66 Buick Back From The Dead! - HOT ROD Unlimited Episode 5 - video Dailymotion

MotorTrend

On this episode of HOT ROD Unlimited

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to the Hot Rod Magazine shop where we have a small collection of really ugly convertibles.

00:05 This episode of Hot Rod Unlimited is about the '66 Buick behind me,

00:09 and what makes it really cool is that it sat buried in the desert for 33 years

00:14 until we dug it out, got it running in two days, and drove it all the way from Phoenix to LA.

00:19 Check it out.

00:20 One of my best known accomplices is Rick Payway, who's the editor-in-chief of 4WheelOnOffroad.

00:29 This Buick has been sitting in Payway's backyard since 1978.

00:34 His mom bought it when it was a couple years old.

00:36 Her and the rest of the family drove the thing until the forward gears and the trans went out,

00:40 and so they literally just shoved it in the backyard with the top down and left it sitting there.

00:45 It's been there ever since, untouched.

00:47 And so we thought that naturally made it a good idea to fly here to Phoenix,

00:52 fix it up in a couple days, and get home before Sunday, which is Mother's Day,

00:57 because our wives will kill us if we're not there.

01:00 This thing is actually a Buick Special and not a Skylark,

01:05 and oddly enough, this is one of 2,036 1966 Buick Special convertibles with a V8.

01:13 So before we got here, Rick actually undug the car and got a few things done.

01:18 Here's the water pump that was on it.

01:21 It was a little frozen.

01:22 I have to admit, if anything is going to stop us here, it's the cooling system.

01:25 It's fine. It's mint.

01:26 The engine in this thing, 300 cubic inch V8.

01:29 310, it says.

01:30 That's the torque rating. That's what Buick did.

01:33 This is almost too nice to really be an adventure.

01:36 I'll be highly surprised that these seat backs even make it home, since that side's already broke off.

01:41 That side's not really as bad.

01:43 Oh!

01:44 So, uh...

01:45 Do it again.

01:46 Yeah. Don't bother upholstering.

01:48 Um...

01:49 We can fix that.

01:52 [Music]

01:56 Wow, nice floorboards in the back.

01:59 Some Legos.

02:00 [Music]

02:03 I think the market research really failed when they named these shock absorbers.

02:07 They're the Delco Pleasure-izer.

02:09 [Laughter]

02:12 The bummer is that Rick actually had this running before we got here, so that we know it runs,

02:16 but this will be the first time we've seen it.

02:18 Fire it up!

02:19 [Engine starts]

02:21 Mint!

02:22 It's flawless.

02:23 It's flawless.

02:24 It's not smoking.

02:25 It doesn't smoke.

02:27 But I say you're a smoking car.

02:29 Okay, it's steadily pouring gas.

02:32 Fuel pump's leaking.

02:34 It's like swedged together, two metal pieces, and the seam is just sort of weeping onto the ground.

02:40 That's why we have an electric fuel pump.

02:43 [Music]

02:50 They're mint.

02:52 The brakes are literally like new.

02:54 All right, what's happening?

02:55 We're draining the motor oil out of the diff.

02:57 Really?

02:58 Yeah.

02:59 Well, it's probably a high-performance limited split.

03:03 Yeah.

03:04 [Laughter]

03:05 Strange, isn't it?

03:07 Dude.

03:09 That doesn't taste right.

03:11 [Music]

03:15 It's about 10 o'clock at night, the end of the very first day,

03:18 and we decided to pack it in because we're kind of tired.

03:20 Got a lot done on the car.

03:22 There's a lot of mysteries left ahead, and we'll find those tomorrow.

03:26 [Music]

03:39 [Engine revving]

03:45 [Tires screeching]

03:47 [Music]

03:50 You like it?

03:51 That sucker enjoys.

03:52 It's almost too nice for the car.

03:54 [Music]

03:59 Taking apart the brakes, and I'm pulling the inner wheel bearing like that by using the nut.

04:08 This side's looking pretty good.

04:09 Finnegan, apparently, un-good.

04:12 I wiped all the rust out of it after I took the dust cap off and found that.

04:16 She is not good.

04:20 Needs cleaning and packing.

04:22 We can do that.

04:24 Genuine made in USA bearing.

04:25 You don't see that anymore.

04:27 [Music]

04:31 That's it.

04:33 [Music]

04:36 Oh!

04:38 Miss Peiwei had a lead foot.

04:39 Look at that.

04:40 Oh, yeah.

04:41 [Laughter]

04:43 Fail.

04:44 [Laughter]

04:46 I vacuumed most of the floor out of it.

04:52 That's one hell of a shop vac.

04:53 Sucked the whole floor out of the car.

04:55 We couldn't find a rear diff gasket, but Velcro sells this stuff.

05:01 You can make your own.

05:02 I was smart enough to actually order new brake parts from Robestus before I left,

05:07 so these were here waiting for us.

05:10 It's perfect.

05:11 Good.

05:12 You're going to have to adjust the rod, of course, but I would say it's going to be bolt-in.

05:16 All right.

05:17 Not a problem.

05:18 [Music]

05:24 That is a wrap on assembling the brakes.

05:26 The thing is we don't yet know if the wheel cylinders leak yet or not,

05:29 so I'm not going to finish this all up until we get the master cylinder on the thing,

05:33 try and bleed it, and see if we pop all the seals out of it or not.

05:35 What are you looking for for the floor?

05:37 Stop sign.

05:39 Yes!

05:40 [Music]

05:45 Yeah, that's only going to cover this side, really.

05:48 Whoa!

05:49 That's for this side.

