Grant Z Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 Ah ha! Now I understand. Thanks for the explanation Ken. I have Greg (2carb40) looking for something for me now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 (edited) This past weekend I made significant process installing pieces numbered 8,024 through 8,568 of my 10,000 piece puzzle. I don't have photos becasue they would be boring. For instance, the speedometer clip on the frame under the floorboard, the accelerator peddle and linkage, the oil filter, remaking the missing bracket between the top of the filter housing and its connection to the spark plug cover, emergency brake connection at the rear axle, making gaskets, installing the thermostat housing, repacking the heater valve stem, cleaning and painting parts. I've further discovered that when the Chinese manufacturers use converted metric measurements to remanufacture parts, they round up or down indescriminately and possibly improperly. I had to shave both outer edges of my brake shoes to get them to fit instide the drum. I've not introduced fluids to any part of the car yet, that will be an interesting task to see where all the leaks might be. That does lead to a question about the differential housing cover. What orientation should the differential cover be when in place? I've seen the drain placed in the 5:00 position on a car maintained by a mechanic for whom I have remendouse respect. He says that gives the axle housing enough oil to keep the axle shaft bearing lubricated. But I've seen plently of coveres installed at the 6:00 position. What's the proper install here? The axle I removed from one parts car has the drain at 6:00. A borrowed image from a 1954 Buick shows the 5:00 position. There is no image or text in the 1940 manual to indicate the correct position. Edited November 6, 2023 by kgreen (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Buick 80C Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 so I just looked at my 38-87. it's at 6, BUT... I also noticed some "dimples" around SOME, but not all of the bolts. (for example at 11 and noon continuing your clock analogy). My car has a brake fluid junction block mounted at 10 and if the drain hole had been at 5 the junction block would have more room due to the dimple around the bolt that would have been at 10... for what it's worth... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted November 9, 2023 Author Share Posted November 9, 2023 Thanks Brian. The shop manual indicates the need for three pounds of 90W hypoid oil. At room temperature that is about 54 ounces. Going through a couple gyrations of unit conversion, I would need the carrier to hold 0.42 gallons/1.68 quarts/3.375 pints. I've decided to rotate my carrier housing to the 5:00 position and fill it with the specified amount of fluid. I can then verify if the 5:00 position is required or if the carrier can hold the requesite oil quantity with the drain located at 6:00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Z Posted November 10, 2023 Share Posted November 10, 2023 On 11/7/2023 at 1:49 AM, kgreen said: That does lead to a question about the differential housing cover. What orientation should the differential cover be when in place? I've seen the drain placed in the 5:00 position on a car maintained by a mechanic for whom I have remendouse respect. He says that gives the axle housing enough oil to keep the axle shaft bearing lubricated. But I've seen plently of coveres installed at the 6:00 position. What's the proper install here? The axle I removed from one parts car has the drain at 6:00. A borrowed image from a 1954 Buick shows the 5:00 position. There is no image or text in the 1940 manual to indicate the correct position. Hi Ken, for what it's worth, my oil filler plug on the differential housing cover is at the 6.00 position. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 The same is true on my car, with no indication that the cover has ever been in a different position. I think you may be overthinking this, Ken. I bet one phone call to Doug Seybold would give you your answer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted November 16, 2023 Author Share Posted November 16, 2023 (edited) I installed the windshield over the weekend with the help of fabricated clips to hold the gasket and windshield in place. Dan had set the windshield but the dashboard has to slip under the windshield. I felt it was better to have the windshield reinstalled after the dash was attached. The clips were 18 ga steel with a drilled hole, then bent into a 90 degree angle. With the windshield set into place, the clips were installed around the top, sides and bottom of the windshield. The clips were screwed in as I bumped the winshield into place until it was generally set against the frame. The clips were screwed tightened, but loose enough to allow the assembly to slide a bit while I wrestled with the center bar into place. The center of the windshield resisted going into place the most and I couldn't bump this. The center bar was eased into place using longer screws until the gap closed enough to use the permanent screws. The center bar got tightened first, real snug. I removed the clips and placed the garnish into place using tape to hold the top section in place. Previous to all this effort, I had blue taped the entire top of the dash and had towels placed over the steering column. The garnbish moulding provides the force necessary to press the gasket against the pinchwelded seam providing the water tight (resistant?) seal. Working from the bottom of the windshield around, I used plastic wood working clamps to squeeze the garnish into the frame tight. Being a convertible, the clamps were used across the top as well. I did not use a sealant, though some do. Later when talking to a friend, he said the windshield