Gary W

Here's a thread from 2012: The third response down is from Jon the Carb King. He is very very knowledgeable and will steer you right. I'm speaking from first hand experience. His contact information is at the bottom of his post:

Good Luck with it! I recently finished a '37 from the frame up, and hopefully some of my photos can help you with the '39. A lot of the disassembly / reassembly techniques translate through the years. . You found a great forum indeed! These guys are amazing and were a priceless source of information throughout my restoration journey. Gary

So, if you convert the original 5-pole VR to a newer 3-pole VR do you lose that second layer of protection? Or is there another mechanism built in (aside from the vacuum) that prevents starting the engine every time the accelerator pedal is depressed? If you use a momentary push button switch which you press and let go at the same time as you press the accedlrator pedal . . .  How about a momentary switch at the extreme of your clutch pedal? Like the new cars, it makes sure your clutch pedal is fully depressed when you start and the accelerator pedal and clutch pedal are rarely depressed simultaneously so that eliminates the conflict. Just thinking out loud.......

Check this You Tube video.... quick history of Fisher: (And fun to watch!)

Hi Randy: Not necessarily in this order, but you can check: Restoration Supply Co. www.restorationstuff.com McMaster Carr Bob's Automobilia Supply House.com Great selection of needle valves Advanced Auto Parts (Carquest manual shut off valve. part #84703) Auto Zone O'Reillly Auto parts Hope it helps!!! PS: I do not have the heater shut off valve installed, which means water circulates through the heater core all year long. I used Cap-A-Radiator in New York to do my recore. I'm very happy with their work. Gary

I found this 1937 "Buick Delivered Prices" See the prices of the Heaters on the right side. It seems for a mere 75 cents, you could have a water circulation shut-off valve installed with that new heater! It makes you realize what 75 cents meant back then. My car has the heater, but the owner opted not to go the extra for the valve. Actually, when you study the difference in price from the Special to the Century, there is only, on average, a $216.00 difference for a huge upgrade. Longer wheelbase, larger engine, more horsepower, upgraded interior.... But $216.00 in 1937 was probably 6-weeks pay! (Maybe 2-months?) Just thought it was interesting......... Gary

All the 1937 General Motors bodies were finished in Duco Lacquers. (Nitro cellulose, I'm assuming?) I think they were simply referred to as "lacquer" because the acrylic lacquers did not come into use until the 50's. (someone can check me on that) Here's page 70 of the Owner's Manual. They call it lacquer finish, but the sketch says "Duco Top Coats" Page 90 of the Fisher Body Division states all GM bodies are surfaced with quick drying lacquers. But I thought it interesting at the bottom they state the protective finish should be applied by a trained workman......... .......to the particular type of lacquer finish on the car. Gary

You have it correct. Once the rubber is replaced (vulcanized or re-covered) there will be a gap. I have about 3/4" between the front and rear fenders. After the fenders are installed, the running board mounting hardware leaves plenty of "wiggle room" to get the board centered. Here's the gap at the front And the rear gap. Mine are both close to 3/4" From Fisher: Describing the 1937 Oldsmobile, but very very similar design: "Running boards are detached from the fenders to eliminate any possibility of squeaks and to facilitate cleaning. Fenders and running boards have been redesigned to prevent the accumulation of dirt and mud without the necessity of a mudguard across the fender"

Saturday November 24, 2018: Installation of the Robe Rails (Part Two of Two) After installing both inner mounting brackets, it's starting to finally look finished. This was going much better than I anticipated! But alas....... even this seemingly small interior project would not go without a speed bump! I got the outer side ready for the install. Using a leftover brass wood screw (I need to run to Home Depot for the correct oval heads) I again ran the screw through the robe rail loop. When I tried to install it, the robe rail is THREE INCHES too small! It doesn't reach the chalk marks, not even close. So, I went back and looked at my notes. The robe rails I removed were 23 inches measured from loop to loop. These new robe rails just barely make 20 inches. RATS! So, another call to LBB to have new ones made the proper length. But, I did want to get finished so what I did as a temporary measure was Used some green Christmas hanging wire to basically extend the loop 1 1/2" around the mounting screw. I had to do both sides, of course. But, this allowed me to at least get the mounts installed and tap the holes. So, they're in, but will be changed out whenever I get the new ones. Enjoy your weekend out there!! Gary

