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1958 Caballero


95Cardinal

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Wow -- beautiful!  Where did you get the pleated vinyl?  It looks very similar to the pattern used on my '74 Glastron GT-150.  I need to reupholster the original seats and would like to match the material as closely as possible.

 

 

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1 hour ago, EmTee said:

Wow -- beautiful!  Where did you get the pleated vinyl?  It looks very similar to the pattern used on my '74 Glastron GT-150.  I need to reupholster the original seats and would like to match the material as closely as possible.

 

 

DSC01704.JPG

 

I bought the vinyl from Original Interiors and I had it embossed by a manufacturer who makes automotive trim.

 

If you search for embossed vinyl boat trim, you should be able to find a distributor of embossed marine vinyl.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Work continues on the rear door trim panels....

Test fitting the upper trim assembly.

All the tan and beige vinyl components are mounted to a .030" thick hardboard foundation, which is then mounted to the main substrate panel.44703738241_bc00b2329a_b.jpg

 

Mocked up in the car:

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Those wrinkles around the upper, front and rear edges are there because the perimeter vinyl hasn't been edgefolded to the main substrate yet.

 

Satisfied with the progress on the right rear door, I started on the left rear.

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Then, mocked up quarter trim panels to verify the shape and the color split lines.

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This is what came in the car, so I had to do a lot of interpolation:

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I didn't like the loose appearance of the cover, so I kept fine-tuning the substrate and cover to improve the fit.

 

More progress on the rear door trim. 
I pre-assembled the 2 bottom sections in preparation for sewing them to the main panel.

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I've been looking for an industrial sewing machine to be able to do more of my own trim work. 57BuickJim and I went in on this Singer 111W155 "walking foot" machine.

It will sew stuff that my little home machine could only dream of!

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Pre-installed the lower trim to the door panel with staples that will be removed after sewing.44843041202_9652cfc1e8_b.jpg

Ready for edgefolding and moldings!

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With the sewing done, I installed the metal edging to the substrates. I had to stop all the sew lines short of the edges to allow for installation of the edging. I tied off the stitch lines to keep them from unraveling and handstitched the outermost inch of the trim so the edgefolded panels would have the correct appearance. I also had to replace several of the attaching "nails" where the originals were broken or missing. Turns out they are standard 1" ring shank nails!

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The steel edging gives a smooth appearance to the perimeter of the panel and also incorporates barbs to retain the vinyl as it is edgefolded around the back of the panel.44844707272_6031ea587d_b.jpg


 

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10 hours ago, kgreen said:

I've also bought tools that got used once:

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This kids can figure out what to do with this later...

Hopefully, it will be a long time before the kids have to deal with it!

I plan to use it for this car and the next 2 cars that are waiting "on deck". The machine's co-owner also has 2 interiors to do.

We'll keep it busy for a while!

Edited by 95Cardinal (see edit history)
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11 hours ago, 95Cardinal said:

Hopefully, it will be a long time before the kids have to deal with it!

I plan to use it for this car and the next 2 cars that are waiting "on deck". The machine's co-owner also has 2 interiors to do.

We'll keep it busy for a while!

 

That is terrific news, really it is!  I'll want to follow both y'alls cars during the process and certainly want to see this Cabellero in person when complete.  This is an incredibly beautiful car.

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4 hours ago, kgreen said:

 

That is terrific news, really it is!  I'll want to follow both y'alls cars during the process and certainly want to see this Cabellero in person when complete.  This is an incredibly beautiful car.

Thanks!

Hopefully you'll see it somewhere in our travels.

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These wagons were equipped with molded, perforated hardboard headliner panels. Pete Phillips (Buick Bugle Editor) had previously posted on the AACA forum about the difficulties he encountered when trying to install the reproduction panels. He used a steamer to soften the hardboard panels, but they still cracked. He also shared that the plastic retainers also fractured when he tried to install them, even though they had been softened with a lengthy exposure to hot, Texas sun.

Based on Pete's experience, I asked around for ideas. Larry Schramm and another restorer friend of mine both recommended steaming the panels in a steam chamber to soften them before trying to install them.


Here's the steam box I built. In the plastic bag are 57BuickJim's panels from one of his wagons; I planned to use them as patterns.

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I decided to use the steel retainers as patterns  instead of risking any damage to Jim's parts.

I used the retainers to make a pattern to pre-form the headliner panels.

 

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It's a piece of luaun underlayment, attached to a pair of 1X8 boards in the desired shape of the headliner panels.

I didn't worry about making a form for each panel; I knew the parts would be "close enough" if I used an average shape.

