Hubert_25-25

So needing to make a few adjustments to the interior before I can hide all the tack heads. At the door latches, I followed the panels that were on the car, but they were not done right as the latch showed. I did not like the look of the black latch against the beige interior. I decided to add a piece of wood into each latch post to try to hide the door latch when the door is closed. I am still leaving a small gap for the trim. I also added carpeting to the rear seat floor and I removed the large rubber mat. I was able to install the foot rest as well. Then I had to make "Hidem", as it is not available in this color. So Mark Kikta provided the details and I purchased a leather skive to thin the leather. Hugh’s notes for making ¾” wide hidem: - Cut leather to 2 ½” wide strips. - Seams will be done on a 45 degree bias. - Leather skived to .035” - Pen mark the leather on the back side ¾” from each side. - Use ¼” basting tape. Stick this on the outside of each pen line. - Fold the ¾” edge over 3/32” welting cord. Make the leather edge touch the pen line. - Create a 1/8” leather flat spot with the welting in the outside fold. - Repeat for the opposite side - Fold the welting to the middle on both sides. - Use the 5/16” presser foot and stitch each side. So one side of the rear seat is now finished. I have to make a lot of Hidem to cover the front seat and the rest of the rear seat. That is my job tomorrow. Hugh

Your heat riser tube may not be your only problem. There are a lot of areas to address if you want to put your carburation in good order and to bypass all of the heat addition components that are no longer needed and are negatives when running modern fuels. Hugh https://forums.aaca.org/topic/372573-1920s-buick-marvel-carburetor-rebuilding/#comment-2311177

Lou, The multi disc clutch components (friction discs and metal plates) interchange to the very early cars and thru 1925. The Larger 6 cylinder cars had an extra set of friction and metal plate to handle the incresed torque. Hugh

Finally getting to installing the rear Buffalo hub as I needed several parts. I did use blue lock tight on the 1/2-20 countersunk screw that holds the parking brake band as a preventative measure. Someone really beat on the inside of this wheel hub and I don't really know why. Damage all appears to be on the outer hub section. Hammering got into the mating flange and I was just barely able to clean it up with my whizzer and not have to remove the axle. I protected the internals from getting grinding bits into the hub. I did replace the felt seal with a double lip spring seal. The seal should have really been installed in the opposite direction, but there would be no way to ever remove it, so I installed it where it could be removed. It did require 2 wraps of electrical tape, and I also used RTV sealant to hold it. The 1/64 face gasket was missing as well so I made these. I had to use a heavy gasket sealer bead due to the heavy beating that the hub had on the mating face. I did clean the bearing and Mark Kikta provided the replacement special tab washer. So the odd thing with these Buffalo wheels - the outer bearing race is held in the drive hub. On a wood spoke, the outer bearing race is held in the spoke wheel hub, and the drive hub is just a flange. Threads on the 6 studs were OK but marginal so I was careful with tightening to prevent stripping one. So after assembling everything, on a Buffalo wheel car, the brake band can be installed after the drum is on, if installed in the proper order. Installing the two 5/16 bolts first. You can't do this with a wood spoke wheel, and it would still be easier if the band is installed prior to installing the drum. This photo shows the crushed brake release spring and the replacement spring stock that I am using. Buick part number 169131. For both Standard and Master! This Hillman spring is a good match and just needs to be cut to length. Bought at the local Ace Hardware store. Now I am on to fixing the brakes on this car as it has a lot of rusty clevis pins and the brakes are low and the pedal does not return properly. Hugh

DFOXY, Photos of what you have would help. 1926 Oldsmobiles are extremely rare. I am only under the assumption that many parts are similar to what Buick was using. In 1926, Buick was using a pot metal distributor. The potmetal grew over time. This may explain why the distributor was not held in place. Long term, people with 1926 Delco distributors replace them with 1930 Buick series 40 distributors. Model 640 Delco distributors. As Stude light says, find compression on number 1 cylinder, then rotate until you have the TDC mark in the timing inspection window. On a Buick, TDC is the 1-6 line. Then you can set the distributor location based on when the points just open. Attached are instructions on setting the timing statically, and then using a timing light. Hugh

