TexRiv_63 Posted April 16, 2022 Author Share Posted April 16, 2022 It has been far too long since I posted here but there has been nothing to relate. My '60 has been in the storage garage for 7 months while I finished the seemingly never ending repairs on my other car. I took the Buick out for a ride every week or two but did nothing else with it, to its credit it started without fail during the winter and gave me no issues. Finally, TODAY I switched cars and the 60 is back in its home garage just in time to ride around in the hot weather! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted May 8, 2022 Author Share Posted May 8, 2022 Took the 60 out yesterday and went to breakfast with two car guy friends (we are all in the Pierce Arrow Society). One was kind enough to take this 12 minute driving video on our way home which includes me pontificating on the 1960 Buick, let me know if I made any errors... https://youtu.be/YVlK5B-drIE 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 BEAUTIFUL 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine Gun Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 19 hours ago, TexRiv_63 said: Took the 60 out yesterday and went to breakfast with two car guy friends (we are all in the Pierce Arrow Society). One was kind enough to take this 12 minute driving video on our way home which includes me pontificating on the 1960 Buick, let me know if I made any errors... https://youtu.be/YVlK5B-drIE Regarding your friend's question about the radio: a solid-state radio will begin playing as soon as you turn it on, whereas a tube radio requires several seconds for the tubes to warm up before you get any sound out of it (exception: battery-powered portable tube radios of old that used 1 Volt tubes that warmed up very quickly). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted June 28, 2022 Author Share Posted June 28, 2022 I took my car out for a ride this morning after letting sit for more than three weeks, due to a variety of reasons. It was an uncharacteristically cool morning for Texas and the car was a pleasure to drive as always. When I came back I left it parked on the driveway with the hood open to let the gas fumes dissipate BUT when I walked back into the garage I found a rather large puddle of transmission fluid. The torque ball seal was replaced before the car was delivered and up to this point there were no leaks other than a few drops. I cleaned it up and when I pulled the car in later there were no leaks on the driveway. Is this the dreaded "fluid dump" I have read about many times on these forums? Is it caused by too much sitting? I put down more cardboard and plan to go back to weekly drives but now I am concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted July 2, 2022 Author Share Posted July 2, 2022 Surprised there were no comments on my last post but as an update I took the car out today and there was not a drop of fluid on the cardboard so sitting too long was the culprit. I will make it a priority to drive or at least run the car minimum of once a week. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted January 18, 2023 Author Share Posted January 18, 2023 I finally found a decent set of super deluxe hubcaps but most of the black paint on the centers is missing. Any instructions or suggestion on the best way to repaint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 23 minutes ago, TexRiv_63 said: I finally found a decent set of super deluxe hubcaps but most of the black paint on the centers is missing. Any instructions or suggestion on the best way to repaint? A forum member made black stickers that fit in these areas. Worked well. Do not recall the member. Maybe he will be along soon . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I just did this last weekend on my 60. Took about 2 hours to do all 4 wheels. Disassemble, clean all pieces with 0000 steel wool and some sort of liquid lubricant, mask off black areas, paint, unmask, assemble. DONE🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 17 hours ago, Smartin said: I just did this last weekend on my 60. Took about 2 hours to do all 4 wheels. Disassemble, clean all pieces with 0000 steel wool and some sort of liquid lubricant, mask off black areas, paint, unmask, assemble. DONE🤣 Thanks. Saw your video on Facebook, will be following your site on Youtube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted July 21, 2023 Author Share Posted July 21, 2023 I must apologize for letting more than six months go by with no additions to this thread. I got very wrapped up in finishing the brake and suspension work on my 66 Dodge then made a quick decision to put it up for sale, requiring more detailing and prep. Once it was on its way to Harwood Motors I finally closed out my storage garage (costing $300 a month!!) and brought this neglected Buick home to my garage. Then the first of this year I dived in to the time and cost pressures of a double bathroom update in our home and multiple other house related "To-Do" list items. Bottom line is that I have done nothing car related except keep it clean, drive it once a week weather permitting, and feel bad about neglecting it still. The home list is finally complete and I am now back on track I hope first item will be new tires! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted July 25, 2023 Author Share Posted July 25, 2023 I called Diamondback Classic Tire last week and talked for quite a while. One of the biggest issues I had with the Coker empire tires was the very many complaints I read here and on other sites about whitewalls repeatedly turning brown. Since the wide whites are the only reason I need aftermarket tires I did not want to have this problem. The Diamondback guy said when they build their tires the white sidewalls they graft in place have a special butyl liner that seals it against infiltration of the black rubber oils that can cause brownout. They start with blackwall tires for all their offerings and all of the whitewalls are added based on customer order for size and style. All of their tires are built to order rather than to stock which avoids issues with getting an old - new tire. The cheaper tires are built on standard radials like the Nexen but their Auburn line are all new tires from proprietary molds. I was happy with the information and I am leaning toward getting the Auburn Premium style which is based on metric radial sizes but still has a mostly bias ply look. I will get the 225-75R15 size, which matches what I now have, with a 2 3/4" wide whitewall and I'm adding what they call the "Beauty Bar" which is a raised 5/8" edge on the outer side of the whitewall. These tires are expensive like all classic tires are these days but I just put a new set of high performance run flat radials on my 2018 Durango and they cost almost double what these will run. I need to talk to my local tire shop that I use for all the old car projects and will have Diamondback ship directly to them then all I have deal with is getting the wheels over there for mounting and balancing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 Weren't the original white walls thinner in 1960? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 13 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said: Weren't the original white walls thinner in 1960? Just a personal preference, but 2.5 whitewalls would look better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 2.25-2.5 is correct for 60. I think 62 was the start of thinner whitewalls. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted August 5, 2023 Author Share Posted August 5, 2023 I also wanted to follow up on progress (Total Lack Of) on my desire to add underdash air conditioning to this car. I posted here in the Buick forums and elsewhere and got a lot of response but when I asked the question who else has done this on a 59 or 60 there was just crickets. I have done more research and the main problem seems to be that the underhood conditions on these cars are such that there is no direct aftermarket support that allows compressor mounting. The factory air systems utilized the giant A5 Frigidare compressor mounted directly on top of the generator, a three-groove crank pulley, a smaller water pump pulley, a larger clutch fan and an upgraded radiator. Most cars with air were Invictas and Electras with the 401 motor, very few LeSabres with the 364 had air. Apparently these factory parts are unobtainium now and there is not enough demand to justify aftermarket involvement, so that is why no one has done it. I have not given up on this but for now my use of this car is heavily limited until Texas Summer Hell moderates a bit. Meanwhile if anyone is selling 60 Buick factory air parts shoot me a message! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted August 5, 2023 Share Posted August 5, 2023 Don, member Bill Stoneberg, now deceased, had added Vintage Air to his 1960. Some one should know abouts the outcome. Car was still not finished when Bill passed. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted August 6, 2023 Share Posted August 6, 2023 7 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: Don, member Bill Stoneberg, now deceased, had added Vintage Air to his 1960. He was having a friend do the work at his (the friend's) garage, as I recall. Does anyone know who that was? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted August 6, 2023 Share Posted August 6, 2023 He never got done? Gee, it must have been close to done. As I recall Bill started out simple, but kept finding more broken parts and unexpected problems, and the conversion he wound up doing was integrated and pretty invasive. I doubt much of it translates well to to someone who is just installing underdash A/C. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted August 6, 2023 Share Posted August 6, 2023 Here's Bill's thread that covers the aftermarket A/C installation on his car: https://forums.aaca.org/topic/344841-working-on-the-60-electra/ His last post to this topic was about a year ago... 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted August 6, 2023 Author Share Posted August 6, 2023 5 hours ago, EmTee said: Here's Bill's thread that covers the aftermarket A/C installation on his car: https://forums.aaca.org/topic/344841-working-on-the-60-electra/ His last post to this topic was about a year ago... I followed his thread till the end. He was doing a full-on Vintage Air system replacement but the big difference was he started with a factory air equipped car. He had all the underhood parts I need, his main issue was getting the VA equipment to fit under the dashboard so he could retain and adapt the original vents and controls. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted August 6, 2023 Share Posted August 6, 2023 Bill's project snowballed pretty immensely. I was bummed to see him pass. I'm curious to see where the car is/ended up. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted August 19, 2023 Author Share Posted August 19, 2023 I pulled the pin yesterday on my new tires. Ordered Diamondback Auburn Premiums in 225/75/R15 size with a 2 1/2" whitewall. 3 to 4 week lead time. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted September 14, 2023 Author Share Posted September 14, 2023 My tires are supposed to be in production this week at Diamondback so in anticipation I jacked her up and took my old ones off. I plan to have all the balance weights put on the back of the wheels so I removed the old weights on the fronts and cleaned up the outer edges with some coarse sandpaper and strong detergent. Shortly I will use grease remover then spray bomb the wheels black. Comment - this on the floor work does not react well with my almost 75 year body, took me two days to recover! Interesting find - I was told the standard for '60 was black painted wheels for cars with wheel covers, and all of mine are black. Three of the wheels are vented with the center attached at four points to the outer rim but one is welded solid all the way around and it is showing red paint peeking through the current black coat. I assume this is an older wheel - ??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 Is one style rivited to the rim? If so those would be older. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 The lower wheel has five slots for the clips that hold on the small hubcaps versus the four slots for the upper wheel. Over the years Buick used two different manufacturers for their wheels Kelsey Hayes and Motor wheel with some visual differences. After 1955 there was a safety ridge in the bead area so that may give you a clue to the age of the wheel. Dismount the tires now and check the wheels for a run out and make it easier for cleanup and painting. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted September 15, 2023 Share Posted September 15, 2023 Check that the backspacing is the same on the 'odd' wheel. What does the spare wheel look like? If like the other three, I'd make the odd one the spare. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted September 15, 2023 Author Share Posted September 15, 2023 Just looked, the odd wheel is riveted while the others are welded. My spare wheel is the welded type but I really did not want mess with the (old) brand new bias ply dual stripe on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted September 15, 2023 Share Posted September 15, 2023 Clean up and paint the odd wheel and then swap the spare onto it - problem solved! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted September 16, 2023 Share Posted September 16, 2023 9.00x15 ...interesting size. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted September 17, 2023 Share Posted September 17, 2023 The dual stripe is also interesting. I've never seen one with that style whitewall. Usually, the two stripes are the same width. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted September 29, 2023 Author Share Posted September 29, 2023 After ordering on August 18, my Diamondback Classic tires arrived this past Tuesday. About a week longer than their estimate but not bad. I had them shipped directly to my local mom and pop tire store, brought the wheels in on Wednesday and had them mounted and balanced. They were packaged very well and heavily coated with the blue stuff. They mounted without issue and balanced out well with not much weight needed. I have a small list of stuff to do while the car is up in the air then I will wash them and get them on. They look great, the Auburn Premium uses a simple tread design and while they are radials they look more bias-like than what was on the car before. Interesting note - I ordered the same 225-75-R15 size that my old tires were but these new ones are much narrower in both section and tread width with the same diameter. The old ones bulged out greatly from the wheels where these appear the correct size, I like these much better. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 The tread looks like the Michelin X tires from the mid 1970's...great tires These are 50 year old rollers...still intact. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted October 1, 2023 Author Share Posted October 1, 2023 12 hours ago, old-tank said: The tread looks like the Michelin X tires from the mid 1970's...great tires These are 50 year old rollers...still intact. They said that was what they used as a model for their design. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted October 13, 2023 Author Share Posted October 13, 2023 My decrepit old body reminds me loudly and painfully if I overdo car work involving getting down to and up from the floor. Since my current project involved that almost exclusively I broke it up into small pieces, but I will lump it all together here. The new tires are on! The blue protective coating was surprisingly easy to remove and those glaring new whitewalls are perfect. I added the 5/8" "Beauty Bar" to the outside edge and was not 100% sure about it but seeing it now I love it. I am using the LeSabre wheel covers for now, I have a pretty good set of super deluxe covers but I need to detail them. While the car was up in the air I also changed the oil and filter. I was embarrassed to find I had not done so since buying the car 2 1/2 years ago, but happy to see the drain oil was surprisingly clean. I adjusted the service brakes hoping to cure a little pulling in the front, and checked the emergency brake, which turned out be in perfect adjustment. I finally took it out for a ride this afternoon and am very pleased. I think it rides better, I have the pressure set at 31 psi which should be a good compromise. I had it up to about 65 mph and there was no vibration. I plan to get a TollTag for the car and actually do some longer highway driving! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted December 27, 2023 Author Share Posted December 27, 2023 Back after 2 1/2 months. I got my Tolltag and have driven the car numerous times on the highway. There is a slight imbalance in the tires at 70 mph, probably due to all the weights on the back, but it is not really a problem. I have made no other progress on my to-do list but have tried to drive the car once a week if I can. I have noticed that the new tires have not improved the ride, specifically on sharp bumps. This car came with "Cure Ride" shock absorbers front and back, a name from the past and I have no idea how old they are. Compared with all the problems I had on my 66 Monaco initially this car rode great with no floating, bottoming out or cornering issues, but it always took sharp bumps pretty hard. I put some of that down to the 12 year old tires but it seemed to get worse. The new tires did not help, the sharp bump reaction is downright harsh and it is getting worse. I am thinking I need new shocks. I do not want a heavy duty "performance" or "handling" ride but rather a very smooth factory style feel befitting the slow cruiser this car is. I would welcome any recommendations and would especially value anyone's first hand experience with shocks on their 1960 Buick, TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 7 minutes ago, TexRiv_63 said: Back after 2 1/2 months. I got my Tolltag and have driven the car numerous times on the highway. There is a slight imbalance in the tires at 70 mph, probably due to all the weights on the back, but it is not really a problem. I have made no other progress on my to-do list but have tried to drive the car once a week if I can. I have noticed that the new tires have not improved the ride, specifically on sharp bumps. This car came with "Cure Ride" shock absorbers front and back, a name from the past and I have no idea how old they are. Compared with all the problems I had on my 66 Monaco initially this car rode great with no floating, bottoming out or cornering issues, but it always took sharp bumps pretty hard. I put some of that down to the 12 year old tires but it seemed to get worse. The new tires did not help, the sharp bump reaction is downright harsh and it is getting worse. I am thinking I need new shocks. I do not want a heavy duty "performance" or "handling" ride but rather a very smooth factory style feel befitting the slow cruiser this car is. I would welcome any recommendations and would especially value anyone's first hand experience with shocks on their 1960 Buick, TIA New set of coil springs and shock. BTW, it appears your axle is leaking gear oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted December 28, 2023 Author Share Posted December 28, 2023 22 hours ago, avgwarhawk said: New set of coil springs and shock. BTW, it appears your axle is leaking gear oil. The leak has been fixed. Why would I want to replace the springs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 (edited) 19 minutes ago, TexRiv_63 said: The leak has been fixed. Why would I want to replace the springs? Cure Ride. A brand I have not heard of. More than likely permitting the tire to bounce and no dampening on rough roads. Given the limited brands making shocks that fit these cars your choices are few. I believe I put Gabriel on mine. The factory springs on my 60 were simply not up to the tasks. Bottom out. Sag when passengers where in the backseat. Plus it looked like an ass dragger. A set of progressive coils provide a factory ride and also can carry a heavy load when needed. Concerning the slight imbalance, rebalance the tires. Edited December 28, 2023 by avgwarhawk (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 With a weather prediction of a Texas "Blue Norther" headed our way I took the car out for a ride yesterday. Sunny and in the mid 60s and so clear I stopped and took some new photos at my photo spot overlooking an elementary school yard and local park. As promised I got up this morning and it was only 12 degrees! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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