Gary W

I use the optima 6V Red Top in all four of my antiques. No lead acid spilling, no fumes peeling paint. Nice and neat. Highly recommend. The '37 Battery sits in a battery box under the front seat.

they pop up on eBay frequently.

I don't know if the '38 flywheel is like the '37, but the flywheel can be mounted in six positions, only one of which is correct. When I refurbished my 248, I made sure to attach the flywheel with the markings showing through the window when the crankshaft was at top dead center. When #1 was fully up. Easy when the motor is all apart. If you can, turn the motor so #1 is up top. Maybe use an awl to scratch a line on the flywheel through the window. then remove the flywheel cover as suggested above, rotate the engine and you'll have a mark there to paint white. Enjoy that beautiful automobile!! Truly a roadworthy car and a pleasure to drive!

The '37 is adjusted to .015 Hot.

I used CAP - A - RADIATOR in Fulton NY to recore my Harrison radiator. Beautiful workmanship. They also do all kinds of heater cores also 556 Fulton Street Farmingdale, NY 1.516.293.9026 https://www.caparadiator.com/heaters

Does your engine have to be #1 on TDC to align the timing marks? Can you rotate the engine around to TDC. Then check your timing marks.

Maybe just try a section with a clay bar, a good compound. Then follow with a polish and wax to get the paint back to its best lustre. The wet sanding will remove the orange peel, any contaminants, some clear coat ( or lacquer paint if that's what your paint is) My car was wet sanded and machine polished after the clear was cured. But this was a brand new paint job. Here are the steps the painter took to finish the body: Bob used this 1200 grit wet or dry paper First pass using a soapy water to begin knocking down the orange peel and high spots in the clear A squeegee allows quick drying and reveals further high spots that need more attention More wet sanding and squeegee until it is all nice and smooth. no more high spots After squeegee area dries, you can evaluate for further sanding if necessary Now every area is the same smooth look, no shiny orange peel or low spots showing. Time to machine buff Bob used this 3M Rubbing compound. Apply with a squeeze bottle Begin buffing with the machine. The lustre begins to come out. Using the same 3M compound and a damp rag, the area now gets a hand compounding This is the result after hand compound And finally, the area gets this product, 3M Final Glaze, hand applied and removed to give the final smooth finish Here's the before and after. It takes a while to get is just right. But the results are wonderful. But this is on a brand new fresh base coat / clear coat paint job. There was plenty of clear applied to handle the steps above to finish it correctly. You may want to hand compound a section first, and evaluate the results before jumping in to wet sanding.

Heres some photos from my '37: Removal of the throttle linkage All parts wire wheeled before prime and paint The finished assembly Installed on the firewall Before and after comparison I don't know if my rebuild notes will help you, but I included the page out of my notebook here. Sometimes you understand your own notes and they are jibberish to anyone else, but maybe it'll make sense. Gary

I sent my original front motor mounts out to be re-vulcanized. The bolts are a very specific shape and size with built-in shoulders to compress the rubber just the right amount Here's a little detail:

Congrats on your purchase! You've come to the right place here! I'll share my complete 1937 Special Restoration here with you. It's an extensive restoration diary, but you may find it worth the read. (That flywheel ring gear looks familiar!) Good Luck and ask away! These guys here are the best! Just touch the arrow in the upper right corner of the box:

If you checked it before installation, and it gave proper readings when not in the tank..... Raising the arm gave a "F" on the dash gauge, and should measure 30 OHMS with an ohm meter Dropping the arm shows an "E" on the dash, and should measure 0 OHMS with an ohm meter.....then it seems the actual sending unit is working properly. In a 17 gallon tank, assuming you want a reserve, your dash gauge should measure approximately a quarter tank for every 4 gallons of gasoline. I had just the opposite problem... My dash showed 1/4 but the tank was actually BONE DRY. I was able to fix it by grinding on the "stop" of the sender AND bending the arm up. In your case, you would have to bend the arm downward, (so the float hits the gasoline "earlier") which will effectively "raise" the arm, giving a more accurate reading at the dash. (** If your dash unit shows 1/8 with 6 gallons of fuel in the tank, does it also show 3/4 when your tank is totally filled? **) This assumes, of course, that: 1. Your new sending unit is operating in the proper 0 - 30 - 0 OHM range. (empty - full - empty) (float arm dropped - raised - dropped) 2. The sender is properly grounded 3. Your dash gauge is functioning properly I recently went through all of this, and it is a very detailed discussion. It starts with me running out of gas, and continues on. If you have a little time to go through the discussion, it will be very valuable. Touch that arrow in the top right corner to begin the discussion and the steps to take to check your sender and hopefully get it reading correctly:

