Looks to me like the hardest part would be finding the correct brackets. Of course I suppose some could be fabricated, but I'm not very good at that. Wiring it up looks to be a piece of cake!:grin:
The brackets shouldn't be too difficult to find. They come up on eBay quite often, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find someone here on V8 with them either. The generator does fine cruising, but it sucks at idle.
An alternator would be a benefit to drivability. But, don't hook an high ampere alternator to your 30 ampere ammeter:eek2:
Well, I just figured that being as mine doesn't charge at all, at the minimum it would require a new VR. Replacing the generator brushes and/or bearings, etc. would not be that difficult, but by the time all that is done I could have a conversion system up and running. My bro-in-law says he has the alternator I need for the conversion I posted and that seems to be the way to go, at least for me. As I said, I can always save the old parts if I ever want to put it back to original, but this just makes too much sense to pass up. I finally got the lid off the master cylinder and while it wasn't completely dry, it was very low on fluid. Filled that up and pumped the brakes while my friend watched under the car to see if and where it was leaking. No leaks, but no brakes either. Pedal never did pump up so looks like a master cylinder rebuilt kit is in order for sure. It doesn't look to me like there is any difference in the standard and power brake cylinder, just the booster, etc. is on a power brake system. Also found out my carb is the Stromberg, so I will be ordering the rebuild kit for that one as well. I drained the radiator and filled with fresh antifreeze, let it run until it was good and warm, circulating for a good while to make sure the good stuff was in the block to protect from freezing this winter. I filled the tranny up with fluid and moved the car to a different, more level spot in my yard. Later in the week I will be taking 3 of the wheels off and along with the spare rim I bought travel down to my bro-in-law's place in Lexington, KY to change to the new (used) tires he so graciously gave me. He has a tire changer and we plan to blast the rims so they can be repainted before we put the new tires on. So things are shaping up, and I am very pleased with the progress I have been making so far. This list has been invaluable to aid in my quest and I am grateful for all the help you guys are providing.
Got the owner's manual I bought on Ebay, plus the dwell/tach I ordered from Amazon. NAPA called today and said the master cylinder rebuild kit is in, so I will pick that up tomorrow. Still waiting on the $5 sill plates I bought on Ebay and also bought a emergency brake pedal pad which I paid $3 for. NAPA said the carb rebuilt kit was a manufacturer's back order, so probably they won't ever be available again. I did find a Tomco kit on Ebay for $42, which I suppose I will have to buy.
Really nice LeSabre you've got there :TU: ...I've enjoyed your posts thus far on obtaining the car and look forward to your continued progress!
Im also reading this thread with a lot of interest, since Im the happy owner of a 61 Electra. The 61 Buick bodystyle, is in my oppinion, clean and beautiful, so the more of them that survive the better :TU: Good luck with the restoration :3gears:
Thanks guys. I'm on my way to Lexington, KY this morning to get tires mounted and find out more on my heater core. Plus my bro-in-law has a few side trips to some places of interest planned as well. Nice Electra by the way. I would have preferred an Electra, but the '61's are getting a bit scarce, so the LeSabre is fine right now. Perhaps down the road I can find a nice Electra myself.
Just an update, we found a replacement heater core at a shop in Lexington, my bro-in-law picked it up last Monday. I also now have a master cylinder and carb rebuilt kits as well as the necessary brackets to convert to an alternator charging system. Still need to get the wiring kit and a few more odds and ends. Plus I've picked up a new brake pedal pad from a parts supplier, mine was completely gone. I'm just curious if the original non-power brake pedal pad used a metal strip on it like the one which reads power brakes, or was it just a plain rubber pad? The strip is supplied with the pad I bought and I thought I could just turn it over and use just a the plain metal strip for a slightly enhanced look, but if it was originally just the plain rubber I may just leave it that way. Anyone know for sure?
Let me know how the alternator conversion goes. I hate wiring, that's what's kept me from it up to this point.
mosslack: Always nice to watch a restoration in progress :gp: , looks like you have a nice solid foundation of a project car there and are on your way to having yourself one fine cruiser :TU: ...I'm following with interest. CameoInvicta: Really like what appear to be old-skool slotted mags on your rig...is that indeed the case?
Yep, picked them up this summer. 15x7 front and rear. Going with new tires this spring, probably 245/60's in the front and 255/60's in the rear. Right now it's still wearing the old 225/75's that have been on the car for the past 10 or so years.
According to this site, it should be easy: http://www.oldengine.org/unfaq/10si.htm My bro-in-law has a spare 10SI alternator so really the only thing I lack is the support bracket mentioned on this site: http://www.rowand.net/shop/tech/NailheadAlternatorBrackets.htm Once the weather is better I hope to have a closer look at it. Right now it's raining and balmy 36 outside, so it will have to wait.
I am somewhat confused on the longer head bolts used for the "new" alternator bracket. What are the risks involved in removing the 2 head bolts which are there now and putting the alternator bracket on with the longer bolts? I don't really want to completely loosen and retighten all of the head bolts, which would require replacing the head gasket, but at the same time I don't want to risk warping my head. Comments? Suggestions?
I took a couple of pictures of the area in question. These are supposed to be nuts on studs, but it looks like bolts to me. Are these actual head bolts or do they just go into the head to hold the bracket?
This is how looks on my 61 Electra. I am not sure if the upper one is stock or from something else. Everything works good though. If you want more pics I can take some since the engine is out of the car. Nice to another 61 - my favourite Buick. Keep up the good work. :beers2:
So yours has already been converted to an alternator, did you just swap the brackets for the later ones or do work on the old generator bracket to make it work with the alternator?
I was like this when I bought it. The lower brackets looks to be the original but I think they might have changed the upper one. Does your upper one look the same?
Hi. You must be the guy I talked to at the Wheels & Wings show in Varberg some time ago. Happy to see still have your Electra Conv... :TU:
