Secret experimental 1964 GX 455

[elagache]

Dear Bill, Michael, and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

So got the boat stuff just about all done, and the weather has been relentless. Howling winds and single digit temps.

. . . .

https://youtu.be/h3jt3G6XLZs

Wow!  Your video of the boat ramp is - impressive - and that most definitely isn't a good thing! 

Changed gears and started on the BADLASS in earnest.
. . . .

I'm glad that you are back indoors working on BADLASS and thanks Micheal for offering a helping hand! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[yachtsmanbill]

Theres a bunch of great guys over here, just wish there were more input from the bleacher patrons. "Ya cant tell the players if ya aint got a program". Howz about that extra bolt hole by the hinges???    Bill   

[Jimbo]

Extra hole on your inner fender near hood hinge does not show in the 65 service manual.
 Did GM use the 64 fender for other vehicles?

[yachtsmanbill]

Unknown! Thats a lot of work to install that at the stamping plant for nothing; both sides yet!  As posted earlier, the shop manual shows 2 bolts for replacing hood hinges (this raised part and the rear one) and the assembly manual shows 3 bolts. Theres no doubt the hinges use the 3, with two flat mounts and one raised. Both books show these raised areas, altho a difference between the two books, but no mention of the purpose. Maybe a brace or something? Station wagon hinges? Edouard???

Jimbo... where in Chicago are you?     Bill

[mdkd]

Bill

My 64 Buick Special my parents purchased brand new
4 door sedan 4169
Built in Kansas City
300 V8 2 Barrel
Without Air Conditioning
Doesn't use the extra fender hole
The original fender paint doesn't indicate anything has ever screwed in the hole

My 65 Buick Skylark GS
Built in Fremont
401 V8 4 Barrel
With Air Conditioning
Doesn't use the extra fender hole

The low response to your question may eventually indicate non use

Milton

[Mark Ascher]

Never seen that hole used for anything. Either it was used for assembly or alignment purposes for the chassis sheetmetal (everything from the firewall forward) or it was intended for something never used and GM didn?t see it was worth the trouble to change.

Mark

[elagache]

Dear Bill, Milton, Mark, and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Unknown! Thats a lot of work to install that at the stamping plant for nothing; both sides yet!  As posted earlier, the shop manual shows 2 bolts for replacing hood hinges (this raised part and the rear one) and the assembly manual shows 3 bolts. Theres no doubt the hinges use the 3, with two flat mounts and one raised. Both books show these raised areas, altho a difference between the two books, but no mention of the purpose. Maybe a brace or something? Station wagon hinges? Edouard???

Well, I can provide photograph evidence of how this region looks like on a Special wagon.  Here is the driver's side:



Here is the passenger side:



. . . . .As you can see, the arrangement is completely different than for the sedans or coupes . . . . .

Unless GM was so forward thinking that they left oddities on their cars just to advance conversations on discussion forums - beats me what these mounting points are for! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks everyone! I thought the ol' bozoputer wasn't transmittin'! It just seemed like a bunch of trouble from the drawings to stampings and even the cost of two spun welded nuts installed for "nothing".  Not too GMish.

Ed, unless those hinges are mounted with only two bolts (assuming theres a third behind the spring arm) they are identical to the 2 door post anyways. Just weird stuff we run into on these things!

BTW, anything I put up here is always open for discussion! OK... back into the floorless trunk LOL. Im using a spot weld cutter to help clean up the floor frame rails. Turning out pretty well so far.  BBB er, Bill

[Jimbo]

Bill,
I'm just west of Midway airport. Work at O'Hare. Read you were from the LaGrange area. I drive through it twice a day! I take LaGrange Rd. to go to work.

