1965 Buick Special. Grandma's paint lesson car.

newvegos

Member
Well as you can see a 65 Buick, grandma drove it once a week to her painting lessons. But she stopped going to her lessons and parked it for a few years before giving it to me! So I'm slowly working my way through it.

So far I've changed the carb, fuel filter, distributor cap and rotor, spark plugs and wires, fuel pump, and some of the rubber fuel line.

I'm working on the water pump right now cause the bearing was wobbling around and then onto the shocks all around.

If anyone could help with how this whole forum thing works that would be great, I'm having a hard time finding torque specs.

Thanks,
Jamesd055a8ec081923b67ea6d3386e2b686e.jpg7b8d55388f1d0ae9b1da16ccb5856a0c.jpg

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James that is a nice looking Special. Most 1965 torque specs are the same as those in 1966. We have the 1966 Chassis Service Manual in the reference section of this site and torque specs are included there.
 
Thanks! The water pump is in, just waiting to get coolant. Hopefully it doesn't leak!

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Nice looking car! You should be able to find the torque specs you want in the reference section of the site. The 1965 Buick Chassis Service Manual should be there within a couple of weeks.

I choose diesel engine anti-freeze for everything except engines with aluminum heads and blocks.
 
I've had my 64 Skylark, since I was 17 in the late 60's. The pic was of a completed restoration in 87, due to career demands and nationwide travel, I had to mothball it in the garage. We recently replaced all of the ignition, components on the Fireball, also water pump, motor mounts, cleaned out the Rochester BC, coolant, oil filter and of course new oil... We drove it about at low speed numerous times. On the driveway it began to "miss" like a plug was fouled.. So I reved et up a little and it became worse.. I checked the plugs they were all still clean.. I checked the position of the Dist, so see if it had moved and threw the timing off, even though we never had to adjust the timing, the fuel filters were ok, fuel pump ok.....
.. The only thing left ?? the (lifters, push rod rocker arms assembly).. after pulling the intake we found four of the twelve push rods were partially bent about 1/2 inch. Since this is a "Non interference engine " we had no further damage. After doing some research I found that the hydraulic lifters tend to contain some oil, which over time degrades into a varnish like gum. SO four my lifters seized up, and bent the push rods. My 1964 chassis service manual, details how to disassemble clean and reassemble the lifters, that's how they did it back then.
I pulled both rocker arms and soaked them seperately in mineral spirits, to clean out the oil passages, that haven't been cleaned out since this 1967 engine was transplanted into my 64. It took several soakings of the rocker arms, before the solution remained clear, showing that all of the particulate matter was flushed. I ordered / installed new Melling Brand, hydraulic lifters and push rods, also the intake manifold gasket. (while the OEM intake was off, we replaced it with an Offenhauser 360 Evenflow performance intake, fitted with a Holley 390 cfm, 4bbl.
Back to the Hydraulic lifters. My research online found that one can perform an engine flush using a mixture of new engine oil combined with Marvel Mystery Oil. Had I thought of It, I would have dropped the oil pan to give it a through cleaning. A lot of oil that does not fully drain out, pools up and remains on the bottom of the oil pan where it gets cooked up and resembles a black tar like matter. Also I changed out the rubber fuel line, from the gas tank to the steel fuel line. That hose segment was about 1/2 blocked with a black tar like substance. I don't know how the 1 bbl got enough to run ! A mechanic told me that's how gasoline breaks down. I also replaced the forward segment of the fuel line hose where it's positioned close to the mechanical fuel pump, and of course from the fuel pump to the carb. If you are not comfortable re the above, consult a "reliable, honest, knowledgable" mechanic.. Best Regards.
 
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That sounds like the journey that I'm currently on! I really hope that I don't have to tear down the lifters. The water pump is in and after fixing a few small leaks I think ol Betsy is ready to roll.

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That sounds like the journey that I'm currently on! I really hope that I don't have to tear down the lifters. The water pump is in and after fixing a few small leaks I think ol Betsy is ready to roll. Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Here is the best article I found about oil, lubrication etc it's very readable. Good to read when you have some down time.. The article is pasted in part below as this system can't accept any larger than 10000 characters..



As far as rebuilding the lifters, see separate reply below.. ..

