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Fred Zwicker

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Posts posted by Fred Zwicker

  1. I have a very original 1956 Buick Roadmaster Convertible and everything is original. The first owner bought the car new in 1956 and owned car for 35 years and the second owner has owned car for 25 years. Car has about 30K original miles - all documented.

    First owner is deceased, and yesterday I talked to the second owner who said that when he bought this car 25 years ago it had a very nice pair of front and rear license plate frames installed on the car. He said that he is not certain if these frames are original or not and has always wondered, but failed to ask the first owner before he died.

    Attached are pictures. Does anyone know if these frames were offered as a Buick accessory in 1956? The reason that I am asking is that I am taking the car to Charlotte for the Buick Nationals at the end of this month, entering car as an unrrestored original. We have examined this car in great detail and to our knowledge, these frames are the only questionable items that may or may not be either original, or an authorized accessory in 1956.

    Thanks for whatever help can be extended.

    Fred

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  2. I bought this truck. Truck has name "WYOCENA F.D." on hood. As I understand it, truck came from the Wyocena Fire Dept. in Wisconsin, but I am not sure of this.

    The name "Wyocena" had been painted over another name at one time. For a truck this old, it was common for one fire department to sell a truck to another fire department. This truck is almost unbelievable and twice what I expected. It starts right up, can be driven most anywhere, and has a good clutch, brakes and engine. Also it appears to have all of the accessories and is very complete and original. We do not plan to restore this truck, due to its original appearance and patina.

    This truck will be on display at the TP Car Museum in Canfield, Ohio. See www.tpcarcollection.com for pictures of other vehicles, or see www.facebook.com/tptools for more pictures of this truck.

    When we put a vehicle on display, we always make up a display card, telling the history of the vehicles. In this case, we have no information.

    Does ANYONE know anything about this truck in its prior life? Any small piece of information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you,

    Fred

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  3. Not mine, but saw this car at the Canfield, Ohio flea market yesterday. Seller has owned car for many years - he said car is from California. Body and trim is complete - no rust through. Chrome looks good. Interior looks complete, but needs work.

    Nice solid car for asking price of $3000. No engine or transmission. Car is located in NE Ohio. Owner's name is Harry and the phone number is on the side window. Give him a call - he is easy to deal with. I think it is a 1950 Cadillac.

    * Note: This car has been sold - sure was a nice one.

    Fred

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  4. Thanks for all of the kind compliments. Don't worry about getting in the museum only during our normal hours Saturdays from 10 AM to 3 PM. If you are in the area any afternoon from Monday to Thursday, I am usually at work and will get you in to see the cars. (I am semi-retired but help out during those hours). Just tell the guys that Fred promised to show you the cars and they will locate me.

    Also if you would like a Free Catalog with the '54 Buick restoration article, just go to www.tptools.com and click on the Free Catalog icon on the Home Page. We mail our catalogs via 1st class mail.

    Attached are some pictures of our facility and our car museum. In the aerial view, Buildings 900 and 1000 are the car museums and Bldg. 1100 is a warehouse. Our offices, storeroom and plant are to the right in the picture. Here is where we manufacture our Sandblasting Cabinets and HVLP Paint Spray Systems. We have been selling restoration tools to the antique car hobby for about 40 years now. Business is now owned by my son, Robert.

    Fred

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  5. Mike,

    Here is my "revised" spare tire label, which was reconstructed from the ones that were on the new tires from Coker. I removed the bar code and centered some of the copy and then removed the word "Tubeless" I have this saved in my computer and if you want one of these, let me know. For comparison, shown is the same label before revisions.

    If I could locate a picture of a very old tire label, feel that I could make further changes in the copy to be more accurate for 1954. I really like little things such as this, as well as the INSP mark under the hood and the numbers on the frame. If I can locate these, I will add another post later.

    Fred

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  6. I noticed that the 54 Skylark appears to be POWDER BLUE, we had a new Power Blue Lark in 54 with bright RED fender panels, would yours by chance have RED panels? I am still trying to track it down.

