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I have a complete rear axle to the drum,s sitting by itself but no way to measure the weight without a proper scale. Any suggestions to help you out?

Here is the wiring diagram from the 1958 Buick Chassis Service Manual.

Lance, You night want to PM 95Cardinal and see who he used on his radio for his '58 Caballero. I got the extra radio he had and said it had been gone through too. Can't recall what his name was.

Before dad had the Whippet fully restored I found a st of 1928 plates and gave it to him one Xmas. The mounting is a bit awkward but did his best.

Long before the advent of YOM plates Dad found a set for his 1920 Overland and put them on with the current registered plate. This was taken in 1969. He never ran into a problem with the police on them but did get stopped once because the car didn't have turn signals. Hence you see them bolted on the front apron.

Received a call wondering if I would be interested in some work in Kingsville so met the man early, discussed the project after showing me some equipment that would be involved and decided to drive on down to where we had cottages years ago. It was a real a eye opener when I stopped at what was once known as The Municipal Beach. There used to be a sandy beach out to the end of those steel groynes. Lake Erie is at an all time high and with the south westerly winds lots of damage to property going on. Drove on down to the cottages and took this shot. While not quite as critical it still will be a problem if the wind either doesn't shift direction or slow down. Dad had to put the concrete in back in the 70's when a three day blow washed out the block and wood wall they had then. Then ten years later he and the neighbours contracted to put in those steel groynes. They have saved the beach until now but looks like mother nature is going to win this one. Once those big rocks are place forget ever having a sandy beach again... This is what the beaches looked like then. That's my 15 ft Lyman and my then girl friend (before I knew she was going to be my wife) in front of the cottages. On the way back home I took a small road and look what I saw. At least he is further back from the lake than some.

Sunday morning I made a trip to a Home Depot Store on the outskirts of town that is rather large and allows one to actually get in a line to ask to purchase goods instead of on-line or calling on the phone. It was worth the gas as I had spent from 1:30 till 4:15 Saturday trying to get through at my regular store on the phone and then only to be told I could pick up the few things I wanted sometime after 3 the next day>>>??? Staying isolated not able to earn a living is one thing but this hurry up and wait in a social distance line is testing my patience. Was told by my neighbour I'd better just get used to it... There, got that off my chest. So having purchased a can of spray foam I put some into the Vinyl dash piece as it was 78 degrees on Sunday and left it over night to cure per instructions. I think I got enough in there. After cutting lawns I sat down with a knife and after unscrewing the wood braces took out the piece and cleaned it up. I'm mostly happy with the way it worked out and will save the box in case I have to do the same thing for the Limited and the Roadmaster. Now, time to get into that dash again...

No issue at all Keith. Like Dad's antique cars, family treasures keep him alive for me and obviously you too regarding your grandfathers furniture. Dad told my son Mark that he could have all his wood shop tools and know he would like them as a hobby craft also being the mechanical engineer that he is. If I think of it will dig out some of the toys and shoot some pictures Dad made for the boys when they were young.

Thanks guys! Dad used to say he was the prime example of "Jack of all trades but master of none". In his day growing up (like many others) living on a small farm money was tight, so one had to do things that the young generation today (not all...) say, Take it in to be fixed or through it out and get a new one cause it's cheaper than having it fixed... He always said he would have loved to be a carpenter working with wood but back then labour didn't pay what it does comparatively today so went to work as an Operator In Training for the Ontario Hydro till becoming an Assistant Operator in what was the then maned distribution yards. This is a facility that reduces the power from those huge lines coming from Niagara Falls to service Windsor with it's local power. Eventually those places were fully Automated which reduced man power requirements and when Dad turned 59 the Company offered him early retirement with not only full pension but a years salary incentive to boot!! It was then that he built his 16x16 wood shop in the back yard and delved into finish wood working. Along with his antique cars, three of which I still have (Thanks Dad), and the various charity organisations he worked on, his life was very fulfilled. Short story about his job. With having cottages 40 miles from home and his job being in Windsor, he would drive after work to the cottages and be with us as there was always something to do there. He was driving the Limited at that time (before he gave it to me) and one day getting ready to go on his afternoon shift he asked if I wanted to go to work with him? The station he was posted at was a sub station and didn't have a large staff during the evenings so sure, why not. Different times then as it would not be allowed to have non employees on site even with permission!!! As a young lad it was fascinating to be in that building hearing the humming of those big transformers reducing power to be sent to the City and the Chrysler Plant right down the road. Dad's job was to monitor the equipment meters and be on site to switch power around should there be any disruption in power through out the system allowing Linemen to fix the problem safely so I was left to explore the yard and building with strict instructions to "NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!!" Back to the Limited... As the evening wore on I was getting tired and with no place to lay down Dad said he would pull the Buick into the bay and I could sleep on the back seat. That was my earliest experience with the back seat of that car... Next thing I knew the car door was shutting as it was 12 pm and his shift was over so time for the 40 mile drive back to the cottages. Being about 13 then, life seemed to be a lot simpler. Happy Birthday Dad.

