Mr. Mk1’s ‘58 Buick Special Riviera

[Mr.Mk1]

I’m back, with another tale of scatterbrain and determination! Stoke the fire and Settle in with a choice beverage.

 

With my whole life situation completely different to a year ago, having no decent old schooler to drive ( ‘82 isn’t my speed)..I felt I’d lost my identity.

 

The late 50’s GM range had really taken my fancy lately. Not so big on the Chev range, but Oldsmobile/Buick/pontiac/Cadillac for sure. They are big, ostentatious and dripping in space-race atomic era mid century modernism. 58 was the year they could legally have twin headlights, which give them a meaner demeanour I reckon.

The 58 Buick line had THE MOST polished trim you could get on a factory motorcar..just nudging past the Cadillac.

Id been chasing 58-59 mercury and Edsel wagons but not finding much, and after studying the GM’s, the fords didn’t have the same edge I was after. Mopars are sick but stylistically a few years behind.. I needed a 195* this time.

 

Marketplace scrolling start of June found me this 58 Buick special in Rotorua. Shit pictures, vague description. Its was 8k. Not looking too bad, don’t really want another project. 

Saved.

I toyed with the idea of a 64 wildcat coupe that was local, complete and running. Needs some rust and compliance. Easy.

Not the end goal, but something old and cool to cruise with a [for sale] sign on it.

$13k and getting cheaper.

But I couldn’t get past that 58. I did a deep dive and I couldn’t not have one now. Shame nobody had one for sale. One bloke had a Century but his neighbour had first dibs and ended up with it. However, he said he may know where a diff was. 

Start of august I Started asking questions about the marketplace 58, met with short unhelpful answers via the wife. Do you have any more pictures? Are car specific items Complete? Hows the chrome? 

…

We’ll get back to you in a week or two. No rear seat, driveline. Best to get a container.

Container hire and shipping $4k. And likely to turn up looking like a mixing bowl.

Nah.

End of august, how are you going with those photos?

…

Whole time I’m silently obsessing, looking for parts and generally in a frenzy with no decent info.

Then I was searching random related things on trademe and found it actually listed on there, 6k and auction ending in a couple of days! No bids, one extra photo though!

From the q&a section I found out the wheels were actually gone, gone too..bugger.

More should I,shouldn’t I. Max Anxiety etc.

With no bids the Auction ends, I’m thinking it will be reposted, no worries. Can always message the marketplace chat and sort something later if not.

But Hot damn, now my shipping budget has squared up. I ring him and eke out more info, cracked screen…Totally stripped further than original photos. “Hire a container”.

Ding.   The seller has offered fixed price @ 5k’  

A few days until offer expires and I’m searching the world for a screen now because that could be a deal-breaker for compliance. Found one, about $1500 landed. Looking like I’ll be running a small block chev and a 10 bolt as the Buick stuff is rare.

 September 1st, paid in full.

Ok so I’ve got a few quotes from Wise Move.. I’ll fly up, drag it out and assemble it, fly home and someone will transport back to chch. I’ll have a wee tiki tour while there.

The cars in a container on axle stands in a storage facility.

The parts are in a house bus project at a transport yard other side of the lake. That’s fine I’ll rent a van and there’s a few towies in town.

 

The big pisser is these cars were about the last GM to have a torque tube..the trans bolts to a tube containing a driveshaft that bolts to the quirky big diff pinion. Panhard bar and a couple of radius rods running forward to a mount on the torque tube itself.

I’ll never find one complete and it’s common in US for people to do open driveshaft conversion with a Pontiac diff. I’m aiming for easy compliance process so want original gear or period correct..think 283/powerglide/10 bolt and make it look like factory? Same as a chev would have had. NZ got a fair few 58 checks. Message a few sellers, form some plans but still a bit early for this level of organisation.

 

so I’m thinking marketplace again, change it to Rotorua with a 400km radius: get an old diff and strop it to chassis, buy some wheels which will be different front to whatever the back end would be. Doesn’t matter just needs to roll for shipping.