    Thanks for hearing me out,

    Dale in Indy

    The car pictured in my earlier post (Skylark trunk picture in powder blue) is NOT my car. It was a 20-year body-off restoration and senior winner at the Nationals last year. The owner is from PA, but I don't have his email address. Check the 1954 Buick Forum and see some posts in the Skylark section. He posted many pictures of the car on that forum. If you can't find this, send me a PM message and I will dig further.

    Here is an exterior picture of that car taken after the restoration.

    Fred

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  7. Thanks Mr. Earl,

    I agree ,and on the 54 Buick Forum, Father Buick said it will fit either way. My first try didn't seem that it could be bolted into place with whitewall facing into the trunk, but I will try again later this week. Maybe I can "stretch" the angle threaded rod a bit! LOL. There may be one other option. The rod has two holes at the bracket end and maybe I can change holes in the pin to make it fit. Or a simple solution would be to slightly lengthen this rod. To face such a nice whitewall/wheel setup to the inside just doesn't seem right.

    Fred

  8. Thaks for the info Mike. I talked to Lamar about this at Amelia Island and he also felt the the blue coating should be removed as well, so we will take care of this quickly (for once an easy fix).

    Any idea on the placement of the tire (whitewall facing in towards center of trunk, or facing out towards right rear fender?. The one picture that I posted thie morning showed the spare with a wheel cover, which I feel certain is incorrect. I have spent a lot of time doing research on this car and it sure is looking good.

    Thanks again, Fred

  9. I just finished a body-off restoration of my '64 Riviera 2 dr HT and am ready to mount the spare tire, after completion of the correct striping. Need to know the following:

    a) Does the whitewall face into the trunk, or towards the right rear inner fender? According to my research, and based on the length of the small rod of my car and original '54 Buick wheel offset, it will fit ony with whitewall facing the right fender, as the rod is not long enough if tire is turned the other way. I have seen pictures both ways and prefer the whitewall to face towards the inside of the trunk, so that the nicely striped wheel and whitewall are visible, but keep getting back to the length of the small rod that holds spare in place.

    B) Should whitewall part of the tire be cleaned, or should the blue coloring from Coker be left in place? I have seen them both ways and want to have the spare tire and wheel be exactly the same as when delivered in 1954.

    c) Here are two pictures from ebay - showing each way (whitewalls are white - not blue).

    d) Also a picture of Steve's (i motors) outstanding '54 Skylark - whitewall is facing in and still has the blue color. However his car has the wire wheels, so offset mandates that the spare face into the trunk, unlike regular '54 Buick wheels where offset seems to have it the other way.

    e) I have recreated the spare tire label similar to Steve's label on his spare, but removed the words "radial tubeless" so as to be correct for the tire in 1954.

    Thanks for your ideas and comments. Car will be shown at the Buick Nationals in Charlotte in June and I am in hopes that I am able to get this correct for judging.

    Fred

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  10. I can help you with parts number.Jack complite 1950-1954 8.820-1388492

    Wrench most cars between 1935-1959 or maybe later,my book is ending 1959. 5.842-118378

    Leif in Sweden.

    Thanks much for the part numbers. Any pictures of the post and the ratchet? Most parts guys have a lot of jacks, but no part numbers and need to see a picture.

    Thanks, Fred

  11. My wife often encourages some of my purchases and sometimes even chips in with some of the cost from her own account!

    I once bought a very nice '57 Buick Super 2dr. HT and the seller's friend had a nice '54 Buick 2dr. HT. After closing the deal on the '57, my wife said, "That is sure a nice Buick (the '54) - I wonder if Steve (the sellers' friend) would want to sell it? I don't need such encouragement when it comes to buying a vintage car, so on that trip we came home with two cars instead of one. Here are the pictures of the cars.

    Fred

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  12. I am in process of finishing a restoration of my '54 Buick Special 2dr HT (46R) and have what I think are two parts of the jack (base and "hook"). Hook is broken, but we think we can fix it. I am missing the post itself and the ratchet, and am looking for some clear pictures and/or a description of what these parts look like. I know these are hard to come by and without good pictures will be hard to confirm if I locate the missing parts.

