Slawnski Posted July 13 Author Share Posted July 13 Wheels put on and steering link assembled and installed with new leather seals. Chassis moved out of the way for a quick job on the lift with another vehicle 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 14 Author Share Posted July 14 A couple stubborn screws holding the trim plates on- but I’ve started to clean up the rear end More cleaning tomorrow. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 14 Author Share Posted July 14 Lots of precleaning with a wire wheel and brushes before I sandblast. Really tough to sandblast grease off. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 14 Author Share Posted July 14 Quick tip/note: On the back of my sandblasting hood there is a small barbed fitting for an air line- I used it today and it made a huge difference in regard to the fogging of the lens I kept experiencing when I sandblasted the frame. It didn’t take much air at all- I used the airline for my paint system and just barely cracked the valve. I was able to sandblast the entire rear end without stopping to clear the fogging lens. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 14 Author Share Posted July 14 Sandblasted the rear end. Even though I made an effort to get rid of as much of the piled up grease as I could it took a long time to get most of it sandblasted off. I stuffed shop rags into the ends of the axles and driveshaft and taped. Now with a clean housing I’ll pull the rear cover - inspect, clean and possibly pull the axle shafts depending on what I find. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 15 Author Share Posted July 15 (edited) Came in and showered but thinking I was forgetting something…went back in the shed and cracked the rear end open… turns out I forgot to get myself smelling like decades old gear oil!! Whew… now I can call it a night! Everything looks good. I’ve got paper towels sloping up the sludge in the housing. I’ll dive into it tomorrow. Edited July 15 by Slawnski Spelling (see edit history) 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 Looks like you'll have a rolling chassis in no time! Interesting to see how Buick attached the axle tubes (riveted). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 15 Author Share Posted July 15 1 hour ago, EmTee said: Looks like you'll have a rolling chassis in no time! Interesting to see how Buick attached the axle tubes (riveted). The rear cover rings like a bell too! Found. That out after I cleaned it and set it down/ put a wrench down and hit the cover. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 16 Author Share Posted July 16 Cleaned up the gook tonight. The gear mesh pattern looks really good. The ball bearing is acceptable. I won’t be disassembling the rear end any further. just a good cleaning. A new rear cover gasket, and I’ll prep for paint. Took photos of some of the marks on the rear end in case anybody has any input on what they mean/refer to. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 16 Author Share Posted July 16 The one thing I will do is replace the cotter pin on the right side- not sure if you can tell but it’s making contact with the housing. I’m sure it’s not nessecary- 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 Diff looks like new inside! Oh, and I like your cover gasket - that one is guaranteed to fit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 16 Author Share Posted July 16 3 minutes ago, EmTee said: Diff looks like new inside! Oh, and I like your cover gasket - that one is guaranteed to fit! Thank you! Very glad it’s looking less worn than I thought it might have been. I little more flushing and I’ll be able to seal it up. Making progress! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 I don't even bother trying to buy a pre-cut rear axle cover gasket anymore. The last two cars I attempted took several tries before I gave up. I now make them like you are doing. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 17 Author Share Posted July 17 (edited) Not a lot done tonight. I received a new gun for my blast cabinet. Sandblasting in the cabinet has been hit or miss since I bought it used from an auction. I replaced the nozzle and gave it a whirl- it’s an improvement over the old one for sure. Tomorrow I’ll finish the gasket for rear end, get the rear cover on/sealed and start the cleaning and sandblasting of the rear break bits. Edited July 17 by Slawnski Spelling (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 Ordered brake material and rivets for the inner rear brake ( parking brake ) they arrived today 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 (edited) Also ordered the River tool- wow that piece of steel was pricy- Heres the list of rivets, lining material, and the tool from McMaster Edited July 18 by Slawnski Adjust photo (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 Sealed the rear cover on the rear end tonight. I used new bolts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 Little bit of sandblasting done as well. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 11 hours ago, Slawnski said: Sealed the rear cover on the rear end tonight. I used new bolts. Be sure to put some of that gasket maker or Permatex #2 on those bolt threads. I didn't do that on my '38 and now the lower bolts weep oil. I will seal mine the next time I drain the differential. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 7 hours ago, EmTee said: Be sure to put some of that gasket maker or Permatex #2 on those bolt threads. I didn't do that on my '38 and now the lower bolts weep oil. I will seal mine the next time I drain the differential. Good point- I mushed the fasteners through a film of sealant. Didn’t think of applying any to the threads. Hoping the smear that they did get will help seal the fasteners. Here’s hoping. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 3 hours ago, Slawnski said: Here’s hoping. Ha - hopefully you're luckier than I was! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 (edited) Very important advice. All brake rivets should be brass. This doesn't get said often enough, but it has been learned the hard way by many thousands of people over the years. I learned it the easy way, by listening to a brake expert a long long time ago. However, since then I have seen it nearly a hundred times happening to other people or in cars that I bought. Brass plated steel will not do! And believe me, this I have seen many times, a LOT of brass plated steel rivets are made and sold as "brass" rivets. What happens is in the somewhat enclosed but not water-tight environment that the brake linings do their work? A combination of water (just splashing a small puddle!) and heat from running and friction caused the steel to rust through the brass plating. Iron-oxide granules are extremely abrasive. So much so that they are one of the common abrasives used in sandpaper, and sometimes cutoff or grinding stones. The rust from the steel rivet flakes off, shakes or falls loose, then embeds itself in the softer brake lining. A few hundred microscopic granules trailing the rivet and the brake lining itself becomes a cutting tool. The granules begin cutting a groove in the brake drum. The surrounding lining wears down a bit in turn raising by comparison the cutting groove where the iron-oxide is embedded. Smaller braking surfaces speeds up the wear. The cutting edges become higher, surrounding lining wears faster. And before you are aware of it, your brake drum is ruined. It can happen surprisingly fast, in surprisingly few (couple to few thousand miles maybe?) miles. Fifty years ago, I bought a car, was told it had new brakes. I put several thousand miles on it, and started hearing some noise when using the brakes. In a hurry, I pulled the front hubs and checked the linings and drums. They looked like new. In those days, bonded linings were a new option, and the fronts were bonded. But I was in a hurry. So I put off looking at the rears. Two days later I suddenly lost all braking going down a very steep hill toward a red traffic light. I was lucky, fate favored the foolish. One of the fourteen red lights I went through in my life (so far?) had no cross traffic at that moment and I safely navigated to a gentle stop. It was night, and I carefully eased the car home. The next day, I looked under the car and oh what I saw! The rear brake shoes turned out to be riveted, and the rivets were steel. That new brake, in "several" thousand miles had cut through and separated the drum's braking surface from the hub. Being a single master cylinder car, all brakes failed to operate once the drum broke apart and stretched allowing the shoes to expand beyond their limit. Analyzing after-the-fact, I determined that the noise I started to hear was that the surrounding lining had worn down so far so fast that I was hearing the ends of the worn shoes starting to hit the drums, just before the high ridges finished cutting through the cast iron drum. For whatever it is worth? I have personally seen dozens of drums destroyed by iron-oxide embedded brake linings over the years. One doesn't hear about this problem much anymore. Between bonded linings and disc brakes, it doesn't occur except in the antique automobile hobby. However, here, it is still a very important safety issue! Test your rivets! If a magnet will pick them up? Get real brass rivets. Edited July 19 by wayne sheldon I hate leaving typos! (see edit history) 3 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 19 Author Share Posted July 19 Wayne- thank you very much for sharing this- I’ll check the divots with a magnet tomorrow. Great advice and something I wouldn’t have ever thought to check! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 19 Author Share Posted July 19 2 hours ago, EmTee said: Ha - hopefully you're luckier than I was! I could still pull the lower bolts one at a time and use sealant on the threads it would be worth the effort. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 19 Author Share Posted July 19 Tonight was just a little more cleaning and some sandblasting. My son’s car is still on the lift waiting for a Jack shaft to arrive. Until it’s out of the shed I can’t really hang parts and or paint. But there’s a lot of grease and gunk to clean off parts prior to sandblasting and paint. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 20 Author Share Posted July 20 Checked my rivets- solid brass that’s the magnet on the bottom of one of my lights. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 20 Author Share Posted July 20 I’m going to pick up a 27 standard parts car tomorrow- should have parts I need / don’t currently have: Correct fuel tank Front and rear bumpers Hand crank Hopefully 1 good door check Potentially good wood frame bits for templates Not sure about the shape of other parts/ spares. We’ll find out tomorrow. The car had its roof chopped off at some point but drivetrain looks complete. It’s been stored inside for some time. No telling what other bits are laying about there. I’ll post pictures of what I bring home. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 Sounds good. Brass rivets and the parts car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 21 Author Share Posted July 21 (edited) Fun trip today. The ad photos were just a weeee bit lacking. But to be fair the person I was working with was handling the cleaning and dispersal of her fathers estate. This is a 1927 Buick 27-20. The good: drivetrain is mostly complete comes with front and rear bumpers as well as new/ replacement bumper brackets A very nice Motometer was included 4 additional wood wheels Descent gauges (?) New steering wheel Box of other parts I’ve yet to go through decent discount on the price based on tank and radiator. The bad: Gas tank rotted out at the bottom (!!) Lower radiator fitting is rotted off; unsure if the lower radiator housing is salvageable Hole cut in firewall for some yet unknown reason I’m beat- left the house around 9:30- just got home. There were other cars they are looking to sell- all rough- 2-REO’s 1-1927 Chrysler an early ford body and turtleneck, a couple motors: ford, one packard, and a couple I didn’t recognize. I’ll post photos in the for sale section of the forum for her this weekend. Edited July 21 by Slawnski Spelling (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 You will no to study a long time: the tires must be replaced! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 That gasoline tank might have usable fillers or other pieces to use building a tank yourself. You appear to be quite capable. Making a nearly exact copy is difficult requiring special rolling and crimping tools, and shrinking of crimped metal. Making something fairly close to right and looking good installed and not looking too close? Not all that difficult. A modern made plastic gasoline tank custom made for size and fit, does have advantages due to chemistry issues with modern gasoline. But if you are like me, I find that idea a bit offensive and would prefer a steel one myself. Short version. Start with minimum 20 gauge minimum galvanized sheet steel, 18 gauge (one standard size thicker) would be better if you can get some. A lot of figuring will be necessary using your rusted out original as a guide. Cut out the oval ends about a quarter inch oversize. Special tools would help, but folding that quarter inch extra over by hand and jigs to help making smooth sharp folds can be done with not a lot of effort. The fold over should be slightly beyond the 90 degrees out (reason to be given later). Remember, that quarter inch folded out goes out away from the inside of the tank. The end pieces were originally slightly dished, isn't really necessary, but if you want to go through the trouble, it isn't very hard to do. Make both ends. The main outer skin is pretty straight forward. You can chose to do it in a single piece, with the seam somewhere on the top side. But that can get awkward when putting the tank together. An option is to cut the main piece short (going around the gasoline tank, not the side to side width) about a foot or a little more. Then later braze two seams in the top area hidden by chassis and body once all are together. Be sure when cutting the metal for the width of the gasoline tank to remember to leave that quarter of an inch to join the ends and outer skin. Somehow, clamp the end pieces into the outer skin to hold its shape. Gently shaping of the outer skin first would help. Vise grips work well for clamping tight corners. Once the outer skin and both end pieces are clamped in place, and the whole tank is even and square? Begin brazing the bottom half of both the outer skin and the end pieces together. This is where that over square fold over comes into play. You want to have a close fit between the end pieces and the outer skin, however, with a bit of a "V" shaped gap formed between the end piece's folded over and the outer skin. For a very strong and leak proof brazing, fill that "V" gap with braze. This will also create an appearance similar to the original double folded and crimped then soldered seam (if you make it good and neat). I don't know about Buick that year? Your original tanks may have had baffles inside. Whether they did or not, baffles are arguably a good idea. With the upper half of the tank still open, baffles can be made to fit with adequate holes for the gasoline to flow slowly though. They can be attached in many ways. Many tanks originally riveted them in, then sealed the rivets with solder. Several times repairing or modifying gasoline tanks, when I could get and work inside? I have brazed them into place. A few times with mostly intact tanks, I have cut slits in the outer skin and brazed through them to braze the baffles into place. Tremendous CAUTION!!! Any sort of welding or brazing on gasoline tanks that have had gasoline in them at any time in the past a lot longer than you might think must be handled with GREAT CARE by someone familiar with the risks!!!! People don't want to believe it, but steel is NOT solid! At the molecular level, gasoline does soak partway into steel, and can stay there for many decades. Significant heat can boil it out of the steel and create a fuel vapor even in gasoline tanks that haven't been used in fifty years! And that vapor can be explosive. I have seen it myself, with a model T gasoline tank I had had for over thirty years that had been dry for unknown decades before I got it. I knew, I took all the usual precautions, cleaning etc., and filled the tank with water before very carefully brazing a baffle back into place. Nothing bad happened because I was careful. But it was an interesting sight when the tiny air space I left for the torch to braze the baffle through a slit found enough fuel vapor from a small heated area to ignite and blow out the flame on my acetylene torch! Making a new