Lawrence Helfand

Hi Ken, Took a while to find but I do have a right side trunk support. Mine is also missing and one I have is wrong length. I will measure what I have in the extended and locked position and get back to you. Do you know what length you need?

Hi Pete, Good point! My shop is on the north shore of Long Island New York in Sea Cliff. That about 10 miles east of the city line in Queens.

Hi Ken, I'm guessing you mean the inner fender behind the rear wheel. Mine was also missing as it was in my parts car. I came across a nos one on ebay for the driver side which I reversed and re drilled to attach and it fit perfect. They are missing a lot on these cars and not easy to find. It does not take much to tear one loose from its moorings. Good luck Lawrence

Hello to all Buick loving members. Hope its been a great Summer season without any boil overs in the heat. Fall is the best time to get out and drive! I have sold my 41 Century four door and finished up my 2 door so I have a pile of parts left over much of which came with my 4 door and some purchased on ebay etc.. I am moving soon and need to find a new home for these bits. I will take best offer on whats left and a lot of free stuff. Condition varies from New old stock to used but all usable parts.This is all for pickup no shipping Here is a very partial list as Buicks have so many little parts I can only list some of it. Complete seat frame set in great shape with no rust and good wood including the rear armrest assembly. Front and rear splash pans cowl vent and various other body tins...no fenders doors hoods Stainless Trim for wind shield and rear window and rockers and Inner window surrounds and sills with plastic inserts Taillights and turn signals and front grille hood ornament Front brake drums and spindles for Special Firestone made in USA Tube type 15 x 700 WW tires...not yellow! Piston and rod set for insert conversion 320 engine Headliner bows Dashboards gauges All dash switch gear Chromed instrument and glove box doors Switches and chrome radio facia Carburetors for rebuilding Nice complete 320 cylinder head Complete defroster unit with core and motor and complete Harrison under seat heater unit. Inner door stainless trim Sun visors Ashtrays etc Much more then what I have listed and a lot of it is yours to take as I do not have time to sell it all off so if you show you will get a lot of cheap or free parts. Happy to answer any parts requests. I will make a very nice deal to any member who comes and takes it all away. It is about a third of a van load as the seat frames are bulky. You can email me at lhelfand@aol.com or call me at 718 496 2386

Interesting reading. My 41 Century 2 door 66s has Strombergs and my four door 41 Century has Carters. The Carter motor is very smooth right from cold while the Stromberg motor needs to warm up quite a bit to be as smooth right from startup. Does anyone have a definitive evaluation of how they compare? Certainly one should prevail over the other in function?

This is a charming cob by my standards and not close to rough. The body on it looks perfect and if the rockers and floors were intact I would call this example a winner. It does run and If it were the case that there are no repairs or rust out then one could rebuild the suspension for reasonable money and spend a chunk on a correctly done upholstery job and dash restoration and just polish out the paint and detail the rest while your driving it. I dont think its as rough as some here might see it. My car looked worse and and needed and still needs body /rocker work and a ton of chassis cleaning and a paint job. Personally I hate body work and wish mine were this straight and apparently rust free... Its a great start and possibly the most worthwhile example to hit the market in a very long time. Dont think its at all overpriced. I would say okay go buy the other one! This could be a very nice driver with huge investment value for todays market and the future. The 46S version will never go anywhere as an investment as many were made and survive. You can buy one any day of the week but not a Century. Only the 42 66S is in this category with the last of the twin carbs and high compression motors. I love driving my 66S now and the three year 40K frame off restoration is for the next guy. Buy it for 15 put in 10 and your 25K will have been well spent. That is about what my investment is in mine and a bargain!

Spotted this morning on Ebay a rare Buick 66S http://www.ebay.com/itm/1941-Buick-Century-/152144649554?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

Hi Keith, Thanks! As you drive your cars have you any thoughts regarding braking? Ever thought it was an issue? Kind Regards Lawrence

Longest ride yet in my 41 Century sedanette out to the Oak beach lot and down the ocean drive on eastern Long Island NY's Jones Beach. After having worked on the front suspension and getting an alignment it was time to get off the local 45 mph streets and hit the open road and see what the fastest car in America in 1941 had to offer. My first impression was how light the steering was and how stable the chassis was at speed, very relaxing. It was a hot day but the cabin was very comfortable and surprisingly quite with windows and cowl vent open and door vents closed. Air flow by the open windows is so smooth my hat stayed in place and we could still have a conversation. This is the first vintage car I have owned that was so well insulated from the engine sounds heat and smells. The real treat was putting the pedal down and feeling that rear carb kick in which was really impressive and not a myth as we rocketed up the Sunken Meadow State Park Bridge grade to 75 mph which really felt no different then 50. The 320 eight stayed at 180 all day with a steady 45 lbs of oil pressure and not burning a drop. The one unfortunate moment was the familiar smell of an electrical meltdown in the Sonomatic and indeed it died while listening to the ball game. Yes power steering would be really really nice at low speeds but a pair of Willwood disc brakes would have to get installed if I keep driving her. Even keeping a large distance the casual stopping power of modern cars with giant caliper four wheel discs makes it a little scary sometimes to slow two tons of seventy five year old Detroit steel. I love that this car will easily hang with modern traffic but it needs to stop like it too. The exercise really had its effect and everything except the radio is working better. I'm hooked! Like the Greatest the Buick Century floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee! Rest in peace.. Ali photos from Long Island Buick Club meet 2 weeks ago..just a few prewar cars showed up.

