special55

Hey Stephen, Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I was out of town for a few days with no internet access. I have a spare fuel pump but I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for when referring to the "cap". The car it came off didn't run so I'm not sure of its condtion. Do you have a photo of what you are looking for so I can compair it to mine? There are two different types of fuel pumps used on 55s and I want to make sure I have what you need. I do have a spare radio but need to test it to see if it works. I do not have a working clock but I do know there are services out there that will convert it to quartz and leave it looking like original. Hey Bill, Are you looking for the chrome outer trim rings or the headlamp retaining rings? Let me know guys, Rich

Hey GN, The pedals, sprocket and chain are blasted but not painted and ready to bolt on yet. Once they are I'm figuring an easy 15MPH when I get this thing rolling downhill. As for the body and interior I'm thinking those may adversly effect my 15MPH max speed target:D John, Thank you so much for the kind words. I couldn't imagine spending this much time making the car beautiful just to let it rot in the garage. I will most definately be driving it. That assumes of course that it runs once I finish it. Rich

Yeah Bob my Dad's a bit of a shutterbug. It's nice to have pics of all that beautiful and unique stuff though. Rich

Well last week was the Woodward Dream Cruise so I spent zero time on the car. It was worth it though as we were privileged to see some of the most beautiful cars from the area as well as some very unique ones. If you did not see my post in the overall general forum about it here is a link to a ton of pics. http://2009woodwarddreamcruise.shutterfly.com/ Anyway we did get it back on rolling Sunday before last. Here are some updated pics. Please feel free to critique my work to date. I would much rather find out I did something wrong or in the wrong finish now before I build it up any further. And yes I know the wooden 2x2 tierods are not stock Thanks again to everyone here for all the advice and help. It is very much appreciated. Rich

Give these guys a try Antique Auto Parts Cellar You may also want to look at Willie's thread in the post war forum about fuel pump diaphram material. If everything else is ok you might just decide to make up a new diaphram and call it a day. Good luck. Rich

Hi All, Here is a link to some great photos from this year's Dream Cruise. This is one of the largest events in the Northeast drawing some 1.5 million people a year. http://2009woodwarddreamcruise.shutterfly.com/ Enjoy, Rich

Well I finally got the front suspension assembled. Everything appears to fit properly and the new seals worked out great. Here are some pics with the new bushing installed and the old one next to it. The seals that came in the kit are on the right and the new ones are on the left. Enjoy, Rich

Well it's been a couple weeks but I didn't want you guys thinking I haven't been busy. I would be further along but I've been experiencing some parts difficulties with the new front suspension components. I have the Dynaflo about 60% done and then it will be on to the engine. The chassis should be back on it's wheels this Sunday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the remaining few parts fit. Here are a couple pics but I will get some more posted once I have it rolling. Rich

Try a search of this forum for "vacuum diagram" I found several threads that may help you out. Rich

Hi Bob, The bushings are case hardened as you described. They were able to turn them and now are at least the correct dimension. I'm really itching to get the tires on this thing so I can roll it around so I may assemble with what I have and replace them with a better set later. I have my own spring compressor so it's not a huge deal. So the big question is do we know of a supplier that sells the bushings in the correct size and hardened appropriately?????? Rich

Hey Jerry I just had another thought. Did you soak your new bands and friction discs in trans fluid prior to assembly? I always soak mine for an hour or so befor I start putting them back together so things aren't so "grabby" Just another thought. Rich

No gasket between pump housing and plate just between the plate and trans case. If you still experience the problem after you reinstall and torque you may want to remove the gears all together and reinstall the cover to check if your shaft is binding on a bushing or somewhere else. Just a thought. Rich

No problem Jerry I hope it helps. I'm guessing you are rebuilding the unit for your 59 so the torque spec may be slightly different for the one on my 55. Or I don't have the book in front of me and I'm remembering the spec for the rear bearing retainer and not the rear pump. Rich

Jerry, Mine was very free after it was installed. I followed the book very closely but deviated from the torque instructions slightly. I followed the pattern but instead of going from 5Ft lbs up to 35Ft lbs I went 5 Ft lbs then increments of 10 until I reached the spec. Did you use new gears or reuse the old ones? I reused the old ones but the book does make a point of telling you to install them the same way they came out. If reusing the old ones you will want to ensure the face of the gear that was in the pump housing is installed in that same direction. Hope that makes sense, Rich

