56 Buick Special

A couple of you guys out there wanted to see more pictures of my Buick, and I'm working on it this weekend so I thought I would take some pics. I bought a lowering kit and am in the process of installing it, 3" drop springs with a 30% stiffer spring rate. Here is the rear, still need to install the front kit.

 

Here is the difference between the new and the old. Yup I'm 23 years old and this is way more fun then going out bar hopping and getting drunk.

 

Nice lookin' Buick. Good job. You give us older guys hope for the future of the hobby.

Be careful doin' the front springs. Have a nice weekend.

Btw...Did Buick still use lever shocks in '56? If so, then I guess you don't have to worry about using shorter shocks. Even if it has tube shocks, due to the higher spring rate, you might not need to change 'em.

 

keep em pics rolling

 

show us when you are finished---- love those buicks

 

Well got the Buick lowered 3" over the weekend. Looks really nice and drives just like it did before , actually a little better because the original front springs were so worn out.

 

Another cool pic

 

No this Buick had normal shocks not never style shocks, the kit came with new shocks so I decided to put them in because the car was torn apart. And thanks for the comments, I know I'm a youngster and not a lot of people my age appreciate the classics but I sure do!! And I'm having fun with this car!

 

nice ride

 

Where did you get the lowering kit from? I am working on a '57 Special and want about a 3" drop.

Sweet looking ride!

 

Nice looking Buick.

 

Great looking Buick.

 

She is a Beauty, and yes where did you get the lower springs? Would like to lower our 57.

 

Thanks! And the kit came from jamcosuspension.com , some of their listings say different years for kits so the easiest thing to do is call them and tell them exactly what you want.

 

Thanks! I think I will use them for mine.

 

Nice work! You're gonna get way more/better good looking girls wanting to ride in your car than hanging out in bars. Especially at 23. You can do that when you're an old fart like the rest of us.

Have you considered wide whites and spokes on the Buick?

 

Now go out and get drunk and support the local economy. Leave the car at home, though...
Great job!

 

I put a Jamco kit under my 54 Special and was very happy with ride quality.
Your car looks great! stick or auto?
I just developed heavier sway bars for these cars-- stock sway bar rate is 138lb/in, my bars are 500lb/inch. Should make going thru a corner a much nicer experience.
-Brad

 

Oh yes it needs wide whites! It's just the previous owner put brand new tires on the car so I'm going to use them for awhile haha. Haven't decided on wheels but classic looking spokes wheels sound interesting. Haha I drive this car everywhere, it hold lots of groceries in the trunk haha.

 

I like that body style of special! Sounds really cool, so you sell larger sway bars? I was thinking about putting a larger one on when I was underneath the car.

 

Yup. Just got the first boxed, shipped unit last week.
I made a mistake in my numbers, too--the original sway bar is .69-inch diameter, and has a spring rate of 113lb/ft, not 138lb/ft like I originally wrote.
My bar is 1.00-inch and 500lb/ft. I could have gone up to 1 1/8-inch, but that bumps the rate up to 800 lb/ft, which I felt was too stiff for these cars. Racing one through the corners, maybe, but not for getting groceries.

The '56 Special came with a 322ci Nailhead, which is nice--the '54 and '55 came with a 264-inch Nailhead, and the weak 5-bolt cover manual trans (or Dynaflow). The '56, if it was a manual, has the beefier 6-bolt cover manual trans.
You also have tube shocks and a rear crossmember for them, while the '54-'55 had knee-action rear shocks.
Your front spindles are better too--they have a little caster built into them, whereas the '54-'55 are 0-degrees caster. The literature said it helped the car come out of corners easier.

-Brad

 

makes such a difference in appearance. I bet it rides alot better. Some wide whites will make this a completely different car.

 

I agree, I am 24 and have a 1958 Chevy Bel-Air I wold rather work on as well

 

One thing about that Jamco suspension--you said you got the 3-inch drop. That's what I got too. We figured out the right kit when my buddy was sitting on the front fender, and it just looked spot-on perfect. We measured it, and it was 2-inches from the "stock" height.
When I called Jamco to order the kit, they said "the old springs and body mounts have sagged an inch, so get the 3-inch kit, because it's 3-inches lower than stock, and you're already an inch lower than stock."
Some of the most useful advise I've ever gotten.
I had wide whites on the '54 too, and they really do help the look. But they ain't cheap! so get some life out of those treads!

-Brad

 

Awesum job Nick, I've always thought the rear wheel arch was too high on these Buicks, a little lowering goes a long way, I'd give my kids left nut for a '56 Caballero.

Scotty

 

Thanks for the comments, it does ride really nice and I agree it needs some wide whites. I will buy from jamco suspension again

 

so...

I have read some negative things on here about Jamco and I am ready to order springs today. It seems like you had a good experience with them.

I would apreciate some feedback, How long it took to get your springs etc.

Thanks

 

Good looking 56 man. Congrats

 

It took about 3 weeks to get everything, I know everybody says they have been having a bad experience with Jamco but I am telling you guys I absolutely love my Buick, I get so many compliments on it being lowered , People think that my car looks like a $12,000 car but I only paid 4 thousand for it!! I love it

 

Do you have any before and after sideview pics you can post?

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