Johnd1956's Buicks

[NC-car-guy]

4 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said:

@NC-car-guy. Horn update.

Glad it worked for ya!

[JohnD1956]

This past week I allowed the Super to be used by a local independent film producer, who is working on a 3 episode pilot documentary.  It is yet to be sold so I do not know if it will ever be shown to the public.

 

 The filming started in the Albany, NY. area last Tuesday, which turned out to be among the hottest days locally this summer,  and went thru yesterday, Saturday. 

 

 

 

The crew stayed at a hotel in Sharon Springs NY and while I could have stayed there if I wanted to, I didn't  because of other reasons.  Anyway, Wednesday through  Saturday I commuted the 40+ miles out there via the NYS Thruway and the 40 miles  back via Rt 20.  I show 600 miles on the odometer for the entire week so taking my usual 10% correction that will make 540 miles of use since Tuesday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This event has taught me several things:

 

1) Don't be so vain as to want your car in a film at any price. 

2) Don't use a car that has mechanical issues of any sort.

3) Make sure of what you are being asked to provide. 

4) Make sure you know how the car will be used. 

5) Make sure you know WHO will use the car.

 

Overall it was a good time, with some minor issues and a few major concerns.  But over all the days  the Super performed extremely well under some trying circumstances.  Circumstances that really ratcheted up my blood pressure a few times.  It was most fun just driving the commute.  But these folks found a lot of interesting places I never would

have known about.  

 

 

 

 

And the car really was praised by the film crew and by so many local folk that if it could blush, I'm sure it would!   

 

Now I have to attend to some other adjustments that would just serve to make it a better driving experience for me.   I am sure no one else noticed the several flaws I knew about but haven't yet fixed.  But they were always on my mind and I gotta get some of them corrected.

 

BTW,  As far as the argument goes about the younger generation not knowing or caring about the old cars;  I can say that nothing could be further from the truth!  Maybe younger kids cannot afford theses cars, yet.  But they certainly are interested... Including one 9 year old boy who knew it was a 56.   

 

[old-tank]

images will not display

[JohnD1956]

4 minutes ago, old-tank said:

images will not display

Well, that bites.  I will work on it.

[Elpad]

Wish I could see some pictures

[JohnD1956]

@old-tank   @Elpad

 

Thanks for the interest.  I fixed those missing pictures.  

[Bill Stoneberg]

I can see the pictures and it looks like you went some nice places.

[JohnD1956]

6 minutes ago, Bill Stoneberg said:

I can see the pictures and it looks like you went some nice places.

 

That's a few of the places.  Most everyone we visited was very nice and welcomed the interest.  There was two incidents where we were not that welcome,  and in one of those we were kicked out before I had a chance to get any pictures.  I did not sit in on many of the interviews conducted.  Forgot my hearing aides one day and then discovered they didn't help much the other days.  It's very frustrating to know someone is talking and you can only hear faint murmurs.  So for most of the interviews I just stayed outside.  Once it is all put together I am supposed to get a copy of the series.  I'll know more about the sites then.  

 

What is sad is that the one town we went to was quite the resort in the late 1800's till the 1930's or so.  Then in decline as the vacationers stopped coming many places simply could not maintain the properties.  There were up to 73 hotels in various sizes in this one sleepy Upstate NY town.  That big one I am parked outside of was completely closed and not just because of Covid issues.  We went to another that had been closed since 2005 and subsequently abandoned to the delight of vandals.  Many houses and properties are simply rotting in place.  It was sad to see some of that.  

 

 

[JohnD1956]

Had to replace the 2010 battery this year. Apparently it really needed it too. Spun over much better. 

 

 

Also a short walk-around

 

 

Then took it out for a 6 mile ride and the oil light started comming on.  Hope its just the switch again. 

[JohnD1956]

Installed a new switch and that appears to have cleared up that issue. It is such a happy car. Loves to go.  And I love drivin it just as much!

