Hi from Australia

Hey guys, I'm Ben. i recently purchased a 1950 Buick and am awaiting its delivery ( im in Australia and the car is currently in Illanois ) but once it gets here im planning some mods , 12V conversion, open driveline conversion , engine and trans swap ( currently looking at all alloy quad cam 4.5 or 5.0 litre engines with fully electronic Auto , 4.5 comes with 5 speed auto, 5.0 comes with 4 speed auto) I am also planning on bagging it. the body seems very straight and the interior has recently been restored so that will stay as is, with the only changes being mentioned above.

this is my first American car, I've played mainly with japanese imports and have built 2 11 second 1/4 Subaru's which are still street registered.
thanks, Ben.

 

Hey Ben,another skip here,can't beat that.I see you have your plans set already,sounds good,dunno about that engine,a nice s/b or b/b Chev in GM car would move it along,i'm gunna run a Gen3 in my Packard coupe,but aspirated,they're cheap,light, and have plenty of grunt,good luck, Gaz!

 

thanks mate , i have to be honest im a bit of a fan of technology, so i may be looking to Japan to power my Buick, but it will really depend on how well it drives as is when it gets here, my grandfather has scared me a but about the dynaflow transmission, he also had a 50 buick from the early 90's till 2002 when it was sadly lost in a fire, his was a factory RHD model though and had 3 speed manual. the priorities will be 12 volt conversion, bagging it (looking at a quality airbag kit, nothing cheap going into this car) and then if i need to, open driveline incl rear diff conversion ( possibly Jap IRS or holden 10 bolt etc) and re powering with something modern.
thanks, Ben.

 

Welcome Ben!

 

Welcome from another Aussie. Your project sounds very different. I like different but is it traditional to suit this forum. Will wait and see. Good Luck.

 

Welcome Ben from the west coast of Florida.

Best of luck with the new car.

Jimbo

 

Welcome!!

 

Hello Ben. Welcome. I know a few folk in Brisbane, and Denmark (formerly Perth). If you shy away from the straight 8, why not a 1UZ-FE and Aisin automatic? Consider Jamco 3" lowering springs versus airbags. Simpler to accomplish. Then there's the Scarebird disc brake caliper bracket conversion. You can also fit 54-56 Buick upper A-arms and tublar shocks to it. Grab the later anti-swaybar as well.

If you have any friends looking for a Buick project. Show them this. http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=759755&highlight=buick Selling it and a 53 two door hatop since I recently purchased a 38 Buick Special Business Coupe.

There's a lot of thinks you can do to early 50's Buicks... Another idea is fit a 322 and ****** from a 56 Roadmaster or Century.

Cheers! John

 

thjanks for all the info mate , RE the 1UZ, i have a stack of these laying around and have put a few in hilux's ( tundras?) over the years. however the 1uz is a bit boring and only 4 litre, i'm looking at the 1UZ's bigger all alloy V12 brother to fill the bay, its a 1GZ from a toyota century. failing that i also have a nissan Cima VK45DD direct injection V8 front clip with 5 speed auto. it is a bit hard to find all the Buick parts in AU such as engines etc, but arms etc can easily be sourced from the US.
thanks ,Ben.

 

gday buddy,
sounds a bit different what your up too..... good luck mate
where you at?
cheers darren

 

i'm in the southern highlands , NSW, bout 1.5 hr south of sydney CBD. thanks, Ben.

 

G'day Ben,

Im from Brisvegas awell I also got Car in transit out of California a 1950 Hudson 2 door sedan.

Tried to get a buick myself from a H.A.M.B er soon as i said I was Australia it was a no go

 

Too bad you didn't talk to me... Got both a 52 and a 53 Special for sale.

 

hudson's are bad***, if i wasnt so in love with the 50 the hudson would be my second choce, who are you importing it through? i'm plannng on doing that disc upgrade but may need the help of some HAMBer's as we dont have any of the donor parts in AU as for the later A arms, im very keen if ou have any spares?
thanks,
Ben.

 

Ben,
I have no spares now, but know where some are in a junkyard. The 3" lowering springs and/or 3" drop spindles are availalbe through Jamco. http://www.jamcosuspension.com/products/sfID1/73/sfID2/42 I've not bought from them, obtained mine used from a HAMBer. The disc brake conversion adapters are available from Scarebird, he's here on the HAMB. http://www.scarebird.com/index.php?id=5 I obtained my complete front disc brake kit from the same HAMBer I got my Jamco springs via. However, I did purchase my rear disc brake bracket kit direct from Jamco, something to consider if you retain the torge tube diff. The Upper A-arm conversion article (54-56 Buick parts) is available on Webrodder.com http://webrodder.com/index.php?page=showStories&search=Buick . I do have copies of the parts list of components one must source from local parts vendors to complete the Scarebird conversions. He basically sells only the brackets, and bits one can't purchase from a parts supplier.

 

thanks for the info mate , will hopefully be able to see if the parts for the disc conversion are available in AU. thanks, Ben.

 

Hello Ben from Tulsa Oklahoma...

