Peter JL Rickinson

Thanks Dan 0

As a post script to my recent post about Dynaflow equipped cars' curious throttle linkage dashpot...can anyone advize about the possible availability of the two door pillar grab handles? In its years dismantled at the back of a warehouse, mine have gone missing, along with some other items: the coat hooks which go above the rear side windows, the cigar lighter, and (infuriatingly) the rubbers for the parking and foot brakes. I'm absolutely unsure if these items were peculiar to Buick, or across the entire GM model range. SBRMD included photos of his original grab handles among all the photos he sent me early in 2016, and if my memeory serves me right, they didn't look different from a set of (rather tatty) second hand ones advertized on eBay as being for a 1950 Chevrolet. If anybody can guide me towards the purchase of any of these items, either NOS or good second hand, or has them for sale, please tell me! Cheers all, Peter JL Rickinson

Dear Everybody, Some of you may remember my enquiries about restoring the interior of my '49 RM Sedanet, which I bought part restored in December 2015. One kind member, Steve, who is titled on this forum SBRMD, sent me innumerable photos of his original interior, upon which I was much more accurately able to design a reconstruction of '49 trim code 70: an invaluable help, and the results are stunning. After a complete bare metal respray (twice!), full rechrome, all new glass, a lot of minor mechanical work, and the interior restoration, I was finally able to take delivery of the car in November, almost exactly 23 long months and following many frustrations since I bought it. I will endeavour to post some photos in due course. The car drives quite well. Clearly it was never worn out to start with, and whatever may have been done to the car before 2015, the engine and Dynaflow function well. The brakes are all new, but very uneven, so careful adjustment of those is needed. However, as with all cars that have been off the road for years, and where the restorers are not specialists for the particular car, there are all sorts of little things which will need attending to as time goes by, some of which are not especially well explained in the original workshop manual. The first thing I've come across is the somewhat obscure dash pot in the throttle control linkage, described briefly but without full explanation of the layout and without a diagram, in section 3-4 of the 1948-1949 factory workshop manual. This device is intended to damp the rapid closure of the throttle possibly causing engine stalling on the overrun in Dynaflow equipped cars. I haven't actually experienced it stalling on the overrun, but equally the device was clearly not doing anything. I took the dash pot off (one nut to undo) and the connecting vacuum pipe to the inlet manifold, cleaned it all, freed off the operating piston, and cleaned the non return valve which was completely seized with years of gunge...then thought about it...As mine was assembled, the non return valve was fitted at the dash pot end of the hose to the manifold, which by sucking on the hose at the manifold end I was able to establish would actually prevent a vacuum being formed in the dash pot when the manifold vacuum is highest, as under these circumstances, the tiny ball in the non return valve clearly seats. The question is, at which end of the hose should the non return valve be fitted: into the manifold, or into the dash pot? Something tells me that whilst the dash pot itself clearly hasn't been disturbed for years, the hose to the manifold looks brand new, and I think may have beeen fitted with the non return valve at the wrong end... Can anybody throw any light on this please? Thanking everybody in advance, Best wishes and yours sincerely, Peter JL Rickinson, Scarborough, Yorkshire, United Kingdom email: pisosecondo@hotmail.co.uk

Well Steve, If I've saved you money that's great! But you've helped me clarify so many details...my Sedanet will look a great deal more like an original when it's finished, rather than some half baked approximation. I'm still going to take liberties with the carpets however! It's amazing what professional valeting can do, but you may then find that getting new materials to anywhere match the old makes your restoration job harder. I'll be interested to see how you do it. I'll keep in touch on here. Many thanks and best wishes, Peter

Thanks Steve, One last question. You've noted how all the different fabrics have faded and stained, but in your opinion, do you think the Bedford Cord of the seats and the Broadcloth of the seat backs and doors started out the same grey, or was there a deliberate difference in tone? I've argued this point for ages with another enthusiast, and, as with so many other things, the evidence is conflicting! By the way, the remains of a pink fabric attached around the grab ropes of the front seat backs in your car... Do you think maybe they're the remains of permanently attached seat covers? And that might explain why the fabric on the seat backs remains in comparatively good condition? Just a thought... Kind regards from a sunny but freezing London, Peter

Hello again Steve SBRMD, Sorry to bother you again! A couple of observations and a few further questions: Observations: 1) My restorers have already ordered a new headlining from a company in the USA; I'm hoping the kit comes with recovering for the sunvizors, or I can see they're going to give me a headache. 2) I'm not sure whether my door pillar grab handles are even in existence. Yours are beautifully decorative originals and unless I can source NOS parts I'm not sure how I can reproduce these. If I've got the old ones, I may as an interim cover the grab handles, and the back of rear seat ropes and sunvizors with grey vinyl. Questions: 1) I've taken on board that the front seat base, and the back of the top of the rear seat backrest roll are both in grey vinyl. Is it the same vinyl for both? And is it plain, or imitation leather textured? 2) The tops of the front door armrests are also covered in vinyl. Is that the same vinyl as the front seat base? 3) I can't work out out what the panel below the rear seat cushion, which follows the shape of the transmission tunnel, is finished in. Is it also vinyl as above? 4) What are the side panels of the front footwells (ie., the sides forward of the front doors) covered with? 5) Are the door bottoms, and the bottoms of the rear compartment side panels, below the chrome embellishment strips, carpeted or in yet another fabric? And are they matched to the footwell sides? (see 4) above) 6) What is the rear parcel shelf covered with? Headlining or yet another fabric? I may carpet this anyway for durability. Finally, and perhaps most importantly: 7) Your photos, which are so revealing, show perfectly that the rear seat cushion has one single pleat across the centre (and certainly not three equally spaced pleats as I've seen in one beautiful but clearly inaccurate restoration!) But what about the front seat cushion? Does that have a single central pleat, or is it in one piece across the entire width of the seat? (I'm not sure the fabric roll width available would permit a single piece...) You see, the more information you get, the more you need! I hope you can answer these queries which will make such a difference to the finished result. With best wishes, Peter (from a cold and wet London)