 

In this photo, you can see the relief slots I cut to enable bending the luaun to shape.

I cut through 2 of the 3 payers of the underlayment so it would easily flex, then screwed the luaun to the 1x8s.

 

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Here's the form installed in the steam box.

I lined the box with 6 mil plastic film and laid a sheet of plastic film between the pattern and the part being steamed.

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Lid on the box and steam nozzle inserted in the side of the box:

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If you look closely at the far corner of the box, close to the roll of blue paper towels, you can see steam wafting out from the lid.

 

The steam generator is this little beauty:

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It is marketed as a weed killer!

It will generate steam at about 300F and up to 65psi.

It worked great to supply steam for the chamber. After a few minutes in the box, the panels were quite flexible.

I loaded them into the car and help them in position until they dried, using a variety of implements.

The crutches worked great!

 

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The soft pads helped protect the painted surface of the panels.

I also used spring clamps and short pieces of the plastic retainer to keep things in place.

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After allowing the panels to dry completely, I proceeded to install the retainers.

 

When I looked at the way the panels and retainers are installed, it appeared that the installation sequence had to begin at the windshield and progress to the rear of the car.

To begin, I had to button up the dash and install the windshield garnish moldings and visor brackets.

Before installing the upper dash panel, I finished up the wiring and added redundant grounds to the instrument panel and radio circuits. 

My previous experience has taught me that I can't rely on good ground connections through all the epoxy primers, powder coating and layers of paint on restored parts.

I add terminal strips that connect the individual device or circuit grounds directly to the body or frame. In this case, the terminal strip is connecting the instrument cluster/gauges/dash lights/radio and antenna ground strap to one of the IP to firewall brace attachments, which was cleaned to provide a good metal-to-metal connection.

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New speaker mounted to the upper panel

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It took me a long time - an MANY tries - to install the upper panel to the IP carrier with an acceptable fit to the dash pad.

This is one of the early trials:

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Getting close!

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Before installing the first (front) panel, the windshield reveal moldings must be installed.

The reveal molding clips are attached to the body by studs that go through the windshield header.

The attaching nuts are installed through clearance holes in the windshield header, above the headliner panel.

Here are 3 of the reveal molding clips and the flange nuts that are used to retain the clips.

You can see a little bit of black sealer on one of the nuts; that is how I kept the flange nuts from dropping off the nut driver and falling into the body structure.

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Here's a close look at one of the clearance holes with the nut installed on the clip stud; not a lot of room to work!

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Exterior moldings installed...

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The front headliner panel is retained at the front by the rear view mirror bracket, the windshield header garnish molding and the sun visor brackets.

The sides of the panel are retained by the roof rail garnish moldings. The rear edge is retained by the snap-on plastic retainer.

 

First step is to install the mirror support and the two upper header garnish moldings

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The upper, outboard corners are also supported by the A pillar garnish moldings.

The garnish moldings are installed after the lower windshield base moldings.

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Between each of the headliner panels, there is a metal retainer onto which snaps a plastic retainer molding.
I found new moldings from another Buick Club member; painted the back side to replicate the original appearance, and I am installing the first piece here:

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These parts are quite stiff and need to be heated to allow them to follow the roof contour without breaking.

I have tried a home hair dryer and a heat gun to heat the plastic pieces. I found it too easy to overheat the part with the heat gun, so I will use the hair dryer on the remaining parts.

Here, you can see the straight, plastic part hanging down from the headliner.

Heating the part allowed me to shape it tightly to the roof, and then I had to trim it to the proper length to fit tightly into the end cap at the roof rail molding.

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Here's the passenger side of the completed installation.

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And a look at the driver's side, showing the end cap above the roof rail molding:

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Second panel is retained by the plastic retainer shared with the front panel, the roof rail moldings and another plastic retainer at the rear edge.

This is the panel that will hold the dome light.

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Two panels down, 3 to go!

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  • 2 weeks later...

The rest of the headliner installation went well; no broken panels, no cracked or broken retainers. 
I think it turned out great.

I am SO glad this is done!

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One of the things I forgot to show previously is the "anti-rattle" felt pads I installed on the instrument panel, dash panel and windshield lower garnish moldings. These small pieces of adhesive-backed felt were applied to all the the metal-to-metal interfaces.

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The fender-mounted rear view mirrors are installed, too.
These are the Buick Accessory mirrors; I think they are very cool.

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Next step is to install the quarter windows. 

After looking at the fit of the gasket to the inner quarter panel, it appears that the upper reveal molding retainers must be installed before the glass is installed. 

