Fixing up a '71 Grand Safari

The owner of this wagon certainly has good reason to be proud!

 

im just jealous ...........................

 

I would be interested in this, my 71 Buick wagon rear weatherstrips are beyond bad. This area needs some serious attention and soon.

Thanks!!!!!

 

What is this for, the tailgate weather stripping? I am in dire need of it!

 

Weatherstrip replacement

 

I finally got time to reread some of the comments and comment back. I often times log on early in the morning and just have time to read them real quick before I run out the door.

Thanks again everyone for the very kind words. Mike, I did find the build sheet. It's somewhere closer to the beginning of the thread. I found it under the middle seat, before I began disassembly of the wagon. I have a picture of it. I taped the back of it because it was in a few pieces and in bad shape. I pressed all the pieces flat but I haven't laminated it yet. April's work has a machine so I plan to do that.

Hey Killer, the TV cables I've run into self adjust when you push the button and push them all the way back and then push the accelerator to the floor. I'm still waiting for my new one to come in the mail. Was supposed to be here by now. I emailed the company. I really really hope that fixes my transmission woes.

So far I have sealed the top of the tailgate to the rear window and the sides of the window along the C or D pillars (depending on what you want to call them). It works great. I have not yet tackled the area of the top corners of the tailgate. I started it and when the parts came in moved on to tackling the transmission and then oil pump problems. As soon as I get the transmission worked out All I will have left to do is work on the remaining rear tailgate weatherstrips and paint the fenderwells/frame under the car. Also, I looked at the rocker moldings and they are very milky and have what appears to be tar and maybe some old body filler on them. I'm going to have to find a polisher to get them into presentable condition.

 

Yeah, here's the build sheet, thanks for reminding me you posted it. What 2 options did you not know then and did you figure them out?

 

Man, I can't even remember now.

One thing I forgot to mention, when I did get a test drive the other day the radio started working. I was super excited but then it quite before I got home.

 

The radio in my '73 Grand Ville sedan is only an AM radio, but cool that it still works. lol. I have never even tried the radio in my '72 Kingswood Estate, but it is AM only as well. I would like to find an AM-FM to install.

 

I have the factory AM-FM out of my buick guys it worked (well music/noise came out of all the speakers which is suprising as they were SHREADED! to pieces)

 

Killer, you saved my bacon again. I haven't posted an update on it yet but I welded and redrilled the hole for the TV cable. Fortunately you noticed a while back that the plate on the carb has two bolts in it and can be taken off very easily. I don't know why those bolts never even registered with me. If you hadn't mentioned that I probably would have taken the carburetor back off again.

 

Killer knows his stuff!

Killer, you're quite an asset to this forum!

David

 

The new TV cable was supposed to be in by last Tuesday. I called them Thursday and they hadn't even shipped it. Frustrating, but not entirely shocking considering how companies operate today. It seems more times than not you have to stay on companies as though they are young children to ensure they do what they are supposed to.

According to my UPS tracking number, it should be here tomorrow. April and I had a long, sleepless weekend going between Indiana and Kentucky for her 10 year class reunion and then back to TN early Sunday morning where my friend Nick had finally told of being saved (several years ago but just now told about it) and was baptized, so we got about 3 hours of sleep.

I hope I may be able to install the new TV cable tomorrow. We'll see.

 

I'll do a full update later. We have been nonstop busy. I got the new TV cable in and it, also, would not ratchet. This has caused me intense frustration and grief. I have literally lost sleep over this thing. Even though I haven't been able to work April will sometimes find me staring off into space while I'm trying to understand this situation of the no-ratcheting cable.

Tonight I got back from a trip and went out to the garage and just sat and stared at the cable. I used vise grips and clamps to mount the cable to my table to recreate the way it is mounted in the car and started taking measurements and experimenting. I could actually feel myself running out of brain power. I really didn't know anyone I could take it to that would know. Finally, at last, I discovered the issue. I'll explain it in detail in the next update.

If anyone orders a TV cable for a 200/700R4 just know that while technically their instructions aren't "wrong," they are grossly inadequate and leave out more than one absolutely vital steps.

 

Well Brandon as I told ya before welcome to the world of auto mechanic's 101
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