Secret experimental 1964 GX 455

[yachtsmanbill]

Well, I guess I'm just an excitable boy...  Bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP5Xv7QqXiM

[GS66]

I don?t always listen to Zevon, but when I do so do my neighbors.

[GS66]

Saw this on the back of a dragster wing at the US Nationals and it made me think of this thread. 😀

[yachtsmanbill]

Thats GREAT!  Bill

[yachtsmanbill]

So October 1st came and went, and to be a real party pooper, we pulled the boat early this year to get some well deserved work done. With all the rain we've had, and the lake being up >3 ft, the river rose and left me about 10 inches of clearance on the main drag bridge to clear. Its only 2 blocks from my dock to the lift well at the boatyard. I ended up pulling the radar antenna (radome) off the arch and made the trip with about 6 inches to spare. The water rose another two inches yesterday and is usually 2 days behind the rain with the tributaries in the county continuing to feed the West Twin river. The firm 20Kn wind didnt help either.

About 2 days before that I at least got around to an oil change. If youve never done boat work, you may appreciate this: You cant pull the drain plug from the pan with an inch of bottom clearance. I run the 454s for 1/2 hour dockside to get them warm. Then I pull out the oil pressure senders and attach a 1/8 pipe fitting and a hose to a bucket. Fire them up at idle and the oil pump empties the crankcase in about 20 seconds. Shut down and change the filter and refill. Oil was good and black. Added a 1/2 qt of STP for the zinc (ZDDP) for the cams and 7 quarts of oil, and called it done. Went home and did the oil in the BAD LAD as well. Getting that one ready for the storage locker this weekend. Ambition stamina, and age seem to go hand in hand. Today was a kitchen sink drain piping job; another favorite LOL...

Got my new (1971) quadrajet all apart and cleaned in the harbor fright ultrasonic cleaner. Turned out good. Picked up the new choke pull off today and the secondary was ordered from the mfgr. and due here next week.

Tomorrow Im gonna start winterizing the boat. Thats a two day process draining all the water, installing pink and green anti freeze through the systems, then next week start the shrink wrap frame and wrap it. Thats another 2 full days. Then an additional day pulling the floating docks to the boatyard with the 14 foot aluminum boat and dragging them out on the ground. Then the real work can begin haha...  Bill

[elagache]

Dear Bill and mid-60s Buick owners who also venture on the "high seas" (or what passes for them,)

So October 1st came and went, and to be a real party pooper, we pulled the boat early this year to get some well deserved work done.
. . . . .

About 2 days before that I at least got around to an oil change. If youve never done boat work, you may appreciate this: You cant pull the drain plug from the pan with an inch of bottom clearance.
 . . . .

. . . . .  Hold it right there! I see you problem and I've got the perfect solution!  Get a sailboat instead!! . . . . 

Yeah, yeah, I know.  There is a whole lot of maintenance required even on a sailboat.  At least in California we didn't have prepare anything for the winter.  Best of luck in all the preparations.  Please do take a few more pics of BADLAD and BADLASS before they hiberate for a long winters rest!

Cheers, Edouard 

[yachtsmanbill]

Dear Ed and fellow yacht and LAND YACHTSMEN;

WILLCO! Ya know that energy ALWAYS comes at a cost. Either its maintenance plus the fuel, or the maintenance and the "soul" food for the energy it requires to tack, set a main sail and keep adjusting the spinnaker. Oh, and the cost of replacing rigging and wind bags as they wear. It never comes free. Last time we made it across the lake was a 60 mile trip in about 4-1/2 hours--- so easy to track the course on the GPS!

Got all the outside stuff removed today, i.e. 4 antennas, flag staffs, dock lines and got the shore power and water hooked back up for the Big Sleep. Being an antique boat with its fair share of leaking joints etc, I am always replacing rotten panelling and ceiling panels in the pilot house. This year its all coming out and getting replaced with 1/8" & 3/16" aluminum sheet painted with Interlux 2 part polyurethane paint. Another mtce. issue solved. If anything ever happens to me, I sure dont want Pat stuck with an old boat that needs a facelift. Gonna start draining stuff tomorrow; a little at a time. That way the chores dont become overwhelming AND a T shirt beats a snowmobile suit by spades!  Bill

[yachtsmanbill]

Found the "right" steering wheel on C/L and probably gonna pick it up today. Seller also has a T 400 front driveshaft yoke which is also the same as a Super T-10 four speed. Thats what I used on my 455/4 speed conversion. I really dont need it but TPIR, so if yer looking for one, sing out! May possibly need a jiffy sleeve. Yoke as-is will be pretty reasonable plus the box, of course!

Steering wheel is a Grant 14" job in like new shape, pretty cheap. Needs the hub and horn kit tho.   Bill

[schlepcar]

Bill,
Gotta watch that horn kit if you ever want the horn to work. That collar that goes on first is a pre load on the upper bearing that seats in the turn signal switch. Just thought I better mention it before you get to it. If horn works now you should be OK with a little patience. If not,it would be a good time to find out why. Dan

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks Dan... Any tricks involved? I had the wheel off a while back to tighten a loose signal switch. At the same time I had the rag joint apart to clean and paint and when itwas all back together the horn didnt work. Hmmm... That turned out to be two bad horns and a bad relay. Mike came to the rescue with two new horns and I reverse engineered a late model relay and the horns blow a solid tune.

 The large gap was after playing with the rag joint, then corrected with the clamp, and the after effect was better than the OEM space shown with the stick still in place. Im gonna pull the stick collar off and turn the stalk knob down on my lathe and fill and paint it.

Now I need to find the right hub and horn kit, but the new wheel looks super!   Bill

[elagache]

Dear Bill, Dan, and "conservative" mid-60s Buick caregivers, . . . .

Found the "right" steering wheel on C/L and probably gonna pick it up today.
. . . . .

. . . . . . Oh I dunno' Bill. . . . . . . . .  I can tell that you are a conservative guy, but even so, sooner or later BADLASS is going to have to make a left hand turn and what are you going to do then - use a left steering wheel? . . . . . .

Cheers, Edouard 

P.S. Of course a gag like this especially appropriate from a fellow who is left-handed! 

[yachtsmanbill]

LOL! A good Turk always walks to the right... Midnight Express-1978    Bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shlBZZ-IQYY

[schlepcar]

According to the judge,AKA Hudson Hornet....if you want to go right,turn left.....not sure that was real good advice no matter how you translate it,but it looks like you got it under control with that gap. That adjustment is most of the battle. Once you put on the new hub and torque it down,you may have to adjust that lower clamp,but it is easier with column bolted to steering box. You may or may not have to loosen the two bolts and upper clamp under dash to slide outer column to change gap. The important part is making sure the aftermarket hub assembly is keeping spring pressure on the plastic hub that seats the spring and holds the contact ring against the horn contact stud(also has light spring pressure).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ya5sJjpCxtU

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks again Dan... IIRC, that contact is a "commutator" that keeps contact as you turn the wheel. Will have ohmeter in hand!  Bill

[yachtsmanbill]

Ran into some weird mounting stuff and need some help. The wheel I bought seems to be a Forever Sharp brand. Not even too sure about that, and cant seem to get a straight answer outa the 10 people on ebay Ive contacted. Most of the Grant wheels seem to have a large diameter bolt pattern with FIVE fasteners. This wheel has SIX and really looks like a stock GM (Buick GS) sport wheel pattern.

Its really a nice wheel and I sure would like to use it. Its in almost new condition. Any thoughts or ideas? Again, heres a pic of the 14" diameter wheel and a tracing of the mounting pattern. Any help is appreciated!   Bill