72 Centurion Convertible

[NC-car-guy]

13 minutes ago, rocketraider said:

My habit even when traveling with windows down is to set HVAC controls to VENT and set the blower to its 2nd or middle speed. That way you get some airflow thru the cabin and the blower will force out hot stale air.

 

The 1971 GM cabin ventilation system did basically the same thing. The HVAC blower ran on low speed any time the ignition switch was in RUN. The idea was to force out stale air thru the vents in the decklid and refresh cabin air with outside air several times a minute.

 

Worked better in theory than in actual practice, especially after water leakage problems associated with the decklid vents showed up.

on my 72 the fan runs whenever the car is running.

[JohnD1956]

31 minutes ago, NC-car-guy said:

on my 72 the fan runs whenever the car is running.

Yes, but as Willis said you would use the vent setting to get the air movement out of the dash vents, otherwise it just comes out the floor heater vent. At least you can angle the dash vents to blow on your face 

[NC-car-guy]

1 hour ago, JohnD1956 said:

Yes, but as Willis said you would use the vent setting to get the air movement out of the dash vents, otherwise it just comes out the floor heater vent. At least you can angle the dash vents to blow on your face 

Well that was a failure. Apparently there's something wrong with the vacuum system and it only comes out of the footwell and hot

[NTX5467]

Check the vac lines going to the vac reservoir for the hvac system.  With no vac to the reservoir, the default mode is air from the heater floor vent and the defroster vents.  

 

NTX5467

[NC-car-guy]

1 minute ago, NTX5467 said:

Check the vac lines going to the vac reservoir for the hvac system.  With no vac to the reservoir, the default mode is air from the heater floor vent and the defroster vents.  

 

NTX5467

Yeah I don't have any of my tools down here and I just went to do brakes and realized I'm mostly short on tools for doing that so I'm just going to hope it keeps running until I can afford to fix one of my other cars and this one can go

[JohnD1956]

I am so sorry to hear you down on this car.  By 72 the Buicks were a step beyond great.  Pull the vacuum hose off the face of the heater control valve and plug with a golf tee then see if it still blows hot air at your feet. 

 

[NC-car-guy]

Just now, JohnD1956 said:

I am so sorry to hear you down on this car.  By 72 the Buicks were a step beyond great.  Pull the vacuum hose off the face of the heater control valve and plug with a golf tee then see if it still blows hot air at your feet. 

 

My 57 is way easier to work on, better mileage, handles just as well for how I drive.  If I could afford a 50s convertible I'd def have it.  72 is a gas hog, too many plastic parts, too many vacuum controls, worse airflow, etc.  

[Smartin]

There is a plastic vacuum tank on the firewall…check to make sure it has a vacuum line feeding it, and that the tank will hold vacuum.

[JohnD1956]

I know that somewhere between '69 and '72 the heater controls changed. I believe the 72 needs vacuum at the control valve port to shut off the hot water to the heater core. And the 69 is the opposite. The 72 valve may still be available. The 69s valve is no longer available in metal but there is an ugly black plastic one for both. If you have vacuum at that hose to the valve it may be an easy fix to swap in a new one even if it is the ugly one. 

[NTX5467]

There used to be an ACDelco hvac catalog on control devices, including water valves and such.  Vehicle listings in the front and a buyers guide in the rear.  Each part illustrated, what cars and years it fit, and other information related to its operation (as to open and close issues).  

 

I imagine that Murray or a similar aftermarket company has something similar.  Possibly something online, but that might be accurate, which leaves the illustrations and such at www.rockauto.com as the possibly best source for browsing the listings.  Some were pretty neat (or so I thought at the time) with a simple piece of plastic tube with a vac-operated flap in them.  Nice and incognito, but less than great durability, from what I could see.

 

NTX5467

[dmfconsult]

On 7/24/2023 at 7:31 PM, NTX5467 said:

I looked around in the '75 and prior Buick parts book I downloaded from the www.ahps.com website.  The GM part number for the striker assy is 9815751.  By this point in time, I suspect that GM has discontinued that part number and finding one at a dealership would be a negative-percentage probability.  Looked for the pcv sleeve part number, but did not find it, but I know they did exist.

 

So I went into the Dorman website looking for same, as in their "HELP! Rack" section.  There, I found  #38420 after I'd put in the '72 Centurion specifics in their catalog search.  The Buick striker was 9815751 and the Chev item (for an Impala/Caprice) was 9815750, which was the OEM reference Dorman had for their part number.  Not sure why the Buick number would have been so close to the Chevy number for an allegedly "same part"?  So . . . "Try it and see".  

 

I was really hoping to find the pcv sleeve/insulator item, but did not.  Seems like there used to be a small package of such in their HELP! Rack selection, a while back?  Might still be . . .

