95Cardinal Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 Is this the area you're asking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frame30 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Yes, that is it. Where the ventilator on the door meets the body of the door ... there is a gap in mine which yours also seems to have. And yes, stick is on the ice this weekend! Edmonton will begin thawing Monday, we hope. On a side note, I did find the hard-board headliner and the ribbed material for the cargo area if you ever need those contacts. Cheers. Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caballero2 Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 On 3/26/2016 at 6:57 PM, 95Cardinal said: March 26, 2016 These inner fender covers were split and not saveable. It appears to be a grained vinyl sheet that was vacuum formed, then bonded to the inner panel. I'm not sure what I'm going to use to replicate them, but they had to come off in order to clean the inner panels. A heat gun, a small putty knife and one hour of scraping.... Here's the body shell at the media blast shop. They are using walnut husks to remove the coatings, then more aggressive glass media as needed for corrosion removal. Meanwhile, the rocker shafts arrived and the engine is almost ready for paint. Oil pump has been run and oil flow and pressure verified. Back in my garage, I've been working on the front suspension. New control arm shafts, control arm seals and bushings, new upper and lower ball joints and spring isolators should make this car drive like new. Spring installation was a challenge. I compressed the springs as far as possible, then used a 1.5T chain fall to pull the lower control arms into position. Took me a while to get the compressor fingers out of the springs after the spindles were bolted up. I used one of those twist-in coil expanders to spread the coils far enough to sneak the compressor fingers out of the spring. Next up: front brake assembly, then install the rear axle and torque tube assembly. Should have a rolling chassis in a few days. You are doing a very nice job. Your post on the fender well cover that may present a problem, attached is a photo of how we handled this problem. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 As a newbie here, I am really enjoying reading through the various threads on people's projects. This is one of the most ambitious I have found yet! Kudos to you, Joe. I am blown away by the magnitude of what some of you guys have taken on. This forum is a fabulous resource, and I am learning something new with each click of my mouse. Thanks to all! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 On 3/17/2017 at 0:13 PM, frame30 said: Yes, that is it. Where the ventilator on the door meets the body of the door ... there is a gap in mine which yours also seems to have. And yes, stick is on the ice this weekend! Edmonton will begin thawing Monday, we hope. On a side note, I did find the hard-board headliner and the ribbed material for the cargo area if you ever need those contacts. Cheers. Michael. There was no seal or weatherstrip between the vent window frame and the outer door skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) March 29, 2017 update No progress on the body, but I've been chipping away at the chassis. It's great to be putting parts back ON! Pulleys, fan, power steering pump and generator mounted, along with the carburetor, exhaust manifolds and the exhaust system. Exhaust system is just sitting in place, waiting on some detail parts. It almost looks ready to run! Shocks are mounted and I'm waiting for new rivets to replace the originals in the exhaust hangers. The hangers will get new rubber insulators, new rivets and plated or powder-coated metal parts. I've started getting the stainless trim and chrome parts ready for polishing & plating. Beginning to rebuild the AC fuel pump. Interior of the pump is in excellent, rebuildable condition. Rebuild kit came from Hal Houghton, Classic Preservation Coalition. Very knowledgeable and helpful gentleman! http://www.classicpreservation.com/ Hal offers kits, full rebuild services and partial rebuild services for carbs, fuel pumps, vacuum tanks, etc. Edited March 30, 2017 by 95Cardinal Added text (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Your project is looking great. Going on three years this August? That is actually an encouraging note. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted August 21, 2017 Author Share Posted August 21, 2017 (edited) August 20, 2017 update Yes, I'm still working on the Caballero. It has been a busy year with volunteer work on a charity car show, family travels and helping friends on their cars, but I've kept moving forward on multiple fronts... Back in April/May, I was working on the chassis assembly in my garage. Exhaust is done. This photo shows the tailpipe hanger under the rear chassis cross-member. New rubber and new rivets for all the hangers. Radiator core support, radiator and fan shroud in position. I was getting everything ready for camshaft break-in. Fuel pump was rebuilt and installed. Bench tested before installation; 5psi output, 20 in Hg vacuum on the inlet side - practically perfect! Filled the engine with oil and primed it, but the oil filter housing leaked when I pressurized the system. Removed and re-placed it and it didn't leak the second time. It either was not torqued properly or the gasket shifted away from the top of the canister the first