Tom, Fuel sending unit parts are very hard to find. Read thru this posting regarding restoring or building a fuel sending unit. They are not that difficult to build. 1925 thru 1927 Standard would be the same. The two drawings will show you how to make the parts to build your own fuel gauge for a Buick Standard. The link will explain where to get the float material and other parts. Myers Early Dodge also sells the parts for a 2" fuel gauge. Note that the Buick nickeled cap is a different thread pitch than Dodge uses, but Myers made a run of these for us. Hugh

Emtee, Thank you. And I am not done yet. I still have some leather panels to go. These are photos of the left and right cowl kick panels. I do not have any "matching vinyl", so this is all done in leather. For sewing, you always need a patern. I used some poster board to make a pattern of the kick panel area. The slot in the floorboard metal had to be opened up a little because the leather is a little thicker as this panel board was originally covered vinyl. After making the template I cut out the panel board and fit it by itself. Then I took a little off the size for the leather. I stitched one side. Then I sprayed contact adhesive on the panel and the leather and worked the middle to the edges and stuck them together. Then I sewed all the edges. Decorative tacks secure the panel at the door edge as the other sides have grooves. These cowl panels are tricky as it also extends up and under the dashboard sheetmetal. The aftermarket water temperature gauge did not make the job easier. These are I had another problem in the rear seat area. This part of the car was owner hand built and not as Buick constructed it. It showed too much wood. So I made 1 1/2 x 3/4" L shaped panels to fill the spot on each side of the seat. Actually both were made separately as the left and right were not of the same dimensions. Installing the securement nails was difficult because no place to swing a hammer, so I had to pry against the heads and hope the nail did not bend in the process. I also went back thru and added more cotton to the rear seat sides to minimize the wrinkles. I also added a leather heel section to the seat riser as this was the last piece of vinyl on the car. I left the leather long on the floor as that will make a more finished base for the carpet. I will post again after I cover the tack heads. Hugh

Layden, Excellent comment. I am not entirely convinced that this part is case hardened, or that hardening is even necessary. That was heresay from another member. I agree with your comment. I have made these couplings from mild steel and aluminum, installed them with grease and not looked back. Aluminum is a good choice too. The better aligned the mating parts are, the less work this part does and the less wear is incurred. The reason for the accuracy of the part is for reasons of keeping the engine ignition timing, but this is an easier part to make anew than to locate. I would not waste my time looking for one. If you find one - great. I would go to a local machine shop and get an estimate for the part in aluminum or mild steel. You could heat it up and quench it if that made you feel better. Hugh

Adding a drawing of most of the inner hub and a photo with the felt seal removed. These are the dimensions that I could get without removing the hub from the drum. Dimensions verified as the same rear axle seals as Kevin ordered, so I will be doing the same. Hugh

Jeff, Drawings for reference. Drawing appears to be missing the mill slot in the opposite direction, but otherwise accurate. Hugh

On these Buick engines, timing marks are or I should say will be meshed but are not together when the engine is on TDC. There are several threads on the Buick Pre War forum regarding timing marks.

Jim, After setting the engine on #1 TDC and verifying the engine marks, I used the tip of a drill to mark the tooth on the back side of the camshaft gear that aligns with the generator gear mark. If I have to pull the generator for any reason, I can line the marks back up and I do not have to reset or check the ignition timing. It saves some time and effort. All the factory marks were set up working from the front of the engine. Timing notes are from the 1925 Buick Standard manual. Hugh

Thomas, I was hoping to make it to Hershey this year, doubtful if I will make it to Upstate New York though. Attached are notes on the pinstriping method that I use and I have good luck with this. Hugh

