bhemi

More progress. We got the trunk lid fitting well with good gaps all around. Then the rear floor was braced some more and the trunk floor and wheel tubs were removed. We are adding 1 1/2" to the inner tub to make room for bigger tires inside the stock fender. Once those are done trunk floor goes back and finally permanent floor pans.

Why not a nailhead or big old 455? A Chevy in a Buick is done all the time. Dare to be different.

A little more progress. My baby has some bling. We got a package back from the platers. We use these guys in Victoria, BC. I have been sending them stuff for years. https://www.electroshine.com/ Good service, reasonably fast and decent prices.

Small update. Two steps forward and one back as always. The B pillars didn't have rust holes but they were thin and the decision was made to build new sections that made sure it was all solid thick metal. All the shiny stuff is new but they got the factory lines near perfect.

I have no dog in this hunt but can comment that Rhode Island wiring is good stuff.

The floors are out again, hopefully for the final time. They were tweaked a touch as we moved the engine and transmission back an 1 1/2" to clear the fan and stock radiator. Here they are with the new inner rockers mocked up.

More fiddling with ride height and stance. I have insisted since day one that every decision be based on drivability and performance. A lot of show cars can't do a u-turn on a four lane freeway or clear any minor bumps. We keep tuning to make sure nothing rubs or interferes under situations like full suspension compression and flat tires etc. We are now 1/2" lower in the front and 1 1/2 inches higher in the back but clearances are all good now. Once you get the body and the suspension happily married then it's back to checking drive line angles. I think we are almost there. In the meantime we are working on A/C, power windows, wiper motor and windshield washers. The original gauge cluster is going off to Classic to incorporate a tachometer. I bought a heater off a member here and we are going to blow the Vintage Air through 1937 vents for the floor.

A used GM frame is cheaper. It's basically a junk yard part. Most after market frame manufacturers use off the shelf components for the wear parts. I am using an Art Morrison builders frame for my '37. The front IFS is C6 Corvette, the rack is Opel, the brakes are Wilwood and the rear end is a Strange Engineering 9 inch with an Eaton TrueTrac . Those all have wide parts availability, probably better than an '80's or '90's chassis.

I have seen a number of dyno tests comparing EFI and carburetors. The horsepower is pretty much the same and in some cases better with the carbs. The big issue is reliability and tuning. EFI wins hands down. It's just a little dull. I happen to think an LS is a great engine but it is plain ugly. A lot of work on LS swaps is done to hide the coils and plastic to make it pretty.

Small update. We continue to work on the floors. I haven't seen the car in a month due to the lock down. Shipping times and service from some vendors is noticeably slower. We had to move the engine back slightly as I want to run a regular fan. I think electric fans just look wrong on resto-rods. I got two Harrison radiators with the pile of parts that came with my car. One the original "honeycomb" style and the other had been re-cored. We are using the re-cored one for trial fitting. To fit a '37 radiator to a 401 nailhead the outlet on the bottom has to be moved. Here it is removed - the bottom was then removed and reversed and TIG welded back together and the outlet soldered in.

That's the same color I am going to paint my '37. Your wife may not know sh*t but remember you can't tell her that out loud. I love the color.

What a guy does to his own car is his business. I am going to run EFI injection and a modern electronic ignition on my nailhead and I am really interested in how it turns out. In a wagon, I think the nailhead torque of a 401/425 would be a natural fit.

I believe Bob and other vendor's are reselling New Port Engineering's product. https://newportwipers.com/product/1937-38-buick/#wiper-motor I have one and am putting it in my '37 coupe. It looks good in the box but I am 6 month away from driving my car

As near as i can tell. From 1945 (or earlier) to 1958 Buicks used a square bracket and a round jar. The lid changed over time but had a fill hole and a vent hole and an output hole for the hose to the pump In 1959 and 160 they used the triangular bottle. After that I am guessing plastic? All were built by Trico. I really like the glass bottle and I know they reproduce the '59 - '60 Trico cap/bottle/bracket

That's good. Did that have the square bracket?

I am building a '37 coupe restomod and am trying to keep the look as vintage as possible. Plastic under the hood won't do. I would really like a pic of the earliest jar system.

I found other threads here and elsewhere it looks like the washer option came out around 1945. I haven't seen any earlier.

When did the first windshield washer systems come out in Buicks and what did they look like? Pics?

Thanks!

I have bought a ton of parts from Bob for my '37 so far good prices and service. IMHO If your story is straight up correct Bob is dead wrong.

If anybody has one of these for sale please PM me

Those are great pics. I have found a fellow on eBay that sells restored ones. I now know what I am looking for. I have seen heaters with an emblem on them identical to the nose badge for my '37 were those for the fancier 80 and 90 series cars? I am using a Vintage Air unit for heat and A/C. My goal is to keep the working cowl vent and glove box while going to electric wipers as well. The radio is a no go but i have plans for a hidden modern unit.

I have a thread on my build in the modified section. My new engine is a 401 nailhead. My goal with the build is to have the car look as close to stock as possible until you look under the hood. We purchased the small case unit from Vintage Air. I may even gut the coils to get good air flow.Pictures would be awesome.

My '37 coupe came without the heater. I am upgrading my system to heat/AC but want it to blow through an original or at least period correct housing. Does anyone; a) have a picture b) have a heater for sale?

If it's any consolation most reproductions are garbage. I bought a reproduced assembly manual for my 1972 GMC pickup. I swear they used the photostat machine from my high school (I graduated 1979) Images are useless just blurs. The old books were typeset and printed on good paper. Nothing will ever be produced that well again.