An upgrade for a 55 322 would be a 56 4 barrel 322 they have the highest compression of any 322, the biggest valves, the highest lift longest durration cam, and the most free flowing heads.

Thanks I'll put in on my TO DO list for the wknd. One interesting thing is I notice a rough hum somewhere around 45mph and goes away once I reach beyond about 55mph. Speedo doesn't work so I'm guessing based on my surroundings. Above and below this range the sound goes away but if I'm on the highway and come down into the range, it sounds right away. I part suspect it's the new engine rebuild still breaking in (?). I'm coming up on 500 miles.

Just ordered one from Autobishko in OH...and it's an original one in decent condition! Thanks guys.

FUnny, I just got my radio working too recently. No tunes come out of it, but I'm happy just to hear static at this point. Was just a bad fuse...I'll do some further investigation later. Enjoy your rebuilt radio!!

Hi folks, Any Cranbrook owners out there? I'm a Buick fan myself but am helping a friend restore a 53 2DR Cranbrook. Could someone point me to where I can find a shop manual for it? I owe him a favor. Also seeing the little car sparked my interest. Quite small and looks like it would handle turns well! What came stock in it, 217cci? Carburetor (2bbl)? THanks in advance! KEN

Gene, They didn't pull the transmission, so it may well have rested in the position you mentioned, which is the only logical way I can think of that breather tube getting kinked like it did. The tube, by the way, is towards the rear of the transmissin on top. It comes straight up out of the top of transmission and turns 180 degrees to point downward. Sort of like an upside down letter "J." As soon as I bent back up and sent some air through it...fluid shot out of the dipstick. After that, I refilled and never was able to make it puke anymore. I'll take another look at the mount(s)...I assume there are two in the back or just one? K

Right on OLD TANK!! Lifted it up this wknd and check that rear vent tube you mentioned. It was bent shut, so I bent it back and blew air through it. I was never so happy to have tranny fluid drip all over me. Prior to that, I had to put 6 bottles of fluid in it before any registered on the dipstick. So it definitely was NOT overfilled as previously suspected. While I was under there, found some other suspect activity from lazy mechanics when they were reinstalling the exhaust manifolds. Just goes to show, you are your own best mechanic. I should stop and say a big thanks to Willie (OLD TANK). While I'm on it, thanks to a lot of folks here at AACA.org in the BUICK section because I now have my Buick back on the road and can really enjoy the car. It was down and out for about 2 yrs but I was patient and did my homework with most of you guys as mentors. So even if you are young, don't have a garage, or mechanic experience, this can be done. It can also be frustrating and a pain in the arse, but in the end it's very fun and rewarding. I've learned so much from you guys and find this forum a invaluable source of information. Thanks guys!

Oh boy...what a scare!! I started the car to do some more troubleshooting and drove it around the block. Started smoking from fluid dripping onto exhaust manifold and when I parked, popped the hood, it caught on fire. Fluid had spewed up onto distributor, valley pan. Good thing I had just bought an extinguisher the other day. I'll take your suggestion and take a peek at the drop pan/screen filter.

Man, this problem really has me stumped. So much so that I went back and re-re-rechecked the motor mounts just in case. Transmission fluid will just gush out of the dipstick usually when I gas it. Well now I noticed a new trend (just like a woman eh? unpredictable). I was installing a newly rebuilt carb and setting the manual choke. When I turned the engine off after finally getting everything set and having run for 2-3 minutes, fluid gushes out for a few seconds. Logic tells me: did this happen before? Ans: No never. What was the last thing changed before this started happening? Ans: Rebuilt engine. What if I were to plug up the tranny fluid dipstick entry and pull out the dipstick for now? Would that create any unnecessary pressure?

Tell me about how it starts...no problems there? Since Bruce brought up the choke, that's worth investigating further. Does the choke blade on your Rochester remain in an OPEN or CLOSED position after you've got it started? If so I'm wondering then if you have too lean of a mixture which would cause failure. Cran her up and comment on how easy/hard she starts. Then let it warm up to see if your choke mechanism is working properly...should go from CLOSED position to OPEN position. By the way, do you have manual choke on this vehicle? IS there a choke stove pipe coming up from the driver's exhaust manifold (heat riser valve)? I just may learn something me-self from this troubleshootin.

Hard time accelerating...eh? I just fixed exact same problem this weekend on my 55 Super. Check your accelerator pump. With air cleaner off, can you see gas squirt from jets when pushing on throttle linkage? If not, a carburetor rebuild may be in order.

Found one!...at the hardware store.