1952 Special Deluxe Project

[avgwarhawk]

Many welds are smoothed and finished with a grinding tool. That's what makes the pretty.

[Buicknutty]

Welding is one of those skills, like playing piano, the more you do it, the better you get at it! My first welds were pretty crappy but got better after practice, just like my piano playing. An older gentleman gave me advice and some 3-4" wide strips of 20 gauge steel to weld back together. Tough to do, but I learned a lot from that exercise.

Also, I too bought a pre-made set of brake lines off of ebay for my '41 Roadmaster, and it worked out fairly well, so last winter I ordered a set for my '56, and it was a bit of a disaster. Some of the lengths were way off, and I also had quite a bit of trouble with leakage. I ended up buying a few ready made ones locally, and made up a couple of the odd lengths myself to get the job done. Which I think might be the route I will go next time.

Also, don't know if this helps, but I truly understand your frustration about your project going slower than you'd like. It took me about 15 years of long hard work to get my '41 on the road, and its' still missing a bit of trim. There were times when I got so frustrated with the progress, or more correctly, lack thereof, that I nearly gave up on the whole car more than once. All of my friends would ask, "Whens the '41 going to be on the road?" My answer got to be "I've been wrong so many times, I give up making predictions!" It drove me nuts at times! At times I had to take a few weeks off just to get my sanity back.

Anyway Robert, you're doing a great job, keep up the good work, and keep your chin up!

Keith

[jackofalltrades70]

Robert,

I haven't chimed in for quite awhile. I am really proud of the work that you have done on the car. Keep your head held up high! I know it's difficult not being able to drive around your baby. I'm having withdrawals also! Keep up the diligent work and before you know it, you'll be out cruizin' before it gets cold! Matt

[JohnD1956]

Keep in mind that even experts at welding will find it necessary to use a small amount of filler. The key is a thin skin. If you can do that then you are right up there with most folks.

[SonOf2Buicks]

Love this thread... Keep at it!!

[Guest shadetree77]

My Dad and I worked on the brakes today. I put the new wheel cylinders on the rear and we began to bleed the brakes. We went through and entire bottle of brake fluid before I gave up and began to look elsewhere for the problem. I got a light and began to inspect the inside of the master cylinder. I had my Dad slowly push the brake pedal in and out while I watched the two ports inside the reservoir. The small compensating port appeared to be working normally. I could see the inner workings of the cylinder moving as Dad pumped the pedal and fluid was working in and out of the tiny port.

Then I made my discovery. I noticed that I could not see any of the workings moving through the large breather port hole. Hmmmm....interesting. I got out my service manual and studied the diagrams of the master cylinder. Sure enough, I should be seeing movement through that hole. I took the master off the car and took it apart. There is NO HOLE drilled in the sleeve for the breather port!!! When I had Hagen's sleeve my cylinder they forgot to drill the larger hole!! That was over a year ago. I hope they offer to make this right. I'll be giving them a call tomorrow. The question is, how in the hell did I have good working brakes when I drove the car to that car show last year? I drove over a 100 miles over mountains with only the tiny compensator port operating the brakes. It's amazing I'm still alive. I guess progress on the brakes is haulted until I get this taken care of.

[Model56s]

Robert - I'm impressed with the control you displayed in your post (I would be *angry*) and with the length you went to in troubleshooting this problem. Can you drill the hole yourself?

[Guest shadetree77]

I could have drilled the hole myself but then I would have had to hone the cylinder. That would require the purchase of a cylinder hone which would be $18.99 out of my own pocket. I have already thrown away countless dollars trying to figure this problem out. Anyway, click the following link to see more info. about what's happening with my brake issue on a separate thread: http://forums.aaca.org/f162/once-again-im-having-brake-problems-355259-2.html#post1203141.

