dei Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 11 hours ago, cxgvd said: Good luck with your fuel tank, few shops do that kind of work anymore, Siefker's (sp) in Essex? Gary Gary, Actually it is Santings Tire in Windsor who I spoke with on the phone. Naturally he needs to see the tank and determine if it can be chemically cleaned or cut open to sandblast the insides but the later is not going to be cheap (nothing is right?). He did a quick search for a re-pop tank and naturally nothing comes up for '58 Buick's so, hoping to drop it of Wednesday and get my issues fixed. Will keep you posted on which Saturday Car Show we are going to and try to get together. We went to WAMBO several years ago and I just might have had a ride on your friends Fire Truck. After meeting you with Len at Plunket's Car Show this year and you saying about the fire trucks, I was with Len when they did a parade through Wallaceburg that year. Any chance this is the friend? That's Len sitting on the right, in front of me. Hate to admit it but this was 2005... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 It is Sunday night (late) and reflecting over the days events... I find myself pausing to ponder how life is such a wonderful mystery at times. My wife and I drove 45 miles today in the Cougar which I inherited from a customer, turned close friend, after she had passed to celebrate my Great Aunt's 105th birthday. The day was perfect for a leisurely drive and back to an area I spent many happy summers at the beach with my grandparents. I watched as the odometer turned over to 72,000 kms just before we arrived and once inside the Retirement Home saw a room full of people all there to wish my Great Aunt a happy birthday. When we finally got to her she asked if I drove the convertible Buick today? Nothing gets by her at this age!!! Imagine.... Told her the short version of needed repairs and then excused ourselves to sit with my sister and family up from Tennessee and our Mom waiting for my other sister and husband from Michigan. There was a piano player starting sing-a-long songs and it was very entertaining at a level to still be able to talk with the various people who I had not seen in a looong time. Cake and punch was served and after what was all too short a visit it was time to say good bye (for now). Now... Probably should not be posting this but my Aunt has shared a few stories as I got older about her past that in some ways didn't surprise me so... What does one get for a 105 year old woman? My cousin (her grandson) told me years ago, she still enjoys a nip once in awhile. Upon giving her that goodbye hug, I told her there was a gift bag beside her bed in the room with a little something to enjoy. Sharp as she still is says, "Thank you! My reserve is almost gone and I needed to stock up!" GOD LOVE HER! While this is not totally about cars, still wanted to share. That is my Aunt in the chair and my Mom standing in the dress (without a cane) who is 90 and still driving Dad's van. To end this posting in keeping with cars, the Cougar will be back in the shop this week to further work on the air conditioning but performed wonderfully there and back! Brought her to the garage where the Special usually is parked to end the day and say good night. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxgvd Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Doug, Great to hear of your aunt and mom, my mom is 96 years old and living in a nursing home, dad passed at 95. Firetrucks are a.hotbed in CK, I can think of 3 major collections including the fellow driving in your photo. Imagine, a guy with 30 Seagraves, another with a new building so large he can park 3 firetrucks end to end with 14 doors giving him 7 drive through lanes. The fellow driving in your picture has a disused factory for his stuff. Frankenmuth, Mi, last Saturday, is the largest fire show in this part of the country. Presently, I have a job refinishing a wooden ladder for a '17 Ford truck for Classic Coachworks. Best of luck with your repair, Gary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 Well, dropped the tank to the shop today and the owner says (like we all figured...) it has to be sandblasted, completely cleaned, sealed and then coated and baked. States they stand by this process as long as I own the car. Just had to tell him I have owned it already for 45 years so... NOT planning on getting rid of it anytime soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 6, 2018 Author Share Posted August 6, 2018 (edited) Decided last minute to go out to the small Town of Essex Friday evening with a call from my friend saying he was driving his '56 Cadillac to the show. Had to laugh when I pulled up to the the barricaded entrance and the vested attendant waved me away from entering... I proceeded to drive right up and recognised him as a fellow member of my local Car Club and asked just what he thought was an antique car? He soon recognised me and said go ahead after I said it was a 1989 car. This is the third time the car has had that reaction... Good show with about 200 cars and the local Chinese Restaurant had a good buffet. Will be dropping her off to the garage to get the air conditioning looked at again next week as it wasn't finished and wanted to drive her this weekend. It's kinda nice to have something to drive while the Special gas tank is getting rebuilt but looking forward to being on the road again with her! Edited August 6, 2018 by dei (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 6, 2018 Author Share Posted August 6, 2018 Since I did such a good job shelving the new gas gauge float I purchased at the National last year (and could not find it...) decided to order another from Cars for when the gas tank is ready to install. While looking for it I came across a fuel pump that was in a box marked "rebuilt". It definitely has not been installed but... not sure when I bought it and therefore not sure if the parts used are for the new corn-a-hole gas... so ordered the rebuild kit just to be safe. They came in last week and if this heat wave we are having ever subsides, will get under the car to clean things up before the tank goes back on. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 11, 2018 Author Share Posted August 11, 2018 Put a call into the shop that has the gas tank today and was told they have lost two workers and are way behind with work... Not exactly what I wanted to hear and feel helpless at the moment. Summer is slipping on by and jury rigging something for any lengthy driving is not what I want to do. I do have the Cougar for a car show tomorrow some 40 miles away but discovered the brake lights ore not working again. My mechanic is not going to be happy seeing it come back on Monday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 With the Special in a holding pattern and car shows just about every weekend, decided to drive the Cougar the 40 miles with a friend following (just in case) acting as a buffer due to the brake light issue. All went well and started by filling up with some premium. This is the first tank since storage for the past year. Pulled up to find others doing the same. Sadly fuel price is holding high at $1.30 per litre but the digital dash said I could go 685 kms before empty so happy for driving her today as it is better with mileage than the Special would have been... Once parked and up to registration found out the Town planners decided because it is the 30th Anniversary of this show they were waiving the usual 10 dollar fee per car! Bonus!! It is a nice show in the town core area and has wood boats on the river front, a large firetruck display and parade rides, motorcycles, live music entertainment and the shops were open for the wives!! I brought my tent figuring shade might be an issue (always a blessing) and we set up like we owned the place. I saw Gary's 1914 Buick about two blocks over but kept missing him. Never thought to take a shot of his grey ghost. With a lot to see guess we were never in the same vicinity at the same time. To keep the thread about Buick's, I did see this Buick LeSabre. It was my kind of car, presentable from a bit of distance, obviously there to be enjoyed, being driven and a convertible! Another that caught my eye was this Chev and the pup in front. It had a fantastic paint job and no expense was spared on the pedal car either! Now, we don't have waves for surfing around here but this display was ready for action if ever there were some. Really nice Pontiac! Their 50/50 was to be drawn at 5 pm so made the best of the day before thinking about leaving. It got up to just under 11,000 dollars each way and the announcer said they would top it up to the 11,000 dollar mark for the winner. Naturally neither one of us won but as the expression goes, If you don't have a ticket, for sure you don't have a chance. We decided to stay for supper before heading home and with satisfied stomachs headed back taking the long way. Stopped at place called Mitchells Bay for a photo opportunity. Good day, Good friends and the cars performed nicely. Now to get moving / pushing on with the Special... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 (edited) Had a call from Tony Friday who owns the only other '58 Special here in town, asking about an antenna cable and speaker connection on his car. Told him I didn't have a spare cable but sure I had the radio out of the Roadmaster in the cupboard in my garage. Indeed the radio was there and so was the cable. I also found a spare used headlight switch I need for the Special since it does not regulate the dash lights very bright. Will make a visit to Tony's today and show him what the connections are before he takes the dash apart. Then, Heading over to the shop that has the gas tank and speak directly with the owner about when to expect any progress with it... Then, Stopping by my mechanics to see about getting the Cougar tail lights looked again... Will be fitting in work somewhere in this plan. Edited August 13, 2018 by dei (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1957buickjim Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Hi Doug, Glad you found the cable as well. Sent you a PM regarding the same. Hope you get your gas tank repaired soon, you need to keep that Special on the road!! Let me know if you are going to Dream Cruise this weekend on this side of the river. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxgvd Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Hey Doug; Sorry I missed you last Saturday. Bev and I arrived late, and parted before the trophies were presented. We watched the cardboard boat races and hung out with the firetrucks when we were away from the car. Essex is our next event, maybe the Windsor cruise Friday night. Thanks, Gary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 18 hours ago, 1957buickjim said: Hi Doug, Glad you found the cable as well. Sent you a PM regarding the same. Hope you get your gas tank repaired soon, you need to keep that Special on the road!! Let me know if you are going to Dream Cruise this weekend on this side of the river. Going to be a last minute decision regarding the Dream Cruise Jim but will let you know if coming. Sending you a PM in answer to yours. Thanks. 