I really love the lines on the 55 Super and Riv...Can anyone shed more detail on the car,weakness and strength and how they are to drive?
They ride like a big ass pillow, all gushy and squishy. You have to rub your hands along them and sweet talk them immensely. Stroking the steering wheel and telling them how much you love them seems to help on REALLY cold mornings. Yes, the neighbors will think you are an absolute nut case, but fuck it....who needs neighbors anyways? They're quiet and lovely. Big and sexy. Nice cars..............can't wait to unload the one in my garage. The Nailhead is a STRONG strong engine. Love it. The trans is just like any other fluid driven trans......gotta be patient with it and she'll treat you right. I like them, don't have any problems with the one I'm babysitting. She's a good girl, altho they seem to like to pop their hoods while going down the road. I think the torque tube would be a slight problem if you're trying to lower it, but I've never tried.....hafta find someone else smarter on Buick's.
Dont think i have ever drove one ,but i agree they are hot looking .They look alot better than a 56 in my opinion.I do know they are heavy and they use a funky driveline set up ,but if your gunna rebuild one its easy to change that.Not sure on Buicks but ,my 56 Poncho had alot of obsolete chassis and drivetrain parts on it and alot of the mechanicals on it were enginered by a dipshit from the factory.I suspect that Bufords in those years were the same way.
Your 56 should have the same shit under it my 55 has......I love it. Think it's the simplest set up ever.
Yeah like having the heater core on the wrong side and all those hoses running under the seat to that heater box.Or the inner wheel bearings on the front that havent been made in 20 years cuz it fits nothing but a 55-57 Poncho according to Hollander .Or the pedals coming through the floor on a 56 while Chevy started hangin them in 55 .Or having the master cylinder under the steering column making it a bitch to put fluid in it.Or the clutch disc that is obsolete for the 3 spd.Or having those weirdo motor mounts that are a bitch to find .Sounds like simple stuff...
I use California Pontiac Restoration and Carquest for all of my part needs. The heater isn't in the wrong spot, it's just nicely tucked away. I really enjoy the thought and engineering that went into the tri year Pontiac's, Oldsmobile's and Buick's. Great cars and not mundane and cheap like Chevrolet's of the same ear. BTW, hanging pedals on a Chevy are a SUMBITCH when they come apart while on the freeway.....give me floor pedals any day. I guess it all boils down to how much your willing to put up with. BTW, I bought new bearings on all 4 corners for my 55's from Carquest. You wanna talk cars that nobody stocks parts for? Buy a 58 Chevy. THERE'S your redhead step child.
I dint mean to hyjack this thread I was just trying to let the guy know what he was dealing with.My 56 Poncho left a bad taste in my mouth cuz i was trying to rely on it as my daily driver (as i always do) and i got tired of making long distance phone calls tring to get simple parts to keep it up and running daily.I love the lines on it though so i had to have it ,but bailed on it and got rid of it cuz of the parts deal.It was not logical for my daily driver needs in stock form thats all...
The Poncho and the Buick share a LOT of similarities so you didn't hi-jack shit. They are all valid points to bring up, but at the same rate, you also have to be willing to put up with anything that goes wrong and you need to know a reliable and smart place to purchase your parts within a local radius. If anyone should have given up on a tri year GM other then a Chevy, it should be this idiot............but I love mine and I won't, no matter how frustrated I become. Now for the Buick I have here, I think JimBob and Drewfus would be your best bets. Jimbo drives his all the time and Drewfus is planning a big block swap. Vrrroooom vrrooom!
i had a standard shift 56--loved it till the clutch went---motor ran great even with over 300000 miles on it---bought it in 68 off a guy that said he towed a travel trailer with it for 50 bucks---gave it to a lobster man to put in his boat
No prob, I used the same term many years ago without knowing either. As for the guys question. I will say that most 50s cars drive OK. You will get some body roll. If the hinges are worn you will have rattles and road noise. Our 54 Chevy drives and steers fine, Carla is not a car person but drives it with confidence. It has rebuilt stock brakes and front suspention. As with any older cars some parts are a minor nuisance. Like Brandy I have found my Carquest guys almost always have what I need. They do the bulk of the business with repair shops in town unlike the other places.......this means they typically know their shit.
55's are sweet, the weak point in my mind is the tranny... if I found one with a 3 on the tree I'd be psyched... a lot of Buick fans see it as an insult.. I just don't like it...
Yesterday I was at Bassfires garage , he is building a badassed 55 with 455 and late model suspention for his wifey ( Bass's mommy ) . Maybe he can post some pic's !
