Projects '47 Buick Super Sedanette project

That 64 Wildcat donated a lot of it's parts to many HAMBers. Glad it worked out for you.

 

@L. Eckart In 1947, they had no portholes.

 

@Max Gearhead I couldn't get the 6-way power to work, so I took that off & I am adapting the seat to the original '47 seat tracks. Kind of a shame to not use the power option on the seat, but I'm choosing my battles. It will get cleaned up & look like it does for this summer. Got some interior ideas, so maybe new upholstery in the future.

 

^
maybe a missing / faulty relay?
an article about the Buick power seats..
https://forums.aaca.org/topic/266729-power-seat-connector-64/

off-topic Chrysler Sebring PS circuitry has to include a special relay that although I have it, I've yet to wire it up.

 

Haven't made progress lately. 4 days of 102 temp lead to an ER trip for IV fluids & antibiotics. Pneumonia. Lungs didn't even hurt. Doing better. My next problem is the brakes are dragging on the Buick. I put residual valves in the front lines because I'm using under the floor master. But, I think it's causing the drag. Will investigate next week.

 

OK. Jacked up each individual corner and found no brakes dragging. WTF? Feels like they are when I put it in gear. Anything in the trans that could cause that?
Cleaned (scrubbed) the Wildcat bench seat, so it's sittable. If I upholster it, that will come later. Ready to bolt that in after I do a little work to the floor. Mostly POR15 some areas that had surface rust. Made a patch for one spot near the factory dimmer switch. Got to weld that in yet.
The Caddy steering wheel I was working on, just doesn't work with my column & seat. It's VERY large in diameter, and dished way more than what was on there. I'd have to redo the column to make it work, and that's not happening. So, I'll look around to see what I can come up with. I'm disappointed.
Also, the dash is no longer purple. Not my best work, but it's at least teal to better match/contrast with the original color. It looks a little greener than in this pic. My phone camera just doesn't want to see the real color. Currently putting the dash back together - gauges, switches, wiring, etc.

 

Compromise on the steering wheel. It's what I had laying around. Spent many years in my '39 Ford, which now has a metalflake red wheel. It's smaller in diameter & less dished, so it fits with the seat & column locations better. Gotta finish some under dash wiring, and I forgot to paint one part of the column mount, so making headway.


On another note, what do I need to make this work on a more modern engine. It's the temp sender from the '47 Buick. I don't see a way for it to seal, except it's tapered and maybe seats against something? The threads have open spots, so obviously coolant can blow past. Any ideas?

 

There is a special fitting that threads into the water jacket that the sender screws into. It has a tapered seat so the bulb seals when the threaded nut on the sender is tightened. Like the one above from Summit.

 

Drove it out to do some welding on it. Then had my wife pump the brakes so I could bleed the system. She said it's "spongy", so I jumped in and pumped the pedal a couple times and...SNAP! Got it up on the lift and noticed something wrong. I snapped the snout off the power booster. Never saw that before. It's a new 7" from CPP. Didn't expect it to have plastic under the boot. Not sure what happened. I'll contact them & see what they have to say. Damn, I was getting close to driving this thing.

 

Was the rod from the pedal going into the booster at an angle instead of straight in?

 

@BJR I thought it was straight, but I'm thinking this may have been the problem. I'll have to get a new one & double check the angle. I guess it's better that it was in my driveway, than on the road.

 

Chinese garbage!! 60 Special

 

So, it turns out that if you purchase from CPP on their website/phone/mail, they have lifetime warranty against defects. But, if you purchase from their eBay store, they warranty their products for 30 days. Same products. Guess where I bought mine...
New one is on the way, but I'm out over $200.

 

Turns out my push rod activating the power booster was more of an angle than I thought. Then, when it had pressure on it, it moved even farther from 0*. Recommended is no more than 5*. So, a revamp was in order. Lowered my booster/MC about 1/2" & changed how it was supported as it passes through the center X of the frame. Seems to be working better - after some adjusting to the pin that pushes the MC plunger. Haven't had it on the road yet. Started the beast up & let it idle until it got to operating temp. Seemed to be about 195*-200*. Wouldn't turn over fast enough to restart when warm. Reset timing to 6* BTC. Need to get exhaust done before I can figure anything else out. Here's a pic of the little woman helping to bolt in the front seat.

 

Good to see you are making progress.

 

Good that Your getting things sorted out

 

Hard starting on a big block buick/cad/Pont when they get warm is fairly common. One solution is to add a Ford celinoid which will give the stock one a boost when the engine is warm.

 

I couldn't locate that 1157 thread, but would like to. Got a link?

-rick

 

Way cool.... glad I found this thread....but need a side shot photo
A Sedanette in this era really does it for me
your direction and persistence will pay dividends shortly I suspect.

 

@69fury Technical - Anybody make replacement 1157 pigtails? | Page 2 | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com)
@winduptoy Sorry my phone camera is broken, but you get the idea. It's on the trailer, so I can get exhaust put on tomorrow.

 

OK, so putting this boat on the trailer, was an experience. Here's a little tale of perseverance and stupidity:
This thing is LOW in the front. Static low, no (front) bags. So low, that probably this winter, I'm planning to install some big block springs to raise it up. I'm thinking the big Cad motor weighs a tad more than the front springs are able to hold up. Anyway. I was smart enough to drive it up the ramps and stop to check clearance. Here's what I found:

Obviously, no bueno.

 

And here is the hillbilly ingenuity to make it work:
That's right. I hooked the ramps onto the 2X4s. But wait - there's more!

 

I also had to remove the front bumper!

This stupid low. But it looks cool!

 

So I read through the whole post and never read anything about the front suspension. Did the Cadillac motor push the stock front suspension down that low? Or is it not stock. Only reason I ask is, I have a Cadillac with a SBC (wrong motor I know) that sits high in the front with stock suspension. Problem is, the original Caddy flathead and trans is 600 lbs. heavier than the replacement motor. So obviously not enough weight for original springs to settle.
Thanks! 60 Special

 

@60 Special It has a non-stock front suspension, so that doesn't get mentioned much in my posts. Let's just say that in Spanish, the front suspension translates to: Not going, or no-go. So, some big block springs will bolt in & should help raise it up.

 

Also, I picked it up from the exhaust place and drove it onto the trailer. Actually, I drove it onto the trailer fender. Oops! Yes, it pokes out in front of the rear wheel, as there is no room for tailpipes. It's got a truck arm style rear suspension w/ a panhard bar.

 

I have the same exhaust problem with my 49 Buick sedanette. Can't get the pipes over the rear because of the trailing arms and the pan hard bar.

 

So, thinking I should buy a new starter to see if the hot start problem gets cured. But, the ones I'm finding don't look like mine.
this is a pic from Autozone, and Rock Auto is the same. But, mine doesn't bolt on like this. It looks like a Chevy with the bolts going vertical into the block, not horizontal like this shows. What gives?
This is a pic of mine, and how close the exhaust is. Maybe 1 1/2" from the solenoid. That's the factory manifold, so it must have came that close from GM. Should I get a heat shield/blanket as well?

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/u82qMGb2e4jW4cW17
Link to 20 sec video of the new exhaust. Cherry Bomb turbo mufflers.

 

I would make an aluminum heat shield for the exhaust pipe. Make sure you have the front end support that goes on the front of the starter to the engine. If not you can break the starter.