05:50 [Music]

05:53 Like a glove.

05:54 We have ignition.

05:56 And we have fuel pump.

05:57 Ready?

06:00 Money.

06:03 The choke idle up is actually working.

06:06 Is it running off with the bowl or is there--?

06:08 It's off the bowl.

06:10 It's coming.

06:11 Wow.

06:12 [Machine running]

06:16 There it is.

06:17 Woo!

06:19 Look, it turned clean.

06:20 All the varnish is gone.

06:21 No way.

06:22 Look at the dirt.

06:23 Look.

06:24 Oh, it's going to dirt up real quick.

06:27 Yeah.

06:28 Whoa!

06:29 Stop!

06:30 Give me a hammer.

06:31 Give me a hammer.

06:32 [Machine running]

06:40 It sounds funky.

06:41 Boy, that was close.

06:42 Woo!

06:43 That was close.

06:44 Woo!

06:45 Good thing we know what we're doing there.

06:46 The needle and seat stuck and it started to overflow the float bowl,

06:49 at which point most people would panic and have a fire,

06:51 but we knew what to do, which was to hit it with the jack handle.

06:55 Did you notice the well-orchestrated coordination?

06:57 Because Rick and I have been here before.

06:59 See, I went straight to keeping it running while the gas was guzzling down the carburetor,

07:04 and he went straight for the implement of bashing, like a well-oiled machine.

07:09 What we did is basically get the brakes working.

07:11 They self-bled.

07:12 We didn't even have to open a single bleeder screw,

07:15 and we vacuumed the floor out of the car,

07:18 and we got fluid in our new transmission.

07:20 We got it running.

07:21 We got fluid in the rear end.

07:23 It's virtually restored.

07:25 We'll see if we can drive it tomorrow.

07:27 [Music]

07:29 Our floor has a little more ventilation than I normally like,

07:32 you know, even in a convertible.

07:35 So, $20 grinder from Harbor Create with a cut-off wheel,

07:40 cut all the rust out,

07:41 and then we're going to bend up a not-stolen stop sign to fit the floor.

07:48 We'll tech screw it in, dialed.

07:50 [Music]

08:01 It's bent nice. I think it'll work.

08:02 Let's go find out.

08:03 [Music]

08:17 Now we just have to throw our seat in it,

08:19 make sure that the electrical system works.

08:21 We don't have any brake lights or headlights right now,

08:23 and then I think we're ready for a road test.

08:25 [Music]

08:29 Oh, yeah.

08:31 Look at the action on that baby.

08:32 Got to put on the hubcaps.

08:34 Looks ghetto without them.

08:35 Ignition. Clear.

08:37 [Engine starting]

08:38 Got it.

08:39 It moves.

08:43 Yes!

08:44 [Cheering]

08:46 I feel safe in this. This is good.

08:48 Where does the gas pedal go?

08:49 Oh, there it is. No pedal.

08:51 Woo-hoo-hoo!

08:52 Moves out!

08:54 [Music]

08:59 Yes!

09:00 Utterly flawless!

09:01 Flawless.

09:02 Wow.

09:03 This is a thing of beauty.

09:05 I told you.

09:06 Would I sell you a bad car?

09:07 Wow.

09:09 Oh, that was awesome.

09:11 To drive this car again after 34 years.

09:14 Yep.

09:15 This is just a feel-good car.

09:16 I mean, chicks dig you when you have this.

09:18 [Engine starting]

09:21 Okay.

09:22 We just made the glorious maiden voyage.

09:25 It's time for some celebration.

09:27 [Music]

09:33 We're out on our first big drive,

09:35 hunting pawn shops and yard sales in the Buick,

09:37 and we got on the freeway and it started to surge.

09:40 If you got into it, this filter is clogged

09:42 with all that junk right there that was in the gas tank.

09:46 And that's why we have one, two, three filters on it,

09:50 because we knew that was going to happen.

09:52 That looks like the bottom of a fish tank.

09:54 [Music]

09:59 Sir.

10:00 [Engine starting]

10:02 Yeah, yeah.

10:03 I'm happier.

10:05 On to more adventure.

10:07 [Music]

10:12 Wow.

10:13 There's brake fluid pouring off the underside of the tire.

10:16 Look.

10:17 [Music]

10:22 The thing that makes me dumb and lazy

10:23 is that I anticipated the brakes being junk on this thing.

10:26 So I ordered all the parts from Raybestos,

10:29 and we only used the master cylinder,

10:30 and now I'm paying for it.

10:31 So we're going to go through all the cylinders,

10:33 at which point we might as well change

10:34 these old, dry-rotted, cracked hoses as well.

10:38 Either we have this covered,

10:39 or this is going to domino into disaster.

10:43 Okay, see, this one's not leaking yet,

10:45 but it will soon enough.

10:48 [Music]

10:59 Finally, we got this '66 Buick convertible

11:02 ready to hit the road after it had been parked

11:04 in that backyard for 30 years.

11:06 Here we go.

11:07 [Music]

11:10 See ya!

11:11 [Music]

11:19 Well, that was a thrash,

11:20 but we really dig this turd now.

11:22 As a matter of fact,

11:23 we're going to use it as a project car.

11:25 We're going to keep it looking the way it does,

11:27 but we've already put a CPP suspension on it.

11:29 We're going to do a few more things

11:30 and hit the autocross,

11:32 and when we do,

11:33 you'll see it here on Hot Rod Unlimited.

11:35 [Music]

12:04 [Music]

66 Buick Back From The Dead! - HOT ROD Unlimited Episode 5

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