Grant Z

Thanks for that post Matt, along with the photos of some truly spectacular cars. Much appreciated.

This information I posted on my Facebook page (Forty One Buick Roadmaster Build) back on July 20th. Today something special was delivered to my door. An original rubber cased battery (originally designed to be 6V), but made into a 12V battery for the Roadmaster. Arial Batteries in Melbourne had original unused cases so when I called and asked if they could make a 500 mm long x 100 mm wide rubber case battery, they said “no problem as we have two original unused cases in stock.” Thanks to Jeff Randell (previous owner of the car) who recommended Ariel Batteries to me. In addition to that my mates Adam & Dennis kindly came over to lift the crankshaft out of the engine block for me (I’m still under strict orders to limit my lifting). This 1060mm long (41.75”) crankshaft weighs 115 lb (52 kg). That’s 17-1/2 lb (8 kg) heavier than the cylinder head that I lifted and blew a disc in my back in late March. Soon I’ll remove the pistons & connecting rods from the block in preparation to assess the state of the engine prior to reconditioning. BELOW: This (now 12V) battery is correct visually & in size (500mm long x 90mm wide x 200mm tall) for many cars of the era. BELOW: The crank-shaft may not look very long, but it is 1060mm in length (that’s 41.75”). It also weighs 115 lbs (52 kg) BELOW: It’s a long time since anybody has seen inside the engine. Bernie Fritshaw (Ontario, Canada) told me the last time he had the engine running was in about 1980. He owned the car from 1978-2014. He was told by the previous owner in New Jersey that the engine had been rebuilt.

I've been very slow to get back to updating my progress on the car. I've been doing updates on the Roadmaster's Facebook page (Forty One Buick Roadmaster Build), but have neglected to keep this forum updated sorry. This information was posted on the Facebook page on July 16th. Not only has there been plenty of work on the car, I have also been spending many hours on my computer researching the parts that I need for this project. I’m intending to purchase mostly from Old Buick Parts (CARS Inc.) in New Jersey, USA who are in their 50th year of operation. I’m dealing with the company owner who has been very helpful with my many questions. I enjoy dealing with people like this. Regarding the car, after the front & rear halves of the body were separated (due to the rusty floor being removed), they and the chassis was sent to the media blasters to have all rust, dirt & grease removed. In the case of sheet steel, this process leaves you with a very ‘honest’ view of what you have to repair, as in some cases it appears that steel-eating termites have had a feast! Adam then gave these components a quick squirt of paint to protect them from surface rust. Adam’s work on the front section of the body (top of windscreen to the floor), has involved fabricating numerous rust-eaten sections of steel including the cowl-vent in front of the windscreen (see pics), some structural areas under the dash, and the foot-well part of floor that tapers up towards the firewall. This has involved some very intricate shaping of flat sheet steel to replicate what needed rebuilding. Adam has shown that he is more than capable for this entire car as he takes on every challenge headfirst. Please see the included photos which have further explanation with them. PS: it is now (July 16th) 15 weeks since my back fusion operation on March 29th and I’m recovering extremely well. I still have some limitations (not allowed to lift over 10kg (22lbs), but have been told I can “slowly work towards normality”. I have zero pain (praise God) unless I’m careless with what I do. My wife Stephanie has tirelessly looked after me. Below: The front section of the car’s body, which includes the windscreen, cowl, firewall & front foot-well. Below: Adam working on the cowl-vent repairs. Below: The cowl-vent opening, showing where rust developed due to water sitting in the surrounding channel. Below: The beginnings of the new cowl-vent opening. Below: After more refinement, the new piece is welded in place of the original rusted piece which was removed. Below: The new cowl-vent opening completely finished with the original vent door in-place. Below: This shows clearly (left) the piece that Adam made (in blue) tacked into place, then completed and painted (at right). Below: The right-hand door pillar before, and after the repair of a dent. Note the rust further down (refer to next pic for repairs). Below: Slightly lower down that same door pillar, Adam’s very neat work of repairing a patch of rust. Below: Another of Adams hand formed pieces. See next photo where it has been welded into place to repair a rusted section. Below: This is the piece from the previous photo, now, welded in place and finished off. Below: Another one of Adam’s hand formed pieces. See following photo for the completed work. Below: This is the piece from the previous photo now welded in place for another rust repair. Below: Another hand formed piece clamped in place while assessing further work. Below: This is one of the body to chassis braces, which gets welded to the bottom of the car’s floor and is the mount to the chassis (just as shown in this photo). Adam had not made something quite this complex before, so made it with three pieces of steel welded together. Adam is an automotive painter by trade but has taught himself bodywork. He operates his restoration business alone with no other staff, and does all body & paint himself. Below: Adam decided he would have a 2nd attempt at making the previous brace out of 1 piece of steel (no welds or joins). What an incredible result! Below: Bottom and top views of the same piece of floor-pan (from beneath the front seat). Adam brushed off all the rust to see where the spot welds were located that held the bracing to the main floor-pan. He then drilled out those spot welds to separate the bracing from the pressed steel floor. This was then sent to the media blaster to strip all rust and dirt away (see following photo). Below: After media blasting, we now have a clean front floor section and bracing ready to be repaired. Below: This is what remains of the car’s floor from the rear of the front seat to the rear of the rear seat. Below: The horizontal panel with the 3 large holes hides the vacuum cylinder pumps (underneath), which operate the power roof on the car. The roof arms go through the 3 holes to the cylinder pump below. Below: The beginning of Adams work to repair the rust along the side of each rear quarter panel, where the rear fender attaches. These two mating surfaces had a piece of welting between them, which held moisture and caused the two surfaces to rust. Below: The Roadmaster chassis after returning from media-blasting to remove all rust & grease. Adam then gave it a coat of paint to protect it from further corrosion. Below: The differential & torque-tube assembly. Below: My dog Muddy (the whippet) & I went for a drive in my 1941 Buick Coupe to discuss various aspects of the restoration. Here Muddy is in deep contemplation regarding one of the more complex issues.

