1952 Special Deluxe Project

[Guest shadetree77]

If all goes as planned I'll have a big update tonight. The engine compartment is 90% completed. The weather man was wrong (as usual) and it didn't rain today until the late afternoon. I took full advantage of that and busted my HUMP. It was so hot and humid outside that every cup of water I drank was instantly sweated out. It was miserable but I got a LOT done. I even hooked up the battery and turned the engine over a few good times to make sure everything is rotating freely. It sounded good and everything worked as it should. Today I'm hoping to finish up and start the engine. I have to finish installing the vacuum lines to the mechanical fuel pump. Then I have to hook a gas can up to the fuel pump (gas tank isn't back in yet) and pressurize the line to check for leaks. The fuel line is brand new all the way from the tank area to the carb. If all goes well, the engine should be running by tomorrow afternoon. I'll have to bleed the brakes before I test the Dynaflow so that will have to wait for a day or two.

[Model56s]

Robert - I need to re-do the vacuum lines on my 49 and haven't been able to find a schematic. What are you using as a guide? The vacuum pump and fuel pump are integrated, with two "ports" on the vacuum pump. I am not sure how to hook the vacuum pump up with the lines and where they go. Thanks, and I'm looking forward to your next post! Geoff

[Guest shadetree77]

Geoff, I don't have direct experience with a '49 but I think it should be pretty similar to mine. On mine, there are only two vacuum lines. One goes from the intake manifold down to the port on the fuel pump (connects to the fuel pump ports with short pieces of rubber line and hose clamps on my type of pump). Then, a metal line leaves the other fuel pump port and travels along the engine behind the distributor almost to the firewall. Then a piece of rubber line connects it to a metal line that comes out of the firewall. This entire vacuum line is for the wipers. The second vacuum line goes from the carburetor to the distributor advance. It is a tiny metal line. I took some extra pictures for you today showing how my lines are routed.

OK, on to the the big update.....It's.....alive...... IT'S ALLLLLIIIIIIIVVVVVEEEEEE!!!! I finished up routing the vacuum lines and took care of some fuel leaks. We bought some ethanol free gas and hooked the fuel pump up to the gas can. She started up on the very first try. Pretty much instantly, with no effort! I didn't see any leaks from the engine OR the Dynaflow. The paint on the exhaust began baking and smoking almost instantly. That is what you are seeing in the video. It stopped after about 10 minutes. We ran it for about 20 minutes altogether. We went ahead and put it in drive to make sure the Dynaflow was working. It most certainly was with NO LEAKS from the torque ball or the trans. If you're wondering how I checked it without brakes, we simply turned off the car and let the wheel come to a complete stop before putting it back in park. By the way, the weird scrubbing/vibrating sound the wheel is making in that video would be the tire rubbing against a 2x4 that the gas can was sitting on.....oops! Man, it felt absolutely wonderful to hear that engine run again. It has been far too long. I can't wait to get it down off the blocks and take it down the street with no hood or fenders. It's gonna' look like something out of Mad Max!!

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Edited July 10, 2013 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[Guest Peter Bird]

Woohoo! Well done! No leaks!

[dan at larescorp]

Nice work! Lucy is looking better by the day.

[retirednow]

Looks and sounds great!

[avgwarhawk]

The extra effort on the valve cover paint really shows in the photo. It looks fantastic. Great news there is no leaks(that is what started this right? ) and the Dynaflow is working as designed. Awesome!

[JohnD1956]

Wonderful job by you and the Mrs Shadetree, and lets not forget the Dad too! I learned a lot of lessons here.

[Model56s]

I appreciate how clean the car is mechanically. Geat job! Thanks for the information on the vacuum lines. I'm looking forward to more video.

[Buicknutty]

Robert;

Congrats! All the hard work you folks have done is paying off! It looks amazing!

Keith

[Nahuelsan]

Incredible, Robert! That's a great work. The details of the fuel lines routing, the oil filter case, the all engine ... Awesome work!

Congratulations!

Other Issue, Robert:

Do you know where can I get spare parts in Florida? It's probably I go to Miami in a couple of months. I'll apreciate the info.

Edited July 11, 2013 by Nahuelsan (see edit history)

[Guest shadetree77]

Thanks guys. It came out better than I ever thought it would. It was a long time coming and took a lot of hard work but I think it's amazing. One day I was thinking, "I'm in way over my head. How I am ever going to get all of this done?" Then one day I looked up and it was done(well, 99% done) and I couldn't believe it. It makes me smile every time I see it. Thanks again for the kind words.

