'56 P/S and P/B into '55

[42crazy]

A friend of mine has a '55 Special, and is having a tough time driving it, his son wants to put P/S and P/B into it. I have a '56 Super parts car that has both, will it fit without too much trouble, or, is it worth the trouble at all ? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks, Paul

[imported_buick5563]

Hey Paul,

I've driven 55's with and without power brakes. I personally prefer the manual version. I believe, however the brake parts are the same between big (Super) and small (Special) series if he feels he really wants/ needs the assist. The steering shaft is a different length on the big and small series Buicks, so I don't believe he'd be able to use your column. The pumps are the same. This (again my opinion) IS worth doing. Power steering is nice to have on these cars. My new Century CVT project was apparently ordered without PS and I plan to add it during the restoration.

I hope this helps.

[JohnD1956]

I think you'll find that the power brakes are not a bolt in operation. Your 55 has a pedal that goes through the floor boards directly. The 56 has a rod that goes through the toeboard but that rod is attached to a hanging brake pedal. I thought the 55 master cylinder is actually under thye drivers side floor board, but the 56 is cramped down in that general area in front of the cowl. So to get it in will require some modification.

Has anyone sanded the brake shoes yet? I'd give this a try to see if that improved the manual brakes.

[imported_buick5563]

Oops,

I paid too much attention to the series, not the year. John's right, there is a difference in brake pedal mounting.

[42crazy]

Thanks for the info, guys. However, I checked when I went down to the farm this afternoon, and, I do have the P/S and P/B units in a '56 Super in case anyone wants them. I would sure hate to take them out though, it looks like it would be awfully labor intensive, so, If you need them, you might want to take them off yourself, 70 miles south of St. Louis, thanks, Paul

[imported_buick5563]

Get Adam to do it, I hear he's really bored and has a lot of time on his hands .

[JohnD1956]

Hey Paul, I would be interested in that master cylinder, and it is not that hard to get out, if you don't mind working under the steering column.

Everything but the brake line is bolted from inside through the floor. Crimp and cut the brake line and then unbolt the pedal, and pull the carpet back, there's just 4 bolts holding it in.

Equally important however are the rear bumper "J" bars. These are the lower chrome wraparounds just over the exhaust tips. You don't happen to have a set of these with little or no rust, do you?

[42crazy]

John, I don't know when I will get back down to the farm, which is 70 miles away, so, if you can wait, I'll take it out. Are you dreaming, or halucinating about the "J's" for the rear bumper, I have supposedly the last set of bronze castings, I don't remember what I paid for them, but, you could have them for what I paid, plus shipping, unless I didn't pay a whole lot for them, in which case, I want a huge profit. I will probably never use them on my '56 Roadmaster Station Wagon that I want to build someday. I have everything to do it with, except "TIME". Paul

[JohnD1956]

I can certainly wait. I just want to have one for a spare in case it is needed later on.

Tell me about these bronze castings? I thought I recalled hearing about someone getting a set of them ages ago. What do these look like?