1952 Special Deluxe Project

[avgwarhawk]

Your heating issue could be tested with a 15-30 minute idle, open road testing won't tell you that much, it's in traffic and idle that will. IMO.

Dale in Indy

Dale is correct. The cooling system stands the crucial test at idle and stop/go traffic. Yesterday I participated in a 2 mile parade. The engine ran up to the higher end of normal on the gauge. I turned on the heater to help draw off the heat after the first mile. She withstood the 96 plus outside temps. I sweated like heck.

[old-tank]

the addition of fan shroud will improve cooling

X2

Remember that most of these cars gauges are pegged hot at only 200* (and are still pegged at 200*++++). You need a direct reading gauge with numbers or check frequently with a heat gun at the thermostat housing.

Willie

[avgwarhawk]

Did this year have a cooling fan shroud?

[bhambulldog]

Did this year have a cooling fan shroud?

Maybe not. I would add one.

[smithbrother]

If you find it didn't have one, I would consider NOT adding one. Reason........, 1952 Buick's DIDN'T have heat issues, so go with the original factory setup. IMO

Dale in Indy

[bhambulldog]

If you find it didn't have one, I would consider NOT adding one. Reason........, 1952 Buick's DIDN'T have heat issues, so go with the original factory setup. IMO

Dale in Indy

I've been looking at on-line underhood pictures of 52 Buicks. There are not fan shrouds on the ones I am seeing. I still say I would add one. Even if it is just a circular one around the fan. It will make the fan more efficient.

Reason being;

I think this gasoline they are selling these days are causing some of the cooling issues we are having. Take a look at modern cars, they are designed to run 15-35deg hotter than our old cars. I think the new fuel is the reason why.

I'm having cooling issues with mine that I didn't have 35 years ago when gasoline had tetra-ethyl lead. I believe today's corn squeezings are burning hotter and offering less energy.

[smithbrother]

I'm sure he can add one and NOT damage anything. I get the impression he wants it to be a survivor, that was my main concern.

Could timing be an issue, ? I doubt it though since it runs so smooth.

Love this thread,

Dale in Indy

[avgwarhawk]

Yes, I believe Robert is trying to keep that survivor look. I do believe Robert's issue is cured at this point. The 100 degree outside temp certainly is not helping the situation. Even my two modern vehicles are struggling to keep cool. Electric fans running like mad. The electric clutch for the fan in my Mountaineer is pulling enough air to keep it cool it sounds like a turbo prop. We can see in the video at speed she is in the normal range but the higher end of the normal range. This runs the same with my 54 264 with the shroud around the fan and at speed in this hot weather. At idle she will run to the upper end of the gauge. Robert's car did not overheat after the heavy flushing and opening of the heater valve to burp air/introduce pressure at a different angle to move the crude out. Simply put, it hot as heck out and this cooling system will feel the effects more so than a modern day set up. We might be looking at overkill here on the cooling specifically when the ambient air temp is 100 plus degrees. Short of adding a secondary electric fan I think this system is operating as best possible for this design of the era.

Edited July 6, 2012 by avgwarhawk (see edit history)

[Guest shadetree77]

I tell you folks....I just can't win here. I'm now convinced that my cooling problems are fixed due to all the flushing we did. I've driven it several times and on the advice of several of you here I let it idle in my driveway for about 45 minutes in 90 degree weather. The temp. never even reached the middle of the normal range. BUT.....while she was idling recently I heard a strange noise off and on. After investigating closely, I am pretty sure the noise is coming from the "new" water pump. It sounds like the scraping/rubbing of bad bearings. I thought I was going to get out of changing that d@mn thing! Looks like I was wrong.:mad::mad: I guess I'll be calling Bob's soon to see about getting a new one sent out. Meanwhile, I've still got that fuel issue to deal with.

Dale, I don't think it's the float level. The last time I took the carb apart was specifically to adjust the float and I spent a considerable amount of time making sure it was right so I wouldn't have to take that thing apart for a fourth time. I really think it's a high pressure issue with the electric pump. I'm going to see about getting another pump that shuts itself off when a certain pressure is reached. I might even stash a fuel pressure regulator somewhere out of site. Eventually, I'll put the mechanical pump back on but getting it re-built is out of my price range right now. On your advice, I took a close look at the area in front of my radiator for openings. There are none! Buick did a good job of sealing that area up in '52. The ONLY openings are the two large, round tube ducts on either side of the rad. After looking at it, I am now seriously considering blocking those off with some round pieces of sheet metal inserted into the ends. I don't use those things anyway. One is for the defroster, the other is for fresh air. All they really do is blow hot, outside air into the passenger compartment!

