Gary W

I ran a dedicated ground directly from the battery to the sending unit. It's real easy to check the quality of your ground by running a temporary wire from your battery to that wire you have bolted to the frame. At least you can remove "bad ground" from your list of possible reasons. Good Luck!

Indeed! Beautiful Job as always! Are you going to have the wheels pin striped before you install on the car? I haven't done mine yet. Waiting for Bob's schedule to clear up but I think I'll take them down to him one at a time to finish the striping. Keep it up.... Gary

Hi Rodney! The single wire is at the bottom. I just took this photo. The blue tape was my way of marking the new wire harness. I labelled it "AMP" so I knew it went to the charge indicator lower stud. (in my mind, "amp meter") The top wires are "12 RBP" 12 gauge, Red and Black parallel tracers. Gary

Mr. Costello is no longer is with the company, so there was a quite a backlog catching up with all his clients. I have found working with Scott Holbrook directly will help you at least get answers. He is determined to "make things right" and maybe will at least have an answer concerning the wireon. sholbrook@lebaronbonney.com Hope it helps! Gary

Great day that first start!! Congrats!!

That is correct. I use this one from Griot's Garage. (Although they most likely just put their label on this particular unit) The "Battery Manager V". Like Larry's, it's very versatile. I really just use it under the Model "T" maybe once every four months as the "T" doesn't have a generator, and I start and run it on Magneto so the battery just sits idle for prolonged periods. I tried to "idiot-proof" the unit by circling the lights I need to come on before charging so I don't mess things up. The nice part is that I've hard-wired the "female" end of the charger to the batteries, so it's just "plug-and play" and off it goes. I goes through an automatic program and brings the batteries up to full charge, then slips seamlessly into maintenance mode.

Here's another of the floor parts. That "triangle" shaped part on the outside of the main rod goes in last, after your seat bottom is slid in position. I used new 5/16 - 24 X 1" bolts to secure all the components to the floor.

Here's a photo when it came back from Lares: That column is pressed in there tight.

Here's some photos that may help: (These are sized down from their original 12MB.. if you need one e-mailed at full resolution just let me know) Underside of the front seat bottom assembly. The black rails are the rear of the seat that slide on the rear rollers, the forward rails have the holes for the tooth wheel. This shows the floor components in place just before installing that seat bottom assembly. All these thread directly into the floor. When the seat bottom is slid into the rear retainer, you slide it forward and bolt the forward retainer in position to lock down the unit. Hope it helps! Gary

I have a feeling the column is a factory press-fit into the box? My box had a noticeable heavy spot and some "clunking" so I sent the entire unit, box and column to Lares for a rebuild. I don't know how to separate the two.

Beautiful!! Really coming together now!

The Optima runs $150 - $170 depending on where you get it. I also have master disconnects on all my vintage vehicles. I don't use a battery tender. (Except the Model "T" every six months or so) They all seem to hold their charge just fine. Even after sitting for a year while I was restoring the Buick, the cars fired right up. The Optimas in my Fords are now about 7 years old, still work fine. What I like the best is the lack of the acid. They just seem "cleaner" and I don't worry about water levels or that acid corrosion around the battery holder or cover. Just personal taste. My Model "T" had a lot of acid damage when I bought it because the battery leaked all over, so I converted all my cars to the Optima.

In my '37, the Optima Red Top sits diagonally. It's nice and snug.

Gotcha. So, Positions 10 and 1 are ALWAYS LIVE, regardless of dash knob position. It feeds your brake light switch so it has to be live regardless of dash knob position. Position #5 has power in all three positions. This #5 is where you wire your tail lights, and they come on in all three positions, OFF when dash knob is off. Position # 11 has power in dash position 2 and 3. (conventional and passing). Not "0" off or position "1" park. This position feeds the foot switch. Position #9 has power in dash position 3 only. (passing).

Jack: The "always hot" terminals are: I had to resize, but #10 and #1 are directly connected to the thermo breaker, and are always hot. With the feed wire going into the top terminal, there are four terminals that are always hot. As are the two upper terminals that are on the thermo breaker unit as well. Gary

Maybe Las Vegas Dave? I know he has since sold his Buick, but he may still have an account here? Worth a try. That UVIRA is awesome. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

The light switch isn't difficult. Pull the rod out, (as if turning on the lights) Then you can simply push in on the spring from the steering wheel side of the switch and the rod slides right out. A 3/16" allen wrench is used to remove the dash sleeve and release the entire light switch from the dash Here's the book. The picture on top of the right column is the actual orientation when installed in the dash. Access the spring from the steering wheel side. Close up. The top diagram is the actual orientation, and the bottom diagram shows the spring engaged with the pull rod. I included this because you can see the spring pulled out, (lights on) almost touching the dash mounting. But you get an idea of what you are feeling for. And this is with the rod engaged in the spring. Just push in on those two small rivets there and it slides right off the rod. Gary

Hi Steve I don't know if the '41 radio is different than the '37 as far as mounting procedure but my '37 has a heavy support bracket that bolts up under the cowl using the rear hood hold-down bolt. Once that is in, there is a serrated lower section that supports the rear of the radio. The serrations allow you to raise or lower the radio so the face is nice and flush with your dash before you install the front knob bolts. This is the upper part that bolts under the cowl. The rear hood hold-down bolt fits in that slot. The lower support arm swings to accommodate the radio and allows you to align it to your dash. Bolted up top to the rear hood hold-down bolt. The serrated part is where the radio bolts. Hope it helps! Gary

Ted; Very impressive and smart work! Your meticulous attention to every little detail is simply superb! This will be a gorgeous automobile when done. Love watching this Olds come together. Well done! Gary

There's nothing better than getting a bunch of your buddies together to get these larger tasks done. The day I dropped the body felt like the "turning point" in the restoration. Even after all the engine work and rebuilding the chassis, somehow that body being reunited to the frame was a major milestone and I felt like I made it "over the peak" and was on the down slope. Huge sigh of relief! Thanks for the photos! This automobile will be a stunner! Beautiful work! Gary

Mine all open to the left, close to the right. "counter clockwise" I think there is an internal left hand thread that opens the valve.

