Inland Northwest Buick chapter Kaleidoscope 2019_03 March

March 10, 2019

Volume 03 Number 03

Kaleidoscope

Inland Northwest Buick chapter Buick Club of America

images by jeff schindler

(This past February provided many opportunities to create some art with my 1953 roadmaster )

Rendezvous

Special news

Date/Time:

Third Thursday of each month at 6pm, (note: we usually eat dinner-self pay) Location: Conley’s Place Restaurant (12622 E. Sprague Ave, Spokane Valley, WA 99216) Upcoming meeting dates: Mar 21st Apr 18th May 16th June 20th July 18th

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April 27 - Guild School Penny Drive / Spokane, WA May 11 - Gludt family picnic / Troy, Idaho May 17-19 - Lost in the 50s / Sandpoint, ID May 18 - Lilac Festival 19th Annual Cruizin the Falls Spokane, WA June 1st - Regional Rendezvous Ft Borst/ Centralia WA June 14-15 - Car d' Lane June 15th - 26th Buick Open / Puyallup WA June 12-15 - NATIONAL MEET / Midwest City OK July 18 - INCCC Downtown Scholarship Car Show Spokane, WA July 27 - Honor Flight Car Show & Shine / Spokane, WA August 17 - Touchmark Car Show / Spokane, WA September 15 - INCCC "All Clubs" Picnic / Spokane, WA

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March 10, 2019

Volume 03 Number 03

Directors Message Our Chapter minutes are our primary organ of record for our Chapter proceedings.

After discussions with Jeff Schindler, our Social Media, Activities and Newsletter Director, I think that our Newsletter “Kaleidoscope” can provide an additional important form of permanent record of our Chapter’s activities. I have sent broadcast email messages of general information to our members in the past. Instead of sending such messages by email, when appropriate, I would like to include them in our Kaleidoscope. As a result, I would like to include my most recent message in our Kaleidoscope: During our last Chapter meeting, we voted unanimously on delaying our bid to host the BCA National Meet from 2022 to 2023 at the suggestion of the National Meet Committee (NMC) if there could be some assurance of our hosting the 2023 Meet. I have received an update from Jack Welch, BCA Chairman of the NMC. Jack replied that there can be no guarantee, but because the NMC wants the Meet out west and we would like to host the Meet, he noted that our chances are very good. He also noted that the final decision will be made before the 2020 Meet in Charlotte, NC. The NMC will make the 2022 Meet decision before this year’s National Meet in Midwest City, OK. Finally, Jack Welch mentioned that the NMC will be sending me information about putting together a National Meet Plan in the next month or so.

All in all, I think things are moving along in a nice positive way.

A second item of note is the Gludt Family Picnic.

Dick and Doris Gludt have generously offered their home for our Inland Northwest Chapter picnic. The proposed date is May 11, 2019. (Contact Greg or Jeff for address), Troy Idaho. They feel that this would be a nice way to meet all our members as they are not able to travel to our monthly meetings. Their son Doug, and his wife Lisa have recently joined our Chapter and will help Dick and Doris with the picnic hosting, as well as their other two Buick-owning sons. Dick, Doris, Doug and Lisa joined us at the Becker Buick function last October. They all are enthusiastic Buick folks. This will be a great gathering opportunity for all our Chapter members. They will need a head count at least a week or two before the picnic, Further details will be available later. Many thanks to Dick and Doris.

Greg Lewis Chapter Director, INCBCA

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March 10, 2019

Volume 03 Number 03

BUICK’S DYNAMIC DYNAFLOW THE DEFINITION OF SMOOTH MOTORING

by Lee Branum

This cutaway is of the first Dynaflow series. Everything begins on the left, The flywheel turns the pump which is on the backside or right of the torque converter. Note the arrows going around as the unit turns at engine speed. Torque is increased as the oil “turns the corner” and hits the vanes in the turbine causing it to turn the direction of the engine. Note the splined shaft that is turned by the turbine in the left center of the photo. The shaft ends in the planetary gearset where low and reverse are achieved. Note the gear right behind the torque converter and ahead of the transmission case. That’s the front oil pump which is driven by “ears” on the torque converter. It powers the transmission when the car is running and below 25 mph, give or take.(Note the left arrow going up from the bottom of the picture) The direct drive clutch is on the left of the case, see the large cutout of the release spring. This is the multi-disc clutch that gives Drive range in the Dynaflow.