    Also a picture of the lug wrench would be helpful. Any help will be appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Fred

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  13. Everyone is correct with their observations and experiences with bias ply vs. radials. I put the bias ply tires with 1" whitewalls on my wife's Corvair convertible and they look really great, but the handling is not near as good as the older radial ply tires, even though they were rotted and worn. The difference is very noticeable.

    Unfortunately, if a car is entered in some serious judging, if bias ply tires were original equipment, installing radial ply tires will result in a penalty. I for one feel that in the interest of safety, as well as practiality, judges should "overlook" the use of radial ply tires. I am now finishing a body-off restoration of a 1954 Buick Riviera 2dr. HT and have been made aware of the very strict guidelines for judging. I have an extra set of wheels, so will be installing a set of new B.F. Goodrich bias whitewalls for judging and keeping my set of radial ply whitewalls that were on the car at time of purchase for driving. In addition to the inconvenience, this adds a significant amount to the cost.

    Hoping for some easing of the judging standards some day soon.

    Fred

  14. I just checked my stored pictures and here are two more pictures from Mr. Earl, showing a trunks with the trunk lining material OVER the bolt/washer. The one closeup of the right side of the car even has a hump, showing the bolt/washer below the trunk lining material. Comparing my 6 pictures in previous post and these two, shows that there were definitely two versions of this in 1954. Does anyone have any knowledge of the reason for this and which models have which, if that is the case?

    Fred

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  15. Fred, after closer review of the "trunk bolt" those are not supposed to be on the upper surface. The trunk mat is to cover those. I am not sure where those pictures are from, but from what I know, not supposed to be onthe upper surface. Also, the wheel well is supposed to be painted with primer, not body color as well. So although the pictures with the bolts look pretty, they are not, in my review, factory correct.

    Mr. Earl, any second opinions on this?

    We definitely need Mr. Earl's opinion on this, but I feel that either treatment of this is correct, but need to know on which models, based on my pictures and research so far.

    Pictures 1 & 2 below are from a low-mileage '56 untouched and 100% original Roadmaster convertible that I visited just this past Sunday (12/18) and I took these pictures myself. (2 owner car with known history - 100% original and never touched or changed by the two owners). This material and bolt/washer treatment are identical with Steve's '54 Skylark and the trunk material is very similar.

    Pictures 3 & 4 below are of Steve's '54 Skylark (i Motors). Steve spent 16 years on his restoration and I feel that he has carefully researched his '54 Skylark plenty. Accordingly I feel that his treatment of the bolt/washer showing on each side of his trunk is correct for the Skylark.

    Another Roadmaster: No pictures, but about 2 weeks ago, our mechanic at work visited a friend who has a 20,000 mile original '54 Roadmaster and according to my mechanic, this car also had the better trunk lining material and the bolt/washer on each side in the exact same location as the other two cars above.

    In addtion to the above, to make it more confusing, I have seen several pictures of '54 Buick trunks without the bolt/washer showing.

    So while admittedly I am not at all a Buick expert, here is my theory:

    1) Different plants did things differently and different models had different features. .

    2) Roadmasters and Skylarks had a completely different (thicker and better) trunk material than the lighter weight rope pattern used in Specials and possibly Century Models.

    3) I am coming to the conclusion that the models with the better trunk material had the bolt going through the trunk lining material and the lower-priced models had the bolts installed prior to installing the trunk lining with the body bolt and washer below the trunk materials (not showing).

    For this to happen, if a body came down an overhead converyor with the trunk lining already installed, it would have been lowered into position and body bolted to the frame, including the rear body bolt that goes through each side of the trunk material. In this case the bolt/washer on each side would be visible.

    If a different model (in a different plant perhaps) came down an overhead conveyor without the trunk lining installed, it would have been lowered into position and the body bolted to the frame. Later the trunk lining material would have been installed over the top of the bolt/washer and since it was under the padding and trunk material, it would not be visible.

    This is all theory, but seems to make sense, as I have seen too many pictures of the bolt/washer on top of the better trunk lining and have seen other pictures of Buicks with the rope pattern trunk lining where the bolt/washer does not show.

