1953mack

Super front fenders . . . Roadmaster rear fenders . . . air conditioning was not available on the 56R but was optional on the 76R. Whatcha got?

Here’s what I tried to send you before I ran into problems posting on this Forum. Knowing for certain that the sliding-rod locking mechanism needs work, you will need to remove the convertible top fabric first from the front roof-rail. Keep in mind that once you remove the top fabric, re-stretching the fabric back into position could be challenging for a top-shop. Time for a new top? You need to open-up the front roof-rail by separating the top-half from the bottom-half by drilling-out the two-dozen or so spot welds around its perimeter. Once you open up the two-halves, you will be able to see exactly what went haywire and what you have to deal with. The mechanism can't be too complicated and it sounds like your son has the metal-fab skills required to complete the job. Good luck. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 “500 Miles West of Flint”

Sure looks like a low-buck from Lubbock 1937 Buick Hybrid if you look at how the rear tires fit the wheel opening . . . the longer Century body on the 4"-shorter Special chassis. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

- The apparatus protruding through the floor on the passenger side (on the right in the picture) is the operating valve for the 4 hydro-lectric cylinders: 1 each for the rear quarter-windows and 2 for the convertible top. - The underside of 1953 Buick body tubs left the factory with a coat of red oxide primer. - Buick factory did not offer undercoating in 1953 as an option. - Looks like a modern replacement 1953-style PBC that Bob's and CARS now offers . . . with a bunch of extra hydraulic brake-line lengths. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

Thanks for posting the requested pictures. Did you feel around to verify if the sliding rods were removed? The tapered-end of the internal sliding rods should be visible from an angle. I don't see them. You should also be able to stick your finger further into the guide plate hole to verify whether they were removed. I'm now thinking that if they were removed for some reason, maybe the metal surgery was done from the topside. If so, it might be easier to fabricate a pair rather than trying to find a front roof rail replacement. Handles are advertised as being available from either Fusick or Hydro-E-Lectric convertible parts: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-1953-GM-Buick-Cadillac-Oldsmobile-Chevrolet-Convertible-Top-Latch-Handle-/112030841280?vxp=mtr&hash=item1a158ef9c0#vi-ilComp Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

FWIW: found this ad on eBay this morning . . . https://www.ebay.com/itm/1950-53-Buick-Fender-Skirts-New-Steel-Super-And-Roadmaster/363071129908?hash=item5488b9c934:g:KG4AAOSwVVlcZGMx

It appears that you have the center and two outer studs with the horizontal holes in them on top of the windshield surround. A picture of the underside of the front roof rail (if you have it) showing the three guide plates and center crank-handle would answer a lot of questions. It's hard to imagine removing what I'm calling internal sliding rods (you are calling them pins?) without removing and noticing the underside of the front roof-rail sheet metal was worked on. Those horizontal internal rods (pins) connect to the crank-handle (EJ in the picture below) and when the handle is pivoted 90°, the rods slide toward the outer sides of the roof rail and engage the horizontal holes that are in the left and right-end studs to lock the top bows to the windshield's top. All 1950 Super/Roadmaster and early-1951 Super/Roadmaster convertible front roof rails are interchangeable if you are missing the internal sliding rods. A picture showing the Car Serial Number stamped on the frame, visible once you raise the hood and look down toward the front tip of the driver's side frame rail, would tell me whether you have a 1950 or later frame. From what you're saying about the frame's number of outer body supports, it's obvious that the convertible body wasn't original to the frame that the body is now sitting on. Plus, no signs of any hydro-electric lines or motor/pump to operate the power top and/or windows? Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

Close.

From a similar experience four years ago: screw the idea of hiring an attorney — use common sense. - Gather up all originals or copies of pertinent documents to submit to the State: name, address, DOB, record of time your former renter who you received the car from paid rent and didn’t pay rent to determine the value of the car; rent receipts; obit; pics of the car from all four sides; disassembled parts; copy of VIN plate so they can do a record search, etc. The more info, the better. You will most likely have to fill out MN Form PS2002-01, Statement of Facts. - The State of Minnesota is looking for dollars from anyone these days. Forget about doing business anytime with the State via telephone. Personally visit a State of Minnesota Registrar’s DVS (Driver and Vehicle Services)location that handles titles. I would suggest stopping in at their main downtown St. Paul office. Demand that you speak with someone knowledgeable about car titles — not license plate renewals, tabs or driver’s license renewals — and document his/her name for all future references. If you can’t get any satisfaction from the first person, ask to speak with another. After they review your submittals, someone will most likely make a decision whether or not you need to furnish a surety bond. You would then need to fill out MN Form PS2000-44, Application to Title/Registering a Vehicle. Be patient and expect to wait at least three months. Good luck. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 “500 Miles West of Flint”

