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1989 Buick Century Windscreen and Wheels (UK)

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice in a previous post about the '89 Buick. I decided to buy it and am very happy with it so far. Interestingly, it was imported directly into Belgium in 1989 and then brought to the UK in 1999, so there are a few differences (km instead of mile etc).

I just received my insurance policy and they limit windscreen to £350 payout. I remember the cost of replacing a '75 TransAm windscreen being well above that. Does anyone know the rough cost of replacing a windscreen, or a company that might be able to? I have just read the policy now, so I haven't tried the standard windscreen fitters, but I suspect they will not be able to get the part (although GM has a presence in the UK now, so maybe ...). I will phone them in the morning as well.

Also, on a different note, I noticed that the brake drum was making a rubbing noise, like a dry brake pad, or lots of dust, so I went to take the wheel off. The car came with the original jack, but not the rest of the kit needed to jack it up and take off the wheels (Can anyone suggest where I might be able to purchase these from? They're not hidden somewhere strange are they? (I have read the manual and it implies not) The previous owner believes that they were in the car, although he never used them). No matter, I have a number of appropriate tools :).

In *trying* to take the wheel off, I noticed that the nuts seem to have covers on them (glued/stuck on) that say "Metric". I assume that this is a conversion cover that changes the size of the nut into Metric from Imperial (it fits Metric 14 perfectly). I didn't realise when trying to undo the nut that they were covers, it was only when the cover split from the force and came off into the socket that I realised!!. Any idea where these can be replaced?

Anyway, the wheel nuts were done up so tightly that we bent the tool trying to undo them. Stronger, longer tool and even with my weight (pretty heave) jumping on it, it wouldn't budge. The car originally had locking wheel nuts, though I have been assured that they have been removed. There is, however, one nut which looks significantly different to the others... It has a rounded head and the nut part starts further down. It looks like there is a second nut at a slighly angle beneath it, although I cannot be sure... Any ideas? The previous owner says that he has had the wheels off a few times.

Many thanks,

Ben

Reply to
Ben Holness
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Can't help on the windshield. We went thru a few years over here where GM had those sheet metal covers on the nuts. They may have been stainless to keep rusting down. The round nut in the wheel is the locking nut. It doesn't really lock, just needs a special keyed socket to take it off. The keyed socket was usually stored with the jack. If you get them off just replace them with a regular nut. (Like the one that said they had been removed. Someone must have really tightened them with an impact wrench. This happens over here at times when a garage lets his low paid apprentice replace wheels. Strips them at times. Yours may be partially stripped. Only thing I can recommend is find a garage with an impact wrench and see if they can get them off...

Reply to
BillW

Hello, I was station in the UK form 1996-2000. There is a good chance that you may be able to find your windscreen at a breakers near an US Air Force base. The two I have listed below are the ones that I used very frequently while I was there. Bala's has since changed hands, so I do not know if the number is the same...I know the name is not. They are located in Beck Row, ,right outside of RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. You could try a search in the webside below for whatever area you want. RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth have a large populus of US military so breakers there should have American cars as well.

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Balas Auto Dismantlers Rookery Drove, Beck Row, Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk, IP28 8DL 01638 713227

Beck Row Auto Dismantlers Sandiacres,Skeltons Drove, Beck Row, Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk, IP28 8DN 01638 713938

Let me know if this is of any use to you.

John

Reply to
eightupman

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