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Jim Nelson

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  1. Ooops, so sorry. The 30's cars went to fuel pumps and my brain did not get far enough back to log it in...... My apologies. But just in case the vacuum tank system failed, could using a electrical pump help. Just thinking out loud - - -. I don't like the issue of having a break down away from home. It sucks ! (and it's embarrassing a little) . Options are nice !
  2. Also, buy a 1938 service manual. Its full of what and how to keep your 'Buick' running.
  3. If you are using a 12 volt electrical system you are in the right ball park. BUT there are several versions and you must use the correct pump. If you are using a 6 volt system use Airtex E8011. If you are using a 12 volt system, use Airtex E801 S. These pumps will give you the low pressure you must use. I also use a plastic - 'see thru' filter just before the electric pump. P/N. Purolater F 20-11. I have bought my pumps thru Walmart and at a good price. They will send it to your closest store or mail it to you. Your filter is readily aviable from your local auto parts store. Next, keeping the pump - in the back and level with the bottom of the tank with the filter in the front - tank side of the pump will give you just the right flow and pressure so you won't flood the carb. This way if your 'normal' system fails, turning on the 'hidden electric pump' will keep you going until you get where you can repair the original fuel supply. I've had a regular pump fail while driving on a 6 lane - semi-limited access road and pulled off to see why my engine quit. I found the fuel pump main shaft backing part way out causing the pump to stop. I just turned on my boost pump and drove home and got a new mechanical regular pump. That alone was worth the price of the system - no towing this time.
  4. Getting a knowledgeable mechanical guy who understands our pre-war cars will be a small problem. First - where are you located. Then finding a Buick club will get you started. BTW, a Ford model 'A' club will help. Then the clubs will help finding a mechanic who understands our '35' car. When you find someone, you need to get one who the club knows the who / what / how to make it happen. You might need to take it some distance to get to a good mech. All the little details. Next travel to see him and his shop. Bring with you your service manual so he can see what he is going to be fixing / repairing. In my world, having the 40 series Buick makes his job a lot easier when working on the cooling system, engine systems, clutch. The brake system is something else. There are several companies who can sell you (soft) brake material for max. braking. Modern material is harder and set up for power brakes. The modern material will be OK, just realize you will need to use more effort to stop. Then finding someone who can / will grind - match the drums and brake shoes. together. I believe it's called 'matching'. I live in the Tampa / St. Pete area ( 1 million + ) and there is only one guy who can / will do it in our area. Our world is really a simple mechanical world that technology moved past us. Learning to work there is just old time mechanical stuff. Getting started is as simple as taking one step at a time. JMHO. (Just 80 and still learning ) 😃 😃
  5. Pay close attention to mechanical brakes. They are unique and require 'different' attention. It not 'rocket science' but different. When you get there, try and find someone who has a car with mech. brakes to begin your education. There are many of us who 'been there, done that' and will be straight shooter with knowledge. There will be some who want you to remain exactly as it came from the factory. Then there are some who will help you get a fun car so driving safely is paramount. So you need to listen to both sides and decide what you want and can afford. You want to talk to those who actually drive their cars and don't just trailer them to shows. My club '36 - 38' Buick club in the BCA umbrella , is one of those type. We drive 1 - 2 - maybe 300 miles to just get where our tour begins. So we pay attention on keeping our car in good shape. Being a mid-Floridan, it takes me 200 miles just to get out of Florida. My longest trip was Tampa Fl. to Nashville Tn. and it was 1800 miles round trip. I had a '38-46s' coupe then and I added over drive to let me drive 6 - 7 hours a day, at 65 mph. (2350 rpm ). You probably have the same rear ratio (I will look it up) as mine. It is a 4.88 - 1 rear. That makes your car a 45 mph car. If you chose to go with an over drive, it will give you a 3.41 - 1 rear and let you go about 55 to 60 mph. Should not be a 'speed bump' that way. Most every one I listen to is they want to go faster than factory design. So do not be surprised how slow your car is ... Note, do no plan to run your engine in cruise over 2400 to 2500 rpm. Our engines will not tolerate more rpm. When you look thru your `SM' and look over the torque and rpm and horse power curves, you will see where it wants to work. We have low rpm with high torque. I have a 248 engine in my '35-58' and even with my 38-46s I won't go over 3000 rpm ... to only pass a slow poke. BTW, with my OD, I get 16 mpg. So opinions are many. Listen and decide what you want to do. BTW, those few dents and stuff is easy to fix using a 'real body man. No plastic (bondo fi ! ! Do it right the first time ! Again - JMHO.....
