It's a Buick, but it's not something you see very often. Caballero!

Update September 26, 2016

It's been a very busy summer, so not much progress to report.

I started on a couple of small, damaged areas of the floor pan. This is the rear corner of the driver's front floor pan, at the bottom of the B pillar.


There were a couple of small holes; minimal rust between the pan and the underbody reinforcement.

Cut out the area and repaired/replaced all the rusty metal. It was the same under the driver's floor area; the upper pan is bad, but the cross-member is A-OK.



Here's the repair patch welded into the floor at the bottom of the B pillar:


The underside of the patch was primed with weld-through primer before welding in place.


Jim Hughes (Perrysburg, OH) rebuilt my Dynaflow; great guy to work with.

Here is the transmission going into the chassis:


And the engine being mated up to the transmission:


Still need to connect the cooling system, basic engine electrical and fuel system components so I can break in the cam.

I beat out the worst of the fuel tank damage and had some help welding the access panels back in place.




Then took it to Gas Tank ReNu in Sterling Heights, Michigan for inside and outside cleaning and coating. The black coating is THICK! Looks like a nice job; I painted it to make it look more "correct".

Trans cooling lines went from this:


To this:


Finally got back to the floor pans; almost done with the driver's front section:


Here's a look at the underside of the passenger, rear floor pan. Patches are about 60% welded in this image.

Looks great! Glad to see you are making progress.

Coming along,thanks for sharing.

Update February, 2017

I've been working on this car for about 2 years. Time flies when you're having fun...or not.


I finally got all the floor pan patches installed. Still need to fill in a few spots from beneath the car and repair the rear compartment floor and spare tire well. The rotisserie has been a great addition to my tools!





Doors had to go back on before removing/replacing the rockers. The doors are banged up, but the metal is beautiful. Hem flanges, reinforcements and inners are all very solid.



Two of the hold-open springs on the front door hinges were broken. Luckily, the springs were easy to find. They are the same as the springs on first-generation Corvettes.

I don't possess the tools or skills to fabricate new dogleg panels, so I decided to have a pro make the new doglegs and weld them in, along with the new rocker outers. After months of searching I found one repair panel for the passenger side, so only one side has to be fabricated.


The rocker outers also need to be repaired or replaced. Another job for the pro...I expect he'll find inner rocker damage when the outers are removed.


The rear crossmember needs to be replaced due to corrosion damage. Both ends look like this. The corroded areas are directly above the rubber body mount isolators. The rest of the part is like new.




Next step is to button up the engine and transmission and get ready for cam break-in.
Lots of plumbing and wiring to be done yet.

looking good

Love seeing the progress. The turquoise coupe another one of your long term projects?

Andebe wrote: "Love seeing the progress. The turquoise coupe another one of your long term projects?"

Naw, that belongs to these guys. Pete is 3, Louise is 18 months. Tons of fun!

The future of the hobby...

I'm SO GLAD this car got saved!! It's amazing that it nearly got hauled off for scrap! It's going to be GORGEOUS!

March 29, 2017 update
No progress on the body, but I've been chipping away at the chassis.

It's great to be putting parts back ON!
Pulleys, fan, power steering pump and generator mounted, along with the carburetor, exhaust manifolds and the exhaust system.
Exhaust system is just sitting in place, waiting on some detail parts.



















It almost looks ready to run...well, not quite.


Shocks are mounted and brake lines are done.

I'm waiting for new rivets to replace the originals in the exhaust hangers. The tailpipe hangers are getting new rubber insulators, new rivets and re-plated or powder-coated metal parts.


I've started getting the stainless trim and chrome parts ready for polishing & plating.




Beginning to rebuild the AC fuel pump.









Interior of the pump is in excellent, rebuildable condition. Rebuild kit came from Hal Houghton, Classic Preservation Coalition. Very knowledgeable and helpful gentleman!

http://www.classicpreservation.com/

Hal offers kits, full rebuild services and partial rebuild services for carbs, fuel pumps, vacuum tanks, etc.

Thanks for reading!

Incredible.

Love seeing the progress. Great job.

