60FlatTop

That '65 is a pretty good deal. If you started with a good southern car like they claim you would probably lay out $3,000 for the base car (entry fee)minimum. Paint, interior, and chrome might take 3 years of part time work and farming out. Let's say you took the $3,000 and added a $9,000 loan for 36 months at 6-8% interest. You would pay about $275 per month and be driving and smiling next month. I always made the mistake of thinking I had concurrent cash and time, as well as thinking work farmed out would be done in a timely manner and done right. I know the economics now. All I need to do is learn to follow my own advice. Bernie

And here I am taking the '65 Custom seats out of my car and putting the correct '64 Standard seats back in. Could have made a deal. Bernie

Cars dissolve in water. Rainwater works best. It runs off body panels and etches the chrome from bumpers. "Rain tracks" are the dull areas that stripe downward from the hood/fender gap most commonly. Over the years I have seen a lot of fresh paint jobs with those lines on the chrome. And many of them are advertised as "always garaged". Rain water (and wash water) also gets past window seals and down cowl vents. On a car that sits outside the water just sits there too, wetting mouse nests and making rot lines in the doors at the water line. I think I was around 45 years old when I decided my next car was not going to be spotted behind a barn or sitting by a hedge row. I was pretty sure from then on my next car was sitting in a garage somewhere. It has been close to 20 years and just remembering they dissolve in water helps. Now, that doesn't me I can't get mindless and ignore my own advice. It is a sickness, you know. Bernie

I still have a couple where they get right on the car!

It's a thing refrigeration guys do to join copper lines. You expand from the inside by tapping an inserted tapered tool. I haven't done spokes but done a lot of copper. That guy from Vintique is moonlighting. He has been answering the phone at a lot of other places. Believe me, I have a list. Bernie

I have a pair of Hushpower mufflers on my '64 Riviera. I NEVER want modified stuff on my cars. I made the concession on the Riviera and couldn't be happier with the sound. 21st Century Exhaust in Florida has the best prices. [TABLE=width: 100%] <tbody>[TR] [TD=bgcolor: #efefef]2900 HIGH RIDGE RD. #05 BOYNTON BEACH, FL 33426 US - map it[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: titleBlk, bgcolor: #cccccc]Phone:[/TD] [TD=bgcolor: #efefef](800)276-6399 [/TD] [/TR] </tbody>[/TABLE]

Jack Team Buick Team Buick, Articles and Reference - Team Buick Front Page has a reference section on the navigation bar and post Buick shop manuals online. They don't have a '55 manual but there is a '57. There may be enough similarity to help you troubleshoot. Bernie

I bought my last set of Coker tires through Summit. On four Firestone 8.20 X 15's I saved about $180. If my spare wasn't white and so good I would have bought five. Bernie

Dwight, Since the mice have already shown they were snooping around and building, it would be a good idea to use a hose to thoroughly flush the engine out before installing the radiator. Bernie

The tracks are from a '64. I have not tested them. I have the switch harness also. I bought the seats to replace the '65 Custom interior I put in the car in 1979. Here's the car. Bernie

I listed a driver's side power seat track on Ebay. It is from the set of seats I bought to get my frames back to original. It is scheduled to start in about 3 hours. I have a Buy It Now price of $100 and $30 shipping. If anyone from the forum wants it I will knock off the shipping cost ($30) and ship within the mainland US. Thanks, Bernie - Now you know my Ebay name!

I had a '68 LeSabre once that had an annoying little tick coming from the engine. A little dab of lube on the distributor cam cured it! Amazing things happen. Bernie

I'm a mechanic and know network stuff I never should have been exposed to. I have set in meetings rattling off octets like they were my SS number and thought "How did I get like this?". Be cautious about mechanical experiments. My '60 was previously owned by a doctor. He broke the valve cover bolt off while changing the gasket. He tried to drill it out and drilled into the water jacket making a little green fountain. Not deterred, must have been a surgeon, he ended up breaking a tap off in the head. The car sat in the garage for two years while he pondered how to remove the tap. I bought the car and threw a spare head on it. Not trying to scare you or nuthin, just a chance to think about what an IT guy would do with discretionary cash. Bernie

On that tick, if you remove the rocker arm shaft from the side where the noise is you should be able to find one or more loose rocker arms. Over the years I have seen a few lifter sets replaced "and the noise is still there." The bottom of the shaft wears, usually to one side of the rocker. One car I removed the shaft from was worn so the shaft looked like a set of steps if you held it at an angle. Bernie

Last Sunday the NOS muffler was installed and a year of exhaust system torture came to an end. Today I went out for coffee with it in the morning and took two High School friends out to lunch in the car. Smiling all the way.

For me the 1954 Buick always had the look of royalty to me. When I first got interested in cars Grandma O'Brien had a black '54 Roadmaster 4 door. It was the replacement for her black '49 Roadmaster sedanette. She ran the family of 9 daughters and two sons. Ever one of the sons-in-law could only hope to buy a Buick and win favor in her eyes. Impressionable grandson's were the same. She really did run the family. The '54 was replaced by a black '62 Invicta. I had the honor of buying that one when she replaced it with a gray '68 LeSabre 2 dr. I ended up with the '68, as well. And in 1971 when I was fresh out of the Navy she loaned me the $200 down payment I needed to buy my $1600 '68 Riviera. Ahhhh, to bask in the graces of matriarchal royalty. And the '54 RM was first contact. Bernie

Hi Bob, Good to see your name pop up; been a long time. Rt 36 shouldn't be that long a road. I missed the AACA show last week. From the original entry, the '60 Buick finally has a quiet exhaust. The total cost was just over $1500 not counting the trip to Detroit to pick up the manufactured (not bent) front pipes. All that is left of the poorly made set is the tail pipes. My other car has been at the transmission shop for a week now. Rebuilt once last year, wouldn't upshift, in for shift problem, out with loud whine when in gear. Yesterday he told me they pulled the valve body out and checked it. How can they stand upright and say stuff like that? Bernie

$450 sounds like a bargain. From here To here X3 is a lot of work and that's just removal Bernie

Got it! I thought I saw a question mark before, damned bifocals. Here's another memory. I think the '56 Roadmasters had a lubrication pump designed into them. Bernie

Nice clean look all around. I like it. Bernie

What was that famous quote from Barnum & Ebaily? Bernie

I remember seeing "chrome" fender beading sold as a custom accessory by places like Western Auto and J. C. Whitney (Warshawski's if you had a real business in). It is probably something an early owner added. It was fairly easy to install. I will see if I can find an old catalog to scan. Bernie Just checked. Here is today's version. It could by vinyl now; easier to make: CHROME FENDER WELT FOR TRUCKS AND CARS CHEVROLET DODGE FORD PLYMOUTH 1940'S 50'S | eBay

Ben, Did you look under your car yet? Bernie

I finished removing the last of the upholstery from the set of seats I bought to recover. Next step is to have them media blasted and painted. I have decided to go with Clark's. I bought a headliner and carpets from them back around 1996. I'm happy with there stuff, their friendly people on the phone, and the good things written about them. Bernie

Phew! I'm going to get that can of WD-40 out and spritz mine up a little. This is beginning to remind me of when I came home from a show in 1994 and decided to clean some wire ends with lacquer thinner. Look what I had by the end of the week. Bernie