tank that has never yet had gasoline in it? A whole lot easier and safer. With room to work from the open top side, I would braze baffles (if used) into place from the inside. Plan ahead for your filler neck, bottom drain, gasoline pickup line, and fuel gauge if it has one. Some gasoline tanks are cradled into place by straps or external brackets. Some tanks have mounting bolts or brackets attached to the tank itself! Don't forget those. Placement and timing for all of those will need to be worked out as you go. Some of those things will be easier to work with if the outer skin is cut short and the top piece brazed in later with two seams (carefully placed where they will not show when installed). Once all that stuff is in place? The upper half of the skin and seams can be brazed together. It is wise to pressure test the tank before testing with gasoline. Any minor brazing errors should be found and fixed before installing the tank. I don't know where our gasoline chemistry will take us in the future. But most of the stuff today is pretty nasty and accelerates rusting of the tank from the inside out. Brazed areas will burn off some of the galvanizing. Still, a steel tank made this way should last for a very long time. And short of crawling under the car to examine it closely, should look just fine. Just a potential additional project to consider if you cannot get a good proper original gasoline tank, or not find some other suitable replacement. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 21 Author Share Posted July 21 3 hours ago, Roger Zimmermann said: You will no to study a long time: the tires must be replaced! Pretty sure a set of tubes are all I’ll need- those tires are mostly just flat on the bottoms. 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 21 Author Share Posted July 21 Finally cleared to lift and was able to start prepping parts for paint again. I think I’ll be able to prime everything mid-week. I’ll need to cut the linings off parking brake rings and I’ll probably only epoxy prime these parts as they are well within the assembly and wouldn’t benefit from finish paint 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 21 Author Share Posted July 21 Here are the bumpers that came on the other car. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 22 Author Share Posted July 22 Man it feels good to be back on the Buick- all rear end brake parts except for 2 brake rings are find and ready for prep and primer. The brake rods were very fiddly. Ended up with wire wheel on bench grinder to get all the paint and grime off. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1lark Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 So I'm not a Buick guy.........not that I don't like them, but just don't know much of anything about them. Been following this thread from the start, and have been impressed by your quick progress. Can you explain the difference(s) between the 27-27 model and the 27-20 model? 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 22 Author Share Posted July 22 Thank you very much! The 27-27 is a 4 door sedan- 27-20 is a two door coup. Both are the standard series and share many of the same features / bits which is why I am able to scavenge what I need from it. Who knows- I might cobble what’s left into a less than all original B-bucket. ( a play on T-bucket) This is my first Buick - I’m learning as I go. I will say I’m impressed with the level of craftsmanship in this car for 1927. I’ve owned a 1927 Ford Tudor; actually had both cars side by side very briefly and the Buick blows the doors off the Ford. I imagine being around in 1927 and looking at both new cars: no comparison quality wise but just like today you pay for quality- in 1927 the T was $495 and a Buick was $1,295- ( quick google search numbers- forgive me if I’m off.) The pace of the work is how I like to do things, I’ve had projects stall and I’ve lost interest in others for one reason or another. I’m very fortunate to have some space now, and some equipment that helps keep things going quicker. I like to do at least a little something everyday on any project I’m working on- even a small step forward is a step in the right direction- most of us have seen, or purchased somebody else’s dream project that stalled and was sold off- I’m trying not to let that happen if I can help it. Posting here after every day/step helps me stay committed and the support of this community can be the difference between me getting into the shop and getting something done or just going in for the night. The guys in this forum, and the support I get is amazing, and I’m very grateful. 11 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike "Hubbie" Stearns Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 Well said. Mike 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 Quick night in the shed. Sandblasted the two remaining brake bands. I spritzed the inner parking brake bands with degreaser just to see how they look tomorrow. Barring a miracle of grease/goo melting on the bands I’ll grind the rivets and remove the linings. Then comes final prep on all parts to get ready for primer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slawnski Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 Also sprayed the bolts and misc bits on the parts car to aid in disassembly/ removal of the fuel tank and crank handle. I also hit all the bolts i saw that were easy enough to get to- won’t hurt to get them soaked, even if it’s awhile until I get to disassemble the parts/car. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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