Lawrence Helfand

Hi Grant, Skirts come up regularly on ebay. Might even be a set up now. Make sure you find a pair with the lower trim as this is a bit hard to find. The shorter spears are again a frequent item found on ebay. I have an extra set laying around myself .

Hello Grant, Sorry mate but this one looks quite different then the photo provided by Neil as it seems to scribe around the trunk lid with a bit of dogleg . Good luck!

Hello Grant, Beautiful car .. I found the trim for my 41 Century Sedanette on Ebay and there are some sellers who part out bits for the 41 who might have one though not currently listed or in their store. Doug likely has one but he is $$$ . I do have an extra that might be correct as it is a different profile then my 2 door having come off the 4 door model. I will forage for it and send you a pic and measurements. I think they only made two profiles for the straighter bumper like mine and the more curved like yours. Will let you know soon. Cheers Mate ! Lawrence

Looks to be missing the stainless trim between trunk and splash cover but has an extra bumper guard in the middle which does look nice.

Why the double ignition coils? Is this for backup in case of coil failure?

Running hot is a common issue and the 39 model especially so with its smaller air restricting grille. A radiator recore is almost mandatory and a modern design core is a big improvement over the original. The rear water jackets do tend to collect crap and a block flush is worthwhile. I recently mounted a Summit six blade fan in my Century and found it to move more air and improve cooling at idle and slow traffic where overheating can occur. Always a good idea to pop the hood open after parking to help release trapped heat during cool down which helps dreaded vapor lock. A 180 stat seems to work best. Apple hydraulics in NY does a nice job of rebuilding shocks if topping off and bleeding out the air does not improve damping. I refilled a dry front unit and it works quite well now without leaking so its worth a try. Also check the fluid in your steering box as these tend to dry up. You will need to get yourself a grease gun if you dont have one as there a quite a few zerks to pump. I always drain and refill all the fluids on any car I buy as they usually need it. Service intervals on vintage cars are frequent compared to the almost zero service of modern vehicles. You should be able to easily cruise at 60/65 in a Century or Roadmaster. I do in mine without a problem. Good luck!

Thank you John Penna and all for responses to my post. I have to agree Toms comic book writing was entertaining and visceral if not terribly technical in nature. This was a period in our history where writers were very involved with the factories desire to win with the public and sell product. The Payola scandal was perhaps the first big reveal of how so called independent companies, in particular radio stations in that case took money to push product. I love my 41 Century and have not seen another worth buying since I got it. A 42 2 door with such low production numbers is a long shot but one must dream big. Having seen many hundreds of Buick Eights for sale one thing seems clear. While they may be rusted out and sitting for decades un cared for they are rarely stuck and most often still running ! Copy usually reads " sitting for 20 years and started right up off of gas can and fresh battery" I always think of the VW in Woody Allen's movie Sleeper still sitting in the cave where he left it a hundred years earlier that starts right up! Only wish Buick had offered an overdrive. Would love to graft a Gear Vendors unit on to my torque tube someday unless I slow down to 1940's speeds! This is my "Minnie"

Hello Dynaflash8 I did not find any 1942 Buick Centuries on Hemmings and have been checking their listings. Can you send the link? Thanks! Lawrence

Thanks John but honestly after having owned my share of prewar and early postwar cars I bought a 41 Century 66S because I was tired of driving 55 miles an hour as I had done in my youth going coast to coast several times. Spinning a main bearing in Rock Springs WY. made it clear 55 was it for most pre automatic cars. The Buick Special or Super is a 55 mile an hour car though it will go much faster the gearing has it spinning quiet fast. Buick unfortunately did not feel a need for overdrives. The Roadmaster and Century are geared for higher speed cruising and top gear is good from 20 to 100 mph . The engine is such a torque monster its almost like having an automatic and except for steep hill starting from 2nd gear is the norm. The 41 and 42 320 motor made 165 hp and a postwar special 248 motor with just one carb and lower compression and just as heavy is even slower then the prewar dual carb special. Century's rule!