Greetings all! Came across this very interesting Buick Eight drag car on Ebay. Four quad intake! and more on a 52 320 motor, the last and best big eight. http://www.ebay.com/itm/23T-Street-Roadster-1960s-drag-car-barn-find-NHRA-SCTA-Buick-Straight-Eight-/131799870639?forcerrptr=true&hash=item1eafe26caf:g:i2gAAOSwAvJW~AfJ&item=131799870639

I am curious about what spark plugs are the best to install on My 41 Century. So many choices beginning with modern plugs vs nos vintage plugs. Would love to know what experienced owners are using and if there is a preference and why.Would modern plugs just work better due to advances in design and materials or would it matter with the low compression eight. Right now she is still running plugs from the 1950's.

First time on the street in 45 years. Just a mile away from my shop a beach car show where the old girl snagged her first trophy in prewar class !

Thanks Dave and Matt. I had the front fender and nose tin stripped over the winter and did a cleaning and frame painting. I saw nothing to indicate a bent frame and alignments of holes and gaps are very good so hopefully frames not an issue. I do have an entire parts car and Apple hydraulics is not far from my shop. I'm guessing the upper shock a arm is tweaked as I found it bone dry which might indicate that the shaft has distorted causing a seal leak. Would be nice if that does it. On Friday last week I got a Historic vehicle plate and Saturday was the first time it has been on the road in 45 years. There was a car show at Tappan Beach under a mile away from my shop. Drove it to the show in time to make the judging and score a 2nd place trophy plaque in the Prewar class! Really purring from the short outing. Cant wait to get it going straight and up to speed to clear those cobwebs.

My 41 Century has a right front wheel out of camber..too tipped in likely due to long ago fender bender. It wanders to the left. I read in the workshop manual that there is no adjustment unless you install the eccentric pin kit for the lower? A arm. A lot more work but is it better to change the lower A arm or replace the upper/shock arm entirely? Any info about the camber adjustment or the eccentric adjustable pins and where to find them would be very much appreciated. Thanks You! Lawrence

Beautiful 39 Coupe! J.Velde..Taste is a funny thing and very subjective of course and I believe it changes over time from a personal standpoint if not an academic one. Since realizing an affinity for wheeled goods as a child I have seen my own evolution in what I think is "cool" and its a personal journey that only needs to satisfy ones self. I think it would be a bland world if we all danced to one beat so bring on the visors WW dummy spots et al but I really do draw the line at giant rims and low profile tires on vintage cars...just kidding its a hoot really.

Hi Dave, I have always been inclined to mount WW's on my vintage cars especially rag tops but there is something sinister about black walls on this car that I like. I think of it as the early muscle car it is and in that regard WW's are a bit too charming. I heard a great line about WW's on a formal car being akin to wearing a black tux with sneakers. I have skirts for it but not sure I will mount them as they have a cruiser look and I am not into the Fulton sun visor, skirts, twin spotlights and wide white wall look for this ride. That's why I will keep the black rims and not go with the popular red. Red is just too cute on a 66S...for me anyway. Here is what it looked like when I first saw it, the photo is from the seller last year.

I hope everyone who has been working away over the winter on their projects are getting close to their goal of a road ready car for Spring. I got my 41 66S into the shop at the beginning of February for a phase one going over. The right side fenders got swapped out as well as the hood for starters. Fresh cooling system with modern core and lots of tidying up of fragile wiring loom etc etc. I also removed from just the front right side front suspension and frame almost 40 lbs of Pacific Northwest mud asphalt, volcanic ash and two S&W shell casings. I actually weighed it out on the shop scale. Almost ready to slap the historic plates on it. Waiting on the under seat heater cores to be re soldered. She still is sitting on jacks until the heater is re installed.

Need the splash deflector/support panel that goes between the frame and the right rear fender just behind the rear wheel on my 41 Century. It is the same as the Roadmaster I believe. Part number is 1319458. Thank you, Lawrence

If I had not already found a nice 66S for about this same amount I would have likely tried to buy it and I bet 10/11k might do it . An Arizona car can be quite solid and it is a running car that yard drives with fresh carbs and what looks to be it's original interior. Given how rare they are I think it's a winner and a good investment as opposed to the 46S model where production was 16 to 1 compared to the amount of Century's made. Centurys got trashed in stock car and drag racing as they were fast and Specials were loved and cared for which is why there are so many reasonably priced original examples but they will not go anywhere, just too many out there. I do like to buy cars that are a personal turn on for what ever reason but I like to come out ahead when I am ready for something new. This car as Matt indicated has a future in the marketplace. I have heard many Buick experts put the known amount to about thirty left on the planet not counting the rusting hulks in high desert junkyards I have seen. Would truly hate to see it fall into the wrong hands and end up being chopped slammed bagged and painted yellow and purple. Parts are really easy to find and I had no trouble at all getting every so called rare and unobtainable part I needed for mine and without breaking the bank. Having the fastest car made in America in 1941 is quite nice as is knowing my 41 Century was built by the same hands that built the machines that saved the world from a terrible fate. Somebody save this car!

A rare 66S for sale in Arizona, not mine. http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/5424083874.html

Looking for a set of Guide accessory light brackets for 1941 Buick. They are of cast iron but some reproductions are brass and happy to find either.

Hi Jenz, Nice job with your installation! And thank you for that excellent suggestion regarding advance line diameter. I know I am going to like this modification a lot! Danke, Lawrence

Here is another example I came across of this carburetor modification made on a 38 Buick with two front carbs and parallel linkage.

I am looking for a pair of the Guide driving and fog light brackets for 1941. Here is a photo of a nos pair.

Hi Tom, I re read your post, sorry thought you were referring to starter cutout switch. I think two vacuum advance lines is redundant and only one is required. Having two does not change the vacuum reading at the advance diaphragm. Lawrence