1 hour ago, cxgvd said: Hey Doug; Sorry I missed you last Saturday. Bev and I arrived late, and parted before the trophies were presented. We watched the cardboard boat races and hung out with the firetrucks when we were away from the car. Essex is our next event, maybe the Windsor cruise Friday night. Thanks, Gary As you well know your car sure attracts attention, young and old! I really need to get a set of tires on the Overland and get behind her wheel again... There is really nothing like driving a true "antique car" on the open back roads is there. My wife and I are planning on going to the Windsor Cruise with friends (hoping for no rain...) so hope to see you there. Otherwise, will be out at our Village / Museum Car Show Labour Day Weekend (if I don't go to Auburn to see the Wells Fargo Limited go up for Auction). We saw Len, his wife daughter and partner Larry in the restaurant when going for supper at the end of the WAMBO Show. A small bit of trivia, Larry and I went to High School together and can attest to my having the Special way back then. Noticed he was driving a nice late model Riviera. It was a nice show and weather was great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 I stopped into the shop with the gas tank today and... owner said he hired two guys to replace the ones he lost two weeks ago and my gas tank is next after one that was ahead of me. Hoping that one is the test for the new person and not mine... I am to be called when they open it up to see just how things look but have assurance that they can rebuild / clean things up with a guarantee. Stopped into my mechanics about the Cougar and said to get her in and they will go back over things for sure. Glenn is a car guy at heart so noticed the look on his face that he was surprised something had failed with his repair. I told him I want the car for this Friday City sponsored Cruise Day. The Woodward Dream Cruise is starting with cars coming in all this week and it would be nice to pop over one evening too before the "very busy" day Saturday! All this would have been nice in the Special but with everything in life, timing is what it is. My 2500 mile challenge with her is pretty much out of sight this year. Getting there is half the FUN? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 (edited) Keep chipping away at it, Doug! It will be better with the fresh fuel system; you'll be glad you got it done! Edited August 15, 2018 by 95Cardinal added comment (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 15, 2018 Author Share Posted August 15, 2018 Thanks Joe! Can't imagine what you and others go through at times with the scale of work required to do the full body off restoration you are doing... I'll get her going eventually but staying focused is my issue lately. Saying no at times is hard for me. Hope to change the new fuel pump tonight after work so I can at least move her around and get her back in the other garage using a temporary gas supply till the tank is done. Meanwhile, it is 7:15 am and the phone is ringing. (no complaint there - work pays for the play things...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 Today was a wash out for anything outside till about 3 pm. Really hoping to attend a Car Cruise-In here that we had fun with last year. It is at home tomorrow but with both cars tied up and the forecast not looking too good, decided to take advantage of the lull in the rain and change out the new fuel pump I purchased for the Special. She has been sitting under the wife's parking tent since the last week in July and... well, you know the saying, "Happy wife, happy life"... I peeled back the cover just enough and opened the hood to dig in. Pulled out the old fuel pump that was on the car from 15 years ago I kept before I started to drive her last year and placed it beside the new one for comparison. I also brought out the AC pump I have had sitting in that box for a long time to check the actuator rod length and style. Things appear to be correct length and angles but... figuring it was rebuilt so long ago, those rubber parts are not compatible with todays fuel and will use the universal style new one for now. Over the winter will rebuild that pump with the kit I purchased from Car Inc. Unless I have missed something magical, having done this twice now, one has to remove the generator and the bracket on the head to allow sufficient room to twist the actuator rod out and back in before tightening things up. I'll spare you the few words and scraped knuckles that I brought into the house when my wife said, "Supper is ready". Checked the local radar and saw things were going to change tonight (more rain...) I finished dinner quickly and proceeded to take out the old and put in the new fuel pump. Hooked up a new hose supply line to the carb with a new fuel filter and then connected a length of hose for a temporary fuel supply. Since there is lots of room between the rad and grill I found a three gallon gas can that fit and plan to use that till I get the Fuel Tank back and installed. Finished putting the generator back and ensuring