Here's the driver's side reveal molding in position. There are 2 separate moldings nested together and retained by a set of clips that go through both moldings and through mating holes in the upper sash.

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The clips have studs approximately 2 1/2" long which are retained to the vehicle with brass barrel nuts.

 

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I tried to fit the glass into the openings (with help!) 3 times...no luck.

I asked the pro who installed the windshield and liftgate glass to give me some guidance. We tried to load the glass into the opening and he told me that the aftermarket gasket needs to be trimmed. Another project for another day...

Edited by 95Cardinal (see edit history)
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  • 3 weeks later...

The tail light housings should be back from chrome plating soon, so it's time to get the sockets, pigtails and lenses ready.

Here is one of the original tail light pigtail & socket assemblies and the new replacement. 

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I removed the grommets from the original parts and installed them on the new pigtails

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I also had to replace the terminals and pigtails in the license lamp sockets. The rear bumper was removed without first disconnecting the license lamps from the body harness.

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All better!

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So many things to finish!
Here, you can see the vinyl cover prepared for adhering to the driver's side kick panel.

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Sprayed contact adhesive on both parts, trimmed & wrapped the edges and used a rubber roller to apply enough pressure to set the adhesive bond.

Here's the driver's side as installed:

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Passenger panel ready fpr bonding:

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Assembled with 2-part rivets and installed in the car:

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Months ago, I partially assembled the rear door trim panels. I recently installed the metal edgefold retainers and bonded the material around the perimeter.

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The panel did not fit properly; I had not noticed that the attaching "nails" were not all equidistant from the edge of the panel.

There at least 3 different dimensions for the position of the nails from the edge of the panel. 

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Compounding the problem...I used aftermarket repair parts to replace the missing nails; there are multiple versions of these parts as well.

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I removed the edgefold reinforcements and test-fit the panel again. 

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Even without the nails, the base panel does not fit properly. Re-checking dimensions, I found the armrest was installed too low on the panel, driving the panel too high on the door when installed.

Lesson learned: I had assembled the trim panel without installing the armrest attaching plate to the door inner panel. Dumb mistake...I know better.

The "fix" will require re-working the armrest position and revising the perimeter cut lines to accommodate the various nail positions.

I'm glad I found this before I made the same error on all 4 doors...

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Beautiful work, Sir!

 

Heads up........Those big ole 58 tail lamp housings use only the two long studs as the ground to the body.

Ensure that those threaded ends are bare metal contact or you’ll experience the “Floating ground ghosts”

with the tail/brake lights. I actually added a short hidden wire from the studs to the body to make sure

electrolysis didn’t creep in.

 

ask me how I know!

 

 

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1 hour ago, Roadmaster75 said:

Beautiful work, Sir!

 

Heads up........Those big ole 58 tail lamp housings use only the two long studs as the ground to the body.

Ensure that those threaded ends are bare metal contact or you’ll experience the “Floating ground ghosts”

with the tail/brake lights. I actually added a short hidden wire from the studs to the body to make sure

electrolysis didn’t creep in.

 

ask me how I know!

 

 

 

I will agree with you there Roadmaster75.

 

My Special was giving me issues with the right rear stop / tail light and realised eventually the top bolt was allowing the housing to move which meant the ground wasn't all that good. Sitting for 13 years obviously meant there was likely some corrosion too so removed the housing, cleaned the studs and reinstalled it which made the difference. 

I didn't do like you and put in an extra ground wire but will figure if it happens again, know what to do.

IMG_4002.thumb.JPG.ad2464413415a127f631b505500e0bf6.JPG 

I know Joe has posted grounding things under the dash from reading this great thread of his but with all the detailed work he has been accomplishing your advise might be timely (if he has not already done this).

 

Can't wait to see the "Long Roof" at her first show!

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9 hours ago, Roadmaster75 said:

Beautiful work, Sir!

 

Heads up........Those big ole 58 tail lamp housings use only the two long studs as the ground to the body.

Ensure that those threaded ends are bare metal contact or you’ll experience the “Floating ground ghosts”

with the tail/brake lights. I actually added a short hidden wire from the studs to the body to make sure

electrolysis didn’t creep in.

 

ask me how I know!

 

 

I agree!

I add dedicated grounds to tail lights and other circuits on all my project cars. Been doing it for many years.

My initiation into the joys of intermittent grounds was with a 1957 Corvette, back in the early '80s.

 

On this car, I installed new sockets in the housings and I used the 3-wire style, with a dedicated ground wire.

