Introduction (now with car)

[SteveAS]

Gentlemen,

I'm writing to introduce myself and my car. I'm 44 and have admired old cars since before I got my driver's license at 16, so I decided it was high time I indulged my interest. After nearly pulling the trigger on a '41 Super Sport Coupe, then a '39 Century Sport Coupe, I ended up with a '38 Special Business Coupe.

It seems to have been on the west coast since it was sold new in Portland, Oregon, and is fairly original, except for a leather seat and an older repaint in its original Whistler Grey. It might even have its original door panels and running boards (perhaps the experts here can tell me). The car is in great shape. Most things work as they should except that it has a mid- high rpm miss/stumble when warm. I'm getting ready to do a full tune up to see if that solves the problem.

I look forward to participating in this forum and learning more about old Buicks (especially '38s).

Here are a few pictures:

[Grant Magrath]

Wow!
Nice coupe Steve! Welcome to the forum.
Cheers
Grant

[First Born]

Door panels look original, Steve.
Very nice car. WELCOME.

Ben

[buick840]

Excellent choice Steve..........one of my all time favorites..........drive it and enjoy

[39BuickEight]

What a great looking car!

[BigDogDaddy]

Welcome to the forum, and Congrats on your purchase. That is a great looking car !

Phil

[jvelde]

Steve, that is a really nice looking coupe - hope you have a blast with it. We look forward to your future posts.

[locoincolo]

Steve,

That's a nice looking coupe! I'll second that the door panels may be original, they look like my old ones - except much nicer!
Woodgrain looks good - you have the door garnish emblems, and I see an aftermarket turnsignal. Does the radio work?
This is a good group here, you'll enjoy and learn I'm sure.
I'll likely poke you for some photos of your car as I try to put mine back into reasonable shape.

Cheers!

Craig

[FLYER15015]

A very cool coupe Steve.
For your 'stumble", check to see that the heat riser plate is closed to the carb, when she gets up to "temp'. I wired mine closed since I don't drive her in cold weather.
Could also be timing or points if you know you have the proper plugs in her.
Mine runs well w/ the mixture screws out 1.75 turns from the bottom.
Just my $ .02
Mike in Colorado

[Mark Shaw]

Steve,
Welcome to the fourm, I am a bit biased as I have the same year and color, but mine has a back seat. If you have not already done so, join the BCA and the PreWar Division. You will find lots of good info and activities to fully enjoy your Buick.
Enjoy the ride....

[SteveAS]

Thanks for the compliments and warm welcome, gentlemen! To respond to some of the specific questions and comments . . .

I'm pretty sure the woodgraining is original. It's worn through on the top of the driver's door and there are small damaged areas here and there, but I'm amazed at the quality of the original work, so I'm leaving it as is.

Yes, that is an aftermarket turn signal. I'm ambivalent about it; it's not original and it's a bit ugly, but it's nice to have in traffic. I've been driving the car to work a couple times a week, so the convenience is nice.

Yes, the radio works . . . sort of. In particular, it tunes and it plays sound. However, the local/distance switch seems to do nothing and the dial, which I presume should move with the tuning knob, doesn't. How hard a fix is this likely to be? Are these gears likely to be the problem?

I'd be happy to take pictures for you, locoincolo.

Thanks for your thoughts on my "stumble," Flyer15015. I have a little more data suggestive of carburetor setting issues (though I will confess to still not having checked the electrical aspects of tune, in part because I'm still waiting for my timing light to arrive). In particular, the car continues to smell "gassy" when it's running, the stumble gets worse as the car gets warm, and I'm getting terrible gas mileage (about 8-9 miles per gallon). I'll have to look at shop manual and the carburetor itself to understand the heat riser plate issue (is it related to the automatic choke?), but I'm intimidated by carburetors because I don't fully understand them. I've had bad experiences trying to sort out carburetor-related running issues on my motorcycles in the past. I'm kind of tempted to just remove it and send it to The Carburetor Shop for a complete rebuild. I presume he knows all the right settings?

Regarding spark plugs, can anyone give me a lead on where to find AC 46 plugs? Bob's seems to sell only AC 45s, which I'd guess are more susceptible to fouling.

I applied to the BCA last week. I wasn't aware of the PreWar Division until your post, so thanks for making me aware of it. I'll apply when I receive my BCA number.

Finally, I have one simple but stupid question: how do I reset my trip odometer?!

[Grant Magrath]

For plugs, try eBay. Or go for an equivalent. A quick search shows that Champion J11, or NGK B-4 will do, plus a few other brands.
As for your carb, sounds like the choke is sticking. Pull the air cleaner when the car is warm, and see if the choke is fully opened.
Cheers
Grant

[Dwight Romberger]

Beautiful car Steve. It looks like you have chosen well.

[Buicknutty]

Lovely car, one of my favs. Enjoy!
Keith

[SteveAS]

Thanks for your thoughts, Grant, and thanks for your compliments Dwight and Buicknutty.

I checked the choke and found it was indeed mostly closed when hot. I disconnected the choke cable and let gravity (and air flow) keep the choke plate fully open and took the car for a short drive. It was a little cold-blooded for the first thirty seconds or so, but it wasn't difficult to keep it running. The throttle response is now crisper and the car feels better, but there's definitely still a miss under medium+ throttle and above about 35 mph (in third). Without the choke-induced boggy feeling confusing matters, it sure seems like an electrical miss.

