1955 Buick Roadmaster

[Jeff Trahan]

The windshield and rear window are in pretty good shape but have white areas near the edges that appear to be inside the glass Is there a simple way to clean that up?

Also, where can I buy the special tools to remove interior door handles and stainless exterior trim?

Thanks.

[Guest shadetree77]

If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, you are referring to the "fogging" of the glass due to the laminate breaking down and/or melting between the glass. Think of safety glass as two thin pieces of glass with a sheet of clear laminate pasted between them. Over the years, that stuff breaks down due to sun and heat and I know no way of fixing it without completely replacing the glass. My '52 has some of this around the edges of a few pieces of glass but it doesn't interfere with driving so I just left it for now. You can get trim removal tools on EBAY. Here's a link to some: Windshield / Door Trim handle spring window tool body panel clip removal | eBay Make sure you shop around the internet though. You might be able to find them cheaper. That link is just an example so you can see what they look like. Good Luck!!

[Jeff Trahan]

I've run into a problem with fixing the brakes. My son replaced all of the wheel components and many of the brake lines but we sent the master cylinder (power brakes) to Cars Inc. (oldbuickparts.com) for rebuild. After inspecting it, they said it is not repairable. So is there any place to buy a working master cylinder? Can I convert the brake system to regular brakes instead of power brakes? Will the master cylinder off any other car (Cadillac, Olds, etc.) of the same vintage work? Thanks for your help.

[PONTIAC1953]

send your to powerbrake master cylinder/booster assembly to midwest power in morris, il. they are one of the best to rebuild powerbrakes. their website is midwestbooster.com charles coker, 1953 pontiac tech advisor.

[Buicknutty]

Likely most GM's in '55 with power brakes used the same master cylinder, particularly Cadillacs should be the same as a Roadmaster. I don't have an interchange manual that covers them though, so I can't say for sure. I'm pretty positive that '56's are different though.

I second Mr. Pontiac above though, another rebuilder may have the parts needed to do yours.

There are a few scrap yards in the South, one in Arizona in particular that you might be able to get a core from if needed.

I've no experience converting to manual brakes, but the main difference is the master cylinder, so if you were to get a master cylinder from a non-power car, and rebuild it, it should work.

Keith

[PONTIAC1953]

most gm cars of the early and mid fifties used the bendix treadle vac power brake unit, or the almost identical delco moraine power brake unit. some year cadillacs used a hydro-vac, which is completely different. i personally will use midwest power booster to rebuild my treadle vac, other pontiac owners with rebuilt units from midwest have told me how good their work is. charles coker, 1953 pontiac tech advisor.

[Jeff Trahan]

Thanks for referring me to Midwest Power. They were able to rebuild my original power brake unit back to factory specs (after the other place said it was too deteriorated to fix). I'm very impressed.

[Buicknutty]

Glad it worked out. I'm going to check them out, as I think that I need to do the one on my '56. The old girl has given me many years of faithful service, and it is time to address a few issues with it over the winter.

Keith

[Jeff Trahan]

I took the advice I got earlier in this post and replaced several parts in the torque ball area. One question: Why was it leaking transmission fluid out of the torque ball retainer when it isn't open to the transmission there? Is there supposed to be fluid on the transmission side of the torque ball retainer? Thanks.

Jeff

[Buicknutty]

Jeff;

The torque ball makes the final seal to the trans, so if that is bad it will leak. Don't know if it has been mentioned, before, but the rear axle oil can be contaminated with trans fluid from a leaking Dynaflow. The main clue, is when you pull out the fill plug and it runs out, ie. is overfilled, that means that trans fluid has leaked through the torque tube and past the pinion seal and the rear axle oil must be changed.

Keith

[Jeff Trahan]

After the body shop I originally chose went belly-up, I found a different shop and am optimistic it will work out better. I'm taking this opportunity think about doing a 100% restoration, instead of just making a decent driver. Unfortunately, I'm starting with a sedan, so not the best and unlikely to ever get my money out of it. I'm wondering if I should do an engine rebuild while the body work is being done. The engine starts and runs fine but I haven't had it on the open road since getting it started a year ago. The compression is about 75 in most cylinders and 50 in one cylinder. This would indicate it needs rebuilding (there are almost 100,000 miles on the engine). Should I get the engine torn apart and rebuilt?

[smithbrother]

You have already stated, a 4-door isn't the choice of many, so like you said/know, not going to come close to getting your money back.

In my opinion, even if it were a Convert Roadmaster you probably would NOT get your money back, well, if you were doing the restore, that might change things. YOU KNOW ALL OF THIS.

