Register now to get rid of these ads!

Buick sore spots

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by CrcooperPhotography, Sep 12, 2012.

  1. CrcooperPhotography
    Joined: Apr 10, 2012
    Posts: 440

    CrcooperPhotography
    Member
    from Australia

    Evening gents,

    i am in the market for a mid 50's Buick.

    now as a complete novice, is there any particular sore spots for this era Buick?

    Prone rust spots, engine complications, leaking seals etc etc etc

    any and all information greatly appreciated

    kind regards, crcooperphotography
     
  2. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL

    As for rust, typical areas like the 1/4 panels, down low, both ahead of and behind the rear wheels, bottoms of front fenders behind the front wheel.

    Common oil leak is at the "torque ball" the coupling of the torque tube driveline to the Dynaflow. Seal repair kits are readily available, but installation requires some effort.

    I am a Buick fan........think they are great old cars.......but like most, have their eccentricities.

    Ray
     
  3. Bigcheese327
    Joined: Sep 16, 2001
    Posts: 6,694

    Bigcheese327
    Member

    I absolutely love the styling on the '54-'56 Century and Special. The torque tube is the only thing that really scares me (I'd like an overdrive retrofit, and it makes it a lot more work). However, in my research, I've found some unkind things said about '50s Buicks:

     
  4. jimbousman
    Joined: Jul 24, 2008
    Posts: 549

    jimbousman
    Member

    Buick is not different then any other mid '50's car. A lot depends on what part of the country is comes from. Here is Wisconsin I was patching rust holes in the rockers and lower trunk panels way back in the mid sixties. If you need to patch something, plan on fabbing your own panels. Catch one from drier climates and you'll probably be OK.

    Beyond that it depends on what you want do do with it. Mid 50's Buicks are decent cruisers in stock form. Since Dyna-slow transmission transfers torque to the rear via rubber bands, it virtually guarantees the engine is whole. The stock nailhead V8 is a solid engine. It won't blow you hat off but it will cruise at freeway speeds all day long.

    However if you are looking at a serious hot-up, plan for a completely new drive train. Buick uses a torque tube instead of an open driveline. The Dyna-slow has to go. You would probably want to swap out the knee action front suspension and drum brakes.

    Beyond that they make a good solid ride and bring a good buck in good shape.
     

  5. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL

    The criticism in the "quote" in post #3 is laughable when you get to the part where the poster says "he take a '50 Olds over Buick".....well Bucko, you get the very same late 30's/early 40's suspension and brakes there too. Ditto for Cadillac/Pontiac. Mopar too, for that matter.

    And any rust issue on a Buick will be found in the exact same spot on the other GM bodies which share that body shell.

    Brand loyalty is fine, I have my fair share of it, but I find many marque enthusiasts are 'blind' to reality and unreasonably believe their particular choice superior to all others. That is seldom the case.

    If you like elements of the Buick, as I and many others do, go for it and enjoy !

    Ray
     
  6. CrcooperPhotography
    Joined: Apr 10, 2012
    Posts: 440

    CrcooperPhotography
    Member
    from Australia

    evening gents, first off, thank you so much for your information and opinions.

    now, i am the first to admit, i am no mechanic or body fabricator. so bare with me.

    basically my plan is a super clean cruiser. lowered either by air ride or just lowered springs etc. some small body modifications(shaved here and there) and engine wise, i love the nail head, not for performance, but because its not your average 350 chef sitting in there.

    alot of my car buddies are running muncie 4speeds, would it be a difficult task to swap the box over? tailshaft swell? thats if i was going down that track....

    as for brakes, are there upgrades(say from later models, higher spec'd cars) that will convert over easily?

    again, really appreciate the information.
     
  7. The only real sore spot on these Buicks is any driveline upgrade requires engineering some kind of new rear suspension. The stock rearend is usually located only by the torque tube connection and sometimes they have a sway bar or other stabilizer. So you have to at the least add some kind of trailing arm when you eliminate the torque tube.
     
  8. I am looking at disc brake/booster conversions for my '49 Caddy - there are a fair few options out there - I am sure there are more for the later '50's Buicks. Try Scarebird (they are an alliance member??) or some of the larger resto seller sites. Good luck!
     