  6. Its good you have original wheels. Is your spare just like the ones on the car? To many guys put non-standard fancy wheels on their '35's. Sold the originals so you are good. I'll check around and see where I found the data on mounting the spare. I believe Steele Rubber has them. Pretty sure. Do not try to start your car until you go thru the list on starting a car that has been in storage for a while.
  7. Nope, it should be parallel to the body. I have a spare on the back of mine. If you need details, I can do pix and measurements. Right now I have the spare off to give you the jest of the mount.. with a rumble seat, the angles are slightly different. Steele Rubber has new ones available so only you need to do is give them is 'make' , model so you will get correct angle rubber bushings. Shoot there are 3 slightly different gas rubber bushing where gas goes down into the tank.. I guessing you have a '35 - 46' Buick. That says yours was made in 1935 and was built as a three window coupe and had a rumble seat. Note the 'stepping' pads to assist a person to get into the rumble seat. Hopefully they are OK. Those would be very hard to find. BTW, take lots of pix of every thing you touch prior to removing etc. That way you can go back to what you did etc. I probably took around 6-700 pix of what I did to my 38-46s. Memory fades and pix bring it back. Real important. I installed a/c in my 38 along with over drive. Any questions - I have them and pix to go with them.
  8. This might give you what mine has mounted to. I think your will be tipped more forward at the top. I think Steele gave you details of where each style came together with angles etc. Get familiar with parts catalog from 'CARS' from New Jersey, Bob's Automobilia in California. Just a start ! ! Your spare tire cover is adjustable for wider tires. If you were unfortunate to have 'side-mounts' on the front fenders - you will have a difficult time trying to fit skinny tires in the tire covers in the side mount covers.
  9. Pay close attention to mechanical brakes. They are unique and require 'different' attention. It not 'rocket science' but different. When you get there, try and find someone who has a car with mech. brakes to begin your education. There are many of us who 'been there, done that' and will be straight shooter with knowledge. There will be some who want you to remain exactly as it came from the factory. Then there are some who will help you get a fun car so driving safely is paramount. So you need to listen to both sides and decide what you want and can afford. You want to talk to those who actually drive their cars and don't just trailer them to shows. My club '36 - 38' Buick club in the BCA umbrella , is one of those type. We drive 1 - 2 - maybe 300 miles to just get where our tour begins. So we pay attention on keeping our car in good shape. Being a mid-Floridan, it takes me 200 miles just to get out of Florida. My longest trip was Tampa Fl. to Nashville Tn. and it was 1800 miles round trip. I had a '38-46s' coupe then and I added over drive to let me drive 6 - 7 hours a day, at 65 mph. (2350 rpm ). You probably have the same rear ratio (I will look it up) as mine. It is a 4.88 - 1 rear. That makes your car a 45 mph car. If you chose to go with an over drive, it will give you a 3.41 - 1 rear and let you go about 55 to 60 mph. Should not be a 'speed bump' that way. Most every one I listen to is they want to go faster than factory design. So do not be surprised how slow your car is ... Note, do no plan to run your engine in cruise over 2400 to 2500 rpm. Our engines will not tolerate more rpm. When you look thru your `SM' and look over the torque and rpm and horse power curves, you will see where it wants to work. We have low rpm with high torque. I have a 248 engine in my '35-58' and even with my 38-46s I won't go over 3000 rpm ... to only pass a slow poke. BTW, with my OD, I get 16 mpg. So opinions are many. Listen and decide what you want to do. BTW, those few dents and stuff is easy to fix using a 'real body man'. No plastic (bondo fix ) ! ! Do it right the first time ! Again - JMHO..... I have a repair / rebuild shop that specializes in old cars. Great people and fair pricing. I never ask how much because I want it done right. I used to do business with them before that so I knew them and their quality.....
  10. There are a few of us who have the wooden bodied Buicks hanging around to help,you. My FIRST ITEM is to buy a 1935 - 40 series "Service Manual." The 40 series manual is unique because the 50 series and up are totally different. Read thru it to see what an interesting car (rare) you have. What you need to do BEFORE YOU START THE CAR. There is a fairly long list on what you need to do long before you put some gas in the tank, hook up the battery etc. There was a fellow who was a similar situation. Follow that so you do not ruin the power train and really spend big bucks..... 'Ask and you will receive' as the saying goes. Again, welcome to a small part of our insanity. I know I'm a bit 'off' but I don't care. I just really like these old pre-war cars.
