okay guys i'm thinking of picking up a '55 2 dr roadmaster what are the pros and cons to one of these critters i'm not a GM man and not sure what to expect with it. the motor is out of it any ideas what would be an affordably swap to put in it, i been reading some threads with the torque tube rear ends ok school me on this and what would be an alternative to this rear? just want to make a driver out of it nothing crazy just reliable....
Your post indicated to me you are in over your head. I will help you out by sending a roll back to your address to pick up the car. Engine and tranny swaps are only as hard as re-locating the mounts, but I would stick with a nailhead. A different transmission would be in order if you want an open driveshaft. As for the rear, I'm sure a 9" would work with some minor mods.
On the old 55 the change to open drive is not minor. I had to pass on a NICE 55 because of the cost and difficulties of the change. I'm not a newbie to modifications. But now being older the work involved was prohibitive for me. Add it up.
well might get it for a really good price....not afraid of the fab work, finally seen what the torque tube drive shaft deal is i been reading about. looks like nothing a 4 link could not fix....not sure whats wrong with the nailhead or not since its pulled or why it was? these cars have just a cool looking style to it and would make a nice driver
A great lookin car to work with, I would for sure keep the nailhead in the car! As far as transmission adaptors Bendtsens in Minnesota offers good choices and depending on how deep you are going into the project anything can be done depending on your fab skills. Good luck and lets see some pictures.
For the rear end swap look into the "truck arm" style.....uses 1960 thru 1972 GM pickup long control arms....works very well for Buick chassis.....several threads here on the HAMB. Yes, 4 bar will work too, but truck arm (aka NASCAR) style is easier and quite effective.
yeah seen some threads on here went thru the whole list only found one with pictures...lol need some visuals.... seen a website that offers a kit for the rear also. keeping the nailhead would be an option if its not needing much but i'd rather not put a whole lot of cash into right now maybe down the line. just looking for a low buck build for now too many other projects going on
trying to deal with the guy on it this weekend, so soon as i know more and we work out a deal I'll post it up, not wanting to get my hopes up too high
Why change the rear end......? My folks had a 55 Super 2-door hardtop (Riviera) (Supers and Roadmasters are the same except for trim level) when I was 14. It would smoke the right rear tire for half a block. We never had a rear end failure..! Now I did tear up the transmission (DynaFlow)....they were good performers, but would not take the abuse of kicking it into passing gear and then dropping it into low going around corners....what fun...!
I have a friend that has a 55. He also has about 20 other buicks and he said he used a 56 which I guess must be open drive? I will ask more ? if you get it. Jack
The rear end is a torque tube, which means closed drive, which means to swap engine/trans, the rear end has to go too. Makes it a little more challenging, but not impossible. Brian
No matter which way you go, it's probably not going to be "quick and easy". And you have to make an honest, informed decision as to how far you really want to go, and how much you really want to invest into the car. If the engine is repairable with not a lot of time or money, that'd probably be the best way to go for your purposes. If the engine needs a lot, you might be looking at an engine/trans swap...which at first blush would seem pretty straightforward, but there are always peripheral items that need changing...such as, the original shifter won't work with the new trans, and as was said, the rear axle and driveshaft need replacing, also there's the possible issues with hooking up the speedometer, etc. Hinstray's suggestion of using the old Chevy truck swing arms to install a later rear end is a good one, and works with coils as original. Basically, cut the crossmember for the attachment points from the truck (or build one) and weld it into the Buick frame and bolt it all up...and then get a driveshaft made. A sbc is probably the most economical, but a Nailhead is soooo much cooler, and good-running 401s can still be fairly available and reasonably priced...but you gotta make sure it's a good runner before you buy it, or you're back to an engine rebuild again. I'd seriously consider repairing the original Nailhead or getting a good-running replacement for it...no re-engineering needed. But there's always the chance that the original trans doesn't work, or at least needs some servicing. At the least, there's a very good chance that it leaks, and they're not a quick or easy fix. Good luck.
appreciate the info guys, was hoping to go get it today but some things came up on his end, but he said not to worry its mine if i want it for the price we agreed upon. so maybe tomorrow or next weekend i will get a chance to go get it.. i have an older GM rear here that has the center drop out in it might see if it will interchange then use the truck arms as suggested to sturdy it up.
Btw, MM. No reason you couldn't use a parallel leaf suspension for the rear axle. I'm pretty sure there are kits available that'll work even with the old Buicks...but home-fabbed brackets to mount the springs wouldn't be too difficult.
Truck bars or 4 link on the rear end. To match the front you need a 5 on 5 bolt pattern the right width. I'd look into a 77/79 Olds 403 which was available in a number of Buicks in those years making it technically a Buick engine too. With matching trans and rear axle that would let that Roadmaster roll down the 4 lane at serious cruising speeds but not be a bank breaker.
Parallel leafs, go to pull a part find sm pick-up get everything,do some measuring and maybe find 5on5 bolt pattern if needed big olds pontiac buick.
them 77/79 olds's arent easy to come by.....i would even consider a 401 buick motor 65/66 if i can score one cheap enough
Early 90's Caprice Classic, Buick Roadmaster and Caddy Fleetwood are 5 on 5, and wagons usually have limited slip. I have them under my '48 Pontiac 'vert and '51 Pontiac woody wagon. Also had one under the (genderless) '36 that's my Avatar. Brian
Parallel leaf on the Buicks do not work as well/easily on earlier Buicks as the frame contour ahead of the axle requires the springs to be too low at the front. They can be mounted inboard of the frame rail at the front but that narrows the distance between the springs and affects their roll resistance. Making the front mounts for that is almost as much work as 4 bar mounts. There is no question that the GM truck arm is the least work and most effective method of putting an open drive rear end in Buick chassis from the '30s,'40s and '50s. The forward ends of the truck arms intersect the stock Buick X member and that X member is what takes the driving forces of the rear axle in the stock Buick setup. The only difference is, the stock Buick system used the rear engine and transmission mounts to transfer the forces from the torque tube/transmission connection to the frame. As always, you are free to do what you want. As for 5 x 5" bolt circle rear axles, in addition to those posted above, GM pickups from the early '70s up and several Ford, Mercury and Edsel models used Ford 9" with that wheel bolt circle. Ford/Merc full size cars from around '73 to '78 is the place to look. I do not know if the width is correct though...that needs to be considered, of course.
some cool info there guy's......anybody happen to have any rear suspension pics? or car pics would like to gain some ideas or rob a few ideas off some one's hahaha
off topic but i picked up my car im working on not far from you in a tiny tiny tinnnny town called rock river wyoming...mines a 56 but oldsmobile...alot of pieces of a olds and buick interchange...if you get it post some pics i would love to see..couldnt be worse than mine when i got it....
looks like you done alot of work on yours....yup i've been thru rock river hahaha looks like your making progress. i will most definetly post pics, chomping at the bit here with anticipation to get her home....
If the car is at a good deal,buy it and sit on it until you work the details out. Other option save and spend a little more on a fixer upper/driver. The classifieds have a ton of options. In other words don't lose the deal. These are nice cars. Where there is a will, there is a way. Good luck.
After many hours of walking around with a tape measure and looking in kantner catalog my 55 special now has a 76 trans am front clip and 65 chevy truck trailing arms with the ta rear end may not be traditional but it drives better stops better and the 455 buick is in with apolo mounts the x member also had to be modified for the tranny !
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