Aaron65

It's no problem! The factory gave you four holes in the undercarriage to access the front four bolts; you will probably have to rotate the crank as you remove the pan to get all the counterweights to clear, but you can probably have the pan out in 15 minutes if you have an air ratchet. Good luck!

I think people's attitudes toward four-doors is changing; after all, almost everything being sold today is a four-door. Eventually, the bias against them will shift, at least theoretically. Their being cheaper is just another reason to consider one. With that being said, my only four-door is my Dart wagon. But I wouldn't have any problem picking up a cool four-door if I liked it.

I have to store a few of my cars off-site, and my wife will follow me out in one of the cars to bring back "fresh" ones every few weeks. She likes driving them (short distances anyway)! Ask for her input in finding the next car and pick up something she wouldn't mind driving. People I know, however, say I have a fantasy marriage, and they're kind of right.

Wow! That has to be a one of one - I wonder if the owners have run the Marti Report on it. It's a sleeper! Most Q-Code cars were probably Mach 1's, but I like it! Unfortunately, I think that this is a car that probably deserves a restoration; it's a little too far gone to be a cool driver (and I like that kind of thing, personally).

There shouldn't be any need for the c-clips (axle retainers) to be pinched over the axles. They're held in their recesses by the spacer block and spider gear shaft, so they really can't go anywhere once everything is assembled (assuming that all the original parts are there). Are you greasing the axle bearings and looking at the seals?

I'm guessing some stuck valves danced a little too close to some pistons. You could try some new pushrods and maybe pull the head to check out the valves, but you're getting into some money and time you probably don't want to spend on a car you're selling. You gave it a shot!

Eric, I was at the show today and saw your car there...it was one of my favorites of the day.

The axles are held in by c-clips, so you'll have to pull the spider gear cross shaft and hope the little pin/bolt doesn't break. While the axles are out, consider greasing the axle bearings - they're not sealed like they are on a newer car, and you're supposed to grease them every 25,000 miles (it's in the owner's manual). You may want to order some seals (two per axle, inside and outside) ahead of time, but new ones are lip seals rather than the original felt material. I had a problem with axle venting after replacing all the seals, and I had to rig up a vent. But we're getting ahead of ourselves... First, you need to pull the back cover and drain the rear end to get the axles out.

Oops! You probably will luck out - it's a standard transmission car, so it should have solid lifters. If no valves are sticking, you should be in decent shape.

Not really...it should have hydraulic lifters, which are fed from the rocker shaft down. Unfortunately, the rocker shaft is probably plugged up with sludge (along with the rocker arm passages). So don't be surprised if there's a little valve noise; I hope you luck out! That big manifold might be warped, so an exhaust leak is not out of the question.

Regardless of their predilection to drink while tagging, I tell you the truth. I will say this - at least mine isn't upside down.

Your VIN tag looks exactly like my Atlanta-built '53 Special's (cars with numbers that start with 6 were built in Atlanta), so I imagine that your tag is in the correct spot for that plant.

https://www.hometownbuick.com/1953-buick/1953-buick-body-tag-decode/ It looks like your car should be gray with a green interior, and it was built in Flint.

Yes, Buicks of this era had the main heater core under the seat. There's also a defroster core in the "heater" box under the dash; when you add in the water-cooler on the Dynaflow, you're looking at about 2 million feet of heater hose. I don't have my underseat heater hooked up because I don't drive my car when it's below freezing, and the defroster takes the chill off on a cool morning.

Wow, what a car, especially for the price. That shouldn't be here for long.