buick man

Yes good advice. The Moraine and the Bendix system needs to have a static fluid status to begin displacing the fluid. To create this the fluid needs to be persuaded to move and fill the system until a adequate static fluid level is achieved. Kinda like priming a bilge pump or sump pump. To draw the fluid through the system as suggested one can also use a large diaphragm hand suction pump starting at the farthest point and working around in the usual manner. Once primed properly and air out bubbles out the internal rod plunger will displace the fluid as designed but remember the plunger is not creating suction and pushing the fluid lie in a newer rubber/sleeved cylinder pump. This system was and still is really quite a good remarkably long term dependable system unlike traditional high maintenance rubber cylinder/plunger setups of today. It has no typical plunger rubber cup that is constantly submersed in brake fluid which is needed to physically draw and push the fluid against a sleeved wall in a bored piston/cylinder format thereby exposing itself to constant fluid deterioration and constant wear. The Moraine/Bendix system on the other hand has a stacked series of fitted inset rubber seals that ride along the base of the shaft behind the plunger displacement metal head. This series seals configuration keeps the fluid contained and away from the next proceeding set of inner seals. They are not submersed in constant brake fluid itself like the rubber plunger setup. Yes the seals eventually wear and the clearance between the seal face and the shaft increases until the unit internally leaks but rarely resulting in complete pedal failure unlike the sleeved cylinder rubber cup system that is prevalent today, but this leaking takes much longer to develop. In fact in a way, this Moraine / Bendix system sorta works much in design and functions like a caliper system works. The caliper piston is end sealed and the caliper piston cylinder is like the shaft and fluid is contained by these outer seals thereby limiting wear. If one is very good at replacing their fluid annually and the system not allowed to sit around for months or years rotting on end the Moraine or Bendix continues to out perform on a longevity basis today's typical rubber plunger system. The only real weathering weaknesses this Morian/Bendix system is exposed to is in the rubber flex brake lines found though out the brake line system itself which eventually deteriorate and rupture or leak long before the M.C. gives up the battle. But both type systems share this blithe. What we think eventually put this type of M.C. system out to pasture was not the functionality or safety of the system itself, as explained it worked very well and was dependable, but rather the eventual perceived need for introducing a proportioning valve braking system setup which would allow for more pedal & fluid psi allotment differential control between the now separated front and rear brake lines. Also this necessitated the use of dual cylinders to separate the lines between front and rear in case of a M.C. failure which was and still is a very real threat because rubber plunger/sleeve cylinder systems render increased wear in the critical sealing area within the bore sleeved fluid reservoir itself and once gone the system fails quickly and one needs that extra dedicated and other separated cylinder in the M.C. to continue feeding the other split line system be it the front or rear lines, hoping however, that both cylinders will not fail at the same time.

…. just curious as to why you ask this question ? I would think an answer to that would require finding some isolated studies plotting the rpm/torque free ride requirements of the Dynaflow plotted and applied to it's overall efficiency for output. Given you have somewhat of a fluid driven coupling and not a direct lay gear driven mechanism, that would be hard to ascertain. In the real world the Dynaflow always required a little extra torque from it's engine power source, thus the low end torque nailhead, but up and running and especially on the highway it was very efficient in it's floating state compared to a what a fixed gear setup would be. Passing gear is not a gear but a change in the fluid torque converter vanes pitch which multiplies the fluid psi to an infinite amount as needed and the efficiency increases as well.

… Yeah Russ Martin in Grass Valley, California for sure, he has been both a nailhead mechanic, nailhead writer and nailhead parts man for many years. Also absolutely no need to cut and put hardened valve seats into a nailhead. This is not a ford or chevy. For the nailhead's era , the metallurgical makeup has a very high silicate content and is plenty hard. Also more importantly, the existing valve seat material thickness in a nailhead is very close to the water jacket and many a head has been ruined due to this knee jerk compulsion to cut for hardened seats. There is however a special area metal freezing process that must be preformed to absolutely assure the jacket will not be cut into for those who still believe that a seat just must be cut and installed because that is what everyone apparently does.

Is he only doing knee shocks like I believe Apple does or can he rebuild OEM tube hydraulic shocks as well ? That would be a find so one could keep the ride stock without going the harsh gas shock route.

