Things continue to move along! Here are a few pictures of the engine so far…it is painted in authentic “Buick Green”. This picture is not quite reproducing the color properly, the camera appears to be enhancing the vibrancy a bit The power steering pump was rebuilt by Power Steering Services (http://www.powersteering.com/). The exhaust manifolds have Jet Hot coating applied (http://www.jet-hot.com/), aside from keeping the underhood temps down a bit, they won’t rust. We also installed new fuel and water pumps, and I found an NOS High Pressure Power Steering Hose on eBay. The last picture shows the engine mated with the fully rebuilt twin turbine.
People with sharp eyes will notice that the engine is not painted to 100% factory accuracy. Buick (and most GM) engines were painted after they were fully assembled. This would mean that the fuel filter, oil filter, oil filter adapter housing and the brass vacuum fitting on the intake would all be painted green. In addition, the bottom half of the distributor (how much depends on how neat the factory painter was) would also be green. There would also be paint on the exhaust manifolds, most of which would burn off but on many originals you can still detect some residue (especially noticeable on Chevrolet Orange engines). I should also point out that the crankshaft pullys should be black, but they will be repainted
While I could have gone 100% correct, I decided to take a few liberties and make it about 95% correct as it looks a little neater than the “correct” factory slop job that would have required paint on the exhaust manifolds and letting it burn.
People with really sharp eyes will notice that I’m using a reproduction fuel pump. The correct AC pump would be a screwed-together multi-cast unit, not one with a pressed steel bottom. The correct pump would have the number “4672” stamped on the mounting flange (although the same unit number of 4672 was carried on to the later pressed-together type pumps like I have installed). This would be for cars produced after 03 December 1958. Using the correct pump would have required rebuilding it and updating it to use internals which are compatible with modern gasoline.
Other 59 Buick owners may be wondering about the fan clutch, this part only came on A/C equipped cars.
Here she is mated to the freshly rebuilt 2T transmission…
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~ Tom Sidoti
1959 Buick Electra 225 Convertible