Steering wheel group purchase project UPDATE - 3/13/ 18

[Loren At 65GS]

 My Buick parts book that goes up to '69 shows it used '64 as a Deluxe , '65 as Deluxe and '66 also.

 There were two steering wheel designs used in the Specials and Skylarks.
My understanding,  in '64 the Deluxe wheel was an optional feature.  In '65 the Deluxe steering wheel was standard in a Skylark or GS and an option on a Special. In '66 the Deluxe wheel was again standard in a Skylark or GS.  The horn bar differs from '65 to '66 with the horn button itself.

 Loren

[elagache]

Thanks Loren for the detailed list of which cars could use these steering wheels!

I didn't realized that only the horn bar was changed for 1966.

Cheers, Edouard

[elagache]

Dear Dan, Chuck, Loren, and mid-60s Buick restorers seeking clever solutions,

Mark A. has climbed this mountain.  I can't find the thread.

Probably is in Mark's restoration thread.  I didn't go through it but here is a link to the start of it.

Well, I went through Mark's restoration thread and cruised a bit in his other postings.  I didn't find any reference to horn bar restoration.  I also tried to make some forum searches but also came up empty.  Does anyone else has an idea where this horn bar restoration technique might be written up?

Cheers, Edouard

[Mark Ascher]

Mark Ascher

That guy doesn't know anything.

Mark

[Mark Ascher]

The horn bar is one I grabbed from Loren's stash. He let me pick from 3 or 4. It did not need rechroming.
Decent ones for 65 shouldn't be too hard to find. I just cleaned it up, masked and repainted the center of
the bar with the ribs and BUICK letters. Masked around that section, shot it with flat black, and rubbed
the letters and ribs off with a rag. Then some polish to complete.

Mark

[elagache]

Dear Mark and mid-60s Buick "know-it-alls," . . .

Mark Ascher

That guy doesn't know anything.

. . . Gee whiz!  For somebody who doesn't know anything he sure is gabby!  . . . . .

The horn bar is one I grabbed from Loren's stash. He let me pick from 3 or 4. It did not need rechroming.
Decent ones for 65 shouldn't be too hard to find. I just cleaned it up, masked and repainted the center of
the bar with the ribs and BUICK letters. Masked around that section, shot it with flat black, and rubbed
the letters and ribs off with a rag. Then some polish to complete.

Seriously, not everyone has access to Loren's stash, so if you horn bar is in sorry shape - rechroming might be in order.  Also, if you want super bonus points (and/or need to rechrome some other stuff anyway) . . . . . you see my point! 

Other than that, your technique looks applicable no matter the horn bar.  Anyone with some restoration expertise should be able to pull this off.  So if anybody is on the fence about getting a reproduction steering wheel, there is a straightforward technique to restore the horn bar once you have your reproduction steering wheel to go along with it.

So that excuse is . . . . .blasted to bits!!   

Not trying to generate some sales or anything . . . . . 

Cheers, Edouard 

[Loren At 65GS]

[/quote]

That guy doesn't know anything.

Mark
[/quote]

  I think he knows plenty,  he just didn't know better when I persuaded him to do a body off restoration.  LOL

  Loren

[jmos4]

Hi,

One word of caution regarding rechroming the horn bar is die cast so very expensive to repair, from what I understand each pit has to be drilled out and then back filled with silver solder.  The base netal is zinc so melts very easily.

I had a set of backup deletes rechromed about 4 years ago eith maybe a dozen pits between the 2, cost 400 bucks, I had a worse set they wanted 500 each side so you can see the cost goes up quickly.

Either way start with the nicest core you can.

Regards,

[Loren At 65GS]

  Very good points Jim.

  Loren

[elagache]

Dear Jim, Loren, and mid-60s Buick restorers,

One word of caution regarding rechroming the horn bar is die cast so very expensive to repair, from what I understand each pit has to be drilled out and then back filled with silver solder.  The base netal is zinc so melts very easily.

As much as it might a cautionary note, it is still very helpful to include it on this thread.  There are all kinds of people interested in 1964-66 Buicks including serious collectors.  After all, Pete Phillips, the Buick Bugle editor, had purchased a 1965 GS.  The difference between a collector buying a 1964-66 Buick and something else could be the reassurance that a first-class restoration was practical.  Such a collector might find this thread and see that the steering could be replaced.  Including the technique for restoring the horn bar completes "the package."  With that knowledge in hand, buying and restoring a 1964-66 Buick becomes that much more desirable.

Forums usually have a lot of knowledge, but unfortunately isn't particularly well organized.  When it could be important, it is a good idea to collect what is known in one place so that those who might need it can find it easily.

Cheers, Edouard 

[Loren At 65GS]

Forums usually have a lot of knowledge, but unfortunately isn't particularly well organized.  When it could be important, it is a good idea to collect what is known in one place so that those who might need it can find it easily.