The grounds are being added to all the rear lights and are attached to the inner structure of the body, under the load floor.

 

Thanks for the tip!

Joe

Edited by 95Cardinal
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Lots going on recently...

Liftgate glass is IN!
I was reluctant to tackle this myself, so I got help from the glass installer who installed the windshield.
I was lucky enough to get a tinted liftgate glass panel from another Caballero owner (57BuickJim). His parts car had tinted glass and he agreed to swap it for my clear glass.

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Painted the wheel well trim to match the interior.

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Installing rear compartment load floor panels.

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This is the front edge of the rear load floor. There is a vinyl closeout panel that covers the floor pan from the middle of this part to the rear of the floor pan, under the rear seats.

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This part was created by using the crispy, original remnants that were in the car when it was disassembled. It got us close to what was required, but the patterns needed refinement.

I used muslin material to develop and confirm the revised patterns.

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Time to cut & sew!
I cut the vinyl pieces and used 2-sided tape to hold the hems down while sewing the hems.

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A hardboard reinforcement was sewn to the upper edge of the original panel. I incorporated a panel edge molding (sold for 1/4" wall panels) to provide a more defined, straight edge.

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The upper reinforcement is screwed to the waterfall, below the load floor. Then the vinyl is folded down and lays onto the waterfall and floor pan. The cutouts for the seat bottom stop brackets are made and this part is done.

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This is when I realized that I needed inboard stops for the split folding seat. This car originally had a full width second seat, requiring only 2 bottom stops. The split folding seat needs 4 stops.

Two pieces of 1/8" flat stock and some bending and drilling yielded these little gems

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Installed & painted, ready for seat installation:

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First test fit of the carpet...

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The "B" pillar cover panels must be completed before I make the final cuts and install the carpet.

Muslin test parts sewn to confirm patterns are correct.

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These were interesting panels to construct. There are hardboard panels behind each of the 3 curved surfaces. It all gets sewn together "inside out", then inverted into the "vinyl side out" orientation for installation into the body.

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Masked the pillar flanges and sprayed adhesive on the part and the flange edges, then applied the part to the pillar. The edges are pulled taut to the pinch weld flanges at the front and back pof the B pillar, then the painted steel retainer moldings are pressed over the flanges, trapping the vinyl in place.

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These turned out great!

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With the pillar trim done, carpeting and folding seat mechanisms come next. Most restored Estate Wagons & Caballeros have the rear seat stanchions bolted on top of the carpet, but all the photos of original, unrestored wagons I've seen clearly show a simple slot in the carpet, with the stanchion protruding up through the carpet. Like this:

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The folding seat frames can be adjusted in just about every direction, so it took quite a bit of measuring and trial fits to get the seats to appear level and even in the car.

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Initial cut around seat stanchion.

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I spent hours making vinyl "sleeves" to trim out the openings around the seat stanchions.

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In the end, I decided that the sleeves didn't help and they weren't part of the original design, so I removed the sleeves and will make the slots look as good as possible.

 

No matter how I positioned the rear section of the carpet, I couldn't get a consistent position of the carpet openings in the rear door openings.

57BuickJim lent me his new carpet to compare to mine. The length of the rear door opening on his carpet was more than 1" shorter than mine. 

To determine why the two sides fit differently, I folded my carpet over at the center line and found that the left and right pillar cut-outs did not match.44861311765_b37429509c_b.jpg

 

Trimming the passenger side pillar opening allowed the door openings to line up properly on both sides of the passenger pillar and door openings.

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I wasn't comfortable trying to sew this on my machine, so I hand-stitched the binding back on to the re-cut edge.

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The floor carpet is a typical 2-piece design. The rear section of carpet goes from the middle of the front door opening to the rear edge of the floor pan, under the rear seat. The front section of the carpet goes from the firewall/toe panel to the middle of the front door opening.

This is the pre-cut jute underlayment for the front carpet. Minor trimming was required at the bottom of the A pillar, at the center relief cut and below the steering column. Holes had to be cut for the dimmer switch and the accelerator rod.

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Front carpet positioned. 

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Next comes the rear (underseat) heater installation.

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On 11/21/2018 at 2:00 PM, lancemb said:

This car will be better than new...incredible!  I think I'd be afraid to drive it when done!

Geez Lance...don't tell him that!! :) Now he may want it as a trailer queen!! These beauties are meant to be driven, not trailered..

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This is what the rear seat heater looked like when I acquired the car:

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Mostly mangled aluminum fins, but the tubing looked good.
I had the local radiator repair shop pressure test the unit; it passed with flying colors.