VISCOSITY. Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of oil to motion or flow. This resistance, or fluid friction, of the oil keeps it from being squeezed out from between engine surfaces when they are moving under load or pressure. This resistance is due to the ADhesive and COhesive forces of the molecules in the oil itself. This same resistance to motion or flow is responsible for the largest amount of drag imposed during cranking. So you must use an oil that has suitable viscosity characteristics that insure ease of cranking, proper oil circulation, and good high-temperature protection.
The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) has established a viscosity range classification system for oil which is generally accepted worldwide. All motor oils are classified according to this system and each is assigned a code number (or numbers) which indicate the viscosity range into which it falls. The numbers generally in use today are SAE 5W, 10W, 20W, 20, 30, 40, and 50. Thick, slow-flowing oils have high numbers while the thin, free flowing oils have the low numbers. The “W’’ denotes oils that are suitable for winter service when air temperatures are below 32 degrees F.
To make sure that oils carrying the “W’’ suffix have proper flow characteristics at low temperatures, their viscosities are measured at 0 degrees F. Numbered oils not followed by the “W’’ suffix have their viscosities measured at 210 degrees F to be sure that they have adequate viscosity at higher temperatures. Viscosity Index: Since viscosity varies widely with the effect of temperature changes versus different types of oil, SAE has developed a standard measurement of the amount of viscosity change relative to a change in temperature. This measurement is known as the Viscosity Index (V.I.). A high V.I. oil is one that shows a relatively small change in viscosity over a wide range of temperatures. Today, there are many high V.I. oils that are light enough for cranking at low temperatures and yet heavy enough to withstand high engine temperatures. These oils will meet the viscosity requirements and do the work of two or more SAE numbers. They are labeled SAE 5W-20, SAE 5W-30, SAE 10W 30, SAE 10W-40, SAE 10W-50, and SAE 20W-40. These high-V.I. oils are known as multi-viscosity oils and are also referred to as all-season oils, since they combine good fluidity at low ambient temperatures with adequate engine protection at high temperature. Full Film Lubrication: In many parts of the engine, the oil can establish an unbroken oil film between metal surfaces. Engineers call this full-film, or hydrodynamic, lubrication. Full-film lubrication occurs when the working surfaces are in motion and are completely separated by a relatively thick film of oil. The most important quality of the motor oil in keeping parts separated by an oil film is the viscosity of the oil at the temperatures which exist in the engine. The viscosity must remain high enough to maintain complete metal-to-metal separation. Since the metals do not make contact during full film lubrication, wear can’t occur unless a piece of junk (like a metal particle) large enough to exceed the thickness of the oil film causes abrasion or scratching on the metal surfaces. Parts of the engine normally operating with full-film lubrication are: the crankshaft bearings, the connecting rods, the camshaft, and piston pins. Boundary Lubrication: Under some conditions, it’s impossible to establish a complete oil film between moving parts and there is intermittent metal-to-metal contact between the high spots on the sliding surfaces. This condition is called boundary lubrication. Under these circumstances, the load is only partly supported by the oil film. Boundary conditions usually exist during starting and stopping of the engine and during the break-in period of a new engine when metal surfaces are relatively rough. Boundary lubrication also exists in the area of the top piston ring because the oil supply is limited and temperatures relatively high. On some engine parts, the loads are high enough to squeeze out or rupture the oil film and permit a large degree of metal-to-metal contact. When this occurs, the friction generated between the two surfaces produces sufficient heat to cause one or both the metals to melt and weld to the other. You’ve probably seen 22 the backyard mechanic continued Keith Jackson giving a motor racing report and saying, “Well, folks, there's blue smoke coming out from under the champ's car... looks like it's all over for him today.” It’s probably the result of the failure of the engine to maintain even boundary lubrication. Extreme pressure conditions can develop from a lack of lubrication, in adequate clearance, extreme heat, heavily loaded parts, or use of the wrong type of oil. In modern engines, the valve operating system, cams, valve lifters, pushrods, valve stem tips, and parts of the rocker arms operate under extreme pressure conditions because they carry heavy loads over but a small ar
 