James, thanks for the suggestions. No doubt a shroud would help with cooling. However, Buicks did not have cooling shrouds in '52. Like Chris said, I really am trying to keep this thing bone stock. It would really bug the crap out of me to see a big plastic fan shroud or an electric fan tacked on there. That's why I'm trying so hard to get this stuff working as it originally did so I don't have to add stuff on like that. Call me stubborn I guess. As for the "corn squeezings", I've been running 100% ethanol free gas lately so I know that's not a problem. That stuff may very well cause an engine to burn hotter though. Who knows? I get the impression there wasn't a whole lot of research done before they started making that corn infused junk and selling it to John Q. Public.

[avgwarhawk]

It doeslook like the cooling is good with exception of the pump. When putting tention on the drive belt it should have some slack when pushed with you finger on the longest side of the belt pulley to pulley. About a quarter inch. If over tightened the bearings in the waterpump will fail. This bearing can fail in as little as 20 miles. If you are hearing scraping noises it is possible the bearing is failing allowing the shaft to cock in the bore and the impellor to rub the housing.

[smithbrother]

I see in the 54 forum site today there is a discussion about adding an electric fan, might want to take a look.

Maybe the end play in the pump is such that is allowing the impeller to move around.

You are making progress.

Dale in Indy

[Guest shadetree77]

Chris, we did make sure the belt wasn't too tight. I remember checking it for the right amount of deflection as per the manual so I don't think it was that. As I said before, it looked to be a pretty shoddy rebuild on that pump so who knows? Either way, I called Bob's today and told them what was happening. They agreed that it was most likely bad bearings allowing the impeller to scrape the inside of the pump housing. They told me to send the defective one back in and upon receipt they would ship me out a new one. Simple as that. Now that's what I call customer service. The "other" Buick parts guys could learn a thing or two from Bob's. I won't mention names, but you guys know who I'm talking about. Anyway, I didn't get anything accomplished this weekend. It was HOT HOT HOT in old Georgia this weekend so I pretty much stayed indoors huddled next to my air conditioner with a cold beverage in one hand and the TV remote in the other. I am not looking forward to pulling all of that stuff off the front of my motor again. I'll also have to collect all of the antifreeze that drains out and strain it through coffee filters again (that takes FOREVER). I'm also going to have to attempt to make my own gaskets this time. I don't have any more extras and funds are running dangerously low around here lately so I can't order any. Re-using old antifreeze and making my own gaskets, now that's shadetree mechanic'ing at it's finest!! :cool: I've made gaskets before but never anything that needed holes cut out of the center. I've read that you can hold the gasket material on the surface it's intended for and tap around it with the rounded end of a ball peen hammer to "cut" the holes into the gasket material. Sounds like a plan to me. Also, although I was sitting around on my duff all weekend, my brain was busy at work thinking about my fuel pressure problems. I have been trying to find a cheap and temporary solution to this problem so that I can at least drive and enjoy my car while saving money for the permanent solution. I found a returnless style fuel pressure regulator for $25 at Autozone. I think I may install it between the electric pump and the carb., dial it down to 4 lbs., and see what happens. I'm not entirely sure I can use a returnless style regulator with an electric pump so I started a thread in the Post War section asking about it but so far no responses. I think it's worth a try. If it doesn't work out I can always return it and put that $25 in the hole toward getting my mechanical pump re-built. So that's where I'm at right now. Maybe I'll brave the heat today and get that water pump pulled. It's supposed to rain all day so maybe it won't be that hot.

Edited July 10, 2012 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[buick5563]

Robert,

Go to a paint store and ask for a few paint strainers. They are cheap and drain antifreeze faster than coffee filters

Also, if you have the old gasket, you can spray paint over the old gasket onto the new cork, thus making a stencil.

Just another Shadetree option.