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March 10, 2019 Volume 03 Number 03 The reaction gear and clutch drum are locked, and the torque converter pump and turbine are the only things that change ratio, thus there is no shifting gears in Drive in the Dynaflow, the ratio is “infinitively variable”. ☺ This first Dynaflow had one planetary gearset consisting of a sun gear in the middle, short and long planetaries ‘round about, and an internal gear drum used for reverse. Low was achieved by closing the front band and Reverse was used by closing the rear band around the reverse internal drum. Accumulators were used to cushion low and drive applications, and reverse was cushioned by a two stage servo, thus the “kaaa-lunk” when you go to “R”. Planetary gears are interesting, you can have neutral, direct, overdrive, reduction, and reverse in one set of planetary gears depending on which part you DRIVE, which part you HOLD, and which part you take the POWER from. Imagine these new ten speed automatics with at least two planetary gearsets!

Note the bottom right arrow pointing up to the rear pump. It’s at the right end of the “gear case” ahead of the tail housing. That smaller pump is driven by the driveshaft, and it takes over the operating pressure of the Dynaflow as speed increases. The front pump is used from the start, as speed increases, the rear pump picks up speed, and they share the load until somewhere around 40+ the rear pump meets the lube and pressure requirements. Right behind the rear pump in the parking gear into which the parking pawl fits when you put the Dynaflow in Park.

Behind the support is the drive gear for the speedometer which is just ahead of the universal joint and torque tube attachment. No need for a governor in the SMOOTH Dynaflow. In 1953, Buick made some major changes in the torque converter. People were complaining about the slow takeoff in Drive, so the “Twin Turbine Dynaflow” was born! A planetary gearset and “twin turbines” were added which sped up the flow of oil from the pump to the turbine that drove the input shaft. Folks who have a Buick after 1952 may note a whine around 20 mph as you pickup speed. That’s the planetary gearset in the torque converter helping you get there quicker. ☺ In later years, the Dynaflow had a “switch the pitch” feature on the stator in the torque converter for better performance. 55 years ago, my instructor in transmissions and drivetrains was a graduate of General Motors Institute. He drove a ’50 Buick Roadmaster. I remember two things he said, one was that “Buick uses a garden hose to get gas to the carburetor, and the Dynaflow has more gaskets than all of the others”. We learned never to use rags when overhauling an automatic transmission, use only compressed air to dry parts. Clearances in the front and rear pumps, which were gear and crescent in design, was .001-.0025 of an inch. The BIG thing about Dynaflow was, and is, it was SMOOTH. Buicks had coil springs since 1938, they sold in third place pretty consistently until 1956. They were all about SMOOTH, and it worked! ☺

!

Installing the variable pitch stator www.inlandnorthwestbuick.org

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March 10, 2019

Volume 03 Number 03

Nailhead Notes SPRING TUNE START UP TIME!

by Todd Smith

Greetings everyone! So when I sat down in early February and thought about the topic for the March newsletter I was fairly certain I would be pulling the Electra out of hibernation the first weekend of March and enjoying a little shakedown in 50 degree weather. Boy was that wishful thinking. As I sit here in the actual first weekend of March writing this article it is a balmy 9 degrees and dropping. The 10-day forecast is calling for highs in the upper 20s to low 30s and the lows are in the upper teens to low 20s. This coming week marks the first week the city of Spokane will start collecting the green yard waste carts for 2019. Can’t imagine that will be producing much under the 12+” of snow in all the yards!

Bringing our classics out of a long winters nap after sitting for 3-4 months can sometimes be a lot more than we want to deal with. Fuel injection and computers rule the day now and take all the fun out of this effort for cars 20 years old or less. Most everyone at this point has developed a process to make this happen as painlessly and quickly as possible. It’s always funny (or not) that the car that was running just fine in October the year prior suddenly has developed some issue or another, and inevitably turns that 30 minute effort into an afternoon.