 

[EmTee]

Lookin' good John!  Though, I will say that I'm surprised that you haven't flipped those tires around to the 'dark side'...

 

[rodneybeauchamp]

John, your GS is very smart, a nice colour combination, I like it.  Even with top up, it has style. And I think the white lettering adds some bling to the wheels whereas whitewalls may be too much. 🤔 
 

The walk around video while running was impressive, might do that myself.   Engine bay looks clean, amazing how quiet it is when shutting the hood. Keep it coming.

Rodney 😀😀😀😀

 

[JohnD1956]

@rodneybeauchamp thanks for the kind thoughts on the GS, Rodney. I would love to see a walkaround of your cars too. 

[sebastienbuick]

Beautiful Buick  

[JohnD1956]

6 hours ago, sebastienbuick said:

Beautiful Buick  

Thank you for the kind thoughts and words  Sebastien.  

[JohnD1956]

After numerous attempts to adjust the brakes, I finally decided to send it to the trusted shop up the road from me.  I didn't have any trouble stopping the car on the new "over the counter" shoes, but I was having problems with the parking brake.  It would hold if the car was facing down hill and at idle in drive, but sometimes the transmission Park position will slip when facing uphill, and the parking brake would not hold under any circumstances if the motion was in reverse. I resorted to using a wheel chock every time I parked, which did work, but was annoying.  In addition, and adding to the confusion,  I usually park the car in the garage a short distance away from the final position, then push it by hand into it's spot.  And then before I start it I usually pull it out by hand to get the exhaust outside the house.  I was able to push it forward but could not pull it backwards by hand. 

 

The shop found that I had adjusted the parking brake lever too tight.  And had not advanced  the star adjusters enough as a result.  I had them do the anchor pin adjustment procedure on all wheels with the resulting brake adjustment and parking brake adjustment.  I tested it out today.  I can push and pull it by hand like before, and the parking brake works in Drive and Reverse at an idle.  Also I parked it on a steep hill, facing forward,  and the parking brake held great.  

 

While I hated to admit defeat on this, I just wasn't getting the situation under control and I wanted the car to be safe.  So it was money well spent.  

 

 

[NC-car-guy]

On 3/25/2021 at 11:49 AM, JohnD1956 said:

After numerous attempts to adjust the brakes, I finally decided to send it to the trusted shop up the road from me.  I didn't have any trouble stopping the car on the new "over the counter" shoes, but I was having problems with the parking brake.  It would hold if the car was facing down hill and at idle in drive, but sometimes the transmission Park position will slip when facing uphill, and the parking brake would not hold under any circumstances if the motion was in reverse. I resorted to using a wheel chock every time I parked, which did work, but was annoying.  In addition, and adding to the confusion,  I usually park the car in the garage a short distance away from the final position, then push it by hand into it's spot.  And then before I start it I usually pull it out by hand to get the exhaust outside the house.  I was able to push it forward but could not pull it backwards by hand. 

 

The shop found that I had adjusted the parking brake lever too tight.  And had not advanced  the star adjusters enough as a result.  I had them do the anchor pin adjustment procedure on all wheels with the resulting brake adjustment and parking brake adjustment.  I tested it out today.  I can push and pull it by hand like before, and the parking brake works in Drive and Reverse at an idle.  Also I parked it on a steep hill, facing forward,  and the parking brake held great.  

 

While I hated to admit defeat on this, I just wasn't getting the situation under control and I wanted the car to be safe.  So it was money well spent.  

 

 

Gotta know when to hold em' and know when to fold em' ...... glad you got er' safe again!

Edited March 27, 2021 by NC-car-guy (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

I took the Super to one of the steepest grades I know of in my area and pulled up facing uphill to test the parking brake. It slipped slightly at first but did get to the point where it finally held. Now I just need to rebuild my confidence level in it.  

 

[JohnD1956]

For 46 years of ownership I was never able to get the parking brake warning light socket apart to replace that bulb. At one point the wire pulled out of the button under the bulb in the socket, and over time I tried again and again, unsuccessfully,  to get that thing open.  Recently someone on another forum told me how to do it so I took another stab at it this weekend and got hit opened.