time. All good now. The metal work started with fabrication of a new dog-leg and replacing rust damaged areas on the inner rockers, wheelhouses and rear body mount. I wasn't able to break in the cam before the body had to go back on the frame (in June) for door/fender/tailgate fitment: Hard to see in the photo, but the frame and all chassis/suspension components were wrapped in heavy plastic film to protect the coatings from heat, dirt and moisture while the metal work was being completed. All the exterior metal work is complete and we've added anchor plates for the split folding rear seat. Seat belt reinforcements will be going in soon, as well as some final underbody patch work. The door and liftgate fits are excellent. The body is now back on the rotisserie and will be moving to the painter in the next week or two. While the metal work was being done, I got the stainless steel trim and chrome plated die-cast parts moving. The first batches of trim and chrome are done. Driver's eyebrow molding: Die cast parts are coming out beautiful! I've got hundreds of photos like this to help with re-assembly. The body is back off the frame and the chassis is back in my garage for final assembly and engine break-in. Gages are hooked up for break-in. Next comes starter/generator wiring and fluid fill. Edited August 21, 2017 by 95Cardinal image problems (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARY F Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Great work. Cant wait to see it painted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Great to get a progress report. Keep them coming! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 22 hours ago, GARY F said: Great work. Cant wait to see it painted. Me, too! 16 hours ago, neil morse said: Great to get a progress report. Keep them coming! Thanks. Will do! I should have some interesting progress to report in the next 2 to 3 weeks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 (edited) September 10, 2017 update No progress on the engine break-in yet; too busy on other tasks. Moved the body to the paint shop... Bodywork started! Floor pans look great; seat belt anchors installed for 6 occupants. With the body at the paint shop, I've been preparing things for re-assembly. Headlight switch is surprisingly complicated! Seats have been disassembled and frames cleaned and painted. Going to the trimmer in the next few weeks. Vent housings have been cleaned and painted License plate lamps have been disassembled to replace pigtails and re-plate the housings. Bead blasted all the dash metal parts and prepared them for plating and painting. No pics, but all the interior garnish moldings have been cleaned and primed, they are ready for paint. Edited September 12, 2017 by 95Cardinal arranged images (see edit history) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 (edited) With your involvement with the Eyes On Design Show you must have talked to and seen Steve Plunket's '58. Seeing the way you are restoring yours, would imagine an award, when you "Show" it, is in your future too! Edited September 13, 2017 by dei (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted September 14, 2017 Author Share Posted September 14, 2017 Yes, I know Steve and have seen his Caballero. I think it was at EyesOn Design in 2014. The remains of Steve's "parts car" has been a good source of pieces for my car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted October 22, 2017 Author Share Posted October 22, 2017 (edited) October 21, 2017 update While the paint shop is doing their thing, I've been working on other projects. Chrome and stainless parts continue to trickle in. These Buick accessory fender-mount mirrors are going to look awesome! The body is nearly paint-ready; it is looking great. Should have the underbody done before the end of October, then we'll re-install the body on the frame. Then, on to final gap checks and paint. A local supplier dielectrically embossed the interior vinyls with the correct, 1" spacing between the stitch rails. Tan and Beige materials in both grains (seats are Haircell grain, doors/quarters/pillars are similar to Madrid grain) This is the Tan Haircell for the seating areas and the back of the front seat: Been collecting parts and materials; will soon be delivering everything to a good friend who will be doing the interior. I am adding back-up lights to the tail lights. I didn't like the look of the coating on the tail light reflectors. It was a little dull and there was very little reflective coating in the lower, back-up light area. You can also see that one of the two reflectors is "duller" than the other. I brought the reflectors to Vacuum Orna-Metal in Rolulus Michigan. They cleaned and coated the reflectors; they turned out great! I will add a ground lug to every lamp housing to ensure good ground connections. I've had great success with this technique on multiple vehicles. I made up a gauge panel to monitor engine vitals during camshaft break-in. I incorporated the ignition and starter switches, ballast resistor and vacuum gauge. Primed the fuel and oil systems and got the engine ready to start. Larry Schramm helped me with the start-up and break-in. I must have installed the distributor incorrectly after priming the oil pump; it took several tries to get the engine to fire. Once we got it started, we had a smooth and uneventful 20 minute run. Changed the oil and filter after the break-in; everything looks great. Click below to see a few seconds