Will it start? 1955 Buick special can we get the 264 Nailhead to run and drive?
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- I bought the car off a buddy of mine but he's keeping the motor. So I decided to see if I could get the car to run and if so can I get her to drive around the yard? It is unknown how long it's been since this thing last drove all I know is the motor is loose so it should start.
00:00 The challenge.
01:39 Moving the Buick to the shop
12:10 First fire up of the Nailhead
14:18 Nailhead running on it's own.
16:40 Getting some tires on the Buick
20:26 Taking the Buick for it's first drive is who knows how long...
23:44 Talking about plans for the car and fly around of the car.
Thanks for watching - Авто та транспорт
Seams a shame to separate the engine from the car. Its beautiful just as it is in its all original glory!
Takes a pretty shortsighted person to separate a matching numbers engine from an easily restorable car to make a hotrod. Nailheads aren't hen's teeth.
Imagine that! You opened the hood and it stayed up - no cheap prop rod to hunt for, then shift hands holding the hood up because it's on the other side, no gas struts to leak and brain the unwary - it's magic! Just a couple of strong and light springs - things we don't get on cars anymore, for no adequate reason.
I, probably like most who watch these videos, get an enormous amount of pleasure just seeing and hearing a sleeping motor fire back to life! Thanks for the video!
The best thing about this vid is your genuine joy doing what you do! We are hurting for joy these days. Please keep the content coming.
Thanks man.
So beautifully said!
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I have a 67 Tbird. Have had it since high school in the mid 70’s. Love classics and to hear this engine is like hearing a heart beat. Love being born in the 50’s. The 60’&70’s was a hit!🇺🇸
Show me a modern car that will start and sound as good as that in 60 years. Cant beat that with a big old stick! Made my day.
I was going to write that but you did it for me. Thanks! 😁
Greetinfs from India. I have seen cars from the 1930s and 1940s being used as daily runners till laws were passed making it illegal for old cars to be run on the streets except in vintage car rallies.
But one hardly sees cars surviving from the 1980s and 1990s.
@@TheBandana1969 Not here in the US. Run it like you stole it.
@@davidnichols1363 So it is. And makes sense too. No point in keeping a perfectly fine vehicle in the garage just because it is old.
Don't go too far, can you imagine getting pulled over?.
I love Buicks. I was raised on Buick. My Dad worked for a dealership for almost 20 years so I got to see all the new models and ride in them. Great cars
I love the old Buick...my first car was a '53 Roadmaster 322 nailhead...I was a teen and beat it all to hell and it kept on coming back...great cars.
No wonder old people loved Buick’s so much just look at her she’s a beauty.
People loved them because they actual built them with quality. They cared about that back then.
Right?
nick B you are dead on correct!!!
Buicks from that time were special. Unlike the Chinese product that they are today.
Ted Brenneman should be a super restoration! I’m restoring a 1959 Apache 3100 and the bones are fantastic! Good metal!
Being reverse is at the bottom check the trans mounts both of them and adj the linkage likely not stroking far enough to get reverse see that a lot on the dyna flows
My Dad had a '55 Buick Special convertible. White over dark blue. Dark blue top. Even though I was only 5,I can remember starring at it out of our kitchen window. What a beauty.
I had a '54 Special with the nailhead. Smoothest running engine I ever owned. With manual steering and brakes it was a chore to park, but out on the highway there was nothing better.
That is a pretty rare car here in the states imagine it is in Canada to I never say this but it's kind of a shame to see that engine separated from it but on the other hand I can't wait to see it Chop Top if that's what happens
Well, that was cool Brent! I’m amazed that the old Buick hasn’t been stripped of its chrome mouldings ! Looks great with the whitewalls. Fun project for down the road sometime.
Back in the day, I had a 54, 55, 56, all specials and 61 le'sabre, all nail heads (obviously). The 56 was the best of the bunch, the 61 the worst. They were all daily drivers and I drove them all until they quit. Looking under the hood of your special brings back a flood of memories. Thanks for posting this.
Cab drivers in Cuba would love this car.