Hi Steve SBRMD, Thanks for your additional comments. The clue to your greenish interior paint may be given by the original Paint Code, which appears along with the Trim Code (which in your case will say 70, surely) What outside colour is the car? Is it really black, or is it Verde Green, which is so dark as to be nearly black? You'll see (and I don't want to point out the obvious to guys with much more experience than I have!) that not just with Buicks, but very often with other makes in the period, the interior paintwork is different and/or contrasting with the exterior, and often two tone:in the case of the Buicks we're discussing for example, a dark colour on the top of the dash and metal window sill cappings, a second lighter colour below. I wonder how many permutations of this there were? However, as far as the Trim Codes are concerned, all is much simpler: it's quite clear that in 1949 only two were offered, irrespective of the exterior colour: either 70 (Bedford Cord and no leather) or 71 (striped Broadcloth and black leather) it also seems that Code 70 was offered as standard with every exterior colour, whilst Code 71 was an across the board extra cost option. Thanks for pointing out those extra little details too. I'm on holiday in Spain. It's pouring with rain: "the rain in Spain..." Peter

Hi Buick Man, Thanks for your input here. However the pictures you show are most certainly of 1949 Trim Code 71, with the striped Broadcloth and black leather interior. Whilst this is of great interest, we are actually discussing the alternative Trim Code 70, which is grey Bedford Cord to the seats and without leather. Also I should point out that every investigation shows that the central armrest to the rear seat was provided in Roadmaster 4 door Sedans only; the central armrest for the rear seat otherwise only appeared in Cadillac Sedanets, never Buicks. Interesting pictures; thanks! Peter

Hey Steve... I can't even begin to thank you enough for these fantastic photos! They show everything I need to know, and reveal a lot I'd been simply guessing about. They also suggest to me how I can safely stray from original whilst remaining in good taste, and what to avoid. I think you are very lucky to have such an extraordinarily original car; it's an amazing survivor for around 67 years, and a testament to the quality of the original. It must have been very luxurious when new. In a sense it would be a shame to destroy it to do a full restoration...I wonder how many others still exist like this? But I appreciate that it's very well worn; you have everything there to ensure that you get it exactly right! My only problem now is getting the right materials. With all due respect to the American suppliers from whom I've sourced samples, I can immediately tell that they are not the exact copies they claim to be, and in fact I can get as good and much more cheaply here in the UK, and without the shipping costs and inevitable delay. But getting those warm grey colours just right will be a job, so maybe a best approximation will be my best hope. I'll post here as my project proceeds, and when it's finished...it may be a few months! Thanks again! Best wishes from England! Peter

Hi Steve and anybody else following this topic, I've posted two pictures of my Sedanet above; sorry they appear sideways! As you can see, the body shell is looking good, but there's loads more work to do.... I earnestly await more pictures from you Steve, if you can, particularly to show the arrangement of pleats and buttons on the seat backs, where so far I've only seen conflicting arrangements, none of which I can prove to be original...and how the rear armrests and the part under them on the side panels is treated... Cheers for now! Peter

Thanks so much: those pictures are very helpful indeed! I'll post some pics. soon Peter

I read somewhere else that it's quite possible to retrofit the later under-hood transmission dipstick, but you have to change the oil pan under the gearbox too, tho' don't quote me. I'm also having full carpets (and over mats in the same carpet) which is much more luxurious, but I'm already worried by garage mechanics and other enthusiasts for their dirty hands and dirtier shoes, on both upholstery and carpets. Not just for me but for others in the future: you should record every detail of your current interior if you're going to restore it: a valuable resource for others in the future when accurate information is currently so sparse. Cheers for now, Peter

Hi SBRMD!! I saw your name on an earlier thread on this same topic, and was hoping you would reply! So many thanks for responding. I'd love to have any photos you've got, more later as and when it's convenient. As I said before, email me directly if you can please, at: pisosecondo@hormail.co.uk I've no real idea where my RM Sedanet came from except that it was imported in 1999, and judging by its condition now, it was a good solid car. They're rare in the UK: we have plenty of American cars given that they were rarely ever imported when new, but I've never seen another Sedanet yet. I'm not so concerned about colours: I'm going to use nice warm grey tones as similar as I can to photos. The object is to get it close if not exact. But other details are tantalisingly few: seam lines on the seat backs and seats, exactly which parts were done in Bedford Cord and others in Broadcloth, the layout of the carpets, access to the Dynaflow thru' the transmission tunnel under the carpets, and so forth... So *all* information gratefully received, before the upholsterers start their work in just a few weeks time... Many thanks. Cheers, Peter Rickinson

Hi guys! I posted a little while back about having purchased a '49 Sedanet which is already hall way thru' restoration, which is being continued by professionals here in the UK. Trying to get exactly how Trim Code 70 should be (the original interior having been completely destroyed) is problematic because of there being nothing original to see here in England, and pictures on the Internet of original or good authentic restorations being few and far between, and often with many conflicting details. In other words: what exactly is original? I know there are people in the States with original Sedanets; I'd really appreciate feedback...photos of everything, all the little details...if anybody would be good enough to email me directly. So far I'm indulging in educated guesswork...but I'd like to get closer than that if I can. Please send pics to me at: pisosecondo@hotmail.co.uk Thanks in advance! Peter