Nahuel, Sorry, I do not know anywhere in Florida that would have Buick parts. Maybe you could ask on the Buick General section?

[Nahuelsan]

Ok. Robert, I'll ask there. Thank you.

[55 SURVIVOR]

Robert; very very nice,if that car could talk it would say "thanks for giving me another life". Mark M

[Guest shadetree77]

Today was one of those days. I almost decided to take the day off. I wish I had. At the last moment I decided to go up and work on my car for a little bit. I had plans to begin the brake bleeding process and maybe even wash my gas tank off and get it ready to put back on. I didn't get very far! I tried bleeding the brakes using one of those Mityvac pumps. I couldn't get it to do much. I figured I could at least use it to fill the lines with some fluid and then do the old fashioned two man pedal pump method to finish. Well, I got three of the lines done with the crappy plastic pump and then disaster struck when I got to the last wheel. I put the wrench on the bleeder screw and it completely rounded off on the first try.:mad: I spent the next few hours trying every trick in my arsenal to remove the d@mn thing. No dice. Guess I'm going to have to take the drum brake apart on that wheel, take off the wheel cylinder, and try to put the bleeder in a vice. Nothing is ever easy! Needless to say, I gave up on it today, threw my tools in the garage, gave my car "the finger", and went home. Amazing how mad an inanimate object can make you sometimes isn't it?

[Nahuelsan]

Robert, I totaly understand you. My job is airplanes maintenance, and as soon as you say "I do this little thing it's easy. It will not take long" Ups! It can take you

all the work shift.

About the bleeder, have you tried with this kind of pliers? (I don't how is the name in english) If you have enough space (you can remove the hydraulic line for gain space, also) It might be useful...

Other method: If the size of the bleeder is 1/4", you can get a 6mm socket and insert it in the bleeder (may be, you need to use a hammer to do it) then with a socket wrench with a 1/4" drive and a little luck, it looses.

I hope you understand what I want to say. Good luck!

[Guest shadetree77]

Thanks for the suggestions Nahuel. Yes, I have tried those kind of pliers. I call them "vise grips". There is not enough space to get a good grip on it with the vise grip pliers. The screw is 10 mm and very short. I tried to put a smaller socket on it and it did not work. I even tried to weld a socket onto the screw! That did not work either. The weld would not stick to the screw. It is very frustrating! It will be a few days before I get to try it again. I have to work this weekend to make up for the days I am missing next week to go to the Buick Nationals in South Bend. Thank you again for the help.

[old-tank]

Robert, Robert...you just need to talk to it. I can supply a huge vocabulary of appropriate words .

Anyhow for the initial loosening and final tightening of the bleeder use a good 6-point socket...ok to use an open end wrench on the intermediate procedures. Even then you will break off the whole bleeder sometimes. Just replace the wheel cylinder since you will never find a replacement bleeder (one that fits).

Willie

[GARY F]

i do the following on all new bleeder screws, take them out, put on anti seize, put back in and always use a box wrench.

[avgwarhawk]

I use a specially made wrench for bleeders. (Snap On) I also tighten the bleeder before attempting to loosen the bleeder. Usually you will hear a small crack noise. You then know the bleeder will come loose. Either way, frustrating certainly. Specifically when you are on a roll. Everything falling into place without issue.

[smithbrother]

OH, the 'JOYS' of a restore.............

I wish I could give you help, but I am sure you will win war, battles are lost now and then, but the war is about won.

Dale in Indy

[Guest Peter Bird]

Robert, Robert...you just need to talk to it. I can supply a huge vocabulary of appropriate words .

Heheh. They reckon Spanish is the language best used for times like these

[buick5563]

Specifically when you are on a roll.

Must be buttah, cuz it's on a roll!

[Model56s]

I like Old Tank's idea of just replacing the cylinder, bleed screw and all. Then, one cold and wet winter evening by the fire, you play with the stubborn bleeder screw, get it off and you then have a spare cylinder.

[JohnD1956]

.... The screw is 10 mm and very short.....

Too late for this but, pretty sure the bleeder is an SAE size, not a metric. New ones may be metric, but the older replacements are usually not metric.

And one way to loosen them is to use a 1/4" drive ratchet, with a six point socket and a hammer. Tap the back of the ratchet while applying some torque to the bleeder. Go back and forth a little at a time even after it starts to loosen.

