just an update.

Alright, so what did i do? used to be my daily driver back in '03-'04 but when the 3 on the tree went out and the rear end started making noises, i figured it was time for an upgrade. Not traditional, but i wanted this car to be a highway cruiser for road trips. So i opted to keep the Straight 8 that had just barely over 100,000 miles but i upgraded the drive train with a automatic 700r4 open drive shaft that the Buick did not bring and a Cutlass rear end with some 3.42 gears. In doing so i had to make a triangulated 4-link and countless other mods, countless. Now the Buick cruises down the highway doing 55mph @ idle, hahaha. Its not the quickest car off the line, but that was not my concern. i got plenty of top end!

I took this opportunity to replace the tired radiator with a Walker 4 core brass top and replace all the airbags for Slam Specialty bags. Did some painting on the dash and column as well as hiding my switches and air gauge. All in all i am very pleased with the car and am excited to finish patching the floors for the tranny that will get a bolt on cover for future access and patching the raised tunnel for the drive shaft. Hope you guys enjoy the pics cause i enjoyed building this in my backyard and am having the time of my life driving it again. Still more to come on this car, ill be working on it when i get back from Europe. Taking a month to backpack.

Thanks,
Yaril


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7270Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7262Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7269Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7268Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7281Medium.jpg

very awesome. can you explain the radiator and cooling system you went with? i want to do the same to my 49. a 4 core with belt fan and a fan up front. can you tell me what you used, how much, what was needed? that would be great. by the plates it looks like a cali car and it looks like a so cal area by the pic. where ya located?

i am using a Walker 4-core radiator about 800 shipped, it comes with a trans oil cooler in it ready to go. the front fan is for my a/c condenser 10" (pushing). inside i removed the belt driven fan and put a perma-cool thin frame with metal blade fan 16", it looks like a belt driven (pulling). the rad, even though its supposed to bolt on, didn't. its too thick and i had to mount it in front of the rad support. cutting and welding was required.

tag is a 1951 Florida tag... keeping florida green

guess that lets ya know it aint cali, im in Miami, Fl. i was in cali for Paso Robles.

Yaril

Cool car I love how it sits, did you have to modify the front suspension to get it that low or just switch the springs to bags. What size tires are you running? I am think about sticking with the 3 on the tree how many rpms was the engine turning wityh the stock set up?

damn. looks just like cal plates and south L.A. crazy. thanks for the radiator info, but where did you get it from?

53 special, i think the motor used to turn some 3k rpms at 60. now i turn about 1k rpms at 60. big difference.

lowblow, i got the rad from Shane @ Southern Rods and Parts. google them for the number.

hey good lookin 2dr, 'happy cruzin'

WOW...:jeez:

Love yur car! I was knocked out to see a project done so closely to mine. I am doing a '40 convert. and, like yourself, wanted to stay true to the character of the car while being driveable on today's hiways. It has a '51 263" adapted to a 700R4 with a '86 Transam rear-3:27 gears/4-link/coil springs. Cool, huh?

All I can say is it's awesome!

Rebecca

Cool car. Can you post pics of the front and rear end, as in the underside. Would love to see your fab work. Also, did you use a Bendtsons set up for the trans? Working on my '50 and I need to figure out what to do. Mine's a 248 and on the surface, I'd like to use a Bendstons adapter. I've been thinking about an S10 5 speed since the car is a manual at present. But, who knows. The big issue for me is what to do with the front end.

Everybody must know about Bendtsons stuff, but if not, here's a link: http://www.transmissionadapters.com/Buick_straight_eight_263_320.htm.

Gary

lxryrod, that sounds very kool. when i get back from europe i will have to get in contact with you and we can share info. i would like to see pics of you car and set up. if ya can post a couple on this thread, i dont mind.

gnoub, i will post more pics when i get back, i left most things in bare metal so i will need to clean them off and paint them as soon as i get back, but i will post when i get back. and yes its the bendtson kit.

Thanks. I really would like to see pics of the rear end. Also, what mods did you make to the front suspension? Gary

nice wheels.it looks alot like mine....some months from now.lol im working on swaping that st8 for a 53 super v8.

gnoub,

ill post pics soon, i promise. its just that my PC took a dump and the one im using doesn't have all my build pics.

