suchan

That's interesting, but I've never heard of Buick choosing which rear end to install in the '37-'38's according to body style. Even if they did, the coupes sell for more more money, all things being equal, and you'd probably spend less putting a high-speed rear end in a sedan. Which brings up the topic of which body style looks the best. While all of the '37-'38's are handsome cars, I've always been partial to '37 coupes and convertibles, and think the '38 front end looks better on a sedan.

Another popular rear-end swap is early-mid 50's Buick. Ratio is 3.4-1, I think. Likely a lot easier to find than a '30's Century rear end, and keep in mind, the Century rear end isn't just a bolt-in. Drivetrain-wise, Centurys are basically short-wheelbase Roadmasters. Special brakes are more than sufficient if in good adjustment. The Specials with the semi-automatic tranny came with 3.6 gears, but good luck finding one of those.

With the low rear end ratio, Specials have plenty of hill-climbing power. When \we lived in the Sierra Nevada foothills, our '38 Special was just the ticket, and very comfortable to drive. We bought it with radial tires equivalent to 7:00x16 bias plys, which lowered the engine speed a bit and provided great ride and handling. Special motors sound busy at 55 mph due to both the rear end ratio and the lack of insulation. If you plan to regularly go faster than that, you would do better to look for a car like Mark's with a different rear end at a sacrifice of power, or go for a Century. Roadmasters are nice cars, but they are BIG, and the '37 Roadmasters still had the '36-style body with lots of wood in the framing.

Nice car at a fair asking price. Good luck with the sale, and our condolences.

Bet it's a pretty exciting ride down the road, what, with all that vibrating and body torquing.

Soooo...what's the 1 percent that isn't done? Give the car a wash and polish, post more (and better) photos, including the engine, a more detailed description of the car's condition, and you'll have a better chance to get your price. Good luck.

Ouch! There's so much good about the car, with a little negotiating, it could be a smart buy.

Looks like the seller went through maybe a gallon of Armorall on that engine detail. I like shiny things, but...

After the new software was installed, most my posts were apparently deleted, and the remainder were tagged with a screen name I've never used on the AACA forum. Not that my posts were all pearls of wisdom, but there were a few I was proud of...

Not sure if this is related, but my screen name has changed to one I used for eBay and Yahoo years ago, have NEVER used on this forum, and all my previous comments and posts, valuable or not, are gone.