all the bolts were tight. Connected the disconnect switch, turned on the ignition switch and poured a bit of gas into the carb before using the rods to try and start the car. Hmmm... Dead Battery! By now the sky is getting dark and had to bring out my utility flood light. Realised I had a spare 12V battery sitting right under my flathead motor stand so grabbed the cables and tried again. It didn't take three tries of turning the engine over before the new fuel pump picked up the gas and away she went! Then the rain stared gently but let the car warm up with hopes the generator would help my dead battery. The gas level in the fuel filter looked much better and let her warm to the point of the choke coming off and idling smoothly like she did at the start of last year. By now the rain was steady and gaining volume but no wind or thunder so stood inside the open garage to avoid the mist that was hitting me slightly. If this seems like a lot for what is a simple fuel pump change out well... with all the balls in the air right now and the summer slipping by, it is one step closer to being "back on the road" (one way or another)... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxgvd Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Windsor storm forecast is down to 30's% so Bev and I plan to drive our '39 Buick to the cruise across from the Casino this afternoon. Maybe see you there. This will be our first trip away from home and to Windsor where our car came from. I feel good about the condition of the Century, wish us bon chance. Gary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 Just rigged up temporary gas supply on the Special and driving her to the show!!! Is this desperate or what?.... I most definitely wish you and Bev Bonne Chance Mom Ami! If you stay long enough the mechanic that worked on the 39 will be there with his slightly tweeked Camaro. He will like seeing the car again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Doug, will I see you on Woodward tomorrow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1957buickjim Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Same from me Doug...gonna be on Woodward tomorrow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 18, 2018 Author Share Posted August 18, 2018 12 hours ago, 95Cardinal said: Doug, will I see you on Woodward tomorrow? 9 hours ago, 1957buickjim said: Same from me Doug...gonna be on Woodward tomorrow? Thanks guys for asking! While I really wanted to take the chance and go... Might have to clean out the carb next as it has a bit of hesitation now... will see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 18, 2018 Author Share Posted August 18, 2018 Friday was the local Cruise-In down on the waterfront and after getting my fuel supply in place, fired her up and went for a ride around the block. That felt good! Once back in the driveway checked under the hood and all looked well so washed off the bit of dust from the new house construction next door that always seems to get under a cover. Weather forecast was "iffy" but left the top down and headed to the parking lot to meet up with the usual gang who were texting to see if we were coming and advised they had saved a spot. Busy with good conversation and such when I look up and see a familiar face. It was Gary and his wife which they drove their 1939 Buick to be here. Introduced each other and chatted for a bit looking at my car and then looked at the western skyline... decided to put up the top (as did my friends) and walked over to his Buick to see it before the rain started. I knew this car some 20 or so years ago and it looks very good today. Then the light rain started... Decided to walk back to my car and Gary said they were going into the Casino and get supper. Suggested they head on in before it really rained and as they were out of sight, it rained cats and dogs! Now, this is a car show and one expects to be out and walking around seeing cars but here my wife and I were, sitting in the car with steamy windows (and not for the good reason- LOL) so when the rain eased off a bit, talked to the group who thought about going into the Casino for supper too. Most of us were soaked through and once someone said if we went in there with the air conditioning this wet that some one was going to get ill. With a calculated guess that the evening was shot due to weather, decided to drop off the cars, get changed and meet for a warm dry dinner. It wasn't unanimous so half stayed to brave it out. Our restaurant choice was a bit of a drive and it really rained on the way there but stopped before dinner was over. Sadly we might have made a hasty decision as I saw posting of the Crusie around Town about 5:30 and things had dried up! Still felt good to get behind the wheel of the Special though, even with my temporary fuel supply! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 (edited) Well, My desperate foray / experiment in getting the Special moving again proved one thing, I now know just how far she gets on a three gallon can of gas! Turns out it is exactly city 38.2 miles... Got up Saturday morning and after coffee called Tony to see if he would be up for a visit. Due to our decision to leave the wet parking lot Friday apparently the skies cleared up later after 6 and he went expecting to see me and the Special. He lives not too far from me so grabbed another can, filled it up and figured I had enough to go there and back. The ride over was fun as there were lots cars that were likely heading over to the Woodward Cruise for the big day and had many thumbs up and horn honking. Tony and I spent about two hours chatting and comparing things on his car and then thought I'd better be on my way. At the last minute decided to go across town to my friends who had stayed till the rain quit Friday to see how he and his friend enjoyed the night. Pulled in to find after looking in to his garage window he was out in one of his 7 cars so headed home. Was about to pull on to a service road when... she quit. Ok no problem, I have the other full can so opened the hood and switched the line and while cranking her over to pump fuel into the carb doesn't the battery start to weaken... That has been happening a bit and probably should get a new one but... Fortunately I was on a two lane road so traffic could go around but man, When did people not know if you come upon a vehicle with the hood up that maybe one had better put a signal on and carefully go around??? I called my son to see if he could come and give me a boost and waited, trying to direct people to get over. Aren't old cars fun?! The boost was fine and she fired up idling like she should. Headed home with no issues and after putting my slow trickle charger on, grabbed a spare battery in the garage and put it in the trunk for my next adventure out.... Edited August 19, 2018 by dei (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Seems we have read about a dead or weak battery before? And people say I am frugal. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 20, 2018 Author Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) 20 hours ago, old-tank said: And people say I am frugal. LOL I've been called lots of things in my life and not the least of which "cheap" has come up occasionally. Yes I suspect the battery could need to be replaced being 4 years old but before I spend the 160 bucks for a new one, need to go through the charging system (generator and voltage regulator) first to ensure those are not contributing to the problem. I'm not done with the Cougar yet and then the wife's Van looks to be needing a rear wheel hub as it is rumbling... There is never a valve to shut off the flow of outgoing greenbacks. (thanks for following along Old-tank ) Edited August 20, 2018 by dei (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 21, 2018 Author Share Posted August 21, 2018 (edited) Put the Special to another test yesterday. My wife has been on vacation in order to use it up before she is officially Retiring August 31st so suggested going for dinner at one of the weekly cruise nights. Round trip is only 10 miles so after filling the "cans" was confident NOT to run one dry. ? I knew Tony was coming to with his Special after talking to him Saturday so thought it was a good opportunity to see the cars together for the first time. Besides, How many car shows does one see two '58 Buicks of the same series at the same time? It had a good sized attendance and the 50/50 was 200 bucks so after parking and not seeing Tony yet, went inside for dinner. Had a window seat and saw Tony coming in and eventually caught up to him. My wife loved his enthusiasm for his car (and mine). I think it also helped that he is not much taller than her too?! ? As is usually the case with today's car shows / meets, as soon as that 50/50 is drawn it signals the end of the show and the race to leave goes on. We hung around to avoid the rush and answered a few more questions he had about his car and with having the cars there was able to compare and re-enforce the answers. Noticing my wife was starting to get somewhat bored with the "Car Talk" suggested it was time to head back as did Tony. One of the differences between our cars is the fact his does not have power steering or brakes. I teased him about the "arm strong steering" he has and laughing, gave me the clenched fist muscle flex as he left. Then it was our turn to head out. Having been not too far behind Tony, don't we come up to the self proclaimed videographer of these Car Shows and I say to him, "You should tape a shot of our two cars together some day as you don't often see two "58 Buicks together of the same series". His response was something to the effect that Tony's car was very nice and I (he) prefers it. DANG! It was immediately a flash back to 1972 when I brought the Special to High School the first time and the "In crowd" poo poo'd it then saying it was an "old man car", what did I buy that for and anything they had could wipe the streets with theirs. Good Gawd! (46 years later?) So be it, get over yourself... It's still mine and it's paid for! ? It still will get me and the wife to her Retirement Party this coming Friday. (as long as I make sure to fill up those cans and put a charge on that battery ?) Edited August 21, 2018 by dei (see edit history) 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 Sometimes thoughtless comments are made in haste. Sometimes rude comments are made on purpose. You get to choose which type the videographer made. But you can wager reliably on one thing... He can only look at his video's while you are driving the real thing... 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 People these days I feel don't give Buick enough respect. You just need to pass them on the highway at 90 miles an hour across the dotted line going up hill and show them that true nailhead power is not to be trifled with. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 On 8/20/2018 at 7:24 AM, dei said: LOL I've been called lots of things in my life and not the least of which "cheap" has come up occasionally. Yes I suspect the battery could need to be replaced being 4 years old but before I spend the 160 bucks for a new one, need to go through the charging system (generator and voltage regulator) first to ensure those are not contributing to the problem. I'm not done with the Cougar yet and then the wife's Van looks to be needing a rear wheel hub as it is rumbling... There is never a valve to shut off the flow of outgoing greenbacks. (thanks for following along Old-tank ) All kidding aside, weak and dying batteries are extremely hard on the charging system, especially if a dead cell or shorted cell. Dead or shorted cells lose water fast and if dry: BOOM --- battery parts and acid all over under the hood that is impossible to neutralize or clean unless you are standing by with a hose. Weak batteries are hard on the cranking system too: a low voltage condition still has enough amps to burn or fuse the contacts in the starter relay or fuse the contacts in the solenoid causing running of the starter after the engine is running. The armature windings are designed to be intermittent during starting, but if subjected to a "grunt" will get way too hot. Electrical parts prices vs battery price? Remove a nailhead starter labor? And you soon run out of friends willing come jump the car over and over. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 I received a voice mail message late yesterday from the shop that has my gas tank telling me they have started on the tank. Told me like I asked, to come over in the morning to see it at this point that it looked pretty good. Sure enough they had sand blasted both the outside and the insides and only found one finger tip sized spot on the upper corner needing to be repaired otherwise the rest was in good shape with no swiss cheese issues. They are telling me it should be finished Friday or Monday so I might have it on before the Holiday weekend and attend our semi annual car show... 1 hour ago, old-tank said: All kidding aside, weak and dying batteries are extremely hard on the charging system, especially if a dead cell or shorted cell. Dead or shorted cells lose water fast and if dry: BOOM --- battery parts and acid all over under the hood that is impossible to neutralize or clean unless you are standing by with a hose. Weak batteries are hard on the cranking system too: a low voltage condition still has enough amps to burn or fuse the contacts in the starter relay or fuse the contacts in the solenoid causing running of the starter after the engine is running. The armature windings are designed to be intermittent during starting, but if subjected to a "grunt" will get way too hot. Electrical parts prices vs battery price? Remove a nailhead starter labor? Just want you to know I appreciate and concur with you sir. Clearly I have to investigate further what is going on before I end up, as you suggest, costing myself more money. Thanks! I'm feeling now that I will have to pull the carb and clean it as it is now hesitating when pulling from an idle (which is really not surprising with a dirty tank). 1 hour ago, old-tank said: And you soon run out of friends willing come jump the car over and over. Not to make light of your last statement but... That's why I put a fully charged battery in the trunk (securely fixed in a boat battery box) along with my good cables eliminating that fear for now. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 24, 2018 Author Share Posted August 24, 2018 With tomorrow night being the wife's retirement celebration and wanting to drive the Special the short trip there and back, decided I needed a bit of therapy tonight. I grabbed a can of wax out of the trunk and an proceeded to caress my baby (car that is ?). Starting with the hood it wasn't long before the sun went down but continued. Managed to get the whole car waxed and then did a little cleaning of the chrome. No she is no field Show Car but man, I do love the feel of those body lines and the look of the chrome when cleaned up. Twas a good ending to a tough day. Should be a fun night for us at the Retirement Party. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 (edited) With the threat of heavy rain Friday night (which actually didn't materialise that evening) left the car home rather than drive her to the Retirement Party but that was OK! There were about 35 there and the focus was my wife so in the end, turned out Great! After 43 years in the social work profession it was supposed to be her tribute to a wonderful ride! My wax job wasn't in vain though as there was a charity car show today and about noon the sun came out so filled up the temporary gas can. Didn't think it looked too bad... a hole here, a hole there and a few chips in the paint not withstanding. Before taking off I noticed the trip odometer at this ironic point. This show wasn't very far as noted by the trip odometer again. Attendance was supposedly down due to the rain in the morning but cars did come out with the sunshine. That was one beautiful '63 split rear window Corvette next to me! He said he had kept it in storage for 42 years before giving it a full restoration... I used to have a '67 Mustang like this one which I drove while storing the Special for a time. It was a fun car to drive. It brought