[Guest Peter Bird]

It was HOT HOT HOT in old Georgia this weekend so I pretty much stayed indoors huddled next to my air conditioner with a cold beverage in one hand and the TV remote in the other..

Man. I will swap you some of that hot right now for a dose of chilly winter wind and rain from down under.

[avgwarhawk]

I use a drafting compass and simple outline of the pump to draw the impression on the gasket material. There are other methods to get the outline. Just a very light coat of light oil on the mating surfafe of the pump will leave a outlineon the sheet of gasket material. Sharp blade and steady hand.

[smithbrother]

I have made lots of gaskets by holding material against the surface and tapped the material with a ball peen hammer. Works great for most cases. I'm sure you will learn of many ways to do such, and many of the suggestions will work just fine.

Nothing WRONG with being on a tight budget, 'been there, done that'.

Just have fun, FUN IS GOOD!,

Dale in Indy

[Guest shadetree77]

Mike, thanks for the suggestion. I'll give those paint strainers a try. Those dang coffee filters took all freakin' day!! The things we'll do to save a Buick.....i mean a BUCK!

Pete, I'll take it buddy! I'd much rather be cold than hot! Only good thing about warm weather is driving my car!

Dale, Every day I work on my Buick is a FUN DAY!!(sometimes frustrating, but always fun in the end)

So I think I may have fixed my stalling around curves/turns problem. Willie suggested moving the electric pump back to the gas tank area to reduce pressure at the carburetor and it appears to have worked. I mounted it about 2 feet from the tank on the side of a frame rail in front of the coil spring. I took her for a test drive and tried my best to get the engine to stall. Before, it happened every time I let off the gas and made a sharp turn or sometimes when going around a sharp curve in the road. It only hiccuped one time when I whipped it around a turn pretty fast. Even then, it was a small one and I was able to keep her going easily. I never smelled any gas either. I need to do some more test drives to make sure, but I think that's another one down on my gremlin list. She also ran nice and cool the entire time. Outside temp. was around 88 degrees. It never got above the middle of the normal range. My water pump is still making those noises off and on. I guess my next project is taking that thing off there and sending it back to Bob's. I'm thinking that might happen on Friday. My Dad's not off until then and I like to have help getting that radiator out. It's so close to the fan blades that one little slip would ding up the fins. On a not so positive note, I've developed an exhaust leak around one of the pipes on my exhaust manifold where the pipe mounts to the block. There are no quick fixes for that, so I guess I'm just going to have to get used to hearing those little puffs of exhaust under there. I'm not taking that exhaust manifold off of there until I absolutely have to. It's a rusted nightmare and I just KNOW it's gonna crack. Either that or I'll end up busting all the bolts.

Edited July 12, 2012 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[Guest shadetree77]

Not too much going on at the moment. We took the water pump off this weekend and I mailed it back to Bob's today. That thing cost me $18 to ship!! Wish there was some way I could get reimbursed for that. Anyway, I still haven't figured out my stalling around corners problem. I thought I had it solved, but on a trip to town a few days ago it began to stall again when the engine reached normal temperature. It only does it when the engine gets hot. So it's back to the drawing board on that one. My next step is to take the carburetor off AGAIN and lower the float level. Reason being, I did the float level check as described in the manual. The one that says to take out the bowl plug with engine idling. When you do, there's supposed to be just enough fuel in there to wet the bottom of the threads on the plug hole. When I took mine out, fuel dribbled out of the hole every few seconds. Not hard, just a dribble. But I don't think it's supposed to dribble at all so I'm going to lower the float level a bit. If that doesn't work I'm going to stick a cheap fuel pressure regulator on there just to see if it works. I won't be leaving the regulator on there as I've heard some bad things about those leaking. So if the regulator solves the problem, I'll take it back to the store and order a more expensive one to put on there permanently. I've also got to get under there and fix that leak in my transmission pan plug. It's getting worse. I just hope I can get all of this worked out before August 9th. The Moonshine Cruize-In is happening that weekend and I REALLY want to get Lucy up there this year. I broke down on the way up there last year.