[Guest shadetree77]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Next time I take one loose I'll use a 6 point socket. I've never had a problem loosening bleeder screws. I've bled a LOT of brakes too. Guess I've been lucky up until now. It's too late for this one though. It's completely chewed up now. Probably going to be around Monday before I can get back under there to try again. I'll let you know how it goes. By the way Willie, I did plenty of "talking" while I was under there. It's a good thing nobody was home but me.

John, I thought it was weird that the screw was metric but I checked it over and over and the only wrench that fits tightly is a 10mm. The cylinders were ordered from rockauto.com and they're Raybestos brand.

Edited July 13, 2013 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[buick5563]

I have a mix of metric and SAE, as well on my cars. Even when purchased from the same store at the same time.

[JohnD1956]

So they were new cylinders, or basically new cylinders... something bought within the last ten years I consider new.

[Guest shadetree77]

So I had some problems bleeding my brakes. I started another thread on that here: Once Again...I'm Having Brake Problems....!@#$. I've been working on that problem for several days. I didn't get to finish up before we left for South Bend. I did manage to get the car down off of the stands and drive it....yes, I said DRIVE IT:), over under the car port. Sure, I had little to no brakes and had to control the throttle by hand but it did just fine. Engine ran good and transmission performed perfectly. I even tested reverse. So far, so good. I'll update on the brake problem when I get home from South Bend.

[49_buick_super]

Congratulations on the test drive. Progress is always good. "That's one small roll for Lucy; one giant leap for Robert!" (someone said something like that once...)

Dan

[avgwarhawk]

Success with the dynaflow and other items repaired makes the reoccuring brake issue insignificant. Still a pain but progress is progress. Lucy progressed across the yard under her own power. That should lift your spirits. Have a great time in IN.

[Buicknutty]

Enjoy the show, Robert, wish I was heading there too, but I'm stuck working all week!

Keith

[Eric W]

Awesome project, Robert. I've taken a couple of weeks to read through it all in anticipation of my '51 being delivered. As I've read through and seen it develop in much faster than real time, I think it would be really cool to not refinish the outside. As you said, part of the drama is walking up and looking under the hood and seeing how clean and renewed it all is. If it's redone on the outside, it becomes like a bunch of others - you don't know if it's that nice because it was never allowed to degrade very far or not. It would also be a shocker if you set up at the car shows as it is with mirrors to see underneath... Anyway, I've taken a bunch of notes on your discoveries, inventions, and sources.

Best of luck to you, and I can't wait to see it with the sheetmetal back on...

[Guest shadetree77]

Been a while since I updated. I've been busy, busy, busy since leaving for South Bend. My Wife and I had an amazing time and enjoyed meeting a lot of folks from this forum. I can't wait to attend one of the National Meets with my own car. After I got back from South Bend I spent the first week working. I had to work extra to make up for the days I missed for the trip. I got in 60 hours in 6 days so no working on the car that week! I've made quite a bit of progress since then though.

Let's see.....I got the decals applied to my engine. I had the "equipped w/ hydraulic lifters" decal re-made at a local sign shop. I bought repro's from Bob's and CARS and both were a faded yellow color. Even the backings were yellowed. I don't think they are supposed to be that way. The "F263" decal is red and white and I believe the lifter decal is supposed to be the same. It looks to me like the decals came from the same supplier a long time ago and have yellowed with age sitting on the shelf. I contacted both vendors and was told by both that all of their current stock is like that. So I took my yellowed one to a sign shop and they re-produced it in red and white. Looks much better.

I "customized" my decals a bit. The decals come printed on a clear surface. Kind of hard to describe but when you put the sticker on you can see a large border area of clear. I don't know why they're like that, but I don't like it. From what I've seen, over time the clear edges yellow. This is one of the main reasons I painted my valve cover lettering on. Most people just stick these on anyway and forget about it. I'm big on small details (if that makes any sense) and I just couldn't do it so I very carefully trimmed the decals to the edges, effectively removing the clear edge. This was tough to do, especially on the round F263 decal. I think they look much better. I couldn't do this to the air cleaner decal because of the way it is made. I also applied my new glove box decals.

I stripped and re-painted my air cleaner for the third time. Further proof of that "small details" monkey I apparently have on my back. The first time I painted it with high temp. spray paint and it didn't look very good and peeled. Chalk that one up to poor prep work. The second time I used rust encapsulator paint applied with a brush. It looked even worse. So I removed the encapsulator (NOT an easy task!!! Several hours worth of grinding, heating, and scraping.) and painted it with VHT Engine Enamel. It looks great now!