Or shoot to repco for hubs and stubs and an engineer for some pipe.. make a trailer beam, some workshop will let me weld that quickly. I haven’t seen under a stripped 58 and don’t really know what to expect so won’t be able to sort much until Saturday morning. Maybe a couple of sack barrows from Bunnings to get it out of container and onto tow truck?

 

Marketplace again fills me with hope - a lady selling parts from a 56 4 door special. She’s got a whole driveline,springs, radiator, refreshed 322 and a Dynaflow trans..it’s only 8 hours driving to get to levin & back but it will solve some problems. 

Much research revealed that it’s a pretty different setup. Have to run a smaller motor as trans won’t fit the 58’s 364, unsure if the tube will be too long or too short. Motor is 5k which isn’t bad but how will I get it in the van and out + into the chassis at the other end. 

 

Let me know when you are ready and I’ll book flights etc and come straight up:

2nd october “can do Saturday 11th”

Turns out he’s actually crook so this wasn’t a priority despite being all I could think about.

 

Woooo! Fights, accomodation, rental van, airport parking all booked in quick succession. Good ole oldschool, post asking about Rotorua residents gets me in touch with Gaz who’s got a spot in his shed just out of town. I met him once at OS nats, shitfaced.

Fucking legend! This was a huge help, as I was picturing working on gravel outside in a yard or driveway I hadn’t yet found.

 

A few messages with Gaz, They are out of town that weekend lol… but the shed will be perfect, there’s a couple of jacks and a set of wheel dollies under the cortina.

YES! 

Teed up a towie, all is good

 

I pour a bag of bikkies into several bowls for the cat, pack some tools, head torch, fruitcake  + a gedder dun attitude and fly up Friday arvo.

 

In the rental, straight out to grab the Dollie’s. Blown away by the facility and setting! 

Trying to dial in the towie and he says he’s off to ozzy, might be able to get a fill in. 

Scroll marketplace again for the millionth time: Nailhead, Buick, chev wheels, HQ mags, diff, 283 v8, 5x5 rims, whitewalls, wire wheels..

(There’s also the lingering thought.. these use wheel bolts, not nut and stud. Some online things say one side is LH thread. If I don’t have any/enough that could mean derailment of any plan! welding a rim on?)

Had a bit of a look around, ran around Waiotapu geothermal place an hour from closing time. Wicked! I’m pining the adventure now.

The motel is fuckin grimey. Cheapest non-hostel room available but the road noise is horrific, hasn’t been updated or cleaned properly since the 70’s and the water pressure is wack.. booked it partly cause There’s a hot pool on site.

 

Trying to dial in the towie and he says he’s off to ozzy, might be able to get a fill in. 

Cun+y. 

Hours pass, hes ghosted me. Rang another place and got the after hours lady, was going to check in with the guy on call. He rang and wasn’t too put off, said he’d ring in the morning.

 

Up early after a shithouse sleep, grab two post off-cuts from the garden of the motel to use as blocks, and meet him and his son at the storage yard. 

Fuuuu, shes definitely stripped out. Has parts inside it but most are his sons!

Some tins with nuts bolts brackets screws etc which look imperial..

 

He puts some wheels of his on the front, a dolly with wood stacked on under the middle-back of the chassis. 

It’s moving well! 

Where’s that tow truck at?

Gave that number another call and he reckons he can have a guy there in 20.

Sweet as, sort through the parts..Japanese vs not Japanese.

Finally get a better look at this thing, it’s actually pretty fucking decent! More rust than disclosed but nothing scary. It’s bloody straight apart from RH sill having an indent and the front of the 1/4 has been pushed in a tad. That wasn’t a surprise, could see something was up in the initial photo.

I might have won here!

Truck shows up, initial fears allayed ‘just send it bro’.

It winches on the pull-out bed fine. 

Looking janky but secure, I follow him out to gaz’s and nothing falls off.

ART IMITATES LIFE/ foreshadowing

Disembarking was a cinch on flat ground. 