A little more progress has been made. I re-made the brake line that has been leaking, eliminating the leaky coupling. I got my new wheel cylinders put on the rear. I'm in a holding pattern as far as the brakes go (see brake problem thread at the link above). We also got the stabilizer bar put back on with all new links and bushings. I also put the splash pan back on. My Dad wire brushed and cleaned the back side of my original fender and my Wife and I painted it with rust encapsulator. We sorted through all of the fasteners needed to install the fenders and I'm in the process of finding the last few bits I need. Who knew it would be so hard to find the right type of speed/spring nut?? I've made the decision to put my original door back on too and I bought a slide hammer to remove some of the large dents. The goal is not to make it look perfect. Just presentable. Plans are for my Dad and I to get the passenger fender and driver door installed in the next two days. Let's see....I also got my new solid state flasher put in (thanks to Mike/buick5563 for that tip), my Wife and I got all of the tiny clips and doo dads painted and put back on the inner fenders, and I got my electric fuel pump wired to a hidden toggle switch under the dash. I put an inline fuse on it too. That's about it I think.

I've gently coaxed (no brakes!!) the car around the driveway several times now. It seems to be doing fine as far as the transmission goes. I've used reverse and drive with no problems. Hope this holds true when I get her out on the road!

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

[Guest shadetree77]

Got my master cylinder back today. That was fast! Everything now looks correct. The larger hole is now drilled into the sleeve. I received a handwritten apology and a $20 refund for my shipping costs. I put the m.c. on the car and we bled the brakes. It bled rather quickly and we now have a full brake pedal. I test drove the car in the driveway AND on the road. The Dynaflow and the brakes are working as they should. Let's hope it stays that way!

On a side note, I just have to say, "Wow". This has been a long time coming. I've been fighting with these brakes since day one, which was over two years ago. I've dumped probably over $1000 into them if you include the gallons of fluid and all of the other parts, services, and yes, even a trip to a local mechanic, I've thrown at this problem. Live and learn I guess. This particular lesson was a lengthy, expensive, and potentially deadly one. At one point we thought we had the brakes fixed as they worked pretty good. We took off on a 200 mile, 3 day journey across mountains to go to a car show. We made it home safely but someone must have been looking over us because I can't figure out how. We made that entire trip with the brakes operating off of only the tiny compensator port in the master cylinder. That shouldn't even be possible but we did it. Again, I say, "Wow".

On a lighter note, more progress has been made towards completion of the front end. My Dad and I put the passenger fender back on and my Wife helped line it up and bolt it on. My Dad and I also got the original door put back on. I decided not to go with the replacement fender and door I have for the driver's side. They stuck out like a, well....like a green thumb! They are currently a green color and I was going to try and fake a bluish patina on them to match the rest of the car but I had my doubts about that working. Instead, I decided to learn some new skills by fabricating patches for my old fender. That's still a work in progress but it is looking promising (pictures soon). I also got my exhaust deflector put on and my new side mirror. Took a few videos. First one is the driveway test drive right after we got done bleeding the brakes. Second one is the first road test with my Wife riding shotgun. No driver fender, hood, grill, or bumper. Must have looked like something out of Mad Max coming down the road! All went well though.

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZGtqeowTJIU" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pFon6B9JPK0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

Edited August 20, 2013 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[avgwarhawk]

Glad that's sorted. Bet it felt great to get her on the road rolling under her own power leak free at the tranny. All done by your own hands and know how. I think you made the right decision keeping the original door and fender so colors match. The patina of colors on the car as they are look great.

[MrEarl]

BRAVO. It's frustrating when things don't right even with the correct new parts much less a wrong new part or in your case an inoperative new part. That had to be a ******.

[retirednow]

Glad to see your car going down the road again!

[JohnD1956]

How cool! Did you notice greater pickup now that you have the stator working properly? Don't know if I should mention this but it looks like the brake lights are not working. I also liked the way you drove around that puddle in the driveway.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

you drove around that puddle in the driveway.

That's how it starts. We make something nice and, before we're even finished, we get all precious about driving the old beauty anywhere. Don't want to mess up that nice detailing. One step away from Trailer Queen, I tell ya.

Sincere congratulations, Robert. You remain several steps ahead of me, lighting the way.