I re-built my fresh air duct tubes and got them put back on the car. I put new seals on them. The seals were stapled on originally but the only staple gun I own wasn't powerful enough to get through the metal of the tube. I had to get creative. I cut a piece of rubber seal to length and held it in place. I then pushed a very small, sharp screw driver up through the original staple holes, poking holes in the rubber seal. Then I put a staple through the holes that I made, pushing (or lightly tapping with a hammer) them into the tubes and through the metal grating. I then used a hammer to bend the staples down. Looks factory original and no extra holes were created.

I got a new dimmer switch installed, put the gas tank back in, got the horns put back on, and got my new electrical junction strips mounted on the inner fenders and wired up. I've got about a million clips and doo-dads to put back on those inner fenders. They are all currently soaking in Mason jars of vinegar for rust removal. I got my parking brake hooked back up and discovered a serious problem. The rear cable is frozen. The cable will not slide inside the sheaths located at the brake plates. I'm going to remove the cable and attempt to clean and lubricate it. If I can't, it's going to cost me upwards of $100 to get a new one. That also sucks because I have to take the drum brakes completely apart to remove the cable. I truly hate drum brakes. It's always something.....

I've also been experimenting with my old fender. Experimentation involving making my own patch panels, some cutting, and some welding. I have very little experience with metal work and thusfar it has truly been a learning experience. A lot of the "learning" has come about from the lack of correct tools for the job. I've hit some bumps that require cash to overcome so that project is on hold for the moment. More on that story as it develops.

The brakes are still fighting me as they always do. I have reflared all of my leaking lines twice now to make sure the flares are good. I have also replaced all of the fittings. I have cured two of the three leaks but one of them is STILL leaking. It stayed dry for 3 days and then I got under there on the fourth day and what do you know!!?? The d@mn thing was wet again!! Not dripping, but it was wet around the the fittings. I'm at a loss on what to do for that. UPDATE: I also got some more bad news today when I took my rear brakes apart to remove the e-brake cable. The wheel cylinders are leaking. I found a small amount of brake fluid inside some of the boots. Those cylinders have less than 200 miles on them. Did I mention that I hate brakes?

That's it for now. More coming soon....

Edited August 2, 2013 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[Guest wildcat465]

You've been a busy guy.

Happy to hear about the successes.

I am confident you will overcome those brakes, Robert.

Keep your head up.

[retirednow]

X2. Everything looks great Robert!

[JohnD1956]

I envy your energy. It really has come a long way..and it looks fabulous!

[Buicknutty]

That's some great looking work, Robert!

Keith

[Model56s]

Great job Robert. Don't let the brakes dull your enthusiasm. The engine compartment is looking *great*!

[Guest shadetree77]

Thanks guys. I've been getting kind of discouraged lately. All of this is taking a lot longer than expected. The summer is steadily passing me by and I've yet to drive my car this year, if you don't count the driveway. Seems like I work my butt off and don't get very far. Ahh, well. Must push ahead either way. Maybe I'll get to drive her at least once before it gets cold.

Anyway, I've come up with some cash to get some of the stuff I need. I have decided to make a new brake line to replace the one that's leaking. If you'll recall, I ordered a set of "pre-cut" brake lines from EBAY. Big mistake as they were not long enough and I had to use the supplied couplings to extend the lines. That coupling is what is giving me all of this grief. I bought a coil of brake line like I should have done to begin with and I'm going to form a solid line to eliminate the leaky coupling. I also bought new wheel cylinders for the rear. I checked my front cylinders and they are not leaking (go figure). Lots of brake work in my near future.....yippee......

I bought a bottle of welding gas too. I've had my Eastwood MIG welder for a while now but haven't had an occasion to really use it. Just some small welds here and there and I never got around to buying gas because it came with flux wire that didn't require gas. The flux wire is OK, but way too messy to use for something important. So I finally bought a gas bottle(:eek:$$$:eek:) and I've been using it to try to weld in the patches my Dad and I made for my old fender. It's been slow going as neither of us has ever done anything like this. The patches look pretty good. The welds.....ehhhhh....not so much. This whole operation is more of a learning experience and a TEMPORARY fix for this old fender so it's OK that it doesn't look great. It will be replaced in the next year or two so it only has to last that long. I'm thinking a thin coat of body filler will smooth out those ugly welds. Did I mention this was a temporary fix??