Kevin, Thank you for the seal information. I will verify if it is correct for the hub before I order it. Larry, I will add the 1/64 gasket paper as I feel it should be there as well. So two fixes so far this evening. Photo set one is the rear seal overflow tube. The hole and cavity is completely plugged. I was able to scrape all this thickened oil and road dirt out. Photo set 2 is the inner brake band support block. I was able to get the band to rest on the square block on both ends. The major problem actually is that the lower band end sits proud of the support block. I think the previous owner did tighten the counter sunk screw, and that made the end of the band guide stick out. This thin band guide was bent as it is mostly a big hole in the middle of steel plate. I think he thought it was tight, but after appling the brake, the tension was now off of the screw and the screw just kept backing out over time. My fix is to install an internal star lock washer under the plate. This will give the added clearance to allow the brake band to move and also apply pressure on the bolt to prevent it from backing out. I am trying to decide if I will blue lock tight it as well, but I feel the main issue is resolved. Hugh

Larry, Thank you for following up and providing the verification that I needed. Now the problem was how do I get the hub off without damaging the drum. Like an M&M, it's hard on the outside and soft in the middle. There is also only one place around the drum that has any support. This is at the brake band anchor. You can not use screwdrivers between the 2 piece hub flanges, but the right crow bar will span the gap to get to the outer edge of the drum. Then pressure can only be applied against the brake band anchor location. One spot on the diameter of the drum. So I gave the pry bar a wiggle, and then rotated the drum 180 degrees, and gave it another wiggle. Multiple passes and it started to separate. So the first photo is the important one as it shows the anchor at the bottom of the drum, and the crow bar used. The wheel hub is the same design as the drive hub on a Master. The back side of the wheel hub is cut to fit the ball bearing outer dimension. It also has a recess to aligh the 2 piece hub inner half. Note all the marks inside the wheel hub (photo below). These are not my marks. Someone else has been in here, and those look like hammer marks. All I have done is pried on the flange. Thinking that there should also be a gasket here, so thoughts on this? Now to make Bob Pilkies day, The first good photos of the inner hub. I bent back the locking tabs on the 2 1/2" nut. I used a pipe wrench and a cheater to remove the nut. Larry tells me that this nut size is on the Master hubcap wrench which I no longer have because I sold it not having a need for it since I own a Standard. Upon inspection, the star washer was useless as it did not have the inside tab that holds it in place. I did not need a puller as the 1310 bearing and then the drum came off without difficulty. Photo below shows the felt seal. I really want to go back with a lip seal so if anyone has any recommendations? Photo of inside the drum with the oil shedder. Not sure if this is different than the shedder used on all the other Masters. Bolts are drilled and cotterpinned in place. Now to the brake drag issue, and I hope this is the entire problem, and it is not a drum run out issue. The large countersunk screw at the base of the parking brake ends was backed out 7 turns. The metal end of the band guide had rotated between the brake inner band and the drum. So the end is kind of worn, and the plate is a little bent. This is a countersunk screw, so perhaps blue locktite is in order when I put this back together. If there is supposed to be a lock washer in this, please let me know. The other interesting item is that the parking band is not pulling flat against the square stop when the parking brake is released. There are 3 guides around and inside the band on the backing plate. The top guide (second photo below) looks like something inside the drum pushed the guide up on the front side. The other two guides follow the band curvature exactly. I will correct this guide, but I don't think it will close the gap at the anchor point, but maybe it will? That's about a 3/16 to 1/4" gap at the anchor point. I also noticed that on another guide, two of the brake rivets are not letting the band seat flat on the guide, so I may need to hammer on the rivet a little more. So I have my work cut out putting this all in order and back together. I need to decide if I should go into the opposite side as well as I feel certain I will find gremlins waiting. Thank you my Buick friends for helping me with this. I'd like to say the shop manual was a big help, but no. Hugh

This is a 14" Master. The drum is slid back flush against the backing plate. This leaves a 1/4" gap between the 2 hubs. It does not want to let go of the wheel hub. screwdriver prying will damage the brake drum. I believe it is stuck or something is holding it in this outer bearing area outside of the drum. Rod, have you been able to separate the hub that is showing on your trailer? Thank you, Hugh

