Guest Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 I NEED SOME HELP.I am 17 and have been given a 55 special. Its the tourback model that came in 4 door.It has quite a bit of surface rust and alittle bit of rust that has eaten through the body... i need to know what i can do to get rid of this??i plan on restoring this as soon as i can.... ill post pictures of it when i can also....Can anybody help me?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 First thing is to join AACA or Buick Club of America and make an effort to meet some local people. They can help you find parts and reputable craftsmen to do repairs on your car that you can't do yourself.Buy some factory-issued literature for your car. You'll need a 1955 Buick shop manual at the very least. You can find 'em on e-bay or at a swap meet. Let us know where you are and we can steer you towards one close by, swap meet season is in full roar.Then enroll in an automotive technician course in your local high school or community college (you may have to have someone over 18 enroll in CC and you "tag along"). This will help you learn about cars and how they work though it'll be geared mainly toward newer cars. These programs are in business to train mechanics for dealerships and independent shops, that work mostly on newer stuff.The surface rust can be sanded off if there are no deep pits, and power tools help here otherwise you wear out your arms. Rust through can only be repaired properly by cutting out the damaged area and welding in new metal. A 1955 Buick has some substantial metal in it, so you may be able to sandblast really bad surface rust, but you need to be aware that flat sheetmetal surfaces can warp from sandblasting.Does the car run, drive and stop under its own power? If it does you're way ahead of the game. Specials also won't totally break the bank if you have to do any chrome work. But honestly- an old car can be more expensive than you counted on, so be aware of that and don't get discouraged.You need to decide where you want to take this car. Do you want a nice, fun, reliable driver or a full tilt restoration? My guess is that at 17, you'll want to restore the car as a driver and enjoy the pleasure an old car can give you. There's been a couple of guys your age on the BCA forum with 50s Buicks, though I haven't seen any posts from them in some time.Good luck and keep us posted. I always find it rewarding when a young guy gets into older cars instead of ricerockets <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 Well id like a nice reliable driver but at the same time i want it to look nice. My plan was to restore this as much as i could so that i could drive it and have it look nice and then when i get a new car i planned on doing the full restoration and maybe being able to put it in my local car shows.Im from San Luis Obispo County in California... the Town is Nipomo and we have a local swap Meet. I also found a shop manual online that i was planning to buy really soon. What other literature would be good for me to have?It does not run right now. The guy who gave it to me had blown the head gasket. So i am replacing that. The guy who had it before me, took out the orginal engine which is a 264 Nailhead V8 and put in a replica of the orginal engine and used it as a daily driver. Theres alittle over 10,000 miles on this new engine. I am also going to replace the spark plugs and the battery to. It also looked like he put in a eletronic fuel pump. The only thing it really needs is that main head gasket to get it to run.The interior is also brand new. He had it put in a few months ago from what he told me. The carpet needs to be replaced and the head liner. There are also some spots on the floorboard that have rusted through so i want to replace the entire floorboard if i can. The outside is pretty clean with some rust on the hood and back trunk that has gone all the way through. The front and back bumper have some surface rust on it and have that "bubbling" effect on it. My Dad said that if i can sand it down and "prep" it he knows a guy who will rechrome them for a really good deal. Also on the inside some surface rust has gotten to the dashboard.There are also some minor problems like 2 of the doors that dont lock and 2 windows that dont roll down but i plan to fix those today. Is there a place where you can just buy the orginal doors or anything?I really want to try to replace anything to make it look as new as possible...I never thought of joining the local CC and enrolling in a automotive technician class. I am 17 and graudated early so i am probably going to join that class...I dont know when my fascination with old classic cars started. I have always found them to be so "Badass". Thanks for the warning on expenses. I wont get discouraged. I just want a car i can cruise and looks beautiful. You cant cruise the ricerockets! with there overly huge exhaust and ridiclous lights and stickers... those cars and that "scene" just arnt for me i guess....Thanks for any and all the help you can supply me with! Its greatly appreciated!Seth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 I have all those numbers and stuff if somebody could help me with it....1955Style# 4439Body# BC 3657Trim# 449Paint# EHE-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 You'll come out cheaper and get a better job by replacing the hood and trunk lid if they're rotted thru. Being west coast, finding some rust-free sheetmetal and bumpers should be easy. 50s cars are still fairly plentiful in desert junkyards.4439 is a Special four-door hardtop, or Riviera Sedan in Buick-speak. 55 was the first year for Buick 4dht, and the <span style="font-style: italic">Standard Catalog of American Cars</span> shows there were 66,409 Special ht built.There's some Nailhead and Dynaflow experts on this forum who can help you with them. Think there's a V8 Buick forum too, www.v8buick.com .Other reference literature? Paint chips, dealer Color and Fabric sample book (bend over and grab 'em, any 50s C&F book will be expensive), factory training manuals and service updates (Olds had Service Guilds, Pontiac had Pontiac Craftsman, dk what Buick called theirs, but someone on here does?).Also get Buick-specific vendor catalogs, a Steele Rubber catalog for your weatherstripping www.steelerubber.com , and a Kanter Auto Parts catalog for the mechanical stuff you can't get anywhere else www.kanter.com .Seth, there's a world of help out there and you'll find most old car people are willing to help if they sense you're serious about doing the car. Best of luck with this project. As you see I'm more into Olds and I'm on the other side of the country, but I'm always here for encouragement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
progoofoff Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Seth,I have 5 `55 part cars but am a long way from you.Check with Ken Schmidt in Sacramento. 916 381 5271. He can probably help.Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Progoofoff- there's rumour of a BOP show in Raleigh Sept 20 hosted by Tarheel Tigers Chapter of the GTO Association. Talked to a couple of those guys at the Crown Pontiac show last Saturday (I was riding shotgun in a 66 Bonneville Brougham after my buddy's 64 GP lost its brake booster, original plan was for both cars to be there but anyway it RAINED <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />). www.tarheeltigers.org for info, though they said it wasn't on the website yet.I've been after Mid Atlantic Olds Club to host one in Greensboro or Charlotte which would space them out about every 200 miles or so along I-40 from Nashville to Knoxville to Raleigh.What do you NC Buick guys think about doing that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
progoofoff Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Glenn,Some years ago the Olds national was held in G`boro and was quite a success, I thought.Either place should draw a crowd. I sold a `70 pace car and don`t own an Olds now but I have a few 40s-50s parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 1995. I remember it well. I was show chairman and feel like I aged 10 years during the course of that show. Local group rumbles about doing another one every so often. I say, you will have to find another show chairman, and that quiets it for a while.But we accomplished what we set out to do, which was bring the Olds Nationals to the Southeast for the first time. It was a good show and still talked about as one of the best Nats ever with a swap meet that was second only to the Centennial. I think they were expecting Mayberry and outhouses, and we stick them in the Four Seasons next to one of the biggest malls in the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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