midman

Ron, The top width on the one I have is 21", bottom is more like 22 1/8" Doesn't look like it will work

Ron, Sorry, according to the parts book the shells are different numbers for the 1930 40 series and the 31 50 series, though I do not know what the differences are. Maybe someone with more knowledge than I can fill you in.

Ron, I want to sell the whole thing. I don't know if it will fit a series 40, I'll check my parts book and get back to you

I have a (I believe) 1931 radiator shell with the attached shutters. it is in good condition with driver quality chrome. The shutters have at least 2 layers of paint on them and will need to be stripped and repainted to look good. There is a dent on the passenger side and a small dent on the drivers side but not bad enough to lift the chrome. Approximately 34" high and 21" wide at the top, and about 22" at the bottom. Grommet holes on either side for light wiring. Asking $300. Shipping on you or I can deliver to Carlisle or Hershey

Lots of nice cars there today (posted some in the MEETS section), but there was this really nice chromed out 31 90 Series

Just got back from the Elegance. Rain held off but man was it hot. Here are some of the great cars that were there.

One of the items I need to fix on my 31 is the tie rod ends. According to the shop manual they are not rebuildable and I cannot find a supplier. Has anyone run into this? Any known source or substitute? The original numbers are 1233718 and 1233719. Thanks for any ideas. Chuck

Ahhhh, now I wish that was my grandma, and at that age she could be! Cool lady

More trucks

I happen to be at the Antique Truck Show in York PA over the next couple of days. Though I am not a truck guy for hobbies I am by profession and there is some fascinating old equipment here. The Antique Truck Historical Society Nationals are here through Saturday Anyone into old vehicles should try to see it. Check out this 1943 Mack chain drive rated at 130,000 gross vehicle weight (GVW). Lots of other stuff too,

Well I thought my search was over. With the great help of Gary in the Pacific NW I was able to get an exhaust manifold. It was shipped cross country and I excitedly opened the box.............. to find a very good condition manifold neatly broken in two from handling. :-( What a bummer. It was bolted to a plywood base so it really had to be slung around to be broken. Returned to the shipper for the insurance claim......so the hunt begins anew. So I'll put the word out again. Does anyone have one in good condition they are willing to part with. I am willing to pay good money for it. Thanks Chuck

I've never seen one of those before. That is a cool pic, gotta find me a set of vintage overalls

AGM is "absorbed glass mat", means the acid solution is suspended in a fiberglass matting and is basically spill proof and less prone to sulfating. In our truck parts business we are selling more and more of these, but they are expensive versus a flooded battery. Chuck

Well, I'll be darned, learn something new every day. I tried the coin test and sure enough there is a double reflection on the glass. This car was "restored" in the early 60's so they must have done the glass then. Thanks for the tip.

I am getting the 1931 96s Buick ready for painting and removed the door glass and roll up windshield. They look like they could be original glass. I'm guessing they are plate glass since there is no lamination that I can see. Does anyone know when "safety glass" became standard on Buicks? Chuck

Classy move all around. Stories that remind me we are not all crazy selfish bas$&@?$! There is hope for this world.

Hi Dave, I am planning to replace mine with a standard fuse block. It's up under the dash so it won't be seen and it should work fine. Going off the wiring diagram it looks like it should be fairly simple. Chuck

I know, I know, they are impossible to find, but I've come close to getting one a couple of times in the last year so there is hope. I need a 1931 or 1932 big(80-90) series (344ci) Buick straight eight exhaust manifold. (1239924 or 1259695) Mine is complete but she is gonna blow any time now and I want to have one ready or one to repair. I would consider one in repairable condition but obviously I prefer one in good condition. I would also be willing to buy the complete engine, so if you keep tripping over one and you are ready to get rid of it contact me. Worse comes to worse I will have one cast but that comes with it's own headaches. If you have one or know of one please PM me. Thanks, Chuck

I just recently purchased some trim from him. A little hard to get hold of, but nice and honest to deal with. Chuck

Hi Guys, Getting this car ready for a real paint job versus the Earl Scheib special it wears now and I have another question. On the front end there is the frame tube pressed into the frame and the fender support bar that also holds the license plate. I am trying to figure out if they should be black or body color. I know in 1931 at least that the fenders were body color and not black, and of course Earl painted EVERYTHING the lower body color, but I am not sure what these were originally. My guess is black since I cannot find any original green paint on them, so I am looking for some confirmation? As always thanks for your help. Chuck

Wow, you're right of course. After all that welting I took off you'd think I would have thought of that. Another thing that concerns me though is that a couple of the trim pieces that go over the frame etc are pretty flexible and I don't want the paint to crack. Maybe I'll mount them to a board prior to the final painting

Hi Everyone, Maybe a silly question but this is my first prewar resto. I am doing a driver grade restoration on my 31 96S coupe and pulled the fenders, running boards, hood, gas tank cover, etc, etc. I am getting them chemically stripped and then stripping the rest of the body on frame. Basically I wanted to clean up the frame and all those nooks and crannys of 80 years of dirt and grease. Anyway once stripped and prepped for paint is it best to paint the individual parts before assembly or put it all back together and the shoot it? Pros and cons of each from those who have been there done that? Chuck

Joel, Your woodwork looks great. Are you reframing the complete body or just the damaged parts?

I recently had to do the same thing. David is exactly right. I had to loosen the body and lift it about a 1/4", one side at a time. Also on my Buick I had to remove the running boards. Be careful because one of mine was a little stubborn from being in the same place for 80 years and I kinked it when I got too aggressive.

God, I would love to find a place like that just to wander around all day and rediscover what has been stashed away. Way too far for me sadly.