install is a two man job. I've still not learned to share! The dashboard is nearing completion, requiring the ashtray light, cigar and clock connections and radio install when received from the shop. The defroster and heater will round out the completion of the interior work. I have several radios and while they all looked similar with the speaker above the dial, I couldn't tell which was used on the 40 model. I sent the best looking one for repair and learned that it is a 1941 radio. After alot more research, I was able to identify the 1940 radio that I had in my possesion and sent that off. The dial is the same on this era of radio, but the case is different and the stud mounting location varies. For alittle trivia, the 1941 year offered a combination shortwave/AM radio. Anderson Pierson has one in his 41 Roadmaster convertible. https://forums.aaca.org/topic/186298-anderson-pearson-my-1941-76c-buick-roadmaster/ He has a beautifully restored model as you can see in the link above. Edited November 16, 2023 by kgreen spelling of course (see edit history) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted December 26, 2023 Author Share Posted December 26, 2023 Testing the wiring live: New battery from NAPA (part no. BAT 7248) installed. Testing circuits and functions where uop to this point I was just testing continuity. I could not get the starter to operate. Doubting my wiring, I traced back to every connection behind the dash. For those who are rewiring, the Rhode Island wiring diagram and the original shop manual diagram are helpfull, but not a complete source. The amp and fuel gages are critical to wire and terminal details are found in the shop manual. There is definately a difference between the left and right lugs on these gages. My problem was the NOS solenoid at the starter, which I was refusing to believe had failed. The relay tested fine and was within spec for contact clearances. I not sure how to test the solenoid as a continuity check on the NOS part matched an old part that I had. When I swapped the old part in, all was well. This is the part that doesn't work: All circuits and parts are good now and the starter growls to life. Next up was to prime the engine. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted December 26, 2023 Author Share Posted December 26, 2023 Prime the engine: The engine was fully machined and has not yet been operated. I made a simple tool out of left over convertible top vacuum line that I could mount in the drill by crushing one end to make a spade point. I added the length of heater hose to keep the spade centered over the oil pump shaft. Once I lined up the spade, the hose was lowered to contain the spade on the oil pump shaft. The pump did not seem to have any resistance, I wondered if that "new" part had failed? I had to leave this project as I was called to the family breakfast. The kids are in from out of town, but all I could think was oil pan removal. Wait, was I spinning the oil pump in the proper direction: no, I was spinning it closkwise. A quick return to the garage and reversing the drill, I immediately felt resistance, but I was not seeing oil anywhere on the rocker arrm shaft. I left the rocker cover off so I could confirm oil flow and find no. 1 TDC as the flywheel mark is a no-show. That was a similar problem that I had with the Series 50 Covid project that I worked on. Another ah ha moment when I realized that the oil filter had to fill with oil. A quick check there and indeed I do have oil flow. It's now the day after Christmas and the family will be out so I return to the garage to locate TDC for the distributor and finish fuel line assembly. I'm hoping to have the engine running by the end of the week. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 Engine won't be running by the end of this week. Hard to believe that I had to order flare fittings as no one had them in stock for 5/16th fuel line. Guess I'll move on to tasks that I wasn't looking forward to doing. Brakes: added fluid, darn I hate that stuff becasue it can ruin paint. Making sure to use DOT 3. Before I could get pedal pressure. My original brake light switch leaks around the electrodes, fortunately I have a new one with the screw attachments for the wires. I rechecked all other fittings for leaks, including my custom, made-to-order Chinese wheel cylinders with metric threaded bleed screws. Kidding. The wire junction blocks located on the radiator core also have metric threaded screws. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 (edited) Wire shorts: I had three wiring problems; the starter solenoid was one. Number two was the headlights and number three was the horn. The starter now works as intended. Let's dive into that horn problem. The shop manual does not display a good exploded diagram of the horn assembly and as my car came mostly disassembled, I had to track down parts and instructions. When assembling the horn ring, it seems the ring assembly allows little to no movement of horn ring. There is supposed to be a soft rubber isolator between the horn ring and the contact plate. Mine is rock hard, so until I peruse the isles of the local hardware store for foam pipe insulation as a possible alternative, my horn ring is stiff. The soft rubber ring would be placed here in the dark spot in the center of the horn ring: The assembly is shown in Section 13, Electrical as follows: Greg led me to the diagram contained in the chassis parts book which is a bit more clear. The trim ring is removed from the steering wheel with three screws with lockwashers on the back of the trim ring. The back of the trim ring assembly looks like this: The assembly, starting at the trim ring is: the wire spring, followed by the horn ring, the soft rubber separator, then the contact plate. Careful, the three stamped steel nuts holding the contact