Customs The Adventures of Bob the Big Ol’ Buick

Easy solution, man....... Since you have a broken leg and can't crawl around, and you wife only has Covid and NO broken leg..... point her in the direction of the tool box and the Buick, and by the time you are finished cooking dinner she should have that pump off! There.... I solved a problem for you.... you're welcome!

 

OK. Sure. . .
But other than that, things are going pretty good for you then, eh?

 

Ok, how did you break it? Doing something stupid (fun) I hope.

 

I wish it was a good story and need to make one up that is. But, it isn’t really a good story at all and pretty discouraging really. This does happen to be the third time I have broken my left leg. The first two were 36 years ago in junior high football.

 

^^^^^. Just say from giving someone a good ass kicking

 

Man Jeff, your life is really messing with getting cars sorted out. You gotta stop that! LOL Hope everything evens out soon for y'all!

 

You need to tell the kids ok, now dad needs help. And make them be your hands for a while. And cut the grass while your at it!

 

Sorry about the leg. Hang in there!

 

Years ago I had my leg broke in two places!

I ain't never gone back to either one of those places ever since!

 

That is one of the best lines I’ve heard in a while!

Get better soon buddy!

 

I broke my right leg in 2010 in a machine shop. I was moving a cutoff saw stock support and my foot slipped and whacked my shin hard on the support, hard. Instant egg of a lump. Went home and iced it. It was a few weeks later and I saw the black and blue went down to my toes. Got an x-ray, a simple fracture. I still feel it on cold days,

 

Well, I hope it heals quickly.
Those Buick's are pretty much bullet proof.
Solid throughout.
I had a '52 4dr that just wouldn't quit. Nothing like the smooth ride and shiftless Dynaflow trans.
Enjoy!

 

Lol...my wife was actually cutting the grass yesterday since they shared Covid with me right up until the deck belt broke. Today, my younger son will get to replace the belt and finish mowing. Not sure we will get to mow under the Buick yet though.

Thanks for all the comments guys. I’m sure I’ll be back up and going in a week or so. If nothing else, we have the Oklahoma Hot Rod Hundred coming up in a couple weeks that I have a lot to do for. And, I’m supposed to be putting a blown and injected 502 back in a machine at work for a parade next weekend. But, I am getting some help with that one to make sure it gets done in time.

 

So, after a crazy month of weekends doing a local car show, an event for work, a Hot Rod Hundred, and the Gathering at the Roc, I had a minute to get back to Bob this evening. I crawled under it to pull the electric fuel pump off to see if I could clean it out and get it pumping since I am not getting fuel to the carburetor. Anyway, I got it off and it smells like old gas which was expected. What I didn’t expect to find was that after looking up the Carter part number, it is a 12v pump...on a 6v system which could also explain why the previous owner said it seemed as though it was running out of fuel the last few times he drove it. Amazing to me what some “professional” mechanic shops do. It was a clean installation overall, just of an incorrect pump. Just guessing it wasn’t pumping much on 6v...

So, I should have a new 6v pump tomorrow and maybe get to go for that first drive soon.

Edit: If putting a 12v pump on a 6v system actually works somehow and is a trick I don’t know, someone set me straight.

 

For reference, this is the pump that I pulled off. Carter 152-875

 

The last of the American 6 Volt cars was 1955. That was 67 years ago.

Another "Lost knowledge" is positive ground electrical systems.

Russ

 

Modern mechanic shops doesn`t have much knowledge about this old stuff, here it´s even hard finding someone to change a windshield with rubber seals.
Impressed that the Buick were drivable at all with a 12v pump, not strange that it ran out of fuel.
You haven´t thought of gettin a mechanical pump? not sure if you need but wipers are aint dumb to have either if you gonna use the car, (vacuum wipers aren´t impressive but they work)
I got me an 6v electrical pump with me in the trunk for backup if the mechanical should fail, i renovated the mechanical pump a couple years ago and it works perfect.

 

The more I have thought about this, I started to question why I don't just replace or rebuild the mechanical pump on the car. So, I did some looking this morning on pricing of those pumps. Anyway, rebuilt ones are pretty pricey, so I will see if I can find a kit to rebuild the one on it. More to come...

 

I like mechanical pumps over electric ones. I had one fail on my in a '64 Ford while crossing one of our long bay bridges in 1977. That was a treat...

 

I believe they are 2 different models of fuelpumps on these engines, shouldn´t be difficult finding a kit to rebuild it, and it´s a pretty easy job too, the shopmanual got a real good instruction.
Be sure too get the right kit, they are different inside, you should have some id numbers stamped on it.

 

Sounds like a fun car............. Thinking a little deeper on the car, what kind of shape is the wiring in after 72 years? If its crumbling, and needs replacement, why not go with a modern 12 volt wiring kit and use the 12 volt electric pump? The money you spend on the replacement pump could go toward the harness.

I'd be checking brake lines and fuel lines as well. Wish you some good.....no,make that great adventures in the car.

 

First drive!

 

Got back from the short drive around the neighborhood nearby and found a couple fuel leaks (sediment bowl that needed tightened and a couple old fuel lines that needed replaced). So, amongst other things I needed to do this evening, got all but one resolved. I will look everything over good tomorrow, but it seems to run and drive pretty decent. Pretty pumped to finally get to drive it!

 

I highly recommend this place for pump rebuild parts. The parts are designed to work with ethanol fuels and the instructions were great. https://www.then-now-auto.com/fuel-pump-repair-kits/

 

Always nice too do a test drive, hard too beat the view over that long hood and the bombsight

 

My crappy attempt at a video of the first drive down the road. There was a tick in the motor that went away after the first couple minutes and I ended up continuing on to go around the neighborhood next door after this video.

 

Look at that nice, floaty, cushiony ride!

 

Yea, I can fix that when I decide it sits too high.

 

I can’t believe that I just found this thread. What a great find and a great story. Good to see that you got yours running and driving so quickly. Although it probably doesn’t seem that quick to you. I’m still working towards that first drive in my Stude pickup that I bought a while back.
It will probably drive you nuts with little things that pop up that need attention but it’s gonna make a really nice family cruiser. Congratulations!

 

Glad to see you finally got the first drive out of the way. Good to see it move on its own. Hope the leg is better!