As far as rebuilding the lifters. Here are the costs of lifters and pushrods from Rockauto.com. P.S. I have no affiliation or financial interest re Rockauto, I am just a customer... I decided to just replace them all along with the push rods. I just pulled out each lifter with thumb / forefinger they came out easy. Both the bottoms of the lifters and the cam showed no abnormal wear. I bought my lifters from Rockauto.com, and selected Melling Engine parts Valve Lifter JB896 Buick Skylark 1965 – 1967 $4.84 ea X 12 and MELLING Pushrod MPR314 $1.66 ea X 12. If you order double check the parts numbers as they can always change. I attached an image of my V6 re below with new lifters and pushrods installed. Had I realized re the oil breakdown inside the lifters etc, I would have done the New oil / MMO combination, put it in the V6 and left it idle for four hours, check the condition of the oil. Maybe change it out for new oil / and MMO etc...or resumed it the next day for a idling session.. let run (idle) for another four hours change it out .. Then just drive it very lightly, no hard acceleration for a few hundred miles over several weeks.. Then change it out again, then moderately use it for some cruising. Assuming the degraded oil deposits would have been by then fully dissolved..
On second thought, considering who drove the Buick and how she drove it, it's appearance, I'd bet she had the oil and other maintenance up and beyond the norm. That Buick looks "mint". Perhaps you could take the car to her regular mechanic who took care of her, if he can be located.
I would explain that the car sat for, how many months and or years. It appears as it was garage kept, just looking at the paint alone. Considering that it was imobile. I would call him first, before driving it over. Ask If you should do an oil change first !! Then would it be safe to drive it there for a check of the engine, and how to check the hydraulic lifter operation. Ask what is the likelyhood of build up inside the lifters. Also listen for a light tapping of the valve lifters. See what his opinion is. If he was her regular mechanic, he could tell you everything.. Good luck..
 

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I found this online, I've had excellent results from MMO, in my daily drivers, as an additive. I and my son are restoring the Skylark, but I am also restoring an 84 Dodge Ramcharger SUV, with a 318 cu in, SO I will try the below method, and see how it works. I've always changed the oil on the 318 engine about every 10K miles.

How to Use Marvel Mystery Oil As a Motor Flush by David Curtis

Marvel Mystery oil was founded in 1923 by Burt Pierce in Chicago Illinois. Many vehicles at that time had ongoing problems with clogged carburetor jets due to poor refining processes. Marvel Mystery oil became well known for cleaning these jets and increasing engine
performance.
Marvel Mystery oil can be used in the fuel tank and mixed with the engine oil but is not recommended as a one time engine flush. No more than 25 percent of your oil should be replaced with Mystery Oil. You can flush sludge out of your engine by regular use of the
product with each oil change.

1: Run / warm engine oil. SOP level /block vehicle drain oil . Replace oil filter.

2. Add one quart of Marvel Mystery Oil, bring to full mark with regular oil. Drive the car for

3000 miles and change the oil again to flush out the engine sludge.
 
Alright so I got the water pump in and it doesn't leak so that's one small victory. Buuuut now I have barely any power and she just feels like she's chugging along. Any ideas?