Sorry to bug you, really. Looking forward to seeing the pics!

Thanks!

Gary

ok, here is something to hold you off a bit...

first let me say that i am using fatman fabrication dropped uprights, thats a must. it puts you almost 3 inches down and you can keep your stock alignment!

this is the "hat" that i made for the front airbags. notice the drilled holes. 3 of the holes line up perfectly with the upper A arm bolts, i replace the stock nuts and bolts with longer grade 8 nuts and bolts. the other hole is for the air line, you have to match a hole in the chassis next to the upper A arm too. using the stock upper A arm also takes care of the front shocks. thank you Buick!

in the pic it is not finished!

i trim the hat down based on the dimension of the airbag, i used 6" slam specialties, they calaps to about 2" so i leave enough hat so that the lower A arm will hit the spring cup (chassis) thats as low as you can go (by then your oil pan and chassis is on the floor). i also weld a 1" x 1/4" flat stock to bolt the bags to the hats. presto, all that is left is to cut a flat 1/4" plate for the bottom lower A arm. this plate is shaped like a circle. you can install your airbag and drill out the lower plate, bolt it from the bottom to the airbag and simply weld it to the A arm.

oh dont forget to leave a "door" in the hat, that door is big enough to fit a wrench or something to tighten the top bolts of the airbag to the hat. put it in the most convenient place facing the motor worked best for me. you first bolt the hat to the chassis, then the bag goes up with the airline already connected, then the lower A arm is raised to bolt to the up right and the bolt the bottom of the bag.

thats about it. this method is actually "bolt-on" once you fabricate it, your not messing anything up too bad that you cant put springs back on if you want to. last thing, open up the spring hole in the chassis, you dont want the bag rubbing on anything.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF4267.jpg

Thanks for that bit of detail. Really looking forward to seeing how it was installed!

Gary

You have already accomplished some of my objectives as explainedin my thread: "Deciding Next Step". I have two requests. Can you post photos & further explanation of the rear end installation and air conditioning system? Thanks - Jim

ok, to finish the front end...

this pic shows the "hat" being mocked up...
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF4241.jpg

this one is with everything together, jacked up to about drive hight...
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF5822.jpg


any questions?

the rear...

i opted to do a triangulated 4-link. on the 79 Cutlass rear end.

the links, i used the stock Cutlass lower links, cleaned them and painted them black. They are bolted to mount tabs that got welded to the bottom of the diff. They are bolted thru the chassis where i cut out the bottom of the box (see other pics below).

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7050.jpg

The upper links are from Suicidedoors.com they are heavy duty and adjustable to move the pinion angle if need be. I cut the chassis mount tabs so the bars are 45 degrees to the diff. i then cut the rear end mount tabs to contour the round diff.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7132.jpg

this is the cut chassis. i later reinforce the sides with 1/4" plates welded to both sides and drilled to mount the lower arm. the plates are as tall as the chassis and about 4" wide.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7055-1.jpg

The top of the chassis is "piped", after mocking everything and raising the diff to hit the chassis i mark where it needs to go higher. simply cut a half circle and fill it with half a pipe of the same diameter. trust me the chassis is plenty strong! the top spring mount is already supporting the chassis where the circle is being cut. when doing this it is important to do a lot of measuring, remember the diff moves in a radius not straight up and down. also check the size tires you are running, maybe this is not needed for you if you dont want to lay the chassis on the floor :bgrin:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7182.jpg

ok, the airbags are pretty simple. top mouts are similar to the front, but less complicated. again some round pipe (i used this same one for the chassis pipe, strong stuff very thick), a door to get a wrench in, a flat plate to bolt the bag to and in this case a grade 8 bolt (very important to use strong grade bolts!) this matches the thread buick put up in the spring pocket to hold the spring. i weld it all together, be sure to "sleeve" the bolt i use a large nut that gives it a second set of welds as back up. you gotta do a little math to figure just how tall to make that bolt that will spin the whole assembly up into the chassis. here you can see it put together and painted.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7075.jpg