August 20, 2017 update

Yes, I'm still working on the Caballero.
It has been a busy year with volunteer work on a charity car show, family travels and helping friends on their cars, but I've kept moving forward on multiple fronts...

Back in April/May, I was working on the chassis assembly in my garage.
Exhaust is done. This photo shows the tailpipe hanger under the rear chassis cross-member. New rubber and new rivets for all the hangers.




Radiator core support, radiator and fan shroud in position. I was getting everything ready for camshaft break-in.




Fuel pump was rebuilt and installed. Bench tested before installation; 5psi output, 20 in Hg vacuum on the inlet side - practically perfect!


Filled with oil and primed it, but the oil filter housing leaked when I pressurized the system. Removed and re-placed it and it didn't leak the second time. It either was not torqued properly or the gasket shifted away from the top of the canister the first time. All good now.

The metal work started with fabrication of a new dog-leg and replacing rust damaged areas on the inner rockers, wheelhouses and rear body mount.






I wasn't able to break in the cam before the body had to go back on the frame (in June) for door/fender/tailgate fitment:


Hard to see in the photo, but the frame and all chassis/suspension componenents were wrapped in heavy plastic film to protect the coatings from heat, dirt and moisture while the metal work was being completed.


All the exterior metal work is complete and we've added anchor plates for the split folding rear seat.
Seat belt reinforcements will be going in soon, as well as some final underbody patch work.
The door and liftgate fits are excellent.

The body is now back on the rotisserie and will be moving to the painter in the next week or two.

While the metal work was being done, I got the stainless steel trim and chrome plated die-cast parts moving.
The first batches of trim and chrome are done.

Driver's eyebrow molding:


Die cast parts are coming out beautiful!



I've got dozens hundreds of photos like this to help with re-assembly.



The body is back off the frame and the chassis is back in my garage for final assembly and engine break-in.
Gages are hooked up for break-in.
Next comes starter/generator wiring and fluid fill.

This is the best project thread on this entire forum.

Possibly the Internet right now.

What colors are you going with?

RedandBlack wrote:

This is the best project thread on this entire forum.

Possibly the Internet right now.

Wow, thanks!

Andebe wrote:

What colors are you going with?

I'm going with the original color scheme.
"Garnet Red" with two-tone Tan and Beige interior.

It will be the same colors as this one, minus white top:

Gorgeous!

I recently found a pair of the fender-mount mirrors shown on that two-tone car.
They were a Buick accessory part, so they are going on the car.
So much bling....

JoeT wrote:

hope you got more detailed pictures of this interior, it also has the split second row seat!

I can't overstate how fantastic it is that you saved this car and are restoring it. Outstanding Work!

Great job, it's fun doing jobs like these. Very gratifying when done. keep it up your doing some awesome work there.

September 10, 2017 update

No progress on the engine break-in yet; too busy on other tasks.

Moved the body to the paint shop...


Bodywork started!








Floor pans look great; seat belt anchors installed for 6 occupants.






With the body at the paint shop, I've been preparing things for re-assembly.

Headlight switch is surprisingly complicated!


Seats have been disassembled and frames cleaned and painted. Going to the trimmer in the next few weeks.


Vent housings have been cleaned and painted


License plate lamps have been disassembled to replace pigtails and re-plate the housings.


Bead blasted all the dash metal parts and prepared them for plating and painting.


No pics, but all the interior garnish moldings have been cleaned and primed, they are ready for paint.

Looking forward to seeing some of that color laid on!

October 21, 2017 update

While the paint shop is doing their thing, I've been working on other projects.

Chrome and stainless parts continue to trickle in. These Buick accessory fender-mount mirrors are going to look awesome!



The body is nearly paint-ready; it is looking great. Should have the underbody done before the end of October, then we'll re-install the body on the frame. Then, on to final gap checks and paint.






A local supplier dielectrically embossed the interior vinyls with the correct, 1" spacing between the stitch rails.

Tan and Beige materials in both grains (seats are Haircell grain, doors/quarters/pillars are similar to Madrid grain)



This is the Tan Haircell for the seating areas and the back of the front seat:


Been collecting parts and materials; will soon be delivering everything to a good friend who will be doing the interior.

