Oregon Desert model 45

The big nut adjusts clutch pedal. Below is a pic from the 1925 Shop Manual describing clutch adjustment which is probably identical to 1922 as clutch design was carried over. The only explanations for your current predicament that I can think of, is either the big clutch spring has broken or somehow the release bearing got stuck with clutch engaged.

1929 Essex phaeton - $9,500 (Pendleton) Unrestored 1929 Essex phaeton. This is a solid old vehicle, but it is missing the radiator, hood and windshield. The engine and transmission are from a newer model Terraplane. This was removed from a storage building this spring, where it had been stored for decades. https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/d/pendleton-1929-essex-phaeton/7696013702.html

I went to the steel yard today and had them shear a piece of 18 ga sheetmetal 30" x 48", which cost $42.50. I decided on using 18 ga after making 2 more oval end plates from 18 ga that I picked out of the "used" bin at the steel yard. It wasn't much more effort to hammer 18 ga vs 20 ga. Both sizes still required heating with the torch and further hammering with a dolly to iron out the wrinkles - note the blueing around the perimeter where they have been heated. The bonus is the finished tank will be more durable made from 18ga (.047) than 20ga (.0359). The slip roller performed like a professional machine and it took little effort to roll 30" wide material. Assembling the oval end plates into the rolled sheet is a bit tricky since they keep popping out. A ratcheting strap clamp is needed to pull the rolled sheet tight over the oval end plate, leaving some minor gaps that will be easy to close with a C clamp. I will use the ovals made from 20 ga for the internal baffles. I was looking at the 2.5 dia pipe at the steel yard, which is needed for the fuel gauge tower, and all of them measured a maximum of 2.40" dia. I don't understand why they are undersize by .100" or more. I found a piece of 18ga x 2.5 dia pipe in my own junk pile which is too thin to thread, but could still work if I machine the threaded end from a solid round slug and leave a short length that will slip into the 2.5 pipe and be soldered or brazed in place. Brad - if you can find me a banjo that would be great ! Kevin

Finished turning and threading the new banjo bolt. I left extra length at the tail end where the pickup tube will be soldered or brazed on. The vacuum pump banjo bolt has a 1/8 npt plug which I don't see any need for at the fuel pick up end, so was thinking of welding closed the hole through the head. Kevin

Looks identical to the clock from my 1948 Fleetmaster except for the color combination of the center insert, which suggests a different year or possibly model.

Hugh I need 2 banjos total. Either new or old if its not mashed out of shape. The 11/16-20 tap arrived today so I set up the outlet tower (with welded on flange) in the lathe and tapped it through. The lathe holds the workpiece and tap aligned perfectly during tapping. The chuck is locked using the back gear and tap driver handle is turned by hand about 10 or 15 degrees at a time which makes this a tedious process. Next I prepared a 3/4 bolt to be machined into a banjo bolt by machining down the head and drilling through. I hit a minor roadblock when I discovered the dog was too wide to fit over the already machined down head. The solution was to cut a notch in a short piece of tube leaving 2 tabs which fit over opposing flats on the head, then clamping the dog over the pipe. Its now "between centers" and ready to machine down and thread. I didn't want to make the bolt until there was a tapped hole to check the fit of the threads. Kevin

Hugh Where did you find dimensions for AUC2695 ? I found that same fitting on multiple British parts supplier websites but they only listed car makes that it would fit and did not include dimensions beyond tube diameter which was identified as "bore". Searching for fuel line banjo and hydraulic banjo leads to an entire universe of parts I was not aware of. I made another oval hammer form from hardwood and wrapped it with a band of sheetmetal to resist denting which the plywood form suffered from. I tried making a gauge faceplate using galvanized steel flashing and stamping the markings. I made about every mistake possible in the process, but that's how I figure out how not to make it. The only way I can think of to cut the slot for the gauge pointer is to lay out the location and punch a line of holes, then hand file the slot until it cleans up. Easier said than done. Also need to find fractional stamps for 1/4, 1/2 & 3/4. Kevin