[JohnD1956]

Yep! Just waiting for the pink paint. Then it's on the trailer for the 400 points... LOL

[Guest shadetree77]

Thanks guys. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. I have a few months until it starts getting cold here so I should have a little time to enjoy driving it this year after all. I've got a few trips planned. First trip will be to Coker Tire in Chattanooga to get my white walls put on. At least I hope I make it there on these old used tires! Then a few shows here and there. One at the local drag strip, back up to Coker for one of their cruise-ins, and maybe over to Dawsonville for another moonshine festival. And the big one will be a 600 mile round trip to Eastern Kentucky to visit my relatives in the mountains. I'm getting ahead of myself though. Have to finish up this front end first!

Chris, it felt damn good let me tell you. I had a great sense of accomplishment when we got back from the road test. To be quite honest, I was even shaking a little bit. Cannot wait to get the front end put back together and really put her to the test on some long trips.

John, the car did seem to pull out from a stop much easier. Before, I had to give it quite a bit of gas to get going. Oh and thanks for noticing the lights but I had them unhooked. They plug into the switch right next to the master cylinder and it makes it a lot easier to access it with a funnel if I unhook those wires. I hooked them back up before I went down the road and checked all the lights. Everything is working as it should.

Rob, just couldn't bring myself to drive straight through that puddle. Had visions of a mud caked underside. Hmmmm....maybe that IS how it starts!:eek: Our driveway is a mess this year. Apparently I now live in the rain forest and nobody told me. I've never seen so much rain in all the years that I've lived here.

Edited August 21, 2013 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[Guest shadetree77]

It seems we are finally getting a break from the constant rain. As a result, I've managed to get quite a bit accomplished lately. I pulled three extra long days working on the car and with help from my Wife and my Dad we have gotten a lot done. The fenders and hood are back on. The inside of my original door (panel, handles, window frame, etc.) is back together. My Wife taped off, wire brushed, and painted the grill. Got the port holes repainted and installed them and the front portions of the sweep spear chrome.

My Dad set to work tidying up the back seat area. He cut a new package tray out of a blue piece we had left over from another car. It looks pretty good. A lot better than the dilapidated stuff that was on there. It does have speaker grills cut into it but no one has to know they're not supposed to be there. I'll replace it on down the road when I restore the interior. He also put some blankets down back there to cover the severely ripped up seats. We even found a way to pad them so passengers can now sit in the back seat. Everything looks good and will work as a temporary spruce up measure.

My fender patch work went pretty good. As a matter of fact it looked awesome at first.....then I had to put it on the car. That's when I realized that the bottom edge of the fender is supposed to have an S-shaped roll to it that matches up with the bottom piece of sweep spear chrome. That is something I didn't account for. I couldn't have reproduced that anyway. So, I had to do a little "modification" with a cut-off wheel. Turning my "awesome" job into a mediocre 10-footer. Hey, it looks better than the chunks of rust and open air that occupied that space previously. I'll replace that fender completely when I paint the car on down the road. It will work for now. Pictures of this endeavor coming soon.

Couple of bad news items though. I tried to start the car with the oil bath air cleaner in place. The engine would not start with it on there. I took it off and the engine started right up. When I attempted to put the cleaner back on the carburetor while the engine was running....it promptly died. Hmmmm. Got to investigate that later. Don't think it's clogged. Maybe I put too much oil in it? Don't know if that would make a difference. It ran fine with it on there before.

Took the car for a second road test. A little bit farther this time. About half way through the test I developed a very LARGE exhaust leak under the hood. Sounded like I was running with no muffler! It seems to be coming from the exhaust manifold where it attaches to the engine. Crap. Going to gently check the tightness of those nuts later. Man, I really hope I don't have to take that intake/exhaust back off of the car!!

In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Lucy missing her front teeth and one eyebrow. She's a little dusty too. Been a while since she had a bath. My Dad says she looks like an old dirt racer with no grill on the front.

[JohnD1956]

Ohooohhh I see you also dropped in personal A/C units. Nice! Hard to imagine what is up with the air cleaner, but seems obvious it must be hitting and grounding the wire to the coil.