of the Nailhead during cam break-in, video by Larry Schramm: The chassis has been delivered to the paint shop. I'll be wrapping the chassis in plastic film and shrink wrap to protect it from overspray. Nailhead cam break-in.3gp Edited October 22, 2017 by 95Cardinal fixing image and video links (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted October 23, 2017 Share Posted October 23, 2017 Are those tail light reflectors made of plastic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted October 23, 2017 Author Share Posted October 23, 2017 No, they are die cast parts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted October 23, 2017 Share Posted October 23, 2017 Looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 On 22/10/2017 at 12:01 AM, 95Cardinal said: A local supplier dielectrically embossed the interior vinyls with the correct, 1" spacing between the stitch rails. Tan and Beige materials in both grains (seats are Haircell grain, doors/quarters/pillars are similar to Madrid grain) Boy that is fantastic! Curious: Did the basic material come from SMS and they couldn't reproduce the pattern or did this work out faster given what I have read about wait times? Given my seats are the original ones and really should be redone one day, thinking I should at the very least stock pile the correct material for down the road while this process is available. (depending on costs... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted October 24, 2017 Author Share Posted October 24, 2017 25 minutes ago, dei said: Boy that is fantastic! Curious: Did the basic material come from SMS and they couldn't reproduce the pattern or did this work out faster given what I have read about wait times? Given my seats are the original ones and really should be redone one day, thinking I should at the very least stock pile the correct material for down the road while this process is available. (depending on costs... ) Doug, I purchased the vinyl materials from Tom Ames at Original Auto Interiors in Columbus, MI. https://originalauto.com/ I had samples from Original Auto and from SMS. Original Auto's pricing was better. SMS door panels were a consideration, but I've seen photos of the SMS panels and they look too "puffy". I chose a very thin laminate pad that I believe more closely replicates the appearance of my original door trim panels. I've also looked at SMS for my upper dash pad, but I am considering RD Autoline in Sweden. http://autoline.se/?page_id=33 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 Than you so much Sir! Greatly appreciated! I would love to get over and see your "long roof" while in progress and will be coming over next Monday to 57Buick Jim's but not sure I have enough time to chat as I'm on a mission that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted October 24, 2017 Author Share Posted October 24, 2017 I live 3 miles from Jim. We can work something out. Hope to see you then! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 That would be Great! I sent you an PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 (edited) November 13, 2017 update It's been a busy few weeks... Ever since adding fluid to the Dynaflow, it has leaked from the tailshaft extension housing. Talked to Jim Hughes (he rebuilt the transmission for me) and he had a ready fix. He sent me a pair of O ring seals to replace the exisitng seals that were installed on the front and back sides of the bearing retainer. The repair was fairly simple and it has fixed the leak. Thanks, Jim! I then wrapped the chassis to protect it from dust and overspray during the painting process. Late in October, the underbody was sprayed with a BC/CC replica of red oxide primer. It looks correct and will be easier to clean than primer, with the added advantage of having a non-porous surface finish. Turned out great...except for the heater hose clamp I forgot to remove before the paint was sprayed. Guess I'll be re-doing that one in black next week... We re-installed the body on the frame. Next, the fenders and hood were hung and gapped. Still a little work to do on the right front door alignment, then on to paint. Daniel (left) and Don are excited to see this one done! SPOILER ALERT: Here are a couple of spray-outs of the Garnet Red exterior color. The headlight surrounds are still wearing the original lacquer paint. It was cleaned and polished for color-matching. This is going to look great! Back at my garage, I welded up the small pinholes I discovered in the heater core housing. Using a touch of filler to smooth the area before painting. There are so many things still to be done! I removed the foam and trim from the dash pad. I will repair the rust damage on the metal core before shipping it out for new cover and pad installation. I found several recommendations for RD Autoline in Sweden. They have already made the correct part for 58 Buicks. Here's a photo from their product gallery: Brake pedal assembly was disassembled and bead blasted. The painted parts were painted satin black and the bare steel parts were plated with clear zinc. There are nylon bushings in every pivot and every bushing was in perfect condition! Before: Here it's nearly finished; mocked up and waiting for a few plated parts: Body work is done and I expect to see paint on the car by the end of the week. Exciting! Edited November 14, 2017 by 95Cardinal edited image links (see edit history) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 6 hours ago, 95Cardinal