Hi Ken, I've been out of hospital for over 24hrs now but won't be back to full operation for some time. Your posts are most helpful. Even my body man Adam logs on to see what clues he can pickup and make comparisons. It's surprising the differences between the '40 & '41s. Cheers & thanks.

Always appreciative of the info you share thanks Ken.

I'm very fortunate to have those with my 1941 76C project (along with lots of other 'un-obtaininium parts'.

I only met someone 2 days ago who told me that McLaughlin Buicks (and many American GM cars) can be traced by contacting Vintage Vehicle Services - https://www.vintagevehicleservices.com. I hope this helps.

Many thanks for letting me know the color Ken. Of course on a computer it looks different in every photo I see, but it sure looks like what I'm imagining for my car and that color is also a 1941 color. Titian Maroon also looks nice but significantly dark I suspect (Richard Mann's '41 Super 56C is that color). Much appreciated. Cheers

Outstanding. What is the color of your car Ken?

Your posts are very much appreciated, and clearly communicated with good images thanks Ken. I read, then re-read every word so that it sinks in, knowing I will come back to much of this information when I arrive at the relevant stages you have covered. Neil's comments are also valuable & appreciated (yes what you have written does make sense to both myself and my wife looking over my shoulder) 🙂. Keep up the great work Ken.

Many thanks for the updates Ken. It is much appreciated as I'm soaking up everything I can for my restoration - being here in 'isolated Australia'.

In just 1.5 weeks after delivery, my body man Adam has removed & paint-stripped the rear fenders (in excellent condition), then removed the convertible roof mechanism & fuel tank. He then straightened & braced the body shell, plus cut out all the floors & sill panels (what was left due to rust). As the floor & sill panels are the only thing connecting the front of the car to the rear, this left the body separated in 2 parts (however each are braced to retain their shape). Strict measurements have also been taken for when the 2-halves are put back to together and the car is reconstructed. Adam has also removed from the chassis the steering column, torque-tube & differential, plus the front & rear suspension. All this work has taken place in just 7 working days. Moving ahead another 2-1/2 weeks, and the 2 body halves have now returned from the grit blaster, along with the chassis (which is rust-free). The 2 halves of the Roadmaster body have now returned to the body shop from the grit blasters, so we are able to see where the real rust is (or was), leaving a very ‘honest’ view of what remains (what needs to be repaired or remade). Adam is very adept at pushing himself beyond his current skill level. I’m continually amazed at some of the fabricated sections & gussets he has made for badly rusted areas of the floor-pan that were unavailable (aren’t with the new floor sections which came with the car). Note: Adam hand-made the rear fender-skirts for my other 1941 Buick (green Special Business Coupe). I therefore have full confidence in him due to his dedication & passion to the work laid out before him. I’m certain he will produce excellent results in the rust damage areas of the lower parts of the car’s body shell, and right through to the final body finish & paintwork. The media used to grit-blast the body shell is Garnet. Any Garnet left behind has now been thoroughly blasted with air to remove it before the body was lightly sanded to dislodge any grit adhering to rough steel areas (caused by rust). Once free of grit, the raw steel unprotected body shell will be sprayed with a protective paint to stop further light surface rust until body repairs begin. The first of the rust-repair sections Adam has made was welded in place yesterday. BELOW: dis-assembly of the body panels. BELOW: The rear fenders after stripping in excellent condition (had been sourced of another car by Bernie Fritshaw previous owner in Canada). BELOW: The 2 halves of the body separated and braced (with the floor cut out). BELOW: the chassis after the body was removed, and before being stripped of all components. BELOW: the body returning from the grit-blasters. BELOW: the body being unwrapped with the trunk-lid in the foreground (which was stripped by hand). BELOW: the firewall (in bare metal) from inside the car. BELOW: the body halves in bare metal. BELOW: The rear LH of the body after grit-blasting. BELOW: The rear LH of the body after grit-blasting. BELOW: The front of the car in bare-metal after grit-blasting.