Fluids: Gravity is constant so it may be that over the winter a new leak has developed or an existing small leak got bigger. Do a once over not just on oil, water, transmission, and power steering fluids, but also check the brakes. Wheel cylinders seem to always decide to fail over a winter at my house. All that Buick torque is not as fun if you can’t stop!

This also goes for the interior of the car and the trunk. Depending on your storage situation your car may be outside under a cover or just exposed to the winter’s moisture in an unheated garage. Check for damp floors or upholstery and the dreaded mold.

Battery: It’s always best to disconnect the battery when you know you won’t be running for awhile. This prevents a slow discharge from some unknown draw. Just sitting for long periods of time will also slowly deplete the battery so be prepared to charge the unit or use a trickle charger like this one (Battery Tender 800).

Fuel: After sitting for months the fuel in the carburetor can typically go bad if it wasn’t treated (see also Feb ’19 Nailhead Notes). Also, fuel will have a tendency to slowly evaporate and/or drain back to the tank from the main fuel line. Today’s electric fuel pumps and fuel injection bring the fuel pressure up to speed within seconds, but we don’t have that luxury if you are running stock. If the car won’t start within a few rounds of say 5-10 seconds of turning over and pumping the pedal there are a few things that can be done:

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March 10, 2019

Volume 03 Number 03

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Prime the fuel pump: disconnect the fuel line at the carburetor and carefully pour fuel down the line in the direction of the fuel pump. This will help to prime the pump and get fuel moving faster than a lot of hard cranking. I like to use the engineered fuel you buy in the quart cans from the auto parts store or small engine section of big box home improvement stores for this. It’s fresh and if you are careful you can just pour right from the can into the line.

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Pour a little engineered or fresh fuel down the carb. “little” is the operative word here – literally a teaspoon or two at most. This will get the engine started and the rpms up so that the fuel pump and carb bowl can get to doing their parts. This will also help overcome old fuel or unstabilized fuel that has lost some of its volatility necessary for easy start up. This process may need to be repeated once or twice.

Hopefully at this point you have been successful at bringing that sleeping iron lady to life, and you are hearing that unmistakable Buick lope as it idles in your drive.

So I know I eluded to spring tune up as this month’s topic, but I realized that sometimes we find that just getting to start up can be an unexpected challenge.

Next Month: Spring Tune Up – Sources and Suggestions

-When better automobiles are built BUICK will build them-

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March 10, 2019

Volume 03 Number 03

Classifieds Lead

( graciously borrowed from the Puget Sound chapter - Limited - 3/09/19)

Buick Literature. Doug Wolford 253-722-3711 (1/19) 1990 Buick Reatta Convertible. Doug Wolford, 253-722-3711 (1/19) Paint and Body Work, 3419 C St, Auburn, Units 10 & 11.

John Booth, 253-320-5040 or Bill, 253-332-2841 (11/18) 1947 1948 Buick. 2 Fender Skirts. Jim Kerns, 253-847-8945 (11/18) 1934 Buick Club Sedan 60 Series. Mechanicals done. Jack, 360-893-6663 (11/18) 1938 Pontiac 2-Door Slope Back. Quite rare. Jack, 360-893-6663 (11/18) 1950 Buick Sedanette. 19K original miles. Jack, 360-893-6663 (11/18) 1950 Buick Parts Car. $500.00. Jack, 360-893-6663 (11/18) 1964/1965 Skylark Parts. Keith, 253-85BUICK (11/18) FREE 1968 Buick 350V8 Heads. Look to have been rebuilt, one has sat in a bit of water on the gasket surface, the other looks great. FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE. Keith Ladderud, 253-85BUICK (11/18) All below is for sale by Rich Elliff 1972 Buick rebuildable 350V8, w/starter, alternator, power steering, Quadra jet intake manifold, $150 1967 Buick rebuildable 300V8, 2bbl w/converter, $50 1964 Buick 300 V8, Aluminum 2bbl intake manifold w/carb, $35 1964 Buick 300 V8, Aluminum rebuildable heads, $100 1957 Buick 364 V8, 2bbl intake manifold, carburetor & air cleaner, $40 1957 Buick Wheels w/tires 15 inch 5X5, $80 1956 Buick Century Station Wagon stainless steel trim, not a complete set, $200 2-1950s Buick vacuum wiper motors, $5 each Buick 322 V8 exhaust manifold, pass side, needs welding, $15 1957 Buick Wagon rear hatch glass, EZ Eye (green), small scratches, $250 Turbo 350 transmission, rebuilt $500 4-1964-1967 Buick front brake drums w/bearings, $60 Transmission adapter, 1964 – 1967 Chev Jeep Olds Buick Cad small block V8 to Turbo 350/400, Inquire 2-1957 Buick brake light lenses, $20 1964-1970 Buick 300-340-350 water pump, $15 1965 Buick Special Convertible, V6, all mechanical has been done, Michelin tires, new dual exhaust, aluminum front drums, new windshield, chrome and stainless is great. Needs top, $6500.

