Well, after crossing my head numbers and my block numbers I had a 75 block with that exact same color. pretty interesting.
Hey Everyone! Been busy haven't been able to get on the forums or work on the buick much. I do have a quick question though.. im taking a few parts to get sand blasted and powder coated (flywheel cover, starter sheild, exhaust manifold stove, tranny cover ect ect.) I'm pretty sure all these were originally black on and just wanted to double check. Anyone know for sure? -Dru
The flywheel cover and starter shield were originally black...the other parts, I don't know. By tranny cover do you mean the pan? I believe that's black too, but not as sure. The exhaust manifold was originally...rustuzzled: Just kidding, don't know on that either. But I think with GM stuff, it's pretty safe to assume it's all black for parts like those.
Go Buick Go, I just checked out your web page and realized its the same page i've been following for a while now. Wow its a small world. Thanks for the help man. -Dru
Sure, glad someone found it helpful. :TU: If I actually had my cars with me here in CA, it would be updated a lot more frequently. But for now, until I have a place to put them here, they'll stay in IL.
A few weeks back I did a tour of the junkyards around here...no luck with parts. I will be going to a smaller yard within the next week or two for some VW parts and I'll take a look around there if you still are needing parts. Otherwise, any update?
Romy, thanks for checkin around the salvage yards. I'm always looking for good deals on parts, but usually can't afford the prices I find. Sorry for the long absence guys, it's been a bit hectic around here. As far as an update goes, there isn't much of one to be honest. After being laid off, my fiance was recently let go as well. Needless to say, money's been tight and things have been interesting. She just got a part time job and I'm going in for an interview at a road & rail company on Friday. Crossing my fingers... You would think that with more free time that would mean more time spent on the project, but that project costs money...money I don't have. I'm currently at a point where I've done all I can to the engine rebuild that doesn't cost me anything but time. Now, the block still needs to be sent to the machine shop for a good steam bath (remember the orange crud that came out of the water jackets?), some machine work, and old cam bearings taken out and new ones put in. Mind you I could attempt to do the cam bearings myself, but since I've never done them before I'd rather not chance it. One screw up and that means the expense of another set of new larger bearings, and machine work on the cam bores to fix the screw up. Not to mention I'd need to go buy the tool to do that in the first place. And even then I could only pull the old ones out since I would assume that it would be a bad idea to put the new ones in before the steam bath and machine work gets done... I think I am going to re-focus on getting all the old parts I have lying around (or in a pile) cleaned up and ready either for re-installation or to sell the stuff I won't re-use and further fund the project. I REALLY need to get a cheap used blasting cabinet to make the job more cost effective concerning the time involved cleaning the parts. I cleaned these two alternator brackets with scotch-brite and it took quite a while. A coat of primer and a couple coats of black, and they look brand new! BEFORE AFTER
There's a 69 LeSabre in the Pick n Pull in Rancho Cordova (right next to Sac) that has a decent core support. It's not perfect, but may be better than what you've got. I took a few pics on my camera phone that I can email you if you want. Or your uncle could go check it out. I'm hopefully going to grab the quarters on that car as well as all the low chrome trim.
Nope, but I can ask if I end up getting those quarters. The quarters were going for $135 each supposedly, so I'd imagine the core support wouldn't cost all that much. It does have rust under the battery tray, but since the battery tray was still there and attached (but rusty), I'd imagine it could be worse. Before I replaced my core support, my battery tray had almost completely disintegrated!
Well, since I'm not in a huge hurry, if you do go back to get the quarters, would you mind checking under the battery tray (if it's not too much of a pain in the ass) to see if the rust is too bad on that part of the core support, and maybe get a pic?
Thanks for the pics Romy. Those are some decent pics for a camera phone! That core support really doesn't look too bad from the pics. Sad to say, but my battery tray actually looked worse than that one. The previous owners REALLY didn't know what battery maintenance was. Are we certain that the core support for a '69 will be the same as the '70?
I'm 99.9% certain. I've seen 70 LeSabres with 69 front clips and vice versa. In fact, I have 69 fenders on one of my 70 LeSabres. I think the only thing you have to change between the years is the middle support bracket thing for the grills and hood opener.
Does anyone know of any homemade recipes for cleaning up the decks on the block and heads? I know the proper and correct way is to take it to a machine shop and have them put it on a machine. But my budget is non existent now and I'm trying to think of anything I can to do the bare necessities on the block and heads so that I can slap it all back together and be able to drive my car. I'm tired of going out to the garage just to wipe dust off the block... I'll post this as a separate thread as well so I will get more hits and more eyeballs reading my question.
Ok, well after quite a hiatus from any real progress on the engine rebuild, if all things go as planned I will be taking the block to a shop to have the old cam bearings removed and the new ones installed. While I'm there, I'll see how much he'd charge for a quick deck of the block and heads since I may have to re-use the '75 pistons ou: But hey, at this point, I just want to get he damn thing running and back on the road again...:3gears: I REALLY want to get a valve job done to the '70 heads so I can put bigger valves in and make it breath better, but man I don't have the funds to be buyin new bigger valves...so that will have to be on the back burner. After the cam bearings are installed, the only things I will truly need in order to put it all back together and crank it will be: Cam (maybe...I may just find a cheap used Crane or Comp...I want to buy a TA, but I don't wanna spend that kind of money just yet when I know I'll be building up and replacing it down the line...we'll see) Lifters Nylon hold-down buttons for the stock rocker arms Adjustable pushrods (if any decking gets done, if not then I'll re-use the old ones) Spark plug wires Hmmm, that's about all I can think of at the moment...mind you, that's just to get the engine running...I still need to pick up hoses, belts, misc. bushings, check the brakes, etc. etc.
Hey you guys with '69-'70 LeSabres/Wildcats/Electras, What kind of lifters, cams, & torque converters are you currently running or plan to run? I'm trying to make some solid and final decisions, but I have too many options, numbers, & ideas bouncing around in my head right now and could really use some input from fellow owners of my breed of Buick or similar cars. Thanks!
WOW! Love this post. Keep it coming! Quick question, I was told that if you replace the cylinder head on one side, that you should also do the same on the other side or the car will start smoking and lead to faster wear and tear on the old "side". Is this true? - Nooby
I have a 2500 stall converter in the trans (th350) with a shift kit. The trans is otherwise stock. My cam is some mild TA the numbers of which I've forgotten and are back in IL so I can't check for you. o No: However, my heads are heavily ported with larger valves. I say just get an engine in your car and get it running, hell, keep it stock even. Down the road you can get a 455 block and build up your dream engine - time (and money) permitting.
