1955 Buick Century

[Kosage Chavis]

Got it working again.

 

 

[Fr. Buick]

Yes, that's how it is supposed to sound.  Good job!!

[Kosage Chavis]

I registered 3 Buicks on the Hometown Buick website today.  2 are mine and the other was my Dad's.  Do you get an email confirmation and is there a way to view the entire registry?  Thank you.

[Sean Batiz]

I’ve likewise done the same with my two Buick’s and was wondering this same thing. If that site has a viewing option, I certainly haven’t been able to find it yet.

[Sean Batiz]

Seems as though all Buick’s are idle for now.... 😔 Just wish we all already had every new seal &/or parts needed for our Buick projects, so we’d all have something positive to spend our ample home time on! And than, we’d come out on the other side of this crisis with a full fleet of beautifully restored Buick’s to once again, dominate the roadways everywhere!

[lancemb]

7 hours ago, Sean Batiz said:

Seems as though all Buick’s are idle for now.... 😔 Just wish we all already had every new seal &/or parts needed for our Buick projects, so we’d all have something positive to spend our ample home time on! And than, we’d come out on the other side of this crisis with a full fleet of beautifully restored Buick’s to once again, dominate the roadways everywhere!

I guess I am one of the lucky ones.  I have had a little extra time to work on mine, and am a bit ahead of schedule now.  I know spring is about to bring a couple outside home projects to soak up that extra time though. 

[Kosage Chavis]

I hope everyone is healthy and safe, especially during these times.  The Buick is somewhat on hold for right now.  However, I have some exciting news!  My Wife and I have transitioned from talking about a new detached garage, to actually getting quotes.  First order of business was to agree on the perimeter of the garage.  We are going to go with a 28 foot length x 20 foot width.  I wanted a bigger footprint, but our backyard isn't very big.  I have kids and want them to have a decent amount of room to play in.  I just need to be smart with how I build.  Which means, building up instead of out is key.  I plan on building a garage with gambrel style roof.  The first floor will have a ceiling height of 10 feet, while the gambrel roof will allow plenty of floor space and overhead that will serve as a storage attic.  I will need to figure out a layout for a stairway that joins the first and second floors.  We know where we want the garage to be built, but we have trees in the way.  Out of the 4 that we have, 2 will need to be cut down.  We are working on quotes for this too.  Money, is an issue.  So, we will probably have to divide this project up into 2 phases.  First phase will be trees and slab.  The second will be the garage itself.  I am hoping to get my Dad to team up with me on the build of the garage.  We shall see.  Although the garage might be considered "small" to handle a full scale car restoration, I will just have to improvise to make it work for me.  I am not too worried about this.  I will post the progress in my other thread, "Chavis Garage".  If anyone has advice or ideas, I am open to read them.  Either way, pray for me.  This is going to be really big.

[lancemb]

16 hours ago, Kosage Chavis said:

I hope everyone is healthy and safe, especially during these times.  The Buick is somewhat on hold for right now.  However, I have some exciting news!  My Wife and I have transitioned from talking about a new detached garage, to actually getting quotes.  First order of business was to agree on the perimeter of the garage.  We are going to go with a 28 foot length x 20 foot width.  I wanted a bigger footprint, but our backyard isn't very big.  I have kids and want them to have a decent amount of room to play in.  I just need to be smart with how I build.  Which means, building up instead of out is key.  I plan on building a garage with gambrel style roof.  The first floor will have a ceiling height of 10 feet, while the gambrel roof will allow plenty of floor space and overhead that will serve as a storage attic.  I will need to figure out a layout for a stairway that joins the first and second floors.  We know where we want the garage to be built, but we have trees in the way.  Out of the 4 that we have, 2 will need to be cut down.  We are working on quotes for this too.  Money, is an issue.  So, we will probably have to divide this project up into 2 phases.  First phase will be trees and slab.  The second will be the garage itself.  I am hoping to get my Dad to team up with me on the build of the garage.  We shall see.  Although the garage might be considered "small" to handle a full scale car restoration, I will just have to improvise to make it work for me.  I am not too worried about this.  I will post the progress in my other thread, "Chavis Garage".  If anyone has advice or ideas, I am open to read them.  Either way, pray for me.  This is going to be really big.

