neil morse

Greg, I'm going to chime in here not because I know the answer (I don't), but because you raise an issue that I have been curious about since I got my '41. Does anyone know for sure how these dash panels were done at the factory? It appears from looking at the ones on my car that the "engine turned" pattern is actually some kind of a decal or appliqué that is applied over smooth steel rather than an actual engraving. So many cars have areas where it appears that someone trying to clean it too aggressively has worn off the pattern in places, as you can see in this photo of my dash. Also, you see many cars where someone has taken it all off down to the bare metal. On the other hand, I have talked to people who insist that the panels were actually engraved at the factory. If so, it seems that it was only done very lightly since it apparently takes no more than maybe fine steel wool to remove it. (I haven't experimented with this, I'm just speculating based on the appearance of my dash.) I know, of course, that Doug Seybold got his start as the '40-'41 Buick guru refinishing the dash panels by actually machining them, and my understanding is that almost all high point cars have had the panels refinished by Doug. But this must be a very labor-intensive way of reproducing the appearance of the originals, not the way they were done to begin with. Correct? Here's a quote from a Hemmings article about Doug that I found while I was composing this post: " ... the fabulous engine-turned dashboard, which Buick originally created by applying the engine turning--a process called damascening--directly on the metal surface of the dashboard, rather than on an overlay." I'm sure it's just a product of my ignorance about the tool and die process, but that's about as clear as mud to me. Can anyone enlighten me on this? Okay, I didn't mean to hijack your thread, but I figured my question was roughly on topic and the question has obviously been bugging me!

Ah, I get it now. Gorgeous car -- I wish I could afford it!

Take a look around, Matt. The answer to the tantalizing question may be hiding in plain view! ?

I don't understand why people are questioning the seller's representation that this is a Century. Is there any reason to doubt its authenticity? Data plate says 66C. Also, hood latch has Century script.

Congratulations, Matt!

It's a new restriction that came in about a month ago because (I assume) the webmeisters running the site are concerned about storing too many large files. You were lucky to do almost all of your thread before this rule was imposed because it's a royal PITA to have to resize all your photos! Anyhow, here's a discussion about it: http://forums.aaca.org/topic/309576-new-image-upload-size/ Your fabric choices look great and I'm sure I speak for us all when I say we are relieved that you are back on track! Neil

Have you tried contacting the Buick Heritage Alliance? They might know the answer. http://www.buickheritagealliance.org/contact

Sun Visors As I've commented previously, deciding how much improvement to make to a "driver" is a matter of compromises -- you don't want to let things get too shabby, but at the same time, you have to be careful what you "restore" because anything shiny and new is going to make everything around it look worse. I wasn't sure what to do about my sun visors. They were very faded on one side and consequentially a different color on the other side. The original headliner was intact and looked pretty good, at least faded in a uniform way, so it was all the same shade. I didn't want to replace the headliner, so what about the visors? What helped me make up my mind was that the interior fiberboard panel on the driver's side was broken so the visor was no longer functional -- it was very floppy. Since the visors serve an essential function when driving into the sun, I decided to go ahead and fix them up even though they wouldn't exactly match the old headliner. This pic shows how different the two sides of the visors were -- this is the "top side" of the left-hand visor and the "bottom side" of the right-hand. This shows the reconstructed "core" for the driver's side that I made from 1/8" fiberboard to replace the broken part, shown below. The recovered passenger-side visor back from LeBaron Bonney The refurbished visors reinstalled. So now I can drive out to the beach to watch the sunset without getting blinded!

I left my car parked in the driveway for a while yesterday, and came out to find a nice vintage-style post card stuck under one of the wipers with this image on it: There was the name of a realtor printed on the back of the card. I sent her an email and it turns out that she had hired a photographer to take some photos of the neighborhood which she had made into post cards and then handed out at an open houses. Apparently one of my neighbors who got the card recognized my car and left me the card on my windshield. Very cool! It's too bad about the contemporary vehicles in the photo -- otherwise it would look like it had been taken in the 40's.