 

Damn, you'd have to be nuts. Order from Jamco if you want, but please do a search first before your send in your order. Good advice in general, but well worth the effort here.

 

Be,
have just fitted the scared bird set up on my 49, have a look ate there web site http://www.scarebird.com
i got the 90-02 chevy awd astro van brake calipers and pads were from summit racing cheap as, and the 71-76 buick riviera disks were from my local brake place.
i was lucky that i had a aircraft engineer rebuild al my lever arm shocks with a kit i got from apple hydrulics in the U.S.
i would have to say that the disk set up is very easy, so check it out.
i have pics if you want to see them.
cheers darren

 

Youz Ockers are worse than us Kiwis at 'stealing' Yank Tanks, there will be none left in the US soon - ****** sheep-****gers!

 

Hey Ben,
Welcome to the HAMB.
I suggest you get the vibe of this forum by reading lots of posts. You will find that technology isn't the big driver here - a bit of Stone Age engineering using a range of different size hammers is a good place to start (hahaha).
Looking forward to seeing some photos of your car when it arrives.
Cheers.

 

Ok, Scarebird parts list for disc brake conversion 46-56, 57 Buick Roadmaster, Super, Century, Riviera, Special:

Rotor: 71-76 Riviera front NAPA #85537, Wagner #BD60258, Raybestos #5006
Caliper, LH: 90-02 AWD Astro front NAPA #242-2138, Wagner #TQM25002, Raybestos #RC4418
Caliper, RH: 90-02 AWD Astro front NAPA #242-2139, Wagner #TQM25003, Raybestos #RC4417
Hyd. hose (12"): 79-90 Caprice front NAPA #36847, Wagner #F106887, Raybestos #BH36846
Banjo bolt: 90-02 AWD Astro front NAPA #82703, Dorman #4842051
Inner bearing (46-56): 79-82 Dodge Colt NAPA #BR51, Wagner #BCA A51, Raybestos #SKF CBR51
Inner bearing (1957): 71-76 Riviera NAPA #BR5, Wagner #BCA5, Raybestos #SKF CBR5
Outer bearing: 71-76 Riviera NAPA #BR3, Wagner #BCA A3, Raybestos #SKF CBR3
Wheel seal: 77 Riviera NAPA #19984, Wagner #BCA Part #8871
Dust cap: 71-76 Riviera NAPA #BK7302438, Dorman #13977
Sourced: Scarebird C***ic Brake LLC June 20,2009 Rev F

If you can source these parts in OZ or NZ, then the Scarebird disc brake conversion kit is a viable alternative for you. There's a few parts in the kit besides the brackets which you can not purchase at a local parts store.

Another alternative is use 55 Roadmaster brakes (complete ***emblies from the backing plates to drums) on your 50 Buick front steering knuckles/spindles, plus on your rear axle as well.

 

thanks for the input guys, ive seen the scare bird brake kit and i'd be happy to use it, main problem is thjey only supply the brakets and hardware, not discs and calipers etc, unfortunately we have neither the astro van or a riviera in Aus so sorting out donor parts may be a bit of an issue.
Dad-Bud, thnks mate , after reading through the forums it seems that this build may not be for the HAMB, but it seems like a great forum with a wealth of knowledge, also i'm a fan of the old body styling and era specific accessories, i really want a car that looks period correct on the outside , with the under pinnings of a late model for reliability and ease of repair's sakes.
thanks, Ben.

 

Ben, sounds like you should go the 55 Roadmaster brakes on your Special then. You want everything on all 4 wheels from the backing plates outward. There's pdf files of a publication called The Torque Tube I can e-mail you a copy of an article describing this activity.

 

Ben the Astro calipers were cheap as from summit racing there only like $16.95us plus $18.95us core charge, and plus shipping $98us.
The front brakes cost me around $700aus finished and its all brand new
Cheers Darren

 

great news, ill keep it in mind once i have the 12v and air bags done.
thanks ,Ben.

 

Hey Ben, no drama. I happen to think like you about using later model stuff but having the traditional look. It seems to be the thoughts of quite a number here too, but I've just found it's not so great to advertise it too loudly - the 'traditional police' seem to frown on anything that's not at least 60 years old or steeped in hot rodding folklore.
That may work really well in the US where (for instance) Ardun heads and other rod paraphernalia are readily available (well, I know they're not and you have to dig pretty hard to find them, but they're still a mile more abundant that in Oz).
In my time here, I've found that there are a few more vociferous guys who have 1,000's of posts who put down anyone with lesser-traditional thoughts or opinions. They are the guys who have been here for many years and reckon they have 'the vibe of the forum' - they probably do, I've just seen that it's best not to challenge them, as they will all gang up on dissenters.
Anyway, it is a great place, and I've found that 'knowing when to hold them and when to fold them' is a good motto here.
Enjoy yourself, you will undoubtedly get a lot from being here.
Cheers.

 

Welcome from Ohio

 

Good luck with the ride. When are you expecting it?

 

Is there anybody OUT there?