Rich Elliff, 253-686-6620 (1/19)

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March 10, 2019

Volume 03 Number 03

Classifieds 1956 Buick Special 4-Door HT. Work in progress. Leon Gifford 360-301-0906 (3/19) 1962 Oldsmobile 4-Door F85. Aluminum V8, no title. Free come get it. Liam Riley 206-769-6376 (3/19) 1937 Buick Sedan. Body perfect from firewall to rear, all new glass and rubber, all new brake system, all woodgrain redone. One set of standard fenders, one set of sidemount fenders. New lacquer paint from firewall to rear, extra black lacquer paint. Engine redone. Reasonable Offer. John Thomas, 253-759-4863 (3/19) 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. "Barn find" rust free $ 2000.Buick Riviera parts. 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971 & 1972 call for complete list.

1996 Jaguar XJ 12. V 12 engine and tranny. Engine still in car, runs perfect. Last year of real Jaguars before Ford started messing with it. Asking $ 1000.- Perfect for Hot Rod Project.

Jan Foss 253-303-0375 or cell 206-660-4060 (1/19) 1963 1964 1965 & some 1966 Buick Riviera. Parts. Some trim, gas tanks, small items, side glass, window motors. Keith Bingham, 253-630-3465 (1/19) Buick Dealership Neon Sign, 9 foot long with individual letters that have new neon tubing. Looks good and lights up nice. Have some history and pictures. Came from a dealership in Oregon. $4500.00 Keith Bingham, 253-630-3465 (1/19) 1956 Buick Special, 4bbl manifold & carburetor. William kettle, 360-434-0695 (3/19) 1934 Buick Model 66S 3-Window rumble seat coupe. Dave Maxwell, 208-741-1594 (3/19) 1947 1948 Buick sedanette & convertible, 1956 Buick Roadmaster Super Century Special convertible 4-door 2&4-door hardtop station wagon.

1963 Buick Skylark convertible, 1968 1969 Buick Convertible.

Chuck, 425-508-3545 (3/19)

Needs

Buick Earrings. Jacque Anderson (11/18) 1964/1965 Skylarks. Keith Ladderud, 253-85BUICK (11/18) 1965/1966 Skylark Automatic Blue Console & 1965 Blue dash pad. Keith Ladderud, 253-85BUICK (11/18) Nice 1955 Buick Hubcaps. Need one two or more, what do you have? Keith Bingham 253-630-3465 (1/19) 1961 Buick LeSabre. Motor mounts. Marty Pendriss 253-854-0726 (1/19) 1956 Buick Special 2-Door HT. Grill & rear quarter glass assemblies. Mike Wrench 503-680-1229 (3/19) Buick ??? Need rear body/trunk bumper seal. Craig Hays 253-820-3113 (3/19) 1934 Buick Model 66S, Rumble Seat Coupe. All window garnish, front, side doors and roll up rear window.

Dave Maxwell 208-741-1594 (3/19) 1938 Buick. Right side headlight ring.

1941 Buick. Small series dual carburetor manifold, carburetors, etc... Complete.

Bill Zesbaugh 253-304-6285 (3/19) Buick 215, V8 parts, Duane Yarno 206-817-5760 (3/19) 1963 Buick LeSabre & Wildcat, 1960 Oldsmobile, 1949 1950 Oldsmobile.

Floyd Soderlund 360-440-4415 (3/19)

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