Buinicorn

[SuperBuickGuy]

I always wanted a flat top wagon.... thought I found a non-rusty one - it was, it wasn't rusted in the normal spots.... and it had been hit in the right rear

I'll give background next post but here's where I'm at
Did I say this was a solid car? well, it is now





so time to take it even further apart.... the driver's side doors haven't been removed - and the rear left doors ... well, they fought.edited
if you're counting, only one of these came off as intended

I love heat

I win



I need to strip the rest of the shell.edited do some minor clearancing, fix a couple small spots then get to coating

 

[rtj]

:thumbs:

Should be interesting.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

more coloring in the lines
a box

looks like another warranty is going to get its feelings hurt

for those wondering... the 64 Buick support is different than the Chevelle

now it fits



in other news, starter is bolted in and the converter is as well


and revisit something... where the dark spot I heated to fix oil canning.... it worked! I really didn't get it that warm.. ~ 200 degrees, maybe... I put a block behind then heated it briefly... worked great
​​​​​​​

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I bought this car 3 years ago for $200 and a set of S10 v8 conversion headers... no title, and on a whim - leaving a swap meet, had been looking for a flat top wagon (I'm not a fan of the skylights) - and they are rare.

other than surface rust and a bit of mud in the quarter... it seemed solid in all its normal 'rust' places... yeah, oops


what really drew me to this car was the radio-delete... this was as bare-bones as you could probably buy a Buick then.... no power steering, no power brakes, just a 300/automatic (and the 300 was MIA)



what I didn't know was this car had a reputation for taking people's money. It's got 4.10 rear gear and drag-studs.... that said that is the plan for it

initially, I bought a GNX "hot air" motor for it but mostly because it was $400, came with the 200r4 and the quick ratio steering box (the car was really, really rusted).... that said, technology has really done a lot with the 3.8 - and eventually, that will find a home in it.... but I had a 6.0 LS from a Denali and figured it'd be a cheaper/quicker way to make this run

2 years I got the title by tracking down the owner 2 owners prior.... who is a pastor. This is interesting because the pastor who baptized me drove stripper cars and carried tools in the back to help people. He was a legend at buying the loss-leader from a dealership - which were usually cars with the same spec as this car. He would, after that deal was done tell them he'd like to buy another same-car for his wife, but this was the going-to-church car so he wanted ALL the bells and whistles. What's funny is he'd get that car for a loss too.... weirdest part was even though the dealership lost money on both cars, they'd visit his church... and laugh about how well he did. It really is a gift.

I'm not much into slow cars, so my goal here is "nothing to see here, just an old guy in an old wagon" .... who just blew by you so fast that it turned your Lambo inside out. It will be sliver/red interior... and honestly look about the same as when it arrived.... it will have a/c because Buick... but this motor is the stocker that I'll pull once it's on the road to replace with something in the neighborhood of a 1000-1500 hp 3800 V6... nothing to see here, just some big/old/wagon.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

outside of today's shenanigans with my FJ40,edited I hooked up the fitech timing control.... almost burned my truck down twice, but now it works fine....

I did other things
first was get the steering column out ... that was a lot more pain that I was expecting

then came the yoyo of up and down to clearance the floor for the 4L80e. I refuse to cut and add metal... so I heated and banged


banging, round 2

round 3 (keep in mind, up and down)

what needs clearance - the cooler fittings

and took the wiper box off the firewall (it is seized solid)

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

new tool.edited do I recommend? maybe.edited It's about as powerful as an air die grinder - the straight kind.edited So it is useful, but keep in mind I punched one hole with it and did the rest with my larger Makita..... which is dying because I use it to smoke coming out - and it keeps working but the writing is on the wall for it (and my Makita sawzall)



these were done with the Makita - this is the rear-most mounts on the car and both were rusted solid - so no choice but to cut replace the nuts and weld back (when I get my nuts)