 

Then I bought a new socket at a local parts store for a few bucks, disassembled that and used the parts to fix my original socket. 

 

Here is what I was working with. 

 

 

It was a bear to get back in the car.  You all may have a similar set up where the bracket that holds the fuse box is pretty darn close to the bottom edge of the dash, and I just could not get my hand in there to hold the spring with the light, insert the front cylinder with lens, and then rotate the assembly to lock it in place.  After two hours of trying I called in a good friend who works for the County garage, and he got it back together in a few minutes.  Thank you Adam!

 

Such a tiny thing, but it brings much joy!

 

[rodneybeauchamp]

John

 

As you would be aware, these require you to hold your tongue a certain way as you put it back in. 😀😀😀😀

 

Did you consider a red LED as an alternative to the bulb?

 

Tis great to have these little wins every now and then

Rodney 😀😀😀😀

[JohnD1956]

2 hours ago, rodneybeauchamp said:

 

Did you consider a red LED as an alternative to the bulb?

 

Tis great to have these little wins every now and then

Rodney 😀😀😀😀

 

Hi Rodney.  In answer to this inquiry, no, I never thought about using an LED.  I had the bulb in stock. And I like the warm glow of incandescent lighting.  Also I am not convinced that there is any potential savings in terms of long life of the elements, especially considering the likelihood of curtailment of future use of these types of vehicles.  

 

But yes, the small achievements along the way are nice to have.  More importantly I knew that wire was broken and it was always on my mind that it could possibly short out, although considering it's functional use, that was a minimal risk.  So it brings a peace of mind to have it repaired. 😃

 

 

[JohnD1956]

Wanted to experiment with bringing my three "Me and My Buick" topics together in one location.  Hope I don't over load the program by this.  Here goes!

 

[JohnD1956]

The Electra went for its annual inspection during which the mechanic investigated a bushing squeak at my request.  He found one upper control arm front bushing was deteriorated and separating from the metal sleeve.  Thus began the quest to refurbish the suspension.

To begin, it was time to take stock of what was needed and how far I wanted to take the project. 

 

Part 1:   With the advent of Fall and the prospect of cold weather I did not want the car to be down long.  Also, I did not want to restore a small percentage of parts without any prospect for finishing the rest around them, so I decided to make this a repair instead of a restoration.  In addition, this car has had a forward leaning “rake” since installing the heavy-duty rear springs and new shocks several years ago, which I did not like, so I thought it was a good time to install new springs. 

With that project would come new shocks and stabilizer links because, well, they had to come out to replace the springs.  With all this it only made sense to install new lower control arm bushings as well.  Then I read the Factory Service Manual (FSM) since I have watched, but never actually performed, this work.  

   I ordered all the parts from the Advance Auto Parts store my son Doug manages.  Control arm bushings are generally not that expensive, but as you can imagine, the labor to repair them adds up quickly.  The shop I would normally use charges $119 per hour, and I estimated this was at least an 8—10 hour job.   I checked around and the job was turned down at one place and I was told I would receive a call when the 2^nd place could get me in. I am still wondering when or if I will ever get that call.  I re read the manual and thought;  this really doesn’t seem that difficult as much as time consuming.  So, I asked my friend Adam  (who is a professional mechanic) if he would consider doing the job on his off time?  I figured we could do this in my garage thus leaving his one bay garage at home free for other’s work.  That would help free his place just in case something went off schedule in this task. He already knows the Electra is extra clean, being an Oregon desert car, but told me that he did not have the one tool needed to press out the upper bushings.  I said I would buy the tool and then give it to him when we were done.  He agreed and I went home to contemplate how to stuff that car into my garage so the task could be done.  

   This led to tackling a clean up project that I have avoided for more years than I care to admit.  Re organizing my collection of good stuff, tossing years of crapola. The clean up went well.   I also ordered the bushing press tool.