[yachtsmanbill]

I know the area like the back of my eyeballs! I worked for 30+ years at 3501 Pulaski; Hmmm. Lots of pals went to Kennedy and Curry HS. I went to LT(1973) in LG. Youre right over by Nick67GS from across the hall. We've been up here in Two Rivers Wi. since 2010. Kinda miss the old place(s) but certainly not the traffic! Thats a long haul up LaGrange Road! Did you make it over to Dukes for the closing?   Bill

[Jimbo]

Yes, we did go to Duke's closing. Cars on both sides of the street. Elvis was even there!
These pictures were from the previous Saturday. The last day was even bigger. Their suppose to move to 87th and Harlem.
Went to Curie 73-77

[yachtsmanbill]

We used to be known as the 171 club... I was riding with all the guys from Munch Choppers (now Throttle Masters) 3923 Archer.  We'd hit every tavern from Western to Harlem on a typical night, and theres a bunch! Several times I shouldnt have  made it home to Willowbrook LOL...

That initial trip to the chop shop (LOL) hit me pretty hard. The next day was cleanup and then Pat had her Baptism yesterday. She ordered me to chill out for the remainder.  I actually snuck out and finished the trim cut with a cut off wheel. Next trip out will be starting to clean stuff up and get the area in rusty metal primer prior to paint. Notice how solid the floor edge is...

Took the hand torch and warmed up literally 5 lbs of body filler in the corners and seams, and dug out with chisels etc,  and found a bit more damage. Now Im down to raw steel. Everything here is really solid. Trunk pan frames are def. for sale!  Bill





 

[elagache]

Dear Bill and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

. . . .
That initial trip to the chop shop (LOL) hit me pretty hard.
. . .
Took the hand torch and warmed up literally 5 lbs of body filler in the corners and seams, and dug out with chisels etc,  and found a bit more damage.
. . .
Now Im down to raw steel. Everything here is really solid.

WOW!  This car suffered from a really lousy body repair and kept right on going.  I'm glad that you are able to set things right, but it is amazing what these old cars went through and are still with us!

Keep us posted on your progress on BADLASS!

Cheers, Edouard 

[yachtsmanbill]

Ya know, its the ongoing trilogy of horror LOL. All that body dough was OEM seam sealer; not a repair. It was about the only thing connected to the rusty floor pan that still had factory paint on it. Weird stuff; you could poke a knife into it, get a scraper under some of it and dig it out, or heat it up till it was smoking, then get a big gasket scraper under it and peel big hunks out.  Same stuff thats on the cowl seams and all the other body seams. 

Picture 100s of these bodys' going by on the line, with some kid taking a "handfull" of this stuff and "whapping" it into place, then the next kid takes a stiff brush and spreads it out to cover the whole area. It was brushed all around the trunk latch brace, tail light buckets, and even the body drains. Painted and new, it looked fine, but was a water trap. 

With the back window corners leaking and saturating the full floor mat and never drying, the rest was inevitable.  Bill

[yachtsmanbill]

Ho Hum... old age is for the, well, OLD. After Pats' baptism Sunday, I was awakened Monday at 0300 hrs to her wailing in the living room. I got up to her clenching her chest in agony, with an extremely sore back spasm and a sore left arm. All that was missing was a cold sweat. Hmmm. I finally got her to give in after several Dr's. calls and go to the ER. They immediately found an irregularity on an EKG from the previous 2 day old test, and severe muscle spasms. Dilaudid to the rescue; Ahhhhh !  Now Tuesday, she went through a chemical/nuclear stress test and found a small blocked capillary on the backside of her heart causing arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Today we go to discuss a stent with Dr. Cardio.

Ive been dealing with some pretty robust arthritis stuff myself in the lower back. Port side at the joints of L3-L4, L4-L5 and L5-S1. Went in yesterday for 3 spinal injection nerve blocks under a real time X ray unit. Fun! Actually feel better today. Six weeks we do it again, then if its stabilized, a third time with a nerve burn. Maybe tomorrow we'll get back on the BADLASS. Cold and rainy today!

Gettin' old sucks. PERIOD. No sympathy needed or wanted, just pay attention when the old bones talk to ya !

Meanwhile, starting to kinda get stuff in order for the interior. Looking at a carpet kit, Blue or Black? One outfit (OPGI??) has one with a formed 4 speed hump in the rug. Worth it? The other biggy is a headliner job. Ive done a bunch 3 decades ago, so looking for hints on todays products. In days of yore, they were hand sewn PER JOB on site. Never used a pre-fab unit. Thoughts? Ideas?? Blue or Black? The OEM unit is the "basket weave" pattern.    Bill