the lower mounts are a simple, i got them from suicidedoors and simply trimmed them to be shorter. mount it so that the bag has the bolts in front and behind the diff, if not you wont be able to get the bolts in there.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7044.jpg

this is the best worst pic i have of it mocked in. nothing is fully welded, grinded clean or painted in this pic. you can see that the upper arms had to be mounted higher than the chassis allowed, so i had to "extend" the chassis to get the correct angle for the top arms, this caused me to cut into the floors a bit. i also had to make the tunnel bigger for the drive shaft to go higher. you can see in this pic that everything is just tacked in place.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7159.jpg

i am already driving the car, as stated on the title of the thread, but i am waiting on my new axles to drop the whole assembly and really clean and paint it. yesterday i made the shock mounts with Pete and Jakes 9" shocks, they extend to 14" so that is plenty of range. i am mounting the bottom of the shocks similar to the bottom trailing arms, the tops are mounted to the cross bar that buick put in the chassis. simply raise the rear and compress the shocks, make your mounting tabs, weld it and you've got it.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF8185.jpg

im sure i didnt cover everything, it was a lot, but fun. that was the first time i ever did a job like this and it came out great. will look great once i grind and paint everything, but most importantly it rides true and smooth.

any questions?

the a/c...

pretty straight forward. if ya know how the system and components work you could technically (a friend did this) go to the junk yard and take it off another car. condenser up front with a fan wired up, dryer can next to it, some a/c lines, i got a low restricting compressor (robs least amount of horsepower), a blower mounted behind or under the dash.

i opted to remove the original speaker and mount the blower behind the Buick center dash grill. i like the dash to be clean.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF7281.jpg

any questions?

Well, the more you post, the more I want to see. Can you provide some pics of the compressor install?

I feel like we should be paying you for all of this great information you've been providing.

Thanks a lot!!!!

Gary

Forgot to ask a few questions:

- Did the length of the rear end need to be changed?

- Why the Cutlass rear...because it was available?

- Did you modify the brakes or stay with drums? I assume the Cutlass rear's were originally drums?

- Did you have to modify shift points on the trans? Can you for that matter?

If I'm reading this correctly, you have bags and shocks all the way around. How did you mount the front shocks and what did you use?

By the way, Scotch said it best on another board, you really hit the mark with your ride. The early 50's Buick's are really the new Mercs!

The more I read what you've done, the more I want to dive into my '50 Fastback. Mine's a 4 door, but I like the fast back lines better on a 4 door.

Thanks again!

Gary

just glad to be of help. i know when i need it i got it, so its only fair.

these pics show the crappy bracket (never got back to fixing it, might clean it up this week when i change the water pump). basically i put the alternator on top to hide the compressor. there is a funky bracket that supports it to the manifold and water pump. this allows it to swivel.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF5397-1.jpg

this crappy pic is with the rad removed, so you can see the compressor underneath it. both compressor and alternator are adjustable, 2 belts run the operation.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF5937.jpg

by the way, the a/c is ICE cold, colder than some modern cars ive ridden in.

Forgot to ask a few questions:

- Did the length of the rear end need to be changed?

no

- Why the Cutlass rear...because it was available?

the cutlass had the closest dimension to the stock rear end. note! that mine is a 40 series, the 50 and 70 series requires a different dimension rear end.

- Did you modify the brakes or stay with drums? I assume the Cutlass rear's were originally drums?

luckily the cutlass rear that we got at the u-pick had newly done brakes, we found another one with good drums and put it together right there. yes cutlas had drums.

- Did you have to modify shift points on the trans? Can you for that matter?

shift points? not sure what ya mean? the trans is a 700r4, the T.V. cable is crucial for shifts. if ya set it up correctly you should have no problems. the guys at bow-tie can help ya, they helped me. if you run a 350 trans they shift on vacuums, don't know much about them.

If I'm reading this correctly, you have bags and shocks all the way around. How did you mount the front shocks and what did you use?

you did read it correctly, but you didnt read that i thanked Buick for incorporating the front shocks on the upper A-arm. they work great and you dont need to fuss with that, make sure they are in good not leaking order and your fine.