 

In the Dorman website, for each part, there also is a "Where to Buy It" function, which included (locally) O'Reilly's and AutoZone stores.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467

 

There is a cheap fix for this that I learned from the wagon guys.  As I recall, I used 1/2" PEX water pipe, cut about a 3/4" inch long piece and sliced it open on one side so you can stretch it over the striker bolt, spray liberally with lithium grease and close the door gently.  An 8-foot section of 1/2" PEX should be about $3 at your local Home Depot or Lowes or get a scrap 6-8” piece from a plumber friend.  I used this on my 78 Estate Wagon and it was like magic!  I can't say for sure it will work on the 72, but you could try it, if it doesn't work you're only out the cost of the pipe. (it took me 15min to do all 4 doors as I recall)  

Edited August 26, 2023 by dmfconsult (see edit history)

[NTX5467]

When I was selling those gray plastic "silencers", I always thought one could go to Lowes and buy some pvc pipe and cut your own silencers, but I never did investigate past that.  The GM items were softer than pvc, though.  On some of the striker bolt assys, you can spin the large washer off and have direct access to the bolt itself.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[dmfconsult]

It’s soft enough to work but not too soft to disintegrate after a few uses. If you zoom into the photo you can see (covered in white lithium grease). 

Edited August 26, 2023 by dmfconsult (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

12 minutes ago, dmfconsult said:

It’s soft enough to work but not too soft to disintegrate after a few uses. If you zoom into the photo you can see (covered in white lithium grease). 

If one has direct access to the striker bolt like Willis says, is there any reason a stack of appropriate sized metal washers covered in grease wouldn't work?

[dmfconsult]

29 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said:

If one has direct access to the striker bolt like Willis says, is there any reason a stack of appropriate sized metal washers covered in grease wouldn't work?

The PEX might be cheaper and you don’t have to remove the striker to install. 
 

I’m not even sure that this will work on a 72, it worked on the wagons doors, but not the tailgate. 

Edited August 26, 2023 by dmfconsult (see edit history)

[NTX5467]

Many of the striker bolts come with captive flat washers, but not all of them will spin off, IIRC.

[lancemb]

On 8/24/2023 at 6:23 PM, NC-car-guy said:

Yeah I don't have any of my tools down here and I just went to do brakes and realized I'm mostly short on tools for doing that so I'm just going to hope it keeps running until I can afford to fix one of my other cars and this one can go

If you do decide to sell it, maybe try finding something like my 71 GS 350 convertible.  It's a stripped down GS with no options, which means comparitively little to go wrong.  Being an A body means no troublesome scizzor top.  Very affordable (like 1/2 price) compared to the 455 version, yet looks just as great and drives awesome!

[NC-car-guy]

Back from paint and body.  Got the funny dents out of the hood and the hood repainted and striker bolt on the driver's door replaced door adjusted and repinstriped.

[NC-car-guy]

Of course I get it back and all of a sudden the brakes are spongy and I can hear a vacuum hiss under the dashboard.  When I looked under the hood it's low on brake fluid and it looks like there's a drip between the master cylinder and the vacuum booster.  And now that I have it out in full daylight, I am not happy with the paint job on the hood so it has to go back.  Always something.  

[NC-car-guy]

New M/C seems to have the brakes back to their normal "eat the steering wheel state". Luckily it was available same day locally.  Now back to the paint shop

[EmTee]

What's the paint issue, color match?

[NC-car-guy]

8 minutes ago, EmTee said:

What's the paint issue, color match?

Yea hard to tell in the photos but out in the sunlight it looks different.  There's also some trash in the paint.  Disappointing because the body shop came highly recommended, and been in business over 30 years. There's few body shops in the area that want to touch older cars. It seems every time I let go of my hard-earned money to pay somebody to do something I get a subpar job. Part of why most of my projects just sit and flounder for so long.  Paint however, is not something I've ever done nor do I have the equipment to do it.

Edited November 22, 2023 by NC-car-guy (see edit history)

[EmTee]

Close, but I see what you're saying; looks a little more orange.  I'm surprised they didn't blend the paint into the top of the fenders.  A subtle difference would be harder to notice between the top and side of the fender with the 90° difference in orientation.

[NC-car-guy]

2 minutes ago, EmTee said:

Close, but I see what you're saying; looks a little more orange.  I'm surprised they didn't blend the paint into the top of the fenders.  A subtle difference would be harder to notice between the top and side of the fender with the 90° difference in orientation.

Yeah and I was almost going to write off the color difference but then as I started noticing the trash in the paint and the one fisheye, and the other morning when I drove the car to work I had to use the defogger on the windshield and when I turned it on, it blew paint dust all inside the cabin. They clearly worked on the hood on the car and did not tape up the vent intake.  I called them and said it was coming back.