Hello Jon!! Thank you for your advice, always appreciated! I didn't want to bother you until I checked in here to determine if this "hot soak" was something other Buick owners have experienced. I'm pretty sure after reading others comments that the leak up at the countershaft is just as you say..... lubrication running out. I will try the lower octane fuel at my next fill up. I always figured the higher octane fuel MUST be better, so I put it in every vehicle I own. Never gave it a second thought. I have not used any kind of additive in the Buick like Larry mentioned above. (Marvel's, Diesel, ATF, Startron). Maybe they have merit? Do they reduce the "high octane effect" or maybe better said, raise the boiling point of the high test fuels? Do they help with vapor lock and this "Hot Soak" phenomena? Just spitballing here. (** I DO add about one cup of ATF to every 10 gallons of gasoline in my Model "A" Fords. I was told it helps lubricate the valves. Been doing it for over 25 years. The "L-Head" seems to like it. But I run the Buick clean.) * Tighten up the carburetor mounting nuts * Change the fuel to an 87 octane * Advance the timing a few degrees * Additives??? Love these discussions! Gary

Yes.. Jon did put all new gaskets in the NOS Carter (WCD 2 bbl 608S) before he shipped it to me. He also spent a ton of time with me on the phone and via e-mail educating me and explaining why I should swap out the old Marvel. His knowledge of these carburetors is unmatched and I am so grateful he took the time with me and got me all hooked up with this Carter. The car starts so much easier, idles super smooth and has plenty of power and pickup. There is a noticeable difference between the original Marvel and this later-model Carter. (I think this Carter 608S was factory equipment for Buick Series 40 - 50 in 1941, 1942 and 1946. Please correct me if I have this detail wrong) That is precisely why I didn't hit the panic button here, I just wanted to know if this is something that happens with these Buicks. Today I received a private message and I was introduced to the term "Hot Soak". It was explained to me like this: " It is unlikely that rebuilding the carburetor will cure any wetness at the carburetor mounting gaskets. This is something that occurs after engine shut-off, when the engine temperature rises for the first few minutes and can cause the gasoline in the bowl to percolate and dump down onto the closed throttle plates, soaking the base stack with raw gas. This can be exacerbated by excess fuel pump pressure or by using "high octane" modern gas, as premium blends boil at lower temperatures than 87 octane. The "Hot Soak" is not a carburetor problem." All I ever put in the Buick's tank is 94 octane Sunoco Ultra. I think I'll try the 87 octane next, and continually monitor the carburetor. Like I said, it is not dripping or pooling around the base, just the gasket stack is "moist", and I wasn't sure if this was a common occurrence with the Buick. I did take Matt's advice and checked my mounting nuts. All three loosened up since being installed and the gasket crushed down a bit. So I tightened up the base nice and snug again. I'm going to check the float level next and adjust accordingly. Hopefully the combination will help alleviate the wet gasket in the future. As always, thanks for the advice and all the suggestions. I'll let you know how I make out once I burn this tank of 94 and fill up with 87 at the next fill up. Enjoy the game! Gary

Saturday February 2, 2019: Carburetor Question Tonight I went out to the garage to measure the distance from the end of the master cylinder to the clevis for another forum member who was setting up his brakes. When I opened the hood, there was a distinct odor of gasoline. Now, I realize this is the carburetor side of the engine, but it was "noticeable". The car has been sitting for a week. When I looked closer, the gasket stack is quite damp all around the base of the carburetor. If you "blot" it with a paper towel, there is moisture there. Not soaking, but "moist". The gas is not pooling out around the base of the carburetor, but it seems like it's doing the same thing the old Marvel was doing. So... do I have a problem here or is this OK? Is this something "they all do" or is this an issue to be resolved. I just want to catch it before I end up diluting my engine oil again. The original Marvel was swapped out for this Carter 608S. It is an NOS carburetor so I just bolted it on and made the necessary parts complete the conversion. Aside from setting the idle screw, I didn't touch anything. Carburetors just are not my thing. Better left alone if you don't know what you are doing. When I looked at the base, it is definitely "moist" with gasoline. Not "pooling" around the intake where it bolts down, but "moist" all around. Different angle. But you can see the base gasket stack is moist even at the forward side. There is also a leak up top where the pin exits from that box on top. That leak from up there is pooling a little. Actually, all the gaskets look kinda "damp" everywhere! So the question is: Is this just normal break-in, seating, first few hundred miles stuff or should I get this looked at? Is there an adjustment on this carburetor that will stop the gasket from getting wet like that? If I just need to go around it and tighten up all the screws, I'll be happy with that. If someone can chime in either way, I'd appreciate it! Happy Groundhogs Day! (early spring) Gary

When I restored my '37, I obviously had a brand new wiring harness so the color codes were clear. Using the wiring schematic, I hooked up according to the chart. The "Red Cross-tracers" to the front side of the switch, The "Black Parallel" tracers to the rear of the switch. So this is what the switch looked like before I swapped out the entire vac switch, automatic choke, carburetor... But, I am wondering, if you look at the wiring diagram, can you simply remove the 16 BP wire off the solenoid and attach a small light bulb? Then, using a 9V battery, try both your wires and see which one lights the lamp. Maybe trace the circuit / wire that way? Just a thought.