special55

Hey guys, I have some clean floors I am trying to get to Mike in Texas. There is a string about it in the Buick general forum under title of clean floor for 55 Special/Century. I hate to see this go to the scrap yard as I know someone like Mike could use them. Anyone have something going that direction that could drag it along for a reasonable fee? Thanks for your help, Rich

Hey guys, I'm just about ready to pull the body from the frame on my 55 Special. I will be using the body off another car due to the poor state of the rear quarters. The car was rust proofed though and the floors are in great shape all the way back except for the rear 8 inches of the trunk. Is there a market for these and if so does anyone have an idea of value? I'm not looking to get rich I would just like to help out a fellow car guy and add a few dollars to my resto budget in the process. Any input is appreciated, Rich

Glenn, Did you ever find your floors? I am in the process of a complete resto on a 55 Special. I am using the good Frame and Body tub from one and evrything else from the other. The rear quarters on the second car are shot but oddly enough the floors are perfect back to within about 10 inches of the rear bumper. The car is located in Waterford, Mi and I will be done stripping it in another couple weeks. Let me know if you still have a need. You can email me at hrbeck2000@sbcglobal.net with any questions. Rich

I'm almost positive I have seen these for sale on Ebay. You may need to search under 57 buick, 1957 buick, nailhead or possibly nail head (two words). Good luck, Rich

First let me apologize if I posted some inaccurate info in my previous post. I know there are kits available for both Olds and Buicks of that model year. I made an assumption that they may have shared spindles (we all know what happens when we assume). However, Mike does offer kits to fit your application. I have not personally used them as I wanted to keep my vehicle original. He has received some good feedback from others on this forum. As for the rear brakes, I've not seen any conversion kit of any kind. It may be necessary to use a different rear axle to achieve this. It could end up being a very big job due to the torque tube mentioned by one of the other posts. Not impossible but could be a lot of work for minimal return on the rear.

I believe the Buick was the same as the Olds in 55. There is a gentleman that makes a kit for both vehicles (front conversion only). He has posted his info here before and the price seems quite resonable. Search the Buick forum for "disc brak conversion" and you should find something. The kit does require you to purchase the calipers, rotors, MC, etc or get a doner vehicle. He provides the caliper brackets, parts list and instructions. Good Luck, Rich I found the gentleman's name after my initial post. It is Mike Pemberton and his website is at discbrakemike.com Good luck

I'm not an expert on the 53 by any means but I was a tech for 11 years. You can try to find a vacuum leak by running the car with the air cleaner on and spraying a little bit of carb clean around the carb base and vacuum fittings. It doesn't take much and the car will start running rough if you find one. What you're describing though sounds like the air gap between the throttle plate and carb bore is the source. You may want to check your idle screw. If it is backed way out the carb can wistle at base idle. If your idle speed is acceptable but the screw is turned out your timing may be advanced causing a higher than normal idle speed with the idle screw turned out. I would check the timing and idle speed real quick to eliminate them as a possible source. Good Luck, Rich

Lamar and Carl, Thanx for the info. I will contact the gentleman selling the CDs and get a copy that covers multiple model years as you suggested. Lamar, No specific questions at this time. I am planning a nut and bolt restoration and I am just getting my research in order before I start. I must say this site and it's participants are an invaluable resource. Thanx to all for the information and support. Rich

Hey guys, I have a 55 Buick 46R and would like some information on parts interchange between model years and models. I have only owned the Special for a short while and have not collected much more than the original service manual. I know allot of you have been collecting vehicles and literature for some time and would like your opinion. If you were going to purchase just one piece of parts information what would it be? Thanx in advance for any advise, Rich

What's your timeline? I have a 55 Special that has bad quarters but the floor, rockers and trunk are solid. I just picked up a second car last weekend for the body shell (good solid quarters) and have not begun to disassemble the car yet. It could be a while before I'm ready to start work on it. Have to complete the honey-do list first. Let me know, Rich

Yeh, I almost looked right past it myself. They should have all products for any given model year on one line. Hey Johnwordon. I sent you a PM. Check it out when you get a chance.

Classic Fab. Look under Buick and just under the 55/56 Super/Roadmaster are the 55/56 Century/Special. Good luck.