 

 

The one bay, where the GS usually lives, would be the site for this job, and I started a major clean out.  I moved a bunch of stuff to the shed and got a set of shelves to coordinate the things I had to keep inside. I also took the opportunity to toss out the old cardboard I had under the GS and put some new disposable cardboard down for the task at hand.  Some things had to be moved to the other bay where the Super lives, so that lead to a general clean up in that side too.  In the process I finally found room on my work bench for the substantial vise Adam had salvaged for me several years ago.  

 

I had so much success sorting, boxing, and labeling the stuff that I just kept going.  I thought, if the Electra didn’t get done, I was already satisfied that this job was a success.  And then the Electra was squeezed into the bay.

 

 

   The Electra has been in there before when I did the timing chain job a few years ago, but it is a tight fit.  The passenger’s side rear view mirror just clears the 8 ft door opening.  It cannot go to the wall in the back because that’s where the down pipe is for the bathroom upstairs, so I got it as close as I could.  I saw that moving the one toolbox gave us clearance to do the driver’s side and, if needed we could open the side door of the garage to do the passenger’s side. 

 

There was just enough room to stand between the front bumper and closed garage door.  I jacked it up and secured the lift with some jack stands.  Adam came over to scout the set up and declaring it adequate, we proceeded to check the ball joints.  They are in good shape and to be retained. Then he told me to begin loosening the bolts.  I could also remove the old shocks and stabilizer links as well as the brake calipers.  He also asked me to get new coil spring insulators.  Working under the car in the light of my halogen floor standing work lamp, I decided it was so dingy with just the two overhead light bulbs that I wanted to update my lighting.  There was an 8 pack of 4’ LED shop lights online for a very reasonable price, so we ordered them.   The insulators become a whole different story.   While I finally did get some,    that situation is still not fully resolved as of this writing.  

    At this point the new lights arrived and I set about installation.  What a difference.  And oh my God, what a mess I still had to clean! With a few days to kill before Adam could get back, I took the clean out more seriously since I could now see better.  Another two bags of trash and some vacuuming later I am satisfied that this was the cleanest my garage has been in the 22 years since we moved in.  And while I used 5 lights on the Super’s Bay, and I only had 3 left for this bay, that wasn’t a major concern as everything was so much brighter and the Electra was in the way of installing any further lights anyhow. But I did vow to buy another set of these lights. 

 

 

   I took out the stabilizer links and shocks. Then I cleaned the area around the upper and lower ball joint nuts, and, after removing the cotter pins, I loosened but did not remove those nuts.   Then I loosened the control arm bushing bolts and nuts.  Finally loosening the upper control arms, the shim packs were removed, bagged, and tagged.

 

 

 

  All the bolts came off and I also noticed several more dry rotted bushings.  This job was well overdue!  Upon removing the driver’s side rear shim pack I though I heard something fall but could not find anything loose while poking around.  The calipers were removed and set on a set of jack stands.  At this point I figured that upon reinstallation it would be a good time to replace the flexible hoses which appeared to be the originals.  To get to the line nuts the Electra had an inner shield that also had to be removed. 

At this point I loosened and then re tightened the line nut at the brake hose connection.  I was happy that in each step all the fasteners cooperated, and nothing was damaged, especially the metal brake lines.

 

to be continued.

 

[JohnD1956]

Part 2:

Adam had a few hours booked on the Saturday to come over and get the springs and control arms off.  Since everything was loosened, it took less than 2 hours to unload the springs and remove the control arms at which point he took them back to his place to work on the bushing install.  As I was cleaning up the work area I did find the shim I thought had dropped. Returning it to the pack in the bag wasn’t a problem as witness marks clearly indicated it was the inside most shim.  Later I went over to bring him and his wife some BBQ Chicken dinners from a local Firehouse fund raiser, and I watched as the first upper control arm bushing was pressed out with the new tool. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This tool is not absolutely necessary, but it worked very well and was much more convenient than other non-conventional ways to remove the first bushing.   It was helpful because the control arm shaft is locked in place by the bushings on the ends.  If you don’t remove at least one bushing, the shaft is stuck in place making removal much more difficult.  The tool worked as advertised.  With compression of the c clamp the old bushing came right out of the control arm, and then the shaft and then the other bushing.  At that point I went home to enjoy similar dinners for Linda and me.  After dinner I went back to his place and watched as he made a spacer that fit the double flange of the lower control arms which protected the flanges from being damaged while pressing on those bushings.  I noted that of the 8 possible bushings, besides the one that the first mechanic saw that was bulging out of the shell another was completely deteriorated with the rubber missing, and the rest were all dry rotted.  Again, it was obvious that this was WAY overdue!  Adam said he would work on the arms on Sunday and see how far he got.

We talked on Sunday and the uppers were done early.  The lowers had a curious situation.  Even though my 1972 FSM does not indicate that the inner edge of the bushing is flared after installation, that is what he found.  A 1974 Oldsmobile FSM confirmed that this was a GM procedure.  So that delayed work on the lower arms but he had made a tool to accomplish the same. 

 

 

 

He would get as far as he could, and I could pick the arms up on Monday.  Monday all 4 arms were where done, and I brought them home and then I fought with myself to NOT clean and paint the arms and parts.  I just reattached them to the car.  Again, they matched the surrounding areas in their original state.  If I started cleaning now it would lead to much more than I could accomplish before winter arrives.  Then I tried to loosen the bleeder valves on the calipers where upon I also decided to just replace them too. I had already done the brakes and rotors a while back so what the heck.   More parts ordered.

 

to be continued

 

[JohnD1956]

Pt 3

That Friday the insulators arrived.  The next day Adam returned and reinstalled the new springs and torqued the control arm bolts while the vehicle was supported with jack stands at the outer most point under the lower control arms. 

Once the springs settle, we will loosen and re-torque them.  Adam also pointed out that the one outer tie rod end might need replacing but it wasn’t too far gone just yet.  I mentioned that when I got the car Dan had casually said it had a steering issue.  I wondered if that could have been it?   So, we looked closer at the center link and found that the joint for the Pittman Arm to Center link was loose with quite a bit of play.  Thankfully that is a castile nut with a cotter pin.   Adam suggested checking the torque setting and re tightening.  By this point he had roughly 6 hours into the entire project.  I still had a few more to go.  But they went quick. 

First, I tightened up that Pittman arm joint and installed a new cotter pin.  Then new brake hoses were attached to the new calipers.  The brake pads swapped over, and calipers mounted, then attached the new hoses to the brake lines.  The brake hoses have a slight offset at the caliper end which caused a momentary concern in allocating the correct hose to the side I was working on. 

 

 

Then the bleeder was opened, and I moved all the tools to the other side. 

When I got back there was steady brake fluid flow out the bleeder, so it was tightened and capped.  Then repeat on the other side.   At this point I rechecked all the bolts and nuts for tightness and reinstalled the tires. After dropping it down and then pumping the brake pedal, the brake fluid level was topped off, and I drove it out of the garage.

I was so relieved it was done.  But I couldn’t even drive it further than back to the shed to swap it with the GS. 

It drove like a dream the couple of hundred feet.  The next day I took it for a test ride.  It will be perfect timing over the winter as the springs settle, and then I will have an alignment done.   

I did get the second set of lights and finished installing three more units in the garage.  I also put three of them up in my attic.  What a blessing.  These things ARE the next best thing to sliced bread!  Next up will be the GS which needs the same treatment.