That's exciting news!  You should seriously consider building up another 2 feet to allow for a lift in the future.  You can get a 4 post rather inexpensively, and even if it isn't in your current plans, better to have the option later.  Just some advice to think about.

[EmTee]

My ceiling is exactly 10 feet, so that will work.  Of course, more is always better! 

 

[lancemb]

1 hour ago, EmTee said:

My ceiling is exactly 10 feet, so that will work.  Of course, more is always better! 

 

It depends on what kind of cars.  I can tell you that two 57 Buicks for example will not stack one over the other with a 10 foot ceiling when accounting for lift.

[Sean Batiz]

Rather than having a slab, have you considered a FULL SIZED basement, with the ground floor level having open pit type racks for the cars to park on & lifts incorporated above the racks? Sounds incredibly expensive but, really just a matter of figuring out the logistics of getting the soil removed and, proper retaining perimeter brick wall. Your neighbors will initially be thinking you’re putting in a pool!

[Kosage Chavis]

On 4/12/2020 at 1:49 PM, lancemb said:

That's exciting news!  You should seriously consider building up another 2 feet to allow for a lift in the future.  You can get a 4 post rather inexpensively, and even if it isn't in your current plans, better to have the option later.  Just some advice to think about.

 

On 4/12/2020 at 7:29 PM, EmTee said:

My ceiling is exactly 10 feet, so that will work.  Of course, more is always better! 

 

At some point, I would love to put in a lift.  I really don't know if I can pull off a 12 foot ceiling.  Money is limited.  Could I work a 2 post lift in with 10 feet ceilings?

 

52 minutes ago, Sean Batiz said:

Rather than having a slab, have you considered a FULL SIZED basement, with the ground floor level having open pit type racks for the cars to park on & lifts incorporated above the racks? Sounds incredibly expensive but, really just a matter of figuring out the logistics of getting the soil removed and, proper retaining perimeter brick wall. Your neighbors will initially be thinking you’re putting in a pool!

Yeah Sean, way beyond my budget.

[EmTee]

The point I was trying to make is that even a 10' ceiling gives you good room to work under the car.  I went back-and-forth with 2-post vs. 4-post and eventually decided that I'd sacrifice some under car access for the ability to stack two cars for winter storage.  I will say that access under my cars is really very good and I have no regrets going with the 4-post.  The one thing I did that I recommend if you go with a 4-post lift is spend the money to get the sliding axle jack.  That allows me to raise the entire front or rear axle to change tires, or work on brakes.  It can be done with bottle jacks on the standard jack tray, but the integrated unit makes it easy.

[Smartin]

2 post lifts require 12' ceilings

[D Yaros]

I have a 2-post and am able to store one car in the air on the lift and a second under the raised car.

Edited April 17, 2020 by D Yaros
Add photo (see edit history)

[Kosage Chavis]

4 hours ago, D Yaros said:

I have a 2-post and am able to store one car in the air on the lift and a second under the raised car.

You have a 10 foot ceiling?

[buick5563]

You can’t put two 55 Buicks stacked in a 10’ ceiling even if there wasn’t a lift involved. Building up is way cheaper than building out. 

[Smartin]

Looks like he vaulted his ceiling.  The shortest QUALITY 2-post lift I could find was a Challenger SA10.  My ceilings are just shy of 12', and I have about 2" of clearance after installed.

[Smartin]

...

[buick5563]

Also, I wouldn’t store any car under a 55 Buick on a two post lift unless you are trying to rustproof the lower car 😜

Four post lifts have drip trays. 

