lancemb 874 Posted November 1, 2017 2 hours ago, JohnD1956 said: Something old, and something new! Nice mix Lance! Thanks! These shiny bits keep me motivated to keep moving forward with the rest of it! Plus, these small tasks are something I can do when I only have an hour or two. If I don't have at least a half day to work in the garage, it's not really worth the time consumed getting dirty and taking the extra shower, getting out and putting tools away, and sweeping up. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted November 6, 2017 (edited) Man, some of these front end pieces were the hardest bolts yet to get out! I don't know how I'll get the new spring in. The fork from the spring compressor wouldn't even fit between the coils on the old one, so I had a heck of a time getting it out. Neat to see the big area of nice original paint color! Edited November 6, 2017 by lancemb (see edit history) 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dei 3,235 Posted November 6, 2017 1 hour ago, lancemb said: Neat to see the big area of nice original paint color! And as I noted on my all too short a visit, the car is really solid given it's 66,000 miles and will be beautiful when she is done! Sadly for me, I think you will have yours done the way you are going before I get my Limited done... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old-tank 3,133 Posted November 6, 2017 11 hours ago, lancemb said: I don't know how I'll get the new spring in. Threaded rod in the shock location? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smartin 1,056 Posted November 6, 2017 (edited) When I did the springs on the limited with no front end weight, I made a spring compressor and used a combo of that and some orange ratchet straps from home depot. It was scary. I hate front springs Edited November 6, 2017 by Smartin (see edit history) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted November 6, 2017 (edited) 8 hours ago, old-tank said: Threaded rod in the shock location? Well that's basically how the spring compressor works. The issue is, unless the new coils have fewer twists than the original, the fork at the bottom, which has ridges to keep itself in place, will be too thick to remove from the spring once the spring is in place. If I can find one that's lower profile it would work fine. Wish I still had the ones from my dad's shop but I can't find any like them anymore! Edited November 6, 2017 by lancemb (see edit history) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted November 6, 2017 6 hours ago, Smartin said: When I did the springs on the limited with no front end weight, I made a spring compressor and used a combo of that and some orange ratchet straps from home depot. It was scary. I hate front springs Scary indeed...I nearly left the old ones since they weren't broken and am now regretting I didn't, but I'm past the point of no return! I used ratchet straps to keep it from flinging apart when I disassembled it but have no desire to attempt the reverse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted April 15, 2018 Ok, it's been awhile. Between family time and minor house projects managed to make some progress. Since last posting, I acquired a 2dr sed Special parts car and cut out some sheet metal, and resold it. The main things I needed were the floor braces in front where it meets the inner rockers, and trunk pan. This was a setback in time, but it was necessary for the sake of this car. I also got the last of the major parts I needed (not from parts car) - a perfect gas tank and correct wheels! My trunk pan wasn't beyond hope but the soft places were in highly contoured areas. After a little measuring, I confirmed that although nearly no sheetmetal is shared between the cars, the trunk pans are the same. The areas around the trunk and rear wheel wells are totally different though. I have managed to complete the rebuild of the front suspension. Next, front brakes will go back together and some wheels back on. Then, it's on to the firewall and some further details on front chassis. Gotta say, it's great to put a few new parts on finally! Also, got the trunk pan pretty much fitted in. It's not welded yet, but from a few feet away it's hard to tell it's not original to the car! I cut the whole rock-solid pan out of the parts car includimg the spare tire well. The original perimeter where the old pan used to be has been flanged a bit where the replacement drops in; this will ensure strength and take stress off the weld. The patching in the floors is complete too, but I didn't have time to clear the debris for a good picture before drop-dead quitting (dinner) time came! More to come...slowly getting there! 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dei 3,235 Posted April 15, 2018 Was the tire well part of the replacement bed Lance? If so, what have you done with the original? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnD1956 5,040 Posted April 15, 2018 What a torturous route for that front passengers side brake line! Looks impossible to install once an engine is in there. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted April 15, 2018 33 minutes ago, dei said: Was the tire well part of the replacement bed Lance? If so, what have you done with the original? Yes, trunk pan and spare well were removed in one piece. I had grafted a new lower section into the old well and itcame out pretty nice, but I didn't need it any longer so I sold it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted April 15, 2018 30 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said: What a torturous route for that front passengers side brake line! Looks impossible to install once an engine is in there. I have done it 3 time, but it never becomes more fun. It will be pleasant to do this one beforehand! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted May 30, 2018 (edited) We've got trunk! All welded in and turned out as well as I'd hoped. But wait, there's more! We've got floor! I have more pictures but can't post them with this silly new limit that's been imposed. I also have had the under hood sheetmetal parts sandblasted and have been painting them. Next steps include: -Dismounting the body and rustproofing the frame and underside, and replacing the body mounts -Stripping and detailing the firewall Edited May 30, 2018 by lancemb (see edit history) 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted May 31, 2018 Other side of floors... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TG57Roadmaster 248 Posted May 31, 2018 What a great project, and she's going to be a beauty. The car's Escanaba. MI origins explain the rust, which could have been worse, right? They use a lot of salt during the long winters in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. TG 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted May 31, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, TG57Roadmaster said: What a great project, and she's going to be a beauty. The car's Escanaba. MI origins explain the rust, which could have been worse, right? They use a lot of salt during the long winters in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. TG Yes, there was a little salt damage certainly. I think on this car though, most of the rust was from sitting outside so long. It was probably in very good condition when it was parked. Thankfully most of it didn't penetrate the surface. The dealer (Poff Buick) wasn't around very long and dissolved sometime in the early 1960's. I'd love to find one of the dealer emblems in better condition as I'd like to keep the emblem on as part of the car's history. Mine will probably cost a fortune to restore. Edited May 31, 2018 by lancemb (see edit history) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TG57Roadmaster 248 Posted May 31, 2018 (edited) Poff Buick, the "Upper Peninsula's No. 1 Buick Dealer" a cool post-intro ad for the '57sNewspapers .com. TG Edited May 31, 2018 by TG57Roadmaster (see edit history) 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TG57Roadmaster 248 Posted May 31, 2018 Escanaba had a Cadillac dealer, too, but I can't help but think your 75R would have caused quite the mild sensation there. Makes one wonder who the original owner was. TG 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted May 31, 2018 2 hours ago, TG57Roadmaster said: Escanaba had a Cadillac dealer, too, but I can't help but think your 75R would have caused quite the mild sensation there. Makes one wonder who the original owner was. TG Very cool ads, thanks for sharing! I'll have to make a nice print of these. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buick man 345 Posted June 7, 2018 … just caught up with your project .. . nice work lance …. and it appears the above ad aired just about the time the model 75.s were rolling off the factory floors …. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted June 10, 2018 I can't believe how well these cleaned up. Not show worthy, and fortunately I have new ones, but definitely good driver quality with tons of shine and an interesting case study on chromed pot metal survival! 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted November 25, 2018 Ok after what will wind up being a 6-7 month hiatus I am almost ready to get going on this again. I finally got it back on the lift. I don't plan to roll it off again until the transmission is in place, and I'm ready to drop the engine in place. The little winch I put on the front of my lift a few months back was an excellent investment I think. Next I want to lift the body off and finish some inner rocker repairs, clean up the weld on the bottom of the floors, paint underneath, and replace body mounts. I ordered body mounts as buick man suggested, and was going to use the same method to lift body almost, except all at once using jacks resting on my lift ramps. The main thing that has me nervous is putting too much weight on the rockers, since there are a couple portions that are not so great. I don't want anything to buckle! I have a few weeks to further ponder this before I get started. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smartin 1,056 Posted August 18 (edited) A month or two ago, I returned Lance's black Roadmaster to him and exchanged it for the coupe. Unfortunately, I had to stick this one in the queue while I took care of another 57 Special that needed a respray after a bad experience with another body shop. That project has to sit and cure for a while before I cut and buff it. So, I got Gray into position for some advanced rust repair. First thing I tackled was the body mount bolts and cage nuts. Four of them were broken off, and a fifth one just spun inside the cage. To fix this, the floor has to be cut open and the nuts have to be replaced. Once they are welded in, the floor must be re-repaired. I took care of all that this week. Next was the rear-most trunk floor brace where the rear body mount bolts go through. When the trunk floor was replaced, there was an attempt to put a patch in one spot, but the rust was much more widespread than originally thought. I had to lift the entire body up about 6" to access this brace and repair it. About half of the brace was replaced with one from a good parts car. Now, I'm onto the front rocker repairs. I worked on the passenger side today and got it completed. Tomorrow is the driver side. Both of them are completely trashed. Pretty much the entire nose of the rocker has to be fabricated. I wish they made repair panels for these. Most of the 57-58's I've worked on have issues like this here. There are lots of spots on the inner and outer rockers to repair...just tackling one thing at a time, since my time with this car is limited. I'm going to do as much rust repair as I can before the next monster project comes in. I have a year to basically do a frame-off restoration on a 70 GS Stage1 convertible, and get it ready for MCACN 2020 in Chicago. Edited August 18 by Smartin (see edit history) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancemb 874 Posted August 18 (edited) I realize there is sort of a gap prior to Adam's update. Basically, I realized that I was going to have a hard time doing the proper repairs in my garage, even with help of course (since metal work is not my thing) any time soon. I decided to try out a local restoration shop, and although they did a great job on what they did, I pulled it out before going further as they were very costly. Not just from the hourly rate, but apparant lack of efficiency (which I would be paying for). Projecting out the remaining cost would have set the whole project back another couple years at least due to cost as well as the time required to actually do the work. Luckily, Adam was able to take the car to finish up at least enough for me to take over again while he embarks on his next major project! Edited August 20 by lancemb (see edit history) 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