By the way, Scotch said it best on another board, you really hit the mark with your ride. The early 50's Buick's are really the new Mercs!

thanks, Scotch has been a huge help! his Buick will blow mine out of the water. i cant wait to see it done.

The more I read what you've done, the more I want to dive into my '50 Fastback. Mine's a 4 door, but I like the fast back lines better on a 4 door.

To each its own, i think diversity is what makes it that much better. if we all built the same cars the same way, then we may as well go buy them of the assembly line.

Thanks again!

Gary

my replies are in bold

Well, the questions just keep mounting up. Thanks a ton for the details.

By the way, that looks like the same twin belt a/c compressor that's in my '64. Am I correct --- the alternator is running off the compressor?

Gary

no problemo.

yeah the alt is runing of the comp.

so i got thicker whites, oh and i lowered the rear another 1.5":

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF8848.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF8850.jpg

now with hubcaps:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF8902.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/hollywood-04-1.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/hollywood-06.jpg

i think next year i may chop the roof and lay that rear window down, seriously thinking about it. sometimes the car seems right and other times it doesn't.

I think it's beautiful!!!!!

Gary

I agree you have done a beautiful job and preserved the great lines that GM laid down in 51. I saw a DeSoto with a chopped top and the bottom was so thick looking it made the whole car look bad but I think you could remove about 4 inches from the top above the windows and 2 inches through the windows without ruining the looks of the Buick.

What a magnificent job. You have done spectacular work. I love a righteous chop and have no doubt you are capable. But the car looks and sits really nice just the way it is too..Gorgeous car!

got back to the Buick today...

sprayed my air tank for the Buick. the scheme matches my dash top. ill be clear coating it this weekend with the same platinum pearl thats on my dash...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF2603Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF2612Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF2621Medium.jpg

i just noticed that i did not post up my home made fan shroud...

alright, i got 2 Stainless Steel pans from the kitchen not exactly the same but used wisely nobody will know. so let me show you what i have done.

first pic is the steam table pan, this one is deeper while the other was not so much:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0136Medium.jpg

so i cut out about 1.75" of depth and one long side to flatten off the other side:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0139Medium.jpg

here is what is left of the pan after cutting the section for the shroud, this i am using to extend the shroud surface in all directions, simply sectioning it but backwards:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0147Medium.jpg

now you can see a mock up on the rad and how the above missing piece is used to extend the surface area:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0146Medium.jpg

taped up the whole thing with some cardboard so i could pull it out from the rad and locate the fan. i used a push pin and string to make the circle which i later used striping tape to mark. all the parts are layed out with the fan possitioned in the center:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0155Medium.jpg

ps i do not have a means to weld SS so i have to design without welds.

top view without fan:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0180Medium.jpg


here is the mock up pic (crappy pic i know):

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0185Medium.jpg


got the metal i will use for the sides and made / mocked up the barrel. think it needs a little rubber cause the barrel doesnt sit completely flush against the cut circle, from the pic it looks perfect but in person it isnt, its close but not perfect.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0202Medium.jpg


i think im about done!

the top side is the nicer part the bottom has some dings from the original pans, i think it looks great, i bent the two side L mounts and riveted them on so you dont see the conection:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0270Medium.jpg

here you can see the small rubber vacuum hose that i slit, it really helped finish the edges:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0275Medium.jpg

the back side so you can see the rubber hose and how little it will obstruct if any the airflow:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF0277Medium.jpg

nicely done bro,
Have something similar
Nice ride congrats :thumbsup:

greetz,
Gunter

hey Gunter,

so do you know my friends from Belgium "Radikalbugz" and from Spain "Panscrappers"? i have seen a couple pics of your Buick, it looks great :thumbsup:

Hey tylerdurben,

Already seen the guy's from Radikalbugz but not yet spoken to them.
Some of my brothers from my cc know them.
See pics me and my bro's indoor car meeting that we haved organised in Juli, Radikalbugz where also there.
http://www.rods-customs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5630&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15
On the next page are also pics (everything in French :jeez:, its a French forum)
Spain is new for me.

greetz,
Gunter

hey Gunnie, good pix of your fan shroud project just what we need here thanx

Dave

hey Gunnie, good pix of your fan shroud project just what we need here thanx

Dave

dont mean to confuse, but that is my fan shroud. :confused:

oh crap ggggg sorry Tyler I claim old age and confusion ! :confused:

Tyler, Let me say that I have been following your work on your Bu, and its the kind of stuff that really makes this site interesting and informative. theres a lot of interest on this subject so it will be handy info for others. My son likes the drop but I told him dont start eyeballing my 39, the info is good for anyone that needs to go open drive and do chassis work. Good job on it and your articles.