It took a couple of hours to get the fins to this point. I used tweezers, a fin comb, surgical hemostats and very small needle nose pliers...and a LOT of patience.

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I worked on the fins until I could see air gaps between every fin, then a final cleaning to prepare for paint.

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Painted heater unit with mounting brackets, attaching screws and newly fabricated gaskets:45915366962_5ce6a39f10_o.jpg

In-cabin installation is quite simple. Each mounting bracket required 2 screws and there is one center clamp.45052395265_2b9b25ac22_o.jpg

I'm going to wait to connect the underfloor hoses until I have the car up on a lift.

Now, back to interior bits!

These are the components that will become the rear door "dogleg" trim panels. They close out the rear door opening, from the rear edge of the sill plate up to the roof rail molding.

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Top: stamped steel substrate (original to this car, with some corrosion repairs already completed)
Middle: 1/8" thick non-woven pad
Bottom: trim cover and windlace, already sewn together.
The trim cover and pad patterns were developed using the original "crispy" pieces that came off the car.

Trim cover and windlace after sewing and before attachment to the steel panel:

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One edge of the steel substrate has pre-formed lance tabs to puncture and retain the windlace. The opposite edge is bonded with trim adhesive.

Binder clips make great clamps for this kind of work...

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Ready!

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It's time to start assembling the rear bumper.


The brackets, ends and center panel go together first.

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Ready for installation...by 4 of us. Two holders, 2 of us installing bolts.

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The rear bumper will be one of the last parts I install.

Once it's on the car, it will be difficult to get around the vehicle in my garage!


 

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When I test-fit the rear door trim panel, it was too large for the opening and the attaching "nails" didn't line up with the holes in the inner panel.

Time to figure this mess out...

 

First, peeled back the edgefold:

45350469404_0f005c6aa2_b.jpg

 

Compared the right and left trim panels and developed a new pattern to fit the rear door.

I made sure the pattern fit both the left and right door.

Comparing it to the panels I made, I found that I had made a couple of errors.

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I had cut the armrest bracket mounting hole about 1/4" too low on the panel and I had made the perimeter about 1/8" too large all around the panel.

I re-trimmed the perimeter of the panel to fit the door opening with adequate clearance and re-cut the armrest bracket opening.

Then, I used the new pattern to accurately position the attaching nails around the perimeter of the panel.

 

The second test fit was much better than the first.

46037275742_ac7fd86394_b.jpg

 

With the nails re-located, I edgefolded the part and tested it again.

46037282812_c7b62a324a_b.jpg

 

Here's the panel with the upper moldings attached. It still needs the lower molding and the "Century" emblem added before installation.

45368986364_9133b82c22_b.jpg

 

With the rear seat structure in place, I could install the floor-mounted rubber retainers that hold the "legs" of the seat cushions in position on the floor.

The part in question is the small, black oval on the carpet, at the bottom of the seat support rod:

46224644521_14d6e0bc7b_b.jpg

 

I have 3 of these for the car. One is in useable condition, but 2 of then have badly corroded metal reinforcements.

These parts were manufactured by molding a hard, black rubber material directly to the steel reinforcements.

 

45342263294_a766a64224_b.jpg

Clockwise from upper left:
1. Useable part, with steel reinforcement painted black
2. Rubber portion of part after removing steel reinforcement
3. New reinforcement made from 0.040" aluminized steel
4. Underside of molded rubber, after removing steel reinforcement.

 

I removed all the dirt and corroded metal from the rubber parts and bonded the new, steel reinforcements to the underside of the rubber with a urethane adhesive.

After the adhesive was fully cured, I removed any excess adhesive and coated the rubber with "Bumper Black" topcoat:

32240085838_b7092206be_b.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

I had to delay making the quarter trim panels until the rear door trim panels were finalized. The two-tone split line on the quarter trim should align with the 2-tone line on the doors, so I had to confirm that location before making the quarter trim.

I marked the location of the 2-tone split on the rear of the rear door opening and used that to finalize the trim patterns for the quarter.

This is the preliminary assembly of the quarter trim, for mock-up in the car.

45195354945_f0fff1f647_b.jpg

 

And in the car:

45384352974_a006e000b0_b.jpg

 

I still need to add one decorative stitch line, above the color split. Just waiting for my friend to wrap up the seat covers so I can use the proper color thread for these pieces.

31169016317_c64dfddf99_b.jpg


I've learned to take lots of photos and notes when disassembling a project. I also try to retain as many original parts as possible, just in case they can be useful.