Yes, The Buick Master is a full floating axle. The hub and the axle SHOULD be able to stay together and pull straight off once the 6 nuts are removed. They are not sliding off. The "rear hub mounting (photo above)" appears attached to the brake drum some how. The rear drum is warped - likely from someone trying to pry against it to separate the 2 parts. So not sure what to pry against or pull against to get the two hubs to separate. The gap between the 2 hub pieces is the "rear hub mounting" and the drum moving towards the backing plate. I don't really want to use a slide hammer on the wheel hub and damage the wheel bearings. Looking for advice from anyone who has separated these 2 parts. Thank you, Hugh

The owner has a 1926 Buick "components bill of sale" that is notorized and registered by the Texas DMV. Problem is, it does not say if it is for the body, motor, or chassis. The only thing it could be for is the body, but it looks like the doors are 1925 Standard. My old JC Whitney door panels that I used for patterns fit pretty close except the door latches were in slightly different places (shifted up or down) of the factory spots. Glad that I was not given alligator skins to work with. More of the same as I moved on to installing the front door panels. Then I was able to go thru the rear seat base. Looks like Model A to me. I added a horsehair pad to the seat base, then covered it in Jute. Finally starting on the last tuck and roll assembly. Interesting sewing the seat side leather and the piping to the seat cover. Sewing thru 4 layers of leather and sometimes more. Made a few mistakes that I had to pull out the stitching and redo, but they were just on the seat corners and not too difficult to fix. On the ping pong table is the finished seat bottom and the old vinly seat covering behind it. It does look like a nice place to take a nap. Hugh.

Larry, Thank you for the pictures of the 2 rear wheel types on the Master. I do not have this "drive flange" set up as in the first picture where the axle typically stays with the drive flange during normal maintenance and I don't know when if ever there would be a need to remove the drive flange from the tapered shaft. I believe in my case, I need to remove the nut that is under the hub cap. It is a 1 13/16" nut. I hope to be able to use a 46mm socket on it. I will also need to use a puller to remove this outermost hub from the axle. Funny that they call this the inner hub and inner hub puller, but it looks like the outer hub to me. I don't see any other way on these Buffalo style wheels but to separate the axle from the drive flange. They show a screw on flange puller (inner hub puller) in the Buffalo parts which screws onto the wheel lock threads, but I am hoping to accomplish the same using an 8" Jaw puller. As for the "Rear Hub mountings" , I think this is the other half of the 2 piece hub that is showing outside the brake drum. Hugh

As a follow up, I did take the Edinmas advice. I wiped off all the grease. Then multiple passes with brake clean. Then into the grill. I used 2 bricks to raise two cookie sheets off the grill bars. I used a heat gun and did 500 degrees for 3 hours, did "brake clean" spraying again after it cooled, and put it into heat for another 3 hours. The friction material used to be a green colored. Now it is black. It also burned off all the paint, so that was resprayed. While apart, I replaced the felt hub seals with modern lip seals. On the maiden voyage, I finally had decent brakes. More and other issues with brake problems. On the ride home, this wheel started to pull slighlty to this side, and the wheel got very hot and started smoking. The brake pedal was not coming up all the way. So I did another check of the band clearances. Front brakes work well now, but I have issues with a bent rear drum and the brake pedal is not coming all the way up, so I need to start pulling clevis pins and greasing linkage parts. Thank you Ed. Hugh

I have a bent brake drum on this 1927 Buick Master with Buffalo wheels. As you can see I have brake contact on one side of the drum and not on the other. - Not sure if this drum is salvageable. Do any shops straighten drums? - Are these the same drums as used on all Master Models of this vintage? I am open to purchasing a used drum. - removing the 6 nuts only allows the drum to move toward the backing plate about 1/8". It is not allowing me to gain access to the bearing retaining nut. - Will removing the large axle nut allow me to get to the bearing nut? I do have to remove the large nut because I noticed it is missing the nut locking tab. Thank you, Hugh

