49_buick_super

Thanks, Bernie. I took a look at that link. Now that was a road trip! I've always been fascinated with those types of stories. Here's another link to a road trip story that's an interesting read and has some great photos: http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=196219 (It's a Ford, but put that out of your mind while you read the story and look at the photos. Dan

Yes, sir. Thanks. I already have one installed on the car and I'm able to drive here in Phoenix in the heat without vapor lock issues. And I have a spare to take that's not shown on the table. I got it after I took that photo. Dan

Dang. Didn't think about that one. Thanks! Dan

Yes - forgot to mention. I've got an Optima ready to go as a spare along with jumper cables and a charger. 6-volt jump starts are hard to find if you need them. Thanks for your ideas. Dan

We are about to take our Buick on a long road trip and I've been giving a lot of thought as to what spare parts to take along. I've got one of everything. And by that I mean starter, generator, water pump, fuel pump, voltage regulator, etc... I've literally got one of everything that might fail. I'd like to get opinions about what you would take on a long road trip of say, three or four weeks and distance around five thousand miles. There are days when I'm inclined to take most of it and other days when I think more about the weight and space issues. A starter and generator are around 45 pounds without anything else added. Everything is working well. I've got six thousand miles on the car since the engine and transmission were completely rebuilt. It runs well. What are the opinions out there? What would you do? Here's a photo of the spare parts assembled. The carburetor and distributor are definitely out. But I am still open on most of the rest. Dan

I'll offer my endorsement of Rhode Island Wiring. The restoration of my 49 Super has a complete RI reproduction harness from headlights to the tail lights. Their product is well documented when you receive it. I found no errors. All the connectors were period correct and everything worked well under the dash. They use modern wiring over which they weave the correct fabric wire covering. Even the fabric tracers were perfectly executed. You will not be disappointed if you select them to provide replacement wiring for your 49 Roadmaster. PM me and I can send you some photos of what it looks like installed in my 49 Super. Dan

The first tool I that is essential is a copy of the body service and construction manual for the 1957 model year. Concerning trim removal in that manual you will find phrases like, "...pry upward", or "insert flat-bladed tool under outer edge of molding and pry toward glass..." In my experience, all you need is a copy of the manual, a pry tool with a width of 2 to 2.5 inches, a soft, clean towel, and plenty of patience. There are kits that have an assortment of plastic prying and hooking tools. I have one but never used it once to completely remove the trim from my '49. Can't emphasize enough - patience. And use a digital camera to document everything, like the position and orientation of clips. You will be very glad you did. After I removed each piece, I did a short video clip as a reminder of how I got the piece off the car. Dan

Maybe, just maybe, the polarization didn't go right. If the generator isn't polarized properly the points in the regulator can arc and burn. Also, you mention old wiring. Lots of room for charging problems there. But if the regulator fried, I think you've still got problems in the generator. If you've got the 49 shop manual, look at section 10-29-d. Dan

Great photo! Wrench turning with Dad and Grandpa with those old car smells, the car talk, occasional busted knuckles with a lil' blood, and some early exposure to a bit of cussin'. Male familial bonding at its finest. What happens in the garage, stays in the garage... Dan

Yes!! (2 thumbs up) I wish my Dad was still here, if even just to take a drive. Good luck and keep us supplied with pictures as you progress. Dan

Rob, Great photos from a big Buick road trip. Thanks for sharing them. Dan

Matt, Speechless. I've enjoyed your enthusiasm for the trip with the description of your preparations and the obvious joy of the journey and now this. And you are scaring the bejesus outta me. I'm planning a long road trip with my '49 in September and what you are experiencing now has been the major theme of my worst nightmares about what might happen. My wife always accuses me of looking for the worst that can happen instead looking forward to a good time. I'm gonna let her read this as a pre-trip training item. Wish I could help ya. Just too far away. Dan

