danlb63 Posted November 5, 2001 Share Posted November 5, 2001 found all the info on vin numbers interesting and confusing and it brought up some questions I've had for years. My father bought a '55 special 2 dr hdtp back in I think april of '55 in Pomona ,ca, from Catron motors I believe. I was only about 10 so the memory is a little faded. He traded in a '49 Roadmaster 2dr sedanette fast back. The story on the car that I remember is it was originally purchased by some guy in Pomona and he went to pick it up in Michigan. When he got there he found that though he had ordered it turquoise and white, it was delivered turquoise and black. He apparentely went ahead and took delivery but hated the color combination. He put it on Catrons lot to be sold when he got out to Ca. It apparentely only had 2-3 thousand miles on it when my dad bought it. Unfortunately my mother and father were going through hard times and a divorce later that year caused them to loose that car. I dont recall ever seeing another Buick painted that combination, was this a one of a kind? I seem to recall seeing a plymouth painted similarly once. Just thought you might find the story interesting. I've had a '56 special for the last 37 years and am final going to tackle pulling the engine and trans for rebuild I cant get any one to give me any pointers or short cuts in how to do this. do you have to pull the rearend to get the engine and trans out the front? can you pull the engine and trans out together. what about the torque tube? is this a simple disconnect? please help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 5, 2001 Share Posted November 5, 2001 danlb, I have been thru my 55's drivetrain....3 times as far as my engine goes and what an education I got on engine rebuilding in general....to address the 2 questions you posted, the motor/trans can be pulled from the front sucessfully...don't get a light duty cherrypicker as the combo weighs about 900 to 1000lbs....the only hard part as to pulling it is getting the trans. to let go of the torque tube and the driveshaft front bushing clearing the tail of the trans. Other than that its straightforward. <BR> As to the rear end...this is gravy...30 minute job assuming you wirebrush and wd40 the fasteners a couple days ahead of time and use a flarenut wrench on the brake lines where needed...I posted like it was a 55, but remembered 56 was 1st yr for firewall mounted master cyl. so am not positive of how the brakes are connected to the torque tube. <BR> Undo the shocks from the backing plates and put drums back on, undo the other small things and set up a couple 2x4's under drums and put it on them and roll the pup out of there....took me 30 minutes or so...its heavy, but not too hard....easier that that later setup GM used in the 60s and 70s.<P> If you want more advise, feel free to drop me an E... dlw29@hotmail... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK Buickman Posted November 6, 2001 Author Share Posted November 6, 2001 Terry;<BR>Thank you for sharing that '54-'55 Insurance company info about VIN/serial numbers. If Buick really did use the terminology "Vehicle Identification Number" in 1955, the 1956 and later factory manuals should also use "V.I.N"<BR>How does the 1956 Buick shop manual explain these number/letter codes?<BR>(My manuals are not accessible and stored out of state)<BR>AK Buickman.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 6, 2001 Share Posted November 6, 2001 Hi AK-<P>That was a good sugestion to check 1956 information. On page 0-3 of the 1956 Shop Manual, under "Car And Engine Serial Numbers" it reads "The car serial number (vehicle identification number) is on a plate welded to the body on the left front door hinge pillar." I think the wording indicates that Buick was indeed in a transation period with the term "vehicle identification number" and was moving forward with it. Terry Dunham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest COMPACTBC Posted November 7, 2001 Share Posted November 7, 2001 Hi Terry, Could you read the fax copies of the insurance manual pages OK? If not I will mail you copies that are more legible. If my memory serves me right, it was a government requirement that all auto manufactures were required to convert to a "standard" VIN # system by a certain year. Some companies did it starting in 1955 and others waited till later. The following is what my Insurance Symbol book says: 1955 = Buick, Chry.Corp, Hudson, Nash, Olds and Packard.<BR>1956 = Lincoln/Mercury. 1957 = Studebaker, Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Cadillac. And as usual the last company to conform to anything new, FORD in 1960. I knew that saving these books would prove useful someday. <BR>Bruce Andren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2001 Share Posted November 7, 2001 Hi Bruce!<P>The pages you were kind enough to fax were a bit difficult to read but they were ligible. If you could mail me a good photo copy that would be a big help. It may be that we will be able to scan the pages and put a link to them so interested folks can see what they say.