These remnants of the quarter window gaskets came in very handy.

 

45219259465_4588585547_b.jpg

The witness marks on the outer surface indicated the correct orientation of the exterior molding clips and the dimensions of the gasket helped indicate how much material had to be removed and where it had to be removed.

I used a fresh razor knife blade and a disc sander to shape the gasket. It took many iterations, removing only a few shavings each time, to get the gasket to fit into the opening.

 

44315527710_22a301af9d_b.jpg

 

 

31193074377_8903b965f2_b.jpg

 

When the glass and gasket could be fit tightly into the opening, I removed the gasket from the glass.

I applied a bead of bedding compound into the glass channel of the gasket and re-inserted the glass into the gasket. A small amount of bedding compound is visible at the gasket edges:

46097925472_0b1a28940e_b.jpg

 

With a bead of bedding compound applied to the inside of the quarter window and some liquid detergent as a lubricant on the gasket, it was finally time to install the glass.

img

 

The glass is retained by 4 stamped retainers on the inside on the body. The exterior reveal moldings are retained by a variety of clips and threaded rods.

 

46266827371_dd13a0bda0_b.jpg

 

 

32396564538_9205ac3425_b.jpg

 

With the exterior moldings installed, the interior garnish moldings are next.

 

45354218255_d56e8856a2_b.jpg

 

 

46266832511_cd0d61a6fb_b.jpg

At the front of the quarter window, the C pillar trim consists of one painted steel garnish molding, a vinyl-wrapped trim panel, the polished aluminum roof rail molding plus a cloth windlace.

The vinyl-wrapped panel is installed first and is visible as a sliver of dark tan between the upper steel trim molding and the polished aluminum roof rail trim.

Originally, I had wrapped the steel panel with a single layer of cotton felt and the vinyl cover, which was exactly as the original piece was constructed. The part was too thick and it couldn't be loaded properly under the edge of he headliner panel.

I had to remove the layer of padding and re-apply the vinyl directly to the steel substrate. 

 

46266808421_c0755bcf19_b.jpg

 

 

46216413692_4eb0d0b36f_b.jpg

 

 

31327972737_4eb575bbc3_b.jpg

 

 

31327971087_50a483b03c_b.jpg

I had not realized that the new vinyl was significantly thicker than the original material; with the padding removed, everything could be properly installed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Things have been moving quickly as I prepare the car for its maiden show. It will be displayed at the Detroit Autorama on March 1-3.

Early in December, I visited my friend Pat who has been working on the seat trim. He had completed most of the covers and we planned to install the covers onto the frame & spring units.

He had researched the correct appearance for the covers. Images of interiors of several other cars showed that there was a lot of variation in the way the trim covers were sewn.

For example, these seats look "overstuffed" and the french seams at the corners do not line up with the outboard stitch lines on the insert areas:

45957177464_7a684337c7_b.jpg

 

 

45768342195_d43a08f375_o.jpg

 

This seat has better contours, without the overstuffed look, but the upper (red) panel goes straight across the seat, instead of curving downward at the outboard corners:

46681946271_b4364a8376_o.jpg

 

Here is the 1/3 section of the rear seat back. The short , angled french seam aligns perfectly with the insert stitch line and the corner of the tan and beige joint.

The upper edge of tan/beige joint is contoured to match the images in the 1958 Buick color and trim book and images of original interiors.

32297674978_657a81cfa9_b.jpg

 

This is the initial test fit of the 2/3 folding rear seat cushion. Shape looks good, corners and edges still need some finessing:

46124479802_8b39cde4a1_b.jpg

 

Looking better!

45458378754_61e627e137_b.jpg

 

Here, I am beginning to assemble the 1/3 section of the rear seat back.

A perimeter wrap of non-woven polyester will help retain the shape of the side facings.

32322960828_9d89f7376e_b.jpg

 

Together in the car for the first time.

 I'm not happy with it, so I will disassemble it and start over.

45297258065_fb4b3a4cc8_b.jpg

 

But my granddaughter gave it her approval for comfort!

45325451905_2942df8efe_b.jpg


 

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On 1/9/2019 at 10:27 PM, 95Cardinal said:

I'm not happy with it, so I will disassemble it and start over.

 

Well, I understand and it is your car after all -- but I'll wager what you have now is still nicer than the way most left the factory in Flint...  The finish line is in sight!  ;)

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First step in assembling the front seat back was to clean, paint and inspect the seat frame and spring unit.

44385367900_03b6af2ae9_b.jpg

 

The transverse spring wire  that supports the individual zig-zag springs (essentially the lumbar support) was fractured and had to be replaced.