WOW!! Do you have commercial plates on the car or is it registered to a business? If you have it insured with one of the classic car insurers, you may have some towing reimbursement possibilities. Dan

Matt, Wow! You've got a real run of bad luck going with tires on this trip. I'm watching this unfold and getting worried. Going to take a long road trip soon and I'm starting to think the weakest link may be my tires! The economics of it would suggest to bite the bullet and get another tire if that one is beyond repair. Just re-read your post and noted you are 200 miles from home base. Find someone with a Platinum AAA card. Those come with two 200-mile tows each year plus unlimited local tows. And the car/person towed doesn't have to be the member. The card member just has to be present when the tow truck arrives. Good luck. Hope you let us know how this works out. Dan

Thanks for the photos, Pete. Dan

Stunning car! Waiting patiently with the rest for your photos. Dan

My '49 Super...

Here, in photos, is the line up of Buicks that attended the BOP Show in Scottsdale, AZ on March 13, 2016. Lots of very nice Buicks, including Ken Mitson's 1954 Wildcat II Recreation car. I've been meaning to post these earlier but got sidetracked. Hope you enjoy them in photos as much as we did at the show. - Dan

Where did you find the front drums that you used as replacements after you succeeded in removing the hub from the drum? Can you post some pictures of the finished work? I wrestled with this same problem during my 49 Super restoration and you grabbed my curiosity with this post. Thanks.

Great! Don't spoil the ending. More posts. Dan

Geoff, Is the project done now and you are assembling your photos and the processes into a thread or is this an in-progress work? Dan

I've been looking forward to this thread since you told me of your plans to re-wire. Good start. Lots of photos. You will be pleased in the end with the effort that this required. Hope she is running well. Dan

John, I love this car. The white walls and stock covers were great but the Rallys look great, too. I'd love to find a nice Electra, 68 - 72. It will probably be my next Buick. You are going to have a lot of fun driving it. Dan

We had some great fun with the '49 in the last week. First, on September 3rd, we helped a local fellow car enthusiast celebrate the 65th wedding anniversary of his parents, Louise and Chris. They were married in Brooklyn, NYC on 9/3/1949. Their son, Joe, contacted me at a car show last February and recruited me to help with the celebration by transporting the happy couple from their home in Sun City West to a local resort where a large number of family and friends from all over the country were waiting to celebrate the event. A total surprise to them, Louise and Chris were transported in the 49 Buick to the event. The magnetic sign on the trunk of the Buick helped to announce the event to passing motorists as we were traveling to the resort and there were a lot of celebratory honks, whistles, and thumbs-up from cars that passed us along the route. In the photo, you can see the youngsters just after they arrived at the resort to meet with family and friends. As a side note, records indicate that the Buick was assembled in the Southgate, CA plant in September 1949. A marriage and car still here and going strong 65 years later. Then, on September 5, we attended the 10th Annual Flagstaff Route 66 Car Show in Flagstaff, AZ and participated with a field of 450 cars. We were please to receive a Participants' Choice Top 30 award for the Buick. The Best Buick award was lumped in to a Best Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac award which went to a '68 GTO - which was a very nice car. This car show has been a premier event in Arizona now for 10 years but sadly, we learned that this will be the last year for this event. In talking with some of the Flagstaff Route 66 Car Club members we learned that the City of Flagstaff authorities have been less than cooperative with the club in the past several years and it has become just too difficult for the Club to have this event. This is unfortunate. Some of the issues may also revolve around complaints from merchants that the car show wasn't increasing their sales enough to offset the inconvenience of downtown street closures for a day. It was my dream to participate in this car show and in the seven years it took to complete the restoration, it was foremost in my mind. Now I find that I am "one and done." Something for us all to contemplate. Car shows are not easy or cheap to plan and execute. Dan

That's a beautiful car. Looking at the photos, I'd say you have quite a bit of work to do but don't get discouraged. Working on these old cars is as much fun as driving them. Good luck with your project. Dan