  11. Get your service manual and compare the accessories - where they are mounted and how they can be 'rebuilt' easily compared to the 50, 60, and 80 series. Generator, distributor, water pump, radiator plumbing at the inlet ' outlet vs -the interesting plumbing on the 50, 60, 80 series. The 40 series is almost identical to 1937 and later support equipment. If you have a friend with a 50 series and up, compare the design of the two systems. I have both the SM for the 40 series and the 50 series . It shows both and the differences. 'Major diff. is the 'fiber drive gear' to run the generator - the generator has a drive shaft that goes full thru the generator and continues rearward with a 90* gear attached to the shaft to drive the distributor and the shaft continues rearward back to drive the water pump. The fiber gear is a weak link and is not available. I hear that someone has had a metal gear made to replace it - 'expensive '.... so be glad if you have the 40 series power system that is just like the 248 design that stayed with Buick until 1954 when they went to their very good V8 . BTW, the 40 system has the generator on the left side driven by a 'V' belt, and the water pump up front and the distributor - normal- on the right side like almost every one did - driven by the cam. Maybe Buick needed to use up their stash of parts as they transitioned to the better engine system.
  12. Johndande, It looks like a great '35-46s'. Yours is the second '35' coupe I've seen in years. Coupes are rare ! ! I'm a coupe fan. As you know., most Buicks were 4 door versions. Yours has the 40 series engine. That is good as it was the beginning of the 248 engine design. Accessories in standard positions for replacement or rebuilding. I have a 35-58 Buick. Its a 2 door sedan. How are the brakes ? Mine were terrible. BTW, I hope you have the original wheels. Because of the 5" bolt circle they were fairly easy to put them on newer cars. Thus - extremely hard to find. I know - been there done that. The 50 series engine layout and cooling system are - what you say - not nice. I have other words. But that is what they needed to do. Remember, 34 and 35's are almost copies of each other. Buick was putting its money in the radical new design and construction. We had the last of the mechanical brakes, last of wooden bodies, fabric roofs. If you have a wheel issue, I found that Ford in 1934 had wire wheels that adapt to our Buicks. Minor changes so let me know. Oldbuickjim@gmail.com. Buick had 3 different wheel mountings in 1935. 40 series had 5" bolt circles, 50 series has the 5-1/2" bolt circles and 60 - 70 series had a 6" bolt circle. ? ? Strange because that increased manufacturing costs, inventory costs and issues like that.
  13. Hi ho, I put seat belts in front of my 35-58, fortunately there is enough steel flooring to mount those. Since you have a 4 door 35-41 sedan, for rear belts, you will have to mount seat belts through the floor bottoms in back. As I remember, that area is wooden. So you are going to make a 'new' steel cross brace to let you mount a rear seat belt. A 1.5" x by. 1.5" x 1/4" angle running between the main frame will do the job. Its strong enough to spread the load if you have an accident and keep the rear seat pax. secured. Using a bigger angle ie. 2 x 2 x 1/4" would be nicer. You need fit the angle between the main frame and WELD IT. That way you would not minimize strength by drilling a hole in the frame. IMHO, I would do the 2x2x1/4 cross brace and maybe ....... put two 2x2x1/4 angles back to back. (Creating a channel ). You could get a 1-1/2" x 3 (or 4") channel to do the job. I have a tendency to over kill something like this. Having ONLY front seat belts with out a shoulder belt leaves me cautious when driving in my area. I'm OK but it's the 'other guy' that will do me bad... Just some thoughts from my wandering old brain.
  14. That was what I thought but I was on a cross state drive and was having problems. So I decided to head home. It was a race between the sun and the miles I had to travel. Well, the sun won and my head lights were barely acceptable. There is an interesting story because I had a major blow out, traveling at night, in the left lane, after cresting a hill and in a left curve. - - - tough to see me in the left lane with a blown out tire avoiding steel guide rails and fast other traffic in the left lane........getting out of traffic. Get the hint ? Scare times- - - So, what are you up to ?
  15. Also, changing the throw out bearing at this point is also recommended.
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