back some memories too... Conversations / cars were good and stayed long even though the skies looked threatening later but fortunately didn't materialise. Fired her up with no issues (fortunately...) and pulled in at home to find my son had been doing an oil change on his vehicle so had to advise him it was time for him to move out (of my spot thank you). Total trip wasn't big but thankfully uneventful. Can't wait to get the refurbished gas tank back and installed!! Edited August 26, 2018 by dei (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 Called the shop that has the gas tank and the repair work has been completed. Says that it will be treated on the inside with sealer and then the coating before it gets baked in his oven so Dave is thinking the game plan is to have things done for me before Friday. YEAH! Can't wait.... Meantime, came across a can of red enamel paint sitting on the shelf that appeared to be close to the red on my rims. Decided to test an area that needed covering on the car and while not exact, decided it made enough difference for the misc scratches and such for now. Not exactly the right way to do a car but for now.... a bit of preservation till I commit to doing a full body and paint for real. I have a pair of NOS front fenders stored for this car and all the inner front fender panels so the saving of money for labour, materials and paint is slowly coming together. Please don't anyone hold their breath for this milestone OK for fear of passing out from lack of oxygen! ? There was a comment from EmTee on another thread about the wax job making the existing paint pop and thought I'd share what I used. I mostly have used Turtle Wax paste wax all these years but splurged last week at the local Auto Store seeing a "sale sign" on this can of paste wax. I have no financial investment in this but feel with the wax on (heavy on the elbow grease) and wax off with a clean rag effort, it did indeed made a difference on my almost 50 year old existing paint. So without a huge investment on my part, maybe she looks better now from say 30 feet versus.... 40??? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 I had a whole bunch of rusty blotches on my 60 convertible, and did the same thing. Just went over the whole car with a fine brush and covered up all the rusty bits with white paint. Instant 10 footer....as opposed to a 40 footer LOL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 Thanks Adam. Having followed your work I imagine your touch up efforts were better than mine. I will plug away with this though as there are more than a few spots that need attention... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 30, 2018 Author Share Posted August 30, 2018 (edited) Had a call at the end of the day yesterday saying the gas tank was finished. The owner was there till 6 and I could come by to pick it up so... He showed me a couple more areas that needed to be worked on as they pressure test it before starting the sealing process. So it is clean and ready to be put on with a guarantee not to leak and have the sealant flake off but... it came out a bit higher than originally estimated. Have the new gas gauge float ready to put in and once my son picks up the new "J" bolts and I run the new gas hose, will be ready for the long haul. I guess I will be celebrating Labour Day weekend like the name implies, a labour of love. Edited August 30, 2018 by dei (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted August 31, 2018 Author Share Posted August 31, 2018 (edited) Had chance to dive the Special last evening. My sister and husband are fixing up their house here that has housed their two children while attending University and now that they have flown the coop, they want to list it for sale. I was asked to help so took the opportunity to check out what would be involved... (that's my excuse for driving the car) It's going to be a busy day today... At the very least, top on the list, I need to order a dozen roses to be sent to my wife's office as at 4:30 today she will be walking out of the door for the very last time having been there for 44 years! Might surprise her with dinner out if I can get a Friday night reservation. Priorities right?! Edited August 31, 2018 by dei (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 My most sincere congrats to your wife! She sure deserves it after all those years! Keith 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Doug, glad to see that the days of temporary fuel systems are over. The tank looks great. Congratulations to your wife on her retirement! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted September 1, 2018 Author Share Posted September 1, 2018 13 hours ago, Buicknutty said: My most sincere congrats to your wife! She sure deserves it after all those years! Keith 11 hours ago, 95Cardinal said: Doug, glad to see that the days of temporary fuel systems are over. The tank looks great. Congratulations to your wife on her retirement! Thank you both from my wife for the sentiments! She was actually surprised I had mentioned it on "MY BUICK THREAD". I said, "Hey, I might have had the Special before I met you but clearly by posting your retirement, you are every bit as important as the car". ??? Now, after I finish my second cup of coffee I'm off to work on the underside of the car to get the tank back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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