I can't imagine why GM made this nut-holder so complex


this was done with the new tool


finished welding the battery box


the rest of my evening was a fan-favorite wire brush the dirt off the underside

I weighed it, 10 lbs of dirt


tomorrow a bit more cleaning then likely put the body back on because the motor may be ready for my Corvette.... I need to get it out of the shop because the next parts of the Buick are dirty in both dust and overspray

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

now that the block has been fully seasoned...

time to get after it


the first step is clean up the block... interestingly this is a 5/8" bore block (oil passage which makes it a 74 and later block)

and the edges



so the back story is I need to get these parts in one place (and I may throw the car together enough to drive).... but most importantly, we may be moving soon and the safest way to transport it is together

​​​​​​​

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

for the next week or so, this gets front burner... I've got to get the floor painted so I can mount the body to the frame....edited
first, remove harness

remove frame

put on Corvette dolly


I also really need to start planning the details... things like power windows and such.... I think I have most of what I need to make it mobile.... but no gauges - if what I use needs dash mods, now would be a pretty good time to do it.... and on and on... very comfortable, fast, fast, car... one I could race if the vehicle I'm towing becomes incapacitated....edited

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

time to make the safety experts cringe

the goal here is get the sand out (more of the sand), and get the grease off the underside.... this is round 1


also do a bit of spot rust treatment

can't see the difference but a lot better

while the frame waits for remarriage

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I know, I know, I should go back to Corvette only content.... but alas, you need to suffer to really appreciate C3 content.
time to set the car in place

front brackets

assembled

in the back, I'll use the hinge mounts to hold it

welded

it even holds on the back

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

spinny time

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

ugh, I don't like undercarriages
however, it needed a full wire-wheeling plus washing... so that's what it got....edited



the owner of the C3 and his wire wheeling endeavors tonight

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

been kind of busy with other stuff.... but did get the floor welded in


Also got the turbo flanges....edited

Tomorrow is track day - so probably no update

 

[rtj]

Discussion forum, don’t worry about it not being a Corvette . We’re here for the cars.

Wow, big project.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

alright... onward, by cleaning underneath

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Paul is killing it on getting this clean

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

well, 1200 miles, 3 days and a few new things

we have a new terrorist... cute little bugger, though
the quarter in its wavy glory

amazing how little effort can really make it a lot better

just a push

also a push here

I'm going to pull the skin off but I want to do the fixes while it's still in its 'jig' also have a bit of sill rust repair....

should get the car back in the shop tomorrow night

oh and the other thing, we're moving in 3 weeks 250 miles away... that said, it's an amazing new shop

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

never think the fender is perfect... it is not


I hate doing it, but I'm going to break it down to several components - which means spot weld drilling -

mostly because it's easier to fix the dents as a single panel - however, the lower lip is really thin - so where I'm drilling out the spot welds will be replaced....

it's remarkable that it was filled with Idaho dirt but not rusted out

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

and, we're back
it's been lurking

I bought this years ago now, then moved. then moved again. I'm not sure how far I'll get this time but now I need to get this fender on the car

still not sure it's much better then what I have well... it is, but it's certain not perfect

what it has is something I can work with.... so... we're back and I really need to make this mobile (and the big bits are already in place

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

time peel the skin
mark

mark the car so I'm cutting a much larger area

negotiate the maze of inner braces

one thing I don't need but will save and sell - the inner structure and tire well, it won't be cheap as they rust out and no one makes a replacement

 

[BBShark]

Gotta ask, what is this? It looks like something I wish I had periodically, over the years.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

well, not moot but only because I didn't have a lot of time tonight to work with this puzzle
more pictures of the problem

my current theory is the soldered the door jamb in place then held it with spot welds to the inner structure

I have some experience with stamping metal - so I really don't think that in 1964 they could stamp the sheet metal and the door jamb in one hit.... but, we will soon see

