neil morse

It looks like you can get a coil pretty easily. Here's one from Cars, Inc. in New Jersey through Ebay. They are a reputable company. https://www.ebay.com/itm/173102769895?hash=item284dbaa6e7:g:ajkAAOSwMfhaXfJ3

It's been a while since I had the steering wheel off my '41, but I think this is how it works: The positive current is in the wire that comes up through the steering column. The brass-colored plate on the back of the center hub in your photos makes contact with the spring-loaded fitting on the wire where it comes out of the center of the steering column. To activate the horn, you push on the horn ring which causes one of the three spokes to make contact with the hub of the steering wheel which grounds the horn circuit. I remember that the adjustment is a bit tricky and you may have to remove and replace the horn ring several times before you get it right. The adjustment is by means of those three insulated nuts on the back plate. I think if the nuts are too tight, the horn will honk constantly, and if the nuts are too loose, the horn won't honk at all (but it might be the other way around). Sorry I can't be more precise, but you will figure it out!

Hi John: Here's a link to the part of my "Me and My Buick" thread dealing with the removal and partial rebuild of the oil pump on my '41. (Click on arrow in upper right hand corner to get to the correct starting post.) I think this will be helpful to you. You will also see some discussion of what's considered "low" oil pressure. Once you get the pick-up screen cleaned up and the bottom plate smoothed up, you will probably be fine. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any additional help.

There still seems to be some confusion about this. As Ken Green posted, there were no running boards on the new C-body cars in 1940, which were the 50 series (Super) and 70 series (Roadmaster). The Special and the Century series had running boards. Running boards were not an option on the Super and Roadmaster.

You're not dreaming, Ben, the post about the chrome also appears earlier in the thread. But you have to understand that the posts from Down Under have to be propelled at great force through the Intertubes to get to us up here, and sometimes they overshoot the destination and go around the world an extra time and show up again days later! Grant, the chrome is indeed magnificent and worth seeing a second time!

From the few photos, the interior looks like the original. (I noticed that the interior light is not on in the photo with the driver's door open, but this is hardly a serious problem.)

This looks like a nice car at a slightly elevated price (although it sounds like a lot of work has been done on it asumming the history is accurate). I live nearby, and would be happy to go and take a look if anyone here is interested. Just PM me.

As an owner of the same car, I would say that this looks like an exceptionally good deal. I would like to see some underhood photos as well as more of the interior, but from what is shown here it looks very solid. These are great cars, and it looks like this particular example is one you could drive and enjoy as you made whatever improvements you wanted.

Outstanding photos! Where do you find collections of negatives like this?

I have used CA (cyanoacrylate) glue for years on my RC airplane models. As Chris mentions, it is best for gluing balsa and other soft woods where it wicks into the material that you are gluing. It basically revolutionized the building of wooden models for just the reason that Chris said -- you no longer had to truss everything up with pins on a board to hold things in place while conventional wood glue dried. Instead, just a tiny drop of thin CA applied when the pieces are already in place and it's bonded in seconds. You can get it in various thicknesses depending on your application. You can also get "kicker" in a spray bottle that causes it to cure instantly which is helpful in certain situations. Although it can also work with materials that are not porous, it is far less effective in those applications. It would not be suitable, in my opinion, for use with pot metal, especially a large piece like the one in the picture Dave posted. The downside to CA, as anyone who has used it knows, it that it will almost inevitably end up where you don't want it (Murphy's Law) unless you are extremely careful. And the thinner the CA you are using, the more this is true. This Locktite applicator sounds ideal since half the battle with CA is getting it just where you want it and nowhere else. As many of us have also learned, it is extremely effective in gluing human skin (in fact used as an alternative to suturing). Stories of people gluing various parts of their bodies together (such as fingers, or worse, eyelids) are common in the model building hobby. I once glued my feet to the floor when I was working in bare feet holding the parts I was gluing between my knees. So be careful out there!

Clapped out Corvette has been through too many winters!

It's actually a Super not a Special, not that it makes much difference as far as the point Jolly_John is making. "Custom order from the factory" is pretty vague and could just mean that the original buyer had specific choices regarding exterior color and interior trim. I don't think tbrandon is saying that the car was "a unique factory order vehicle." In any case, it looks like a nice example.

Haha -- I would also have unpacked that chrome immediately. It must have been like Christmas morning! It looks fabulous and will provide just the kind of encouragement you will need to get you through the more difficult stages of the restoration.

That stuff from the glove compartment is fascinating! What a treasure trove. I particularly like the letter from the judge and the "permission" for Tom Perkins to drive the car despite his DUI. It makes you wonder what exactly the situation was, and it certainly suggests a kind of small town compassion and "flexibility" with the justice system that is probably a thing of the past nowadays.

Not sure it's the weekend (since I am now blissfully unaware of what day it is), but I took advantage of a crystal-clear day between the rainstorms to join the tourists up at the top of Twin Peaks.

When I had my '48, there were reproductions available of the clear plastic knobs and the inserts for the folding crank handles for the windows (terrible design -- they broke very easily). However, there were no reproductions for the colored plastic panels on the dash. Things may have changed since this was almost 40 years ago. If you "know" that the marbled plastic pieces for the '41 have been produced for some years, then you know more that I do! If this car has reproduction plastic, it looks like very high quality.

Stunning!

I have never seen reproductions available for the '41 plastic, so I'm not sure you're correct. Yes, it is rare to see dash plastic in such good shape on these models, particularly the piece over the radio grill. But my guess is that this plastic is original. These cars aren't for everybody, as reflected in the comments, but I personally love them, having owned a Windsor sedan with the same exterior color and Highlander interior as Jeff's New Yorker.

Oooow ... my eyes! 😱

Agreed. I think it's the receding chin and the bug eyes. You can really see how they cleaned it up for '38.

What a great start you are off too! You have come to the right place for any and all questions you may have about your Buick. I have been a member here for just the past 6 years (after getting my '41), and you couldn't find a more congenial, helpful, and knowledgeable group of people. Please post more pics when you get a chance (interior, under the hood, etc.) We love pictures! 😄

Looks like a Tennessee plate on the car, Ben.

Yes, that's the standard wheel that is rarely seen on a '41. The first one I saw was from Grant Z's RHD Special Coupe from Australia (also a series 40A) when he posted pics of his car. I agree. You can see that it has a back seat in one of the photos.

I guess you learn something every day!