1958 Buick Caballero

Looks pretty good Joe! So, that's what the whole torque tube looks like in the nude! That's good - I'm getting a little bit of an education.

 

JMT I continue to follow this thread and I am full of admiration for your work. Well done!

 

Update: January 27, 2016

Frame is back from the powder coater; looks SWELL! (There's a word you haven't heard lately!)



It's so pretty, it seems a shame to put a body on it!

Used the 88 Electra Estate to tow the trailer; all in the (Buick) family!




It's a great feeling to start putting things back together. Here are the front brake lines and junction blocks. The new lines are from Inline Tube; they fit quite well with only a little "massaging" required. I didn't even need the tubing bender. Junction blocks are the original parts.



Been experimenting with white vinegar for rust removal. Certainly worked well on these parts!





Rear axle is at "The Ring and Pinion Shop" in Mt. Clemens, MI for assessment and refurbishing. Should have it back in a couple of weeks, as long as there are no major surprises or big delays in part availability.

Power steering pump is going back together with new seals, o-rings and gaskets.
Shaft and bushings checked out okay.



Details, details, details....




This is when all those labels and zip-loc bags earn their keep!

 

Very nice looking work all around! Those parts do look good after the vinegar bath, is it just soaking them in solution or soaking and a lot of brushing?

Thanks again for all the pictures and detail on your work.

(Oh, I see the gas tank in a picture, is it finished? Any finished pictures of it?)

 

Not finished yet; it is patiently waiting for me to get back to it.

 

There are so many things in this post caught my attention.

It does look SWELL! And Believe it or not I actually use that term all of the time.

I love the fact that you are using the Buick wagon to pull the trailer hauling parts of your Buick wagon.

I also wanted to mention how much like your neighborhood. Just from the small section I can see in the trailer photo. The snow also makes it quite picturesque.

It's amazing how much simpler life is when all of the zillions of pieces and parts are well organized AND labeled.

It's great to see all of your progress. Thanks for the all updates.

 

Pulled the Dynaflow transmission out of the parts car for rebuild.
It was well protected by years of oil leaks...


Pressure washed and ready for the attention of Jim Hughes in Perrysburg, Ohio:





Jim has the cases and all parts chemically stripped before beginning the rebuild process.


Continued working on other items; here is the assembled and painted power steering pump:


I tried painting the backing plates to look like the original zinc plating:


But I found I could get the parts plated locally so I had the backing plates, fasteners, hood hinges and hood latch components plated to match the original finishes.



Picked up the rear axle and assembled the torque tube, brakes and brake lines.







Meanwhile, the nailhead is getting assembled.
All main, thrust and rod bearing clearances checked out great.
Currently waiting for new rocker shaft assemblies.



I've also been preparing the body for media blasting. Almost ready!





Busy times!

 

Steady progress, it all looks good. Thanks for sharing.

 

Awesome progress jmt455 keep up the great work from Downunder (its been to long)

 

'If I had a hat on, it would be off to you, Sir.' That is some amazing work you are doing there, really loved reading this thread, can't wait to see more. All the best!

 

Ditto amazing rebuild so far.

 

YES! Looking really good! Love seeing all the of the work in progress!

camera: rating maintained)

Dadgummit! Well.........its supposed to be a "5 camera" rating, not sure what Cat Man has done to tear up the little icons??

 

I love those camera ratings that you give out.

 

March 26, 2016

These inner fender covers were all split and not saveable. It appears to be a grained vinyl sheet that was vacuum formed, then bonded to the inner panel. I'm not sure what I'm going to use to replicate them, but they had to come off in order to clean the inner panels.




A heat gun, a small putty knife and one hour of scraping....




Here's the body shell at the media blast shop. They are using walnut husks to remove the coatings, then more aggressive glass media as needed for corrosion removal.



Meanwhile, the rocker shafts arrived and the engine is almost ready for paint.
Oil pump has been run and oil flow and pressure verified.



Back in my garage, I've been working on the front suspension. New control arm shafts, control arm seals and bushings, new upper and lower ball joints and spring isolators should make this car drive like new.





Spring installation was a challenge. I compressed the springs as far as possible, then used a 1.5T chain fall to pull the lower control arms into position.

Took me a while to get the compressor fingers out of the springs after the spindles were bolted up. I used one of those twist-in coil expanders to spread the coils far enough to sneak the compressor fingers out of the spring.

Next up: front brake assembly, then install the rear axle and torque tube assembly. Should have a rolling chassis in a few days.

 

2016.04.01 update

Discovered something surprising when I began assembling the front brakes.
The adjusters for the front and rear brakes are not identical...
The front adjuster "yokes" have a wider slot to accomodate the thicker brake shoe plate. Had to disassemble both rear rear brakes to get the wider adjuster components for the front drums. Minor inconvenience...and a new lesson learned.

Front spindle with brakes installed and ready for bearing & hub installation.Each fastener is marked with a paint dot after final torque check is complete.





All buttoned up with bearings adjusted. I will adjust the brakes after filling the system with brake fluid and installing the e-brake system.


New upper control arm shafts were installed with the same number of shims at each position; close enough to get it to an alignment rack.



Mounted wheels and tires to be able to move the frame as needed. No steering linkage is installed, just a length of tubing to keep the wheels parallel to each other.

Now for some fun...sliding the rear axle & torque tube assembly into the frame.

Connected to the winch and ready to roll off the ramps:




Rolled the frame into the driveway and lifted the back end of the frame to clear the rear springs.




Jacked up the front end and pulled the wood cart out from beneath the suspended frame:



A few minutes later, it's back on the rack and ready for fuel and brake systems:



Changing the subject...pics from the media blaster:





There are more floor pan repairs required than I anticipated, but I think it looks great!