First time US car - Guten Tag from Germany

MrHenry20

Member
Hi everyone!

Glad I've found this forum wherein so much valuable knowledge is been put together.

Coming from Italian cars such as Abarth, last summer I've decided to add something new to my collection. By total coincidence (don't ask me how I got to it lol) I found a very nice Special Deluxe Convertible, however in a neglected technical and optical condition. This one was driving around the Netherlands for some 12ish years or so. Before that, the trace is lost unfortunately. But I got a heart on that one and wanted to put it back to life, restoring to a condition that great car deserves!

Thanks to this forum and what I've so far is, it's a 1962 Special Deluxe, Model Type 4167 (a rare one?), equipped with its original 215 V8 (matching numbers), built in Kansas.

After a long journey of getting the car shipped over to Germany, doing all the initial check ups and repairs and some minor technical adjustments needed for the registration followed by a huuuuge professional detailing and buffing, this car is finally alive and looking great!

Things still needed to be done is repairing the Convertible top (pumps not working), modernizing the radio towards VHF receiving, bringing the inop high temp warning light back to work, renewing the drive shaft bearing and support, having a look at the driver side door lock which sometimes refuse proper work.

Regards from the Oktoberfest city of Munich
Max
 
Hello there and Wilkommen. We missed Oktoberfest 2020 - we were scheduled to be there!
Maybe 2021 ? Good looking car, great scenery there! Ted
 
Hi everyone!

Glad I've found this forum wherein so much valuable knowledge is been put together.

Coming from Italian cars such as Abarth, last summer I've decided to add something new to my collection. By total coincidence (don't ask me how I got to it lol) I found a very nice Special Deluxe Convertible, however in a neglected technical and optical condition. This one was driving around the Netherlands for some 12ish years or so. Before that, the trace is lost unfortunately. But I got a heart on that one and wanted to put it back to life, restoring to a condition that great car deserves!

Thanks to this forum and what I've so far is, it's a 1962 Special Deluxe, Model Type 4167 (a rare one?), equipped with its original 215 V8 (matching numbers), built in Kansas.

After a long journey of getting the car shipped over to Germany, doing all the initial check ups and repairs and some minor technical adjustments needed for the registration followed by a huuuuge professional detailing and buffing, this car is finally alive and looking great!

Things still needed to be done is repairing the Convertible top (pumps not working), modernizing the radio towards VHF receiving, bringing the inop high temp warning light back to work, renewing the drive shaft bearing and support, having a look at the driver side door lock which sometimes refuse proper work.

Regards from the Oktoberfest city of Munich
Max
Welcome to the Team! I visited Munchen during my US military career and thoroughly enjoyed the city! Good luck with your Buick.
 
Guten Tag, Max

Ihre auto ist sehr schön..... I will have to switch to English as I last studied German 3 years before your car was built.
You really did a nice job bringing her back. Have you had her on the Autobahn yet?

Thanks for sharing with us,

Tom
 
Sorry ,but "Autobahn" will destroy Engines they are manufactured for the american market.
Thats not a good idea...😅..
 
Have you had her on the Autobahn yet?
Sorry ,but "Autobahn" will destroy Engines they are manufactured for the american market.
Thats not a good idea...😅..
Had her on the Autobahn twice doing around 75mph, but then went on a little slower as after passing 70 mph the speedometer threw up unreliable readings like a piano clock LOL
Albeit we have high quality roads here over meant for comparable high speeds I believe cruising between 50-60 mph is best for these cars. Few weeks ago I wanted to test the fuel economy on a 100 mls trip and came up with some 21ish mpg average which I think is great considering the age of these cars.

Now looking for OEM rims and metal hub caps to take the car back to its original look. *Fingers crossed*
 
Lubricating the speedometer cable sometimes fixes a jumpy needle if the jump is caused by the cable binding in the tube.
 
Thanks for all the comments and advises, them are highly appreciated.

I currently ran into another problem which I can't find the source so far. From one to the other day car refuses to start. I mean, starter cranks perfectly and battery is fine, however it doesn't ignite. Just small signs of coming alive, but doesn't turn any further itself without cranking. Checked the distributer cap for any moisture or excessive wear (nothing), checked a few spark plugs (all fine and dry), fuel filter is flooded to the top, however, if I remove the air filter to the carb (Holley 8007) there's no fuel coming off the jets when pulling the throttle by hand. I even tried pouring down a shot glass of fuel directly into the carb to check if it would start then, still doesn't ignite.

The days before all went perfectly fine without any signs of failure.

Any clues anyone?

Regards
 
Hello all,

issue fixed. It happened to be the choke throttle on the carb which got stuck. That way, the engine didn't get any air to make for a ignitable mixture.

Another problem I've ran into is I don't know which light bulb sockets are mounted on the instrument panel. Need to get a socket for my temp warning light. Which type do I need to look for please?

Apart from that I am considering exchanging the generator into a newer technology alternator. Anyone on here having experience with this and can lead me into the right direction? My generator seems to be weak as the battery gets charged only at high revs. Options are getting it rebuild or go straight to a new one.

Thanks for all advises! :)
 
You have a very nice car, and I am sure many would do what you are suggesting, but I would choose to rebuild the generator. The esthetics of under the hood are important to some and to see a shinny new alternator where a generator should be just doesn't look good. If you go the rebuild route, you should also take in the regulator.

Have you checked the generator output with an ohm/volt meter, if it is putting out good voltage, then perhaps your problem is poor wire connections and grounding.

Here is a video on how to test the generator CLICK HERE!
 
The instrument cluster tell-tale lamp sockets are GM part no 5655006. They were used on 1959-65 Buicks and many other cars as well. Many sources turn up by Googling 'GM 5655006'. These appear to be easy to find at least in the US.

NAPA Auto Parts stores carry them in their Echlin brand as part no LS6501.

Attached are pages showing the back side of the instrument cluster and an exploded parts view of the cluster. A slight twist of the socket allows it and the bulb to come out of the printed circuit board without any wiring attached.

You probably already know that the temperature lamp should come on momentarily when the ignition switch is in the START position. In that way the lamp is tested every time the car is started. If the lamp comes on during starting, the problem is somewhere else besides the socket and bulb.

Hopefully the problem is not in the printed circuit board. That would be a much more difficult repair.
 

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The instrument cluster tell-tale lamp sockets are GM part no 5655006. They were used on 1959-65 Buicks and many other cars as well. Many sources turn up by Googling 'GM 5655006'. These appear to be easy to find at least in the US.

NAPA Auto Parts stores carry them in their Echlin brand as part no LS6501.
Thanks Todd!

Just for verification, this is a 5/8" socket for a T10 type bulb, correct?
 
Hopefully the problem is not in the printed circuit board. That would be a much more difficult repair.
Hi Todd,
you were about right. The problem actually IS the printed circuit board which kind of de-laminated in the affected areas. Luckily I've found a socket that fits, however, taking a deeper look into it, I will need to find a solution to fix the circuit board, probably with a little soldering to get the light back to work.
 
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