Now off to the bus to get the rest of the parts. Oh Lordy

Hey fuck these panels are really good! 

Jesus, there’s a set of hubcaps! 

Van loaded, his GMC loaded and we’re off back to the shop.

Everything but the inner guards is now scattered around the shed, I’m on my own and I’m a pig in shit!

Umm nothing is labelled. Nothing is bagged or labelled at all 

Ugh

I tiredly yet excitedly pinballed around all the boxes taking stock and making piles of related items. Started sorting nuts bolts screws washers into groups, then splitting into sets.

Right, I’ll start with windows and doors.. that shits pretty generic.

About 5 hours of putting together/taking apart/distractions/adjustments and I’ve got glass in and moving. Doors hung and clasping. The rear glass rolls down and then pivots back real stylishly to tuck inside the body..fizzing

Shagged and dirty I head back to the motel for a golden shower-spec wash up and some cans. Hot tub? so I investigate and it’s locked.. no relaxation for me.

 

I message that guy who had a 58 century he sold to his neighbour. The diff in question was still available. Has the tube and a trans x-member too.

Well…. What are you up to tomorrow, I’ll come and get it?

 

I made some ear plugs out of wet napkin paper and get a better sleep but Up early and on the road, weather sucks so not much sight-seeing happening. I arrive in Napier, meet up. Holy fuck this is a massive diff! Some weird wasp stings my neck but it didn’t come to anything thankfully. 

Spot 5 wheels in the corner, investigate, turns out they are chev 15” with massive balloons on, but the centre bore fit the diff so a deal was struck. He threw in an old air cleaner he had no use for too, rapt.

Back to Rotorua and 4 more hours assembling before retiring again. 

Hot tub locked again. Dang

Trunk lid assembled and on, shes looking like a veee-hickle.

How rad that the dealer badge was still amongst the parts! I’ve always wanted one. Thats a place in Manitoba, CANADA! Must have been their summer car cause it’s way more sturdy than it should be! The title is Washington state.

 

Monday morning I shuffle in and sling more parts on, add some wheels..WTF the hubcaps fit hahaha. Much fitting and unfitting and now the dash is complete and all the trims around window secure. 

Many of the trim clips are rusty/snapped or missing so I can’t hang all the cool shit on for transport unfortunately. 

The diff is now under the car. Would you believe, it’s the one sold out from under my car originally! The snipped handbrake cable and brake lines confirm. 

How good!

stuff piles getting smaller.

Do you even have a factory 5kg Sonomatic valve radio..thought so

Peep the details in the side flash!

I spend what seems like 2 hours wrestling the torque tube through the frame and lining up internal blind splines 300mm inside the diff pinion. The uni joint is fuckin cooked and the yolk was flopping around so it was pretty shit for a time. There’s a hole for greasing; filled with a bung so I could get my finger in and try guide it some. Started with long bolts and pulled it onto the spline then subbed out the bolts to shorter and repeat until married! 

Talked some shop and assembled the headlights/buckets/rings/bezels. One side was like brand new, was bizarre. 

I get a call from the motel saying they are upgrading water system so wont have any hot water for the week and did I want to stay or transfer to another place in town.

 

There’s also a takeaway right across the street so they are getting my money. 

 

TRANSFER ME BABY! 

 

 I showed up filthy and he understood I wasn’t going to come right with a cold shower so I moved into town.

Instant stink of durries when I opened the door (smoke free suite), it was tidier but not by much. BUT they had a fucking spa in the room so I filled that bitch and soaked away my pains, I was feeling it after a few days of rolling around in the car and under it. Would have been lush to have a dart in that spa but didn’t want to push my luck. 

Instead I messaged a guy from a hot rod classified page that had a motor and trans out of a 59 for sale for ages. Listed as stuck piston unknown trans @ $1500 id be a fool to pass that up now I have the rest of the driveline to suit. It’s a rare factory 4 barrel so it can Chong more gas and still be slow, moving 1800kg of Buick. Awesome!