It would be a guess on my part but as big as it is, might have been in a locomotive roundhouse / repair shop?

At the risk of boring you (since I brought it up) here are a few of Dad's wood turning projects. These are but only three of the many he made along with toys for my boys. This May the 4th he would have been 96.

Made trip over to check in on Mom and with finding her out in the front flower beds seemingly good in the almost 70 degrees today, went into Dad's wood shop with intention to make a box for my padding mould. Dad was an amature wood worker mentored by a friend whose hobby was making fine antique looking furniture. He started late in life but really came to doing some fantastic projects including turning multi species bowls. Consequently there was plenty of wood pieces to choose from but used a piece of what looked like siding. I only ever used his equipment a few times myself so felt like he was standing over my shoulder watching me work. Going to give this a try once I get in line at Home Hardware tomorrow to buy a can of expanding foam.

With a hearty lunch today and constant light rain I laid on the couch while the wife turned on the idiot box and literally cat napped! Woke up some time later seeing my 19 year old house cat sleeping on my lap. We/she has been dealing with a bladder infection and early signs of kidney failure for two weeks but has turned around some and seems to be her old self (for now). Vet says as long as she eats regular and not crying might be around for 6-12 months. Doing what needs to be done for her not to suffer. After I moved her to another chair went to the garage with the Special as the rain quit for a bit. I took apart the frame I want at home marking the pipes for a quick reassembly out back on the pad till I can scrounge funds for the flat roof. Going to secure it with some 2x4's and then cover it with a tarp where I can clean and paint parts for the Limited or? I threw this on and measured to order from our local supplier. After dinner I went into the garage and moved a few things placing/sorting/marking them in boxes. Came upon this rear windshield trim piece and wondered if it would be any better than the one on my car now. With magic stuff and rag went at it and... I think it is about the same so wrapped it, marked it and have it stored for now. I then looked at the small padded dash piece for the Special siting on the bench. i had cleaned out the old deteriorated foam (what a sticky mess that was) and knew the plan is to put spray foam inside. Knowing it will harden and will expand I want to build a form to help keep it's shape. With some beaded styrofoam pieces I marked it out and cut it to see how to proceed. If I use the beaded stuff I'm going to have to build a wood box around it and clamp some wood on top to prevent movement I think. If I do this carefully it will be a vast improvement from the original one on the dash now that has deformed from years of heat and loss of inside padding. I was very pleased the way the vinyl cleaned up on the new piece and still held its shape. It's going to look great. Thanks Joe! (95Cardinal) 😎

There might be a solution here other than "divorce" John. At some risk it might be to leave the wives at home and we share expenses together going in the big Electra. I haven't been to Banff or Lake Louis since 1969...

I should be working on My Buick's but received a call from my buddy asking for help with his lawn since his riding lawn mower broke down. Using my rider and his equipment the afternoon went by quickly. Then he asked if I would help him look at an issue with the brakes on his '66 Lincoln. Moving his collection of cars was fun to gain access to his lift. Turns out the drivers side rear had self adjusted to the point it was dragging. Too much backing up and applying the brakes?

What does one do when a long time fellow car buddy call and ask if I could help him out? While it was not with one of his cars at first, at the end of the day we did look over a problem he was having with his '66 Lincoln. (sorry for the quality of the picture - camera dropped too many times???) In order to get this beast on his hoist we had to move 6 of his cars first. Joe has a big garage but with these boats it is tight getting in and out. For a City property it is rather larger than normal (lucky for him) and due to being grandfathered in this once small chroming building has been repurposed for a hobby garage. Even the circular driveway is unique to the area allowing for a personal car show whenever he wants. So with the Lincoln on the hoist and the rear axle lifted to free the wheels it didn't take long to feel the drivers side wheel was dragging. We took off the tire and rim and then removed the brake drum. Getting it off proved to be a bit of effort as it seemed the shoes were hanging up (expanded). Once it was off, the axles moved easily so visually checked the brakes finding they were sitting properly and the emergency cable was not sized. I noticed they are self adjusting brakes and suggested backing off the star adjuster after Joe mentioned he had jammed on the brakes backing up several times thinking something might be hanging up after he noticed when putting it in drive it took more than usual amount of pedal to get the car to move forward. Then I noticed fluid on the backing plate and it appeared the axle seal was leaking so cleaned that up and shot the shoes with brake clean. We then put the drum and tire back on turning the wheels before setting her back on the ramps. By now it was late so bid him a good night to head home for a late supper. The original request for my help was to roll, dethatch and aerate his lawn since his riding lawn mower needed repair. I used my roller but his dethatcher and aerator before getting into the Lincoln. While not my Buick's yet, not a bad way to spend a long afternoon playing with cars and all. 😁

In an effort to better organise parts I was given parts of a 10x12 tube shed but no covering so dragged things out and sorted them. There was enough to make it a 10x10 and will need to buy a cover yet. This will be a temporary setup till I find enough funds for the garage extension but will help with much needed space. Sealed up properly and secured to the pad it could be a painting room for small parts.

