Aaron65

Congratulations! Always good to get em back on the road running well!

Your alignment could be way off...did you do the drag link? I just did mine last weekend and it really stabilized the car, at least it seemed to...

I live in a predominately Chevelle/Nova/Camaro/Mustang area, but if I take the '53 Buick to a show it's like a flying saucer...people love it, usually. People in the area tend to like the Corvair too, but the only comments the Skylark gets is an occasional "nice car," or "pretty car." I guess I live in an OK area for cars, even if Chevy Chevy Chevy is the norm...

Isn't that a great show? I go down every year...not with a car though...we live 2 hours away, and sitting with the car two whole days doesn't seem too cool...but this year I really got the itch to take my '53 down! Did you happen to see that bad dark blue '65 Riv GS? Wow, that was my favorite of the day!

Sure will...not enough timing will definitely cause a surge. You can use a vacuum pump on the vacuum advance hose to see if the diaphragm will hold a vacuum (or you can suck on the hose, but there are usually nasty fumes in there)...to check the mechanical advance, just grab the rotor on the distributor and turn it. It should turn fairly easily against spring pressure and snap back to its original location.

Wow...that was a mess. Nothing broken though. I may just be imagining it, but the car feels a lot tighter now...what a Rube Goldberg contraption though! Crazy stuff! One last thing, what does the steering gear use for lubricant? The manual says multi-purpose gear lube, but it seems to have bearing grease in there...I assume they don't mean gear oil...am I wrong? You know, I've had this car 5 years, and have had much of it torn apart at one time or another, but I'm just now getting around to this drag link deal. Weird.

Good to hear! Can't believe I've never really thought about this part while I've owned this car...Thanks guys!

Hey all, I have a clunk in my '53 Special's steering. It's coming from the "center link," where the pitman arm attaches to the part where the tie rods attach. I can see and feel a little play in there. I can't seem to find that part anywhere, except maybe Kanter, who has a drag link rebuild kit. What's the deal with this thing? Easy to rebuild? Am I on the wrong track? I'd appreciate a little insight on the whole deal. Thanks! Aaron

I think I'd try running a quart of Rislone through the motor for awhile to see if it goes away...then, maybe pull the oil pan and clean it and the pickup...

It's really worth it to find the AC plugs...for some reason, Champion always recommends plugs that are WAY hotter than normal, like 5+ steps too hot, in the auto parts stores' guides. This was the case with my Corvair and Special. So, at any rate, since the ACs are a known quantity and that's the factory recommendation, I'd stick with it.

Agreed! It must take some skill to make a hubcap out of a grill lid!

Who wrote that book about Mitchell? I'd like to find one of those!

Wow...the paint shop really turned that thing around quickly! Looks nice!

I don't think you'll get it spinning fast enough to get a good reading. You could probably just use a battery to get the starter spinning for 5 revolutions if there is a battery, making sure the engine is blocked up safely.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll286/BigBadBeater/776ddc17.jpg Here's what I did...use at your own risk!

I think you're going to have a tough time getting an answer. From what I could gather when I did this, the '53s didn't have a Fireball sticker. The Buick--Valve in Head sticker goes on the passenger side rear of the Valve Cover, and that's it. If it has Hydralic lifters, that sticker will be somewhere on the valve cover too. I put the F263 corcle behind the Buick sticker, but I don't think it had one originally. Good luck!

Thanks Bob...CARS only goes back to '54...I managed to find some think brass nuts online at a Ham Radio store, so I'll gang a few together and use them...

I managed to split the nut that holds my antenna on my '53...It's apparently a 5/8-24 nut...any idea where I could find one??? Thanks! Aaron

I managed to split the nut that holds my antenna on my '53...It's apparently a 5/8-24 nut...any idea where I could find one??? Thanks! Aaron

These are wide whites--they have good tread but are 12 years old. I used one of the four as a spare, and that's probably the best use for them. I'd take $10 a piece or $25 for 3. Located in Bay City, MI...pickup only.

Never mind, I used a die to cut new threads and it worked.

For anybody who's interested, I drilled the hinge strap adjustment holes to 7/16" and got the door gaps nearly even all the way around. It has been low forever; it had worn out the striker when I bought it! Now that it's adjusted right, it's straddling the unworn part of the striker, so I may need to get a new striker...

Man I still haven't gotten mine yet! Michigan's not remote!!! What's up USPS???

Anyone know where I can find one of these???...One of them on my '53 has stripped threads...it's the large screw with a flat phillips head on it. Thanks!

OK, so I'm not so stupid...the A-pillar hinge adjustments are all the way up, and the door still lines up low. It's strange, nothing is obviously wrong or bent. Anyway, I'm back to drilling the hinge straps adjustment holes up to 7/16"...wish me luck!