Now I could take the van up to Hamilton and collect it but that’s pushing myself a bit far. Plus 300kg of dirty old cast iron making its way through the side of the rental would be frowned upon. Also, hard to get it out of van and into the car at Gaz’.

 

Tuesday morning First thing, I had picked up the inner guards from a bloke in town and grabbed some huge bolts for the bumpers.

Went to town hanging the front sheet metal and all the bits and pieces, wrangled the rear bumper up and on, same with front. Put together the marker lights and grill..160 chrome squares influenced by the designer looking at knobs for his new kitchen Reno! Shits heavy.

By about 4:30 I’m relatively happy with progress, 6 boxes are empty; flattened for recycling and the last bits condensed into a couple of plastic crates, stainless trims methodically placed around the car so as not to chaff on the journey south. Had a sweep up, back into town..spa time nigga.

 

Going back and forward with the transporter guy the last few days wanting to know the earliest it would be ready and he goes cold. Said I’d have it ready about 11.

That’s ok there’s other guys quoting around the same money. I’m peaking out a bit ‘cause the she is up a gravel drive and across a bit of paddock then down to a lush pad but car needs to come out on a bit of an angle.

 

Wednesday dawns and I go grab a 4pack of strops, head to partsworld and see if they have any coil springs I can put under the back..I used those aforementioned fence post offcuts but there’s a stud coming out of the body at the top and a stud on the diff housing..both accept a retaining plate.

The wood was harsh and it would probably shake the car apart again on the way home if it didn’t split it into kindling.

First thought was a couple of rugby balls? But the stitching terminating on the ends, the studs would probably penetrate and pop.

 

Mr. man at partsworld wasn’t as onboard as me with my ‘i need a pair of random coil springs’ request, said they only did Mazda but he went and had a look and returned with a set, including rubber retainer isolators and one end was progressive/tightly wound just like Buick!

 

Fuck mate I’ll have em. Chur 

Well they actually turned out to be perfect!  Might even run them permanently..time will tell if an airbag makes its way in there instead. 

Used my strops to hold hood on (old mate can’t find the hinges at the moment), another around the torque tube to the X of chassis, and one pulling rear end back towards the bumper..having no trans mounted means the whole assembly could shimmy forward and tyres chaff the body. Not a biggie but nice to try avoid it.

Message transporter at 9:30, good to go. 

No response.

Sat here writing this whole blurb until he messages to say hes been out of service, can’t do it but a towie mate will.. he’s on his way from Hamilton. 

Ok cool, this is something.

 

Mate rings and explains he hasn’t got the winch trailer but if there was a vehicle that could help tow it up ramps it would be a go. 

Hmm an added level of fuckery but let’s do it. He arrives around 4, we push it out and turn a bit, he’s backed in on the rise. Planned to tow it up with the van and come alongside the trailer and truck. 

Van has no tow hooks and the plastic bumper is fair flush with the diff..flag.

Go pinch the diesel side-by-side and it’s all go, car rolls beautifully and it stropped down. 

See ya in a couple of days hopefully!

 

 

I do regret not taking more before pics but I was on a mission and it will come apart again. Most of the car is virgin and remarkable for age. 

The rust has entered the chat in the front of inner sills, front floor pans, spare wheel well, rear of trunk. Behind the trim on front of front guards, Plus oddball hole on side of hood and beside tail lamp. Has also sweat a bit behind the side flash’s. Might be deep enough pitting to need a patch.

Quite manageable. 

 

I do need to concentrate on the besties Hakosuka so will try limit myself on Buick .. but we all know how that initial dose of enthusiasm goes! 
 

Discuss:

 

[Mr.Mk1]

This is how rad they are with some elbow grease and two-tone! 
 

https://www.seven82motors.com.au/sold-cars/1958-buick-special-coupe/

[Mr.Mk1]

It arrived home Friday arvo, so I taped on the rest of the trim and gave it a scrub

 

[Mr.Mk1]

Well, fuck today.

