1939 Buick Special restoration

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Continuing to work on mocking up the interior, coming along beautifully. Installed the new gauge glass, and also found the old speaker grille actually shined better than the one in the parts car. Shopping for some better interior window handles. A few are baked to death and the parts car didn't have them.

G'day Billy,

Interesting radio delete. What's going on there ?? Are you going to put the Sonomatic radio in ???

The instruments looks good. I haven't decided which glass type I'll go with yet. From memory, the glasses I got came as a set. Instrument glass, Radio glass and Clock glass.

Danny

My car had an old Motorola radio in it. Very doubtful it works. The parts car just had a radio delete plate, so we're using that until I decide what to do with it.

Heater disassembled:

Hheater reassembled after sandblasting, polishing, painting, and testing:

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! keep up the progress and picts.........just can Imagine

before and after on the steering wheel:

before is was all cracked so they covered it with one of these:

now it matches the rest of the interior and is solid like it should be:

A fine resto job on the steering wheel!

Well, we have been working on disassembling the parts car lately, between fishing trips and whatnot.  Here are some photos.

see how badly the torque tube was kinked in the accident (the actual axle housing is bent as well, not sure of any of the guts would be usable???):

random bolt welded to the frame (maybe for a shock, though the other side doesn't have one)

random bracket and bolt welded (yes that is welded) to the frame???

here is how they mounted replacement front shocks:

the best part, someone used garden hose pieces to sure up the slack in the rubber that surrounds the torque ball bolts

This car has had many unique modifications and repairs done over the years to keep it on the road.  I bet the previous owner had no idea.

We were able to salvage the firewall pad from the parts car.  Refreshed it and installed last week:

before and after on the hardware:

Nice work Billy! 

Billy, the Buick is really coming along great! Bet you are really itching to drive it.

The parts car that you got was a wise purchase from a standpoint of speeding up the restoration (as well as from a cost reduction standpoint I'm sure ).

Thanks Dan and Paul! 

Hi Billy,

Been reading your thread and just thought I'd say how impressed I am with the work your doing.

Enjoying the pics.

Cheers

Ian

Thanks Ian!

Some shots proving a 1939 Chevy fuel tank can work just great in a Buick. Filler neck done. Installed various firewall grommets, heater hoses, and the wiring harness is 99% done, but no photos of those items.

And a shot from where we were eyeballing the alignment and fit of the running boards:

Great work! I have one question. Is there a heat shield of some sort going between the fuel filler rubber hose and the exhaust pipe? That looks to be awfully close and if there were ever a leak....

She's coming along nicely Billy.

It's a great straight eight mate.. :)

Danny

She's coming along nicely Billy.

It's a great straight eight mate.. :)

Danny

Thanks Mate!

Great work! I have one question. Is there a heat shield of some sort going between the fuel filler rubber hose and the exhaust pipe? That looks to be awfully close and if there were ever a leak....

There was thought about that, I promise.    We don't think that it's close enough for heat to play a role, especially near the end of the tailpipe.  We will definitely observe it over time and see what happens.  I was just glad we re-used the original filler neck.  Not that it matters since we used a Chevy tank, but I still like using as much of the original car as I can when fiscally and reasonably possible.

The progress you've done looks just amazing!!

Good luck on the rest of the project!!

blasted the rest of the frame today as it spit snow on us...and some pics of some parts Dad has been blasting and priming over the past week (drums, springs, front end parts, middle of the torque tube)...

Hi,

Reading about your restoration I noticed that you primed the frame and undercarriage parts. I'm dismantling my 1936 Plymouth and I was planning to use POR15. What do you used? 

Hello, we used regular rustoleum etching primer on the chassis parts, and a generic black off road tractor paint (very durable from experience).  Since we sandblasted the metal bare, POR-15 would be overkill for this car.  It is great stuff though.

Thank you, is amazing what you've done in yours.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas/Hanukkah/etc and New Year! Over the past few months between restoring my lawnmower again, doing some PM on the wife's car, and having some medical procedures done in the family, we have been doing what I call - "Grommet, Wire, and Tube Bending Duty."  All of the firewall grommets are in.  The vacuum advance line is in, the wiring is in, the fule line is in, and the temp and oil pressure lines are in.  We'll be attempting to start it the "correct" way and checking gauges soon!

2 Thumbs up Billy !!

danny

Thanks Danny!

Got it running like a charm!  We have it all hooked up correctly, adjusted the valves, and it starts right up with the gas pedal, and it goes in 1st and reverse beautifully.  You can't even feel it running.   :D    

We are going to bleed the brakes and hopefully make a video of it moving under it's own power for the first time in, what I would estimate, more than 50 years.

 Congratulations, Billy.

  Ben

That will bring an immense sense of satisfaction. Enjoy the moment. First drive is like being original, only once. Video it, make a ceremony of it.

Renee started the car for the first time.  She was so excited and nervous she forgot which pedal was which  .  Here's a video:

http://s228.photobucket.com/user/wellinghurst/media/antique%20cars/39%20Buick/679EEC22-4E6B-462F-B507-7403E40ED022_zpsggncftkc.mp4.html

We bled the brakes yesterday and have a great pedal now, and put the rear end oil in it.

Here is a neat pic with Dad's open sign in the reflection:

Aaaahhh! What a feeling....

Aaaahhh! What a feeling....

Congrats Billy and thanks for sharing the moment!!

some photos from today, lining up body panels and test fitting as we prepare for body work

also...3M adhesive remover does wonders on white walls

Deck lid is coming along:

Nice work! That car will be gorgeous by the look of the completed work!!

Hello, I just read thru your entire thread! Ive got a 1937 Buick Special 40 that Im rebuilding the motor currently. And something Im interested in is if you ever found a replacement  "Group 0.797 BOOT, Clutch Release Yoke 1306179" and if you could post any pictures? Mine was mostly disintegrated and Im guessing I'll maybe have to make my own but I'm not sure what it looks like! And did you black oxide or paint your fasteners? Thanks. Lots of hard work youve done.

Hi, thanks, for the boot I just made a new one with some canvas-type fabric from Hobby Lobby.  Just cut off the old one along the seams, note where it is stitched.  Then lay it flat on the new material, trace it, cut out, and sew it on the wire frame.  My first attempt was off a little, but there is plenty of material to do it again if I need to.  I haven't messed with putting it on yet.

As as far as fasteners, it depends on when they are put on.  All have been media blasted and if they are on when I paint something, they get painted.  If not, they don't.

   BOBS  had that for sale at some point ,  I'm sure .    check   maybe they ran out of it

  What about the  3M adhesive remover ?   is that to clean the white walls  ?  I'm trying to paint mine with no luck,   >   some guys say

 that latex house paint in the best .  it lasted 2 miles on me  lol

The 3M adhesive remover took the smudges off the white walls wonderfully.  

tx  Blilly

Decklid done, test fitting the various parts that go on it, and checking to see what work we need to do on the rear bottom of the car so it lines up.

remember this???