'60 LeSabre 2 door sedan

Discussion in 'Classic Buicks' started by weim55, May 9, 2010.

  1. RJBT

    RJBT Well-Known Member

    Dont mean to hijack this post but I have a quick question:
    I have decided to rebuild my dynaflow transmission (60 Electra conv) so I started by separating the rear end/torque tube from the dynaflow.
    When i backed out the torque tube almost a gallon of oil poured out !!! I was unprepared and threw a rag and small buckets at it. they kept filing and overflowing.
    A large thin o-ring fell out. Why is there so much oil here ? I assume it came from the dynaflow. What does it mean ? Is it normal ?
    I forgot to take a camera with me. I will take pics tomorrow. Here is an old picture of my car and where I separated the drive line.
    DSC_8707 leak.jpg
     
  2. lrlforfun

    lrlforfun Well-Known Member

    [/COLOR]OK Steve: Just a note on the 61 Invicta Custom. It came in a coupe, model 4637and a 4 door hardtop. The coupe had vinyl buckets and the 4 door hardtop, model 4639, had a leather bench seat with a center armrest. I have never seen a 61 Invicta custom convert.

    The 60 came in a 5 passenger wagon (4635), coupe, (4637) and convert (4667). All with leather buckets, power seat and vinyl covered console.


    As per your suggestion of Permatex green on the screw that holds the yoke to the signal collar, I tried it and it didn't work. I think I'm doing something wrong. Mitch
     
  3. bhambulldog

    bhambulldog 1955 76-RoadmasterRiviera

    the seal between the torque ball and the trans failed (most probably the loose 'O' ring). It is common for the fluid to leak into the torque tube. Check the rear axle to see if it trans fluid made it all the way back there.

    ---------- Post added at 10:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:08 PM ----------

    the seal between the torque ball and the trans failed (most probably the loose 'O' ring). It is common for the fluid to leak into the torque tube. Check the rear axle to see if it trans fluid made it all the way back there.
     
  4. RJBT

    RJBT Well-Known Member

    Not much oil in torque tube but loads poured out of torque ball... Should there be so muich oil there ? or is there a seal at the end of the transmission that failed ?
     
  5. 322bnh

    322bnh Well-Known Member

    After prolonged ( sometimes just overnight) sitting the torque converter will drain back and overfill the pan, case and tailshaft area (which is usually mostly dry), resulting in what you are observing. Sometime it will reward with fluid puking out the filler tube.
     
  6. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    RGBT,

    Yes, there should be transmission fluid in the torque ball. U-joint inside the ball is lubricated by that transmission fluid. The seal after the ball on the output yoke keeps the fluid from going down the torque tube. One of my earlier posts in this thread has good pics of the breakdown of what's inside the tube. You'll see where that o-ring goes.

    Mitch,

    I'll look to make sure there isn't more that one "green". I have some and I'll try it out for the same situation and let you know if I learn anything. A '60 Invicta Custom has gotta be a very very rare car. with that description I have to say that option in a hardtop model would be my #1 pick of any '60 if I had my choice. Even over any of the Electras. Is there a "Custom" insignia on the outside of the car like on that '61?

    Steve weim55 Colorado

    ---------- Post added at 07:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:31 PM ----------

    Back the the interior....

    This car really needs an interior restoration. All the soft parts are deteriorated to the point of just barely being usable. If the money was there I'd just do the whole thing. Top to bottom. As it stands the choice is to let the car sit for what could be years more (not an option..) or just do the best I can with what I have and replace only what is absolutely neccessary. The followng will be some creative butchery that will get the car operable. Not too proud of some of these "fixes". Hopefully in the future I can give the old girl the fresh interior it deserves.

    Onward ho!....

    Steve weim55 Colorado
     
  7. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    Headliner.