Edited November 22, 2023 by NC-car-guy (see edit history)

[NTX5467]

I suspect that "nobody wants to do old cars anymore" might not be because their owners are more picky or similar, but because the painters only know how to shoot 2-stage of basecoat/clearcoat paints.  Nor how to color-match the earlier paints, as in the PPG videos I've seen, you don't know what the bc/cc paint is going to be until it dries fully.

 

The other issue might be that a vintage car owner might desire "show quality" paint, which ups the price a bit, usually.  BUT, this is one reason I advise to ask for "a current OEM-level paint job" and nothing more.  Reason?  IF they are used to doing that level of paint and body work, then that would be MORE than what we had back then OEM.  So, a better paint job without getting something more expensive, it should be.  If they can do the body work to look good under the shiner bc/cc paint, then it ought to be just fine under a single-stage acrylic lacquer.

 

Another reason might be that in doing the full prep work, they might uncover some prior flaky repairs that need attention.  When found, there usually is no "point of no return", so "nobody wins" that game . . . at the customer's expense.  So, much easier to deal with insurance companies and customer deductibles.

 

NTX5467

[NC-car-guy]

Well the shop called today.  They said they are too busy to fix it and are just issuing me a refund.   😞   JEEEEEZ.   Apparently the old owner retired after Christmas so the whole "I've not had an unhappy customer in 30 years" went out with him. 🤬

[EmTee]

8 hours ago, NC-car-guy said:

They said they are too busy to fix it and are just issuing me a refund. 

Sucks, but probably the best possible outcome.  Now you get to search for another shop...

[NC-car-guy]

Getting her measured for new 26" rims.   🔥💪

 

[old-tank]

😮?

[NC-car-guy]

22 minutes ago, old-tank said:

😮?

I'm kidding.  Took it off the road because the freaking rebuilt master cylinder that I bought for it 3 months ago is already leaking.  So while I wait for that to come in, I pulled the wheels to inspect the brakes, rotate the tires, and wash the underside of the car.  🙂

[EmTee]

1 hour ago, NC-car-guy said:

Getting her measured for new 26" rims.   🔥💪

 

Inspiration? 

 

[NC-car-guy]

Just now, EmTee said:

 

Inspiration? 

 

That poor baby.   I suppose it's still better than going to the demolition derby

[JohnD1956]

3 hours ago, NC-car-guy said:

Getting her measured for new 26" rims.   🔥💪

 

Whats up with the black 79 Limited in the background?

[NC-car-guy]

Everyone is so into that car.   A friend of mine inherited it from his grandfather. I've been storing it.  Sat for the last 25+ years.  350 wants to start, steering column is broken.  And the A pillars scare me (bubbles under the vinyl).

[JohnD1956]

Ahha!   Sounds rough. I do like the body style on them. 350 probably needs a timing chain and gear set. Too bad. A lot of work for rotted A pillars

[NC-car-guy]

6 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said:

Ahha!   Sounds rough. I do like the body style on them. 350 probably needs a timing chain and gear set. Too bad. A lot of work for rotted A pillars

We'll see when the vinyl is peeled back

[Machine Gun]

11 hours ago, NC-car-guy said:

I suppose it's still better than going to the demolition derby

Just barely so.

[NTX5467]

Back to the striker bolt silencers . . . there needs to be something other than metal for the latch to grab ahold of.  Why? Latch wear.  The factory silencers were softer than pvc so they were good at that.  They were also a bit softer than normal white pvc, too.

 

The strikers on my '77 Camaro are smaller diameter, with a rubber isolator encased in a stainless steel ring.  That ring might be slicker than normal metal, so less wear on the latch mechanism.

 

As to the '72 Era Buick Centurions and such . . .  First time I saw the revised instrument cluster, I thought it looked neat and a bit difficult to take apart.  The closer I looked at the components, the less-enthused I was with that situation.  Good shape, size, and configuration, BUT not the level of execution which Buicks should have.  Even the Pontiacs looked better!  Yet all of the designs were simple and good, usually.  As this was a time when doing good designs which were not expensive, but worked well, seemed to be the theme of GM at that time.  Not like some of the over-complicated designs of some of the luxury German brands of that era.

 

Just some observations,

NTX5467 

 

As great as PEX might be, I recently learned that exposure to sunlight can weaken and make it less durable.  Taking away the cross-links in the material that gives it the stretchability and such.  Not sure how long the deterioration can take in a somewhat shady area on the car, but that could also be variable.

[NC-car-guy]

She's back on her wheels and stopping as intended.  Needs a new parking brake cable though.... it's adjusted all the way in and still not tight.    As for door strikers, turns out GM B-body striker bolts are readily available and inexpensive 🙂

[NC-car-guy]

Well I finally have a Sunday off and I thought I'd get my radio working better in time to drive this up to the good guys show in Raleigh.  Nothing is ever as simple as planned.  Of course the front speakers are some oddball size that I can't find anywhere and the radio has had several modifications done with all sorts of wires coming out of it that don't match the original.