'30 Buick Mysteries

I have recently acquired an excellent, bone-original '30 series 44 roadster, the earliest Buick I have owned (the next oldest having been a '35 46C). In the short time since I acquired it, this car has presented me with several mysteries, which I hope fellow owners of Buicks of this vintage can help me unravel. A few questions, if I may:

1. This car has a large, knurled crankhole cover (?), which features lugs like those on a radiator cap. Upon being unscrewed, the cover pops out in spring-loaded fashion but cannot be removed because it is attached to a thin rod whose other end seems to be captured within the crankshaft trunnion bearing or bearing carrier. What is the purpose of this arrangement?

2. While the sidemount hardware is complete (consisting of a vertical stanchion inboard of each wheel, threaded at the top for a large wingnut which tightens a curved clamp onto the top of the tire), just ahead of the base of each stanchion there is a substantial semicircular casting, mounted on each fender, that appears to be a receptacle for some kind of hardware. Could this have been intended for a different style of sidemount gear, perhaps for a different wheel? (Mine are wire.)

3. The air filter is a small can-like affair that cannot be opened (except perhaps with a can opener). Before I removed it from the carburetor, I expected to find some kind of filter element inside it. But, instead, it is empty. Is there an element or suitablmaterial that can be inserted into this item, perhaps along the curved vanes that line the airway into the carburetor?

4. Finally (for now, anyway) . . . I'm planning to drop and clean the oil pan and pickup screen before attempting to start the engine, which hasn't been run in 40 years. In scouting out this project, I find that in lieu of conventional flanges, the the front and rear of the pan are apparently gasketed in the manner of a bearing seal. (A guess borne out by the pan gaskets I have received from Bob's, which include two square-section cork strips.)

This setup appears to be fraught with peril. What do I -- an unexcelled virtuoso at knuckleheaded mistakes -- need to know so that my garage floor will not rival Jed Clampett's backyard when I start the old mill?

Thanks, guys, for any enlightenment you can lay on me. I can certainly use it!

~ Charlie Manes

I have recently acquired an excellent, bone-original '30 series 44 roadster, the earliest Buick I have owned (the next oldest having been a '35 46C). In the short time since I acquired it, this car has presented me with several mysteries, which I hope fellow owners of Buicks of this vintage can help me unravel. A few questions, if I may:

1. This car has a large, knurled crankhole cover (?), which features lugs like those on a radiator cap. Upon being unscrewed, the cover pops out in spring-loaded fashion but cannot be removed because it is attached to a thin rod whose other end seems to be captured within the crankshaft trunnion bearing or bearing carrier. What is the purpose of this arrangement?

2. While the sidemount hardware is complete (consisting of a vertical stanchion inboard of each wheel, threaded at the top for a large wingnut which tightens a curved clamp onto the top of the tire), just ahead of the base of each stanchion there is a substantial semicircular casting, mounted on each fender, that appears to be a receptacle for some kind of hardware. Could this have been intended for a different style of sidemount gear, perhaps for a different wheel? (Mine are wire.)

3. The air filter is a small can-like affair that cannot be opened (except perhaps with a can opener). Before I removed it from the carburetor, I expected to find some kind of filter element inside it. But, instead, it is empty. Is there an element or suitablmaterial that can be inserted into this item, perhaps along the curved vanes that line the airway into the carburetor?

4. Finally (for now, anyway) . . . I'm planning to drop and clean the oil pan and pickup screen before attempting to start the engine, which hasn't been run in 40 years. In scouting out this project, I find that in lieu of conventional flanges, the the front and rear of the pan are apparently gasketed in the manner of a bearing seal. (A guess borne out by the pan gaskets I have received from Bob's, which include two square-section cork strips.)

This setup appears to be fraught with peril. What do I -- an unexcelled virtuoso at knuckleheaded mistakes -- need to know so that my garage floor will not rival Jed Clampett's backyard when I start the old mill?

Thanks, guys, for any enlightenment you can lay on me. I can certainly use it!

~ Charlie Manes

On point 3, you may still have the factory correct air cleaner then, what you're describing sounds like it - if you upload some photos' I'm sure one of the guys here could tell you

2. While the sidemount hardware is complete (consisting of a vertical stanchion inboard of each wheel, threaded at the top for a large wingnut which tightens a curved clamp onto the top of the tire), just ahead of the base of each stanchion there is a substantial semicircular casting, mounted on each fender, that appears to be a receptacle for some kind of hardware. Could this have been intended for a different style of sidemount gear, perhaps for a different wheel? (Mine are wire.)

My car has this as well, including the hardware to clamp the the bottom of the wheel. I assumed this was a "suspenders and a belt" solution to keep the wheel in place. Both are are used on my wire wheels. Here's a picture of the parts.

3. The air filter is a small can-like affair that cannot be opened (except perhaps with a can opener). Before I removed it from the carburetor, I expected to find some kind of filter element inside it. But, instead, it is empty. Is there an element or suitablmaterial that can be inserted into this item, perhaps along the curved vanes that line the airway into the carburetor?

Charles,

First, welcome and congratulations on acquiring your new old Buick! Now to answer some of your questions...

1. The purpose of the double locking arrangement is to keep the crank hole cover from vibrating loose and being lost. It actually takes effort to remove the cover.

2. The wing nut & clamp at the top hold the spare while the bottom lock keeps it from being stolen.

3. The original air "filter" works by spinning the air to force heavy particles to the outside of the can while the engine pulls the "cleaner" air from the center.

4. The square cork seals can be "glued" into the slots in the pan with RTV or other sealant and coated with oil to make installation easier.

Note: This type of seal was used by GM for many years after your car was made. I have found it also works well to "glue" the flat cork pan gasket, side cover gaskets, and valve cover gasket to the machined engine side before installation. Also check to make sure the sheet metal flanges of the covers are flat by laying them on the floor or other flat surface before installation. You can use a small hammer to flatten the flanges if needed.

Many thanks for the lessons, guys. By the way, I wonder if anyone has seen any evidence that the "spinning air" theory really works -- or works well enough to be considered effective.

Charlie,

Yes, it does work. However, most successful air or water separators work at higher speeds than one would expect from an engine intake. Check out Lakos liquid separators (which I sold in my working days) Dyson vacuums, or (the best example) Penn Air Separators.

http://www.lakos.com/About/how-lakos-separators-work

http://www.pennseparator.com/inline_entrainment_separators.htm

Hi, Mark --

Thanks for your second very informative reply -- this one quite educational! Reminds me of the fact that the majority of the equipment manufactured these days are items that most people have never heard of.