Buick Downunder

Thank you and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too! Great to hear you are doing some good miles in the Buick. It is interesting that your clutch caused build up in the starter gears as my engine is currently locking up and it isn’t the auxiliary shaft or main engine areas from what I can see. I recently replaced the auxiliary shaft and worked on starter motor so I thought it was that - but alas it it something else. I have taken the front timing cover off and all looks OK there so I suspect the clutch, ring gear or starter gears hence my query. I plan to take the motor out this week, which will no doubt be a can of worms - but everything was working pretty well before sitting so I hope it isn’t anything serious. More questions to come I suspect. Good to hear from you!

Hi All planning to pull the engine to inspect clutch and ring gear which was last serviced more than 60 years ago (at best). Clutch slips very slightly when hot and I suspect gearbox and/or rear main seal issues. What have others found in this area is the main cause for oil on clutch linings? Also, have people been reconditioning the 6 plate clutch or upgrading. I prefer to keep things standard unless there is probable cause to modify. Thanks very much - Ben.

I posted a step by step guide to setting the timing for my 1925 several years ago - whereby you follow the book to the letter, apart from advancing not retarding on the steering wheel (I think) - due to changes in Petrol quality. You don’t need a timing light and best to adjust by ear and short trial until you get it spot on. I used it again recently when my old car followed me back home and I had to remember how to do it again!

You can buy a new crank handle from Phil in Sydney Australia. He makes them in perfect spec for about $195 AUD ($150 US). Search Vintage Standard Buick Engine Cranl Handle (note typo is needed). It’s on Gumtree which is like Greys. phil also has NOS Delco S/G one way clutch housing with distributor drive and a few other parts for vintage Buick NOS.

Holden started making local changes in 1934 for tourer such as a trunk addition and then the sloper but the 1925 Buick was the same as fisher bodied US versions. This is my twin brothers Holden bodied 1934 Oldsmobile which isn’t found anywhere else in the world. 1 of 4 known to survive.

Hi All Having not worked on the Delco SG for my 1925 Standard for some time, I am finding some tricky issues have arisen, which are stopping me from advancing with the car any further. At the worst case scenario I am getting a dead short between the field and the main body, which is starting to drive me crazy! On a simple circuit test the positive battery terminal and the field are beeping as a short on the multimeter, as well as the two wires for the field (F & other end where the third brush connects) to ground, while A is not grounding and remains open circuit. I have pulled the unit down and everything is in very good order, apart from some wear to brushes, which are still 50% or greater in size. I initially thought that I might be getting an intermittent ground through the brush holder insulators, but this is not the case. There are no shorts until the earth brushes to the commutator are screwed in - which is as you would expect I guess. This morning I attempted a careful bench test and with a dowel placed in the starter hole to pivot the brush off the commutator there is no short when you connect ground to the body and a positive lead to the battery + / ammeter pole. Once you release the dowel and engage the starter brush to the commutator (without connecting the F terminal) it fires up the starter. I was not sure, but I thought it would normally require you to also connect power to the F at the same time as the Batt + pole - so not sure if this is correct or not. With the starter brush disengaged and positive connected to the Batt + pole - it is open circuit when you flash the A terminal, but the generator will (on occasion) spin up when you power up the opposite end of the field from F - where the 3rd brush connects. I have changed the field with another I have and it does exactly the same thing. Help!

Thanks for this information. I will be needing this very soon - once I solve this SG!

Yes Holden body - Woodville plant I assume.

Thanks Kevin. This is what I was thinking might be the problem. I’ve got the SG on its way out of the car again and will look closely at these insulators.

Thanks very much Hugh. I found the details on upholstery last night and very good. The hood on my car has not been serviceable for many many years and I started out in 2009 to get this fixed - but the local person here who does hood bows convinced me to change the dimensions and made a set of totally useless bows - which when I look back was probably the reason I sold it! Any information on this aspect would be appreciated as it is a bit tricky to take it out without a top as it either rains here or you get fried by the sun (or both)! Your car looks the treat and I am sure the time spent assured you have a good reliable car for many years. Mine was black all over originally and one day I’ll put it back. I agree keeping them as close to factory spec is the best approach and great to know this documentation has need written.

Yes unfortunately it all happened quickly and glad it’s back I think I’m currently refreshing my memory on Delco S/G which is now providing a dead short through the commentator to the generator side (A). Great way to cause a fire under the dash and melt the ignition switch! I am suspecting brush insulators may be the culprit as everything else tests ok until the bottom brush goes on.

HI All Having originally purchased my unrestored 1925-25X from the second owner in 2009, after he had owned it for 50+ years and had had it sitting for many decades. At the ripe old age of 86 years I was fortunate enough to get it back up and running and road registered soon after and enjoyed discussions on this forum whilst I tinkered. My car was featured in the September 2010 Buick Bugle Magazine for the 1925 Models, which tells the story of the car from that time. in 2015, I was forced to change jobs unexpectedly and I decided to put the car on the market - before telling my family what I had done. I was contacted by the children (now in their 40s) of the previous owner who had since passed away, who bought it from me the next weekend. Seven years later (late last year) the second owner's family contacted me to see if I was interested in purchasing the car back, as they were looking to sell the car - to which I immediately said 'yes!' The car was still in the spot I parked it on delivery 7 years before, but fortunately kept out of the weather for the duration in their care. I managed to get it up and running over a day or two on its return - now 96 years old and whilst showing its battle scars in places - it remains largely intact with original timber, mechanicals and original black duco (underneath the two coats of brush painting and a 1960s vacuum cleaner spray job!), which I am certain will make it to 100 without a pull down restoration. The Buick is parked back at our home in the same parking spot it used to reside in and in some respects it doesn't feel like it ever left. Some of you may remember the car? Funny enough I am using some of my old posts to remind me how to do things that I have forgotten in this time - showing how great a resource this forum is and incredibly useful. I look forward to catching up with fellow vintage owners again and certainly expect to have some silly questions as I embark on getting the car ready for rallying again.

I start my 1925 25x regularly with the hand crank. 2 turns of ‘suck’ with the choke out and ignition off. Choke turned off, fully retarded on the steering wheel and ignition on - take up to 11 o’clock on compression stroke and turn over and down swiftly. Keep you thumb under your fingers! it should start with no fuss. You should not need to do this more than once or twice and should not turn the motor over and over. the crank handle is designed to start the vehicle by the way. There were no corner shops to get a new battery or jump start in those days.

Hi All It seems it must be a normal problem for this. I have sadly just broken the ignition switch completely fell apart with contact for the ignition wires falling out all together. Similarly I can't get the assembly out of the car, so will follow these instructions, trying Leif's suggestions too. Once out of the car - I am worried that there will be parts broken inside as well as the main plate. Does anyone have spares? Regards Ben

Hi Hidden Hunter Larry tracked me down via email as I don't get on the forum as much as I should. My car has a very similar setup in RHD (Brisbane based) - It had been laid up since 1969 when I put it back on the road in 2011 and it needed a couple of things checking on the distributor among the thousand others. Agree that the manuals and master parts books will help you a lot. I got an original set at Bendigo a few years back for not a lot of money. You should make sure that the distributor retaining screw is not tightened up too firm and there should be a bush and spring (from memory) on the retaining screw that allows the distributor to roll when the level turns it. I can send pics if you need. Nothing is too tricky though. Regards Ben