‘51 Special Project

[SkiDooFritz]

Hello, all. Last weekend I purchased a mouse nest, which happened to come with a 1951 Special Riviera around it. This Buick is my return to project cars, as I’ve spent the last several years building motorcycles (I could fit them down the basement stairs).

I found this car in a Virginia field surrounded by about 6 mules, where it has apparently sat for about 3 years. All of the chrome and interior was stored in a nearby barn. To my surprise, the body was bafflingly excellent and the frame was solid. For a very reasonable price I trailered home the complete but partially disassembled car.

 

The PO made some choices with the paint, rolled bumpers, and shoddy floor pans. There is a hole in the trunk floor where he intended to put a fuel cell “for racing.”

I have all the sheet metal to do the floors properly in the mail, as well as tires, ignition system parts, and fuel system parts from the gas tank up to the rusted through choke heater pipe. It turns over, so I expect to have the motor running without too much issue. We shall see how long my optimism lasts this time.

Are there any Buick-specific problems I should watch out for as I proceed? There are no leaks and clean fluid in it, but should I expect problems from the Dynaflow? I’ve never dealt with these transmissions.

 

Glad to be a part of this forum- Cheers!

 

 

 

 

[JohnD1956]

Welcome. Another early 50s being resurected.. hard to imagine but good to see.

As for problems to expect, assume the Dynaflow will leak from both ends. Know that the simplest fix to try first is driving it a few hundred miles. 

Then know that the 50 grill bars can be troublesome in that they have numbers on them but do not fit on in numerical order. But I have no recollection of 51 or 52 guys reporting the same. 

6 volt systems require the thickest battery cables, 

And these cars have an awesome shape. 

Good luck

[SkiDooFritz]

Thanks, John. I’ll keep an eye on the cardboard on the garage floor. 
I am fortunate enough to have two different grills with different bars missing, so I should be able to cross-reference.

57 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said:

Good luck

Thanks, I’ll probably need some.

[EmTee]

Looks like a good foundation for your project.  Glad you're saving her and keeping the original drivetrain.  Think about starting a thread on your project over in the "Me and My Buick" forum.  I'm sure you'll get plenty of support here. 

 

https://forums.aaca.org/forum/58-me-and-my-buick/