drhach Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 That should address the claim about Nailheads not being able to breathe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 5 hours ago, MRJBUICK said: bill could you let us B60 people know what led's you used, where you got them from, and did you change the color. my dash is pretty dim Thanks Marty Marty, I got the LEDs from Superbright LEDs. https://www.superbrightleds.com/vehicle/1960-buick-electra-vehicle-led-lights?make=14&model=743&year=1960 I used green for the turn signals, amber for the warnings and red for the hot and the oil pressure like that. The rest used cool white. If you pull the instrument panel out you can use a 9 volt battery to test with. Pretty easy to do. I still have a few more lamps to change me I can crawl afrond on the floor again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 In many cases, instrument panel illumination seems to decrease with age due to dust accumulation on the internal reflectors and the lights themselves. A simple dust-off/cleaning CAN make more difference than suspected. Plus ensuring that any wiring harness connections are clean, too, to reduce voltage absorption before it gets to the light bulbs. One other issue with LEDs is the shape of the light itself. How the emitters are arranged, such that a uniform light results, rather than highly-focussed/targeted. The more recent versions seem to be better than the earlier ones in this respect. NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 9, 2020 Author Share Posted November 9, 2020 TV makes it look so easy. Watching the people on TV who can fabricate and weld hardly takes them any time at all. In the meantime we are almost done with the firewall and the floorpans. Its a never-ending job. This is almost the finished firewall. Not all of it will show as it will be hidden behind the inner fender. We made an access panel which hopefully will never be used. Next step seam sealer, primer and paint. Right of the red line is what will actually show when the hood is up. 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 On 11/7/2020 at 6:14 AM, NTX5467 said: Plus ensuring that any wiring harness connections are clean, too, to reduce voltage absorption before it gets to the light bulbs. On models where the bulbs twist into a printed circuit you can polish the copper with a pencil eraser to get better contact. Helps get an old Kodak Instamatic working, too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 20 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: On models where the bulbs twist into a printed circuit you can polish the copper with a pencil eraser to get better contact. Helps get an old Kodak Instamatic working, too. I find the biggest offender of dim lights on the dash is the rheostat at the headlight switch. It gets crusty. Resistance is high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 On 11/9/2020 at 2:39 AM, Bill Stoneberg said: TV makes it look so easy. Watching the people on TV who can fabricate and weld hardly takes them any time at all. In the meantime we are almost done with the firewall and the floorpans. Its a never-ending job. This is almost the finished firewall. Not all of it will show as it will be hidden behind the inner fender. We made an access panel which hopefully will never be used. Next step seam sealer, primer and paint. Right of the red line is what will actually show when the hood is up. One serious box you got there. You'll be spitting ice cubes from the vents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 (edited) Considering this is in a Buick, be sure to have some empty hi-ball glasses to catch the ice with. A non-alcholic beverage of choice ready for addition. Maybe some sparkling mineral water from the TX Hill Country? NTX5467 Edited November 11, 2020 by NTX5467 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 11, 2020 Author Share Posted November 11, 2020 (edited) 14 hours ago, avgwarhawk said: One serious box you got there. You'll be spitting ice cubes from the vents! I sure hope so.. Considering we run 90 to over 100 degrees most of the summer, I need it if I want to drive the car and be comfortable. And this car is a driver, not a show car. Edited November 11, 2020 by Bill Stoneberg (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 12, 2020 Author Share Posted November 12, 2020 Yesterday was a day of errands for the car. Made a big loop by the time I got home. First stop was in Llano Tx to get my manifold magna fluxed and surfaced. I was happy that it turned out good. They did it while I waited so I got to see how they magna flux items. Llano is about 65 miles from me. Its also kinda on the way to Austin so I want through the Texas hills to Austin. I have been that way many times but it has been 25 years or more and wow has it changed. No longer a quiet road, you get past an intermediate town along the way and all of a sudden you in outer Austin. Shopping centers, homes fill what used to be pretty scenery. Granted I go to Austin a lot, but normally a different way. Anyway, once I was in Austin I picked up some bling for the engine I was having polished. Aluminum valve covers and valley cover should make the engine look