Yes, I'm a dork, but I needed a place to brag!

[Greg Sealock]

Both of my grandfathers were mechanics. They impressed upon me their love of older vehicles, and one in particular, older Buicks. Both passed away before I could learn anything mechanically from them. My father was never a car guy, so I didn't learn anything from him either.

I bought a '53 special back in 1998. Out of fear of screwing something up, not having any confidence in my mechanical abilities, I have always paid, regardless of the price, to have all work done on it. Sadly (happily for him, he deserves it), my mechanic, possibly the last one familiar with "Betsy" in my town, retired a month ago. Since then the fuel pump went out, leaving me with a dilema. I purchased a fuel pump thanks to this site (thanks Marv Ribbich), and today installed it (I know that some of you are probably thinking big deal). I guess my point is to those of you who worry about whether you can do something, give it a whirl! Even though I know it was such a small procedure, it was my first time trying anything like it. It was a great sense of accomplishment, so go for it! Simple little things like this, involving sweat equity, just make me love the ole Buick even more!

[JohnD1956]

Greg, Welcome to the wonderful world of tools... And congratulations on "making your bones" off the old girl.

Remember these few words of wisdom.

* If you don't have one, get a manual. Even a reprint is better than nothing.

* If you don't have the right tool, get one. Nothing hurts worse than a twelve point closed end wrench stripping the edges off a six point rusted on bolt.

* Use a suitable penetrating oil on rusted nuts and even on rusted bolts. I recommend PB Blaster for every time you need to do a job, and multiple applications over the span of a week before trying to turn a rusted nut.

* Lastly, stand your ground. If a future mechanic wants to do something other than what you want on the car, drive away. Keep your car true to your vision for it, so it will always be "your" 53 Special.

Hope to see you and your car at some of the upcoming National shows...or in pics you post on this site...

JohnD

[Centurion]

Greg, you're definitely not a dork, and I appreciate your story. I, too, have been reluctant to jump in and deal with many mechanical issues over the years, so your experience inspires me to give it a try. Your comments about your "great sense of accomplishment" are important for all of us to keep in mind when we're looking at an intimidating problem with our old Buicks.

Please keep us posted on your progress with Betsy.

[raleets]

Greg,

You're most certainly NOT a dork! You, like myself, are simply "timid" when it comes to working on our beloved old cars. I also had a master mechanic Grandfather, and a Dad who didn't know a screwdriver from a hammer.

During my teen years, when I should have been paying attention to Gramps, I was too busy playing sports and chasing cheerleaders instead of car parts.

That, coupled with a late entry (age 45) into the antique car hobby, made it pretty scary for me to grab a wrench and "dive in".

One TREMENDOUS advantage of belonging to a huge local BCA Chapter, such as Buicktown, is that there are LOTS of members who can bail me out when I get in over my head. There are many, many mechanics in Buicktown who have forgotten more about wrenching cars than I'll ever know. Thankfully, they're also good folks who love to lend a helping hand!

I can certainly share your joy of accomplishment, since I recently changed a water pump in my '56 and did about 90% of the work myself. That felt REALLY good! Particularly when I fired it up and there were NO LEAKS. Yahooo!!

As another poster stated, a shop manual is a MUST if you want to tackle some stuff on your own, and the ones from our era of Buicks are nicely illustrated.

Good luck with future greasy ventures!!

Bob Leets

Flint, MI

[imported_buick5563]

I grew up with an accountant for a dad, so I wasn't tooling around at a young age either. After doing hundreds of things over the years with the help of my well worn shop manual and some patience, I have rebuilt the engine in my 55 (with help from a knowledgeable accomplice)... but I did pull it and rebuild it and it runs great.

One other thing to know...something that took me years to learn, is that even having to do something twice because you messed up the first time is cheaper than taking it to a mechanic(more fun, too). I fooled around with my Wildcat's power steering pump for months, first replacing it when I put a new bracket on, then trying to replace it with another un-rebuilt unit, then sending it off to be rebuilt, then putting it back on. The third time I put it on I had the broken one off and the new one on in under 10 minutes without spilling a drop of fluid in my driveway. I learned it by repetition. My point is, don't get frustrated if it doesn't work the first time. Walk away and try again later. If you throw your wrench, you'll have to do body work or learn to replace glass . So many systems on older cars are really quite worker friendly and if you take your time you can have the satisfaction of bragging on this forum (and to other friends who truly don't care) that you did it yourself.

Cheers,

Mike

[DugsSin]

Brag away Buick Brother. Careful this gas/oil/ grease wrench turning thing is very addictive.