    Lets start at the top. The car needs a new headliner. That said, need to make the original useable for now. At 54 years it's dried out and brittle. Seam has come apart in one of the top bows and there's a big hole in the passenger side visor area. The fix here was to cut patches of material from one of the old visors from the parts car and repair the bad areas. The pulled apart seam had shrunk to the point it would NOT pull back together. Even with heat. Carefully hand sewed it back together (man is that material old and fragile!....) then using 2 side spray adhesive applied a strip of patch material. For the hole used a patch with the same routine. The 3M adhesive works VERY well. I tested 2 scrap pieces and they shread before you can even begin to pull them apart. Carefully cleaned everything when I finished. I little ugly but it'll do for now.

    Steve weim55 Colorado
     
  8. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    Visors.

    More of the same. Just filthy and the stiching around the edges is completely gone. Hand stiched the edges back together (boy that takes a long time!....) and used simple green to clean the vinyl. Stuff works good! That white vinyl is WHITE again. Visor arms were warped from over tightening and had to be opened up to clamp properly on the visor rod. Now the visors won't flop down on the washboard roads here.

    Steve weim55 Colorado
     
  9. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    Well, my computer crashed again a couple of months ago, so once again, no posts for some time. Sorry about that. Much progress has been made since that time. Lets get back up to date!........
     
  10. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    Interior Body Color Garnish Mouldings

    The interior is loaded with a number of metal mouldings that are painted primary body color. That humid Missouri air really did a number on these peices creating rust and light pits on almost all of them. Paint deteriorated badly too. The pics that show the streering column cover give you an idea the condition and refinishing neccessary for all 23 individual peices, plus the underside of the dash.

    Dino Bob who had the other '60 2-door sedan like mine on this thread turned me on to a paint source for these mouldings. Guitar Reranch in Texas has a Fender guitar color called Shoreline Gold in it catalog. Turns out Shoreline Gold, a Pontiac color, has the same paint code as Pearl Fawn the primary color on my and Dino Bobs car. I purchased 3 cans at 16 bucks each plus shipping and had at it. The color is a great match. Slightly shinnier than a matte sheen but not glossy. Very close to the original. One fumble I made with this...... The primer I purchased would not spray correctly so sprayed the color with no primer. Not a good move. this paint is very thin, like spraying silver, so it takes many many coats for full coverage. Too many for such expensive paint. The top of dash is a different color. A non metallic brown - tan that lucky for me was still in good useable condition with a careful cleanup.

    Anyway... turns out Fender used many different GM colors for their guitars in the '50s and '60s. There might be a match for other colors if any of you all are looking. thanks for the heads up DinoBob!
     

    Attached Files:

  11. bhambulldog

    bhambulldog 1955 76-RoadmasterRiviera

    That's a neat trick on the headliner...
    good job on the repainting too!

    Very Nice
     
  12. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    Pedals

    Throttle, clutch and brake all need a few things to finish up.

    Two problems, first, the clutch rod going through the firewall isn't centered properly with the hole and rubs the opening slightly in operation. I've tried all means to adjust the linkage to cure the issue with no luck. Second problem is the original boot to seal the rod to the firewall is missing completely. Looking through the Steele Rubber online catalog I found a Ford boot that looked like it might work. Upon receiveing it it looked like a great match except the firewall opening diameter on the boot is a little bit larger. I simply opened up the hole in the firewall to match the boot and cured both problems at the same time. Rod fits with no interference and the boot works like a champ.

    The original boot for the throttle rod was shot so I hit Steeles for a close match as well. I can't remember the original application for this in the catalog but you can see the part # in the pics. Fits wonderfully. Like it was made for the'60. The only issue is the hole where the rod passes through isn't quite tight as I would like. I wound the rod a few turns with some electrical tape where it passes through the boot for a good tight fit. Works like a champ!

    The original single pot master cylinder uses a captured push rod from the pedal so a pedal stop under the dash isn't required. The dual master I installed does not have this feature. A pedal stop is neccessary. I cut the brake pedal stop off a an old '68 Special and welded it to the dash frame of the '60. Simple stuff. Sorry I don't have any pics of that. Thought I took a couple...........