I had a subscription to Mechanics Illustrated when I was a kid in the 1950's and read McHahill's auto and motorcycle reviews. Must say even at a young age I found him to be a total hack compared to the writers of Road and Track or Car and Driver magazine's. Buicks were not at all full of bugs or leakers or oil burners and the many thousands of engines built for the military beat back and out performed the finest mechanical engineering that Germany had to offer. My 41 Century is identical to the 42 except for sheet metal and it burns no oil and has great oil pressure never rebuilt and honestly never had a car that didn't drip a little and so what. It is so much more sophisticated then anything from Chrysler or Ford's of the period. The notion that Buicks had a bad reputation is not at all the case. Just the opposite was true and even the Cadillac division complained to GM that they were encroaching into Cadillac sales. With all due respect to heavy drinking Tom he was full of it and most likely was on the take to say what he said. Also don't think he ever visited a Chinese establishment of any kind or knew a thing about anything Chinese except for racist stereotyping. He was a terrible writer even to this then 8 year old. Nothing in 1942 American car production was faster or more reliable then a Buick. And it was gorgeous in all ways. The same engineering continued until the early 50's it was that good. My late father bought his first one in 1951 and what a great car it was actually getting him busted and escorted to the PA.state line for going 100 mph just a few weeks since new. He bought two more Buick's before going Cadillac. Nothing compared to a Buick in 1941 or 1942 except in Europe where the automobile was way ahead of us in all ways you can think of.

Hi Matt, I know its a long shot but have always wanted one. Do love my 41 a lot! but the 42 is so blinged out ! Only one I have seen available was at auction that I missed a few years ago. Worth a try, you never know!

Looking for a restored or un restored 42 Century 66S 2 door Sedanette. No Custom or modifieds please. Thanks Lawrence

Looking for a 1942 Buick Century Sedanette 66s 2 door in restored or un restored condition. No Custom or modified please. Thanks, Lawrence

I am looking for a 1942 Buick Century 2 door sedanette for sale ..NO Custom's Only original and unmodified considered. Restored or un restored. Thanks Lawrence

Mine broke as well..common malady and all you need is a new lubed up core and leave the outer case in place connected to speedo and disconnect other end pulling out the broken core which will fall out and shove a new core up the old casing .Plenty of cores around for sale

Only car I would want if I didn't have my 41 Century 66S. I am always looking around for this exact car. All that you could ask for and a great investment. Like they say its the "One to have" You have chosen wisely !

Another Scam that may be even more common is the Want ads scam. I have twice on this website received replies from scammers claiming to have what I needed but when I asked for and received a photo it was a familiar image that had been copied off the web.. This happens a lot in the vintage motorcycle parts want ads but it can happen to you on this website too! I always ask for a specific picture for seller to supply which they cannot do and that's that busted! With cars My first question is where and when I can see it and that I will pick up ( even if you don't really intend too) and pay cash if all is good. If you cant see it and pay in person its time to walk away.

Sorry this ebay auction is for rear spears...I have been looking for a right front better then what I have for two years..several nos and used have come too ebay but all for left side. In general right side anything is scarcer for obvious reasons

pair on ebay now in vintage car and truck parts search 1941 buick

https://nh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1940-buick-century/6515716844.html Stunning Century, not cheap but all done low mileage mile eater

Amazing Trippe lights that turn with the steering ! Never seen this. Was it an option?

When you think of what a 32 33 or 34 flathead in good shape costs why wouldn't you buy this! The paint color might have a limited appeal. I will never understand peoples taste in choosing the best color for a car. Dark green or a cobalt blue? and black is always good. Back then there were many choices.

I find my 41 Century pretty good in regards to noise issues. Really the first prewar car/truck I have owned where I felt insulated from the engine bay in heat sound and smell. Most of what I hear is wind hissing around windows through old track felt and the hum of the tires up through the floor which changes with road surface. Windows are right next to your ears and most of your door when closed is covered by sound absorbing seating. Buick has more insulation and sound absorbing interior surfaces then most and I am skeptical about improving sound deadening by lining the door panels. Insulating the floor from drive train and tire noise is always a plus. I think fresh window felt would do more to reduce cabin noise. As previously has been said once the window is open its of no value. Correct fit door rubber seal is really important and universal is not as good as the pricey Steel Rubber supplied original seal with molded corners and bottom seal . That said I am hoping to hear the effort was worthwhile. My dads old Lincoln famous for sound attenuation was so quiet you could barely hear horns from other cars.

If you are lucky enough to be in New York it is quite simple to get plates and a transferable registration on a vehicle with zero paperwork . You first go to your insurance agent and get an insurance card. Then take photos of vin numbers and odometer reading. You fill out a statement of facts regarding circumstances of acquisition like I bought it at a swap meet or a garage sale etc 10 years ago and now its ready for the road. You walk out of the DMV with a licence plate a 10 day inspection sticker and a non transferable registration. After 90 days you get the transferable registration in the mail unless they find it was reported stolen. I have brought several vintage motorcycles back from Europe with zero paperwork and never have had a problem. My buddy did this with a vintage corvette with no papers. If the vehicle is newer it gets a title but in NY titles didnt happen until the early 70's I think. A transferable registration is recognized as a title in title only states.

My 41 pans have no louvers. I guess the 37 has them? and then were eliminated? Interesting