 

 

[JohnD1956]

Had noticed some antifreeze in the drip pan under the 56 when it was moved out to work on the Queen.  Without getting under it the drivers side of the block appeared to be wet. So I took it to the shop that installed a core plug there in 2017. I was able to get under there while it was on the lift and we could not find any evidence of a leak on the engine itself.  Therecwas one dried and sticky blob of antifreeze on the underside of the lower radiator hose but the water pump was in good shape and showed no signs of a leak. THEN I remembered that the last time I checked that Tefba coolant filter I did it in the garage and a small amount leaked out over the cap opening.  So with today being a warmish temp for this season I brought her back home (after a little ride) and washed the underside with some simple green and hot water. I cleaned out the drip pan(s) and will monitor it for a while to make certain its okay.   

[JohnD1956]

As luck would have it, the 2013 Regal GS has had a history of headlight assemblies that leak. Unfortunately, the assemblies are no longer available “new”.   If one can find a new assembly then it is prohibitively expensive for just the part, and ridiculous money to ship, plus, probably, a few hundred for installation.  This past summer my passengers side assembly started to show water infiltration. I was able to control the damage by running the engine up to operating temperature and then opening the door for bulb replacement, on the back side, and using engine bay heat which dried it out with no spots.

Once dried, I tried to use an acrylic glue to seal it. But that did not work so in desperation I tried to use wheel bearing grease, which was more successful but made a heck of a mess.

 

And I wasn’t convinced it was thoroughly sealed so I kept using the plastic every time rain was forecast, which made it unworkable to use. 

 

The root of the problem seemed to be that the top side of the assembly was not fully accessible to be sealed unless it the unit was removed from the car.  So recently I worked on a fix I hope will work for at least this coming winter, and maybe much longer.

My plan called for removing the unit, cleaning up my goopy mess, and then resealing the unit.  I checked the other forums for the best sealer and the one recommended option seemed to be clear silicone caulk.  But I was worried that if I missed the leak, it would be tough to clean out of the area to be sealed.  I also read that at least one person said you had to have a product that would stick to this type of plastic.  Not knowing any more about it and with not much time to accomplish this goal, I wanted to try the corded caulk that I had used on the heater box replacement for the ’56.  This caulk is pliable, non- hardening, sticky, and easy to work with.  I figured if it didn’t work, it would be easier to remove than the silicone caulk.  But it would be a gamble.  First up was to get the headlight unit out of the car so I could work on cleaning my previous mistakes.  

I watched a You-Tube video on removing the headlight assemblies.  It looked rather simple.  Unlock the electrical wire connector and remove the plug,

 

then 3 screws across the top of the front valance assembly on the side to be worked on, and three screws inside the fender well, to pull the front valance back far enough to access the 4 hex screws holding the assembly to the vehicle. 

   

 

 But after removing all those screws the cover was stuck.  A little pulling and untwisting the overlap in the wheel well, and the valance came loose on the passenger’s side.  I took out the 3 visible hex head screws for the headlight assembly as was shown in the video.  But the unit would not budge.  I also noted it looked like reinstalling the unit would be a problem to get the hex screw on the inside edge restarted.  So, I removed all the screws on the valance top.  Still with little movement and no desire to damage the valance it just wasn’t enough room to work, so I removed the 3 screws in the driver’s side wheel well too.  Those were no problem and then a little pull and the whole front valance panel just dropped out of the way. 

 

This exposed another piece of plastic frame that wrapped around the bottom of the assembly. This had to come out since it has a molded locator pin on it which goes through a hole in the headlight assembly.  Three more screws, and then unlock the tab at the other end, and that came out, but the headlight still didn’t budge.

 

  This shows the 4 headlight assembly screw locations.

 

 

Searching with some extra light revealed another bolt on the very bottom of the assembly that I didn’t recall seeing on the video and once that was out the assembly lifted right out of the car.  

It took quite a bit of time to remove the bearing grease/acrylic glue mess.  And eventually it came out and I scrubbed the unit with rubbing alcohol numerous times and then blew out the area with compressed air.  Then I applied the rope caulk.  As it was going on I smoothed it where it would be seen but I just made sure it was applied and packed into any gaps between the clear front panel and the back housing.  Then I put it back in the car.  At this point, even though I was not having problems with the driver’s side unit, I decided to pull that one and give it the same treatment as a preventative measure.

