1940 Oldsmobile Barn-Find Restoration

[Erndog]

Well, my son wanted his first car to be something he could work on and actually see around the engine. At first it was to be a 60's or late 50's car, 70's if absolutely necessary, but then I came across this one. He liked it immediately.

It is a 1940 Series 70 Four Door Sedan.
It sat on blocks in a barn in WV for at least 35 years as part of a 30+ car collection a car loving farmer had. Whether or not he was ever going to restore it, or just own it, who knows? Upon getting it home in VA, I managed to get the stuck hood latch open. It was the first time the hood had been open since it was driven into the barn. I checked the dipstick and found no water or evidence of moisture. I then grabbed the fan and pulled. It turned easily with a pleasant fwoosh! from the cylinders. God is good. The interior has a set of early seat covers installed and from the peeks I have managed, they were put there to protect the upholstry, not hide it. I can see a beautiful fresh grey material everywhere I look under it. The headliner is perfect, except for a small hole over the driver. The instruments look as fresh as the day it was built. Every piece of glass is perfect. Three original hubcaps are on the wheels and the fouth is in the trunk. The key was in the ignition. I tried it on the trunk (only made for ignition and door) and it locked it. However, it won't unlock it. The original horn button is in the glovebox, along with a pass to Skyline Caverns that expires in 1952 and two free tickets for five gallons of gas each at the local station.

Now we need to freshen it up. It has one ding on a front fender and a handful of minor bumps, but all are easily fixable. The one piece of missing trim was hiding in the glovebox. Of course, the bumpers will have to be redone.

[Erndog]

First pictures.

[Larry J]

Looks like a good solid car that will make a sweet ride. I'm cutting my teeth on a 38 Olds and yours is in much better shape starting out. Good luck with the project.

[keiser31]

Nice ride!!

[First Born]

Wonderful find! What else was in that barn?

Ben

[TexRiv_63]

Ernie, you are a good dad, hope your son appreciates you. I wish my first car was as neat as this one! Is he going to keep it stock?

[Erndog]

Suppossedly there were some 35 different cars in there, including at least two Packards. I think one was a '40 120 series (sold for $3800) and the other was a very nice 57 or so. There may be some left. The man's eBay name is boonieman41.

[Erndog]

Thank you. Yes, he wants to keep it as original as possible, other than going through everything to bring it up to snuff. I am also going to regretably put some seatbelts in it. Safety first. That will be the only modernization and they can be tucked away when not in use, anyway.

[Oldsfan]

We could use a young fella like him in the NAOC. We are always trying to encourage young people like him to join and become involved. He could bring it to the National Meet next year in Lansing - as is. The club members would love it.

Paul

[jonfin826]

That sounds like fun! I'd love to join and attend. I can't right now though, all my money is going into the restoration right now.

Oh, by the way, I'm Erndog's son if you weren't sure.

[Oldsfan]

If you send me a private message with your name and address, I'll send you a sample copy of our magazine. It would really be a good idea for you to join, as the classified section is a great source for finding parts. Members are entitled to free adverstising. There's also a bunch of '40 guys in our directory - a great networking tool.

Maybe Santa Claus will sign you up for Christmas...

Paul

[talarico8447]

Great car,best of luck. Now thats Oldsmobility.

[Erndog]

Well, we got the trunk open. Had to take the back seat out and remove the latch bar brackets. Unfortunately, I had to cause some damage to the still perfectly intact divider boards between the seat and the trunk. #&(*^$#! Found the two center bumperettes for the bumpers and a new taillight lens. Also found the missing brake shoes and hardware from one wheel. We knew the fourth hubcap and spare wheel were in the, but we did not know that there is still a little red paint in the emblem on the hubcap and the wheel is in new condition, except for dirt. The three vermillion stripes are perfect! Got the trunk latch off and removed the handle. FYI, the key/cylinder code is stamped on the base of the handle. True for the locking door's handle, too. Now I just need to find somebody that knows what to do with it. Also noted that the undersides of the seats look really good.

[jonfin826]

We took out the air fiter today to wire-wheel it and paint it. The copper that is the actual filter will have to be cleaned with gasoline. The rest of the assembly is currently drying. Tomorrow, my dad is going to a locksmith to try to get a key made for the glove compartment/trunk.

[Biscayne John]

The price of the dues will come back ten fold! Join the club just for the classifieds let alone all for the technical help you will get. If the monthly magazine was on the stand for $5.00 you most likely would buy it, that would be $60, this is much cheaper.
good luck with the olds

[jonfin826]

Made this with Photoshop. "Where I See Myself In One Year"

[1939_buick]

Look good and rust free. The basic body, door etc are generally the same as 1939-1940 seriess 40 & 60 Buicks. The picture with the rear door open look like there is little or no rust at the floor. On Buicks leaking water from the quarter window run down the inner wheel arch and rusts the floor / pillar.

You may get more responses on Oldsmobile - General - AACA Forums You could ask the Moderator to move this thread.

Do join the Olds club if you are not already a member. Well worth it

[nsbrassnut]

Good find, best of luck. It looks like a really good solid old car, so here is a thought. Go through the mechanics, brakes, etc. and make is safe & sound to drive, then wash and clean the rest and go have fun.