This might help. Nice work. https://www.hometownbuick.com/1950-buick-lights-lighting-system/

I love these kinds of posts. 1. The reason why you don't see many 1953 Skylarks in that color is because it was not a standard color choice offered by Buick in 1953. It's not REEF BLUE as advertised. The top of the cowl is the OEM and TRM hue. 2. The license plate was never installed on the trunk lid. The OEM location is below the chromed horizontal-cross bar between the two rear bumper guards. 3. The questionable area on the trunk lid used to have the striker plate for a continental kit wheel carrier that was removed. 4. That style of continental kit required ± 20 holes total to be drilled into the lower rear fenders, the panel below the trunk lid and the trunk lid itself. 5. Note the "matching" Michigan license plate laying in the trunk in the for-sale ad. 6. This 'Lark was formerly owned by a well-known member in Michigan and was advertised for-sale not that long ago. 7. Can you spell F-L-I-P I-T? Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

Nice and shiny. But in all those years, has a judge at a National Meet or anyone else ever mention that your colored-emblem insert is installed incorrectly? I'd be interested in seeing pictures of your four other mounted tires and hubcaps for comparison. Thanks. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

Close but no cigar on the one Summit Racing sells: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/gmk-4030-519-641 Here's what a 1953 Buick setup looks like. The front return-spring clip might be different for a 1957 Buick. On a 1953, the parking brake cable passes through the upper hole and the clip bumps up against the front of the sheave. The lower hole receives the spring's front hook.

Ionia-built Estate Wagons through 1953 started life as Buick-built 4-door sedans, that's why Body by Fisher has their style number 4519 and body production number info for a 4-door sedan stamped on the second and third lines of the 1952 number plate. Ionia was sent the 4-door sedan, they converted it to an Estate Wagon and then put their own Ionia tag on the end of the front seat, passenger-side, plastic trim-skirt. In your case, my understanding is that the number plate shows that the Wagon started life at the BL assembly plant (Linden, New Jersey) as the 4813th 1952 Super Model 52 4-door sedan built at the Linden plant. Historical records show that a total of 71,387 Super Model 52 4-door sedans were built in 1952 (there were seven assembly plants building Buicks in 1952) but only 1,641 were converted to Model 59 4-door Estate Wagons by Ionia. (FYI: records show that only 359 1952 Roadmaster Model 79R Estate Wagons were built.) Here's the clinker: Car Serial Number 16250820 is a number for a 1951 Buick that rolled off the "G" Flint-Michigan assembly line — NOT the "BL" Linden-New Jersey assembly line — since the first digit of the eight-digit C.S.N. designates the assembly plant. Flint-Michigan was designated assembly plant codes G and 1; Linden-New Jersey was designated codes BL and 3. My money is on the fact that someone did a switcheroo on the Fisher Body Number Plate or the title. The number-plate riveted to the cowl (not attached with Phillips Head screws) also raises a red flag in my books. TRIM NUMBER 51 = Light Green Bedford Cord with Dark Green leather bolster PAINT NUMBER 01 = Carlsbad Black Are there any remnants from the original Trim and Paint? If the Wagon has some of the original window-glass, the two-letter (month-year) etched date-codes might confirm any suspicions. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

Have you tried looking for a stamped alpha-numeric code on your skirts? The following was taken off a H.A.M.B. forum: . . . Foxcraft stamped most of their skirts on the flare on the bottom of the skirts. One side will be on the bottom of the flare and the other on the inside. They used codes like: cws57 for 1957 Chevrolet / fws57-57-58 for Ford / dws –Dodge / pws- Plymouth, and similar codes for others. There are exceptions to every rule however . . .