I was pleased as well to see the escutcheons shine again. Nice looking reproductions are being made by vintageandclassicreproductions.com, but I did not have to go there. I walked away from the rear of the front seat flap, because I was not sure how I wanted to make this. I ended up making a model first and held it together with clips as I figured out the details. I made a 3/4" strip of .060 poly that is used as a tack strip. Then another 9" piece of .060 poly to use as a stiffener. I left the lower 1 1/4" as just covering (no poly) to make it easier to install the Murphy fasteners. The leather is cut 1/2" wider to fold it over. The leather and vinyl is contact cemented to the poly. I used basting tape to hold the edges together when it was being sewn. I used the same decorative tacks that are on the door panels, but I painted the heads black instead of beige. The decorative tacks are 1/2" long. For added strength I used a 1" nail on each corner of the cover and that nail head has a decorative tack placed so close to it that it hides the 1" nail head. Hugh

A second posting this evening as I am trying to catch up on the completed work. I moved on to making the door panels. I used some old door panels as patterns and then made modifications to ensure fit as not all these doors are the same. Then I cut the leather and contact cemented the leather to the panel board. The leather was stitched around all the edges to ensure it would not come unstuck over time. Next I started with making the door flaps. I used a piece of .060 poly and I glued leather on the outside and vinyl on the inside. The leather is 1/2" wider. I used basting tape and clips to hold the leather on the fold over. Once folded over this is stitched around the edges. Then the excess leather is trimmed on the inside. Besides using my good scisssors, I also use good cutical scissors to fine trim and they also make good gasket trimming scissors. I also cut the .050 galvanized metal door flap weights on my band saw. They make the door flaps "straight" and give them a nice heavy quality feel. These get inserted after the flaps are made. The flaps are stitched in the open position, then they are closed and stitched just below the fold line. I had to use a different foot on my sewing machine to get close to the steel plate. The escutsheons were in pretty bad shape. The aluminum had been sandblasted. I had to straighten these and do a lot of hand sanding to get them smooth, and then buff them up. I also bought four door handles from Myers Early Dodge. Very close to Buick's in looks. For the decorative tacks, I bought these on Ebay. They come in brass and I pushed them into a piece of cardboard and I spray painted the heads to match the leather color. Buick did all this in black, and now we know how it looks in beige. Hugh

Before I could install the rear seat, there was more wood needed in the rear seat area. I did not have a place to nail tacks on all the leather edges, so the first 2 photos show the additional wood strips needed to hold the leather and fabric tacks. Notice the wood around the top of the rear tub. This is supposed to be covered in leather. Several pieces of wood were added along the seat base and at the door latch. Then I used newspapers to make patterns for the panel board backing. Then another set of newspaper patterns were made to make patterns for the leather seat side covers. The leather seat side covers are just like the seat covers, but there is only panel board behind them. They get tacked around the perimeter. As these are tuck and roll, they have a muslin backing and are stuffed with cotton. The front of the arm rest is a little tricky. The front of the wooden armrest needs to be picked up slightly to slide a little leather under it. This makes a nice finishing touch to this corner. The leather is wrapped over the armrest and tacked (stapled) on the outside. The green tape was added so that I knew where the gypsy curtain snaps were when I reinstall them after I add the trim over the staples. The rear seat back is treated like the front seat back. The spring assembly is held to the back of the seat wood with hanger straps. The springs are covered in burlap and then 1/4" Jute. The tuck and roll upholstery is stapled to the top side of the rear surround wood, and then the base of the leather is attached to the tack strip at the base of the rear seat. The rear seat photo shows a good comparison of the tuck and roll leather on the seat back, and the old face stitched vinyl still on the seat bottom. All of the leather used in the rear had to be ironed, but I was able to remove mostly all of the creases.

That old copper fuel tubing is some brittle stuff. Fred Rawling and I think you should replace it. What you want is CNC-525. Nice stuff to work with. Be careful as many sellers are selling copper plated. Kevin got the other half of my 25' coil. The price has almost doubled compared to this snapshot of what I bought it for 4 years ago. Perhaps you can find a remnant on Ebay or find someone who wants the other half.