Does anyone know of a source for original size (11/16") solder on fuel line banjo fittings ? Searching for fuel line banjo fittings turns up lots of metric sizes, most of which are smaller than original. The closest I found that could work has a 18mm ID but has a hose barb instead of solder joint. Is there any argument against using a modern style neoprene fuel line instead of copper tubing ? Its not going to be a show car. Kevin

Thomas The differential I have will not fit a Standard model. Model 27 should be a 4 door sedan. Is that correct ? Kevin

Thomas Both engine and axle confirm that your car is a Standard which is the smaller series Buick which makes up about 2/3 of Buick sales for 1927. Master wheelbase is 120" and Standard is 114-1/2". Parts interchange between the larger Master series and Standard is a very short list. Radiator cap, hood latches, light/ignition switch body behind the bezel are a few parts that will interchange between the series. The speedometer you are missing is the round style that looks like this photo below.

According to the Master Parts book, the only models using 4.9:1 differential ratio in 1927 are Standard models 25 & 26 which are touring and coupe. The only other years that 4.9:1 was used is 1921-22 larger 6 cyl. models. Can you please add a photo of the engine and photo of the rear axle backing plate ? This will help get a positive identification of your car even if parts have been swapped out by previous owner. It is common to find a car with parts from multiple years (my own Buick is one of those) Kevin

I have a differential with 4.73:1 gear ratio ring & pinion gears, which is higher ratio than your 4.9:1 gears. More investigation needed to verify this will interchange with yours. What model is your car ? see aluminum tag on the firewall for original model number. Kevin

Larry Can you also measure height of fuel outlet fitting and inlet neck ? I will have to keep looking for a larger Master bezel or figure out how to make one. Kevin

Stainless fabrication is more of a specialty that requires argon gas and stainless wire for the welder plus some experience which I don't have at this point. I started hammer forming the end cap / baffle over the plywood oval form and found the plywood to be a little too soft which led to a crinkly looking edge that resembled a cheap tin pie plate. Additional hammering with metal dolly helped smooth out the wrinkles. This is compressing and shrinking the sheetmetal. I can also use the torch to heat the wrinkles and make them easier to hammer out. A hammer form made from hardwood would probably work better than plywood. Its still a work in progress and I am figuring out the process as I go. Kevin

I measured the vacuum fuel pump inlet bolt and it is .675-20 which is an oddball size. I was expecting 11/16 (.6875). Typically when a manufacturer intentionally makes a part an odd size it is to force the mechanic to buy the correct part instead of substituting something else. Also called idiot proofing. This probably means the fuel tank outlet pipe bolt was originally the same odd size. Since I will be making both the pipe bolt and tank outlet fitting, I will be making it 11/16-20 for which tap & die sizes are available. Kevin