…. Well some swear by putting a cut piece of nylon or pantyhose between the radiator and upper return hose after the clean out process for a while to collect the inevitable debris that will continue to come loose long after the cleaning. They also make a stainless mesh for the same purpose. With that said, here's a read on the topic of cleaning your engine block. In your case, I would first remove all the soft plugs, dig out the crap and then clean as best you can by sticking a hose deep, far and as many places as you can, them consider applying the method of this write-up both before and after you install the new soft plugs. In this discussion the soft plugs had already been removed , block cleaned out and new soft plugs had been installed, then it sat for a long time until this cleaning method :

Yes there are some good looking 57's at this auction house. The one linked to above is a good candidate for comparison and only 23k. It too has been repainted but curiously not the headlight rim bezels. Original engine bay yet one gets a glimpse of the hood insulation that just may indicate possibly a lot more miles on the clock than simply 38k. This looks like someone painted the exterior and a redo on the stainless spears complete with a new yet slightly off shade of tangerine. I noticed on the this same auction site, that two tone green model 75 that was on all the sales sites for sometime and was restored. Priced at the mid 30's for a long time. Perhaps the sky is falling on prices as of late. Even the Porsche sales heat trend of the last couple of years has started to cool off as well.

… Just a thought, but we would also suggest using an intake manifold gasket that would cover up those heat port passages in the manifold itself if not done so already or cutting and placing metal covers over those ports when laying down new stock manifold gaskets.

lol …… John that's because I think that's because this front end is what not only a lot of Ford owner's saw but many other owners of many makes saw in their rearview mirrors coming up on them fast when going up steep long hill grades out on the open road … ;')

Woody ….This is just a game for me and I am amusing myself. The reason I posted the film was to make a point. The rarity of the 1957 Buick plain and simple, not only now but as proof even just 2-3 years after it was introduced. So yes, the Buick you think you spotted could not be a confirmed sighting but it looked like a Special or Century but too far away and a little blurry to boot. Could be an Olds, maybe. So that is one sighting of a possible 1957 Buick in The City of Angels, in all it's glory and heyday 1960. Would you not expect to see more just by chance and circumstance, I would ? If you watch the films from 1950 to 1955 or so one spots numerous 49-55 Buicks of all shapes & models. They were very popular up to then. So what happened ? We saw countless tummy button tri-fives, fords and chrysler products. So what does that tell you ? Here's what we think. Let's put some things into perspective. We know some people bought the R.M. coupes in 1957, some 2,450 of them for the 1/2 season launched model 75 and some 2,800 or so for the model 76A and a little more for the model 76R, both built for the entire model line year. Compare that to Bel Air top of the line Coupe Chevy was offering that very same year 1957. Sold some 60,000 to people who gave their money up for that coupe. That would make the 1957 R.M. Coupes rare even back then and very rare today. Bad 57/58 economy you say ? All the other car manufactures were living and not selling cars in the U.S. as well so that only accounts for everyones poor sales. We also know Chrysler had the jump on the dual headlight and tail fin for 57 at least a place where they looked like they should go and that forward look was space ship inciting to say the least. For those who could afford the Buick price range, some ventured over for that sexy Chrysler product but soon tired of the engine lifter noise of the 318 and harsh torsion bar suspension ride. Chrysler had some of the worst build quality for those early models for a few years because they slammed them to get them out for the 1957 launch. We think a good buying chunk who could afford a Buick that year such as doctors, lawyers, brokers etc. decided to wait and the few who did buy first took off that front grill 1957 Badge that dated the car right off the bat the next year which accounts for all those 1957 grill badges you see for sale on eBay. Then they traded-in their 1957 Buicks, some for a new 1959 Buick. But this created a great used car market for the 1957 and 58 Buick buyers who could not possibly afford a new 59 or 60 Buick but could now afford to get into this world of driving a Buick by buying up and into the 1957/58 Buick. But this took at least 3 years or so to transpire and we believe that the used market for these cars only got better around 61 and on. We also think that the 1957 Buick sat in garages. Sat a lot and that accounts for so many low to midrange original mileage 57 & 58's still surviving today. To be harsh the styling of which we endear today was then for the 1957 & 1958 Buicks really an extension of 1955 styling and not exactly cutting edge or even slightly nouveau. It was not that many years ago, possibly 30, I seem to remember that the 1958 Buick was voted the ugliest car made. Would one really think that today and deprive all those Edsel 59-61 Citations out there that honor ?

…. You can get your car in any color today that you want as long as it is solid white, silver, gray or black - Lancemb & Woody - cool & tons of cars, yes diverse & distinctive, and what was the number of 1957 Buicks that you counted ?

… even in head bolts size does matter ….

So how do these die clamps work ? Would you place flat stock in the molds then press them down to create the sets into shape or are they used in some other fashion to get the desired results ?