I have the same idea like 39CENT, keep on posting bro :thumbsup:
Its great to see how other guy's do some modifications.

greetz,
Gunter

thanks 39cent!!!

Gunter next time im out in Belgium ill look you up.

Yo Tyler,
Your welcome worldtraveler :bgrin:

greetz,
Gunter

cool thanks! your welcome in Miami too. I stayed in Mons (spelling?) for a week with my friend Gianni from the Radikalbugz. we even drove to a VW show in Central Belgium! that was very cool to drive on those highways.


some progress on the new air set up / trunk.

made some panels to one day have them upholstered:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF2733Medium.jpg

went ahead and painted the trunk area:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF2763Medium.jpg

got my tank:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF2768Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF2770Medium.jpg

just had to post this... the quick work of the shop i payed to install the air ride some 5 years ago, compared to how im doing it, i have physically "re-bagged" this car since then. this is how all the wiring will look (the black ones):

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF2783Medium.jpg

decided to "in the mean time" put some of that white fox fur on th rear panel so you dont see the springs of the seat:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF2781Medium.jpg

it started raining and got dark so ill finish wiring / plumbing the stuff up tomorrow morning.

see ya,
Yaril

Hello everyone, I'm a new guy at the forum. I was looking at the Buick Fireball when I came across this forum, and I'm glad I did.

Tyler awesome Special, that Straight 8 should have plenty of torque to pull the modifications you made to the drive line. Very nice, and good luck with it.

Anthony
aka Straight80

how about some details... my Buick was originally 3 on the tree, so when i converted it to auto (700R4 w/ straight 8 motor) it didnt have an indicator for the gears. scored the parts off e-bay but they are not meant to go on my column or shift rod. so i drill and tap so that the indicator is fixed to the shift rod. the chrome piece with the gears was easily mounted to the column with stainless button heads.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3825Medium.jpg

now for the detail, most early American cars had this order for the gears ( P N D L R ):

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3830Medium.jpg

so i had a new clear plastic piece made with the correct gears ( P R N D L ) and the letters are engraved, also had the housing chrome plated:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3964Medium.jpg

also painted the indicator gloss black with a white tip like stock, so in the end i have a stock appearing part that serves the same function in a custom application:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3967Medium.jpg

hope somebody gets something out of that.

That's going to help someone for sure . Thanks for posting and Good Job!
John

thanks, here is what i finished up today...

i had been wanting to french my lights for a while but never could figure out what look i wanted. well being that i just got my hands on a Rodders Journal with the Sam Merc on the cover. i kept looking at the simple french job he had done and read about his single exhaust cause money was an issue. what a coincidence, money is always an issue for me too.

so my Buick finally was sick to its stomic and threw up the stock headlight assembly. this is all i gave myself to work with...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3917Medium.jpg

first thing was to get the buckets to mount from inside the fender well. simply flipped 8 little J clips and thats done...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3920Medium.jpg

the buckets needed a trim so that the glass wouldnt be tunneled in the rings. i wanted the lights to finish off the top and bottom contours...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3931Medium.jpg

the easiest and most important part of the job. getting the rings right on. prior to fitting the rings i filled the 2 bottom holes (1 for the screw & 1 for the drain). so now the rings are taped on just where i want them. you can also see the inside fender lip has a small notch at the bottom, this allows any water that enters the rings to drain out in the fender well...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3935Medium.jpg

so going 1 tach at a time i complete the 360 degrees around the rings. i focuse the heat on the fender and catch the ring. i also work on all parts of the ring not 1 area at a time, this lets the heat cool off an limit any distorsion. then simply grind the welds as smooth as possible...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3949Medium.jpg