[55 SURVIVOR]

Robert;Have you ever changed the ignition coil ballast resistor?May want to do it anyway,it may be getting warm and begining to fail,they are inexpensive and good to have a spare handy anyway.It regulates proper voltage from the coil,fuel problems may also be ignition.NAPA AUTO sells them over the counter,$12 or$13 bucks.Just a thought!!! MARK

[Guest shadetree77]

Mark, actually the '52 didn't have one of those resistors originally. But since my car has been converted to 12 volt, I bought one and put it on there to lower the voltage from 12 to 6 going to the coil. It shouldn't be a problem as its only been on there for around 6 months and I haven't driven it that much. Thanks for the suggestion and I'll keep an eye on it.

[55 SURVIVOR]

Robert;Sounds like your on it,thought I would put in what I went through.Mine was and is 12 volt,not sure what the components are for the earlier 6volt,or the conversion.I have replaced most of the electrical components because it's a driver,if it stayed in the garage just to "look" at I would have left it alone,although I save everything that comes off it.My problem was it would start and run for a moment,sometimes a number of minutes,then quit,just like you turned the key off,would re-start and be fine.Did notice it would act up after it was warm{2nd or 3rd start up while out and about}resistor was the original,and I suspected heat was factoring into it.I replaced it last april and have had not one gremlin since[1100 mi.ago] and it's been hotter than he--!! I keep a spare,cause when they go it will leave you stranded[easy fix].The float level should be even with the threads with the bowl plug out and running,does seem a little high but I don't think high enough to flood out.What type of needle seat do you have? Is an actual conical/needle,or the "new rounded" domed type.I could not find an old school needle,and used a rounded one,[probably crap from china} and it would not seat well{using the mouth sucking blowing method}I scuffed it very very lightly with scotch bright,and it seats good!!! The domed have a rubber composite,the old needle style is brass.While you have the bowl apart also look for water in the bowl,some may have gotten in some how,I like the glass bowl filter,I can see the fuel. Just some food for thought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MARK

[55 SURVIVOR]

Robert; a quick P.S. Make sure the float is not in any way hanging up,due to miss align,a piece of gasket interfere,etc.etc.It must work smoothly!! GOOD LUCK MARK

[Guest shadetree77]

Thanks for the suggestions Mark. The first time I had my carb. apart I put in the new rubber tipped one from my kit. After I put the carb back on the engine, it started pouring gas like crazy around all the gaskets and openings every time I turned the fuel pump on. So I took it back apart and I put the original brass needle back in there because I figured that new one wasn't seating. It no longer pours fuel but I still have the whole stalling around corners issue. The float may be hanging up for some reason. That was suggested to me once before. That's one of the things I'm going to look at when I get the carb apart again. I know the fuel level seems to be OK, but I'm going to lower it just a bit anyway since I'll have the carb apart already. It might be a few days before I get into it. My Dad and I are planning on finishing up all the stuff under the car this weekend (ground the gas tank, fix leaky trans. pan plug, etc.) so I'll probably wait until the first of next week before I tackle the carb. I'll let you know what I find.

[old-tank]

Robert

Since this thread is now 8 pages long, refresh our memory on what carb you have on the car and why you think it is flooding on turns. It could be a lean condition aggravated by turning. (I admit I am too lazy to re-read 8 pages;)).

Willie

[jackofalltrades70]

Robert,

What kind of electric pump do you have on her? As Oldtank says, it's a long post......I know of more than a dozen people who've had problems with the electric diaphram pumps. The diaphrams are disintegrating after a few months using ethanol. Most are changing to 2-4 lb rotor vane pumps. They pump up to 36 gallon per hour which is more than enough. I haven't done this, just had a few I know do it. Also, be forewarned that if you are still running the fuel through your original pump. The ethanol fuels are likely to eat through the diaphram in them also, leaving you with gas in your oil pan.

[Guest shadetree77]

I know what you mean guys. I find it frustrating myself some times to go back through this thread looking for certain info. It actually passed 8 pages 5 pages ago. It's 13 pages long on my screen. That's a lot to read through! Anyway, Willie I have a Carter WCD #882S on there. I'm thinking it's a flooding condition because when the stalling on turns happens, I smell gas and I've even stopped the car immediately after one of these stalls and opened the hood to find small amounts of gas spilled on the back of the carb. I'm thinking something is causing an overflow of fuel into the bowl and it's stalling the engine and shooting the excess fuel out the vents of the carb. I thought it was excess fuel pressure due to having my electric pump mounted under the hood with no regulator but after taking your advice and moving it back by the tank to reduce pressure, I'm still having the stalling issue. So now I'm thinking it may be one of three things. The float level is too high, the float is hanging up inside the carb on turns, OR fuel pressure is still too high and I need a regulator.