 

 

 

Reassembly was a snap, and it’s not readily apparent visually as for what was done.  It remains to be seen if this caulk will hold and if the units are both sealed from water infiltration.   So far they held out any of the 2+ inches of rain we had the last 2 days. Keeping my fingers crossed. 

 

 

 

 

 

[usnavystgc]

Looks good John!  I'd much rather be doing that than trying to wrangle this exhaust together.

[JohnD1956]

6 hours ago, usnavystgc said:

Looks good John!  I'd much rather be doing that than trying to wrangle this exhaust together.

 

Yes, this was MUCH EASIER than the exhaust work.   

[JohnD1956]

Took a shot at fixing my 56's transmission dip stick.  Several years ago the cap began to "float" up and down the stick such that getting any rerading was difficult.  Eventually I found the cap's location spot on the stick ( between the two sets of swedges) 

 

but it seems the hole in the cap just opened up and it would not stay in this location.  I figured the best way to fix this was to close the hole in the cap if possible.  The problem was I did not have a suitable anvil to use to support the cap and stick till just a few weeks ago.  But tonight I loaded the unit into the vice 

 

 

And planned to use one or the other of these flat punches to tap the hole in the cap back into shape

 

 

 

This didn't really work as well as I thought it should.  The punch's were tough to get under the bend in the stick.  So after a while I tried a different approach and I tried to increase the size of the swedges.  But that sort of worked part time as the cap could still slip past them.   Then I tried to form a lock out of a spare soft copper washer (intended for use between a brake line and a wheel cylinder).  That did not work either.   I thought about trying to solder the hole closed but I couldn't think of a tool I had with which to clean the insides of the cap and I really only have a underpowered soldering iron.  So I brought out the BFH and a relatively new, and  substantial sized flat head screwdriver. 

 

 

And trying to be careful I didn't put a new hole in the cap, I worked around the hole with this combo and and eventually closed the hole enough so the cap was once again trapped between the two swedges. 

 

 

Time will tell how long it lasts this time. 

 

[JohnD1956]

So, the headlight seal lasted all winter ( see:   Regal headlight problem ) and then two weeks ago I ran it through a touchless car wash to clean off any road salts.  For whatever reason, but likely the ultrasonic wash cycles, the seal did not hold up.  This was probably the 3rd time I ran it through the car wash since doing the seal, and the headlight got moisture in it.  Then it rained pretty heavy this past weekend and there was a lot of moisture in the fixture.  I took the headlight out today and found one possible area where the water could have been able to slip by but mostly I found that caulk was intact all around the perimeter. 

 

None the less, I peeled the caulk off and tried another product to reseal the unit.  

 

 

What I also noted was an area on the backside of the unit which appears to have a waterproof tape over two molded in holes.

 

Not quite certain the need for these two holes and I also questioned if this could be the source of the leak?  But I figured if that seal leaked water in it should have also allowed water vapor out, so I just left that alone for now. 

 

I left the driver's side light alone this time since it still does not show any sign of leaking.  That side is normally on the shady side of the driveway while the problem side does sit on the sunny side most often.  Not sure if exposure to the sun is a potential problem source or not.  And, as luck would have it, we are expecting rain tonight, so I am hoping I have it fixed.  We will see soon enough.

 

The good news was, it only took a few minutes to drop the entire facia for access to the light units.  So if I have to go at this again, that part is of no concern.

[lancemb]

I have never used the glue, but the Flex Tape is an excellent product, so I have high hopes for your fix! 

Edited April 12, 2022 by lancemb (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

As of this morning, regardless of last night's rain, the light is dry inside. The directions say 12-48 hours to cure and then 7 days for max effectiveness.  It also says repairs can be made underwater.  We will see.  We have a few dry days coming up according to forecasts.  

[KAD36]

Just don’t go making a boat out of plexiglass with that stuff or we’ll have to come fish you out….😁

 

Good job.