  9. JVK54
    Joined: Jul 19, 2010
    Posts: 479

    JVK54
    Member

    I had a 54 Buick Special that I drove the wheels off of for 6 years. It was a super solid and dependable mild custom cruiser. It was a great car and the guy I sold it too would say the same thing. The Dynaflow did need work at one point. They are very heavy , complicated transmissions and they are expensive if ya need to have work done on them,
    Tourque tube?..Yeah, whtever..I have one in my 50 Chevy too.
    The 264 Nailhead is a great engine..so is the 322. Lowering the car was really easy. 3" Jamco cut coils front and back, and the stance was pretty lethal looking and I drove it all the time on our shitty roads with no real issues...just know how to drive a lowered car...The "X frame" is a pain in the ass as is the frame mounted master cylinder and the Treadlevac power brake booster worked great..until it didn't and that was it. If the car is lowered finding a power booster that will fit under the frame will be problamatic and you can't really mount anything on the firewall(if its rounded like my 54)Parts availability is pretty much like Olds, Caddy etc. in other words it's not a 50s Chevy or Ford. Here's a pic of my old car and the engine bay -
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  10. jimbob
    Joined: Jun 29, 2004
    Posts: 1,221

    jimbob
    Member

    My 55 is running a BB, T400, and 4 link with 9". Removed the T tube completely. We've driven thousands of miles over ten years now all over Oz, and never had a breakdown on the side of road, drives nice, and parts readily available. Worth the effort.
     
  11. I've got a 52 2 door super which I was hoping to get a 350 chev/ t400 fitted up into. As well as this, I was planning on getting a series 3 jag front end swapped over, and a VL V8 commodore rear end fitted. As the other guys have said, the torque tube rear end presents its problems. In my case, the motor was dead and I was lucky enough to swap with a guy who had a running 350 chevy. (If I had thought about it, I should have just had the old straight 8 rebuilt and be done with it) So, when you change one component of the driveline, you have to change everything. I believe there are adapters out there that will allow you to use the rear end with a different engine combo, but I chose to update the whole thing, mainly because I wanted disk brakes all around and a right hand drive car, which the jag gives me instantly, as well as power steering. My car was from Arizona and apart from serious floor rust, the body is quite rust free. The car is a delight to work on. As nice as they are, I have come to understand that their chassis doesn't lend itself well to something like a new clip, but nothing is out of the realm of possibility.
    The VL dunnydore looks like a perfect fit, but as one guy has already mentioned, your a frame structure is gonna come outta there.
    Brakes? I thought a VT commodore m/c would be the go there. One inch bore. Run a proportioning valve.
    I love the Buicks to death, but I am seriously considering parting with her. I am big on dreams and small on talent. PM me if you might be interested.
     
  12. deadendcruiser
    Joined: Jul 18, 2007
    Posts: 691

    deadendcruiser
    Member

    The 56 Buick master cylinder is a one year item. Kanter just came out with a disc brake conversion. I can't comment on the quality, but it may be worth checking out.
     
  13. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,388

    Squablow
    Member

    The Oldsmobile has an open driveshaft and a pretty stout rearend, plus parallel leaf springs and tube shocks where the Buick has the torque tube rear axle/suspension which has to get totally removed for any kind of drivetrain swap versus the Oldsmobile.

    And Olds used the Hydramatic trans which is vastly superior to the Dynaflow as far as putting power to the pavement. The Nailhead 322 VS Olds 324 would be a fair matchup, but Olds really did have a more modern, superior drivetrain.

    And that's coming from a guy with a '56 Special that still runs it's original guts.

    The Buicks are pretty cars but any drivetrain swap requires a whole new rear axle, rear suspension, and a new driveshaft, there's no easy way to swap out the Dynaflow and leave the rest intact. That's the biggest downfall of the 50's Buicks to me.
     
  14. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL


    Thank you for the tutorial...........but I already knew all of that, having owned several Buicks and a '49 Olds. I was addressing the specific comments made about the suspension design being "from the late 30s'/early 40's" being carried into the 50's. That was true of most makes of cars in that period and hardy a valid criticism of Buick in particular..........although some people don't require accuracy when expounding.

    While the Olds and Buick rear suspensions did vary in design, both were carry overs in their respective makes from decades prior, as were the brakes of each. The front suspensions are identical in design if not identical in dimensions. I stand by my comments, not that they really matter in the overall scheme of things.

    Ray
     
  15. CrcooperPhotography
    Joined: Apr 10, 2012
    Posts: 440

    CrcooperPhotography
    Member
    from Australia

    you didnt meet a group of the Elderados at gundigai on the way to sydney for motor ex by any chance??
     
  16. CrcooperPhotography
    Joined: Apr 10, 2012
    Posts: 440

    CrcooperPhotography
    Member
    from Australia

    also, how difficult was it to swap everything over? sorry, that is a very broad question!
     
  17. CrcooperPhotography
    Joined: Apr 10, 2012
    Posts: 440

    CrcooperPhotography
    Member
    from Australia

    big thanks my man! lots of info! thanks!

    so following up from everyone else. Yuou cant really change the box, without changing tailshift, diff etc? does the rear suspension work together with the drivetrain somehow???

    awesome looking buick too mate! was this lowered but bloacks and cut springs?
     
