Jump to content

Hello! New automotive adventure with 1940 Special


Guest RyPow

Recommended Posts

Guest RyPow

Hi everyone! I come from the classic/vintage Ford side of things, but I couldn't pass up the car I recently had the chance to acquire.

I am the new owner of a barn-find (literally), Canadian-built 1940 McLaughlin-Buick Special sedan. The car has been off the road since about 1980, or so says the last registration on the ownership. The car had been stored in a barn on the farm where I rent shop space, and after the former owner went deadbeat for two years, it went up for grabs. Being that it is a McLaughlin-Buick built in Oshawa, Ontario, the "must-have" factor was strong.

The good:

- car is 95% complete (missing only radio and air cleaner bath, from what I can see)

- motor turns by hand, not seized

- clutch and shifter linkage is free

- all glass is intact

- frame and body are solid aside from a couple minor holes in floor and front fender, some body fill in rear fenders

The not-so-good:

- Pretty much all upholstery requires replacement (mice got to seats and headliner, stains on door panels)

- Possibility that it has not run in 34+ years, thus all the headaches associated with sitting

- Sheet metal concerns mentioned above, albeit minor

My initial plan of attack: carb rebuild, fuel pump rebuild, evaluate condition of fuel tank and replace lines/filter, replace ignition coil, replace points/condenser, check spark plug wires and replace if necessary, oil/filter change, and check valvetrain. I think that should put me in a good position to attempt starting. I'll start a separate thread in the Pre-War forum for this endeavour.

It looks like there is a good pre-war Buick knowledge base here, so I look forward to learning from everyone and contributing what I can :cool:

Edited by RyPow (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest RyPow

Here's some pictures of the car, when it was still in the storage barn.

20120427_174306_zps1ccd969d.jpg

20120427_185950_zps05997c9c.jpg

20120427_181115_zps04526ba9.jpg

20120427_180341_zpsd866e7bc.jpg

20120427_180723_zpsf6e602a0.jpg

20120427_181016_zpsba0a04f3.jpg

20120427_180526_zps9ffa354c.jpg

Might as well throw in a pic of my daily driver. 2004 LeSabre Custom Gran Touring, bought a year ago with 40k on the clock and now about to turn 51k.

newbuick1_zps0794c6d7.jpg

Edited by RyPow (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest RyPow

Thanks! I wish I could say that progress on this car will be quick, but I have several other projects to distract me so it will be a long road to completion.

The car is now in my shop, and it appears that the engine has had some attention far more recently than I anticipated. The battery in the car was new in 2007 and the car was apparently driven into the storage barn around that time. Cap, rotor and wires look fresh, and the carb is very clean inside. The starter motor turns, and the solenoid engages but I could only get enough charge into the battery the other day to test each function separately (would not crank). I've since 'nursed' the battery at home over the past several days to try to get it to hold a charge. It will now finally charge at 6V on my Turnigy RC charger (has lead-acid function for 2-20V in 2V increments, up to 6A) so I should find out tonight if it wants to hold a significant charge at full voltage. If not, I'll be picking up a new battery.

Some more pics:

20140713_204016_zps574dd7cc.jpg

20140713_204025_zps1ce7c0c7.jpg

20140713_204032_zps2aae6378.jpg

20140713_204103_zpse69192e1.jpg

20140713_204130_zps649580c8.jpg

20140713_204117_zpsb928aad9.jpg

20140713_204148_zps03a71306.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...