HotWheels

I know this thread occasionally veers off to some antique aircraft topics and thought this might be interesting. The below link is to a short documentary about a few seconds of footage of a successful "crash landing" of WWII Spitfire found in a deceased relatives possessions. This prompted a successful hunt for the original pilot who was still alive and well, and then the culmination of listening to his fascinating WWII exploits and showing him the footage that he had never seen. This has been out there for a while but its great stuff that's worth a watch if you've never seen it. American Spitfire Pilot in WWII

It might be a bit of work, but if you start with the person who sold it to you and start working backwards you just might obtain more information than you think. The below link documents my adventure trying to find the original owner of my 59 Buick...its a bit long and doesn't end the way I hoped, but it was a fun journey just the same. http://1fine59.com/?p=66

You're outdoing yourself...this is great!

Nice work...and the fact that it's the only one makes it all the better!

Absolutely stunning...great job!

Wow, fancy graphics and pictures on an already excellent thread...this restoration process just keeps getting better!

Mirko, I see you edited your post to say "battery tray". I found these two pics from when my car was being disassembled, I hope they help!

Mirko, Do you mean the battery hold down clamp? My car is in storage but I hope this old restoration picture helps. If your looking for an "original" battery you can find them here: http://www.antiqueautobattery.com/batteries.html

Joe, I'm greatly enjoying following your restoration. Your "grill diamonds" are very similar to the ones on my 59 and I also contemplated having them re-plated during my restoration. I changed my mind after seeing a freshly plated grill done by a top notch shop. The four sharp lines (creases) in each tiny diamond are a very fine detail, and when the new plating material is added the extra build up that occurs pretty much obliterates that detail. Your grill diamonds look pretty darn good and I agree with Mike that it might be worthwhile (and a lot less expensive) to try polishing them. My guess is that they will turn out looking much better than a re-plated grill that might be shinier but won't look nearly as nice. I was fortunate to locate the left half of an NOS grill, the challenge was trying to get the used right half to match. After a lot of polishing the used half might not have quite the shine of the NOS side, but nobody would ever spot it unless it was pointed out. Can't wait for your next update!

Mirko, I went with the US Royal 820 X 15 with 2 3/4 whitewall as a compromise. I considered the 800 X 15 Coker and decided against it because my research seemed to indicate that whitewalls between 2.3 and 2.5 was the correct size whitewall (after installation the bead took about 1/4") and "Coker" was not a tire brand in 1959. In my (maybe warped) mind I thought that the size of the whitewall and the tire brand were more noticeable and counted more than the slightly larger width. You certainly could not go wrong with the Coker tire in the correct size. I spoke more about this subject on my restoration website on the page titled "1959 Buick Tire Size and Wheel Colors" Keep up the fabulous work!

Mirko, Fabulous work...love your every update! Regarding your tire question: I went with Coker 820 X 15 US Royal 2 3/4 White Wall which was the closest I could find with the correct white wall width and a "brand name" that was available in 1959 https://www.cokertire.com/tires/brands/us-royal-tires/u-s-royal-wide-whitewall.html

I don't know how you do it, but you somehow always find a way to amaze us even after we think we've seen it all. Kudos again...still shaking my head in disbelief!

Daphne is looking fabulous... I know its still a little bit into the future, but she is sure going to have one beautiful coming out party!

Great find...already looking forward to your progress on this beauty!

I know this is a bit off topic, but thought this just about the best thread to share the below Pebble Beach video that was sent to me of a very unique engine in the only remaining Adams-Farwell, this one from 1906. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y0XbqHUAI-0?feature=player_detailpage

This continues to be an amazingly enjoyable and informative thread! If there is another ongoing thread with information on this project can someone post a link to it? Thanks again for all the progress updates!

Lookin' Fabulous...can't wait to see it reunited with the chassis!

Thanks for taking the time to document this wonderful restoration. What sets your thread apart, aside from the wonderful car you're restoring, is your writing skill and the quantity and quality of pictures you have posted. While not as detailed as your thread, I documented the restoration of my 59 Buick (www.1fine59.com) so I know first hand the time and energy you are expending in sharing your story. Kudos to you for bringing us along on this very enjoyable ride, we all can't wait to see you get this car to the finish line!

Thanks for starting such an interesting thread! Any chance you can add a couple pics of some your other Crosley's?

Bernie, Following your restoration was one of my daily rituals and I greatly enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks for the education and I anxiously await your next project!

Impeccable all around! Color and detail of the side screens and wheel cover are absolutely perfect and the new light looks great!

Roger, Absolutely fabulous work as always! You may have already seen this, but I was just forwarded a short video of the fabrication of what is being called "the world's tiniest V12 engine" The world's tiniest V12 engine.

Make your inquiry on Buick-59.com - The 1959 Buick online resource for a knowledgeable evaluation and perhaps find a buyer.

Bernie, You might appreciate this two minute video of an original owner of a pre-war Packard... Original Owner...

Chris, I'm really enjoying following your restoration! For what its worth, when I restored my 59 Buick I had the exhaust manifolds coated with Jet-Hot Ceramic Coatings in the original cast gray color. The coating is designed to reduce under-hood temperatures extending the life of neighboring components, they will also look better and not rust. Before the restoration the engine bay would get so hot after a drive that you almost had to use a cloth to open the hood...no longer the case, and they still look like new. I have several pictures of the coated manifolds on my restoration website. Thanks again for sharing the progress on you Avanti