Hi Jerry Like Mark, I recently installed an electric "priming" pump in line to fill the carburetor when she sits more than 5-6 days. The pump I used was from Brattons Model "A" Parts. It's a nice compact 6V unit and your original mechanical pump will pull through it easily. Here's the electric pump I installed: I did not use any of the enclosed rubber parts. I flared and fit new stainless steel lines from the tank to the carburetor. Here is the entire process of how I installed the unit and ran all the wiring: (Just touch the arrow in the upper right corner)

Your setup looks correct! With the Stromberg Carburetor, all the linkages are on the left side. All Series used Accelerator Switch # 1607. For the cars like mine that came with the Marvel Carburetor, the linkages are on the right side of the carburetor and used Accelerator Switch # 1594. Here's the full page from the Service Manual:

The '37 Buick has a "panel" on the underside held in by two screws. Once you remove this panel, you have access to the larger screws that hold the armrest to the door. You don't have to remove the door panel. I hope your '34 is the same! Just touch the arrow on the upper right corner

So rule out fender lights, tail lights and license plate wiring as they all light up and do not overload the system. You may have a bad floor switch, it may be shorting out when depressed. Other than that, go over every inch of headlight wiring, from the bulb, through the socket to the terminal block and be sure there are no shorts, nothing touching the frame or fenders... These headlight switches are complicated and if they are not assembled / restored properly (the internal "triangle" contacts), they can cause all kinds of havoc.

My Dad was a State Farm agent for many years. The correct terminology is "Subrogation" Larry's insurance company will pay him for the value of the car so he is settled, then his insurance company will go after the other drivers insurance via subrogation to reclaim the funds. It's actually in Larry's best interest to get settled early and in full and let the insurance companies fight it out behind the scenes. Sometimes these things take forever to settle. Application of the Subrogation Principle The insurance sector is considered a primary area of application of the subrogation principle. By using subrogation, an insurance company can recover the amount of the insurance claim paid to the insured client from the party that caused the damage. Note that in such situations, the insurance company represents the interests of its insured client. In other words, subrogation is a remedy to the insurance company for the paid-out insurance claim. The subrogation right is generally specified in contracts between the insurance company and the insured party. The contracts may contain special clauses that provide the right to the insurance company to start the process of recovering the payment of the insurance claim from the party that caused the damages to the insured party. Subrogation is one of the equitable doctrines in countries with common law legal systems. How Does Subrogation Work? Subrogation in the insurance sector generally involves three parties: the insurer (insurance company), the policymaker (insured party), and the party responsible for the damages. The process usually starts when the insurer pays out the losses of the insurance claim filed by the policymaker. When the policyholder receives the amount of money for the claim, the insurer may start the process of collecting the amount of the claim from the party that caused the damages.

My '37 came with a freeze plug installed. No hole drilled, just a solid freeze plug. Frankly, I didn't know enough to even question it. When I installed the new thermostat, I drilled a hole through the thermostat flange, allowing a small amount of coolant to flow until the thermostat opened. It seems to work just fine. Over 2400 miles on her now, never ever gets above 180 and this has been a wicked hot summer. When you study the operation of the bypass system, the thermostat, the coolant flow when cold v. when hot..... it seems the hole in the thermostat pretty much accomplishes the same job. Heres the link to this discussion on my build:

