Martin56 Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Hello, My name is Martin and I bought myself a 56 Buick special hardtop coupe. it'S a restored car but missing almost everything from the Heater compartment. i live in the Netherlands so over here I cant find the correct Parts. can somebody help me here? also looking for a good adress to Buy other Parts to complete my car. Thinking on kickpanels, rearview mirror, and more. greetings from the Netherlands, martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 beautiful car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Hi Martin, that's a beautiful Buick. To answer your question though, there are several salvage yards in the USA from which you can inquire about the parts you'll need. Bud's Salvage in Oklahoma is probably a good place to start. http://www.budsalvage.com/ But I do not know if they ship overseas. French Lake Auto is also another good place. http://www.frenchlakeautoparts.com/ Are you also in need of a list of parts? Or do you have that already? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin56 Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 Hello John, I don't have a list of Parts that I still need. if you have this for me it would be great! I Will ask this 2 salvage yards, maybe they can help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I'm sure we can help build a list, but we will need a few pictures first. Can you take the following pictures: The right side firewall, inside the engine compartment. The cowl, inside the right front fender area behind the passengers side front wheel well The bottom of the dashboard, right beneath the radio speaker area. The back side of the thermostat housing ( this angle requires you to stand by the right front fender, and shoot the picture down towards the engine radiator. The last picture is hard to explain but let me try. The best view would be if you removed the glove box first, because I would like to see what parts are already present inside the car. If you can remove the glove box then I'd like a picture of the cowl area right behind the glove box. take one picture through the glove box door, take another other one looking up into that area from the floor boards. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Nice looking car. Has the master cylinder been changed to a more modern type? It looks like a chrome one in the background of one of your photos. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin56 Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 On 22 maart 2016 at 3:11 AM, Buicknutty said: Nice looking car. Has the master cylinder been changed to a more modern type? It looks like a chrome one in the background of one of your photos. Keith Probably it is new, car have disk brakes as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin56 Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 On 22 maart 2016 at 1:10 AM, JohnD1956 said: I'm sure we can help build a list, but we will need a few pictures first. Can you take the following pictures: The right side firewall, inside the engine compartment. The cowl, inside the right front fender area behind the passengers side front wheel well The bottom of the dashboard, right beneath the radio speaker area. The back side of the thermostat housing ( this angle requires you to stand by the right front fender, and shoot the picture down towards the engine radiator. The last picture is hard to explain but let me try. The best view would be if you removed the glove box first, because I would like to see what parts are already present inside the car. If you can remove the glove box then I'd like a picture of the cowl area right behind the glove box. take one picture through the glove box door, take another other one looking up into that area from the floor boards. Hope you see something now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) Yes, I can see your car originally had a heater. I was pretty sure it did, as it gets awful cold in most States. So it appears you will need to get quite a few parts to set up an original heater assembly, but you have some of the toughest parts already : This picture shows you may need a new heater fan. It looks like the wire was cut off of it. There may be an electrical tab on the fan that allows the wire to be connected, but I'm not sure. You would also need a Ranco valve. that goes into that rectangular hole to the left of the fan motor. The heater hose would go to the valve and then over to one port of the heater box which is the black box tucked into the fender area. Then you would need another hose from the other port of the heater box to go to the radiator. That is unless the radiator was changed, which I suspect but can't tell from the photos. You may be able to leave the Ranco valve out of the system. I'm not quite sure what it's purpose is anyway. You'll also need a wiring diagram, unless the fan wire is just tucked away inside a harness cover or something. This picture shows the port off the engine which would supply the other side of the ranco valve. In this photo it looks like the builder installed a sender for an after market temp gauge or some other thermostatically driven accessory. You would have to disassemble that sender from that black crossover pipe. I also notice an electric fan which tells me that most likely the radiator was changed. The original radiator had a top to bottom flow radiator and the return line from the heater core went to a port in the bottom radiator tank. You'll have to see if your radiator has a convenient port to return that line to. If not, you'll have to fabricate an entry port somewhere. This picture shows you'll need to get the air hose that goes between the fan and the heater box. Most auto parts stores can help with that. If you leave out the Ranco valve you'd want to block that hole for it with some sort of plate. It would help keep rodents out of the interior. You'll have to fabricate that. Edited