plate have two additional pieces used to isolate electrical connection between the trim ring and the horn contact at the steering column. The shouldered piece (right piece in photo) is inserted on the screw post before placing the contact plate. After the contact plate is placed, insert the washer (middle piece) then the stamped nut. The spring had a thin coat of rubber, not for electrical isolation, but likely for vibration or rattle control. I used a length of heat shrink tube to serve that purpose. The photos above were taken before the steering wheel and associated pastic parts were restored or replaced. Before the horn ring assembly is attached to the steering wheel, amother very important piece of insulation is placed on the steering wheel hub: Another problem that I encountered was dead spots on the horn ring. The contact plate should be spotless and the area shown by the tip of the screwdriver in the following photo needs to be absolutely clean as well. Before I could test the horn I had to reconnect the battery. This moment incited abject fear as my left ear would be about a foot away from the horn on the firewall when I placed the lead back onto the battery. Prepare yourself with hearing protection! Here's the finished product. I might want to rechrome the trim ring, but for now a good polish will clean it up nicely. Edited December 30, 2023 by kgreen spelling of course (see edit history) 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 (edited) Wiring shorts: Headlights fixed, just a misplaced ground. Turn signals: thought I was down to three wiring problems, but the turn signals don't work. I tested the heck out of multiple 535 bimetalic flashers and couldn't get any results. I have power to the flasher which is how power is introduced to the turn signals. Turns out I have a short to ground. I traced from the back of the car to the 6 and 3 lead wire connectors. One of my solder joints failed on the turn signals - though it was hallelujah - nope. The ground ended up at the gas gage. I removed the leads and still had continuity to ground on either of the posts. That shouldn't be. Bob's Speedometer rebuilt my gages back in 2020, but like many others, I am just now getting the car assembled. Talking to Bob's on TuesdayThis is a hard stop for the weekend. Darn it! Edited December 31, 2023 by kgreen (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 I wrap up a week off over these holidays hoping to have the engine running. Not going to happen, but the holidays were grand none the less with the kids coming in to visit, get-togethers with friends and an appreciation for all the friends that have helped me with this project. I'm at a standstill unitl I get the gas gage fixed. The oil pressure tube feeds the lower part of the gage and I don't need oil spewing under the dash. The engine holds until the gage is in. I picked up a bunch of little projects. Wood shelving in the trunk, antennae install, reassembling everything I took apart to trace the turn signal failure, and adjust this and that . I resealed the heater supply valve and contributed towards someone else's thread where they were looking for a replacement valve. I cleaned the garage a bit and put away extra parts of the car for portions of the car that are completed. At some point I'll sort those parts and toss things that no one could possibly want. Anyone want an NOS 1941 headlight bucket? Thought it would fit the '40 but the '41 headlights are larger. Back to my day job tomorrow; Happy New Year. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Happy New Year to you, Ken. So close!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 (edited) Significant, but not complete progress on the inop blinkers. As I was told, it'll be something stupid; sure enough was. The wiring suggests the flasher takes power on the middle lug. It does not. Found a short in the front blinker assembly and a bad ground on the left turn indicator light. I have blinkers on the dash and on the rear deck lid. Unfortunately, both front blinkers work with either a left or right turn signal. I've cross checked wires, looked for shorts again and quit for the day. just not sure where I could get a common connection to the front blinkers??? Edited January 7 by kgreen (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) I suspect you have a bad ground on one of your front lights with all that thick, fresh paint on the fenders. I'm not sophisticated enough to explain how this would cause the symptom, but I had the same situation with both lights blinking faintly when one of them had a bad ground. Something to do with the circuit trying to ground itself through the other bulb. Good luck! Edited January 7 by neil morse (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 I also had a problem with the “contact” of the horn in the steering wheel, and I managed to repair it. I talked about it here, on the Buick 41 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 5 hours ago, neil morse said: I suspect you have a bad ground on one of your front lights with all that thick, fresh paint on the fenders. I'm not sophisticated enough to explain how this would cause the symptom, but I had the same situation with both lights blinking faintly when one of them had a bad ground. Something to do with the circuit trying to ground itself through the other bulb. Good luck! Oh my gosh, you just described the problem; and the potential fix! Both front blinkers blink slowly and I only measure 3 volts at each one. I've checked all the switches, all the sockets, continuity in all the wires, I've isolated legs and all seems to test out well. Thanks a million Neil. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 You're welcome, of course. I'm no genius when it comes to electricity, but as I said I had this exact problem when I was installing my new wiring harness and had a bad ground on one of my front parking light/turn signals. I hope I am right and that you find the problem. I remember from @Gary W 's long thread on his restoration that he had several problems with bad grounds with the freshly painted body and fenders. I believe he ended up putting in dedicated grounds on his rear lights. You might want to do the same, both front and rear. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 (edited) 8 hours ago, neil morse said: You're welcome, of course. I'm no genius when it comes to electricity, but as I said I had this exact problem when I was installing my new wiring harness and had a bad ground on one of my front parking light/turn signals. I hope I am right and that you find the problem. I remember from @Gary W 's long thread on his restoration that he had several problems with bad grounds with the freshly painted body and fenders. I believe he ended up putting in dedicated grounds on his rear lights. You might want to do the same, both front and rear. Neil!!!, you got it. I temped in a ground and now the signals work great. Nice and bright too. Thanks Now I am reassembling the signal switch in the steering column, again, but with difficulty. Is there a procedure that doesn't require force to fit the switch plate balls in place? Note: Just found good instructions in a 1950 Buick shop manual. Edited January 9 by kgreen add answer (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Century Eight Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 On 11/6/2023 at 10:19 AM, kgreen said: This past weekend I made significant process installing pieces numbered 8,024 through 8,568 of my 10,000 piece puzzle. I don't have photos becasue they would be boring. For instance, the speedometer clip on the frame under the floorboard, the accelerator peddle and linkage, the oil filter, remaking the missing bracket between the top of the filter housing and its connection to the spark plug cover, emergency brake connection at the rear axle, making gaskets, installing the thermostat housing, repacking the heater valve stem, cleaning and painting parts. I've further discovered that when the Chinese manufacturers use converted metric measurements to remanufacture parts, they round up or down indescriminately and possibly improperly. I had to shave both outer edges of my brake shoes to get them to fit instide the drum. I've not introduced fluids to any part of the car yet, that will be an interesting task to see where all the leaks might be. That does lead to a question about the differential housing cover. What orientation should the differential cover be when in place? I've seen the drain placed in the 5:00 position on a car maintained by a mechanic for whom I have remendouse respect. He says that gives the axle housing enough oil to keep the axle shaft bearing lubricated. But I've seen plently of coveres installed at the 6:00 position. What's the proper install here? The axle I removed from one parts car has the drain at 6:00. A borrowed image from a 1954 Buick shows the 5:00 position. There is no image or text in the 1940 manual to indicate the correct position. Ken, As for the orientation on the oil drain plug, I have two original ‘40 Specials and a restored ‘40 Century. All three have the orientation of the plug hole at the bottom, in the six o’clock position. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 The engine is running, but starving for fuel. The flexible section of fuel line from the frame to the fuel pump is damaged and restricted. Got one on order now. I spent the better part of the week chasing fuel issues and testing the fuel pump, vacuum testing the fuel lines and the pick up in the fuel tank. The fuel gage works great now that I've grounded the fuel tank. While diagnosing the fuel pump issue I found a great website that helped with a few tips. One tip was to sand the mating surfaces of the diaphram housings on emery cloth on glass. After a quick pass I could see the distortion in the housings. Finished look below. Another tip was to mount the pump in the vice and unload the diaphrams while tightening the screws to the two outer parts of the vacuum and fuel pump housings. Also fitting the interior door latch and lock mechanisms. The return spring on one latch is broken so I've ordered 0.075-inch spring wire to fabricate a couple. I can't order 4 inches of spring wire so I can experiment. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drhach Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Where did you get that flexible fuel line? I wouldn't mind replacing the one on my Special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted January 23 Author Share Posted January 23 (edited) 12 hours ago, drhach said: Where did you get that flexible fuel line? I wouldn't mind replacing the one on my Special. Unfortunately, the two options I have are for the 320 cu in engine. I found one option for the flexible line at Cars, LLC, but I don't like the part. That comment is not to be confused as an indictment of Cars; they have given me superb service over the years. From the photos below, you can see the restricted opening in the hose on the left compared to the 5/16-inch fuel line size. The fuel line size is continuous from the tank through the fuel pump to the carb. At the fuel flows the engine normally sees, that restriction may not be a real problem. I installed that flex line, but the length required a bit of a turn into the frame rail that kinked the hose. I rearranged line routing and tried to straighten the kink in the flex, but it was too late. I attempted to run a 0.025 spring wire through the flex and I apparently permanently crushed the hose. Bob's has the replacement line shown below, part no. FL407. It is on order and should fit just fine. This line that Bob's sells is nearly an exact copy of the original line, too. Edited January 23 by kgreen delete dup photo (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 The replacement fuel line from Bob's is an NOS line. Cool, but the rubber is possibly 80 years old. Did not know that when ordering. The options I see going forward are to find a hydraulic hose company that can crimp a new flex line with the proper fitting or add a flared fitting to the end of the steel fuel line, then search for a replacement flex section. The latter option may be the least expensive. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootey Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 (edited) 6 hours ago, kgreen said: The replacement fuel line from Bob's is an NOS line. Cool, but the rubber is possibly 80 years old. Did not know that when ordering. The options I see going forward are to find a hydraulic hose company that can crimp a new flex line with the proper fitting or add a flared fitting to the end of the steel fuel line, then search for a replacement flex section. The latter option may be the least expensive. Two comments. First, my old time brake guy scolded me for thinking an NOS brake hose was a good thing. As you point out, Ken, the rubber is decades old and the newly manufactured brake hoses are superior. Parenthetically he admonished me to always replace all of the metal brake lines when doing a brake job on a very old car. Second, I took the NOS hose to “The Hose Shop” in Santa Cruz California and asked them if they could test it. The shop is a Parker dealer and serves mostly industrial clientele. They said they could put it under pressure but would not guarantee it’s soundness. I am sure shops like that are very reticent to guarantee anything old for fear of getting sued in case of a failure. Edited January 30 by Shootey (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 Detail stuff this weekend Making new springs for the interior door handle return using 0.075-in dia spring wire. The spring needs to fit between the two holes in the base plate for the cover to fit. These two need a bit more adjustment meaning a tighter wind on the spring. Finished product, noting that there is a right and a left when bending the spring. I believe the door handle pulls toward the occupant to release the door. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 Nope, handles are positioned downward and push to exit the vehicle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 2 hours ago, kgreen said: Nope, handles are positioned downward and push to exit the vehicle. That's the same as on my '41 McLaughlin. Confusing, as the Post War cars we have work by pulling them the other way, though it's handy to push down, but perhaps too much so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 That's interesting. On my '41, you pull the handle up to open the door. Can they be installed either way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 (edited) 6 hours ago, neil morse said: That's interesting. On my '41, you pull the handle up to open the door. Can they be installed either way? Does your handle point downward? I have several photos showing the interior door handle pointing downward in a position relating to between 7 and 8 o'clock. If I flip the actuator I would then have interference with the door lock mechanism. I'll examine this. I agree with Keith (@Buicknutty) as the forward tendency of a loose passenger in an emergency stop or collision, while hitting or accidentally grabbing the handle could pop the door open. Edited February 4 by kgreen (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 Off to the garage again today. Yesterday's work also included forming the new fuel feed line leading from the frame rail to the fuel pump. I found Dorman part no. 800-933 which is a 5/16-inch line with a crimped flex section. The fitting on the flex section was metric, the other end was open. I formed the line which originally followed the outline of the block at the oil pan. There is a clip from the oil pan to the solid line to secure the line during vibration. In my search, the sales guy at Chev's of the 40's tells me that Chevy did not use a flex line, but had a long enough length of solid tube the account for the vibration without introducing stress. I found my part on Amazon. Flared the open end: Then crimped a barbed 5/16 male flare. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 The rest of yesterday was spent disassembling the heater fan motor. I was disappointed to find that after cleaning the motor up, there was an internal short. I'll re-check the winding today. If it is damaged then motor is likely trash. Reinstalling the rotor can be a pain setting the two brushes but I figured a clip from copper grounding wire held one side in while using a pick on the other side. This technique eliminated the need for 14 other people, each using both hands to position and hold those darn brushes in place. I have a length of this wire on hand to hand form vac or fuel line routing. I found a replacement motor this morning, Delco part no. 5047450. It seems that motor was used for well over a decade by Chevy trucks. The usual sources for Buick parts didn't list this part in their catalogs. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 7 hours ago, kgreen said: Does your handle point downward? I have several photos showing the interior door handle pointing downward in a position relating to between 7 and 8 o'clock. If I flip the actuator I would then have interference with the door lock mechanism. I'll examine this. I agree with Keith (@Buicknutty) as the forward tendency of a loose passenger in an emergency stop or collision, while hitting or accidentally grabbing the handle could pop the door open. Yes, I have set the handles on both front and rear doors so they are pointing downward. This is the way they were when I first got the car six years ago, but I have since had all four door panels off for various repairs, replacing sound deadening material, replacing rubber seals, etc. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 Finished the doors today, though I'm still not sure if I got the push-to-open handles correctly mounted. They are easy access so I can make a change easily enough. I used a 1/4-inch braided wire sleeve over the lock actuator rod. The original material used for vibration or rattle control was cloth had mostly deteriorated to dust. This car, Buicks in general seemed to have a good bit vibration management. I also ran a length of duct tape behind the door actuator. Another task was cutting rubber sheeting for the floor. This is a heavy vinyl sheet that I found from Second Skin (https://www.secondskinaudio.com/sound-deadening/car-soundproofing/). I also used their liquid-applied product all over the floors and trunk. Each indent received a piece of the vinyl then a whole sheet will cover the floor. I made patters out of brown craft paper and cut the sheeting on the band saw. The adhesive is a black urethane caulk. Notice the indent under the drivers seat. This is the same floor stamping that Cadillac used and they used two floor heaters to Buick's one heater. Next up was straightening and aligning all the vac and fuel lines then prepping them for paint. I chose a color that replicates the tinned plating that was originally used. These are all original lines that were preserved with grease, oil and engine blow-by smoke. No, I didn't! I pulled the car in after I painted and the air cleared up. I also used a respirator. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
195354 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Ken I have been following this project I like your attention to detail. Looks like you are approaching the home stretch. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 Door handle now operates as a pull-to-open. No problem reversing the interior door actuator, but the interference between the door lock rod and the door latch actuator caused me to think that orientation was incorrect. Here's my original configuration: Here's a photo of the door on my car when I bought it; the rod indent passes inward and the door latch actuator is oriented upwards: Ugly mess on the original car, isn't it! Thank goodness for the parts cars so that I could swap out parts. Much of the metal on the new doors, including the skins were taken from a model 62 Cadillac coupe. I doubted most things I saw on the original car. I created greater interference by adding too much wrap on the lock rod. I wrapped the entire length of rod, but noted above where the wrap stopped short of the door release actuator. I need to trim the wrap, but the door handle now pulls-to-open and both the door actuator and lock work without binding. The two clips holding the lock rod are essential. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 (edited) This is the phase of the project where so little can be seen, but will take so much time. After being notified that my new fuel sending unit would not e arriving on Friday, but rather Monday, I tackled small projects that I had hoped would find a way to complete themselves. Procrastination only works if you wait for it. This past weekend I tackled the under seat heater and defroster and painting a few of the last engine items. I took the rear seat out of storage to fit into the car and had to admire the lovely vinyl some previous owner had chosen for what turned out to be my parts car. The seat springs that came with my car, also a parts car, were cleaned of old fabric and stuffing by throwing it onto a fire. This, bragged the previous owner, was the most expedient way to yield perfectly clean springs. They were clean alright, clean of any spring left in them. The heat destroyed the frames. Fortunately I got a good rear seat from the parts car and a good front seat from Greg (2carb40) several years ago. The flywheel cover required a bit of banging to remove evidence of its being used as a jack point. The valve cover required a going over to clean up surface rust. They are now painted to match the gray used on the rest of the engine. Decals to come later. The defroster housing was primed with an epoxy primer for a finish coat this coming weekend. The under seat heat appeared black on Lewis Jenkins restorations and was completed and installed. The heater is a plain old enamel. The odd thing is that the heater motor spins clockwise, which, when the fan blade is installed face up or face down, blows out of the inlet. Yet another one of those seemingly minor tasks that will take five times as long to fix yet show no photographic results. I wonder if I got my hands on another year of Buick motor, or one from a Chevy, Olds or Pontiac that turned CW rotation vs CCW? Off to the internet for a search. Or it may be that this motor belongs to Grant's car, which is located in the southern hemisphere??? Edited February 27 by kgreen (see edit history) 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Ken, that looks like excellent progress you are making. Your statement about a lot of time with little to be seen is where I've been with the Wildcat project lately. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 14 hours ago, kgreen said: The odd thing is that the heater motor spins clockwise, which, when the fan blade is installed face up or face down, blows out of the inlet. Hi Ken: It's been a while since I rebuilt the heater in my car, so I can't remember exactly how the motor is wired up. But is there a way to simply reverse the contacts? Since it's a DC motor, won't it spin the opposite way if the contacts are reversed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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