Here is a L.A. 1960 film project shoot displaying everyday L.A. streets. The cars shown are typical of the diversity of american makes across the spectrum in the late 50's. Since this was shot in the summer of 1960, one would think there should easily be a multitude of all well known car makes and models running the complete gamut of each and every car manufacture presented including orphan cars makes as well from at least 1955 to 1960. Grab your calculator and get ready to add up all the 1957 Buicks that you can count, right here in a major west coast city in the 1957 Buick's heyday. Remember this is L.A. in 1960 when the 1957 Buick was barely 3 years old. How many can you find ?

Steve ...Gee, still would like to know where he got the fabric from just for the record. In our humble opinion this car is more than ready for the road as-is. Could be the rust was only needed to be removed in concentrated areas, and thus the cut n patch work. In my work, we never remove anymore of the original metal that is absolutely necessary. The engine bay tells me a story that some dedicated attention went into the preservation of it. We think someone does not recreate their passion and past by skimping on their present reincarnation of that memory. No need to 'detail' an original engine bay unless you want to be uber anal in needing to have things freshly painted and lose the original in the process. With that said, the overall engine bay is tidy and looks like one would of looked back in the day with a circa 1964 period patina :)'. The transmission, torque tube driveline and indestructible rear end are of no real major concerns as all components are easily and affordably rebuildable but this particular 57 can no doubt still be driven for a long time before considerations need to be made concerning them. The A/C system if complete under dash and hood can be made to work. No hobby car is ever really done and what would be the sense in that. Only trophies, chicken and pork are really well done anyway. Consider the little better than drivable lawn art that is being shelled together out there what with backyard rattle can facelifts and being offed at prices near and even often exceeding this Model 75 asking price and look what the buyer is getting in the bargain in this 57 as well to boot. - Overall, we still think the car is way underpriced and just waiting for the right prospector to come along and strike it rich. Get the car inspected from headlight to tail pipe.

This is Fun … TG perhaps that may very well be the case but I think the seller car is a replacement copy cat interior. A good one but not original. Here is a photo from my model 75 4-door back seat area with what I believe is the same fabric pattern except I know mine is original. No doubt a little bit sun bleached but one can clearly see the specks of silver woven into the cloth itself. The cloth inside my back seat center arm rest when dropped down is only slightly less sun bleached so my fabric pretty close to as delivered as far as color tone goes. My camera is nothing special and the silver specks are clearly visible. With the seller's photos, he has some good sunlight going for him yet there and no silver specs. This leads me to think this is a later copy material and possibly a SMS replacement or an even older replacement. It is interesting because 3 or 4 years ago I had a few conversations with the owner of SMS fabrics regarding some samples he sent me for a possible backup on my model 76A which has the 731 Black Cloth-Ivory Cordaveen interior fabric. The samples he sent me had the wrong but close pattern but still had no silver speck threads. Yet my original fabrics on both my model 76A & 75 do have the silver specks. He told me he has a mill in the southeast somewhere and one somewhere in the northeast and that the pattern can be remade but the silver thread specks would be another matter. I believe the jest was he would try but no promises to recreate the silver speck threads. The last photo is from a model 75 that was for sale a few years ago and the fabric was reportedly new and a replacement. A copy cat interior as you can see the differences. The silver specks were in everything in the 50's on furniture fabric and Buick was following the designer wave of the day as well. Kinda be nice if this could be reproduced accurately. EdIt: …oh just kinda noticed this but take note of the second photo from my back seat. This really shows how the factory fabric presents an intricate 3 dimensional weave build with the silver specks in the outer 'clouds' of thick multiple complex thread weave and then the lower sculpted lighter shaded bare threaded weave areas. A very rich dimensional presentation and a complicated pattern on top of that. No wonder the last photo now looks different when contrasted with the real factory fabric. Another interesting deviation Buick made with this mid model year model 75 was I believe the seat tops on the model 75's were exclusively leather as opposed to the earlier builds having the Cordaveen material which was the standard issue for initial earlier Road Masters models. Here is a wikipedia definition of what I believe to be this kind of fabric creation : "Brocade is typically woven on a draw loom. It is a supplementary weft technique; that is, the ornamental brocading is produced by a supplementary, non-structural, weft in addition to the standard weft that holds the warp threads together. The purpose of this is to give the appearance that the weave was actually embroidered on." From what I have found, the silver threads could be what is sometimes referred to in the trade as 'flash points' threading weaves. I realize this has morphed into a discussion beyond the initial 57 R.M. for sale but isn't that how conversations start and as a result and in the whole process that is where the real learning process begins ?

lol…. yeah maybe the guy just has to list it for the probate or divorce court proceeding - just so he can say he is attempting to sell it ….