Cuban nos
this is why cab drivers in Cuba drive these cars
Aqui en chile tambien ricachon lo querriamos mucho
That was fun! Love the overhead shots of the buick cruising through the yard
Buick sees you coming with that little half bottle of gas, and smirks - "He's gotta be kidding! I'm old and neglected, but after all, I'm still a Buick, and we need nourishment of a more substantial sort." It's interesting to me that the straight 8 replaced by the 264 cube V8 was a 263.
At this point..it's no longer just a Machine...rather, it's a work of art..!
Could the Buick be a candidate for a body swap onto a more modern chassis? That would be a cool project build. Love the way the engine coughed and spluttered in chugged into life, then smooth out on your fuel oil mixture. You could hear it smooth out and come back to life. Great Stuff.
That sure would be sweet to see it put back on the road. Those old tranys can be fixed relatively easy for not a lot but maybe you can find a replacement. That is if you can get the motor for your own use. Would love to see this as some kind of project for you.
Speaking as a person who has restored many an older Buick, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959 and even a 1963; there is nothing simple about rebuilding the dynaflow trans. You start by dropping the rear end!! Torque tube. Enclosed driveshaft. What a pain in the rear!!
@@frozenbits48 Any I stand corrected thank you Sir.
@@frozenbits48 That brings back painful memories, but after swapping in a 3 spd standard tranny, that torque tube sure helped with traction, no wheel hop.
That’s a lot of glass. Buick made some nice classy cars. I’m sure what ever you do will look cool.
Brings back memories! My first car was a 55 Buick Special two door, bought her for $30, the old dynaflo didn't work in mine at all when I bought her. Good thing my dad was a great mechanic!
I love this video and all the old cars you have sitting around. It's always an awesome feeling to get an old engine running, can hear it in your voice! My idea of heaven on earth! Best to you Brent!
Memory tells me from the good old days that those Buicks were famous for having a failing reverse gear..Great to watch you enjoy bringing and old car back from the dead !! VERY enjoyable
Well that was fun! Love how clear the windshield is, fantastic visibility
...but do the wipers work? Try the washers!
Just finished my ‘55. Please build this car! :)
Swapped the 264 for the 322. Gas pedal start!
Brodrick Crawford Highway Patrol type car.( he had a two door)
Flintstone brakes!cool old iron!👍👍
I think we could call that a "foot" brake.
Great job getting this old nail head to start. I had a 1955 4-hole (in fenders) which signified a 322 cu in engine. Great old car. Dynaflow trans was smooth as silk but on the weak side for heavy car and a kid with a lead foot. The oil-mix gas would've been good on initial start if no pre-soak squirts of oil in spark plug holes was employed to seal rings and limit dry start-up ring & cyl wall scuffing. Also, the float bowl air vent tube in the air horn of the carb can be used to fill the float bowl if one is careful (and if the float needle valve isn't stuck open). I ended up putting my 322 nail head in a 1923 ford bucket tee roadster after I burned up the 3rd Buick Dynaflow in the Buick. The narrow-angle nailhead was ideal for that application as it didn't interfere with the original '23 Ford steering.
Old nailhead would make the coolest hot rod. The drone footage shows some cool projects parked around your yard. Jealous.
You'll always impress a hot rodder by correctly identifying a nail head
Go for it.
50' s era rocks.
👍
I like the old buicks.. well designed ..and the 2 door cars are beautiful
Perhaps no reverse is why it was parked? Runs amazingly well!
Awesome car, 1955 was a good year great time to be alive, lot of good things happened that year.
My father had the 2 door version of this car when I was a kid. One of its unusual features is that the starter was somehow linked to the gas pedal. There was no "Start" position on the ignition switch. To start it, you turned on the ignition and pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor to make it crank. As I recall, the starter would cut out automatically once the engine was running. I also remember that reverse gear got to be unreliable once the car got about 100,000 miles on it. We used to park the car on the street so we could start out going forward. After driving it a ways, reverse would start working.
There’s a “microswitch” on the carburetor, and a heavier relay that sends current to the starter.
Love the bring them back to life videos. Excellent!
Great looking dash and steering wheel and once those lifters pumped up it really made a difference in the way it ran.