minimal body filler is required. in order to keep the car looking somewhat presentable i decided to design scallops where the body work can be restricted to. this will let me keep enjoying the car while i continue to make modifications without having blotches of primer here and there...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3980Medium.jpg

the body filler step at this point of my build is not too important. i only use 1 pass of body filler because this is not the cars final paint. i will worry about the imperfections when its going to get the gloss paint. so for the mean time a couple coats of primer and some simple gloss black that is similar to the already existing paint...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3983Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3984Medium.jpg

so the last step is to disguise the edge where the 2 black paints meet. simple 1/16" pinstripe tape is applied. again, this is not the final paint but its quite presentable till that day comes...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSCF3994Medium.jpg

and there you have it. frenched my headlights for 0 dollars.

alright, i know i have not been on here much and i do apologize. work / life has been hectic (in a good way though). so last year i chopped my Buick and i forgot to update you guys! please bare with me as i try my best to update here:

so, getting right into things. for the moment i have only taped off 2 vertical inches. chances are that i will end up doing 3 vertical inches. i want to take my time and sleep on it. make sure it looks right. plan to keep the back window intact, only tilted and slide it forward some. i have been told that 3" is the max to reuse the stock rear glass.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00212Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00216Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00213Medium.jpg

a measly 2 vertical inches = 2 1/2" of A-post taped off...
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00108Medium.jpg

some of the planed cuts, roughly taped off...
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00106Medium.jpg

every cut possible i made with a hand held hack saw. my friends ask why? i said cause i want this moment to last...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00261Medium.jpg

cutting wheel was used too, made the long roof cut and other rear window cuts with it...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00295Medium.jpg

i had mixed emotions when i finally saw my car topless. did i make a mistake, nah it will be even better...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00313Medium.jpg

slept on it last night and decided that 2 vertical inches is all it needs. so the A pillars are almost fully welded back together as of last night...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00317Medium.jpg

think the proportions are just right of window opening to body mass. its how the factory should have built this car...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00318Medium.jpg

another shot...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00338Medium.jpg

so, tonight i move on to the B pillars. they will be moved back and welded in to support the roof center. then the radius at the rear quarter windows will be installed. that will give me enough to work with the back window position and tilt.

its quite surreal to me still at times cause i have owned this car for so many years already. im the 3rd owner! got it with OG paint. so for me to cut my perfectly dry solid car its not easy. but i am enjoying every minute of it and look forward to the many more hours i still need to put in.

interior view...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00346Medium.jpg

B pillar is moved back & welded in...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00354Medium.jpg

roof is perfectly level & all windows are equal...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00357Medium.jpg

last but not least will be the back glass, it will be the most time consuming part of the job and either make or break the chop...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00363Medium.jpg

had a lot to do today, other stuff that is customer cars and house stuff, i think tomorrow i can dedicate much more time to it. hopefully weld in the rear quarter radius's and perhaps the door tops.

cut the door tops to make them longer. found that there are no pieces with the same profile. so i had to use the closest piece and will later have to add the raised lip to it. should not be to difficult to do...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00389Medium.jpg

welded back on the door. it fits quite nice. the door needs some adjusting so the gaps are not all equal. that will be handled later on though...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00391Medium.jpg

also got the rear quarter window radius's welded in. found some lead on the driver side, so i did the best i could and will have to go back to it later as well. at lease all 6 roof supports are welded in place...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00406Medium.jpg

profile shot with door tops and rear quarter windows complete. i am really excited about the overall look. cant wait to wrap up all the rough work so i can go back in and hammer out some details...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00392Medium.jpg

and a quarter view cause now the pics are starting to show it more how i see it in person...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00395Medium.jpg

got did some minor welding and lots of blending...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00407Medium.jpg

got the driver door far enough for some black spray paint (i will be painting the car one day so i dont want to wast a lot of time, just want a solid base for when that time comes)...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00419Medium.jpg

also got the doors' garnish moldings welded up...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00414Medium.jpg

measured out the glass for its cut too...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00421Medium.jpg

close up of door top, i had to make the raised area from when i extended the top back...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00427Medium.jpg

close up of door front & A pillar drip rail, its just about seamless...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00438Medium.jpg

