SLP5357 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 (edited) This is long overdue! I should have started this post in early 2011 when I finally started the restoration of my 1957 46C. But first, a little background... I literally stumbled upon this car in January of 1976. I was 18 at the time living in the small town of Beaver, PA - just west of Pittsburgh. I had a job delivering a rural motor route for the Pittsburgh Press and it was while out delivering bundles of Sunday newspapers that I passed a large 2 story garage owned by an elderly gentleman named John Hineman. Mr. Hineman had an extensive collection of 1950's cars stashed away inside his barn/garage that he had been collecting for many years. The doors of his garage were always closed so regardless of how many times I passed his property, I had no idea what was hidden inside. One day, however, that all changed. Mr. Hineman, with the help of some young guys from his neighborhood, spent one Sunday morning pushing several of the cars out into his parking lot so that he could do some early Spring cleaning (January). As I passed by that morning on my way home from delivering, I literally came to a screeching halt on the road in front of his parking lot. There sat a 1957 Buick Special Convertible - two tone - Carlsbad Black below the sweep spear and Antique Ivory above with a black top and red interior - a classic 50's color scheme. The car was covered in dust and dirt but looked to be in very solid condition. I approached Mr. Hineman and asked if he would be interested in selling it - he informed me that the car had a blown engine, a rod was sticking out of the oil pan. He then related this story to me as to how the car ended up in his possession.... In 1963, two teenage brothers (I believe their last name was McKnight) were driving their father's convertible to a high school basketball game between Beaver High School and Midland High School (about 12 miles west of Beaver). Unbeknownst to the brothers, the car had developed a serious leak from the oil drain plug. They drove 12 miles to Midland and half way back when a rod went through the oil pan. Mr. Hineman, being a friend of the family and owning a tow truck, was called to the rescue. He towed the car to his garage and when it was determined that the motor was junk, the McKnight family signed the title over to Mr. Hineman. There the car sat for 13 years until I happened by. Fast forward back to 1976 - I told Mr. Hineman that it didn't matter to me if the car needed a motor. I had started working at a gas station two years prior and had access to the garage, my boss's tools and his expertise any time I wanted. I asked once again if he was interested in selling it and it was then that he told me he also had a 1957 Special 4 door sedan with a good motor that he would throw in. The asking price? $250 for both - SOLD! I spent the Spring of 1976 swapping the motor and transmission from the sedan to the convertible, but not before completely rebuilding the 364 and having the Dynaflow rebuilt by a local transmission shop. In the summer of 76, I drove that convertible for a grand total of 58 miles before deciding that I should have done a total restoration rather than just a mechanical restoration. I of course had no idea what a restoration entailed, but I started nonetheless. With the help of my older brother Jim, I began dismantling the convertible and boxing the parts. I soon learned that I had bitten off way more than I could chew and decided my best course of action would be to put the car back in garage storage until I had the know how and finances to do the job right. Funny how time flies... For the next 34 years, I paid monthly storage to preserve that car in the hopes that I would one day finish it and be able to enjoy it. I stored it in 3 different garages over the course of 34 years - the last being a 20 year duration over which I'm sure I put the garage owner's children through college - but it was worth it!All of the garages I rented were dry and had solid roofs overhead so my car stayed in basically the same condition over the years - I wish I could say the same for me!At long last, in 2011 I was able to renovate a garage at the rear of a 2 story commercial building I purchased in 2005. The building itself was a never ending project torenovate. At present, it houses my business (a full service print shop) and my convertible (completely dismantled). As stated earlier, I should have started this post in 2011, but better late than never! I'm in the process of organizing photos that I took since 2011 and I'm also trying to find a couple of pictures taken in 1976 when my brother and I started the original dismantling. I plan to do a retroactive post to 2011 and include some of those pics. Once I get through 2011 - 2015, I hope to do weekly updates. Please bear with me as it may take a little while to get everything together. Thanks for your interest and please stay tuned... Steve Poulos - Pittsburgh Edited January 2, 2016 by SLP5357 (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttotired Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Cool, cant wait Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Oh yeah! this sounds interesting... Looking forward to the updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLP5357 Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 I can't believe I found the pics from 1976 - I spent most of today searching for them and through shear luck I found them in a plastic storage case on the second floor of my building. These are the earliest photos I have of my convertible. I suppose this is the best place to start as far as documenting this restoration. My older brother Jim and I picked a nice sunny day in the summer of 1976 to start dismantling my car. You can see the two of us in one of the photos (I'm the good looking guy on the left.) We were virtually clueless as to what we were doing that day, but I firmly believe that by dismantling that car then, I probably saved it from the shredder - there's no telling what an 18 year old would have done to that car if left unchecked. At any rate, enjoy these pics - there will be more to follow.... Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 What did your father say when he saw that? I know what my dad would have said...move it no further than the curb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Wow! 18 years old and gutting your car. I love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Car looks good! Just clean the parts and put it back together and enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Beautiful! I LOVE the colors! Please update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARY F Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 great story. keep the updates comming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLP5357 Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 UPDATE: Once again I've searched the archives of photos past and present and located several that I had hoped to find. These pics are from early 2011 when I had my convertible moved from the last garage I rented to my own garage. Sorry for the grainy pics, I think these were taken with a Blackberry. At this point, I have several hundred hi-res pics to organize chronologically. They start in 2011 and run through present day. Most of the photos were taken up close and are the ones I'll use to help me reassemble the car. I won't post those, but I will post some that I took of the entire car in various stages of disassembly. Thanks for your interest and stay tuned... Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLP5357 Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 Sorry - I forgot to attach the pics... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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