    Pedal pads were in very poor condition. I looked everywhere for a pair with no luck. Thought I would have to soldier on with the originals. At the eleventh hour I was reading a thread on the BCA site on '58 Special 3-speed stick resto. Turns out the guy sent his original pedal pads to Steeles for templates to reproduce. Could they be the same? Ordered a set and they work great! They aren't dead nuts identicle, but close enough and fit perfectly.

    To finish the swing assembly just needed a quick sanding, cleaning and repaint in semi gloss.

    Clutch boot is a Steele 20-2711-23
     

    Attached Files:

  13. mosslack

    mosslack Well-Known Member

    Lookin' good Steve! I didn't realize there was that much difference between the '60 and '61. Considering the similarity of the dash, one might think things like the pedals would also be similar. The '61 uses the wider accelerator and brake with color coordinated covers. Not sure if the same holds true for the standard shift cars, but I believe those are even more rare after '60.

    The interior pieces you painted also look very good. My interior uses the same color scheme, so I will be getting some paint from the source you listed. I was going to match it best I could with some rustoleum, but the paint you used is a much better match.

    I did a stupid thing to mine the other day when I removed the front seat to fix the passenger side floor. I was trying to put it up on the trunk of the car to work on it, but it slipped and tore a huge hole in my (used to be) pristine back seat bottom. One more thing to fix, which I didn't really need.

    Do you have the seats in? Would love to see some pictures when it's complete.
     
  14. telriv

    telriv Founders Club Member

    Just a FYI note. Buick did NOT make any full size stick shift cars for '61 or '62, only DynaFlows.


    Tom T.
     
  15. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    Brake Pedal Bumper Stop Pics

    Found 'em......
     
  16. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    Window Cranks, Inside Door Latch Pulls and Coat Hooks

    When I first got the car home after purchase I tried rolling down one of the windows. The ivory color plastic roller crumbled to pieces in my hand. In the pic you can see how deteriorated the originals are. These cranks and latch handles are unique to the 2-door sedan model. All other LeSabre models use the all chrome style like others in the pics. I have yet to find a nice set of the original style. To get her going the window cranks came off the Invicta parts car while the latch handles to match came off '63 Chevy Bel Air.

    The coat hooks came off the Invicta as well. Look how bad those originals are! Oh that mid west humidity!..............
     
  17. mosslack

    mosslack Well-Known Member

    I thought that was the case, but I really wasn't certain.
     
  18. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    Mosslack, I do have the seats back in the car. In fact the interior is done and ready to go at this point. I'm just way behind posting here since my computer crashed some weeks ago. Be posting the rest if the interior bits over the next couple of weeks. The Invicta parts car I have has fancy stainless trim pedals colored in blue to match the rest of the interior. My low line 2-door sedan just has those plain jane black pads. Bummer on your seat damage. I have a couple of whoops moments coming up that made me sick....

    Tom, No sticks in '61 - '62 !? Strange....... Dwaynes has what believe to be a '64 LeSabre with a 300 3speed stick. Sticks available again from '63 on?
     
  19. CameoInvicta

    CameoInvicta Well-Known Member

    Correct.
     
  20. weim55

    weim55 Well-Known Member

    Radio

    The original radio actually still works. A old tube unit, she takes 20 seconds or so to come to life and operates OK. Only problem...... broken push buttons. And as I would soon find, broken on every other stinkin' '60 Buick I would come across. My parts car had 2 broken buttons, but different than the broken buttons on the LeSabre. Score! Pulled the radio in the Invicta to get started on the surgury. Went to pack up the tools and radio and head back to the house........ slipped on the ice just outside the drivers door, radio in hand, and proceeded to break all the buttons right off the unit.

    Bad moment.

    The push buttons make it 54 good years then I get ahold of the damn thing and.............

    Unreal.

    Anyway.... now all I have is the original unit that looks like it got it's teeth punched out in an alley fight. Of all the cars three whole options.... now I wish I had a radio block off plate. What to do?! Here we go with more of that creative butchery..... Radio dentistry. I cut the teeth right off to the gum with a little hand saw. Smoothed with a file a little sandpaper.

    Done.

    And guess what? The buttons still work great! With my skinny fingers anyway.

    Need to find a good radio......
     

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