michaelod

Thank you for the photo of your 29. Just to be clear, does the tube closest to the firewall lead to the lower port on the engine?

Yes, that is the way I thought it might be but was not sure. I am currently bending new oil lines for the setup and the way they are bent depends on their location on the oil filter canister. This confirms what I had suspected. Thanks again.

Same as my car, however the rear window is a different animal.

I am attempting to install the reproduction oil filter I purchased from Bobs Automobilia and am not completely sure of the correct connections. Could someone verify that the pictures attached are correct? Thanks for your assistance. Michael

There is a good chance he is still making them. He was making them out of stainless steel and I was very happy with the quality when I received it. He has patterns for several years and I believe 1931 is covered in the list. Pepcak is in the Czech Republic and an honest member of the forum. My highest recommendation.

As I understand the situation, trim for the rear window originally consisted of a piece of wood in the shape of the window that was covered in headliner fabric. I found some small pieces of wood in my car which I believe to be just that. I am planning to recreate the same for my car in the near future. You may need to do something similar as I have never seen any examples of the original trim available.

You might wish to consider Lakeside Custom Plating in Ohio. I have had a number of pieces done there and the work was always as good as it gets. His prices are considerably less than the high end guys as well. Talk to Tracy there: http://www.customchromerestoration.com/

Good question. The top appears to be sealed but it may be possible to open it somehow to change out the battery when needed. It certainly would be worth the effort prior to buying a new one. When one unscrews the yellow caps on top and peers down you can see the Optima battery inside.

I went with a reproduction battery that was an exact fit into the original 1930 battery box. On the outside it looks exactly like the original Delco, however under the covers it is an Optima. I will be the first to admit it was rather pricey however. http://www.antiqueautobattery.com/batteries/gm/G1-2-3-Delco.html

Check with the guy at: http://www.classicflatglass.com/ They were able to supply all the glass for my 1930 model 68 at a reasonable price and the quality was excellent. Their online selection app only goes as far back as 1930, so you will probably need to contact him for prior years. If you are still driving around with the original factory plate glass, that stuff is extremely dangerous. I accidentally broke my original windshield while on the bench and it exploded into a million very sharp slivers and shards. It is not surprising that Buick (and the other manufacturers) developed safety glass, as I imagine the plate glass killed and maimed quite a few people prior to the change.

I would recommend that you replace your body bolts rather than reuse the original ones. Some will probably break during the process of removal anyway. I went with stainless steel as most of my original bolts were severely rusted. Assuming your wood is in good shape and not rotted out, you should not need to brace anything. Also pay close attention to the location and number of shims that you will find between the body and frame.

On the whole people on the forum generally tend to refrain from attaching values to parts cars as it is rather hard to pin down. My best guess is what you have should bring about $500 or so if sold complete. If you choose to part it out on eBay, i would think you can do a bit better. Just my take on what remains of the car.

The piece that you are having trouble with was not originally pressed into place. You might try soaking the area in the same solution that Don previously mentioned. I can't remember what it is made of but if it is potmetal as are the gears, than I suspect it has swelled around the shaft. Use caution removing it.

With respect to picture #2, that gear which you have loosened and is stuck is one that I was referring to earlier in a previous post, "... it is common for the old potmetal gears to be frozen in place. You may need to pry them off once the bolts are loosened and in the process you can expect them to crumble. Not to worry though as you won't be reusing them and have taken photographs of the original positions. The reproductions are pretty accurate, but as noted previously are somewhat fragile like the originals." If you can get the old gear off intact, that would be preferable, but the old potmetal swells over time and you can expect to see the same problem occur in nearly every original potmetal piece on the car including the gas gauge, door handles, and windshield wiper motor.

It will be very difficult to find an original set of these gears in serviceable condition. I would suggest you check for a set at Bob's Automobilia which have sold good reproductions in the past.

The work can be done while the steering column is in place. There is no reason whatsoever to remove it. You may want to remove the drivers side engine pan if that is still present on your car (many were removed and lost over the years) for additional clearance, but even that should not be necessary. hidden_hunter is correct with respect to the gears having a keyway that they slide on. Having said that, it is common for the old potmetal gears to be frozen in place. You may need to pry them off once the bolts are loosened and in the process you can expect them to crumble. Not to worry though as you won't be reusing them and have taken photographs of the original positions. The reproductions are pretty accurate, but as noted previously are somewhat fragile like the originals.

Take care when removing the old gears to note the position that they are located in. I highly advise taking photos of the way they interlock with each other as you remove them from the car as they are sort of a "Rube Goldberg" setup. Be very careful with the new gears when replacing as they are cast potmetal and easily broken.

Appears to be a good restorable car. Wheels do not look stock. The 50 series in 1930 is in the midrange level, but shares the larger engine with the more expensive 60 series. At $7.5K that may be a bit more than I would be willing to offer for this sedan as restoration costs will very quickly surpass that number. Perhaps around $5K would be more realistic if it runs.

Usually the bellows on these fail. Whatever else you may do, refrain from placing this unit into a pan of boiling water to test. If there is any chance to get yours working that will usually ruin it permanently. I would suggest talking with these folks who may be able to help you out: http://www.classicandexotic.com/store/c-99-shutterstat-thermostat.aspx Take Care,

It would seem that your wiper motor is a replacement. The original wiper motors in 1930 had two lines that are attached with rubber tubing. Not sure exactly which line did which, but you should be able to simply plug one line and attach the other to your motor. Finding a working version of an original will be a tall order to fill, as these are generally considered to be non-rebuildable due to warpage of the potmetal housing itself.

The battery box in my 1930 Model 68 is an original and looks exactly like this one. Looks like they did an accurate job of reproduction. I would expect the 40 series cars to share the same design.

My recommendation would be one of the kits available from Grain-It Technologies. He has correct patterns for most cars available. I used one of these kits on my 1930 Model 68 with excellent results: https://www.woodgraining.com/ Thanks,

Where is the ideal or suggested place to hook up a vacuum gauge for this process? Thanks,

The 1930 Buick model 45 only had a single taillight, so if doing a restoration you should be in pretty good shape already. Were you planning on adding a second? Also could you repost the photo attachment of the exact part you are looking for. It does not appear in your message. Thanks,

I spent most of my life in Alaska and know how cold it gets in Fairbanks. Be sure to look carefully for a cracked block which could easily occur if the car ever sat in an unheated space during the winter.