I did it again !! Another 65 GS

[option B9]

 Thanks Walt, I'm not a member of the V8 board but I did read some of the posts on the subject and it seems like a trip way down the rabbit hole on the 80 line punch cards. I have a local BCA Chapter meeting this Thursday, I'm going to bring up the subject and see If they come up with any answers. If so I will post them here.
 
  Yes Robert, I'm going thu all the systems making sure it's mechanically sound and safe for the family. The body & interior restoration will have to wait until the coupe is completed. The wife already warned me not to start ordering restoration parts and store them in our finished basement otherwise I will be sleeping outside in the shed ! "I said I can't sleep in the shed" Why Not !! " It's already full of boxes"! After 31 years she somehow puts up with me....

[elagache]

Dear Tony and mid-60s Buick caregivers with something of a "clutter" problem, 

. .  . . .
The body & interior restoration will have to wait until the coupe is completed. The wife already warned me not to start ordering restoration parts and store them in our finished basement otherwise I will be sleeping outside in the shed ! "I said I can't sleep in the shed" Why Not !! " It's already full of boxes"!

Hold it right there!  I see your problem and I have the perfect solution! . . . . . . . What you really need is a vintage 1965 travel trailer to keep your Buicks company!


That would solve your problem of where to sleep!

After 31 years she somehow puts up with me....

. . . . Hmm, on second thought, perhaps a trailer isn't the best way to aim for 32 years and beyond! . . . 

Cheers, Edouard 

[option B9]

 Hi Edouard, and fans of "I need more space" What I would really like is an enclosed car trailer but my driveway is too narrow, that's life in the big city. Maybe when my Children are all out of the house and on there own we could move somewhere with plenty of land and a giant garage that I can fill with Gran Sports & parts.
  Until then I will probably build another shed, a really big shed !

[telriv]

IF they will actually give you the needed permission in the big city. Then you have the additional costs & taxes.

Tom T.

[35chevcoupe]

A bigger pole barn just means more cars and parts .    Hmmmm , I wonder how i know that !

[option B9]

   Hi Tom, John, Edouard, Robert. In the past 20 years or so  if you want to build a new garage in NYC the walls  must be cement block, not wood ! My house and my garage were built at the same time, early 1930s . My garage is a wood frame with a brick exterior, It's in very good condition with only minor maintenance every few years. So I can't justify the cost of demolition, new permits and the expense of materials and labor to build a garage not that much bigger than what I have since the property is not that wide.
   The answer is to move to a new location with more acreage, with a larger garage or enough property to build the garage that I need. But like John said the more space I have the more Buick's or Buick parts that will going into it... AND the Wife knows that too !! About 5 years ago I did mention moving to the other side of town (where the houses & land are larger)  my point is that the kids will be able to have there own rooms and maybe if we were lucky it would have a double wide driveway so when the kids learn to drive there will be plenty of space for more cars . My wife knows me too well and called a contractor and had him build two extra rooms in our attic. And said "now we don't have to move"
 So I have no more tricks up my sleeve, and I would guess I will be building another shed this winter. Maybe some insulation and a wood burning stove, because I never know when I will be sleeping on those boxes full of Buick parts!

           Tony

[option B9]

  Plan A was to start ordering Suspension parts for for the Z GS (hardtop) this week And start swinging the wrenches when all the parts came in. But then I had moment of severe intelligence and remembered  Murphy's Law "whatever can happen will happen" What happens if I take the Z GS apart and the R GS (Post Coupe) is ready to leave the paint shop!! Since It's only me doing the work and we are fast approaching October, I will be in for a big problem. So I sat down had a beer and had to think of a plan B.
  Well after the beer & a ham and swiss sandwich plan B came to me. I needed help. So I called my friend Richie, he has a garage with a lift and works on vintage & classic muscle cars as a side job and is in walking distance from my home. Lucky for me he had just finished a Camaro on Monday and said that he would work on the Z GS if needed. So yesterday I drove the GS over and he put it on the lift and we started evaluating what needed to be replaced. We came to an agreement that the all the suspension components will be getting upgraded. Plus we found an exhaust leak. Richie started working on the GS this afternoon, He removed the transmission oil pan to change the fluid and filter. When he went to replace it with the new filter & gasket from that I supplied it was not the same. He called me and I went over and took a few photos of the filter. I looked on line but I could not find the AC PF-162 filter and gasket combination. CARS in NJ has a set for $44.50  Is there another part # that I can get at my local parts retailer ?
   When I arrived back home late this afternoon I received a call from the body shop owner to say that the R GS is almost ready. Once the the new front windshield and rear window glass & SS  trim are installed I can inspect the work pay the balance and have it transported home. So whatever can happen is happening and plan B is in place. Richie does the work & I supply the parts and pay the labor. I like plan B.
And I'll have another beer     Tony

[elagache]

Dear Tony and mid-60s Buick caregivers who desperately seek to plan ahead,

  Plan A was to start ordering Suspension parts for for the Z GS (hardtop) this week And start swinging the wrenches when all the parts came in.

Okay, so far so good!

But then I had moment of severe intelligence and remembered  Murphy's Law "whatever can happen will happen"

Definitely sad but very true! 