Saturday November 24, 2018: Installation of the Robe Rails (Part One of Two) I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving and had enough to eat. I know I did! It's kind of gray, cold and yucky out today, so after setting up the tree and the outdoor lights, I decided to finally tackle the robe rails. Sincere thanks for the measurements that were sent in... they helped very much. I started with simple push pins to help locate the hidden holes under the fabric and padding. Then I used heavier gauge sewing needles and tapped them in to be sure I found some wood under there. The sewing needles made a small hole, and I used that to then drive finishing nails to finally confirm that there is a mounting place there. Using the robe rail mount, I finalized the measurements to be sure the holes all lined up right. My holes are two inches down from the upper bend in the seat metal, not the upper trim welt. Then I tried as best I can to get the two sides equally spaced off the middle of the seats. Once I was satisfied that all the measurements were correct, I pulled each finishing nail and immediately marked the spot with a dot of chalk so I can see it through the mounting bracket. Here are the measurements I'm going with on the inner aspect of the seats. LeBaron made these robe rails up for me. They come with the special loop installed at the ends. I started on the side closest to the center and ran the screw through the loop. Found each hole and tightened it up. So far so good...... Part two next....

I've been using this Penrite "Steering Box Lube" for my Model "A" Fords for many years and it works great. I don't know if it is acceptable for the early Buick steering box, but I thought I'd throw it out there as an alternative suggestion. Gary

I've used RJ&L in New York for many of my wiring needs. They made all the battery cables for my Buick and they have some cable ends that you can't find elsewhere.

That's ingenious! Simple but elegant solution ... doesn't get better! Gorgeous car! Dodge? Welcome anytime here. Thank you... appreciate your advice throughout this build. Gary

I'm using the same hood prop that was on the car when I bought it. All I did was tighten it up and slid a heavier neoprene tube over the ends that support the hood. It's attached to the radiator support rods. I honestly think it's a generic hood prop. And although that Buick hood is heavy, the prop holds it up without a problem. I was actually thinking of stealing the idea and by using small channel steel fabricating my own version that holds the hood up a little higher and would be more heavy duty. January 11, 2017: I took this photo when I removed the hood so I had an idea of the angle of the cross over strut. But the photo captured the hood prop. I think its just this product. It has threaded hooks that hold it to the radiator support rods. This version has "u" bolts that hold it steady. But this is what's on it. Mine has the longer arms installed to reach the Buick hood. Gary

YES!!! Forgot that part! All good now.

Wednesday November 14, 2018: Some Before and After Engine Photos: Before I finish tonight, I want to share some before and after photos of the left side of the engine. These photos are exactly two years apart. BEFORE: 11/14/2016 AFTER: 11/14/2018 BEFORE: 11/14/2016 AFTER: 11/14/2018 BEFORE: 11/14/2016 AFTER: 11/14/2018 Love the transition and the final product. You forget what you started with after a couple years. Fun to revisit it and realize how much work is involved. Have a great night! Gary