[EmTee]

You could look at using scissor trusses for at least part of the roof structure.  The amount of additional clearance you'll gain will depend upon the roof pitch you choose.  The downside of scissor trusses is you won't be able to use the attic area for storage.  But, you can do scissor trusses over 14 feet and standard trusses for the other 14 feet.  That will require you to place the lift in the center of the garage, so you'll want to install a 16' overhead door, rather than two 8' doors so you can pull the car straight in.

[D Yaros]

#1 - Yes, the ceiling/roof in this bay has scissor trusses, raising the height.

 

#2 - No matter which ride happens to be on the lift, it will have a heavy duty plastic drop cloth attached to the undercarriage to catch whatever/everything.

[lancemb]

On 4/14/2020 at 4:51 PM, Kosage Chavis said:

 

At some point, I would love to put in a lift.  I really don't know if I can pull off a 12 foot ceiling.  Money is limited.  Could I work a 2 post lift in with 10 feet ceilings?

 

Yeah Sean, way beyond my budget.

I understand money is limited, but it will never be cheaper to add capacity than when building your garage.  I built a 2.5 car garage at my last house, and adding the additional height only increased my total by about 15%.  If you are staying in that house, you'll be glad one day you held off for the extra height.

[Kosage Chavis]

Unfortunately, I found out that the city that I live in, you cannot build a detached garage (or any detached structure for that matter) taller than the existing house.  I live in a one story house with a standard slope on my roof.  I have 3 options...do a 12 feet ceiling height with no attic, do a 10 foot ceiling with storage space in attic or do 8 feet ceiling height with full 2nd floor.  I cannot have it all.  So, I will go with 10 feet ceiling height with storage space in attic.  I will just have to improvise with my restoration.  Either way, there will be no complaining over here.  I am thankful.

[buick5563]

Yo KC,

I know it’s not my house, but out of those three options, I would go for an 8’ ceiling and full upstairs for resale value. You don’t need a lift and a ten foot ceiling doesn’t gain you really anything. I restored my 55 in a two car garage with an  8’ ceiling. At that point, go out as far as you can. 😁

[EmTee]

Actually, 4-post lifts like mine typically come with wheel kits that let you move them around.  If you go with an 8-foot ceiling, then pour a concrete driveway/apron extending 20 feet in front of the garage.  That would at least allow you to perform under-car work outside (actually a benefit for dirty work) when weather permits.  Then roll it inside and park on it in the lowered position.

[old-tank]

1 hour ago, buick5563 said:

Yo KC,

I know it’s not my house, but out of those three options, I would go for an 8’ ceiling and full upstairs for resale value. You don’t need a lift and a ten foot ceiling doesn’t gain you really anything. I restored my 55 in a two car garage with an  8’ ceiling. At that point, go out as far as you can. 😁

But you made good use of the service pit at my shop!  (With children, Kosage should never consider a pit...besides the "city" would object.)

I have a friend with a 2-post lift with limited ceiling and cannot stand under the car --- he uses a wheeled office chair.

[buick5563]

My four post has the casters also. I don’t think without a side swinging door you will be able to get it outside since the lift with wheels under it is 7’6

[Kosage Chavis]

7 hours ago, old-tank said:

But you made good use of the service pit at my shop!  (With children, Kosage should never consider a pit...besides the "city" would object.)

I have a friend with a 2-post lift with limited ceiling and cannot stand under the car --- he uses a wheeled office chair.

Please do tell Mr Willie.  Roughly, what height is your friend's ceiling and what kind of a 2 post lift does he have?  I don't mind rolling underneath the car with a chair, as long as I don't have to lay on the floor to do work.  Thank you.

[old-tank]

2 hours ago, Kosage Chavis said:

Please do tell Mr Willie.  Roughly, what height is your friend's ceiling and what kind of a 2 post lift does he have?  I don't mind rolling underneath the car with a chair, as long as I don't have to lay on the floor to do work.  Thank you.

9.5 ft

[buick5563]

I don’t mean to continue this in your restoration thread, but think about how tall your car is and then deduct that from whatever your desired ceiling height is. Anything less than 12’ is no bueno for a four post. 
I worked at Willie’s friend’s place and it was a drag. Don’t do it.  