ESPO.com was the best price I could find for my 55. Good luck.

Duane, I was out last night as well. Will probably be out there tonight as well as Friday and Saturday. I just picked up my first Buick a month ago and it won't be ready until next year. I have been out with my Father-in-law with his 72 vette. We have been hanging out in the 16 mile to 11 mile area. Seen a very nice 54Century just south of 13 mile and a modified 55Special in Birmingham. A very nice car but the guy had replaced the nailhead with a chevy crate motor. Have you been gathering anywhere in particular? I spotted a few nice Buicks on the road last night but I didn't see any gathering anywhere. Maybe I'll see you out there. Be safe and have fun, Rich

Pete, Does the engine lack power both in gear and out? What I mean is can you rev the engine up when it is just sitting there in park/neutral? If the problem is only in gear then you may want to start thinking about things like hung up brakes, trans problem, etc. If it happens out of gear as well you may want to put a fuel pressure gauge between the fuel pump and the carb. The pump may not be supplying enough pressure. Just a couple more things to think about. Good luck.

Pete, Are you sure there isn't something mechanical going on? You can do a quick compression check at each cylinder to ensure everything is OK there. If you want to do a quick check through a vacuum gauge on it. There should be about 15in. of vacuum at idle. If not I would suspect something internal. Is the choke opening up once warm? If not it could be getting sucked closed and flooding the engine a bit. If that's the case you would probably be seeing some black smoke out of the exhaust. Good luck.

I am in the process of building a 26x28 detached garage. I have an attached garage so the entire space will be my shop. I would have went bigger but I live in a subdivision and this was the biggest building the TWP. would let me construct. My walls are 11ft tall for future lift. If you are planning on a two post determine were it will be located prior to pouring the floor so you can ensure the cement is thick enough. I live in Michigan so I went with 2x6 construction for the added insulation. My door is 8ft high with high rise track so that it runs closer to the ceiling and will not get in the way of a vehicle on the hoist. Door is 2in. thick fully insulated. I can already see that I regret not putting a bump out in one of the rear corners for compressor/furnace. I would highly recommend one or plan on having your mechanicals in the attic. All the other suggestions look great. I wish I would have found this forum about 6 months ago. Great info guys.

NOS = New Old Stock. A term generally used when people are talking about parts built by the original manufacturer (OEM) and still laying around unsold. Other parts may be reproduction but still made to the manufacturer's specs as many aftermarket companies have been purchasing the original dies from the OEMs.

Sagebrush, What is the body like on the 55? I need some rust free front fenders. E-mail me at hrbeck2000@yahoo.com Thanx in advance for your reply. Rich

Bob, Thanx for all the good parts resources. It's nice to know a general parts store like Napa carries some of the basic parts. Maybe I can get away without paying the classic car premium. I picked the vehicle up yesterday and the interior is as nice as advertised. The body was rusted a bit more than the seller lead on. Oh well, I've come to expect that when it comes to older vehicles. They are trying to sell them after all. With this in mind are there any good sources for full rear quarter panels (inner and outer)? I suspect I will need to replace the front fenders with some rust free west coast ones from a salvage yard. I have seen floors and rockers listed but not full quarters. Thanx again. I'm starting to get excited about this thing. It's been a few years since my last good project car. Rich

Thanx for the info. I will check out those sites. For now I am most concerned with rebuilding the brake system so suppliers of brake lines, wheel cylinder kits, brake linings and master cylinder kits are the highest interest. As far as body style it is a two door hardtop. Any additional info for brake parts is greatly appreciated as well as any tricks for these brake systems. I was a GM dealership technician for 11 years so I can handle most of the normal stuff. The things I might struggle with are left hand threaded fasteners were you wouldn't expect them etc.

Hi everyone. I am new to Buicks and this forum. I am picking up a 55 special tomorrow with 43,000 original miles. Interior is exceptional and the body is good (some rust in quarters and front fenders. I have been a GM guy my whole life but this is my first classic car.It runs and drives but it does not have any foundation brakes. Due to the age of the vehicle I was just going to rebuild the entire hydraulic system and replace all linings and spring kits. Any assistance you guys can provide for dependable parts is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for this and all of the questions I'm sure to have in the future. Rich