Here's an atmospheric pic taken by a passenger on a ride around the neighborhood yesterday. Not much to report these days -- just driving and enjoying my Buick!

Gary W. went to a print shop and got vinyl cut to fit the B U I C K recesses on his hubcaps. You can find pics on his '37 Restoration thread. Looks super! I'm thinking of doing the same. Neil

I somehow had missed this wonderful thread until just a few minutes ago, so I haven't yet had time to look at all the photos. But the very first one (fantastic film noir style shot of a '37) made me think, "Hmm ... I bet I know that car from somewhere." Here's a pic I took on the streets of San Francisco about a year ago. The driver was wearing a vintage outfit. Check out the license number. Same car.

Glad to hear that you found the problem! I installed one of the units from Bob's in my '41 and it works perfectly. Neil

Assuming it was working before the wiring job, don't be too pessimistic about the fuel gauge until you put more gas in. On my '40, the gauge sender was designed to read "empty" when there's still about three gallons in the tank. This was an early version of the "reserve" concept before they had warning lights, and probably true of your car as well. If it continues to read "empty" even when full, it probably means that the wire to the sender is grounding somewhere.

The car looks great! Since I have a driver myself, I know that it's often a tough decision figuring out what kind of improvements you want to make. With a total restoration, you just replace everything. And with a "historical preservation" effort, you want to replace only what is absolutely necessary. When your goal is somewhere in between, i.e., to have a nice, presentable and reliable driver, you often are faced with a dilemma about how far you want to go. So don't be too hard on yourself. It's a series of compromises by its very nature, and you have to figure out what you're personally comfortable with.

More Friendship Day Photos Engine of Jim's 1919 Speedster Ed Archer, standing in front of his 1926 Rolls Here's a video of Jim's car starting up: And a video of Don and Jim departing the event:

Thanks, Matt. I suppose it's a good thing that you sold your convertible, even though it must have been sad to see it go!

More Friendship Day Okay, I have been defeated by the new rules, which I don't understand. I tried to post more photos in this post, but get a message that says, "You are only allowed to upload 9.77mb." Does that mean "per day?" Anyway, I guess that's all for today. I have a lot more photos, and would welcome any help about how to get around the new rules. I'm sorry, but I refuse to take the time to make my photo files smaller or compress them. I'm sure this will be worked out.

Friendship Day I have been pretty quiet lately, just working away at various cosmetic issues, getting my doors back together, etc. But today was my favorite old car event of the year in the Bay Area -- Friendship Day, a very informal, non-judged get together put on by the Mid Peninsula Old Time Auto Club. Here are a few pics and videos. L to R, Don Micheletti's 1918 Buick (by the way, on the cover of this month's BCA Bugle!), a '48 Super, and my '41 Super Jim Ceasri at the wheel of his magnificent 1919 Buick Speedster. Jim built this car himself, using a chassis and running gear from a car that had been converted to a farm truck! (Apparently, I have fun afoul of the new restrictions on posting photos, so I will try to continue with multiple posts.)

Hi Gary: I will be following your progress with great interest, since I am planning to do the same thing on my '41 Super (and, like you, I am not exactly a whiz when it comes to electricity). I was a bit leery about replacing the harness without everything being disassembled, as is typically done with a full restoration, but I have been assured that it's doable. I assume you are doing the front harness only? That's what I'm going to do since I want to leave the original headliner in place. Can I ask which supplier you got your harness from? Please keep us posted. Neil

Stunning automobile!

You are a lucky man! What a beauty!

Hi Matt, I will send you a PM.

I need the "K" button for the radio in my '41 Super. I think the buttons were the same for at least 1940 through 1942, but I'm not sure. I have a decent "B" button to offer in trade. Please PM me if you can help. Thanks!

Hooray! Having bought a totally intact, properly running, and more or less correct car, I can only imagine your frustration at this point! That sounds like a great day, indeed. I'm confident that you are going to have your beautiful Buick in great shape very soon.