[old-tank]

13 hours ago, buick5563 said:

I don’t mean to continue this in your restoration thread, but think about how tall your car is and then deduct that from whatever your desired ceiling height is. Anything less than 12’ is no bueno for a four post. 
I worked at Willie’s friend’s place and it was a drag. Don’t do it.

That's because you did not get to use the chair.

[Kosage Chavis]

See, that's why I love you all.  After reading everyone's comments, I searched for a 2 post car lift for low ceiling and found one.  This one is only 8'- 10" in overall height.  So, maybe I could do a 9 foot ceiling and possibly squeeze in a 2nd story to this garage.  I understand I will never be able to walk upright underneath a car, but like @old-tanksaid, just use a rolling chair.  I'd be just fine with this!

[Sean Batiz]

Howdy! Just reading through these fresh posts and thought I’d toss my 2¢ in this wishing well! Just a thought 💭. This might not really cost more and, may even save you a few bucks. What about having one side as a vaulted, 12’ no attic, for lift space allowance and the other side, 8’ with storage loft above that side? Might have to build a retaining, “load-bearing“ wall (With maybe a set of doublewide pocket doors) down the center stretch but, in the long run, at least you’d be able to keep one side all clean and snazzy for storing your show car with your fancy framed Buick memorabilia on the walls, while the other side can be your grease-monkey side for all of the fun tasks!? The loft storage area could be accessible from the vaulted roof side.

[Sean Batiz]

Oh and one more thing to consider, if feasible, you will DEFINITELY prefer to have the garage door(s) open in either a split side-by-side barn style track or, swing OUTWARD, so as not to be in the way of your lifts clearance requirements. The types that spool up into a tight space closed cage are also nice but, as far as I know, generally cost an arm and a leg! Either way, glad to read that you’re back in the Buick game on getting some headway (literally, it would seem)! Inspiring me to get out there and do the same, ‘before‘ SoCal here gets hit with summer consistent TRIPLE DIGIT WEATHER!

[Kosage Chavis]

It's about to go down!  We scheduled to have 2 trees removed from the backyard this coming Tuesday.  Tomorrow, we go in to iron out the details on a contract to build a garage.  I have to maintain a strict budget to keep my Wife comfortable.  I am not getting some of the things I wanted, but I am not going to complain.  I am very thankful and I will make it work for me.  I will post progress in my other thread https://forums.aaca.org/topic/291868-chavis-garage/.

 

 

 

[EmTee]

Exciting time, for sure!    My recommendation: pay now for the things that either can't be changed or easily added later.  That includes any framing or foundation options that would require tear-down and reconstruction later.  Then add those 'nice-to-have' amenities later, when budget and time allows.

[95Cardinal]

Changing the subject back to the engine teardown...

I think your bearing and journal photos show an engine in very good condition.

 

Assuming you get the heads done by a professional shop, don't let them talk you into hardened valve seats.

The head material is a high nickel content alloy; hardened valve seats are not necessary.

 

Congratulations on the new garage!

 

[Kosage Chavis]

On 6/7/2020 at 12:45 PM, 95Cardinal said:

Changing the subject back to the engine teardown...

I think your bearing and journal photos show an engine in very good condition.

 

Assuming you get the heads done by a professional shop, don't let them talk you into hardened valve seats.

The head material is a high nickel content alloy; hardened valve seats are not necessary.

 

Congratulations on the new garage!

 

Thank you Sir!  

 

And no.  I will NOT let anyone talk me into putting seats on the heads.  The heads have already been done at least once by the previous owner.  Hopefully, none are on there now.

[Kosage Chavis]

Me and my two youngest went to Hampton to meet someone with the same car.  Car looks and runs great.  I think I talked with the gentleman for about an hour.  At this point, it's all motivation to me.  By the way...it is for sale.  I will post in the buy/sale forum soon.