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Blackout

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Posts posted by Blackout

  1. I know it's jumping the gun a little bit, but I acquired a set of YOM 1942 Calif. license plates for Alice. These things are almost as rare as my car. Bought them from a guy in WA who no longer needed them for his Packard. I practically stole them from him for what he was asking...should have them reassigned to my 76S real soon.

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  2. So, the paint looks like it's original based on the chip I have for the paint code, Salt Lake Green. Thriller is right about it being a Buick Extra Special, or 41SE. Based on the 1949 Manual for the Identification of Vehicles, the motor is correct. Only 2288 built, rarer in production than my 76S.

  3. Hello:

    In Downieville, CA, about 2 hours NE of Sacramento, sits a 1942 Buick. It's owner, Billy Epps, bought it for his daughter about a year ago after acquiring it in trade from a guy who found the car in a barn in Fresno, where it had been sitting since 1957. Unfortunately, Billy's daughter did not like the look of the car. According to Billy, he has new brakes and a master cyclinder for the car. Other than that, I am not sure on the condition; I would like to find this car a good home. Billy is asking $4K. For more info, please contact him at gasman@hnet.us or you can contact me and I will relay a message. I've attached pictures and would appreciate any info you might be able to provide as to the model of the car and any other interesting info like the paint and trim, etc.

    Thanks,

    Jared

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  4. And the plot thickens...more unverified history on Alice.

    So, I got off the phone with with Brian of Brian's Salvage and Junk in American Canyon, CA. He remembered towing Alice out of a yard in Vallejo. To summarize...

    The gentleman who owned Alice was getting up in age and was moving to a "home". So, he decided to sell his property. The realtor said he needed to get rid of the cars he had parked in his yard, each one of them purchased new (including Alice). In short, Alice had been owned by an Admiral (unverified) who commuted daily to Mare Island Naval Shipyard until 1960 when she lost oil pressure and he decided to park her in his yard. Apparently, the man purchased the car the last week before production and/or availability of civilian vehicles ceased. Brian also told me that the engine did have dual carburetors from the factory, but due to gasoline rationing, the original owner changed the manifold to accomodate a single carb.

    I have contacted the Mare Island Historical Society to attempt to verify the Admiral's name and cross check it with Brian. Soon, I hope to connect the dots on Alice's history. Stay tuned...

  5. Quick question about VINs, engine numbers, and titles. So, because the Buick is out of the CA DMV computer, I had to have the VIN verified in order to transfer the title. The title supplied to me by the previous owner lists the engine number as the VIN instead of the serial number. This doesn't make sense to me and I had a hard time explaining this to the officer that conducted the inspection. Does anyone know the rationale behind this?

  6. Thanks for the tip, Keiser31, I used that approach a few times, but knew I would have a few casualties. If I'd have been a little smarter I could have tried applying some heat and cleaning the crud out of the threads (access was an issue though).

  7. So, today, my furlough friday, I decided to take the bumpers off Alice to get a better look at the front and rear under-car sheet metal, I guess these would be the valance and roll pan, respectively. I'm not exactly sure what these areas are called; lots of rot, though, and will require replacement. As for the bumpers, they are heavily pitted and good replacement candidates, as well, if I cannot smooth them out. After the dozen or so bolts that I managed to break loose (and the handful that broke), I wish I could just dip the entire car in penetrating oil. I may post pics of the bumpers and the under car rot, tomorrow. Good times!

  8. A little more history on the car, quoted from Chris, the gentelman who sold the car to me...

    "When I got the car, the last registration sticker was '68 or '69. The owner of the junkyard I got it from pulled it out of a backyard in the older part of Vallejo. According to him, the owner (unknown if he was the original owner of the car when it was new), had driven the car to work every day at Mare Island Naval Yard until it got "tired" and he parked it--along with every other car he and his wife had owned since around 1940. The junkyard towed a 1940 Olds, this '42 Buick, a '58 Caddy, a '59 Ford truck and a few '60s compacts out of the yard (apparently the city had gotten after the owner for code violations)."

    It would be interesting to find out who the Mare Island employee was and his profession. Does anyone have suggestions as to how to go about tracking down this historical info? I've tried DMV to no avail.

  9. I'm already a member of the BCA and look to join the Capitol Chapter this month. Funds have been really tight these last few months.

    Yes, I have documented a lot of the bad with the car...now for some good. As stated, the car is nearly complete. I'm missing some of the trim, the front emblem, the ducting for the vent, the washer jar, side skirts, floor carpeting, radio, and a few other things. Lots need to be replaced, but I have a set of 42 blackout rear fenders, an extra trunk lid, extra doors and door extensions, an extra dash, interior window moldings, the original jack stand and wrench, an extra grill, and other odds and ends. The motor apparently ran about 10 years ago and I turned it over by hand the other day. The engine oil, though old, looked clean. I plan to pull the motor for a rebuild due to the reason it sat in the first place, no oil pressure. I do not want to jeopardize a good block, not that the boat anchor would detonate anyway. The brakes seemed to work and were replaced sometime within the last 10 years. They held the car as we transported it off and on the trailer. The parking brake holds the car, too. Other goodies...most of the glass will need to be replaced, except the curved piece in th rear, which is flawless. I can't think of much else, so I guess that's all for now...

  10. Hi, Earl, thanks for the info. From one of the sources I found, only 2471 76S Model cars were produced for 1942 production. My body number is 2071. Here are some additional reasons I believe it to be a blackout car:

    1. The only chrome on the car is the antenna, the clock/speedo, the glovebox knob, and the bumpers/bumperettes. All the trim and moldings are painted; however, oddly, the trim and molding was not painted the silver/grey, it was painted maroon with the body. Also, the belt molding has two silver stripes painted down the length of the grooves and the stainless grill has two white stripes painted down each tooth. All other non-blackout 1942 buicks that I've come across have chrome where my car does not.

    2. The 320 in my car is not compound carbureted and was not equipped with an oil filter. I would assume this is a result of the fuel rationing and need for filter elements.

    As you have stated, the car is very unique and rare. I'm excited to have come across it and look forward to restoring her. Indeed, she would look great dressed out in chrome, but if I can, I would like to rebuild her back to original to capture the essence of her history. Thanks again for your comment.

    Jared

  11. Good afternoon:

    I'm sure several of you were following the listing of a Blackout Buick in Napa, CA. Well, here she is. I purchased her last month, and while she is quite a project, I believe it will be worth all the pennies, sweat, blood, and tears. Of course, there are many hurdles to the restoration, one being my age (26) and minimal experience, but where I lack skills I make up for in patience and passion. The Buick, whom my wife and I named Alice, will be taken back to her original condition, not hacked into a sled or lowrider. This may take some time, but for Mr. Meyer's and Mr. Corbin's sake, I want to do it right. Indeed, it is a blackout model, perhaps the last '42 76S left. At 95% complete, and about 60% of that needing repair or replacement, I know it will be a challenge. Anyway, I wanted to show some pictures and create excitement for the resurrection of this dark piece of automotive history. As stated, the restoration will take some time, but I'll post pictures as she progresses.

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