<P>Your comment above about the different car manufacturers going to the term "vehicle identification number" at different times is VERY interesting. My guess is that if we were to dig deep enough we would be able to find the exact requirement set forth by the government as to what information the "vehicle identification number" had to contain and the date the automobile industry had to comply.<P>Your books were indeed helpful! Terry Dunham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK Buickman Posted November 9, 2001 Author Share Posted November 9, 2001 Terry-<BR>Thanks for checking your '56 Shop Manual.<BR>I never realized that the term "Vehicle Identification Number" was used this early<P>AK Buickman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK Buickman Posted November 9, 2001 Author Share Posted November 9, 2001 Re: the addition of Buick Series ID mid-year 1954 in the vehicle serial number:<P>The '54 Buick Product Service Bulletin Manual has an undated service bulletin that describes BMD's engine numbers. There may have been some problems at dealers using the correct engine parts when a '54 needed engine repair. '54 was the first year without the Straight Eight engine, so all Buicks used a V-8, yet there were three different engine combinations in '54, not counting the different compression ratios used. The outward appearance of the engines appeared the same. The 40 series (Special) used a 264 CID V-8, and the engine number ended with a "4". The 50 Series (Super) used a 2-barrel 322 CID V-8 and the engine number ended with a "5". 60 Series (Century)engine number had a "6", while the 70 Series (Roadmaster) used a "7" at the end of the engine number, and both 60 & 70 series used a 4 barrel carburetor. What is strange--this engine numbering was already used in 1953, in order to identify and determine what Series the new V-8 was installed in. Also, this bulletin makes no mention of adding a Series Identification number to the VEHICLE serial number, just the ENGINE number.<P>AK Buickman, BCA #1955.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK Buickman Posted November 12, 2001 Author Share Posted November 12, 2001 Terry;<BR>Your 1956 Buick Shop Manual refers to the car's identification number as a <P>"serial number (vehicle identification number)" <P>So, as you said in an earlier post, Buick was in a transition period in '56 on the term used for this ID number. How does the 1956 Manual tell the reader where to find the code for the assembly plant? The '55 Manual stated that the assembly plant code was the first digit of the "serial number." Did Buick make it any clearer in '56? <P>AK Buickman................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2001 Share Posted November 16, 2001 Hi AK-<P>Yes, Buick did make it much clearer in 1956. The Shop Manual reads as follows; "The car serial number (vehicle identification number) is on a plate welded to the body on the left front door hinge pillar. The first digit of the serial number indicates the series: 4 for 40, 5 for 50 6 for 60.....etc." Terry Dunham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 3, 2001 Share Posted December 3, 2001 hello. i have not been around here for a few months, so much has been going on that i missed. i would love to now what the numbers on my car mean(55 special, 2 door sedan) but at this time i do not know them. right now i am in pittsburgh attending college and my car is in ohio at my parents. i am pretty sure that it was built in flint. i thought i had all that information wrote down but all i have are the style, body, trim, and paint numbers. by the way does anybody know what PPP for the paint number means? i know the car has been repainted atleast twice. nothing exciting has been going on with my car lately, i have gotten plenty of offers, but i just dont want to sell it. i know i should to pay for atleast some of my school, but personally id rather be in debt than sell that car. i recently bought a car cover from california car cover. their covers are amazing. i have never seen a cover look so good on a car, i swear it looks better with that cover on. well, ill be back someday with the numbers and hopefully you can help me out. mindy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 (edited) as well as '54 and '56 owners. Rainy day in Georgia. Stumbled upon this while lookin for sompin else. Great discussion about serial, frame and VIN numbers. go back to first page and enjoy:) Edited May 13, 2012 by MrEarl (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 bringing this back to the top for any 55 owners who may have come aboard since last time it surfaced. Some good info here 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUDDY Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Regards, think it's a right side to my question. I would like to ask, if anybody know, what is the difference between the 1955 Buick special 40 series 2-door sedan and the 2-door hardtop? Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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