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Ok you need Air, Fire (spark) and Fuel. Also: only change one component at a time, check it after you install, to make sure it's working properly, that way, you don't end up checking 5 things, not being sure which is the culprit..
OK.. Air... no prob...
Fire (Spark) is the coil connected correctly ? make sure the pos and neg terminals are to the correct wires. I reversed them once long ago and it ran sluggish.. .. Test the coil .. pull the lead from the distributor, then have someone crank the engine, after you have grasped the coil cable or wire using insulated pliers and gloves .. and move to about a 1/2 in from an engine ground, the engine block..
Don't go near the carb.. You should see a bright blue spark arc to the engine block that good, if it's orang-ish tint, replace the coil. Check ignition wires from Dist to plugs, insure all connections are tight, ALSO ALSO insure that the wires are in the correct order from the Distributor to the plugs. The firing order shuold be 165432.. No 1 plug will be the front cylinder on drivers side.. nearest to the radiator. Number one should be on your distributor. which ...rotates clockwise.. to fire the plugs.. plugs 1 6 5 4 3 2.. You need to get a Buick Factory service manual.. for 1964 Special Skylark.. as there is no specific Haynes or Chiltons for just those two years... in one manual.. They are lumped in with a dozen others. Having a Service or Chassis manual is essential ... Make sure the cap and rotor are tight, the Dist can not be rotated by hand... as that will either advance the timing or retard the timing.
FUEL: make sure your likes are clear, from the gas tank, to the forward connection to the mechanical fuel pump, driver's side of engine.. make sure they are clear from the pump to the carb. The carb has an internal screw in gas filter sits inside the screw in housing into the carb. The filter is a brass type, does a good job removing sediment etc and other particals before they enter the BC 1 bbl carb, which I assume you have.
After you get the engine running... plan to install a puralator glass gasoline filter between the fuel pump and the carb.. You can dissasemble the class housing and replace the filter element. You can put two of them in line and do without the brass filter inside the fuel line port into the carb.. Much easier to replace.. than fooling with the carb. .
Take a look at the throttle body of the carb make sure the electric choke on the side of the carb is working. Make sure it is open about the thickness of a number 2 pencil. The circuit for the electric choke does not have it's own fuse, it's hard wired into the windshield wiper circuit, so check your wind shield wiper fuse in the fuse block, if it's blown replace it. That means the circuit is grounding out, (NOT LIKELY) never had that happen in 50 years. My fuel line from the gas tank was clogged....the car did sit for nearly 20 years.. The image below is where it connects the gas tank to the steel gas line that travels along the drives side and mounted on the wall of the frame.. on the inside, can be seen just looking under the car up on the frame.. Remember use correct jacks etc and jack stands proprely to lift the vehicle. I prefer to drive it up on portable ramps easily obtained ant any auto parts store or Wall Mart..etc.. I like that method as the wheels support the vehicle and the ramps support the wheels.. I still block the rear tires and kee the parking prake on and the shift lever in park.. The service manual below is $18.00 on ebay..
P.S. Hopefully the push rods have not been bent... How long has the car been idle, not driven or the engine turned over and idled ??
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That's all really good stuff to note but it turns out I was a little too safe, and forgetful. I put on the ebrake so my son if he pulled it out of gear it wouldn't roll away. Well I forgot to take it off and drove to work. Not that far about 5-10 mins away. Sooooo I'm thinking the brakes need to be done now. At low speed it really putters along but once I get to a constant speed it's ok. I've parked it for the time being until I can get a chance to pull the drums off. That's if the come off.

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GOOD. .. Ok when you properly lift and support the rear axle or the frame etc...with wheels off.
Get a one foot 2X4 block of wood and a hammer will work well... Rotating the drum as you go, by hand... place the wood on the side of the drum and hit the wood with the hammer, do this all the way around as you hand turn the drum, to loosten it from the studs...The clearance is very tight..
There will be a lot of brake dust, and some rust dust that will make getting the drum off a little of a chore.
BP Blaster is a great rest penetrate.. a 12 or 16 oz can.. Try to spray from the back side of the drum with the straw attachment..to get the studs from the back side, If you must ok from the front side..... BUT BUT.. if you get any penetrant of any brand on the threaded studs, make sure you use dish detergent to clean it off completely . Brake cleaner is good too. I once left some on my 76 Malibu, and the lug nuts started to unwind, I caught it in time.. Consider replacing all of the springs and other attaching hardware.. remember they are most likely 1964.. Also get one of those old school drum brake spring removal tool, and the one tool to compress the springs that hold the brake shoes onto the face of the backing plate.
Yes you will spend a little money for a tool you will use once every so often. But it's a safer proposition all the way around, and much easier and more control over those parts that are under a lot of pressure..
Don't forget to wear safety glasses.. Watch youtube for a complete tutorial re how to remove Buick drum and brake shoes etc.. Use a mask and also safety shatter proof goggles.. To protect your lungs from toxic dust and EYES from flying springs.. Plan to spend a few hours on a day off.. don't rush... To adjust the rear brakes, once the wheels are back on... back up the vehicle and press the brake pedal to stop the car, do this several times the star wheel adjuster, will adjust the bottom end of the shoe brakes outward to match the curve of the inside of the drum, so you get the intire surface area being applied evenly to the inside of the drum to apply stopping force...again...check you tube videos for the complete tutorial. there's more to be aware of.. ... the below are some of what you will find.. .. EK

here are a few..

 
Alrighty so I've had a chance to dig into the back end of the Buick and the brakes apart from looking a bit rusty, a bit worn. They're in one piece. One side was a little stuck on, but it did come off. I adjusted that one side out a little bit, replaced the rear shocks then put it back together. Annnnnd guess what? Still does it. It really struggles from a stop to about 50 kph. What I'm hoping is the front brakes are dragging and if I can adjust them properly I'll be fine. What I'm worried about is that the rear axle had a lot of rotational slop. Almost like a missing tooth. So that's where I am now. Hopefully I didn't break anything major and it's just an adjustment. Only thing I need now is a good jacking point to lift the whole front end up and some lug nut torque specs.

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