[EmTee]

On 4/30/2022 at 10:00 AM, KAD36 said:

Just don’t go making a boat out of plexiglass

...or a screen door! 

[JohnD1956]

It is still holding up well, but it is early after the repair. 

[NailheadBob]

I normally do not look at Buick and Me on this site, but I saw your forum name on one of the last posts and as they say pulled me in, I went to the last page and wow you do a great job with details and photo's, someday I will figure out how to send photos from my phone, I also have a 2014 Regal GS with a 6 speed manual transmission, some of the guys in our Chicagoland chapter of the BCA meet once a week for breakfast, on this day we had breakfast and when I came out of the breakfast there was  up a Chevy pick up up against my front bumper with the Chevy bumper over my front bumper and into my grille pushing it back with a gap of about 1", I called the police and once they located the owner of the truck he did not have a valid divers license or insurance card, they could not give a ticket for NO drivers license because he was not driving the truck at that time and was on private property but did give him a ticket for NO insurance, I had to fix it at my own expense and the grille was 900.00 for the part, SO i just repaired the grille best I could, it was amazing how easy it was to remove front bumper cover 6 T15, 3 7MM, and 6 T20 screws. I love driving my Regal GS.

 

Bob

[usnavystgc]

26 minutes ago, NailheadBob said:

wow you do a great job with details and photo's,

John is a big help to us all here.  

[JohnD1956]

5 hours ago, NailheadBob said:

I love driving my Regal GS.

Wow, Sorry to hear about your grill Bob.  Would like to see a picture of the repair.   And thanks for the kind words,Bob and @usnavystgc(Phil) .  I love driving my Regal GS too. Many people will just look past those cars for years to come, but they just don't know what they are missing.  

[JohnD1956]

Time for a short update on an issue with the 56 Super that sort of grounded it for a while.  Back in the fall when I took the ride to Piseco Lake in the Adirondacks I reported that at one point it felt like I had developed a bad wheel bearing. But before I got back home the feeling went away. I attributed that episode to the road surfaces in the various NYS Counties I passed through.  However, it wasn't the road surfaces.  Instead, it was a recurring low volume noise and resonance that I could feel and I could tell where it would start which was within 7 tenths of a mile from my driveway when the car was first driven.  Once it started it never went away.  I was sure I had a bad wheel bearing.

 

My friend suggested adjusting the bearings again and seeing if the noise when away.  I did have them too loose and took them up a bit.  But it was still there.  And I began to think:  maybe it was a new drive train noise?  It was hard to pinpoint the source, and half of the exhaust system has been on this car since 1988.  Maybe?  So I took it to my local shop today to have them check if it was in the bearings. I was thinking they had a machine to spin the tires on the car and it would be easier to hear the bearings with the engine off. 

 

But, when spinning the tires by hand, a slight noise could be heard on the driver's side front.  This was with the car on the lift so we could get right up close to the spinning hubcaps.  The passengers side was quiet,  but we pulled the dust cap off and checked the bearing and cone, and it looked good, so we reassembled it and adjusted that bearing anew.  Then we went to the driver's side and immediately upon pulling the dust cover off the mechanic looked inside the cover and said the end of the cotter pin is rubbing on the dust cap. Sure enough there was a clean mark inside the dust cap and the edge of the cotter pin was nice and shiney.   Imagine this, when I looked at them in my garage, I cut the end off the cotter pin where I usually do, which is a bit longer so that they are easier to grab a hold of if I have to take them off.  But it was sticking out just enough that it hit the inside of the cap, which was also a bit mis-shappened. 

 

We pulled out the bearing itself and looked it over but nothing looked burned, scored or damaged.  And we put it back together, re-shapped the cap, and cut the new cotter pin a bit shorter.  And that the noise and sensation were gone.  Ran it approximately 15 miles today just to see if that was really it.  It felt so good to drive it again.

 

I guess sometimes it just takes a fresh set of eyes to notice somethings.