Since the box was labeled "1953 Buick" and they don't fit the Roadmaster 70-Series/Super 50-Series models that are the same, you're down to the only remaining 1953 Series — the 40 Series Models. Try to get a dimension from a 1953 Buick Special 40-Series (U.S.A.) or 1953 Buick Custom 40-Series (Canada) owner to verify if what you have would fit their Model with the rear-quarter panels (not bolted-on fenders). As a last resort, a member of the J.C. Whitney or Roy Warshawsky fan club might have the answer for you. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

Bottom of the line? I'd say that it looks like the shiny metal around the windscreen's perimeter isn't there, mate. Cherrios.

- The slope on the 1953 escutcheons appear to be flatter than your 1955s for one difference. - I don't have escutcheons on my front-door or rear-quarter windows since mine are powered also.

You say door crank. Are you looking for the 1953 door handle, door window or vent window escutcheon dimensions? I edited this post since I had second thoughts on what you are looking for.

- No original adjustments were provided on 1953 Buicks for the two-way (forward-backward) powered front-seat location. - An original front seat should be able to move a total of 4 1/2 inches on the adjuster. Fisher Body had a recall on seat adjusters and the BPSB's address the issues. - No OEM adjustments were provided for the fat-bellied owners. Au contraire, if a previous owner of your 76R was short and thin and needed the steering column lowered, he might have had the optional spacer installed between the underside of the instrument panel and the top of the steering column to lower the steering column as originally provided on a 1953 76X with the lower windshield. You didn't post any pictures. - Anything is possible. If you were to move the front-seat adjusters more than 2" toward the back-seat, the hydraulic cylinder's rear mounting bracket would cantilever somewhat when you relocate the bracket because of the floor-pan slope. The captured threaded tube-nuts, underside reinforcement-plates and body-stiffeners for each adjuster would also need to be addressed at the same time. In addition, you should consider the access for a rear-seat driver. Even with the OEM tilt-away front-seat feature on two-door models, it's already a tight squeeze. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

FISHER BODY STYLE NUMBER: The "X" in 4737X = equipped with the optional hydro-electric powered 4 windows and front seat. BODY NUMBER: G = built and assembled in Flint, Michigan. 8167 = the 8167th 1953 Roadmaster Model 76R 2-door hardtop built in Flint, Michigan. The 1953 production run started in late-November 1952 and ended during the first part of October-1953. There were a total of 22,927 Model 76R’s built and a total of seven assembly plants in 1953. Unknown is the production of 76R’s for each plant and whether all plants even built the Model 76R. TRIM NUMBER: 82 = Black nylon pattern cloth with Red leather. PAINT NUMBER: 67 = a code for a two-tone paint job using Sea Mist Grey, paint code 56, on the top only (roof) and Shell Grey, paint code 57, on everything below the stainless steel belt-line trim. ACCESSORIES: B = heater and defroster D = Sonomatic radio and roof-mounted antenna P = Easy Eye glass (light-green tint) Your 1953 Body by Fisher Number Plate was originally attached at the Fisher Body plant with Phillips Head screws before the body shell was painted the lower color (Shell Grey) nitrocellulose lacquer. If you removed a number plate for the first time, you would have most-likely found what Buick called a dum-dum body sealant that was used between the back of the number plate and the top of the cowl around the screw-hole areas to prevent water infiltration. Removing the paint off the original number plate creates problems like you are experiencing. If you have the original glass windows, the etched two-letter date codes could give you a better idea of the build-month and whether your hardtop was #8167 off the Flint assembly line, or if the number plate was swapped-out from another two-door hardtop. Bill Hirsch’s 1984 memo saying (guessing?)that the lower body paint was Majestic White, paint code 74, could have been a mis-read from a small sample of the original paint. Nitrocellulose lacquers were oil-based paints and anything made with oil yellows-out later (31 years?). Plus, Majestic White already has yellow in its recipe. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 “500 Miles West of Flint”

Are you planning on chrome plating them? You don't see many 1953 Buick Roadmasters with painted fender skirts on them because of the lower-fender stainless steel trim panels. Your pics look questionable to me as to whether they will fit although they could be a different aftermarket brand.. As a side note, if you're looking for a set of lower-fender stainless steel trim panels or interior window trim, let me know. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint"

Just to update this Thread, the green fender skirts that I posted pictures above of did not match the dimensions for Håkan Persson's 1953 Buick 56R two-door hardtop. I still have them and I don't have any clue what they fit. 1954-1955 Buick?

The dates are confusing if the Charlotte-NC National is a week before the Strongsville-Ohio National Meet.