Now if it is going to be a driver, then I personally would rebuild the engine, NOW. You don't need hanging over your head every time you take it out, WILL IT MAKE IT BACK.

I wish you well.

Dale in Indy

[Buicknutty]

If it were me, (and it isn't) I'd do the engine soon, so it will be nice and fresh for driving when the rest is ready. Also, it depends on how much you want to drive it.

If you're just going to go to local cruise nights, etc., and no long runs, the engine may be fine for that kind of usage, but if you want to do more serious driving, I'd say a rebuild is a must.

Also, from a man whose made this mistake, its' better to get the mechanical stuff, especially engine related, out of the way before you have nice fresh beautiful paint on your (car's, that is) body and do some damage you'll regret.

My opinion only too, but doing it as a "nice driver" gives you the best bang for your buck, especially if you can do some work yourself. Making it a nice driver gives you a car that looks good, and runs and drives nicely. The costs of a full restoration are very high, and though 4 door cars are great tour cars, they don't command high prices. But it all comes down to what your goal is for the car, if you want to tour with it, a good driver quality is a great way to go, as if you go the full resto route, it will be too nice, you'll have too much into it to want to drive it.

Keith

[Jeff Trahan]

It's been a while since I posted so I thought I'd give an update on the progress. Body/paint is done and the engine is rebuilt and installed but not started yet. I'm hoping to fire it up in the next month or so. Even with the engine installed, the car is riding high. The upper support arms are squishing the bumpers on the top part of the front suspension. Is that because the car sat for so long without the engine in it that the coil springs have expanded temporarily? Will it eventually return to the normal height?

Thanks for the help.

Jeff T.

[Jeff Trahan]

I brought the car to a mechanic to get it tuned up and he said the harmonic balancer must have slipped because the timing indicater is off by about 30 degrees. When the timing mark looks like it is set correctly, he can't even get the car to start. Is it even possible for the timing mark to slip 30 degrees on a 322 nailhead?

Thanks for your help.

Jeff Trahan

[Buicknutty]

Jeff;

Everything is looking nice, so far. Thanks for the update.

As to your first question, I see that not everything is back on the body, and the ride should return to normal once the hood, bumpers, etc., are on. There is a considerable amount of weight in these components.

I don't have a definitive answer for you, but here are some of my initial thoughts about the engine issue.

As to the timing, it sounds like you must be talking about ignition timing, not valve timing. I don't believe that it would be possible for the timing mark to slip but I cannot remember if tab with the timing marks on it is held in place by one of the bolts, if so that could be an easy answer, its' just on the wrong one.

The balancer pulley is keyed in position on the crank, so unless that key is missing, it cannot slip. When the timing is set so that it runs, how does it run?

Who did the rebuild on the engine?

I hope that this helps!

Keith

[Rusty_OToole]

Pretty much all cars have a built in vibration dampener in the front pulley. There is a steel or iron ring fastened to the hub by a rubber sleeve. After years of use, oil soaking, etc the outer ring can slip and put the timing marks out of time.

The only way to fix this is to take the hub off and get it rebuilt or replace it. Or, just set the timing by some other method. You could wrap a timing tape around the hub but it would just slip again.

[Jeff Trahan]

The engine runs pretty well so I'm not that concerned about the timing anymore.  It's hard to believe but I think the mechanic may have put the timing light on the wrong plug wire.

 

I'm only a few months away from getting the car on the road.  Then I'll really be able to really warm it up and do a "final" adjustment of the timing and carburetor settings.  It sure seems to be running rich right now.  That may be because I never installed a new choke stove.  There is a small port on the back side of the exhaust manifold on the passenger side at the exhaust point for cylinder #5.  I'm assuming that is where the choke stove connects.  For those familiar with the 322 Nailhead, let me know if I'm incorrect.  Thanks.

 

[Guest johnjackson]

I know my timing was off by 12 deg. No slip on the dampener. I'm pretty sure whoever owned it before me did that for some odd reason. Took me a little bit of time and help from a lot of people on here to get me going in the right direction. List of things I've done:

Rebuilt fuel pump, points and condenser, plugs, wires, coil, cap, rotor, timing, all of brakes, brake light switch, oil and filter on engine and trans, carb rebuild ( ended up putting on Edlebrock 600cfm) carter needs a lot more love before it's ready and goes back on, intake manifold gaskets, vacuum lines. Cost me about $1500.00 to get in on the road safely. I wish you the best of luck. The gentleman on here are very knowledgable and great to talk with. Best of luck.