 

The engine and transmission arrived 6:30 yesterday morning. The bloke I brought it off was supposed to drain the fluids, as I was asked to by shipper. Well the trans output had leaked and sprayed all down the trailer and the XF coon that was also on there with it. He didn’t say anything but I felt like a bit of a cunt.

Took two of us all we had to push it across the drive, bloke jammed his finger in the wheel of the crane but it was a silly spot to put it.. got it close to the garage and left it be. It’s an incredibly heavy deadweight.

 

I wire brushed a few numbers into view to see if I could ID it (it was imported in a 41 ford pickup, lol) and didn’t really get too far. I believe it’s a ‘60 engine, 300hp edition, 4 barrel Carter carb.

The ‘Turbine Drive’ trans luckily has the torque ball still attached (couldn’t make it out in the photos) so it will be a breeze to mate straight to the existing driveline.  

 

The plugs for one bank were just sitting in the valley ?   one exited on the journey. Plugs on other bank read quite well to be honest. 

Starter and dust plate zip tied on top, so all I’m missing is manifolds and fan I think. The manifolds are notorious for snapping the ears off the bolt holes so I’ll likely get some wee block huggers.

 

It’s got Fel-pro head gaskets but I don’t know if they are original equipment or not? All other gaskets are original and she doesn’t appear previously opened. Inside the dizzy was pretty decent.

 

I took the bore camera from work home and had a squizz..couldn’t see much but that’s fine.

 

Fired some compressed air around it and down the plug holes.

Found the troubled pot, as I was instantly baptised with someone’s home brew miracle oil. Made what I was wearing rags and sprayed the garage wall/concrete etc.

It wouldn’t turn and it’s coming apart anyway so off with their heads! 

 

Oh.
 

 

There’s a doozy rust Pitt about 5mm deep in the suspect bore so it’s getting a sleeve now. hopefully. Much of the nasty pinged right off the bore wall in sheets. The other bores look great, oddly. 

Proceeded to keep tearing things off and out, try and take the resistance out of this rotation scenario.

 

Valvetrains looked awesome, pushrods are true. All lifters move. Cam is probably fine but I can’t really read the wear pattern as yet.

 

Popped the sump off and holy fuck Batman, old mate did NOT drain the fluids. 

Several litres of BLACK oil issued onto the nice clean concrete and everything in a ft radius. 

 

Dog Tucker bastard.
 

Proceeded to whip off as many rod nuts as I could get to and popped 3 pistons out. Cracked the main cap bolts, grasping at hope it too reduces some stiction.

It turns out that where it’s stuck, means the big end contacts the bottom of the bore and I can’t pop about 3 other pistons out. Made a wee piston stop tool so I could try drive the rod bolts out to gain some clearance but the bolt hit the bottom of the bore before it would come right out of rod. Couldn’t get onto another rod nut that was barely eclipsed by bore and counterweight. The smallest headed wrench I had was slogged out so the window I had to ratchet in, just wasnt big enough for a click.

 

Fuuuuuuuu

 

A few hours melted away as I tried all the tricks I have. Sun came out all fierce like and was cooking a freckler like it does, so I pulled a tarp over and worked under that, haha.

(couldn’t get the whole arrangement into the garage as there’s a gravel patch between concretes and I’m just too slender to move the weight)

 

I had to get the trans off and shed some weight.

How does one do that when it’s locked solid?

One flex plate bolt of the three was super easy down low.

Another was sort of contactable up through the starter hole..slow going for sure, agitation growing.

The third, well he was pretty high up.

The longest metric spanner I could find was barely hitting with fingertips but it did so enough to crack it. 

Another hour down the gurgler as I was contorted on the ground under me tarp holding a torch hard up against the engine to gain vision, and a flattened ring spanner.. using one eye to peep the action. 

It was coming along one tooth at a time some of the time.. pull the spanner out and flip it each tooth to get some purchase. The curve of the fucking flex plate adapter means it tries to walk the spanner off the nut every time.

 

Smite me now, lord above.

 

These could really do with being half the length they is. 