began prepping the windshield for its haircut. i plan to do it myself...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00431Medium.jpg

the ladies that keep distracting me and my windshield just about ready for its trim...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00433Medium.jpg

sorry for the dark pic, its the inner C pillar, i redid some inner structure and skinned the face. will go back later and blend it as well...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00459Medium.jpg

working the roof, doing my best to match the 2 halfs...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00488Medium.jpg

its not bad at all, still will require some more work...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00493Medium.jpg

rear quarter view, the rear glass moved forward about 3" which is great cause i plan to later extend the rear fenders slightly in a slope, ive always thought this car had too short of a trunk...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00494Medium.jpg

got the glass centered as can be, measured about 15 times both outside and inside the car...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00498Medium.jpg

notice i lined up the belt line trim, ill have to later modify it to contour and trim it at the front. this was one of my goals that im glad to see im meeting. also notice how the drip rail falls right into the back window trim, lots of times these type rear windows end up under or just at the belt line trim after a chop. i like to keep the car appearing stock...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00495Medium.jpg

hand formed the inner trunk to bottom of window structure, actually did it with a hammer and a vice. will get painted before the sail pan goes on and later finish welded from inside the trunk...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00506Medium.jpg

worked out the cuts to allow the 2 roof halfs to flow properly at the sides. this took a while but its darn close. some lead work is definately scheduled for the future...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00507Medium.jpg

the roof profile, very similar to the stock one, which i dig...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00517Medium.jpg

from this angle i am very very very happy with just about everything. i almost dont want to mess with the rear quarters. lights will still get shaved and installed neatly in the bumperette...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00509Medium.jpg

another view, focusing on the rear window and how it looks. im extremely satisfied with its fit, now the hard work of carefully metal finishing the hole back half. more time = more progress

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00513Medium.jpg

so i got to blasting this morning! after replacing the sand and getting a handle of things it was a smooth operation. took me about 3 hours to cut the glass...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00518Medium.jpg

tiny cartoon windshield. maybe someone will want to buy this for there 10" chop...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00521Medium.jpg

need to go back to the shop now and polish the top edge. its close and with a little bit more it should be as close as it can be.

windshield mock up, looks mighty good. seems to have the same gaps all around for the rubber, just need to polish the top...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00531Medium.jpg

also got to 95% finish welding the roof section. ill tackle the pinholes tomorrow from inside so i can see where they are. there will still be a lot of hammer and dolly work to get it better and of course the lead work later on, but its not far...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00533Medium.jpg

got to working on the sailpan. made a template then transfer to metal...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00550Medium.jpg

i used Bass's technique of overlaping, tacking, trimming then welding. its more work but the line cant be any closer to perfect. so i then simply pulled out the cut metal from the sides...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00556Medium.jpg

the hard part comes next. making the 2 corners. i will just take my time and make it out of chip board until i got it where i want it. then transfer to metal and repeat. for now the center section really flows well from the beltline into the trunk, at least i think so...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00557Medium.jpg

well its not done, at all. but here are some pics from yesterday. i took it to the local meet and it was great! some guys didnt know what happened to the car they just knew it looked better. i heard one guy comment to his wife that i was simply doing some rust repair. guess the 2" haircut went unnoticed to him. those that know my car commented that "Buick should have built it like that!" so this week will be much much slower progress but progress none the less. will finish the sail-pan and begin on the vent windows so i can install more glass.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00572Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00570Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC00573Medium.jpg

hope you all enjoy the pics,
Yaril

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01690Medium.jpg

worked on shaving my taillights.

i worked with the bumperetts until i found a design that best complimented the bumperetts and the car. my original idea was different than what i ended up with but thats how it goes sometimes...

original idea:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/rearendsketch.jpg

the design i ended up going with (there is no need for a "frame"):