  18. Rusty O'Toole
    Joined: Sep 17, 2006
    Posts: 9,657

    Rusty O'Toole
    Member

    You can't change any part of the Buick driveline without affecting everything. The rear axle is mounted on coil springs not leaf springs. Coils do nothing to locate the axle, it is located by a transverse Panhard rod and the torque tube drive shaft. So if you want to replace the rear axle you have to re engineer the whole suspension and drive line.

    This brings us to the Dynaflow transmission. One of the first automatics, it was known for being very smooth and very inefficient. Practically impossible to mate to anything but the stock torque tube, and why bother? There are lots better transmissions to replace it with.

    Except none of them fit the engine. And the engine is no hell anyway with the worst head design and smallest valves of any OHV V8.

    So, if you want to change any part of the power train you pretty much have to gut it like a trout and replace everything between the radiator and the back bumper.

    Much better to leave it alone and work with what you have. Or, if you want an open driveline, better engine, better trans, better suspension start with a better car.
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2012
  19. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,388

    Squablow
    Member

    All valid points, and I'm not trying to start an argument or anything. Posted mostly for the sake of the OP who isn't familiar with mid 50's GM cars and their drivetrain setups.
     
  20. 1928chevycoupe
    Joined: Jun 4, 2012
    Posts: 217

    1928chevycoupe
    Member

    Someone I met had a 55 buick with a factory manual trans, something to think about.....Might be hard to find?
     
  21. Bigcheese327
    Joined: Sep 16, 2001
    Posts: 6,694

    Bigcheese327
    Member

    Ive been eyeing this one. I wonder how much work it would be to change that throw-out bearing...
     
  22. jimbousman
    Joined: Jul 24, 2008
    Posts: 549

    jimbousman
    Member

  23. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL

    The manual shift transmissions used in Buick, Olds and Pontiac from about 1939 through mid-to late 50's, on the smaller engines, has a 5 bolt tin top cover. It is a very weak transmission and, in my opinion, not worthy of the expense and effort to install in place of a Dynaflow. These 5 bolt cover trannies are found behind 248 and 263 cube straight eights, and 264 cube V8 ('54/'55 Special series).

    The 6 bolt cover trans is much stronger and worthy of use...EXCEPT...it doesn't swap into the same place that a 5 bolt cover trans came from. Apearance is the same, but size matters. It has a bigger case, different sized bolt pattern at the bellhousing, different sized throw-out bearing etc. etc.

    If you really want something other than a Dynaflow, but want to retain the original engine, then a quality adapter is the best option. Bendtsens in MN (www.transmissionadapters.com) or Wilcap (www.Wilcap.com) are good sources.

    If you have one of the larger engines, the 320 straight eight or a 322 or larger V8, the factory 6 bolt top cover tranny is feasible, but you still have the torque tube. You could however, use a '51 up thru '60ish Oldsmobile manual trans as it is the same as the Buick except it is open drive.

    The best answer though, in my opinion, is the adapter route with either a late model GM automatic or late model GM manual trans.

    Ray
     
  24. MrEarl
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 113

    MrEarl
    Member

    Looking at 50's Buicks, check us out over on the '54 Buick Highway. While we are mostly '54 owners we invite all Buick enthhusists especially 53,4,5 and 6 owners to join us. There are several 54 owners from Australia already there. Owning a 50's Buick is great, but it's really about the people you meet and the friendships you make talkin about the cars and turnin wrenches wih that makes it all so much greater. Tha's what we do on the '54 Buick Highway, build cars and friendships. http://www.hometownbuick.de/1954/forum.php

    I have several factory original 54,s but am collecting all the parts to build a period correct (old school) hot rod that will have a 322 with dual quad Strombergs sitting on an old Edmunds intake being fed by a McCullough Supercharger with a 6 bolt 3 speed and Ansen floor shifter. Guess what, it will have TORQUE TUBE and a '56 experimental posi traction rear. All that to say, 50's Buicks can be a helluva lot of fun, stock or hot rodded. And after all, when comparing mid 50's Buicks to Chevies, you get twice the car for half the cost PLUS a bowtie in the rear view mirror.;) Go for it, buy you a 50's Buick. I know of a few 54's for sale, if you're interested, PM me.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2012
  25. MrEarl
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 113

    MrEarl
    Member

    Tha's a sweet lil 3 speed 55. If it was a 54, I'd be all over it. The throw out bearing would be no problem.
     
  26. MrEarl
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 113

    MrEarl
    Member

    Some good thougts and advice there Ray.
     
  27. CrcooperPhotography
    Joined: Apr 10, 2012
    Posts: 440

    CrcooperPhotography
    Member
    from Australia

    THIS!!! thank you so much for this. like i have said i am no mechanic!! and this layed it out perfectly. thank you!!
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.