I am adding back-up lights to the tail lights. I didn't like the look of the coating on the tail light reflectors. It was a little dull and there was very little reflective coating in the lower, back-up light area. You can also see that one of the two reflectors is "duller" than the other.


I brought the reflectors to Vacuum Orna-Metal in Rolulus Michigan. They cleaned and coated the reflectors; they turned out great!


I will add a ground lug to every lamp housing to ensure good ground connections. I've had great success with this technique on multiple vehicles.


I made up a gauge panel to monitor engine vitals during camshaft break-in. I incorporated the ignition and starter switches, ballast resistor and vacuum gauge.




Primed the fuel and oil systems and got the engine ready to start. My friend Larry helped me with the start-up and break-in. I must have installed the distributor incorrectly after priming the oil pump; it took several tries to get the engine to fire. Once we got it started, we had a smooth and uneventful 20 minute run. Changed the oil and filter after the break-in; everything looks great.

Here's a few seconds of the Nailhead during cam break-in, video by Larry:
Nailhead cam break-in by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

The chassis has been delivered to the paint shop. I'll be wrapping the chassis in plastic film and shrink wrap to protect it from overspray.

This thread makes those overproduced reality shows on auto restoration look cheesy by comparison. I'm astonished at the skills and dedication to detail shown here. Looking at the hulk that was dragged out of the sand back at the start makes it all the more amazing. Bravo!

Thanks, dmg4.
Three years in and I still have a long way to go.
I don't know HOW those guys on TV can do this in a week.

It's just so amazing an wonderful that you saved this car, and what it is becoming is fantastic. To think it was nearly hauled-off..

WOW, haven't checked on this thread in over a year. Amazing progress Joe. It will be better than new for sure. Truly amazing work. Most people can't fathom the amount of time and effort to do this correctly.

I know your question on the TV guys is rhetorical as we both know it can't be done in a week, not to the level you are doing it, that's for sure.

This thread has the makings of a History Channel show. Enjoy seeing the progress.

How much will you have spent on the resto,.
How much will the car be worth finished?

This one sold for $66,000 in 2011 at Barrett-Jackson:


This one sold for $90,750 at Pebble Beach in 2013


This was offered at $79,995 and it was sold, but I don't know the transaction price:


These are the current NADA Values:
High Retail: $136,700
Average Retail: $52,000
Low Retail: $25,900

These are the current Hagerty values:
#1 Concours: $99,500
#2 Excellent: $79,000
#3 Good: $57,700
#4 Fair: $36,000

I expect mine will be worth more than $100,000 when completed.

How much will you have invested in this restoration when it is completed?

Excellent work! It is great that there are guys like you taking the time and effort to restore american history!
Classic cars are a time capsule for younger generations to see real craftsmanship!

Bravo Sir!

phantom 309 wrote:

How much will you have invested in this restoration when it is completed?

I choose to not share that information.

Cosmos366 wrote:

Excellent work! It is great that there are guys like you taking the time and effort to restore american history!
Classic cars are a time capsule for younger generations to see real craftsmanship!

Bravo Sir!

Thanks, Cosmos366.

phantom 309 wrote:

How much will you have invested in this restoration when it is completed?

$36-$3750. Tops...

Something tells me that after three years of work, you're not in this for the money.

The paint colors you've picked are the best.  I'd love to see the car someday.  Let us know if it makes the rounds of any eastern events or the transportation museums.  Below is the Norwegian King's Buick Roadmaster ragtop in basic black, spotted at a museum in Oslo a few years back.

November 13, 2017 update

It's been a busy few weeks...

Ever since adding fluid to the Dynaflow, it has leaked from the tailshaft extension housing.
Talked to Jim Hughes (he rebuilt the transmission for me) and he had a ready fix.
He sent me a pair of O ring seals to replace the exisitng seals that were installed on the front and back sides of the bearing retainer.

The repair was fairly simple and it has fixed the leak. Thanks, Jim!