Seen ya heading for the camera, said oh shit , and laughed my ass off😂
Brent!! My very first car was a 1956 Buick 4 door Special with the 264 Nailhead! You just gotta do something with this thing!! Chassis swap it for something late model like a fuel injected caprice or something. The transmission locked up in mine and the closed tube driveshaft was a nightmare, but these bodies just have class my friend! I will tune into every single episode (which I always do anyways lol). A Disabled Soldiers request to experience the build again!! I was only 15 years old when I got mine and driving it by 17. I put all my pennies in it from my grocery bagging job and gas attendant job. Great memories from 33 years ago!!
1956 buick had the 322 cubic inches engine.....Last year for the Buick 264 c.i. was '55....'56 saw the 322 c.i. across all models.
Sweet nailhead music . Thanks for sharing
The first car i remember is the family 56 Buick. It was green and same body style as yers. A beautiful car! My car seat hooked over the seat back with no belts no nothin ! I just sat between Mom and Dad. One of the best cars we had. So it needs a cool Buick engine or 455 transplant. Oh yeah i was 2 1/2 3 years old. Born in 63 now 57. Prolly a little younger than you. Good memories wish i could go back since Mom has been gone for 4 years now. See ya Al Brokaw in Ohio.
The shape and styling of that car is to die for.
Wow unbelievable that motor sounds great in that Buick excellent 👍🏼👏🏼
That was great that you got it running, shame the trans not up to par. Keep those video's coming Brent!
Yes the old Buicks are tanks. An look great even after all these years... It's a shame it's not being restored !!!!
Great job! There's something about those old engines coming back to life!
When it fired the sound just made me think of when Arnie started Christine the first time
Exactly
Great vid. You should show us around your yard more. Looks like lots of treasures.
A car this nice needs to be made driveable again. Keep working on it!
Good looking old Buick, Seemed like fun to me, thanks for sharing.
I've used the safety hood before to hold the gas jug! Lol! Good stuff Brent - this car sure has great bones to start a build with! Nailhead runs great!
Straight and complete (less glass - shame). Rollie's got a good motor, and you have a good body. Very cool car. 👍😎
I have a rear glass !!!
Reverse band lever broke, they were notorious for breaking, I replaced quite a few in the day. BTW I wouldn't pull the motor it's only a 264 ci. and they're around if you look.
Congratulations on the successful startup. I chuckled, when I heard you wondering where the starter button was.
The sound of the starter, brought back memories of my 322ci, 54 Century engine. I had it in a 47 Chev, and hated the DynaSlow transmission so much, that I found a 3 spd. That engine had awesome torque.
Awesome video, amazing how the old iron will fire up after years and years of sitting. Too bad about no reverse, but that was likely why it was parked in the first place :).
Good job. That 55 has a lot of potential. Sounds terrific. I have a 56 Nomad. I love these cars.
Chop topped two door would be Kool!
Why would you want to ruin a great looking classic by chopping the top?!
@@eugenedasher8380 Enhancing the beauty of the original.
@@41plymouthnut87 I'm a restoration nut there is no way to restore a car or truck but to original, anything else in my opinion is akin to altering a piece of classic art and reducing it's value.
@@eugenedasher2644 my thumnail picture is my car. only the paint keeps it from an original restoration. Still 6 volt. I also have a 1942 Farmall H with a McCormick 30 loader that's original not restored. I understand your position and respect it. I also have a passion for custom cars done right.
Great to see these oldies being saved and not crushed😀
Sweet the buick deserves to be restored👍
Cool dash, really a smooth running car, love the safety device.
Thanks for the laughs draggin that tenny ,damn dyna-flow trans anyway.
So nice to see old original car starting.
Definetly a beautiful car to restore! But too bad them windows are broken, is gonna be hard to find those.😎👍
Dash design xtra kool. Chrome pcs seem ok. If the glass was broke on purpose by vandels they evidently do not realize that there is a place in.........🔥🔥🔥
The windshield and the back glass are the hardest pieces to get. The side windows are flat so they can be cut to fit. Yes, this old Buick in stock form does use a throttle start.