Matt, I have an el cheapo' Mr. Gasket electric pump. It's the one that's rated for 4 to 7 PSI and 35 GPH. I don't know if it's a diaphragm type but the pump description does say it is "safe for all fuels and additives". I've been running ethanol free fuel lately too just in case. Oh, and I am not using the original mechanical pump at this time. I haven't had a chance to get it re-built. The electric pump is my primary pump right now.

[Buicknutty]

Robert;

I've never had much to do with electric fuel pumps, but the 4-7 PSI sounds similar to the 4-6 that I believe the stock mechanical pump supplies. What does the exhaust look like when you re-start, does it look blackish? If so, that's a sure sign of a flooded engine. My thoughts is on an issue in the carb.

Don't know if this is helping you, but my 2 cents worth!

Keith

[avgwarhawk]

Check to see if the float is able to move from side to side. If so it might be hanging up during a turn.

[Guest shadetree77]

Keith, the manual for my '52 says pressure at the carb should not exceed 5 PSI at highway RPM's. Being that I re-mounted the pump way back by the tank, I seriously doubt I'm having a pressure problem anymore. Although I DO believe it was making the stalling problem worse by supplying higher pressure than needed when I had it mounted under the hood. I'm actually not sure about the exhaust on re-start. Every time it has stalled out I have been on a busy road and alone. No way to check that. I agree with you though, I think it's flooding.

Chris, that's number one on my list of things to do when I open up that carb. again which should be soon.

We got a little bit done this weekend. Got under there and fixed my gas gauge problem. If you guys missed my thread over on the Post War section, after re-locating my electric pump to a spot back by the gas tank my gas gauge started reading FULL at all times. I was truly confused but Mike (buick5563) informed me that I had most likely lost the ground to my gauge when I severed the metal fuel lines and installed rubber hoses and a plastic fuel pump. He was right on the money! I cleaned up a spot on the fuel line right in front of the tank and ran a wire from a clip on the fuel line to a bolt and nut I installed into an unused hole on the frame. Now the gas gauge is working once again. Thanks Mike!! I also got the electric pump permanently mounted with a self-tapping bolt into the frame rail. My Dad suggested we might want to loosely cover the plastic fuel pump and clear plastic fuel filter with something to protect it from rocks and other debris. The pump is mounted near the rear tire and I can see his point. One well placed high speed rock could knock a chunk out of that plastic. So to take care of that, we got a piece of foam pipe insulation and cable tied it over the filter and pump. We put it on loosely in case anything ever develops a leak it won't fill up with fuel. That should protect it from any flying debris. I also took the power wire loose from the fuel pump and ran it through a piece of hard plastic flexible tubing to protect it from chafing against the frame. After this, we took the leaky pan plug out of the transmission pan and replaced the original copper washer (which was actually in pretty rough shape) with a homemade cork gasket. The trans. fluid we collected looks kind of dark so I'm going to replace it with fresh fluid. I don't think it's burned or anything, just dark from working it's way through the passages and cleaning out the insides of that old Dynaflow after it sat for so long. I've driven the car more in the last few months than I have for the entire year I've owned it. I'm actually kind of glad that plug started leaking. Changing out that dirty fluid will probably be good for it. I haven't gotten a chance to see if we cured the leak. I have to get to the local superstore and buy some trans. fluid. That's about all we got done. It was so HUMID here this weekend that 5 minutes after walking outside you felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of water on your head! We worked for as long as we could stand it, then had to run inside to soak up some A/C and iced tea (what can I say, we were out of High Life).:cool: Tracking info. shows my defective water pump was delivered to Bob's on Saturday. Maybe I'll get my replacement sometime this week. Waiting around for parts sucks!

