old-tank Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 All of mine are installed and no way to take pictures. Try to get the remnants of those plates from your supplier. I had to buy the floor section with plates for mine...I will look in my scrap metal pile for that floor section that used to have the plates. You just thought you had the entire power seat system for your car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specalist John Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Hello I have a complete dashboard speedometer gas gauge free to you. I live in Portsmouth Va.john Nibblett@yahoo.com. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 4 hours ago, Specalist John said: Hello I have a complete dashboard speedometer gas gauge free to you. I live in Portsmouth Va.john Nibblett@yahoo.com. Private message sent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specalist John Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Here is the dashboard I have what about 20 bucks for gas 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 9, 2018 Author Share Posted March 9, 2018 2 hours ago, Specalist John said: Here is the dashboard I have what about 20 bucks for gas I have your 20 dollars. Although I have no problem coming out to Portsmouth. PM a number i can text you at. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specalist John Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 You know our area code. 513 3977 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 12, 2018 Author Share Posted March 12, 2018 Got these in the mail today. A pair of factory seat skirts in pretty good condition. Compliments of ebay.These come from a manual seat, but should have no problem converting them to a power seat. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 On 3/12/2018 at 11:43 AM, Kosage Chavis said: A pair of factory seat skirts in pretty good condition. I have seen that design only on 4-way power seats...something new everyday. Be advised if using manual skirts or even 2-way power seat skirts with 4-way power you will tear the back...they are different. I can show you when you get around to refurbishing yours. Also the usual breaks at the top where it hooks over the sear frame is caused by collapsed seat springs and padding allowing the occupant to sit on the skirt and breaking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 14, 2018 Author Share Posted March 14, 2018 3 hours ago, old-tank said: I have seen that design only on 4-way power seats...something new everyday. Be advised if using manual skirts or even 2-way power seat skirts with 4-way power you will tear the back...they are different. I can show you when you get around to refurbishing yours. Also the usual breaks at the top where it hooks over the sear frame is caused by collapsed seat springs and padding allowing the occupant to sit on the skirt and breaking it. The black pair of seat skirts came off of a 55 Oldsmobile. It seems to me that Oldsmobile used the same skirts whether the seat was a manual, 2-way or 4-way power seat. But just to be sure, I compared the manual black pair to the white pair that actually comes from the 4-way power seat I got recently and everything is practically identical. There is a very small difference with how the skirts wrap around towards the rear at the inner side. All mounting holes are the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 44 minutes ago, Kosage Chavis said: There is a very small difference with how the skirts wrap around towards the rear at the inner side. That is a big enough difference to rip it when operated. (Don't ask how I know...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 14, 2018 Author Share Posted March 14, 2018 (edited) 50 minutes ago, old-tank said: That is a big enough difference to rip it when operated. (Don't ask how I know...) Trust me Mr Willie, I don't take anything you say for granted. It looks like I will need to make a small contoured cut at the bottom rear side of the skirt. I will use my proper skirts as a stencil to make the cut precise. Edited March 14, 2018 by Kosage Chavis (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 26, 2018 Author Share Posted March 26, 2018 Yesterday, this part was simply given to me...a 55 Buick Century dash with almost all the pieces still on it and a fuel pump. Compliments of Mr John out of Portsmouth (my neck of the woods). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 27, 2018 Author Share Posted March 27, 2018 Also, Mr John introduced me to another Buick guy. He gave me a 55 Buick radioand a 55 Buick clock. Compliments of Mr Jimmy. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 You had better build some more shelves in you garage sir... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted March 27, 2018 Author Share Posted March 27, 2018 14 hours ago, dei said: You had better build some more shelves in you garage sir... That's already in the plans. Now, if I can just finish the garage. Seems like something is always coming up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 4 minutes ago, Kosage Chavis said: Seems like something is always coming up. Ahhh Yes..Life! May it be for only good reasons. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 About a couple weeks ago, my man John out of Portsmouth, informed me that a 55 Buick was being auctioned off. It turns out that the owner passed away and his whole estate was being auctioned off. There were about 20 cars altogether and I decided to make a move on the Buick. Last Monday was the inspection. I drove down to Elizabeth City, NC to look it over. Here are some of the photos I took at the inspection...As you can see, this is a 4 door sedan Century, early 55. The body is shot. However, the parts seem to be in fair condition and everything outside of the radiator is there...perfect for a parts car. Bidding started on the car at only $2.00 with the auction expiring last Thursday. I literally waited till the last 5 minutes to put my max bid in. I won the auction at $260. Messed up part was that I only had 2 days to pick the car up. Fortunately, my next door neighbor owned a flatbed trailor and a pickup truck that he so generously let me borrow. My Uncle let me borrow an electric winch. Saturday, my wife and my 2 youngest kids went down with me. It was just over an hour drive to pick the car up. I assumed it would take no more than a half hour to load up the car on the flatbed...how ignorant I was! Both rear wheels were frozen and the electrical winch was not strong enough to pull it in. Fortunately again, I had a patient wife, behaving children, a tractor and a group of really friendly men who helped me get the car up on the flatbed. It was a rough 2 hours, but we finally got it up there.The ride home was a bit nerve wrecking at times, but there were no issues....thank God. Once we arrived at home, my neighbor helped me unload the car, which took another 2 hours. We had to break both rear drums from the brakes and then replace the wheels that could not hold air with spares that could. Once complete, we were able to roll the car off of the flatbed and into the street. We hit the tires up with a little more air and we managed to push the car into the yard where it will rest for now. Job done!This effort, no doubt, was by the "village" and I thank God for you all! Most of the parts will be saved and stored, but there are some things on here that doesn't work for my car (i.e. sweep spear, seats, doors). These things will be sold on here at some point. Stay tuned and thank you. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 wow very beautiful cars ! ? it'is one very good project for restoration ! ;) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Take your wife to dinner!!! Good find and great parts car. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Looks like you found your power brake door car! It's always nice to have a spare carburetor and generator, too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 2 hours ago, sebastienbuick said: wow very beautiful cars ! ? it'is one very good project for restoration ! Thank you. Unfortunately, the body is practically gone at the bottom. 2 hours ago, avgwarhawk said: Take your wife to dinner!!! Good find and great parts car. She definately deserves it. She's been extremely supportive of this. Thank you. 1 hour ago, Beemon said: Looks like you found your power brake door car! It's always nice to have a spare carburetor and generator, too! Sure did. I am not too sure of the state of the power brakes, but I know the whole system is there. One reason I had to jump on this car. Thanks Ben. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Good score with a lot of good parts. Hint: don't pull any parts until you need them...it will be very valuable to know where everything goes on re-assembly. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 40 minutes ago, old-tank said: Good score with a lot of good parts. Hint: don't pull any parts until you need them...it will be very valuable to know where everything goes on re-assembly. Thank you Mr Willie. Only problem is I have to take apart. I can't keep the car sitting for too long. Got any ideas? Figured I could just do what I am doing with my main car (pictures, document and store). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Hide it, store at remote location... I have 3 55's and 2 parts cars and even now if I take one apart I sometimes have to look at another before re-assembly. And just a soon as you dispose of a carcass you will need something from it. Storing parts?....but can you find stuff again. I just cleaned a corner of my shop with 'stored stuff' and found some door trim that would have replaced a damaged piece that I just paid for a replacement. I usually give parts away that I don't need, but charge double if the recipient had the part and disposed of it. ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted April 28, 2018 Author Share Posted April 28, 2018 Fooled around with the parts car today. Tried to get the engine to turn over by putting a jumper wire on the starter, but no luck. No surprise there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 the Ford has the abandonment in the photos, they are for sale?they are beautiful , I've never seen, it's rare to see it ford in France they would have to sell next to my home in the south of France, I would buy one to restore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 5 hours ago, sebastienbuick said: the Ford has the abandonment in the photos, they are for sale? You must be referring to the Ford Thunderbirds in the background. That body style ran from 1964 - 1966. So-called "Square Birds". Those are gaining popularity in the US also. One of the most distinctive features of these cars is the sequential turn signals! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPy1cyvMSus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 13 hours ago, Kosage Chavis said: Fooled around with the parts car today. Tried to get the engine to turn over by putting a jumper wire on the starter, but no luck. No surprise there. Remove the rocker assemblies (stuck valves or frozen rockers will lock the engine) and then pry between the ring gear and block ( more turning force than a 6' breaker on the the front of the crank)....plugs out of course and tranny fluid in the cylinders. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Batiz Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Hello there! Been some time since I’ve last coined in on this here thread but, after your recently added page, I just couldn’t help myself! I chuckled at the fact that you ended up getting a “parts car”! Just like I ended up doing! Which leaves me thinking that just about anyone restoring ANY classic car MUST have a “Parts Car”!?!? LOL.. No, I haven’t created a thread of my own yet but, someday soon, hopefully. At least now, one of your children will have enough rusty parts to build their own “Rat Rod” as a badass High School car! ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 8 hours ago, EmTee said: Vous devez faire référence aux Ford Thunderbirds en arrière-plan. Ce style de corps a couru de 1964 à 1966. Les soi-disant "oiseaux carrés". Ceux-ci gagnent en popularité aux États-Unis aussi. L'une des caractéristiques les plus distinctives de ces voitures est les clignotants séquentiels! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPy1cyvMSus hello EmTee , yes indeed I spoke well ford in the background.in France it is very very rare to find an American car abandoned in a field, it is so rare that even a wreck will be bought to restore it.when I see in the photos the buick and Ford abandoned, I want to live in America to buy it's car to restore :) .thank you very much 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted June 2, 2018 Author Share Posted June 2, 2018 Today, after dinner I had some time to mess with parts car. My main concern was that the engine was seized. I removed the fan and put a breaker bar on the crankshaft. It took very little effort and the engine turned over with ease! I then removed the passenger's side valve cover to be sure all valves moved freely and weren't stuck.It looked as I expected. No surprise there. Turned the crank until each valve moved up and down. All valves moved freely. Nothing was sticking. I then removed the driver's side valve cover and did the same thing.All valves moved freely. Nothing stuck again! Good signs so far.I would love to see if I can get it started, but one thing at a time. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 Cool! you're still going to juice up the cylinders and turn the oil pump though right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 Since you are almost there, make sure to take that fan belt and water pump pulley off before even thinking about cranking that engine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted June 3, 2018 Author Share Posted June 3, 2018 5 hours ago, MrEarl said: Cool! you're still going to juice up the cylinders and turn the oil pump though right? Hey Mr Lamar! Good to hear from you. How's the family and yourself? Yes Sir...going to do all those things as you suggested. Mr Willie also gave me the rundown. I will be sure to follow all advice. Thank you much and I will post a video if all goes well. 2 hours ago, JohnD1956 said: Since you are almost there, make sure to take that fan belt and water pump pulley off before even thinking about cranking that engine. Yes Sir. I already removed all of the belts. Moved the water pump out of the way as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 On 4/28/2018 at 7:49 AM, EmTee said: You must be referring to the Ford Thunderbirds in the background. That body style ran from 1964 - 1966. So-called "Square Birds". Those are gaining popularity in the US also. One of the most distinctive features of these cars is the sequential turn signals! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPy1cyvMSus Thunderbird "Square Birds" were the 1958 - 1960 production models. The ones in the back ground are the third generation which started in 1961. They are the ones with the sequential turn signals though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 14 hours ago, RivNut said: Thunderbird "Square Birds" étaient les modèles de production de 1958-1960. Ceux dans le fond sont la troisième génération qui a commencé en 1961. Ils sont ceux avec les clignotants séquentiels bien. very very beautiful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Looks like it's trying to be an Oldsmobile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 Got these in the mail today. A pair of genuine Unity spot lights with mirrors. They are in much better shape than I thought. Chrome is in good shape and the light bulbs look immaculate. My Dad's car had one spot light on the driver's side, so I always knew I wanted one on mine. I found out that Buick offered a pair of spot lights as an option. I finally found a few pictures of these lights and I was a bit turned off by them. They seemed bulky and in my opinion, clashed with the look of the car. I took a picture with the Unity spot light next to the headlight of the car. These spot lights were made for this style of car. The contours and shape compliments the 55 Buick beautifully. I am very thankful to the gentleman that helped me get them. Compliments of Mr Rich! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Yesterday, I got a couple hours to fool around with the parts car. Before I dismantle the car fully, I would like to see if I can start the car up. I went ahead and removed the starter to bench test. Only 2 bolts hold it on, but the top bolt is a pain to reach. The starter removed from car...The teeth on the flywheel looked very good.Looking over the starter, I noticed that it was rebuilt at some point. The paint still looks fresh at the end of it and the gear side looks almost new.However, the plastic portion of the solenoid is broken at one of the smaller connection points. An overall look at the starter.I will do the bench test next time I get a chance. I have some questions concerning this. I will pose them in the Post War forum. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 Got a chance to get a closer look at the power brakes on my parts car. From the T fitting on the intake manifold to the vacuum tank, everything is there and still intact.The master cylinder looks pretty rough, but is very solid.The vacuum tank looks better than I thought and also looks solid.I know that the brake system will need to be refurbished, but I am happy with what I got. So...the complete factory power brake system, compliments of...an auction. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now