The 1937 Light switch has a "thermo circuit breaker" mounted to it. Current in excess of the normal lighting current causes it to heat up, which pulls the points apart, thereby reducing the current load. In the manual, it states the points will stay closed indefinitely at 25 amps. But at 38 amps, it will stay closed only one minute and then open. Check out the manual pages 210 and 211. It goes through three diagnostic steps to figure where your short is. "Until the breaker stays on" or in other words, "Keep the points closed" Pg. 209. Top of right column details the detachable thermo circuit breaker Here's the detail blown up In real life, its that extension part on my fingers Page 210 of the service manual. All about the lighting Pg. 211. Finishes the diagnostic tests. Hope it helps! Gary

The 1937 Special Engine number is located on a boss above your starter / solenoid. 1937 engines for the Special start with the number "4" which denotes "Series 40" The Series 40 engine for the Special is 248 cu in, 100 HP, 5.7:1 compression 1937 Special engine number range: Begins: 4-3166225 Ends: 4-3396936

Fantastic! Investing all this time and effort on the stuff no one will ever see is why you create beautiful cars that are correctly sorted AND National Show winners! Always a pleasure to follow your work. Gary

When I finished my '37, I really didn't know what a comfortable cruising speed SHOULD be. After the requisite break-in period, and a couple oil changes, I also went to the '37 Shop Manual. I didn't want to over rev the engine and cause any damage. I figured if I kept the car at 90% of its capabilities it should last a long time. After a couple thousand miles now, it just feels nice and happy around 48 - 52 mph. (2522 RPM - 2733 RPM). Puts you right in the 90 - 94 HP range, leaving a little extra. The HP curve really starts flattening out 2900 RPM (approx 57 mph). I don't know the actual red line for the 248, but it just seems to like 2500 to 2700 RPM.

My '37 looks just like Don's above. My wipers feed off the intake, not a dual stage fuel pump.

My stainless trim had a few different types of clips. Running board: All stud fasteners and nuts to secure. NO "push in" type clips Hood: Screw-in stud type front clip and rear most clip. All center clips are the push in type Cowl: Both push in type, seal the holes before installing Door: ALL the push in type clips. NO stud/nut Rear quarter: Rear most clip is the stud/nut type. All the rest were the push in like the cowl section, all holes sealed before installation Running board trim ALL stud type with nuts to secure Installing the running board clips aligned with the holes in the board Front cowl and Rear quarter all used this shape clip. Seal the holes before install to keep water out of the car. I cleaned them all and used only the best ones. Rear quarter seal all holes prior to install Rear most clip is a stud inside the trunk secured with a nut. Sealed hole. Door trim and the center holes for the hood Again, choose the best ones that still have a good spring to them Then push them in. ******* A note about the stud / nut fasteners: My Buick was drilled 3/16" holes. Many of the stud/nut clips I found had 5/16" studs and could not be used so double check the hood /trunk hole sizes Gary

Matt, In the same vein as the large drum, is there a way (kinda like your evaporust setup) that you can simply run a garden hose into the block, constantly feeding it with fresh cold water? I guess you can take the temperature of the water that exits to see how hot it gets, but this may help decide if the block passages are all open and flowing, if the water pump is indeed working...... Just spitballing. Gary

When I did my '37 Buick, I spent incredible amounts of time restoring the original hardware. Many of the bolt heads had markings that are not replicated today. Some of the specialized bolts are not made today. For the ones I had to replace, I would use my belt sander and grind off the modern torque symbols. My routine for every nut and bolt was: Wire wheel all the rust off, using channel locks to hold the work Soak in a container of acetone to fully degrease, clean and prep for paint Use a cardboard box to lay parts out and label for assembly Prime and paint OR just use a Rustoleum paint and primer rattle can For bolts that won't hold torque, they gotta go! First the wire wheel to remove the rust from the threads, and give it a good finish. (EYE GOGGLES A MUST!) Front engine mount bolts before and after using just the wire wheel. Front Brake parts after the wire wheel and now in a tray of acetone Labeled and set up on a cardboard box Sprayed gloss black, some sprayed silver..... Organized for the build. Of course there are some nuts and bolts that were completely useless and had to be replaced. (running board hardware) I had a part of my restoration where I made a post about Nuts and Bolts. I got a lot of personal messages about it! (Just touch the arrow in the upper right hand corner)