Yes Willie is very correct as performing the psi tests in all ranges will tell you exactly where deficiencies preside and may be hidden just by looking at the parts later. Make a written note of the results and then while tearing down the sections of the trans, you can be looking for specific culprits as a result of the psi tests.

Yes we agree more than a fair price for a buyer and if this car is truly ship shape as presented, then this car should be snapped up by any prudent buyer for a ride such as this; but for the seller the car as priced is a give-a-way sale in our opinion. Perhaps there is some story or drama surrounding the pricing ?

…. Oh ya, thanks John. You think the guy is open to offers ? :)' We thinks this is an older restoration cause at best our guess is it's painted in enamel or even perhaps lacquer which is a big plus since sooo many are now painted in bc/cc which may indeed be shiny but in our humble opinion, renders an overall shallow of depth non period look to these cars. I would still like to know where he got the seat material as it is close. The original material had laces of silver thread woven throughout it and reproductions I have seen do not. But all in all a very nice overall representation of one of the better era Buicks. Another interesting touch is what appears to be factory but we believe it to be a well done crafted metal hood cover over the A/C condenser unit as I have never seen this on any other 57.

Just came across this Craigslist find: This car appears to be a promising candidate and is reported to be redone inside and out. Most likely an older restoration as the seat material is correct and hard to replace now. Engine bay appears original with additional attention to compressor and master brake setup. Hood insulation has been removed and never replaced and some slight overspray at hood/fender internal junction. No idea of the mileage or how the under side appears. A lot of attention to detail and work has was put into this shell beige and garnet red coupe. In our opinion and there are no surprises or drama stories, this car is grossly underpriced at $ 22,000 firm. So what do you all think ? http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/cto/5554704244.htm l

… what would be helpful as well is if you could document the change over as you progress right here on this post as I am sure folks would like to follow the process pictorially or however.

Great info on your reply Jon. So you are no longer restoring carbs as we thought you are indeed the CarbKing - ' Long live the King" ? Yes had the same throttle shaft issues with my SU Carbs on my 62 Tri-Carb Healey 3000. The english love to include extra parts on everything and in this case attach extra shafts and at various angles then setting them into multiple bored holes thoughout the throttle body housing, The Germans on the other hand, just like to use 1 bore one shaft. So these SU shaft borings would no doubt wear and suck a lot of non calibrated for air into the system: Made them hard to tune for that reason. School of Hard Knocks ! - What a coincidence, I'm a alumni from that school as well ….

…. thanks Jon for your professional input. Think I will now replate my linkages arms and such in nickel. Van Nuys Plating in Van Nuys, CA has done good by me. They have silver cadmium plated ( The real Deal ) all my bolts and transmission linkages so far and did good. Gold cadmium plated ( The real deal as well ) my Moraine MC canister and did good on that as well. This time I will speak to them about nickel plating my linkages, shafts and such as I know they still do Hexavalent chrome plating ( The real deal - not dyed Trivalent ). Another route one can take is to go the Caswell Inc. route. They have a nickel plating kit/setup you can purchase if you have a voltage/amp source to hook it up to or buy one of theirs.

…. to remove cleaner and varnish residue, take kerosene and pour it into a small spray bottle. Apply the kerosene to the exterior and then let it set for about a minute then wipe completely with a clean cotton cloth. This will remove all the solute particles of the green yellow varnish which is old fuel residues from the surface. Repeat as necessary until clean. Jon: Good info. So for example, I have a Carter 2507 and have always wondered - It appears the choke arm linkages, throttle arms, throttle body shafts etc were nickel plated as were the external accelerator linkage arms coming up & from the fire wall and to the carb itself. The main body components on this Carter were either white cad or yellow cad ? Are these correct assumptions ?

… well thanks for the input and all. Yes a large red delete button should be easily viewable at the base of each posters page. Can't begin to see why a Moderator should be brought into the mix to this equation in any way. It's not like they don't already have enough to do as it is. But glad to hear we can delete. Another pet peeve of mine is the Edit HIstory that shows up to you & everyone else in the worldif and when you do edit. This applies to that little tale tail reason for editing line. If I want to indicate I have gone back and edited a comment or a wordy dissection once the beer buzz has faded, I will indicate at the bottom that I edited my work otherwise who cares if I did as long as you can coherently read what I have typed. Reason for Editing: Just to be annoying