My Four Door Special Project

[dvonk]

yeah, taking apart the dash is a bit of a project in itself. luckily, mine has been off anyway so i just decided to experiment with the LEDs while the bulb sockets were easily accessible. for 88¢ a piece shipped, i can definitely recommend them.

i forgot to try to take actual "before/after" pictures of the dash to go with my videos. if im feeling anal or masochistic (both likely ) i may put the incandescent bulbs back in for a "before" shot, now that i know how much difference they can make.

i will make an accurate count of the location/quantity of bulbs required when finishing the installation with a second pack of bulbs.

[dvonk]

well gents, i always seem to be absent for months at a time, but i occasionally do get around to doing work on my Special.

so years ago, one of the front wheel cylinders sprung a leak and drained out the brake fluid, and i had been hesitant to try to replace them, since it involved removing the wheel hubs and repacking the bearings, etc... so the Buick sat for a long time. a few months ago i read up about it and decided to just suck it up and do it. so, i ordered all the parts i wanted to replace, and forged ahead. here is a photo of the work in progress:

front brake job.png

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i replaced the wheel cylinders, brake hoses, and repacked the bearings. you can also see that while i was at it, i replaced the stabilizer bar linkages and bushings. (i replaced the rear wheel cylinders a few years ago)
after that, the car sat for a couple more months (i think i have ADD )... until a few days ago, when i replaced the rear brake hose, reconnected the brake pedal linkage to the master cylinder push rod with a new clevis pin, and flushed the lines.
(on a side note, i installed Speed Bleeders on the front cylinders, and dear god, they are amazing. i have them on my DD, and i love the hell out of them... wasnt sure what size to get for the rear cylinders, but when i find out, they are definitely getting installed.)

so anyway, the lack of brakes was the only thing keeping the Buick in the garage, so i decided to take her out for a spin around the block. i was fairly excited about it, since it was only the 2nd time i had driven the car on the road, so i documented the momentous occasion in HD video and uploaded it to YouTube for everyone to enjoy. i dont think there is a way for me to hotlink videos to a post, so check out the video here!:

http://youtu.be/_ETZgcpR5To

[Smartin]

5 years! Nice...good to see you could get it out for a spin. 4:45am? You work the late shift or the early shift?

[dvonk]

haha, yeah... i work nights and it was my 'weekend.' usually its easier for me to stay awake at night instead of trying to do stuff during the day.

[dvonk]

well gents, as per usual i like to go months without any sort of progress, then resume with a short burst of activity. so here we go: last week i changed the oil (spin-on oil filter FTW!), with a dose of ZDDPlus. and yesterday, after nearly 10 years in storage, i finally titled & registered the Special.

so, i threw the plates on, checked the fluids, adjusted the idle a bit and went for a drive to the gas station.

its the first time the Buick has been on anything besides a test drive around the block since i parked it in October 2009. slow and steady wins the race? haha. she definitely seemed to start running better after getting out and 'stretching her legs'... get those fluids circulating!

to commemorate the occasion, i snapped a Polaroid of her at the gas station. i was so excited i forgot to adjust the exposure and its way overexposed, but you get the idea. now to address these 30+ year old tires...

[Boots43]

Good to see her on the road!! I have been doing quite a bit of work on mine but not posting. Maybe your posting will get me motivated to post more my self. Keep moving forward.

[dvonk]

well, here we go, finally got some new tires. these are 760-15 BF Goodrich 3 3/8" whitewall bias-ply tires from Coker. really completes the look!

[Smartin]

Nice! New tires make such a difference. I just got new ones from Coker for my 60. Night and day difference from the crappy brown walls I had before.

[dvonk]

fantastic! my Special still needs plenty of work, but at least i can drive it a bit. Adam, I thought of you when i went to the tire shop today, there was a Centurion there too!