[1939_buick]

Earl
Very interesting information
What document / book lists what color & interior was available for each model / series ?

Leif posted the attached a few months ago on 1939 trim. Unsure what book that came from. Leif also posted 1940 paint & trim.

2 of my New Zealand assembled 1939 41's have leather upholstery (blue-attached & brown). Both have tan colored head lining. My 3rd 41 has/had a cloth upholstery. The upholstery may have been manufactured in NZ (import restriction / taxes etc)

Is the rear fold down arm rest normally only fitted to 61 series in the US or is seen with any leather interior ?

Similary my NZ cars have the chrome exterior window moldinga. In Flint 2003 I only noticed those on 60 series

Grant
Will burn a DVD and send you my 1939 Buick images. Was going to come and see you after the CHC swap meet, but had a few other things to do.

[Leif Holmberg]

The trim I posted are from my BUICK Master Body Parts Book 1936-1959.
Leif in Sweden.

[Dynaflash8]

Guys,
The Buick Master Parts Books list Colors for body and wheels, colors for trim. Unfortunately, it does not break the numbers down to Series as you can see. There were other publications that listed colors and trims for certain bodies. They were mostly put out as bulletins to dealers.

On second thought, I think I have one of those in my literature (see the box on the back seat of my blue car) which lists available colors for exterior and interior for the 1939 Buick.

Perhaps tonight I can figure out how to scan that in and put the picture up on the web site.

On my blue car, I go back to the time I was five or six years old, and I'm 71 now, and the car always had a blue leatherette headliner. The only pictures I have from 1955 are, of course, in black and white. I have one color picture of an old girlfriend sitting on the fender of my car in 1955 somewhere, but I'm not going to dig that out for discussion. The car is Glacier Blue Poly.

The original car was sold new to a U.S. Military officer by Stanley Horner Buick of Washington, DC with intention for it to be shipped to Hawaii. The officer for some reason did not keep up the payments and it was repossed by the dealer and purchased off of the used car lot by a friend of my parents who held it until 1955.

Very few 1939 Special's built in the U.S. had the stainless trim around the windows, but it was available as an option. I've only ever seen one and it is still in the Chicago area. All Century's had it. As for the rear arm rest, so far as I know, that was not an option for the Special but was standard on the Century. Also, Century's had pleated cloth seats, but the pleat is a good bit wider than the pleats on a Special closed car with a leather interior.

[Grant Magrath]

Thanks again Earl.
A picture of the headlining would be fantastic thanks! As for the Sequoia cream, I was of the understanding that it could be ordered as an option. Chevrolet were using it on their 1939 models as Italian Cream! I do agree with you though, that it wouldn't be used on a standard production model 46. As for our wheels, they're sequoia cream as well. The car is an early production one with an early 1947 engine, so it was a bit of a hotrod right from the start!
Cheers
Grant

[Grant Magrath]

Oh, and Allan, going by what Earl said about the size of the pleating on the Century seats, and seeing the picture of your seats, it looks like the New Zealand 1939's not only had the Century's stainless window trim, but the upholstry pattern as well.
Doesn't surprise me. My 1939 Chev has a few unusual differences to the American ones. 1937 upholstry and interior and exterior door handles, 1937 window winders with 1939 knobs, Canadian hubcaps, Master 85's with double acting rear shocks as standard, etc!
Cheers
Grant

[Dynaflash8]

I've really enjoyed conversing with you guys from Australia and New Zealand. Grant, it's late and the World Series is on TV, but I'll take pictures of the headliner in the morning

Grant, I have a document that states that the Sequoia Cream is only available on convertibles (Buick). I'll try to scan it in tomorrow, but don't know if it will be readable on here.

I've seen the cream on 39 Chevrolet sedans at car shows, but frankly felt it was probably the same deal, but on second thought there was no 1939 Chevrolet convertible in the U.S.; maybe in Australia though.

Allan, I have letters from the guy who owned the Carlton bodied English 1939 Buick cabriolet somewhere in my files that were in the 1970 time-frame. I think he sent me pictures too. That's a long time back to remember all the details though. I wrote the first extensive article on the straight 8 Buicks built from 1931-42 for ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE that was published in 1971. For that article I personally corresponded with Charley Chayne, Bill Hufstader and Ed Ragsdale.

[Grant Magrath]

The pleasure is all ours Earl!
We're still waiting for that invite to your "world" series!!! I thought it was football season now! Since I've been involved with Buicks, I've taken to following the Houston Texans. Playing the Bills on the 1st I think.
You're right, there weren't any open top 39 Chevies, but there was a roaster available in Australia with a Holden body. Probably offered different colors as well. I don't know how many Italian cream cars were made. Have you noticed the cover of the 39 Buick brochure? Sequoia cream sedan? ;-)
Cheers
Grant

[1939_buick]

Originally Posted by Dynaflash8

...Allan, I have letters from the guy who owned the Carlton bodied English 1939 Buick cabriolet somewhere in my files that were in the 1970 time-frame. I think he sent me pictures too.....

Going a little off topic here as Earl & I having some emails. The Carlton bodied English 1939 Buick series 40 cabriolet referenced above in post 26 is for sale in UK by a dealer for approx US$100,000 (yep - 5 zeros) (UK£60,000)

[Dynaflash8]

Grant,
Yes I know the yellow sedan on the cover of that brochure. Artist license I think. This is a Buick Bulletin and it definitely states Sequoia Cream available on convertible models only. If you wish to correspond directly as Allan has been doing, my email is FireballStr8@aol.com. I occasionally correspond with another Australian Buick lover named Rex on my other AOL address. He is a member of the Australian Buick Club and owns a 1939 Buick. I find in corresponding with Allan that because of the time differenence I write one day and he writes back late that night after I go to bed. The World Series here gets later every year.......since baseball expanded they have a long line of playoff games that pushes the World Series up into November. Born and raised in the Washington, DC suburbs of Virginia I am a lifelong fan of the Washington teams.....I can't get the Washington Redskins often down here in Florida and they are so terrible anyway, I haven't been watching football. I didn't watch any baseball for 34 years because there was no team in Washington. Now I watch a lot of baseball, but my team, Washington, is the worst team in baseball. That makes sports kind of depressing for me, hahaha...now I'm really, really off the subject. I'll take pictures of the headliner when I finish breakfast. Later.

[Dynaflash8]

Guys,

Let's start with a couple of documents I scanned in.

The data sheet should be printed in 5x7 size to get all of it onto the paper. If you print it full 8x10 size you miss some of the top and bottom of the document.

I also scanned in a picture of my leather upholstered car that was taken in 1955. This shot proves the total authenticity of the car.

Finally, it does not say "poly" which stands for polychromatic which was an early word for metallic on this data sheet, but it does say "poly" where appropriate on all of the paint chip charts.

Well I couldn't load the data sheet at the same time. I hope I can load it singly.