1942 Buick Roadmaster 76S

[Blackout]

Quick question about VINs, engine numbers, and titles. So, because the Buick is out of the CA DMV computer, I had to have the VIN verified in order to transfer the title. The title supplied to me by the previous owner lists the engine number as the VIN instead of the serial number. This doesn't make sense to me and I had a hard time explaining this to the officer that conducted the inspection. Does anyone know the rationale behind this?

[Dynaflash8]

Many states used the engine number. Virginia did and Maryland didn't. I bought a 39 Buick in VA and had to get a special serial number plate when I took it to Maryland in 1963. Later when I restored it in 1979 I found the serial number on the frame. I had to go to the head of the Maryland DMV to get permission to change the title to the correct factory serial number. A lot of things were different back in the day.

[Blackout]

Here are the pics of the bumpers and under car damage...Boy, it would sure be nice to have a four post lift!!

[Blackout]

And the plot thickens...more unverified history on Alice.

So, I got off the phone with with Brian of Brian's Salvage and Junk in American Canyon, CA. He remembered towing Alice out of a yard in Vallejo. To summarize...

The gentleman who owned Alice was getting up in age and was moving to a "home". So, he decided to sell his property. The realtor said he needed to get rid of the cars he had parked in his yard, each one of them purchased new (including Alice). In short, Alice had been owned by an Admiral (unverified) who commuted daily to Mare Island Naval Shipyard until 1960 when she lost oil pressure and he decided to park her in his yard. Apparently, the man purchased the car the last week before production and/or availability of civilian vehicles ceased. Brian also told me that the engine did have dual carburetors from the factory, but due to gasoline rationing, the original owner changed the manifold to accomodate a single carb.

I have contacted the Mare Island Historical Society to attempt to verify the Admiral's name and cross check it with Brian. Soon, I hope to connect the dots on Alice's history. Stay tuned...

[West Peterson]

PB Blaster works well. Buy several cans and start spraying bolts now, and keep spraying every few days or so.

[Blackout]

West P., PB Blaster is the only thing I buy. Thanks for the tip.

[stealthbob]

It took me two cans of the wonderful PB to get the front clip off and dissasembled from my 54 Roadmaster

Nice stuff....

[Blackout]

I received the title today, Alice is officially mine!

[cardinal905]

Glad to hear the adoption is official---congratulations.

[buick-riviera.pl]

Good afternoon:

I'm sure several of you were following the listing of a Blackout Buick in Napa, CA.

Hi Jared,
I was in contact with the seller - It was quite close to finalize the deal (as my wife liked the car a lot ), however I'm form Europe & the seller did not agreed for kind of Escrow service. Now Alice is yours . Be sure I will watch this thread. Good luck with resto !

[Bill Stoneberg]

Nice car and you are going to have fun with it.

BTW, Oil Filters were an option depending on what part of the country you lived in back then. My 47 did not have one either. Easy to add though,

[Blackout]

I know it's jumping the gun a little bit, but I acquired a set of YOM 1942 Calif. license plates for Alice. These things are almost as rare as my car. Bought them from a guy in WA who no longer needed them for his Packard. I practically stole them from him for what he was asking...should have them reassigned to my 76S real soon.

[buickleadsled]

hi i have a 1942 buick coupe or sedanett as well i found it in LA now it here australia it has the 1942 paint on it still .but i think the light green has been repaint. it a twin carby car and had no back seat i have never seen another one till i seen yours blackout . i drive it all the time she does need a birthday but she still go all right. i have got a new motor and gear box and diff for a her a chev running gear soon. gaz

[Blackout]

Beautiful car...I've always liked the swept B pillar on the special sedanettes. I can't imagine what it cost to ship that thing to Aust. We certainly have a rare breed of cars. Are you sure you want to throw chevy running gear in her? I sure wouldn't, especially if you want to maintain the original integrity and value in the car. What a great color combo, too!

[buickleadsled]

thanks blackout , not a lot $2800 aussie dollars to ship and i pay $4000 us dollars for it. i did drive it around over there before i ship it. i as so pick up 1955 buick coupe there as well but have since sold the 55 to a mate in melbourne i had the 1955 for awhile

[Thriller]

Nice. I've seen that two tone green on a '41 Special before, at the 2007 BCA National meet in Bellevue, Washington.

[50jetback]

---

Quote:

Originally Posted by buickleadsled
it a twin carby car and had no back seat . i have got a new motor and gear box and diff for a her a chev running gear soon. gaz

G'day Gazza,

I'm in West Aus - would be real interested in the compound carby ( twin carb ) set up if and when you do the Chev swap

[buick840]

Hey Gaz,

You say the 55 went to Melbourne.........Where abouts are you?