Look for rust on the rear post betwen the back and side glass and lower quarter between the rear wheel and the door on two doors. 55 Super shares bodyglass and roof with 54/56 Cadilac.
My 55 drives just like Brandy said. It has bias tires, and I bet those knee action-type shocks are blown out. The hood pops up going down the road and scares me every time. I have a 55 olds also, and it has radial tires and modern shocks. It is a TOTALLY different driving sensation. The clutch slips, (I hope it's just oil on the disc), and it has the weenie 3-speed. I have the 6 bolt unit and a super nice 322 sitting on the floor, but don't know if they will go in where the 264/5 bolt trans are. They are GREAT cars, and you are the ONLY one in a sea of Chevys. Lots of old guys come and tell you how fast they used go in Buick. I think the 56 was an open drive shaft, wish mine was.
56 has closed drive shaft, I don't think it changed till60 I think the 56 was an open drive shaft, wish mine was.[/QUOTE]
Readjust the damn latches and hinges. Easy enough? My 56 had a torque tube *closed shaft* and it NEVER once popped the hood. Now this 55 is NOTORIOUS for it, but I'm gunna let Drewfus handle that fun task.
Drove a '54 Special daily for a year and a half. The clutch's spring cover came apart and rubbed on the flywheel, putting enough metal shavings into the original roller pilot bearing that it died; no pilot bearing killed the input shaft on the trans. I recently found a 6-bolt trans that will go back in it. For a daily, I thought it was great. Comfortable ride. I upgraded to a dual reservoir, wider RoadMaster rear drums, 4bbl on the 264. It wasn't a fast car, by any means, but it was cool to drive around in. The under-seat heater kicks serious ass, and in fact I'm going to add one under the front seat of my '62 Suburban. I lowered it 3 inches with JAMCO coils at all four corners, and ran wide white radials. It came from the factory with a front sway bar. The front bar is about the size of your pinky finger, but with a fresh set of bushings, it made a huge difference. The knee-action shocks blew out toward the end there, and that made it a little light in the ass while driving. '56 used a cross member in the rear for tube shocks--I'd make that upgrade. '56 also used front spindles that had 7-degrees of caster built in, rather than straight up and down like the '54-'56. (If I have that figure right...it's been a long time since I learned that). The literature I read said it was to help the cars come out of corners better, which makes sense. Fine car...not as easy to build as a '55 Chevy, and a of expensive pot metal on it, but I think it's worth it. Never heard of the hoods popping open, but it's possible that could have been covered in an original Technical Service Bulletin. I've got a full set for '54s (not the condensed, year-end book), and it's amazing what they covered. -Brad
I think you will find that just putting a set of radials on the car will make a nice driver out of it. I loved the motor, they were well built, made good power, and were tough. In the early 60's, I had a valve kiss a piston and everything above the piston pin bosses was shrapnel. I was in the middle of nowhere ( and broke ), and the engine would still run, so I pulled the plug and drove the car over 300 miles. I pulled the heads and pan, replaced the piston, and drove the car for 2 more years before finally selling it. I didn't like the automatic but the 3 speed tranny was strong enough. Those motors were tough Bob
I drive my 55's with confidence all over the country. They are just a pile of parts that comes apart and goes together like any other car. Sure the engineering is funcky and maybe not the best, but is servicable. Below are solutions for Front shocks http://forums.aaca.org/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/428479/page/1#Post428479 Rear shocks http://forums.aaca.org/ubbthreads.p...Words=old-tank&topic=0&Search=true#Post428742 A rear sway bar is available and as is a larger front sway bar. The dynaflow is sluggish if left in drive, but is hard to beat if put in low: floor it and shift when the valves float at 65-70. Willie
I have a '55 Special, that I got cheap cheap cheap... the car ran when I bought it and still turns over but the tranny is dead. I have lost my low gear and haven't had the time or money lately to do work to her as I have been trying to pay off a bigger head ache.... My Cry-zler P.O.S. Crusier.... be sure that once I have built up my coin purse again that I will be driving that Buick regularly and the Crusier will be the 4 shelf in the garage.
Note to self : Remember to always carry a bag of 'top shelf' cable ties......and a pair of side cutters, will adjust bonnet latch with top priority prior to driving at speed There are plenty of '55 Special' lovers here on the hamb, plenty of threads detailing their good and bad points, none of which tarnish the understated beauty of these cars.... Cheers, Drewfus
The Jalopy Journal