said: Body work is done and I expect to see paint on the car by the end of the week. Exciting! IT SURE IS EXCITING JOE AND BET YOU CAN'T WAIT! Love the picture of "the guys" inside the car! Like all things, the end result is always due to the great base work done at the beginning and glad to see you have included them in this restoration. I often think of these people when watching a car receive a much deserved top place award which the owner takes home and know there must be quiet satisfaction and pride when they hear their work effort is award wining. Hope you have built a nice glass shelf for those trophies you definitely will be receiving? Looking forward to your updates Joe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Keep the pictures coming Mr. Joe. The car is coming along beautifully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Referring back to your brake pedal bracket, you said that you used clear zinc. What manufacturer did you purchase from? That assembly looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Nice work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted November 15, 2017 Author Share Posted November 15, 2017 (edited) 15 hours ago, kgreen said: Referring back to your brake pedal bracket, you said that you used clear zinc. What manufacturer did you purchase from? That assembly looks great. The brake pedal assembly came out of my parts car. I cleaned it (glass bead) and painted the black side frames and pedal arm with catalyzed enamel. The clear zinc plating was done by Mid-State Plating in Flint, MI. I have also been use Williams Finishing in Livonia, MI. There are many platers in my area that will plate clear zinc, zinc di-chromate ("yellow zinc") and gray or black phosphate for a minimum charge of $75 to $100 per coating process. Usually, 2 or 3 of us car nuts will pull together a large batch of parts for plating. By combining parts for 2 or 3 vehicles, we can get all the desired coatings and save on the total bill. Edited November 15, 2017 by 95Cardinal Spelling (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 On 8/20/2017 at 11:02 PM, 95Cardinal said: This photo shows the tailpipe hanger under the rear chassis cross-member. New rubber and new rivets for all the hangers. Really looking awesome! Can you tell me where you got the large rivets from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted November 15, 2017 Author Share Posted November 15, 2017 7 hours ago, lancemb said: Really looking awesome! Can you tell me where you got the large rivets from? I bought the rivets from Waldron's Exhaust. http://www.waldronexhaust.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share Posted November 26, 2017 November 24, 2017 update Well, I was overly optimistic. The car did not get painted 2 weeks ago, but the doors, tailgate and hood got painted on Wednesday, the day before US Thanksgiving: I think the color looks great! Back in my garage, I continue to rebuild, repair and prepare parts for assembly. Here is an assembled, rear-view, fender-mounted mirror. I think these are SO cool. I made patch panels to replace the rusted sections of the instrument panel pad carrier: Patch panels clamped in place and almost ready for welding The seat covers and door/quarter trim panels are in typical "desert" car condition. Brittle vinyl, separated seams and shrunken parts are making it quite challenging to get good sew patterns. Tail light lenses cleaned and polished, getting ready to install new sockets for the tail lights and backup lamps. Heater control lenses were disassembled, old paint removed, repainted, polished and re-assembled. Here are the polished lenses before assembly: More soon! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 12 hours ago, 95Cardinal said: I think the color looks great! X's 4 there Joe!!! Can't recall if you mentioned this earlier but will the roof be white? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share Posted November 26, 2017 26 minutes ago, dei said: X's 4 there Joe!!! Can't recall if you mentioned this earlier but will the roof be white? No, it will be all one color, same as the original data plate code NN. The color is called Garnet Red. Can't wait to see the entire car with paint! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 Just now, 95Cardinal said: No, it will be all one color, same as the original data plate code NN. The color is called Garnet Red. Can't wait to see the entire car with paint! And with all that new bright work too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted December 2, 2017 Author Share Posted December 2, 2017 It's painted! These photos above show the paint on the body as it came out of the booth; not polished yet. Here are two of the doors after polishing: After everything is polished, the shop will install the doors, lift-gate and tailgate. Then I'll bring the car back to my garage for assembly. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 Wow -- that car is going to be stunning! Great work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 That is awesome. This is one of the most satisfying times for me during a restoration. Once the paint is on, it's such a lifting moment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 It is looking beautiful! Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1957buickjim Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 Joe, looks fabulous! Can't wait to see it in person! WOW!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now