nice once its together. Then back home the normal way. All in all the great circle route took about 6 hours, including a stop for the worst taco I have had in quite a while, and around 250 miles. It was a nice sunny day and what trees that change down here were changing. All in all a good way to get out of the house. Interesting things I saw along the way... At the engine shop they had a TR 3 racing motor that needed rebuilding. A customer races TR 3's in vintage racing and the season is over so time to get the engine refreshed. it looked small amongst the V8 blocks. "Honey, I shrunk the motor." Then along the way I saw this Toyota truck on a trailer. Never had seen one like that before. Finally the cleanliness of where I stopped for Tacos. I used to like the place but not anymore. I dont believe the sign . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 11 minutes ago, Bill Stoneberg said: Then along the way I saw this Toyota truck on a trailer. Never had seen one like that before. Land cruiser pickup... I have not inside a restaurant in months and curbside takeout quality and a service is getting worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 1 hour ago, old-tank said: Land cruiser pickup... I have not inside a restaurant in months and curbside takeout quality and a service is getting worse. Great truck. We have been to the restaurants. The tables are separated and only 4 to a table. Even though we do go out, we find the food mediocre at best. Returning the thread to a 60 rebirth! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 On 5/23/2020 at 5:18 AM, Bill Stoneberg said: Willis, I agree, it is long for one weekend. Thats why it will probably take a month to do 🙂. Besides you know how you run into the "While I am here" repairs. Not to mention its summer and hot, not conducive to driving a older in Texas. Nope, can't get vertical from the ground right now. Hell, I can't even look in the bottom of the fridge without help getting back up. Probably take a month or two. Well, cooler weather is on the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 "NEW Texas weed killer" Pour concrete pads/roads/driveways on top of them. NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) Firewall fabrication is done. Now to permanently mount the A/C unit in the passenger footwell. I am sure glad I bought a mock up unit for preliminary sizing and fitting. The first picture is inside the car looking at it from the passenger side. The glove box is removed along with the dash cover. The second is under the hood with covers fabricated covers off. Edited November 19, 2020 by Bill Stoneberg (see edit history) 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 Phew! When global warning gets up here mine is going it the trunk and out through the cant rails. Silver Cloud style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 20, 2020 Author Share Posted November 20, 2020 Bernie, we talked about putting the A C in the trunk but the unit wasn’t big enough. Maybe as an auxillery cooler.... Anyway the firewall fabrication work is done and the AC is mounted and in place. Still more work to do but the nasty grinding and welding is done for the moment. Progress, I like that. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 24, 2020 Author Share Posted November 24, 2020 Got the unit mounted and in its final resting place. We had to cut then passenger side defrost vent down to get the unit to fit. So an adapter was in order to make sure we had defrost on that side. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 (edited) Finished with the defrost vent. Still lots to do though. . Edited November 25, 2020 by Bill Stoneberg (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 27, 2020 Author Share Posted November 27, 2020 (edited) Figuring out the best way of running lines. Being in Texas, its a thought not to run heater lines but I have used the heater once. Now that the unit is mounted, you can see what's behind the removable panel. Two AC Lines (one does not have a fitting on it yet, Its to the left of the expansion valve) and two heater hoses. I use the E-Z Clip system on the AC lines as the hose is about half the size of regular line and I can make and terminate the hoses in the garage. Edited November 28, 2020 by Bill Stoneberg (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 1 hour ago, Bill Stoneberg said: I use the Quick Clip system on the AC lines Is that the same as E-Z Clip System for A/C Refrigerant Hoses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 2 hours ago, Bill Stoneberg said: Figuring out the best way of running lines. Being in Texas, its a thought not to run heater lines but I have used the heater once. Now that the unit is mounted, you can see what's behind the removable panel. Two AC Lines (one does not have a fitting on it yet, Its to the left of the expansion valve) and two heater hoses. I use the Quick Clip system on the AC lines as the hose is about half the size of regular line and I can make and terminate the hoses in the garage. How will you get to that fan motor if it ever needs service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 28, 2020 Author Share Posted November 28, 2020 14 hours ago, old-tank said: Is that the same as E-Z Clip System for A/C Refrigerant Hoses? Yes... I changed the post because I had it wrong. Quote How will you get to that fan motor if it ever needs service? I will have to disconnect all the lines and pull the whole unit out as it is not a separate unit. Not as easy as GM's squirrel cage fan. I put vintage air in my Riviera 5- 6 years ago and it is still going strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 While we wait for A/C parts and while the engine is still sitting in plastic wrap, we needed a diversion from all the fabricating. I have all new suspension parts for this car, so away we go. BTW. if you ever thought about buying a HF front end tool set DONT. The tools dont hold up to this 60 year old front end. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Don't forget to re-bush the rear suspension parts, too. Especially the track bar. Enjoy! NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 I have trackbar bushings already are there more ? We haven’t gotten to the back end yet. Pulled the other side off and now are going to blast and paint. Ball joints with their rivets should be a joy. book says to drill them twice and then punch them out. Maybe try a bench grinder will make it easier. Grind the top then punch them out. Brake guts were clean, no leaks anywhere. All will be replaced. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Hi Bill, just found this post and got up to date, great car but the slippery slope never fails to appear. Great fab work on the A/C, that Gen IV seems a lot larger than the one I used in my 63 Riv! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 7, 2020 Author Share Posted December 7, 2020 (edited) 50 minutes ago, TexRiv_63 said: Hi Bill, just found this post and got up to date, great car but the slippery slope never fails to appear. Great fab work on the A/C, that Gen IV seems a lot larger than the one I used in my 63 Riv! Thanks... I wish I could claim the fab work but a friend of mine is the fabricator and with COVID he is doing most of the work. I followed your thread when we installed Vintage Air in my Riviera and yes, the Magnum IV is a lot larger. I chose that for a couple of reasons. One is that the 60 Hardtops are like a fishbowl and it needs all the cooling it can get. As you are aware of, it gets hot in Texas and I am a couple of hundred miles south of you. The second is, we hope to get the factory controls working with this unit. This unit supposedly allows us to do that. We will see...... Edited December 7, 2020 by Bill Stoneberg (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Good old air chisel for them rivets! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 The track bar is about all you got under there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 10, 2020 Author Share Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) Thanks Bernie, that’s what I thought but a comment made me wonder. Making Progress on cleaning things off. Edited December 10, 2020 by Bill Stoneberg (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 The front tips of the stabilizer bars that connect the rear end to the torque tube have bushings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 10, 2020 Author Share Posted December 10, 2020 4 minutes ago, Smartin said: The front tips of the stabilizer bars that connect the rear end to the torque tube have bushings. Thanks Adam... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRJBUICK Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 Thanks much Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 10, 2020 Author Share Posted December 10, 2020 More cleaning and blasting progress. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 Looks good until you take it apart for cleaning and inspection (nastiest job around). Replace the idler arm bushing along with internal parts and the tie rod ends. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 Yea Willie, wanted to clean it up before taking it apart. I got a bunch of new parts for this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 13, 2020 Author Share Posted December 13, 2020 Finally done blasting. Just in time as its going to rain today and get cold. Now to start disassembling, replacing parts and painting. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 20, 2020 Author Share Posted December 20, 2020 So today was a day of working on the wife’s car. She drives a 2007 Lucerne with 56,000 miles on it. The Alternator went out and took the battery with it. Such a different car to work on. Engine mounted sideways, serpentine belt, battery under the back seat and metric fasteners. it took me a while and finally my wife’s help to get the belt replaced but nothing was hard, just not as much space as I am used to on the older cars. I bruise easily and my arms look like I have been attacked due I to sticking my arms and hands down to get the belt on. I didn’t even notice it till I washed up. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 I have seen mine look like that. Can freek folks out. Glad you did not scrap or break the skin. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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