[avgwarhawk]

Robert, check to see if the oil bath air cleaner housing is not closing the butterfly/choke valve when installed. Strange thing happens with my oil bath air cleaner housing. If it is not installed correctly and I go to spin it to fit the mouth of the carb the housing will catch the throttle. The engine will race at high rpm. It needs to be set just right to clear the linkage.

[Guest shadetree77]

John, Lol. Yep. Those were provided free of charge by Coker Tire at their last cruise-in. My Dad found them particularly handy when he was pumping the brakes during the bleeding session. I'll check the wiring but I don't think it comes close enough to the cleaner to make contact.

Chris, that might be the case. I'll have to investigate further. I've never had a problem running the engine with the air cleaner on there. Strange how this just kind of popped up. Of course, the choke might be messed up too. Click on the link at the bottom of this post to read about that. Turns out I did have an exhaust leak. Just not where I thought it would be.

http://forums.aaca.org/f115/stove-pipe-warning-357890.html

Edited August 31, 2013 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[Model56s]

Robert, do you plan on retaining what looks like a '53 Caddy headlight bezel on the driver side? How'd that get there? Although it's not correct, it looks good. I have two of them from a 53 sedan I bought a long time ago and thought seriously about installing them on my '49, but they didn't fit.

Geoff

[Guest shadetree77]

Geoff,

I ordered a set of those headlight visors on EBAY back when I got my car. That was one of the first things I added to the car. I just like the way they look. They look like they belong and I enjoy the extra styling cue that it adds to the front end. A lot of folks don't care for them because they aren't factory original but I think they look good and that's what matters. If you like them check out the EBAY auction (I'll put a link below). They are a universal fit type of product. Easy to install. You simply loosen your headlight chrome ring and there are little tabs on the visors that slide behind the ring. Tighten the ring back up and you are good to go. By the way, the reason one is missing is because it got crushed. I was cleaning my fenders for paint and I had one leaned up against a post. A large gust of wind kicked up and I heard a loud CRASH! The fender blew over and landed right on the visor. I think that visor saved my headlight from being broken and my headlight chrome ring from being destroyed! I haven't gotten a chance to order a new set yet.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/310413176690?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[Guest Rob McDonald]

GEOFF, I need to own the car in your avatar. When can I pick it up?

[Model56s]

The affair is still in the torrid stage Rob. You might want to check back in 2045...

[49_buick_super]

Robert,

Your car oozes cool! :cool: I wish my Dad was still here to work on cars with me.

Dan

[Guest shadetree77]

I put a rechargeable speaker under the dash today. You can't see it from the seat. I used velcro to attach it to the bottom of the original radio unit. It's a loud little speaker with a rechargeable internal lithium ion battery. It will last for about 4 hours on a charge. It attaches to your device via headphone jack or you can bluetooth with it. I hook my phone up to it. If you're wondering, since the previous owner changed my car over to 12 volt I can't hook up my original radio. This works just as well (if not better) than the original anyway. I've got some tunes, now I just need to go cruising!!!

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UiP9G9IX1RI" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

[dei]

SWEEEET!

It sure captures the old car moments. I need to figure how to get a copy of that tune for my '58.

You're doing great! Keep at her.

[49_buick_super]

Please give details on the speaker.

Dan

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Please give details on the speaker.

Dan

DITTO!!

Enjoy

Ben

[JohnD1956]

There are so many ways to address this issue, and I love this solution!

[Guest shadetree77]

The speaker is called a Jambox and is made by a company called Jawbone. It's not cheap at $179. You can find it a little cheaper on Amazon or EBAY. I actually got mine as a present from my Wife. She got it through a catalog company similar to Fingerhut. It's called Gettington.com. They give you credit and you order your items online and you are charged a monthly payment of $20. Sort of like a credit card. It works really well. The true test is going to be listening to it while I go down the road though. If it's loud enough to be heard over the wind with all four windows down then I can say it's worth the money. I'll hold off on recommending it until then. Here's a link to the Jawbone site:

https://jawbone.com/speakers/jambox/overview

[JohnD1956]

Here's a short movie clip of the GS's radio, taken on one of my summer trips. Just shot holding the digital camera in front of the radio speaker. Hope it works.