 

Well I finally got it free, I knew this because it spat the block one way and the trans rolled + smashed into my secondary elbow, and the snipped-off trans hardline opens me up through a couple of tattoos.

 

I have an extreme ginger rage, but this time I was just too defeated and lay in a heap under a tarp in my yard, bleeding some.

 

At least it’s separated?

 

I moved anything worth anything into the shed, went to the bottle store and am getting blitzed on the couch, enjoying some telly far away from my responsibilities.

 

The bad bore has some lubricious juice in it and hopefully does something for the next time i continue with annexing pistons.. the cheater pipe and strong arm bar I was bouncing on just threatened to snap the crank bolt, which nobody wants.

The bad piston is rooted so I might get mean with it yet. 

Otherwise.. what a nice, simple old motor. Will come up pretty pretty with some paint. Maybe I get some dress-up parts.. plenty available for the nailhead

Until next time folks

[Mr.Mk1]

I knocked the bastard off!

..went to the garage to do some other thing but couldn’t walk past it.

i found that hammering on the flex plate adapter would spin it ever so slightly so kept at that until I could reach a few more big end nuts/the loose ones cleared the bottom of the bore and 3 more pistons exited.

Was pretty shit, reaching down the bore and swapping between 15mm and 9/16 sockets to spin the nut, as they were indexed differently so when one was maxed out the other had a turn in it. 
lucky last had me doing the same trick but with spanners as I could only just get onto the hex but wasn’t clearance for ratchet head..

Pulled the crank out and popped out second last piston now it wasn’t hung up, and began beating on the fucked piston from the under side. It started breaking up (alloy piston) so I just let it be, its now stripped to bite-sized pieces so I can move it to shed and to machinist.

I’ll probably tap it up and down a bit and loosen it more so he doesn’t have to, but not today!

 

[Mr.Mk1]

Been down on power lately, nothing left in the tank after work and needing weekends to rest…it turns out it’s some rheumatoid arthritis sort of gig.

 

So when I actually had some vim, I achieved some low-key stuff.

 

Contacted a dude to measure and machine engine, he’s keen but haven’t had any timeline suggested. 

 

Have mostly massaged dents out of the stainless trim and hubcaps, pushed and pulled the car off the lawn with my wee van and got it under cover on concrete so I could have a bit of an investigate,measure and make a shopping list.

 

The rear UJ is wasted, this was known, but comical with the cap off! 

 

This is what’s inside a torque tube..really just a driveshaft in there with a bearing one end and a seal the other, both replaced now.

 

The drums are all fantastic and with a little  radius to freshen they will go through compliance, thankfully. The rear brakes are lovely, can still read part numbers on the shoes and cylinders move. All got stripped and cleaned up, seals pass the test for now.

 

Front shoes are aged but still alright for some cruise miles.. 

Brake pics are before shots

 

I’ve chipped off the original underseal along the rear tub seam and uncovered some rust, cant blame it! 

 

RH wasn’t too bad.

 

Wire wheeled all nuts/bolts/washers for the engine and some trans ones, sandblasted the crossover pipe/thermostat housing, waterpump and timing cover along with oil filter housing.. no polishing this time, just some clear coat.. Should pop with some greeny-turquoise paint on the steel bits.

^ thick old oil caked inside there!

Drained the trans and gave it all a scrub. The pan was full of congealed gross, I hope it’s not too shagged but needs to go to the shop. There was a piece of cast iron in the pan too..Didn’t appear to have broken off anything/no fresh cracked face..perhaps a pawl or keyway that has dislodged!

 

A discount code from the thread and a 6 day turnaround had the first of me ROCKAUTO  parts arriving. How good are they!

A bunch of wheel bolts, a fan belt on clearance, bearing + seal for torque tube, sway bar bushes, brake hoses and a set of shoes.

The ignition barrel and keys were $25, probably cost more to match and cut a key to my original, which has the faceplate pop off regularly. GM run that setup for many years

 

I could, maybe should have ordered engine stuff too but something deep down says hol’ up..just incase this motor is a flop, or a runner shows up, etc.