I have been watching the efforts of other Buick owners to repair original gas tanks, and since I don't have a tank, building a new one seemed like a good plan. First step is to build a slip roller machine. There are lots of videos on u-tube showing how to build one. I decided to use bolt on flange bearings because I don't have a mill to bore a nice clean hole needed for press fit bearings. My old SB lathe is just long enough to hold 30" roller pipe to true up. It took a lot of time to cut and machine all the fabricated parts, plus rounding up all the purchased parts and materials needed. The steel yard closest to me has bins of cut off discarded steel chunks from local fabricators, including assorted sizes of round water jet cut outs that are very handy for making roller ends. With outside tank dimensions of 11-1/2" x 17", I figured the large radius must be 16" and small radius 5-1/4". The calculated circumference is 46-1/2" which is perfect for shearing from 48" wide stock plus leaves an overlap of 1-1/2" after forming the oval. On my last trip to the steelyard I found some 20GA sheetmetal sheared to 12" x 48" and 9" x 48" which is perfect for a trial run. I cut out a wood template for checking the 16" radius plus a pair of oval templates for checking and welding the finished oval shape. Another pair of oval templates slightly undersized are needed to hammer form the ends and inside baffles. The actual rolling of the test oval took less than 5 minutes. One improvement the sliproller needs is to fasten the threaded pusher to the adjustable roller slide mechanism so it will retract. I had to lift up the adjustable roller to feed in the sheetmetal. What gauge sheetmetal are the original tanks made from ? Most of the body parts I have welded are close to 20 gauge (.036). Next step of the trial run will be hammer forming the oval. The 12" wide stock is a little too narrow for the edge flange, so I welded another 1" to one edge which will be a little troublesome when I start hammering over the weld seam. New filler necks are available from multiple sources. I will have to figure out how to form a flange where it fastens to the tank. The drain fitting and fuel outlet fittings will be relatively simple to fabricate from round & flat stock. The fuel outlet should have a 11/16-16 internal thread for the fuel pickup tube bolt. The drain is probably threaded 1/8" NPT. The gas gauge fitting looks like it has a bell shape at the base and threaded on top for my Model 45. The top of this fitting is different for models with inside fuel gauge. I will need base dimensions from an original tank to fabricate this fitting. One of the inner baffles has a cutout to clear the float with dimensions which will have to be worked out after placement of the gauge fitting. The gas gauge will need to be fabricated, (thanks Larry D for making this drawing) and I have a stamping die to produce the gauge faceplate dome. Gauge retaining ring and glass to be procured from Myersearlydodge. Exact locations for filler neck, gauge, and fuel outlet will be determined by installing a blank oval under the frame and marking hole locations from the frame rear cross member holes. I think the end result will be worth all the effort, and for once I won't have to deal with welding old sheetmetal. Kevin

I have an extra cap that will fit a 1924 if you want to replace the cracked one. Axle tube diameter measured 2.48, and the raised guide or keyway is about .25 tall. I have spent countless hours with a wire wheel removing that petrified gunk and finally found a much easier way to get it off or at least loosen it up using electrolysis. It also takes the rust off. Kevin

clean the condenser connections. New condensers procured from online Model A vendors are notorious for being junk. A new distributor probably has the same questionable condenser. There was as discussion over on Fordbarn with recommendations for a quality condenser. https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=332424 Are the points set correctly ? Every time I can't get spark from my A it almost always is due to the condenser

That is a 1928 Buick

With the ignition switch on, use a meter to check / verify there is + 6 volts to terminals #3, #4, #6 in the above diagram. All 3 of these terminals require voltage for the starter to operate. #3 & #4 wires go to the ignition switch, so if there is a problem with either it won't turn. I made a test jumper that connects the big terminal #6 to #3 & #4 for troubleshooting. If it still does not work, remove the nickled plate at the bottom which holds the grounding brushes and clean grounding paths. If it still does not work, it might be time to remove it and open it up for some more work. If you are still having issues, post a new thread down in Pre-War Buick section and we will walk you through additional steps. https://forums.aaca.org/forum/60-buick-pre-war/

1934 Chevy looks like a match.

A copper crush washer used for the distributer hold down could over time rattle loose. In the 1916-1932 Buick Master parts book under United Motors Service Section, the distributer hold down spring (illustration #71) applicable to 1928 models appears to be a dimpled washer. The dimpling looks to me like spring tabs that have been stamped into the part. A small wave spring washer might provide a similar spring force sufficient to hold the distributer in place and still allow adjustment as needed. Kevin

That is actually a 1925 Model 48. An online search turns up a 1924-48 with interior photos, most likely using the same interior lights even though it did not use the oval side windows. https://www.classicautomall.com/vehicles/514/1924-buick-doctor-coupe

The cowl with chalked "39" matches this 1929 Whippet.

Buick must have had a design engineer with one specialty designing emergency brake levers, and he had to justify his existence by redesigning them almost yearly. The upper end that you see from the drivers seat is identical, but the bottom end has many configurations. The ratchet and pawl also have multiple configurations. To make things more ambiguous, the only marking I have seen is at the bottom end of the lever and is not a full part number. These two levers that I have are probably somewhere around 1928 but I can't pinpoint the exact year. The release rod really does not have to sustain much of a load, its only function is to release the ratchet. I would suggest your first step is to weld yours and see if it holds. Perhaps cut it off 1/2" up the shaft and splice a new bent end so the weld is not right on the bend. Kevin