This frame came from low-mileage car and was in excellent condition. The clean, shiny metal you see is as the frame appeared when the old trim cover was removed!

It has been coated with a clear protectant to preserve it.

 

Initial test fit of the trim cover and side panel to ensure that all the seams will be covered by the side panels as designed and sewn.

45479383544_dfd561bb90_b.jpg

 

I installed the 2 screws that will ultimately attach the ash tray to the seat back.

Having the screw heads in place will make it much easier to locate the attaching points for the ash tray after the trim cover has been attached to the frame.

46187682992_e3486ca871_b.jpg

 

Visible at the top of the above image is the first point of attachment of the seat cover. There is a wire-reinforced upper bolster that is attached via hog rings to the upper frame rail.

The heavy felt isolator is installed between the two layers of springs in the seat back spring unit. 

The trim cover is drawn over the perimeter of the frame and retained with hog rings.

45514569194_0089f96eee_b.jpg

 

After installing the cover and verifying the fit of the side panel, the upper bolster looks loose and baggy.

The area beneath the french seam required additional padding to fill out the cover contours.

46707854841_868af9decb_b.jpg

 

I removed the cover and added thin layers of cotton/poly blend padding to better match the cover shape

31454049117_70f79c2932_b.jpg


After re-installing the cover, fabricated stuffing tools like these make it easier to manipulate the last bits of padding into the necessary position under the corner:

44590591270_66444fa4a0_b.jpg


End view of the seat back after revising the corner padding.

45333730605_53a4084f00_b.jpg

 

Front seat back, ready for assembly to the cushion:

45467849125_1c7108121b_b.jpg

 

The 1958 Buick foam seat cushions were among the earliest applications of molded urethane foam seating components.

The Special models retained the traditional spring and pad designs for the seat cushions and backs.

The Century, Super, Roadmaster and Limited models were equipped with foam seat cushions, but retained "spring and pad" seat back pads with rubberized horsehair pads.

I disassembled the seat frame and cleaned and painted the steel structure. Since the cushion frame had some surface corrosion, I used a more aggressive treatment and then painted the frame black.

I inserted a stiff reinforcement layer of woven carpet material between the springs and the foam layer, hog-ringing the carpet to the zig-zag springs to ensure that the underlayment would not shift with occupant entry/egress. The carpet replaces the original layer of cotton burlap, which had long ago lost its ability to support the foam and isolate it from the springs.

 

45467846185_4b6cee4835_b.jpg

 

New foam is installed, along with a layer of non-woven cotton/poly felt to retain the rear edge of the foam to the frame.

The felt also acts as an insulator/isolator between the rear section of the trim cover and the "bar cover", or rear bottom section of the frame.

45467850845_1232f0b71c_b.jpg

The foam is trimmed to shape and "skived" or contoured at the perimeter to give a smooth appearance of the cover after assembly.

I have found that an electric carving knife works great for shaping and contouring the urethane foam.

 

45467855495_9b6140c384_b.jpg

 

The pink chalk mark highlights the center of the frame and the center of the trim cover.

I always start in the center and work outwards from the center to establish and maintain the proper cover position on the seat.

46380311421_c9e5f45de8_b.jpg

 

Like the original design, I added a layer of padding and burlap above the foam, then applied the trim cover:

44563364210_0f5c75bd07_b.jpg

 

The first step in retaining the cover was to hog ring the rear "tie-down" to the lower portion of the seat frame, just beneath where the forward edge of the seat back would eventually be positioned.

Then, working out from the center, hog-ringing the perimeter of the cover to the frame.

After building up the assembly, I determined that I needed additional padding to get the required comfort, fit and appearance. The cover was too loose on the pad assembly.

45481020465_e03ff2b34b_b.jpg

 

I removed the cover from the frame and added a thin layer of padding over the entire seating surface, with additional layers around the perimeter to provide a more full looking perimeter.

45485363845_f8ce2520b8_b.jpg

 

The second build-up was much improved

45677295754_e304e30d05_b.jpg

 

Attaching the seat back to the cushion is accomplished with 6 - yes, 6! - 1/4-20 bolts.

31461338977_ef91f8d4cb_b.jpg

 

Adding the ash tray and robe cord to the seat back:

45684219104_9073e86fda_b.jpg

 

It took 3 of us to maneuver the seat into the car, but we managed to position it without any injuries or damage:

31468489607_e241f01655_b.jpg

 

It will be challenging (impossible?) to install the seat side panels in the vehicle, but the side panels are still at the anodizer's facility.

