special55

You're such a rebel Just don't rush it too much. You want that patch to take hold.

Mike, Those are the ones. And that's the way I'm leaning. Thanks for the reply. So how long before you're cleared to get back in the garage?

Welcome Larry, I just picked up a 52 F1 project that will be my wife's truck when done. It will be modified but I'll probably be picking your brain in the future when I get started on it. Rich

Hey Guys, Sorry about the confusion but I was talking about the smaller rubber seals that are stapled in place. There are two of them. One in the front and one in the rear that about maybe 16" long. Not the large one sandwiched between the inner and outter quarter. I know I wouldn't be able to staple them back in place like the originals so I was leaning toward leaving them in place. I will try and get a picture up tonight so you can see what I'm talking about. Rich.

Hey Guys, I'm preping the 55 body tub for the blaster and was wondering what the practice has been when it comes to the rubber seals stapled inside the rear wheel wells. The body is very clean and I'm thinking about leaving them in place. I've stripped the majority of the rust proofing just to make sure there isn't any rust hiding under it. It's mostly been clean but I didn't want to take any chances. Just wanting to see what some of you have done durring your restorations. Thanks, Rich

I agree with Willie Mike. It would make me a little nervous making that change without confirming with the parts sipplier. Oil pump is not something you want to question on your fresh rebuild. Just to be double sure you can pump up your engine with a drill and a pressure guage to make sure you're where you want to be before firing it up. A practice I use every time regardless if I have questions or not. Just makes me feel a bit better about things. Rich

Just trying to lighten things up around here a little bit.

"the willies" I get it. Good one. I used Willies procedure with good success with one variation. I did not split the arm but instead used a heavy truck tie rod end puller. I positioned the shock/arm assembly into the puller and clamped the puller in the vise to prevent it from opening up(spreading). It was stuburn but it did come apart. Unfortunately I did this some months ago and did not get photos. I think I provided the tool manufacturer and number in a different thread some months back. I am not at work today so I can't get the exact number for you. I would think most any 2500 series truck tie rod puller would work though. Other than that the procedure Willie has outlined on his website worked well. Hope that helps and good luck with your shock reseal, Rich

I guess fronting me the three+ grand I'll need for chrome on the 55 is out of the question then huh??????????

Bob, Congrats!!! What a great piece of history. I love those old videos Too. I am extremely envious. Rich

Oh My :eek:

Hi Not posative on the 57 but my 55 had a very thin coating of black with Buick green overspray at the base. Clamp was green. Hope this helps, Rich

Another reason might be that they are a big enough outfit they attend many of the events across the country. They also do enough business that it seems they have many of the items we want already finished and on the shelf unless it is something rare. I was considering calling them to see if they would bring some finished items to one of the shows near me. If they are a reputable business they shouldn't have a problem doing that and I can just exchange my cores for the finished items right there and then. If their quality isn't up to snuff then I just walk away. If they are not comfortable with this arrangement then I would say they are not confident in their product and not someone you would want to do business with. Just my 2 cents, Rich

What ever happened to the tried and true sticks and stones????

Ken, I agree. The Model T looks very nice. Mike when you say "primer color" do you mean red oxide? Rich

Ken, Thanks for the reply. It was a lot easier "back in the day" but I think they have improved the products a great deal. Just using the new 2k primers I like the way they spary and lay out. Willie, Thanks for the info. I was thinking the same thing since I was going metallic and since I don't have a spray booth I'm sure I will be sanding and wheelin What do you think about using single stage for the underside and interior? I was thinking since nobody would ever see those surfasces anyway it would reduce my cost a bit and save me the time of mixing and spraying the clear over those areas. Thanks again for your opinions guys. And sorry to highjack your thread Ken. I thought you wouldn't mind though since you are still looking to make a decision yourself. Rich

You're probably not that far off. My dash was really clean and I have no plans of painting it. All the duct work is good as well and after wiping it down it was pretty shiny. Here's a shot of the dash prior to dissassembly. Rich

Hey Mike, It's lookin good. "underdash vent manifold " Is that the official name in the parts catalog?????? Did you use your old rubber bumper on the lower control arm or did you get some new ones? I was lucky on mine. The threaded portion remained in tact and it is amazing how clean the rubber gets in the blast cabinet. I'm sanding my butt off but perfection takes time. Rich

Hey guys, I just responded to Mikes thread in "Me and My Buick" I had this same exact issue. These parts are not hardened to the extent they cannot be machined. I had the hex part on mine turned down to match the thickness of the originals and it all went back together great. Find a good macine shop, have them turn them down and you will have a much more positive suspension assembly experience. Rich

Hi Ken, I seen you mentioned single stage in Mikes thread. Why are you leaning that way instead of BC/CC? I'm just curious what has you thinking this direction as I have not made a decision myself. I was thinking SS on the underside, firewall and interior and BC/CC on everything else. I was leaning towards the BC/CC because I am going with Belfast green metallic and was thinking it would be preferable to wheel on the clear as opposed to a metallic paint. It's been a while since I've done any painting and I'm interested in hearing the pros and cons of the choices available today. Thanks, Rich

Hey Mike, I think one of my old threads deals with the front end parts and the new ones not fitting the same as the originals. In the end after three weeks of trying to deal with the same folks you are probably dealing with I ended up having my machine shop turn their part down to match the originals. The shoulder on the hex end was way thicker than the original ones causing the knuckle to sit off center in the lower control arm. Not sur if that is your issue or not but in case it is there is some info. I also ended up scrapping the thick rubber washer they sent in their "kit" and ordered the correct ones from Bob's. Isn't restoring the beauties fun????????? Rich

As the others have eluded to I would start by checking to see if the compressor is running. If not then it could be the aforementioned fuse or many other electrical items. I'm not positive but I seem to remember a 2 wire pressure switch on the accumulator. If you jump that it should force the cpompressor on if the switch on the dash is functioning and the fuse is good. If it runs when switch is jumped but not when just plugged in it usually indicates a leak in the system and low charge. If the compressor is running and the accumulator is cold to the touch then you have a temp door issue under the dash. Could be something as simple as a vacuum leak or could be a bad temp door vacuum switch. I would start by looking at the compressor though and work back from there. Good luck and I hope some of this babbling helps, Rich

Welcome aboard That's one lovely car. Rich

Bill that is flippin funny. Where did you find that? I have to know where there is danger of monkey poop contamination. Rich