Barbu Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 (edited) A little back story on this car: apparently well maintained but never driven since it was a display car for a local pest control company. I finally starting turning wrenches on it this past week, whenever I could spare a few minutes. I have driven it up and down my street in 1st gear, the transmission is getting quieter by the day. But I cannot get 2nd and 3rd, at all. The lever on the steering column is free and clean, I removed both rods connecting it to the transmission and made sure everything worked as intended. As far as I can tell: no issues there. I peeked under the car tonight and I will be giving the transmission a full re-seal ASAP. But I also noticed that the 2nd/3rd lever at the transmission side looks a little....wonky ? Can anyone confirm what the lever is supposed to look like ? I checked online and I think the brackets where the spring attaches to the rod is either wrong or possibly turned 180 degrees. Here are pics, any feedback would be appreciated. My goal is to drive the car for a few weeks (months) while I finish up another car in the garage. I don't want to dive into the Buick with its leaks and oil everywhere next to a car that's in the process of being prepped for paint. Edited August 25, 2020 by Barbu (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 Yes, the position of the linkage appears correct. You might have found out the reason car was on display. Transmission is bad. It will need to come out and the top cover pulled for inspection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 It also appears you have the old style pressure plate and clutch assembly. Could be binding or not releasing all the way to allow gear changes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 The other thread on this car Looks OK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbu Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 Excellent, thanks for posting the pic, Chris. I drained the transmission tonight, refilled with Royal Purple Synchromax and was able to get 2nd and 3rd. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 That's good news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbu Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 It's excellent news! I've been working on it as time allows, and getting my youngest one to help since he loves cars too. He's only 8 but I was able to take him on the main road by the house this morning and row through all the gears with zero issues. The transmission doesn't leak as much as before, I suspect someone overfilled it at some point. One of the freeze plugs has a pinhole in it, so I'll replace it today and the Buick will be on short errand duty after that. The paint is cleaning up nicely. Thanks again for the pic and comments, it was helpful. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr. Buick Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Flush out as much rust as you can with the plug out, and think about doing them all. There are two at the back of the heads, impossible to replace, but you can make a gasket and plate for each that fits under what is already bolted there. Lots of sealer and it will hold back the coolant when those plugs let go. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 3 hours ago, Barbu said: It's excellent news! I've been working on it as time allows, and getting my youngest one to help since he loves cars too. He's only 8 but I was able to take him on the main road by the house this morning and row through all the gears with zero issues. The transmission doesn't leak as much as before, I suspect someone overfilled it at some point. One of the freeze plugs has a pinhole in it, so I'll replace it today and the Buick will be on short errand duty after that. The paint is cleaning up nicely. Thanks again for the pic and comments, it was helpful. I'm glad it is all coming together. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbu Posted August 28, 2020 Author Share Posted August 28, 2020 On 8/26/2020 at 10:11 AM, Fr. Buick said: Flush out as much rust as you can with the plug out, and think about doing them all. There are two at the back of the heads, impossible to replace, but you can make a gasket and plate for each that fits under what is already bolted there. Lots of sealer and it will hold back the coolant when those plugs let go. Thanks, looks like 3 had already been replaced and were brass. I replaced the last one, flushed one some funk from the block and will run Thermocure for a few weeks to really get the rust out. It drives great, it's an enjoyable car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 48 minutes ago, Barbu said: It drives great, it's an enjoyable car. Well, it is a Buick! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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