Can't kill those nailheads! The Buick line all got the new OHV Nailhead engines except for the Special, which had to wait until 1954 to get the new Buick V8. 264/322/364/401/425
Sounds Great for Sitting so long. #STAYSAFE
That sucks the glass got broken out of it but I guess you can tarp it to keep the rain out to prevent future rust /work but that's a nice body and will be a cool cruiser . It's already a good cruiser that cruised right into your camera 😂 I like the ol fred flintstone brake system that you installed on it 🤣👌🏼 I can't wait until you get started on this one because it is a really nice car and I love the patina that it has 👍🏻
This is why I still drive a Buick. Good job. Great life be blessed.
A guy can always tell the canadian car channels by the canadian tire tools😬
I realized immediately when he said eh. 😆
The way the feller talks is the give away.
Cool video, thanks for your time, love to hear old engines run once again!
Those old Buick nail heads were good engines and do look cool in hot rods. I remember a kid when I was in high school (many long years ago), who had a 40 Ford coupe that he had installed one of those engines in.
The red and green makes it look like Christmas 1955 👍🏻✨
Great as a project car. I bet that it is certainly restorable. It is a diamond in the rough.
Love the '54, 55 & 56 Buick's I had a '56 Buick in 1979 a Special Conv. Great cars the old Buicks.
That blows my mind built before most of us were born and starts up wow !
Enjoyed that, perfect project!
That is just awesome👍
Just picked up a 55 special. These are cool old cars. Love the channel and seeing all the old rides run again
If I remember right there's a reverse band and the servo is on the side of the case but I haven't had my hands in one in probably 45 years. But sometimes you could repair them without a complete tear down.
In the early 70s, I had a 61 Buick Invicta 4 door hardtop practically given to me, $50.00 I think, after reverse stopped working in the DynaFlow. Somebody vandalized the car, somehow making their world a better place, I guess, before I could get at it. The HydraMatic in my 53 Pontiac had external band adjustment, accessed through a portal in the passenger side of the transmission tunnel.
You can fix a broken reverse band just by dropping the pan. There used to be a repair kit for it, but, like you said, 45 years ago.
The Dynaflow, was made to be smooth, and would not stand up when used as a performance transmission (well, it would for awhile). If you drove it like a Hydramatic, the transmission would fail. Don't ask me how I know.
Nice start up good job runs great i love those old motors
I love seeing old cars running again.
I may be getting a 55 Buick with a nailhead soon, thanks for giving me some build ideas haha
Rolls down broken side glass...fixed! Lol. What a beautiful front end she has.
Great job. That's was too cool 👍👍🇨🇱
Cool old 55 really looks complete be nice to get back on the road. Great job getting it going👍
Maybe no reverse is why it got parked,or getting choked by road dust comeing in,Either way its not anything you cant repair.That will make a nice cruiser
yeah i kinda figure but I'll have a look at it yet for kicks and see if I can get it to work.
Yep !! I like it - Your very fortunate the head light doors are still on it as they are very desirable - I had one years ago with a standard shift, but I managed to bust that 3 times, on the third time I quit
best laugh of the day,when i saw the foot come down and act as brake on workshop floor-i remember.got the camera,for me back 50yrs ago it was a brand new socket set with a beautiful steel case-flattened by a 39 barrelnose with zero brakes.it did run good tho
Another awesome video!!!
If you have to start over with a engine/trans, a 401 or 425 nailhead would be a nice upgrade if you could find one.
I love the sound of a nailhead. I own a '56 Buick Special I had had for 35 years. It uses the 322 cid nailhead with the low compression heads and a two barrel carburetor. 1956 was the first year the 322 was used in all models.
Hey...so cool to see these forgotten vintage cars run & move under there own power, too bad you can't talk your buddy out of robbing this old Buick's motor & trans...
That stop was hilarious! Thanks for leaving it in. There was a bad judder when you slammed your shoe onto the concrete, maybe needs adjustment.
That motor sounds pretty good
This is the first car that I ever said that I liked the patina. This one I would rub down with boiled linseed oil then add dual straight pipes, no dual Hollywood, and slather her with a whole lot of love inside. A beautiful sweet ride.
OOOOPS! good old Dynaflow transmissions,,famous for reverse givin out,,even when they werent very old ;)
That's what the holes in the driver's side floor boards are for...Flintstone breaks....
Love the front end on that car.
Love the Buick it's in pretty good shape