My next steps will be to check the plugs, points gap, and timing. If confirming those things doesn't solve the problem, I'm thinking of replacing the distributor cap, coil, and/or spark plug wires. Sound reasonable?

[Buicknutty]

Sounds like a good plan, and there's a good chance that could solve the problem. There're the basics, and if they aren't right, you can't really go forward from there.
Keith

[Grant Magrath]

I'd agree with Keith. Check plugs, points, distributor cap, and leads.
Cheers
Grant

[dibarlaw]

Steve :
So nice to see your 38 in the Wistler Grey which is about the same shade as the Hampton Grey as should be on my 37-41. Mine was repainted black in the late 1970s. I hope you solve all your performance problems. My 37-41 has been at a shop for the past 5 months and they have just had it running for the last 2 weeks. So I am itching to drive it again for the first time in 25 years.

[gfw2]

Now that's a nice coupe

[SteveAS]

My next steps will be to check the plugs, points gap, and timing. If confirming those things doesn't solve the problem, I'm thinking of replacing the distributor cap, coil, and/or spark plug wires. Sound reasonable?

Update: The spark plugs were quite black and dirty AC 45R (resistor) plugs. I replaced them with AC 45S (non-resistor) plugs and, in the process, noticed a cut in one spark plug wire's insulation (which I had missed in my earlier quick inspection of the wires). The car starts more quickly with the new plugs, but the misfire is still present, so I ordered a set of wires from Bob's. Given the damaged insulation, I'm optimistic that replacing the wires will solve my problem. I'll report back after I receive and install the new wires.

[FLYER15015]

Steve,
One more thing to check, for your "stumble" is your Vacuum advance.
I've been driving my '40 for about a year with the vacuum advance diaphram in little bitty pieces laying at the bottom of the canister and in no way hooked up to the lever that advances the timing, when you step on the gas, (mid range stumble).
I found a NOS (listed for a Pontiac) on e-bay for $30.00 installed it (1 hr/ w a beer) and boy what a difference.............
Much better acceleration and throttle response at mid range. Seems like a new car.....
I found the problem w/ my Harbor Frt vacuum pump by pulling the vacuum tube @ the base of the carb and could not pull any vacuum at all. Disconnected @ the distributor and tested the vacuum can on the side = no vacuum.
It's only 2 screws on the dist O D and one inside = very simple.
Looking @ your engine pic's, and the rusty vacuum can on the dist, you might consider the same test. Just to make sure.......
Best Regards,
Mike in Colorado

[SteveAS]

Update: The spark plugs were quite black and dirty AC 45R (resistor) plugs. I replaced them with AC 45S (non-resistor) plugs and, in the process, noticed a cut in one spark plug wire's insulation (which I had missed in my earlier quick inspection of the wires). The car starts more quickly with the new plugs, but the misfire is still present, so I ordered a set of wires from Bob's. Given the damaged insulation, I'm optimistic that replacing the wires will solve my problem. I'll report back after I receive and install the new wires.

I installed new spark plug wires last weekend. In the process, I discovered two things: (1) some prior owner replaced the guts of the distributor with a Pertronix ignition system and (2) somehow, they did so in a way that all the wires needed to be installed in the distributor cap 180 degrees offset from their original positions. I'm going to ignore the inelegant but seemingly irrelevant second discovery--at least for now.

I swear the car now runs better and pulls more smoothly on acceleration, but there's still a bit of a stumble/misfire at high-ish revs and throttle openings. I note that the coil appears to be original spec. Can anyone with Pertronix ignition comment on the pros/cons of the original spec coil versus a high voltage coil such as Pertronix's high voltage coil? My current thinking is that the output of the original spec coil might not be enough for the Pertronix ignition system.

Steve,
One more thing to check, for your "stumble" is your Vacuum advance.

Looking @ your engine pic's, and the rusty vacuum can on the dist, you might consider the same test. Just to make sure.......
Best Regards,
Mike in Colorado

Thanks for your thoughts, Mike. I have not yet checked the vacuum advance, but your post brings to mind one comment and one question. The comment is: if I'm looking at the right part, the vacuum can on the distributor appears to be copper (not rusty steel). The question is: am I right in thinking that the Pertronix ignition system is built (and installed) such that the original centrifugal and vacuum advances remain enabled? I assume it's not "smart" enough to electronically control the advance, but, not having gone through the Pertronix installation, I'm unsure.

Finally, frankly, I'm ambivalent about having the Pertronix ignition system at all. Would it be easy to revert to points using a tune-up kit or would I need additional parts?

[First Born]

Steve, I'll bet your "stumble" at high rev's is fuel starvation.

Ben

[SteveAS]

Steve, I'll bet your "stumble" at high rev's is fuel starvation.

Really? Why do you think so (because it's throttle position-related)? What is the typical cause of fuel starvation in these cars?

Incidentally, I checked the fuel supply to the carburetor by cranking the engine with the fuel supply line disconnected at the carburetor and was surprised by the large amount of fuel being pumped to the carburetor, so I'm fairly confident there's no fuel starvation problem upstream of the carburetor.