Does the 55 have the original running gear? I's be interested in seeing it as I live near Melbourne.........PM me if you can give me some more info on the new owner.

I've got a 55 coupe as well......always interested in seeing other 55's

Brian

[cardinal905]

I believe Paul Meyer has a dual carb setup for a 42 for sale---not cheap if I remember though.

[buickleadsled]

my mate has the 55 buick now he lives in melbourne it got a new 322 in it . but i have the nailhead out of it . i all so got the running gear out of out of 1958 buick 365 nailhead and box and diff ... i just got a diff out of 60?? something buick with a tailshaft so i can put it under my 1942 buick so it will have chev and 400 box ..i like the 42 but it to hard to jump in and just drive. i did drive it to wintersun this year

[JohnD1956]

Lovin all these Buicks on this thread. And would like to get back to Jared on how he intends to proceed on this project.

I did not recall seeing these pictures you took before today. I do love this vehicle, and note this is quite the challenge. It looks like the drivers door jamb and the trunk drain welt are perforated and covered with excessive decay? Floor pans are also badly damaged and separated from the door jamb. Is the passengers side in the same condition? Also you need a wiring harness and eventually a new interior if the car is restored. The brakes seem to hold and the clutch does disengage the trans so the car can roll. So it appears the rear axle may be okay, the brakes are serviceable, and the transmission at least holds in whatever gear you had it in. I would take these as good signs that these systems are not damaged and can be used without repair.

I also now recall that the engine was not developing oil pressure. However the engine was free and you could turn it over manually? So where to start? Here's the first thing I would do to the car:

I have never had a staight eight, let alone one this old, but I assume the oil pump is still driven by a shaft that comes up to the bottom of the distributor. If so I would recommend researching where the line for the optional oil filter comes out of the motor. Work on removing the plug at that port. Secure a cheap mechanical oil guage to that port and then remove the distributor and rotate the oil pump shaft with a drill, to see if you get any pressure reading on the guage.

Here's my thoughts.

Without an oil filter, but with daily use, I imagine the oil pan would be carrying a good amount of coagulated oil ( A/K/A "sludge"). If the pump picked up any and sent it to the mechanical guage on the dash board, it could have plugged the line causing a "O" reading, even though there was still pressure. I am certain that if a new oil pump was installed, this sludge was removed. No one would take off an oil pan and fail to clean it out before returning it. But the oil pressure line could still be plugged. As a matter of fact, thinking about it now, I would recommend removing the line to the guage at both ends and wrapping a towel around one of them, apply 30- 40 lbs of compressed air to the line, then checking what, if anything, came out into the towel.

Anyway, spinning the oil pump shaft with even a moderate drill ( 1600 RPM) should produce some oil flow at both of these two locations and you may want to spin the oil pump with each of the locations open one at a time, to see if there is any flow and if any sludge is pushed out before hooking up the mechanical guage to get a reading. You won't be spinning the engine so no damage would be occuring if there is no oil pressure.

If you do not have any flow or pressure then you might still consider that the pump is not primed. I would check with anyone who has a manual to see if it can be primed without removing the oil pan.

Here are a few things to note.

If you have never removed a distributor before, please let us know. There are some things to do to make it easier to get it back in the car at the right setting.

You want to study the rotation of the distributor. You need to know which way it turns and then turn the oil pump shaft the same way. You do not want to turn the oil pump backwards.

[divebomber42]

How is this project coming along?

[Blackout]

HA! It's not...she's still sitting in my garage while I save money. Nice avatar, by the way...Curtiss P-40's are my favorite!

[divebomber42]

These plates are correct for your car if it was manufactured in calendar year 1942.
My '42 is not a blackout model has all the chrome plated and the date codes in the glass are"11-41"
So I run the 1941 plate with 1942 tabs.

[divebomber42]

I did not have a pocket full of money either. I did it piece by piece. Eating cup o noodles for lunch and learning how to do a lot of the work myself. I gained confidence in myself as I tackled each process. A lot of of times it I felt like giving up and selling it but who would buy and unfinished car for what I had already invested in it I would go out and look at it and cry in my beer saying what did I do to that poor car all in pieces. Patience and perseverance paid off with a lot of praying too. Because looking for that all elusive part(s) required praying. A lot of us guys know been there done that whether they'll admit or not. But the end result is worth it.