Good luck,> - Jeff G> http://jeffgross.co­m/willys

With today's high gas prices I had an idea. I have a relative that has> an old four door straight eight Buick in her garage. I wanted it since> I was a kid but she wouldn't give it up, even though the trans shot> craps in 1965 or so. It was put in the garage and left to sit,> unpickled.>

She was declared incompetent by reason of Alzheimer's dementia about> two weeks ago and the car is "now mine, if I want it." If I sold it it> would probably get parted out because it's not worth fixing-all the> brake lines, master and wheel cylinders, fuel tank and lines, et al,> are all going to have to be removed and rebuilt, tanked and flushed.> The engine is now a core as the rings welded themselves to the cylinder> walls when Farrah Fawcett was big. And of course the trans needs> rebuilding too, the original problem.>

So my idea is to rebuild it, with a big six cylinder diesel engine and> modern transmission, giving usable fuel economy and probably more> power. But the original car has a torque tube driveline and rear end.>

Can I just replace the original rearend with, say, a Dana or nine inch> Ford, cut to the right length? I do not want to lower the car, I want> the original ride height and a modern tire/wheel combo for daily> driving, and I don't want to have to weld on the frame to rebuild the> structure. Can the original spring locations be kept to keep the> butchery to a minimum? I'd like to store the original driveline so> someday it can be rebuilt as original.