    Mr. Earl has many pictures of '54 Buick trunks and hopefully he can come up with pictures of each style and come up with his own theory. I am thinking that there may be some connection with certain models with the bolt/washer showing and other models without. There has to be some pattern to this discrepancy.

    Pictures 5 & 6 below: For my '54 Special 2dr. HT, we had the body off, and later installed the body on the frame and all body bolts were installed. I later installed the trunk lining material over top of the body bolt and washer, so it does not show, per my previous pictures. I am in hopes that this is OK, but if not, this can always be changed. In my opinion, I do not like the look of the bolt/washer showing, but want to get it right. So in reviewing many other pictures of various older Buick trunks, see some with the bolt/washer and some without, so I guess there is no exact answer unless someone can come up with more information.

    What about this Mr. Earl? Any other input on this?

    Fred

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  16. Thanks Mr. Earl,

    I saved and printed all 3 pictures. I notice that the small hex nut to hold spare is laying on the floor of the trunk and other pictures show that the 3/4" welt along the inside above windows on my '54 Special is correct. This is a relief, as would hate to get involved with the headliner now. I do notice that there is a small chrome coat hook which I do not have. These hooks are reproduced, but I do not know if I have the nerve to start poking through my headliner to find a small screw hole, if such a hole exists.

    The trunk picture posted by Mr. Earl does NOT seem to have the body bolt and washer along the left side below the wheel hump. I have seen these on '54 - '56 Roadmasters, and on Steve's '54 Skylark, but those had a different trunk lining material.

    Trunk in picture is identical to mine as near as I can tell, but looking at Mr.Earl's picture, I am unable to see any sign of a bolt or washer in that area. Is it possible that Specials had the rear body bolts installed prior to installing the trunk lining? This is a question that I have had for some time, but nothing definite as yet. Pictures of my trunk lining are attached and also 2 pictures of Steve's '54 Skylark Trunk Lining, which shows this bolt and washer.

    Fred

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  17. Headliner Trim: I noticed on my '54 Buick Special that the edge of the headliner just over the side windows is about a 3/4" diameter black welt that starts at top of windshield and runs entire length of interior and then down to the package tray area into a hole and out of sight. I feel this is original, as at front, the metal upright steel section that is held in place with screws has a round cutout for this welt and it seems to fit into another round cutout in the metal at the bottom in rear.

    However, in looking at my '54 Century 2dr. HT parts car, there is a chrome-plated molding that is used instead of this welt. The Century has a slightly different metal upright steel section that is angled to cover the front edge of this chrome trim piece, which is in 2 sections. I am looking for a confirmation on the use of his 3/4" welt, but feel it is how it was done originally. I knoq that the two models (Special and Century) had minor differences.

    Thanks, Fred

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  18. 1954 Buick Jack: I am wondering if I have the correct jack for this car? In addition to the end being broken off on the small section, looking at drawings in one of my Buick books, do not feel it is the same. Of course there is always the possibility that jacks were furnished by various suppliers. If my jack is incorrect, I will want to start searching for an original quickly. If it is correct, we should be able to repair the small piece, but it won't be easy. Please let me know what you think about this.

    Spare Mounting: Also when mounting the spare, I have a 2" long (approximate) hex nut that is used to hold the spare tire in place and I am wondering if this nut is used alone, or is it used to hold the base of the jack in place against the metal spare tire wheel? I have seen pictures of both. Since there is no spring to hold the jack post, jack components and lug wrench for the '54 Buick such as was done in 1955, I am wondering if Buick furnished a jack storage bag at time of purchase? Either way, I do not want the jack moving around inside the trunk, as it will quickly damage the trunk lining, so will keep my jack in the jack storage bag, which I will make. I already have a black one, but may want to make a light brown bag to more closely match the trunk lining. For judging, I will also bring a copy of the accessory sheet that was posted on one of the forums for backup proof that bag was an optional accessory. If you look closely at the attached pictures of an original jack storage bag, you will see that this bag has a sewn-in compartment at top of bag and this area exactly fits the base of the jack., which leads me to think that the spare is held in place only by the 2" long hex nut, which attaches to a long angled bolt.

    Fred

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