Kenneth Carr

Very nice result, Neil! I think you are just about ready for spring.

Old bulbs vary mostly in base type and filament voltage. A source of specifications & photos is here: https://www.bulbtown.com/Bulbs_By_Base_Type_s/27.htm If you are replacing ,for example, a bulb that used 6 volts as it was installed in your old car you need to replace it either with an LED that uses the same voltage or you need to change the 6 volts from your battery to the voltage required by the LED. The LED voltage requirement will usually be less than what the car supplies. In that case you insert a voltage dropping resistor in series with the LED replacement so that the LED gets the proper voltage. A neat calculator to help determine what value resistor to use is here: Dropping Resistor Calculator | GTSparkplugs (note: voltage dropping resistors will heat up; use ones of adequate size so heat is dissipated. ) And if anyone is replacing bulbs with ones of the same type you might want to check Bob's Antique Radios and Electronics. He has some of them at a very reasonable price. I have purchased from him and he is reliable. Here is a nice chart that gives specifications about a variety of bulbs.

I also had to remove the instrument panel to replace it and to install new wiring. I wrote a couple blogs about my experience. They may be helpful to you. And all the advice from Neal and the other folks is very good. Regarding tools you may want to pick up nut drivers that have a hollow shaft and one of those short round socket drivers that are good for close spaces. http://idlenot.com/?p=45301 Part 1 http://idlenot.com/?p=59410 Part 2

Do you have a YouTube account? Put the video there and post the link here.

This is from a few years ago. I convinced my wife to pose with our ‘41 Roadmaster. We were on a club trip to a local cider barn.

Photo offered for discussion on Facebook. https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/11/buick-aero-car-1920.html Submitted by Marc Hendrix Better photo shows sign on rear that appears to read “Aeroplane Propelled ” There is also another sign on the side of the car that is not clear. The photo seems to have also appeared in a Facebook group (within Facebook search for Yacht Club des Avions de la Route.) that discusses vehicles that mix technologies such as airplanes, cars,and boats. The text is in French and English. I suspect the car was powered by an airplane (Aero?) engine.

I struggled with that sensor on my ‘41. It took me days to remove after I broke the cable off (unintentionally). The full story along with a few other challenges is here: http://idlenot.com/ I eventually bought an NOS unit from a friend. It works great!

Great photo! Old cars and snow go together well!

This link goes to a discussion about engine turned panels. I believe both 1940 and 1941 are discussed. Also, Skip Boyer is restoring the panels too.

Mark : My compliments on a great series of photos and explanations .Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

Look at the Dec. 6, 2017 post by Neil at the following link. If the oil you mention is in the spark plug wells this could be the explanation.

This link to a previous discussion may help you out:

Thank you for the paint details!

Nicely done, Robby. Did you use off the shelf paint and primer or a custom mix? Any details on what you used would be much appreciated.

Has anyone heard about someone making their own inspection cover for the 1941 cars? I was also surprised when I went searching for it in my ‘41 Roadmaster and could not find it. Very disappointed . I suspect they may have been thinking about retaining the integrity of the glued down sound deadening material.

I have a 1941 with a different gauge (charge + on right, discharge - on left) but I believe the response of any gauge should be the same upon startup and shutoff. I have a short video that shows how I think it should work: I also do not see a strong charge when revving the engine. I suspect that if the battery is already well charged revving should not show a charge surge because the voltage regulator prevents that. Also I agree there should be no electrical draw with the engine off and the ignition switch in the off position. The spark test you did does point to a short somewhere even though you seem to have eliminated all systems. Did you disconnect the electric fuel pump wiring to see if that has a problem? Have you added any extra switches like a kill switch or fuel pump switch? Switches do go bad. I have had that happen. And as mentioned it may just be a bad meter.

I would be interested in finding a good source for black ribbed mat. I have a 1941 Roadmaster and my mat crumbled when I removed it to have new floorboards welded in. I understand there is a reproduction mat available fo my car but at $500 it’s just not worth it to me.

The trimmer adjustment is from an access hole on the back of the radio. Try that first. As mentioned above your antenna should be fully extended. Be careful about the garage, though. Always put the antenna back down before entering the garage if you back in or when backing out if you usually drive in front first. (guess how I figured that one out!). Have all of the capacitors been replaced with modern ones? Have the values of the resistors been checked? Have all the tubes been removed and their pins cleaned (a little contact cleaner and several insert / remove / insert actions will help). Also, if you live in a rural area you should expect to receive fewer stations, especially during the day. In RI you should receive whatever is local (15 miles or less) and high power stations like the news stations in NY, even during the day. At night you should receive dozens of stations from all over.

You are welcome. I added a photo to the last post to show my Fuel Delivery Apparatus. Ken Carr

I have the same problem if I leave the car sitting for over 7 days. My solution is to prime the carburetor. I remove the float sight screw from the side of the front carburetor and trickle in a few ounces of gasoline. I use a plastic soda straw (end cut on an angle) as a funnel. I also place a rag around the carburetor while pouring to catch the screw in case I drop it. I have not dropped it yet. The car starts easily. This is much safer than pouring fuel down the throat of the carburetor. Also to help starting I installed new 00 thickness positive and negative battery cables. One other trick is to add a separate cable from the starter mounting bolt to the chassis. That improves its ground connection. I have not done that yet. Ken Carr

My experience is with the 1941 only: With the ignition switch off push the pedal to the floor once or twice. Next: For cold engine turn on ignition and depress accelerator half way. Engine starts. For warm engine: turn on ignition and depress pedal to floor and hold until it starts.

I have seen the 1942 shop manual online for free download in a couple places. Unfortunately you must download one page at a time. If you are looking for information on only one system that is easy to do. Go to this link: http://buick.oldcarmanualproject.com/manuals/1942/Buick shop manual/index.html#google_vignette. I attached a sample page to this posting. The Old Car Manual Project site that hosts the manual is, in my opinion, a legitimate site. They fully discuss contribution guidelines. I once tried to get copyright information from GM regarding some 1941 material I owned. Over a period of several months I made phone calls, was referred to the proper office, and submitted written inquiries. I was ignored ... only got as far as a secretary. Her boss was unresponsive and never answered phone messages either. Regarding a ‘42-‘47 manual, I have not seen that. I believe a new one was issued each year. l

I can tell you how I tested the vacuum starter switch on my 1941 Buick. I don’t know how similar they are. Mine is attached to the front carburetor. The throttle rod that chokes the carb when you press on the accelerator pedal passes all the way through the carb and terminates inside the vacuum switch. The rod has an eccentric on it. When the pedal is pushed to the half way point the eccentric releases a ball within the switch and that makes the contact between the two wires going to the vacuum switch. As soon as the engine starts the newly created engine vacuum sucks away the ball and the starter circuit is broken. To test the switch before wiring it to the starting circuit do this: With the engine off use a multimeter to test for continuity between the two terminals on the switch. There should be none (infinite resistance). Now depress the accelerator. At about the half way point the meter should beep and indicate 0 ohms. Next start the engine the way you usually do (starter button?). Again test for continuity between the two terminals but this time with the engine running. There should be no continuity. If you got these results without connecting the switch to the starter circuit it is very likely it will work when you connect it.

That looks good to me. Nice work. Is that twine that you used or maybe the reed used to cane chairs? My wheel is unfortunately too far gone for this. I am considering body filler and spray paint. Otherwise it’s a whole new wheel at over $1,000.

Your Buick looks wonderful! I showed it to my wife. Her comment was “I like the yellow.” A photo of her daily driver is attached.