I then wrapped the chassis to protect it from dust and overspray during the painting process.
20171028_140558 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

Late in October, the underbody was sprayed with a BC/CC replica of red oxide primer. It looks correct and will be easier to clean than primer, with the added advantage of having a non-porous surface finish. Turned out great...except for the heater hose clamp I forgot to remove before the paint was sprayed. Guess I'll be re-doing that one in black next week...
20171027_163600 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr



We re-installed the body on the frame.
20171030_180411 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

20171030_180423 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr


Next, the fenders and hood were hung and gapped. Still a little work to do on the right front door alignment, then on to paint.
20171107_151540 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

Daniel (left) and Don are excited to see this one done!
20171107_151611 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr


SPOILER ALERT:
Here are a couple of spray-outs of the Garnet Red exterior color.
The headlight surrounds are still wearing the original lacquer paint. It was cleaned and polished for color-matching.
20171101_103315 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

20171101_103452 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

This is going to look great!


Back at my garage, I welded up the small pinholes ‍I discovered in the heater core housing.
20171030_132434 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

Using a touch of filler to smooth the area before painting.
20171030_132355 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr


There are so many things still to be done!
I removed the foam and trim from the dash pad. I will repair the rust damage on the metal core before shipping it out for new cover and pad installation.
20171029_173636 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

I found several recommendations for RD Autoline in Sweden. They have already made the correct part for 58 Buicks.
Here's a photo from their product gallery:


Brake pedal assembly was disassembled and bead blasted. The painted parts were painted satin black and the bare steel parts were plated with clear zinc. There are nylon bushings in every pivot and every bushing was in perfect condition!
Before:
20171101_132510 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

Here it's nearly finished; mocked up and waiting for a few plated parts:
20171111_141900 by 2manycars2littletime, on Flickr

Body work is done and I expect to see paint on the car by the end of the week. Exciting!

This is my FAVORITE thread! Keep it coming!!

Who would thought Sweden was a world leader in 50's era Buick dash parts? As always,thanks for sharing your project with us.

Looking fresh!

Dang! I'm flying out of Oslo in the morning at 11AM. I could have brought the parts across the pond for you.

some inspiration

November 24, 2017 update

Well, I was overly optimistic. The car did not get painted 2 weeks ago, but the doors, tailgate and hood got painted on Wednesday, the day before US Thanksgiving:
20171125_111011
I think the color looks great!

Back in my garage, I continue to rebuild, repair and prepare parts for assembly.

Here is an assembled, rear-view, fender-mounted mirror. I think these are SO cool.
20171120_205716

I made patch panels to replace the rusted sections of the instrument panel pad carrier:
20171114_095520

Patch panels clamped in place and almost ready for welding
20171112_174453


The seat covers and door/quarter trim panels are in typical "desert" car condition. Brittle vinyl, separated seams and shrunken parts are making it quite challenging to get good sew patterns.
20171115_084056

Tail light lenses cleaned and polished, getting ready to install new sockets for the tail lights and backup lamps.
20171103_090910

20171123_123609

Heater control lenses were disassembled, old paint removed, repainted, polished and re-assembled.
Here are the polished lenses before assembly:
20171106_184826

More soon!

So nice. This is the best thread ever.

Do you clear-coat the red tail light lenses or just leave them bare? I've heard of people doing both.

AWESOME thread!

-Michael

Mike,
The red tail light lenses are just cleaned and polished.
I've been thinking about clear-coating them, but I don't think they need it.

The clear back-up lenses are presenting quite a challenge. I have 6 of them, but none of them are as nice as I'd like.

I might make a mold and cast new ones.

As everyone has said, just amazing! I'm sure I saw the purplish/ pink one that sold at Barrett-Jackson this past summer at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix car show-what are the chances that there are two in that color and condition? There was a never ending stream of people around the car all day. It was as amazing as I'm sure yours will be. Would you mind sharing who you used for your chrome plating and polishing needs, and if you were pleased with the service? Again, thanks for sharing your amazing story.

So...beautiful.....LOVE IT!

Absolutely fantastic work. That is a beautiful automobile..