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I spent my entire Sunday on my wife's car, but got back to this tonight
lots and lots of holes... and yeah, I get it, it's going to be a pain to attach, however to straighten the panel I cannot have the bracing in place nor am I willing to do a 6' weld on a flat panel.
One thing though, I bet this will be only intact spare tire well available on ebay - so I'll take my time getting it apart in a manner that doesn't damage it.

peeling back the metal

slow but steady progress

the sure did get jiggy with the spot welder

and my chisels are somewhere safe.... ugh... oh well, this will continue tomorrow

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

progress just the bit that would be right behind the door left

and note the primo tire well?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I won!

but first it was figure out what was still holding it in place

I did drill everything out - and found that it actually is one piece

I got tired of chasing the panel across the floor so I hung it

getting looser

here was the part that was the last thing holding it together....

for sale soon

and I'm willing to bet that this is the only one for sale... so that one other person who needs it, is going to be happy (keep in mind that it took me 5 years to find a quarter panel)

by contrast, mine had only 2/3rds of this vertical brace, the rest was rusted away

and final picture of the victory lap.

now comes the real work....

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Time to make ready to install.... first, wire wheel

then clean

(truth, though, I have done some light pounding on it as well)
after wire wheel, time for rust mort

and on the back of the fender

Samson wonders why the table shrunk.... he's 10 months old... 165 lbs

and just like that, another hour gone

 

[rtj]

I’m interested in seeing the installation process. Looks good so far.

Guys on other sites are saying they have a stockpile of body parts for their classic cars in case of a fender bender. Great idea if you have storage space.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I’m interested in seeing the installation process. Looks good so far.

Guys on other sites are saying they have a stockpile of body parts for their classic cars in case of a fender bender. Great idea if you have storage space.

It took 5 years to find this quarter panel. Front clip is the same as all 64 Buick Skylarks but everything from the doors and rearward are unique to the wagon (sedan roof pitches up then down where the wagon stays flat)... 2 years to find a rear bumper.... I have the unique parts, but the other thing, all - whether it was the sky top or the flat top, leaked and puddled water at the bottom of the car... the trim for the side windows (the low-buck stuff which is not chromed) is unobtainium - I have all of it and some point will be fabricating replacements.... it's rare because no one thought they'd be cool because these were as work-wagon as you can get. Even the Chevy flat top Malibu wagon is somewhat more popular because it's a 2 door.... Lucky Costa has built/is building one pretty similar to my goals.


onward
rust converted

and start working out the dents you can never get while it's on the car

this will take awhile because careful is the operative word (and right now the word is 10 lb sledge as my patience is gone)

and this one

on to hole filling - for those who don't know, I don't have all the chrome for the car and I'm not going to try to find it...

clamp a copper bar to the back, the aluminum is to keep from making more small dents

and now the other end (my bar isn't long enough to do it all at once)

and what it looks like when mostly done (a pinhole to fill)

yes, that's a spray bottle to cool the weld
and I used the mig and added fill rod - everdure while welding
the pinhole and what it looks like on the 'back' of the weld

nice other thing is everdure is a lot softer so it grinds easier (less heat)

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

one other cool thing, though, I can get a quarter panel made, I just need to scan it but it's $1500.... while this was expensive, it wasn't that....

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

time to get aggressive - if I cut it apart at the bends, it will come off easier

2nd 3rd being cut off

it took some doing but the brace is off

about that 10# hammer - didn't use it, probably should have

then back to grinding these down

now it's decision time - how/what am I going to attach? there's a dent above the wheel well that isn't on the car now... thus putting this entire panel on would actually, potentially be moving backward

what I need to replace is the dogleg right behind the door - when it got 'fixed' before, it simply was clever sculpting with bondo

I could also then cut vertically - avoiding the crunch - but then replace most of the fender

also the spot behind the wheel - where I dropped the body after fixing this fender (humph) - needs to be replaced

and I may do that by simply doing what I did before, cut and weld on carefully.
biggest problem with the vertical cut is I can't get behind the weld to hammer it out after welding - it can be done but it's a lot more work and easy to mess up