Wednesday November 14, 2018: Finishing up the carburetor swap You know how whenever you make a change, it can sometimes start a cascade of new issues to tackle? Nothing huge, but because the new Carter carburetor is different, there are a couple issues that I had to finalize today: This is the carburetor side of the engine just after I finished making the heat stove pipe to feed the automatic choke. Although it works flawlessly, I wasn't too keen on the appearance. I just like when things are tight. So, I took it all off, flipped the metal part on the manifold so the hole was facing front, not to the back and bent a new copper tube. OK.. to me it just looks so much better this way. I'm still waiting for the "asbestos" wrap to come in to finish it all. NOW... here's the cascade of events today.. I want to finish by installing the air cleaner. BUT, the diameter of the air cleaner and the top of the Carter are exactly the same! My air cleaner used to fit over the Marvel, but this Carter has a wider throat up there and the air cleaner basically just "sits" on top. Using a 1" wide by 1/16" thick aluminum bar, I wrapped it around a Rustoleum spray can to form the basic shape. I cut the inclines to fit under the air cleaner and drilled a 1/4" hole to accept the screw. After smoothing it down on the belt sander, my homemade clamp was ready to go...... Which immediately illuminated the next issue... This Carter sits higher! So, the hood wouldn't close with everything installed! The Carter is sitting on the same stack of gaskets that the Marvel sat on. I e-mailed Jon, and he told me the Carter only needs two gaskets. So, I figured I can easily find a half an inch by removing the large stack under there. Remove the air cleaner, fuel line, the heat line and the three 1/2" nuts, raise the Carter just enough to remove the stack, place only two gaskets and drop it down........... Which of course means I need some thick washers now, as the mounting studs stick up "higher" And two of the washers had to be custom made by clipping one side to fit within the parameters of the casting. Now we're cooking! But of course, the fuel line and the heat line had to be "reworked" to fit. Amazing how only a half an inch changes the geometry of everything. Here's my clamp, finally installed under the air cleaner. And now, I think I can finally say the Marvel to Carter transition is complete! I'll try to get to the painting this weekend. Gary

Wednesday November 14, 2018: Front Door Armrests These installed nice and easy. LeBaron recovered them for me, and sent very large #14 X 2 1/2" screws to attach them to the door. I first rolled down the window. Then, you can easily feel the depression in the door panel and if you look down the inside of the door, it is easy to poke the awl through the fabric and watch it line up with the holes in the door. Remove the bottom trim piece. Again, run the large screws in at an uphill angle WHILE watching through the top of the door to align everything. At this point, run the windows up and down to be sure the screws do not interfere with the glass or mechanism. If there is trouble, you can trim the screws to clear. Reattach the trim piece and just like that, the door is finally finished. So, that was an easy and fun project today. But there's more...........

Sunday November 11, 2018: The Marvel - To - Carter Carburetor Swap: (Part Three) The choke heat pipe This was the last thing to do to get the new carburetor installed and functioning. Luckily, Carl sent me his heater, and it worked out perfectly! From the last page. Here is the part I bolted to the manifold. The "U" bolt comes in from the back to hold it tight. Using an old piece of tubing, I made a rough template to follow. Carl's piece bolted in nice and tight, and the new copper tube exiting the hole and running up to the carburetor. This was actually a very easy tube to make. Again, flared it and attached it to the carburetor. I'm still waiting for the "asbestos" wrap to come in to finish it nice, but that's all it needs. Here's the overview of the completed conversion. I am going to paint some things now that I know it all works in there fine. So, I had to take her out and feel the difference. First.... after sitting for 5 days, I didn't pump at all. Simply turned on the key, stepped on the accelerator pedal and "boom" she fired right off! I ran her for a good 10 miles, and when I came back, the choke was fully open and that copper tube was too hot to touch! There is a noticeable difference in the idle. So much smoother and slower. The car has a little more pep. The accelerator pedal is nice and smooth. All the new linkages removed all the slop from the old ones. B E F O R E A N D A F T E R: B E F O R E A F T E R Have a great night! Gary