So I sat down had a beer and had to think of a plan B.
  Well after the beer & a ham and swiss sandwich plan B came to me.
. . . .
I like plan B.
And I'll have another beer     Tony

That sounds even better than plan-A!     Just one thing, in between beers, keep scouring for a possible plan-C.  You never know when Murphy will strike next! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[option B9]

  Hi Edouard, Good Idea about plan C, but plan B is in full effect as of 10:30 this morning When I walked into my Auto Parts retailer carrying the AC PF-162 filter in one hand and the gasket in the other. And after a few minutes he had the Part number, "It's a Wix 58880" he said. They do not stock them, but he can get it from the warehouse by 2pm. Great, be back at 4pm to pick all the parts for the front end too. I went home to work on the GS center console and around 1pm The body shop owner called me to ask if I could come out and go over some last minute details on the R GS. So back in the truck for a 45 minute drive to the shop and took care of everything. Then headed back to the auto parts supply to pick up my large order of front end parts including the correct trans filter, Yes it is the Wix 58880 . I then dropped all of the parts off at Richie's garage and he will install everything. So it can free me up to work on other things...Plan B.    The trans filter from other suppliers on the internet and parts catalogs was ranging from $38 to almost $50 plus shipping. My cost at my local retailer was $15.68 for the kit.

     Tony 

[gssizzler]

 Great progress! Working on both cars at once! Sure wish I could get some done on mine! But have other priorities right now! Hopefully some of the priorities will be completed this month! So rewarding to see projects get done ! Such a great feeling of accomplishment!

[option B9]

  Let me get back to the code Z hardtop post from September 29th,2022. Once November came rolling in. The cover was put on the code Z hardtop GS and it sat in the driveway until April 6th when the cover came off and it went back in Richie's shop for a new rear suspension system and 5 new BF Goodrich TA radials, 215R70s in front, 245R60s in the rear and a 215R70 for the spare. I also had him smoke the engine to see if there were any vacuum leaks, there were none and the engine runs very smooth. I picked up the GS on April 8th and decided to take it out for a long run on April 9th, Easter Sunday. I took it out to the Beach on Long Island. On a long stretch of empty highway I got the GS up to 90mph for a good minute and it ran just fine. I turned around and headed home A quarter of the way home I started smelling burning brake pads and I noticed the GS pulling to the left. I slowed down and went into the right lane and got off at the next exit and pulled into a 7 eleven parking lot. The left front wheel was locking up, I let it cool down and headed home going no more than 20mph on the secondary roads. 2 hours later I was home. April 12th it went back to Richie's garage, I turned out that the new flexible brake hose that we installed last July 2022 collapsed and was acting like a check valve causing the wheel to lock up, burning the brakes and the wheel bearings. So again the GS is getting new front brakes, hoses, and bearings. Then I will give it another run...
    This is the second time that new parts have failed. all of the parts I buy from name brand companies seemed to be made everywhere but the USA. Is this an east coast thing or are you all having this problem ?     So far Plan B is working.

                         Tony 

[cwmcobra]

Sorry to hear that news Tony. Isn't it frustrating to have new parts fail after all the care you've put into your car? There outta be a law!!

[elagache]

Dear Tony, Chuck, and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Sorry to hear about your brake problem with the GS, but at least you were able to limp home and eventually replace the faulty parts.  Also, the car seems otherwise in good condition.

Sadly it is increasingly difficult to get quality parts anymore.  Unfortunately this is, in part, customer driven.  For many this is just a hobby and keeping costs down is a very high priority.  Hopefully the pendulum will swing, and customers will start demanding quality parts and be willing to pay the price for them.

Cheers, Edouard 

[option B9]

  Yes, it's very frustrating when you buy parts from a major American company and the parts are made somewhere else. And most of the time you can see that they are not up to our standards. I have purchased parts that were actually well made by a foreign company,  but those are very few and far between. I do complain to my auto parts supplier and the answer is " almost nothing is made here anymore"
     Most of us growing up in the 60s and 70s are used to seeing "Made In U.S.A. stamped on just about everything, well those days are long gone. The last part I purchased that had  "Made In U.S.A. stamped on it was some Goodyear heater hose ! Welcome to the new global marketplace   
   If there are quality American made frequently used parts out there please post the information so we can support the company. If you want I will keep a list of the companies and there contact information so we all can get a a better part and be safe....

                  Tony 

[schlepcar]

A lot of guys still sell obsolete stuff in their original packaging but it is like Edouard said?.we can not always justify paying the extra often two or three times more than the reproduction part. We must often distinguish the difference between NOS and NORS because some of the New Old Reproduction Stock is actually US made and just been sitting around awhile. Raybestos, AC delco with the round AC label,Wagner, are all good products if they are in older US made packaging. I could mention some US companies that sell the garbage but you may have already dealt with a lot of that and it is actually the norm sadly enough. The good news is that you are working on your own stuff so you have time to get the good stuff rather than paying someone else to find you parts that will often end up in the recycle can. My wife even asks why I paid 250. For a turn signal switch when they were on Fleabay for 79. The obvious answer is my turn signals work like new and it is not fun doing some jobs twice.