[49_buick_super]

...The true test is going to be listening to it while I go down the road though. If it's loud enough to be heard over the wind with all four windows down then I can say it's worth the money...

We are all eagerly awaiting for you to apply the road test with 4/40 air conditioning to this device. Even if you don't like it, you'll have a smile on your face because your car will be touring again.

Cheers.

Dan

[Guest shadetree77]

Labor Day test drive complete and 100% successful!!! Mrs. Shadetree and I took her out for a 45 minute drive today. She ran perfectly. No leaks, no funny sounds, no problems from the trans., brakes worked perfectly, and she stayed cool as a cucumber. Didn't even reach normal range for about 30 minutes and it was near 90 out today. The tunes sounded pretty good too. Not super loud but can be clearly enjoyed with all windows down. The video was recorded cruising at around 50 mph with the windows down. Woo-hoo!!!!!!!

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kiLF9gn2Oec" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sY31Po9GaW8" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

By the way, I figured out why my air cleaner was killing the motor. I guess it's hard for the engine to breath when you have a large piece of rag duct taped into the inner passages of the air cleaner to keep water out when you're degreasing it for paint and then FORGET TO REMOVE IT!!! Geeze!!!!:rolleyes:

Edited September 3, 2013 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[Buicknutty]

Looks and sounds great, Robert! That's a nice country road to drive a vintage car along, too.

Keith

[JohnD1956]

I feel Like I was right there with you. I can see that huge smile on your face from NY. Congrats on a superb job! BTW, did you score a new grill and bumper, or is this just polished original stuff? Either way, it looks so cool next to the paint with the wheel trim you have. I'm envious...

[49_buick_super]

We felt a tremor of excitement in the force all the way out here in the West and after thinking about it, figured it out that Robert, Mrs. Robert and Lucy were on the road again! Nice job, nice video. That chrome does look good.

Dan

[avgwarhawk]

Looks like the broken knuckles, drinking lubricants as it pours out of the machinery, cussing like a sailor, blood, sweat and tears has paid off huge dividends. Nothing finer than driving a car you repaired with your own hands. Job well done!

[Guest shadetree77]

Thanks guys. It was a great feeling. I'm looking forward to many more test drives in the coming weeks. If all goes well, I hope to attend a few shows and make the trip to Kentucky to visit my grandparents. I still have some detail work to do but I'm almost finished with what started as a HUGE list of "to-do's".

John, I have replaced a lot of the chrome on there. I've been collecting driver quality pieces on EBAY here and there and polishing them up with Nevr Dull followed with 3 or 4 coats of wax. The stainless pieces are all original (grill teeth, sweepspear, window trim, etc.) but pretty much everything else was replaced. My newest acquistion was the front bumper. Scored that on EBAY a few months ago for a good price. My old one was dull and pretty beat up along the bottom edge. This one has some scratches and scuffs but it's straight as an arrow and much shinier. As a matter of fact, I just replaced the very last pieces today. I got some shiny replacements for the small pieces of sweepspear that go between the front and rear doors.

I also made the decision to get rid of the front license plate holder. I did have a custom made plate on there. I think it looks much cleaner without it. The Product Service Bulletins book actually recommends removal and/or movement of that plate anyway. Says that it can interfere with cooling of the engine because it deflects air from going through the radiator. At any rate, I think it looks better without the plate in front of the grill. Gives the old girl a toothy grin.

Edited September 4, 2013 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[Model56s]

I like the patina...not sure if I'd paint the car - it goes with the shrunken head ornament. And, not a trace of smoke! Solid mechanicals, great and abundant chrome, patina, size, Dynaflow...all the ingredients for a great ride. What a great video! Like JohnD1956, I felt like I was along for the ride.

Geoff