Bob you're killin me. Way to deflate a guys balloon. Seriously though, thanks for the info. I'll pass that on to the machine shop. Since they do tool prototype builds maybe they will have the necessary tools to deal with the hardened steel. I'll keep trying to contact the vender though to try and resolve it through them. Thanks, Rich

Thanks for the heads up Kaycee I started it this weekend but wasn't able to spend enough hours in the garage to finish it. So far I have been pleasently surprised. There doesn't appear to be much wear on the hard parts and the bands and friction discs looked great. The rear pump was very good with no scarring on gears or housing/cover. I still need to do the front pump assembly and valve body so I hope my luck holds out. Rich

Thanks Willie, Still no reply back from the original vendor. I have access to a machine shop and tech so I'm going to have the new bushings turned down to match the originals. I just don't have any confidence that the vendor can correct the situation in a timely manner if at all. It took two weeks just to get the correct bushings for the king pin kit that were originally undersized when received. As for the seal I spoke with Bob's yesterday and he has some that are closer to the original for 2 bucks and some change a piece. I figured for that price I would get some and see how they work out. Can't be any worse than these rubber washers. I'll post some pics once I get it back together and let you guys know how it works out. Rich

Thanks for the reply Pete I thought those guys with a K did specialize in Buicks. :confused: I thought I was doing a good thing by getting the complete kit and saving a little money too. I am quickly learning though that not all parts suppliers are created equal. So the way I see it if I want proper seals I need to order just the seals from the trusted guys and for the lower bushings I will either need to turn these down a hair on the lathe or get new kits. I contacted the original supplier but have not gotten a response yet. Rich

Hey Guys, I purchased a complete front end kit to make everything new again for my restoration. It comes with the control arm shafts and all pushings and pins as well as king pin kit. I just received the spindles back from the machine shop yesterday and went to install them and have a couple questions. 1. The upper outer seals appear to be just thick rubber washers. I'm talking about the pin that is offset that you use to do the camber/caster adjustment with. The washers just seem to be sitting in there on the threads of the pin and aren't even tight against any surfaces. I don't see how these could seal anything. 2. Same issue with the lower outer seals but in addition to that the replacement bushing hex portion is much thicker than the original. The manual states to center the spindle in the arm and then install bolt but if I do that the hex portion would be touching one side leaving no room for the seal and the gap on the other would be much larger than the seal. I don't want to just guess at this as it will effect the front alignment when completed. I am attaching some photos to help you better understand what I'm describing. I'm hoping I'm not the first to run across this and you guys may have some advise for me. Thanks, Rich

Thanks for the warning Willie, I will be taking my time and taking many photos as I go. I have a good service manual and all the extra Dynaflo manuals that I have been able to collect from here and elsewhere. The car was low mileage so hopefully no one's been into it yet. I can't say I recall what the torque ball retainer looks like off hand. I guess I'll find out this weekend or next. If all else fails I do have a spare. Thanks, Rich

Hi Airy, The hood is in decent shape. It was stripped and a silver primer/paint was applied by previous owner. Without much of a shine I cannot tell if there are any small dents but there is no rust through or large dents. I am in Michigan though and I see you're in California. Shipping costs might get pretty hefty for something of this size. Here are some pics of the hood. Let me know if you have any interest and I can get some additional pics of specific areas if you would like. Thanks, Rich

Thanks for all the replies guys. Kit and bands are ordered and on the way from Fatsco. If I'm extremely lucky I won't need to call them back for any hard parts. wish me luck. I've done many a turbo 350 but this is my first Dynaflo. :eek: Rich

Thanks for the replies Guys I'll check out Fatsco. Rich

Hey guys, I know that the big boys like Classic Buick, CARS inc. and Kanters has them. Should I stick with one of them or are there others out there who specialize in these sort of parts that I should look at? Any and all opinions welcome. Thanks, Rich

Trunk Rack just jogged my memory. Friction material that is too hard can be a problem. Check out this thread: http://forums.aaca.org/f162/brakes-ii-227946.html There is some good info on poor functioning brake shoes that are brand new. Good luck, Rich