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01702Medium.jpg

drilled the 4 corners, larger at the bottom than the top so they would be radiused, blue tape is just to better see the shape:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01706Medium.jpg

made some inlays to fill the old taillight holes. bent them over a pipe and welded them in:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01712Medium.jpg

a quick skim coat of bondo and some red primer:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01716Medium.jpg

lastly some black from a can for a better visual:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01721Medium.jpg

im very pleased with how the back is looking now, i will not slope the quarters like in my sketch, they finish nicely and follow the trunk slope:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01725Medium.jpg

well thought id bore yall tonight with the crap you cant see but has to happen. i made the light bulb holders and played around with some red transparent plexi. unfortunately the upper and lower curve of the bumperett does not match. so making the plexi sit flush is not an option for the moment. i will need other tools to make that happen. so dont be alarmed for the meantime i will use thiner material so i can continue circulating my car.

made these 2 flaps from a sheet metal and bought the bulb holder at Advanced:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01732Medium.jpg

the fit is pretty close, i plan to run a spliced vacumm hose on the edge of the flaps to better seal the light area:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01734Medium.jpg

the 2 flaps plug welded together bolt on using the bumperett bolts, the bulb will be accessible from the back via the 2 small screws holding it in place and the wires will be completely hidden:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01736Medium.jpg

i painted the bulb holder and back of the bracket black while the inside surfaces i painted white fro better illumination.

i was way over thinking the lens issue. all i needed was my torch!

simply took a roughly shaped piece of the red plex and used the cut out to form the shape, after heating it up i was able to press it down to the perfect shape!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01752Medium.jpg

here is the finished one and the rough shape i started with, i can later go and depress the edges so the plexy sits flush with the gaurds, i used 1/4" thick plexy...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01750Medium.jpg

looks good to me...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01748Medium.jpg

its amazing how much work goes into this what in the end appears to be not much. mean i love the look but its very simple yet so much goes to making it look, simple. things are taking shape and the final picture is getting closer. only 1 more body change i want to make, that is fabricate some "flush" skirts, oh and remove that awful trunk key just sitting there by itself, its got to go.

my ass never looked so good...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01761Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01763Medium.jpg

finished the sail pan welding and modified the beltline trim to fit the new slightly tighter contour.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01764Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC01767Medium.jpg

got the roof covered in an epoxy black primer. ready to head up to Daytona Thursday. there was just not enough time to tackle the custom flush mount skirts i wanted to make. so that will have to wait till later.

shoot of the roof inside where i cut and welded, its amazing how virgin this car is, all sorts of factory markings and tags, found one dated 12.01.50 on the seat still perfectly intact!:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC02130Medium.jpg

now its a bit more visually appealing, you can really start to see how the new proportions are working:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC02166Medium.jpg

the rear beltline trim is installed but not yet welded. i want to make sure it flows just right and its looking good so far:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC02168Medium.jpg

think i will have to chose my battles wisely because when i start to take the Buick apart i dont want to have to stop the process because of any outside factors. so ill be stuffing my pillow till i feel im ready to go for it.

till then there are only a couple more mods and details i want to attend to, ill post those as soon as i do them. for now here are some pics:

DTRR '09:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC02245Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC02212Medium.jpg

Rumblers show '10:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/100_0427Medium.jpg


my pal Josh parked next to me, i was hoping this would confuse people into thinking my car isnt chopped. i can picture the conversations... "that is how a stock roof came from the factory son, now here is a chop top roof. see the difference"

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC02945Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC02944Medium.jpg

thanks!
Yaril

hows about a shameless plug?

$10 t-shirts (s, m, l, xl, xxl) only navy blue
$2 stickers full color
$10 Ranfla magazine (only a few left)
+ shipping

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC02680Medium.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a104/tylordurben/DSC02729Medium.jpg

thanks

SIKKNIS! U GO BOYEE! Just my Kustom style... subtle but still a Buick no boubt! Keep on Yo!

Nice work Yaril. Your –51 looks awesome.

WOW! NICE WORK, lotta work! I,m not a chopit guy but this is nice. I like it. I think if it looks stock but its still chopped, you got it right. A subtle chop will get the looks.

:thumbsup:Great Chop. Best Inspiration for my Projekt.
Not the 37er Buick.
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2995/010ppo.th.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/010ppo.jpg/)
I will Chop my 49Packard.
http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/328/1dee3pv1.jpg
And i hope it will Look near this at the End.
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5092/rodderspackardgrayrc4.jpg

:waving:from Germany

#Ingo