Cheers, Edouard 

 I concur with that statement and in that regard, I have started working on getting those items more organized.  Suggestions always welcome.

  65GS.com is our community, not mine,

  Loren

[elagache]

Dear Loren and mid-60s Buick owners seeking knowledge,

I concur with that statement and in that regard, I have started working on getting those items more organized.  Suggestions always welcome.

Sorry if that sounded like a criticism.  As far as I know forums simply are somewhat ornery and difficult to organize.  I also provide technical support for some Macintosh Weather Software and in that capacity there is also a Wiki (like Wikipedia.)  However, the Wiki software is clumsy and the hints and tips associated with a single piece of software isn't an overwhelming task.  If we were to decide to document everything that might be worth tracking for these cars - where would we start? 

My scheme was a perhaps weak, but realistic attempt to "squirrel together" bits of information that might be needed at the same time under one topic.  If somebody considers getting a reproduction wheel, what to do about the horn bar is a natural next question.  Leaving the pair together will hopefully help someone who is wondering what to do.

65GS.com is our community, not mine,

Yes, it is and we can all contribute to interconnecting what is on 65GS.com.  It is relatively easy to make a link to another thread on 65GS.com.  I can't explain the process this minute but I could do that later.  Whenever one post reminds us of another, it is a great idea to point the conversation to that previous posting.  That way you don't have to type over the same answer and useful posts from the past remain relevant.  It's late over here, but I'll try to explain in a few days.

Cheers, Edouard 

[WkillGS]

Short of an online book, forums work 'okay'. There is tons of info on this site, but like any forum, info gets pushed further back in the line as time goes on. 'Stickys' help, keeping the most useful topics at the top of the post list.
The search function here works much better than most other sites.

I have trouble with Facebook.... there is no organization, no categories, just a timeline full of haphazard comments. Can you even search for anything? I simply don't use it.

I tend to keep my own notes. If there is a useful bit of info in a post, I simply copy/paste and save it in a Notepad file that may simply be titled (for example) 'Transmission'. I end up with a document that is composed of one-liners of useful info. I try to include the posters name (for credit) and a link if there is additional info to be found in the original post.

We could add another section to the site composed of articles. It would likely be the same info in the forums but organized in a different manner. It would take considerable time to compose. Would it be worthwhile?

One of the more notable sites in the history of online Buicks is Georges site at:
http://buickperformanceclub.com/
Not a forum, primarily articles, and lots of great info.

[Loren At 65GS]

Dear Loren and mid-60s Buick owners seeking knowledge,

I concur with that statement and in that regard, I have started working on getting those items more organized.  Suggestions always welcome.

Sorry if that sounded like a criticism.  As far as I know forums simply are somewhat ornery and difficult to organize.  I also provide technical support for some Macintosh Weather Software and in that capacity there is also a Wiki (like Wikipedia.)  However, the Wiki software is clumsy and the hints and tips associated with a single piece of software isn't an overwhelming task.  If we were to decide to document everything that might be worth tracking for these cars - where would we start? 

My scheme was a perhaps weak, but realistic attempt to "squirrel together" bits of information that might be needed at the same time under one topic.  If somebody considers getting a reproduction wheel, what to do about the horn bar is a natural next question.  Leaving the pair together will hopefully help someone who is wondering what to do.

65GS.com is our community, not mine,

Yes, it is and we can all contribute to interconnecting what is on 65GS.com.  It is relatively easy to make a link to another thread on 65GS.com.  I can't explain the process this minute but I could do that later.  Whenever one post reminds us of another, it is a great idea to point the conversation to that previous posting.  That way you don't have to type over the same answer and useful posts from the past remain relevant.  It's late over here, but I'll try to explain in a few days.

Cheers, Edouard 

  Not taken a s criticism at all.  We will eventually get the important pieces organized.  At least I hope. lol

  Loren

[Loren At 65GS]

Short of an online book, forums work 'okay'. There is tons of info on this site, but like any forum, info gets pushed further back in the line as time goes on. 'Stickys' help, keeping the most useful topics at the top of the post list.
The search function here works much better than most other sites.

I have trouble with Facebook.... there is no organization, no categories, just a timeline full of haphazard comments. Can you even search for anything? I simply don't use it.

I tend to keep my own notes. If there is a useful bit of info in a post, I simply copy/paste and save it in a Notepad file that may simply be titled (for example) 'Transmission'. I end up with a document that is composed of one-liners of useful info. I try to include the posters name (for credit) and a link if there is additional info to be found in the original post.

We could add another section to the site composed of articles. It would likely be the same info in the forums but organized in a different manner. It would take considerable time to compose. Would it be worthwhile?

One of the more notable sites in the history of online Buicks is Georges site at:
http://buickperformanceclub.com/
Not a forum, primarily articles, and lots of great info.

 Some good points Walt.  Been a long time since I looked at the performance site.

  Thanks,
  Loren