Reminds me of when I did when I got my first car, a '36 Packard 120 in similar condition. Drove it on the weekends through most of university, complete with the as found brush painted dark blue finish. I had more fun with it then then after it was restored.

By the way, 31 years and 30,000 miles later, its still number 1 in the garage.

Drive Safe, Have Fun

[Erndog]

Well, we are woefully behind on keeping this thread up. I will try to do some recapping.

Removed crossbars under hood, fan, and radiator. Removed hood latch assembly. Wired wheeled and painted crossbars and fan. Tested radiator and found no obvious leaks, but will probably have it looked at. Reassembled painted crossbars. Put second coat of paint on fan.

We got keys made for the trunk and glove compartment. Unfortunately, after we got them home we noticed that the two new keys were different from each other. one does nothing. The other will work for the glove compartment and the trunk. However, when you open the trunk the key won't come out. And when you close it, you have to lock it to get the key to come out. Is that the way it is supposed to operate??

• Removed left front fender. Required removal of left kickpanel to access three of the bolts. One problem bolt at very front of running board. It had a special thin flat head that came off. Needs replacing.
• Removed all brakes and slave cylinders. Started honing and rebuilding same with nice kits from Fusick. They were rocked up pretty hard. We'll see if they are leak-tight after they get back together.
• Removed left engine compartment sidewall. Started cleaning and painting same.
• Removed LF shock and wheel assembly.
• Took brake shoes and original set of linings to Automotive Manufacturers in Richmond, VA to get them put on. Fantastic job! All four wheels for $50. That included drilling holes in the linings for the rivets.
• Investigated the LF shock. Bone dry. Cleaned it as best I could. Verified the valves work.
• Completely tore down the LF suspension, cleaned and painted same. Reinstalled.
• Removed front bumper, RF fender (found a 1909 penny, 1951-D penny, and a beautiful 1937 Buffalo Nickel under the floor covering), grill, and hood.
• Took 1930 Buick out of garage and rolled the Olds in.
• Pulled out the engine and transmission. No problems.
• Set engine on engine stand. Powerwashed the engine so we could see what we are working with.
• Removed head, carburetor, manifolds, water pump, valve covers, and oil pan.

Glad we decided to tear the engine down. It is pretty well gooked up.

[Erndog]

Left fender removed.
Brakes as found.
Slave cylinder originally.
Slave cylinder rebuilt.
Time to go, old engine buddy!
I'm pulled at last, I'm pulled at last.
Jonathan gets down and dirty.

[Bill Stoneberg]

"However, when you open the trunk the key won't come out. And when you close it, you have to lock it to get the key to come out. Is that the way it is supposed to operate?? "

This is the way my 47 Buick operates so it wouldn't surprise me...

[Erndog]

Thanks! Thought we might have a bad key.

[Erndog]

Added some photos.
Took off the timing chain and gears. Took a peek at one main bearing. It looks good. After a lot of very dirty effort, got the oil pan relatively clean for evaluation. Found a few pinhole leaks that will need fixing. Waiting on a valve spring compresser and ridge reamer. Then we will remove the pistons, crank, and cam. Then it is off to the hot tank with the block. Of course, we will need to remove the cam bearings, freeze plugs water distribution tube, etc first.

[Erndog]

Still no luck getting the water tube out. I will keep trying. Just got back from Hershey. Found many things we need, tune-up kit, carburetor rebuild kit, fuel pump kit, gas cap, tail lights, fenderwelt, hood lacing, and definately not least, four whitewall tires$$. It was amazing to us just how few old Olds parts were available at the Hershey. Also, we were unsuccessful at meeting up with any national club members. I tried to buy a ridge reamer there, but there were few and no bargains to be had. Met a great couple who were showing a 1940 four door sedan just like this one.

Since last post we removed the valves, lost three keepers in the gook, did a little painting on the firewall and cowl area, and replaced our parts washer. Fried the old one. Just for the heck of it, I asked the Autozone people if they had a ridge reamer (didn't even know what it was last time), and they said no. But, they had two they would loan for free! Used it tonight and removed all six pistons. Bearings look nice. We'll probably reuse them. Removed the crankshaft. The mains are not making me happy. I see cracking on one (from age?) and a little too much wear elsewhere. I guess we need new ones. Went through the oil pump and it looks ok. Removed the distributor. Started removing oil galley plugs and other items to improve hot-tanking results.
Gave up on eco-friendly parts washer and went back to washing parts in gasoline. So much better!

Does anybody have an oil pickup screen? Ours really needs replacing.

[TexRiv_63]

Ernie,

You are making good progress on your engine, better than I've done on my projects lately. Just a suggestion on parts washing, gasoline does a great job but is awfully dangerous. I have had good luck with a product called Super Clean which is water based, biodegradeable, non-flammable, and odor-free. Just spray it on, brush a little, and hose it off, it does an amazing job on grease. You do have to wear gloves to handle the concentrate but water neutralizes it, I have washed parts over my lawn and it does not even kill the grass! Available at NAPA and Walmart, give it a try.