[Guest shadetree77]

Just thought I'd drop in with a little update. It's been 6 days or so since I posted on here last. I haven't been that long without an update in a while! I talked to Bob's today. I got tired of waiting around for my replacement water pump to show up on its own so I called them. They told me that they would be shipping it out today and apologized for the delay. They didn't bother to explain the delay but as long as I'm getting a replacement I guess I can't be picky. I took the carburetor off of the engine today and was going to check out the float but I ran into a little problem. The bowl cover gasket was wet from where I turned the carb. on its side to dump the fuel and as a result it kind of stuck to the bowl surface. So I propped the bowl cover open to let it dry overnight because I have to re-use that gasket and I can't afford to tear it. Re-build kits are $80 a pop and brother let me tell you, I don't have two nickels to rub together at the moment. While I was messing around over by the carburetor, I took the metal line off of the manifold that controls the vacuum for the wipers and I blew it out with some air. If you'll remember, my wipers don't work because my original fuel/vacuum pump is off the car right now. Fellow member Ben (First Born) suggested I just run a piece of rubber hose straight from the manifold connection to the wipers which I did. But the wipers will only go half way up the windshield before stopping. I'm pretty sure the wiper motor needs to be rebuilt, but just for the heck of it I decided to clean out that piece of pipe. I think I might even hook up my MityVac gun to the hose, pump up some vacuum on it, and see if the wipers will work. That will tell me for sure if I need to rebuild that motor or not. I also refilled the trans. and crawled under and looked at that trans. pan plug that we put a homemade gasket on. It's not leaking as of yet but the true test will be when the engine gets hot. Maybe my water pump will show up by the end of the week. I REALLY want to get all of this straightened out before the Moonshine Cruise-In!!

[Buicknutty]

Robert;

Thanks for the update. Hope you get your car going again soon! I know what its' like to have nice cruising weather, but no old car to do it in! Course up here it sometimes seems like we have winter 6 months of the year, so it's a crying shame to lose summer driving time, though the weather is not that bad in reality though.

There are a couple of tricks that could bring back the wiper motor, if you do a search you should find some info. I've never used any of them, but I've also found that after some use a wiper motor that can barely lift the wiper arms, will work nice if you can get it to swipe a few times. A long coast from 50-60 mph with a wet windshield can help.

I seem to think that we've talked about this before??

Keith

[Guest shadetree77]

Keith, yeah I think I brought up the wipers once before. I tried to get them going with no success. I'm going to try messing with them again though in case a miracle occurs and I'm able to take the old girl to the Moonshine Cruise In. I might need wipers on the trip at some point. My replacement water pump arrived today. I can't believe it got here that fast! Bob's sent it out on Monday afternoon from California via USPS Priority. USPS wasn't messing around this time! Usually takes 5-7 days for me to get stuff from CA. This pump looks to be in better condition than the last one. I didn't take the backing plate off to look inside. I don't want to mess up the gasket. The backing plate on this pump looks identical to my original pump though. It was completely different on the first one. I also got my float levels set and my carburetor put back together today. My float levels were WAY off. I must have misunderstood the measuring process last time I messed with those floats because they were set way too low. Not only that, but I noticed that one of the floats was crooked. It may have been hitting the insides of the bowl on turns. I used the drill bit trick suggested to me by Mike (buick5563) to measure my float levels. That was way easier than trying to deal with those crappy cardboard measuring tools provided with the carb. rebuild kit and much more accurate. Thanks again Mike! Keep this up and I'm gonna' owe you a case of cold ones by the time South Bend comes around! I'll probably put my carb. back on this morning followed by the water pump on Friday. Should be able to test drive her by Saturday. I REALLY hope adjusting those floats solves my stalling problem. If it doesn't, I'm officially at a loss. I don't know what else it could be.

[buick5563]

I went through the same "oops I did that wrong" moments with mentors watching. Helping is what we are here for. I bet it'll work now.

[1953mack]

. . . . . If you'll remember, my wipers don't work because my original fuel/vacuum pump is off the car right now. Fellow member Ben (First Born) suggested I just run a piece of rubber hose straight from the manifold connection to the wipers which I did. But the wipers will only go half way up the windshield before stopping. I'm pretty sure the wiper motor needs to be rebuilt . . . . . I REALLY want to get all of this straightened out before the Moonshine Cruise-In!!

08.02.12

What am I missing?

Are you expecting the windshield wipers and the distributor vacuum control to work WITHOUT a vacuum pump? From what I've been reading, you have replaced the combination fuel/vacuum pump with a fuel-only pump. What are you doing for sufficient vacuum?

