1955 Buick Century 4 dr

[Stuffy]

I just recieved a 1955 Buick Century 4 dr sedan, this car has been sitting on blocks up in the air for the last 34 years. The car is solid with 52,000 miles on it, a close friend of mine was left it to him by the original owner, his grandmother. The car is complete, needs alot of TLC and of course the motor and tranny need to be gone through. Some parts on the car need rechroming and the interior needs to be redone. My question is really two fold. I am already in love with this car and want to do it right. Presently I am removing the inside metal trim guards for the 4 doors. The front came off no problem and are now going to be powered coated the original black. The two rear ones are giving me trouble coming out. They seem to be stuck and I can get them out at the small wing window. I can't tell if there is a clip or hidden srew behind the chrome on the outside or on the inside piece. Any thoughts ? I also have been surfing the web to get the bumpers rechromed and the front and rear Buick ornaments, any suggestions as to who can do this right at a resonable price. I would greatly appreciate yout thoughts on this. I need to start the engine soon, where do you think I should start? The car for sitting so long in a garage is pretty impressive, ha had the car under coated before he put it up, even the exhaust is in excellent shape. I figure a time frame of two years to really get the car where I want it, and my wife is being receptice to this, This was a major concern as she found out about the car when she got home from work one day.....HaHa Any and all help and advice would be greatly appreciated, look forward to hearing from you Buick Veterans. Thanks

[Stuffy]

Well, my wife says I talk to myself.....Figured out how to remove the window trims, but would very much appreciate any guidance in starting engine and tranny process. Do not want to damage anything, I pulled the gas tank and will use a back up to get the engine running, do not want to take any chances. Trying to remove the tail light housing units, really not sure what exactly to do, hey maybe I'll figure it out. Just a Rookie here and getting really into it.

[Robert Bates]

Where you located Stuffy?

The best bet would be to start by changing the engine oil.

After that turn the motor over by hand to make sure it is not bound up.

Then connect your battery and try to start the car. Put a small amount of gas down the carb and crank it before putting the hose in a remote tank.

Fuel pump may or not be any good, but I found a great rebuilder in massachusetts for that, got the info from Tom in here.

[telriv]

Stuffy, being a Buick NailHead the possibilities of the engine still being in good running condition, the odds are on your side. There is a lot of preparation that needs to be performed BEFORE even trying to turn the engine over so as to eliminate or minimize the damage that can be done by not doing it properly. If you are somewhat experienced this can take you up to 2 days or so before you even put a wrench on the crank bolt or flywheel teeth. If you have little or no experience it can take you up to a week to learn the proper way to wake up a sleeping engine. It can get a little involved, but pre-cautions taken now can mean the difference between having a good running engine that doesn't need a re-build or having to go through the process of a re-build. I have done this soooo many times I can't remember. If you can, if you don't have the experience, take it to someone you trust.
I can run you through it all, but it would take hours of typing with one finger. I'm in Southern Ct, Fairfield County. You can call me at my shop. Don't try to take notes as while trying to jot down notes you will miss something. I wouldn't mind if you recorded it somehow.
Shop: (203)324-6045 M-F 8am-5pm EST

Tom T.

[Stuffy]

Tom T.
Presently I am in the process of having some surgery next week, I figure I will be calling you very soon, this will allow me to think about the what, where and so on. I am very mechanically inclined and have all the proper equipment to get busy. This shoulder of mine will delay it, but I can at least speak with you, get a few notes and actually get a through understanding of it before I start. I want to thank you for your reply and look forward to speaking to you in the future pertaining to this process. I also would like to thank everyone else for there spirited replies and look forward to future correspondence with you guy's. Thank you all again, especially Tom G, & Tom T

[Tom Gallagher]

Hey Stuffy

Don't forget to track down any and all literature.

Good reading material during your convalesce.

Hope everything goes smooothly!

Regards,

Tom Gallagher

Anything you want to know, just HONK!