Sunday November 11, 2018: The Marvel - To - Carter Carburetor Swap: (Part Two) Finishing the throttle rod and the new gas line: First I used an old brass rod to make a template for the new throttle rod. After I was satisfied, I heated and bent the stainless rod into a geometric "Z" pattern that fits nicely under the manifolds and looks nice and neat under there. Again, using the gas pedal to check the extremes of movement, I marked where it had to be cut and threaded for the attachment to the accelerator linkage on the firewall. You can see the rod just loose above. The stainless is pretty hard, but with some oil, it tapped. Then the adjustment part. And back to the car to adjust, install and cotter. Then I attached the return spring in a manner where it pulls back and keeps the throttle rod at a nice level position. On to the gas line. It is 5/16" Stainless tubing. First slip on the nipple. Line it up flush in the correct hole. John bought over his flaring stuff and taught me how to use it. Lock it in the correct hole... Then slowly turn in on the wedge and it creates a nice flare. First bend and flare done. I followed the original bends up the block and over the engine behind the water pump. But after that, every bend was done the same way: Attach the tube to the fuel pump, mark the next bend with a sharpie right in the car. Remove the tube, make the bend, check the angle.... mark the next one. Tedious, but the job came out nice and neat. So, at the end of part two, I have the throttle linkage all fabricated and hooked up. The new gas line and vacuum advance line rerouted and installed. And the wires from the vacuum start switch fit right onto the new carburetor without any modification. Next.... Part three the choke heat stove

Sunday November 11, 2018: The Marvel - To - Carter Carburetor Swap: (Part One) First: To the VETS: THANK YOU all for your service and sacrifice. I admire what you do for us everyday. Today I finished the conversion from the original Marvel BD to my NOS Carter 608S. It really is not a big job to make the conversion, and after finishing, the difference in the idle and overall performance is noticeable. Here's what I did: The old, original, tired Marvel Carburetor. This was leaking gasoline into the engine. It always needed three or four "pumps" of the accelerator to start. Marvel gone and all its attachments are just hanging free. The NOS Carter 608S. Not bolted in yet, but in position so I can start making some preliminary measurements. I went to Home Depot and got some stock. Aluminum bar is 1 1/2" X 1/8". The Steel stock is 3" X 3/16". Using the carburetor, I measured from the center of the throttle plate to the link mounting hole. Being this carburetor works opposite from the Marvel. I had to make a new throttle linkage. I measured the 2 3/4", added a little for waste and made the cut. Again, I used the carburetor to mark where the holes go. Then I attached washers and outlined them as a guide for the trimming. I used a basic shape that "Car Geek" showed me on page 8 back on April 8, 2017: For the automatic choke unit blanking plate, I simply traced the back of the unit onto the steel as a template. I attached the plate with a paper gasket under it. Nothing is painted yet, I wanted to be sure everything worked as it should. At this point, the "divorced" automatic choke unit is gone, replaced with a steel blanking plate. The vacuum start switch is gone I moved the wiper attachment back to where the vacuum start switch used to be And the modified throttle linkage after trimming and smoothing on the kids belt sander. I had to also trim down the screws and nuts so they cleared that large screw back there. Next was to bend a new throttle rod, which you see above just beginning to get bent. I used 1/4" Stainless Steel rod. It had to be heated to make the bends. You can see the 1/4" brass ferrule. It prevents the washer from making the turn and sliding down the throttle rod and by it's shape keeps everything nicely centered there. Part two next:

Here's a 6V one from a Model "A" Supplier: Maybe it'll make the install a little easier?

My '37 did not come with a radio, so I secured one with all necessary knobs, plates and do-dads from Dave Tachney. I then sent the radio out to "Bill the Radio Guy" who did the most wonderful job restoring the internal guts so now the radio is bluetooth compatible, there are hidden pigtails to charge a cell phone, and extra wires in case I ever want to install rear speakers under the rear seat. (I ran the wires while I was wiring the car) and he installed an upgraded speaker. So, now I use one of the kids old cell phones, (Of course, "OLD" cell phone to these kids is a 6S.....better than mine!!!), download a few playlists and artists and can listen to Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Glenn Miller all day via bluetooth. It adds an extra "authentic" dimension to the drive. (And the radio looks really cool in the dash vs the blanking plate) Have fun! Gary Here's the link to the radio build:

Hi Larry! That photo you posted..... what is it that we are looking at? I can't make it out Thanks for alll your support throughout this build!... I really appreciate all your help! Gary

That's what I was thinking of doing. I wonder if anyone has tried or done it this way? Remove the divorced automatic Delco choke unit, fabricate a blanking plate and tap a hole to attach the Carter choke. So... that choke unit pulls in hot exhaust fumes to make it work?