March 24, 2016 by JohnD1956 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 This picture shows you'll have to get the HVAC distribution manifold. That is the main valve work for distributing the heated air to the defroster and or heater ducts. This may have to come from a Buick Special or Century. It must be a 1956 part. The good news is you have a heater core. Those bolts ( six of them) hold on the heater box seen in previous pictures. You may want to pull that core out and have it tested for leaks before doing anything else. Here's a suggestion. Stuff an old blanket in the fender well below the heater box. Then remove those six bolts and gently push the heater core towards the outside of the car. You may have to remove the fan from under the hood but the box and core should come out through that narrow opening without removing the fender. The blanket will keep the box and core from dropping into the fender well and damaging something. It helps get the core in place when reinstalling too. This picture looks like the builder gutted the HVAC controls. I don't see the knobs or the fan switch. That unit will most likely have to be replaced. There are two slide switches which go to the HVAC Valve assembly inside the car. The one switch directs the air flow to the heater or turns the air flow off. The other slide switch will control a door on the heated air side of the box, which adjusts the temperature. There is a knob that pulls out to send the air flow to the defrosters. And there is a fan switch. I see the light is there for when the instrument panel lights are turned on. But you'll probably get that with a replacement unit too. In addition to these parts there are smaller air duct tubes that would go on the inside behind the dashboard. The drivers side duct is hooked up to a center distribution block which contains the outlet at the floor for the heater. I can't tell if you have that distribution block or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Upon further review of your original pictures, it looks like you have the original radiator. So that's good news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) I know its kind of unrelated to the heating issue, but you may want to buy a new fuel filter. They're usually yellow and yours is brown. In the same picture, it looks like your vacuum tubing for your whipers is also crushed or collapsed, which would lead me to believe it's not vacuum tubing but rather fluid tubing and should probably also be replaced. Edited March 24, 2016 by Beemon (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) Beemon, those look like wires, not tubing. It actually looks like the wiper is missing. Edited March 24, 2016 by buick5563 Autocorrect (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) deleted... Edited March 24, 2016 by JohnD1956 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin56 Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 45 minutes ago, buick5563 said: Beemon, those look like wires, not tubing. It actually looks like the wiper is missing. Now this car have electric wipers. and I Will check the feul filter as Well, last owner told me there was a lot of dirt in the feul tank, he cleaned iT later. last owner was really easy with the cables from the Heater, everything is just cut off. can somebody tell if the Parts that i need for this job are availeble new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr. Buick Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 This stuff should be available from guys on the forum with parts cars. Ebay as well. Do you travel to the US? Best is to plan on seeing some member cars and salvage yards. I have a good working '56 fan motor for you if yours is not working. Send me a private message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialEducation Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 As luck would have it, Dad recently snapped a couple pix for someone who was trying to figure out how this all related: https://www.facebook.com/1956Buick/photos/pcb.938625669546305/938625596212979/?type=3&theater The Ranco valve regulates how much hot water flows through the heater core. That coil of wire at the bottom of the box is part of the Ranco valve. When they fail, they like to leak water down the floor and into your carpet (at least ours do). Even if you find a NOS part, you are likely to need it rebuilt (those seals don't last forever, even on a shelf). We had a leaky valve, replaced it with a NOS valve, and had a wet floor again just a few weeks later. We bypassed the heat, and just don't drive it when it's cold. From time to time we have considered getting the valve rebuilt, then weeks like this happen where we've gone from a $500 project to fix a leaky transmission to a $1600 overhaul. Maybe next year... Your under-dash control may not be a total loss if the levers are still there. You can probably get generic push-pull cable and trim to fit, although I remember at least one of these is quite long (it's been 20 years since I swapped one out). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 With a $10 part and little time you can repair your own Ranco valve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialEducation Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I think Mr. Herman may have just about everything you are looking for... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 2 hours ago, SpecialEducation said: I think Mr. Herman may have just about everything you are looking for... Indeed, thanks for the recommendation Matt. I know I have the ranco valve and controls. I am not 100% sure on the manifold that is pictured 3 posts back, but the car has been mostly complete, so that's likely there also. I'll check and PM you some photos. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin56 Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin56 Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 Can somebody tell me were these Parts belong to? and can somebody show me were i have to install the strips between the frontwindow and roof? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 11 minutes ago, Martin56 said: Can somebody tell me were these Parts belong to? and can somebody show me were i have to install the strips between the frontwindow and roof? I know nothing about Buicks, so take my guess for what it is worth. The parts, to me, look like dash trim which go next to the windshield? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin56 Posted June 22, 2016 Author Share Posted June 22, 2016 No those are fitted already with the defroster outlets to the window Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Are they the trim at the edge of the headliner, over the rear 1/4/ side windows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Spare parts? I just searched my car up and over the interior and the only thing that looks similar to that is the front dash mold around the windshield. My car doesn't have a trim mold around the rear windshield and nothing over the windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin56 Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 I have some New questions about the buick. Since yesterday the powersteering pump starts ticking when I go straight, when I use the steeringwheel it stops. What could it be? Can I buy a complete rebuild kit or maybe a goo working replacement? Next question is about the dynaflow. After a 30 minuten drive with avarage speed of 30 mph the car wont go easaly forwards, it feel like it is ON the parking brake but it isn't. What could That be? And last, the steel wire at the back of the rancovalve, where do I have to connect That? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 2 hours ago, Martin56 said: I have some New questions about the buick. Since yesterday the powersteering pump starts ticking when I go straight, when I use the steeringwheel it stops. What could it be? Are you certain it is the power steering pump? That is under the hood and your description says you are going straight, thus in motion. It is unlikely you can hear the PS pump with the hood closed and vehicle under way. Does it tick when the vehicle is stopped and engine is idling? If not I suggest the ticking is one or more front wheel bearings Can I buy a complete rebuild kit or maybe a goo working replacement? Next question is about the dynaflow. After a 30 minuten drive with avarage speed of 30 mph the car wont go easaly forwards, it feel like it is ON the parking brake but it isn't. What could That be? It may be a bad brake line. Specifically one or more of the rubber brake lines that go to the front wheels, or the one that goes to the rear brakes which is located at the front of the torque tube. Have these been replaced less than 20 years ago? They can deteriorate on the inside and swell up causing the brakes to remain on when the pressure cannot be released inside the wheel cylinders. 2 hours ago, Martin56 said: And last, the steel wire at the back of the rancovalve, where do I have to connect That? Please be more specific. There is a copper tube at the back of the ranco valve. Is this what you mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin56 Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 I am pretty sure it is the powersteering, Maybe the pully? When the engine turns faster the ticking was also faster It was really loud, i stopped my car to check what that Sound was and seens to come from the powersteering. Yes it is the Copper wire inside the car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Could it be belt noise? Try spraying the belt(s) with water while the engine is running and see whether the noise changes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 5 hours ago, Martin56 said: I am pretty sure it is the powersteering, Maybe the pully? When the engine turns faster the ticking was also faster It was really loud, i stopped my car to check what that Sound was and seens to come from the powersteering. Yes it is the Copper wire inside the car. Okay, that's different than I imagined the situation. Can you put up a video of the noise? When I read the manual about the power steering system it indicates that no power assist is provided till there is a certain amount of pressure exerted on the steering wheel. This means when you turn hard into a corner, like for instance during parallel parking. Therefor when you are going straight the pressure relief valve inside the power steering pump should be opening to let the oil return to the reservoir vs sending all the pressure to the steering box. It seems unlikely that the pressure relief valve would be malfunctioning. And it seems unlikely that a ticking due to a bad bearing would go away when you are in a turn. I agree with Em tee on the belt. If that does not work then I would remove the belt and make sure the noise was coming from the PS pump to begin with. As for the copper tube, it does not get hooked to anything, assuming it is still attached to the ranco valve. It is coiled over and inserted in the heat duct inside the car. There should be a slot in the metal heater manifold which is attached to the heater core. The tube goes through that slot and is left free standing inside the flexible heater duct that attaches to that port of the heat manifold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Is the pulley loose on the shaft? What you're describing reminds me of the untimely demise of my original pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Martin, your technical questions would likely get more exposure, thus answers in the Post War forum. It would also help in future search efforts by others with similar problems. The Me and My Buick forum is more of a show and tell type forum. It's your call though a beauty of a '56 you have there by the way! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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