If necessary, the seat will be removed to allow installation of the aluminum trim panels.

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With the seat covers completed, I was able to resume work on the quarter trim panels.

 

First step was to install the windlace along the rear door openings.

32537230618_2a1f06a0ea_b.jpg

The windlace tucks under the roof rail molding at the upper end and is retained with trim screws to the inner "dog leg".

 

The quarter trim panel - now completed with the decorative deck seam - installs on top of the windlace and is attached with a trim screw to the inner structure.

img

 

The black line on the water shield indicates where the color split line is positioned on the rear door trim panel. The quarter trim and door trim color split line up perfectly.

 

And then, do it all again on the passenger side!
31473329987_96be852b10_b.jpg

 

Moving on to the rear door trim installation, I fabricated the water shields from 6 mil poly film instead of coated paper.

45689855504_f7a771b585_b.jpg

 

Then I re-installed the door handle and window regulator handle springs...

32541086988_8aaa788582_b.jpg

 

And the trim panel:

45690034644_e1c4eb2da9_b.jpg

 

The alignment of the rear door and quarter trim two-tone split turned out nearly perfect.

31473711817_671785e04e_b.jpg

I installed the door handle at the wrong position; another item to add to the list.

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22 hours ago, JohnD1956 said:

This stage must be very exciting!  It feels like you are just moments away from finishing it up! 

 

Exciting and more than a littl bit stressful...

It's amazing how many little details are still unfinished!

 

But I believe the light at the end of the tunnel is NOT a train.

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  • 2 weeks later...

For the past 4 years, I have been looking for one of the correct Century script emblems for the left side of the car.

The right side emblems slanted "forward" and the left emblems slanted "rearward". 

Since my search has not been successful, 57BuickJim volunteered to share his knowledge and skills in moldmaking to help me create an emblem.

He and I used the good part as a sample and built a silicone mold to re-create the emblem.

I was concerned that a plastic emblem might not be strong enough to withstand the forces involved in the installation process, so I made a sheet metal reinforcement plate to add strangth to the plastic part. This is my first attempt at the reinforcement:

32581356478_dacbc13ee6_b.jpg

 

Tin snips, a dremel and a set of X-Acto files got me this far:

31514070357_68b4d22c5d_b.jpg

 

The reinforcement didn't fit well, so I made a second one:

 

44677042670_dd58c44cec_b.jpg

 

I drilled and tapped six #3-40 holes for insertion of threaded attaching studs to the reinforcement

32627572388_0953873976_b.jpg

 

 

44683922880_ffe5244030_b.jpg

 

 

46449520432_f379d4050f_b.jpg

 

Here's Jim, working on the mold

45590385905_0d700a2083_b.jpg

 

Out first mold failed because the material was too old and didn't react. Back to the drawing board...

46451717382_a3760f4bc5_b.jpg

Jim made a second and ultimately, a third mold to replicate the original emblem

46601348452_869c181654_b.jpg

 

 

This was my first attempt to manufacture an emblem with the steel reinforcement

 

 

46601348352_b531868357_b.jpg

 

 

45738799945_1c4aa3d040_b.jpg

 

 

39688746353_cc856ff4a8_b.jpg

 

Then, lots of patience and grinding required to trim away the excess plastic

 

45739046375_4e891308d4_b.jpg

 

 

31712597537_86043570e0_b.jpg

 

 

46655606041_fee01a5e3b_b.jpg

 

We learned that we had made the mold too "deep" and the part was too thick. It would stick out from the surface of the door trim panel about 1/8" further than the rest of the emblems.

Jim made another mold and cast new parts made from plastic, without the metal reinforcement.

 

As of today (February 4, 2019), the plastic emblems are at Vacuum Orna-Metal in Romulus, Michigan to be vacuum metallized.

 

The craziest thing is...I found the emblem for sale on ebay about 3 days ago.

40023976243_f37c6e481b_b.jpg

 

Now, I'll have 3 to choose from!


 

Edited by 95Cardinal
spelling (see edit history)
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7 hours ago, dei said:

Question: 

With all the talk of 3D Printing, would that have been an option?

 

If you can find a way into a University department with a 3D scanner, that would be the most accurate way to go so long as the printer has the right resolution. Otherwise, you would need to remake the emblem in a 3D modelling software and then export it to the printer. 3D printing is also very messy stuff and can be very tedious to clean up. I think in this case, the cast emblem is the way to go.

 

Looks great by the way! You should use the part you cast yourself, the personal touches are what make the car, even if you know its only 99% correct.

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