When I became a minority partner in my business the senior partner had an F100 pickup and a Dodge A100 truck. He started purchasing Ford pickups because as he would say, "They were cheap." Not that they were built cheaply just the cost of a Ford versus a Chev or a Dodge was less expensive. I have found them reasonable to repair over my 40 years using them for work trucks when things came up but in general are very dependable trucks. I did a comparison when I ordered this one and saved 1,600 dollars vs a Chev at that time. Then there were big savings like 1,000 dollar Costco memberships, family discount savings, vehicle package savings and... Ford was offering a 3,000 dollar off on bringing in any vehicle as long as you could drive it in! I cleaned out my then 1990 GMC and dropped the keys at the desk for 3,000 cash! Good deal when all was said and done! And now back to our regular scheduled (?) Buick topic...

The boat is now gone but still have the truck.

I have good luck with SOS Pads.

Yes Sebastien my truck is an F150. I ordered it new December 28th 2010 on promotional deal for the new 2011's. It is a regular cab 8 ft box with the 3.8 V6 (not the eco boost) and has the trailer package option. I use it for my business which unfortunately is now locked down due to the virus (not unlike a lot of people...). It has only 115,000 kms today and will be my last new truck. I have oil guarded it every fall since new and plan to keep it as long as I can. I've had a few offers to buy it (not any serious money though) as there are not many regular cab trucks made anymore and greenhouse operations like these trucks for their business. With the trailer package it handles my car trailer and Whippet with ease although I don't push it very much. That is what the passing lane is for you guys! Interesting you say F150's are not popular in France. Does Ford not sell these there then? It is an large truck even in the regular cab model so would imagine they are difficult to fit in parking spots much like your Electra will be when you are on the road. I've never been to France but have been to Florence and was amazed at the small size of the Commercial vehicles but understood that with having to get in the tight roads/alleyways for access. I really wish North American manufacturers would come to their senses and produce a basic truck here for commercial business again. It took me three months to take delivery because I ordered the truck without carpets!!

I think you are correct with it being Garnet Red Keith. I believe it must have been painted at one time in it's early life as when you look at the firewall it is white or that off white which I would believe was it's original colour. Yes it has been sitting for at least 20 years but always inside which as we all know still means lot's of work to bring a car back to road worthiness. I did move the engine a bit using the fan with pressure on the belt three years ago to test if it was not locked up. I didn't want to go completely around knowing the cylinder walls would be totally dry. I hoped to go back later to remove the plugs to put oil or a mix in them to help keep things oiled but... While not apart it still is going to be a project for someone and bet Lance can say exactly what to expect with having four '57 Roadmasters. Personally I like the four door hardtops and had an opportunity to get a '58 Limited four door once but they do take up a LOT of room and storage is always an issue!

It's your car Elpad so any decision is a good one. Since you asked, being in Florida and a black car, i'd lean towards the dark tint to cut down on UV and heat build up. It very likely was clear from the factory so if that is what your desire is (originality) that is a good decision. Looks really nice sir!

I knew I could trust you Keith!! 😉 My Buick friend is pretty much alone and while I think he is not running scared, just finally thinking about the future. He has never been able to come to terms of selling his car (not unlike me...) so reached out to me and guessing it gives him some peace that it will be dealt with. This all would hinge on the fact I out live him but "I" don't want to go there with that right now!! I might have posted this before but here is the car in it's day. Here it is today behind my Roadmaster. It will be a "project" for sure as it will need all the Buick fixing that they need after sitting this long but it really is a solid car to work with. The fact that it is all together compared to what I've done with my Limited, well... better for me to stay focused on her ! After all the '57 shows 74,000 miles where as mine shows 57,000 miles and talks to me every time I go into the garage...

I bought this '63 Dodge for 50 buck's in 1974 while living at home still, did all four non power brake shoe replacement myself and turned the front drums while dad patched the lower door and rocker rust using it as a winter beater to keep my '58 Buick Special convert off the road. With the slant six automatic it was no track winner but got me around while in College till,... Running late to my afternoon part time job I rush an advanced green light turning left and with bias ply tires either hit a slippery spot or was just going too fast (or both). The next thing I know I hit the light pole and my face is against the front glass see the light pole against the cars bumper! Didn't appear to have crunched the hood or bumper so tried starting the engine and it just turned wouldn't didn't start. Managed to put it in neutral and with the help of someone that stopped to check things out pushed it as far off the road as we could. I had a flat tire so was changing it out when the police came as they had received a call (no cell phones in those days so...). I didn't get charged as they believed me (or took pity on me?) saying my tire had blown out but the metal pole had a bit of a bend in it and they said that the City might be charging me for Public damage if they decided to replace it. No way would the car start so walked to a store, used their phone, called Dad to come with a rope and waited. Long story short, I hit the pole right at the frame/bumper on the right side where it was the strongest and somehow the distributor gear had broken in half. I went to the auto wreckers the next day, bought a whole distributor for 5 bucks, put it in and drove it the rest of the winter. Every time I took that same turn I watched to see if that pole was changed out. It was not till four years later while doing sewer work on the roads that the pole was changed. Phew!🤕