Beemon Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 If I had the money to do it right, it would be Dover White over Electric Blue over Dover White, like original. I'm probably going to settle for a single stage that's close at my local MAACO, though (white/dark blue/white). Are you going to repaint yours original? or is the paint still good and only need a bit of touch up? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 8 hours ago, Beemon said: If I had the money to do it right, it would be Dover White over Electric Blue over Dover White, like original. I'm probably going to settle for a single stage that's close at my local MAACO, though (white/dark blue/white). Are you going to repaint yours original? or is the paint still good and only need a bit of touch up? I am going to do a total repaint. While I want to keep my car as original as possible, I don't plan on keeping the colors original. I do plan on a 2 tone scheme. Probably a lighter smoke grey over a darker smoke grey over a lighter smoke grey. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 Next up were the pair of door stops.Simply remove 3 screws and remove stop. Each stop has 2 grips on the backside. These grips are sandwiched between the stop and body of car. Keep these all together. Showing the removal site.Showing the stops removed from car.Overall easy task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 Next was the entire front seat assembly.My car has the manual seat adjustment. You can use the adjusting lever to get better access to the front and rear mounting bolts.I removed the front hold down brackets first. Just slide the seat backward and remove the bracket on passenger's and driver's side.Remove 2 bolts from each bracket. Showing one of the removed brackets.Once hold down brackets are removed, adjust the seat in the foward position. You will now have clear access to the rear mounting bolts. Remove 2 bolts, both on driver's and passenger's side.The front seat assembly can now be moved out of the car. When doing so, be very careful not to hit or sit anything on the under seat heating fan assembly (driver's side).It is highly recommended that 2 people remove the seat assembly. This seat is extremely heavy. Unfortunately, I was stuck by myself to remove. Did I mention my car is in a 10 X 17 carport and had very little room to maneuver? I had to remove this behemoth incrementally. I somehow was able to get it done however. Showing the removal site.Showing the front seat assembly removed from car.Overall, difficult task. If 2 people do this, it becomes an easy task. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Very easy one man job if you remove the seat back first. Unbolt the rear bolts first and slide it back out of the front loop brackets. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 1 hour ago, old-tank said: Very easy one man job if you remove the seat back first. Unbolt the rear bolts first and slide it back out of the front loop brackets. I would have much rather skipped the step of lifting and angling that big ole thing out of the car, then out of the carport and carrying it into the garage. Good news is that I didn't damage anything in the process...including myself. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 4 hours ago, Kosage Chavis said: Showing the removal site. I have to ask, pray tell, what is that fan assembly in the floor under the driver seat? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Treatment for schweddy-balls?? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 44 minutes ago, D Yaros said: I have to ask, pray tell, what is that fan assembly in the floor under the driver seat? That is the under-seat heater. It pretty much suppliments the cabin heating system. The other part of the heating system would be the windshield defrosters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 22 minutes ago, old-tank said: Treatment for schweddy-balls?? treatment for or cause of 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 6, 2017 Author Share Posted March 6, 2017 It was cold over the weekend, so it was only fitting to remove the under-seat heater assembly next.Start by disconnecting the lead wire and label. Note that this wire is held down with a floor clip.Remove the larger cover-to-floor screws on the periphery of the heater cover. There are 6 of these all together. Then remove the smaller cover-to-foundation screws. There are 4 of these. Also unclip the wiring harness from the cover. You will need to provide enough slack to move the cover out of the way. Be sure to clear the cover from the heater core after removing the cover. You now have access to the fan blade. Loosen the fan blade retaining screw shown here.Slide the fan off of its shaft. This photo is just to show what the fan motor looks like from underneath the car.I removed the heater core next, which is only held in place by 2 heater hoses. Just loosen both clamps and gently wiggle off. Be sure you have something to catch the antifreeze with. Once the antifreeze has emptied, you can slide the nipples of the heater core from its floor penetrations. Just gently pull the heater core up from the floor. You might have to wiggle it out of its place until free.Showing the heater core removed from area.I chose not to separate the fan motor from its foundation, but to instead remove the foundation with the motor still attached. Just remove 2 screws shown here.Simply lift foundation up and out. A lot of old insulation was still attached to this. No big deal.Showing the area with the under-seat heater assembly removed.Showing the under-seat heater assembly removed from car.Overall, easy task. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 6, 2017 Author Share Posted March 6, 2017 Next, removed the accelerator pedal and brake pedal grip.Just remove these 2 screws.Slide the "L" shaped shaft to the side out from the rear of the accelerator pedal. The accelerator pedal is removed. Simply peel off the brake pedal grip from the brake pedal. The grip is now removed. showing the accelerator pedal and brake pedal grip removed from car.Overall, easy task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 6, 2017 Author Share Posted March 6, 2017 Next, I removed what was left of the deteriorating carpet.Just pull the carpet at the front, making sure the holes for the accelerator pedal and high beam floor switch don't get caught. The rear portion of the carpet wasn't attached to anything. I also found this rear view mirror tag underneath everthing. Showing the rear carpet removed from car.Showing the front carpet removed from car.Overall, easy task. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 6, 2017 Author Share Posted March 6, 2017 After removing the carpet, there was so much debris left behind. It was a good time to clean this mess up with a shop-vac. This would also allow me to finally see how badly rusted the floor pans were. As you can see, my oldest Son finally took some interest in the Buick and helped out a bit.Showing a broad view of the front floor area after clean up.Showing a broad view of the rear floor area after clean up.Looking foward, front passenger's side floor pan.Looking foward, front passenger's side floor under seating area.Looking aft, rear passenger's side floor pan.Looking aft, rear passenger's side floor under seating area.Looking foward, front driver's side floor pan.Looking foward, front driver's side floor under seating area.Looking aft, rear driver's side floor pan.Looking aft, rear driver's side floor under seating area.As you can tell, the floor will need work, especially the rear driver's side floor pan. I just need to learn how to weld sheet metal. I am a bit pleased however. I really thought the flooring would be in worse shape than this. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 I had a little more time to burn, so I decided to start clearing out the trunk now that the cabin removals are winding down. Removed all weather-stripping.Removed the spare tire.Removed the car jacks. I have no clue if either of these jacks are the original. Maybe, someone could answer that.Old antique tire pump. I am pretty sure these did not come standard with the car.The previous owner had an amp and subwoofer, which worked very well. These were removed as well.I vacuumed up all debris. Next time, I will remove all the trunk lining and make bare. All of the old liners will be kept to template new pieces. Hopefully I can get more done this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Would need to see the jacking mechanism, but the one on the left looks promising. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) Triangular one on the right is like all 3 of mine...but the base is different. Edited March 7, 2017 by old-tank (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 2 hours ago, MrEarl said: Would need to see the jacking mechanism, but the one on the left looks promising. Okay, so this is the one on the left. It has square tubing.If its still hard to tell, I will post pictures of the other one. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 not a 54/55 jack like I ever saw before. But I have been wrong, wunzt. Jeeez that thing is scary looking just sitting there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 26 minutes ago, MrEarl said: not a 54/55 jack like I ever saw before. But I have been wrong, wunzt. Jeeez that thing is scary looking just sitting there. LOL. I will post the other in a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 1 hour ago, old-tank said: Triangular one on the right is like all 3 of mine...but the base is different. 40 minutes ago, MrEarl said: not a 54/55 jack like I ever saw before. But I have been wrong, wunzt. Jeeez that thing is scary looking just sitting there. What about this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 (edited) Got only a little while to mess with the Buick this past weekend. Most of the day was spent working on the family van. Anyhow, I removed both floor plates that protect the wireways at the foot of both doors.Each plate is mounted on with 5 screws. Unfortunately, most of the screws were too rusted to remove normally. I either had to grind new slots into the screw heads and remove with a flathead screwdriver or just grind off all the way. Showing the removal area.Showing the plates removed from car.Overall, moderate task. If you have no rusting, then it becomes an easy task. Edited March 20, 2017 by Kosage Chavis Additional photos (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 20, 2017 Author Share Posted March 20, 2017 Next was the trunk liner and associated trunk hardware. I started with this piece.Showing piece removed from car.Next piece.Both sides have one screw at the rear. Remove.Be sure to pull up off of locking tabs.Showing one of side liner pieces removed from car.Next piece.Piece removed from car.Next piece. Fold inward at the sides to clear locking tabs. You'll have to tilt and manipulate a little to remove.Showing piece removed from car.Next piece.Showing piece removed from car.Next piece.Showing piece removed from car.Next pieces.Showing pieces removed from car.To removed the spare tire mounting hardware, just remove cotter pin and slide the pivot shaft out.To remove the trunk light, just unscrew.Disconnect.To remove trunk latch, just remove 2 bolts.Showing trunk hardware removed from car.Showing a bare trunk.Overall, easy task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 20, 2017 Author Share Posted March 20, 2017 Next up was the fuse board assembly.I labeled everything as I removed each connection. My labels corresponded with the numbers shown on the fuse board. I got say, it was pretty tough disconnecting most of these connectors. Be patient and be thorough with keeping up with the labeling process. Showing fuse board removed from car. Overall, moderate task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Batiz Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Not sure if you've read my previous & first ever msg I sent to you about an hour ago but, I was rereading part of this thread & forgot that you had mentioned that you do already have a pair of those transparent air ducts for your factory A/C system. And that you stated that they do NOT fit your car? If you can PLEASE send me a pic of one of them with a ruler/tape measure next to it, showing its length, I'd highly appreciate it! That pair you have there MIGHT be the size I've been looking for! If so, I'd be more than happy to just "give" you the pair I have here (shorter & intended for a 1955 Buick Century), in exchange for the pair that you have there. Even trade? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 20, 2017 Author Share Posted March 20, 2017 1 hour ago, Sean Batiz said: Not sure if you've read my previous & first ever msg I sent to you about an hour ago but, I was rereading part of this thread & forgot that you had mentioned that you do already have a pair of those transparent air ducts for your factory A/C system. And that you stated that they do NOT fit your car? If you can PLEASE send me a pic of one of them with a ruler/tape measure next to it, showing its length, I'd highly appreciate it! That pair you have there MIGHT be the size I've been looking for! If so, I'd be more than happy to just "give" you the pair I have here (shorter & intended for a 1955 Buick Century), in exchange for the pair that you have there. Even trade? PM sent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 KC, be very careful with that trunk light. it's got enough mercury in it to kill 10 men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 2 minutes ago, Beemon said: KC, be very careful with that trunk light. it's got enough mercury in it to kill 10 men. !!! You funny Ben! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Open it up, it's got a mercury contact switch in it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Batiz Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Thought I'd write a bit more. When I came across this thread during a random search for more info pertaining to my 55 Buick Super, I almost skipped reading through the whole thread due to it pertaining to a Century but, as with so many other folks out there that have chimed in here & there throughout your Buick memoirs, I to conquer on it being well written and documented as you went along. The crazy part is, is that I'm quite literally on roughly the EXACT SAME STAGE of work with my own Buick! Crazy weird. Except, after I created an extensive, itemized list of the parts that I knew I'd have to either still obtain or have repaired, I instead just bought another 1955 Buick Super of expect same style, with factory A/C! I may end up restoring both cars now, one as all original with as many factory original bells & whistles as I can affordably acquire and, the other car as fully original with original "patina", leaving miner bumps, dings, rust & so forth with restored interior & driveline. I believe that I'll have to create my own thread here soon enough to cover all that I've done & as progress continues. Pic's are of my first Buick "then & now" (then, 2005 just a few months after the engine DIED, BADLY! And now, as it currently is). Last pic is of my "new" Buick Super that I just got about 3 weeks ago. I have a mountain of original literature as well! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 13 hours ago, Beemon said: Open it up, it's got a mercury contact switch in it. - - ->- - ->- - -> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 11 hours ago, Sean Batiz said: Sent another PM. A lot of us was keeping an eye for this car at the bottom when it was put up for auction on ebay. Send me your cell number when you get a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 25, 2017 Author Share Posted March 25, 2017 Awesome news!!! I met someone in Cali that has the proper factory clear ducts for my A/C system. It will be an even trade-off for the pair that I have, which are too big for my car, but will fit his. We are both sending off the packages this Monday. Very excited!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 As a newbie, I am having a ball reading through these threads and getting up to date. It's like binge watching a new Netflix series! Kosage, I love this thread. I have only gotten as far as page 7, but I am enjoying every page. You had me hooked at the initial post about your father and grandfather. What a great background for a project! I also really enjoy your mantra, "Overall, easy task" at the end of many of your posts. I have a '41 and you have a '55, but it is amazing how much I am learning about my own car. I am really looking forward to catching up to the present and then following the rest of this thread! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) 14 hours ago, neil morse said: As a newbie, I am having a ball reading through these threads and getting up to date. It's like binge watching a new Netflix series! Kosage, I love this thread. I have only gotten as far as page 7, but I am enjoying every page. You had me hooked at the initial post about your father and grandfather. What a great background for a project! I also really enjoy your mantra, "Overall, easy task" at the end of many of your posts. I have a '41 and you have a '55, but it is amazing how much I am learning about my own car. I am really looking forward to catching up to the present and then following the rest of this thread! Mr Neil, I can't tell you how glad I am to hear how much you've enjoyed my thread! I don't know nearly as much about the ins and outs of the Buick as the other guys pn here. I work on cars all the time, but was very intimidated by this one. So, I just made sure I took my time and accomplished "bite sized" goals. Going about it in this manner has made the process very easy for me and my hope is that this will give others (like myself) some confidence to take up the task of rebuilding, restoring or just fixing up a Buick. Whatever helps our little community grow bigger. I would love to see more of these old Buicks back on the road. You take care and welcome. Edited March 30, 2017 by Kosage Chavis (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Thank you for your gracious reply. I agree completely with what you say about giving confidence to those (like me, also) who love the old car hobby but don't have anything like the skills and expertise of the more experienced forum contributors. I like the concept of "bite-sized" goals. My philosophy, as well. I am now up to date with your thread. Speaking of goals, this is my favorite quote from you so far: "I just need to learn how to weld sheet metal." That's going to be a big "bite!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 Finally!!! I got my PROPER clear ducts delivered today (compliments of Sean). I cleaned them up a bit and I am ecstatic about them. Here's a few shots of them.I also went into the Buick to check the fit and everything looks like a perfect fit. Now, all I need are the scoop assemblies and I will have the complete A/C system. I know you all got my back! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Great story on the exchange. Ain't this hobby great? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Beautiful buick and beautiful work;)good luck for the future ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 14 minutes ago, sebastienbuick said: Beautiful buick and beautiful work;)good luck for the future ! Thank you Sir. I appreciate the encouragement. Take care. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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