FWIW: Buick designed and incorporated a vacuum pump with this engine and many other engines for a reason. Solve this problem and maybe others by going back to OEM; there's been many miles put on Buicks with the factory setup. Rebuild or have someone rebuild your fuel/vacuum pump correctly. It would have been cheaper and saves a lot of frustrations . . . . . might also prove that your windshield wiper motor doesn't need a rebuild after all. Sooner or later you're going to need to do this.

In the meantime, pick up a bottle of RAIN-X for your windshield and head out to see Linda Vaughn at the m:onshine cruiz-in. Get a picture of Linda with your Buick!

Good luck.

Al Mack

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

[smithbrother]

And PUT a bit of Rain-X on your headlights to keep the then nearly bug free.

There is a LOT to be said about using ORIGINAL stuff on SURVIVOR cars. Not to say in total that ORIGINAL is best, but in most cases it is the way to go.

Hoping this weekend produces some CURED issues Robert,

Dale in Indy

[old-tank]

If the vacuum wiper motor is working, the wipers will work just fine with only manifold vacuum...just expect the wipers to slow or stop during hard acceleration. The vacuum assist portion of the fuel pump is just that: an assist to manifold vacuum; it also has nothing to do with the distributor vacuum advance which is connected to the carburetor.

Willie

[Buicknutty]

Yes, the wipers will work fine on manifold vacuum, unless under load, that's when the assist on the fuel pump helps. If you access to vacuum gauge, you can make sure that you are getting good vacuum to the pump itself. Though if the lines are in good condition and not kinked you should have full vacuum to the motor.

Keith

[Guest shadetree77]

In the meantime, pick up a bottle of RAIN-X for your windshield and head out to see Linda Vaughn at the m:onshine cruiz-in. Get a picture of Linda with your Buick!

Al, if the Buick Gods are kind and a miracle occurs with my stalling condition, you better believe that's what I'm gonna' do! Wipers or no wipers! I'll have my Dad lean out the window with goggles on his face and a squeegee in his hand or something! As for the picture of Linda....I don't think there's much of a chance. She was there last year and she didn't leave her little booth. That and it costs $10 a pop for her autograph! Just imagine what she'd charge to walk out to my car and take a picture! Dennis Gage will be there too. Maybe I'll get Lucy on "My Classic Car"! (yeah right, these days you need a hot rod for that!) To answer your questions about the wipers, read Willie's post above. I know they won't work as well as having them hooked up to the pump, but a little wipers are better than NO wipers.

So today was uneventful to say the least! I got off work this morning at 8AM fully intending to go home and put my carburetor back on. I got as far as getting dressed in my "car work" clothes, grabbing my shoes, and sitting down on the couch to put them on. Next thing I know it's an hour and a half later and I have a crick in my neck!! Guess I was sleepier than I thought. Somehow, I managed to drag myself to bed. So that means I doubled my workload for today. I have to get my water pump, radiator, etc. AND my carburetor put back on if I want to go for a test drive Saturday. I'll try not to fall asleep this time!

[Guest shadetree77]

Very productive day today! More than made up for falling asleep the day before. I guess my Dad and I have become experts on the installation of the cooling system and the carburetor. We had EVERYTHING back together in around 2 hours. The first time we did these things it took all day. Practice makes perfect I guess. We even had time to go out to a local garage that we were told had an old 60's Buick for sale out in the weeds behind the shop. Turns out the guy that told us that was mistaken. It was actually a big old 1965 Chrysler 300 4 door. It was a nice car and in pretty good condition too but just not my style. Anyway, back to my Buick.....We are planning for a test drive today. I wanted the gasket sealant that I put on the water pump to cure before I started the car so we didn't start the engine yesterday. Did have a spot of bad luck though. When I was tightening the fittings on the fuel line to the carburetor, I guess I turned one of them a little too far and the adapter fitting that screws into my carb. cracked! That resulted in quite a few choice words. :mad: Guess I'll be gently removing that fitting and taking a trip to the parts store to try to find a replacement. Always something!

[avgwarhawk]

I hope these latest repairs are the final repairs. Nothing worse than repairing the same darn thing over and over. Let us know if she is good to go.