How much would you ask for them Greg? And would you be willing to just sell 2 of them as my green Special coupe only requires 2 (2-door car)?

In just under 5 months from purchase, my ‘41 Roadmaster is now at the body shop for the initial task of repairing the structural integrity of the body. The floor pans, sill panels & bottom of doors plus some other areas need repair or replacement but not before the body is squared-up and braced to ensure it remains ‘true’. The body shell will then be removed from the chassis and placed in a rotisserie for easy access to all other areas. Once this major work is complete, then work can begin on straightening the external panels and preparation for paint. All this work is being done by a good friend with his own restoration business who wishes not to be named at this stage as he understandably doesn’t want visitors distracting him from his work. At the time of this post, he has already had the car for nearly a week and very happy with the progress of squaring up & bracing the body further. Adam is now feeling much better about the car as he 'has his head around' the car now and understands what it's issues are. This of course makes me feel good also. Adam will do a solid 3 months on my car alone (with no work on other customer's cars), before putting it into the cycle of 2-weeks on each car in the shop. He usually does 3 cars at at time (he has not other employees). PS: as I’m still very much recovering from my back operation (spinal fusion), I did nothing physical to assist with loading the car. I can walk comfortably and have no pain but still not permitted to drive, walk the dog or lift anything. Above: Adam (my body man) welding some simple bracing to protect the car during the 10 minute trip to his business premises. Above: Adam (body & paint man) & Michael (H&G Towing) loading the Roadmaster ready for the trip to the body shop. Above: Off she goes!

I have only just come across your post regarding your brake line. I have a '41 Roadmaster 76C which I have just pulled apart for a full restoration. It seems you have solved the issue, but I may be able to help by getting that brake line and seeing how it fits if required (assuming the Roadmaster is similar of course). Let me know. I also own a 1941 Special Series-A Business Coupe which is a very good driver that I use regularly. Keep me in mind if you need anything. I make a list of 1941 owners in my iPhone with '1941 Buick' in the notes under their names so I can search on that phrase and find them immediately if I need to make contact. I don't have any of their phone numbers but I make notes on how we have made contact (Buick Forum/Instagram/Facebook etc). I'm in Australia where there are very few 1941 Buicks so this list is very important to me. May I ask your name for reference? Oops, I just realised your post was 16 years ago. Sorry

Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that. I was trying to tell him about someone else who had died from cancer. Sad!

The clutch on my 1941 Special (248 small motor of course) is also very light but gives no trouble and I've driven the car 14,400 miles (23,175 km) in the 4-1/2 years I've owned it. I will be interested to see if the clutch is the same in my 1941 Roadmaster when I finish the restoration (a few years away yet).

Hi Dave, I see you were a guest on this forum when you had discussion with Stuart Symes regarding his 1936 Century 66CX, so I'm not sure if you will get this message. I just thought I would inform you that Stuart sadly died from cancer on March 28th this year (nearly 3 weeks ago). I met him back in early December when myself and a friend visited him and my friend purchased the car so it now resides near Sydney, Australia (I live in Adelaide, South Australia). Within 10 minutes of Stuart's home I purchased a 1941 Roadmaster 76C needing complete restoration which I am now carrying out. Stuart was a very pleasant man to talk with and my friend Dallas got along with him particularly well as they had similar backgrounds (Stuart a retired policeman, and Dallas a retired prison warden who's father was also a policeman). Stuart was very happy to sell the car to Dallas, as it is now obvious that he knew his time was very limited. It was a pleasure to have met him.

Many thanks Neil, much appreciated.

No but I could be Mr Puniverse!! 🤣 Thanks Ben. Cheers Grant

Many thanks

BUICK BUILD STALLED - We never really know what’s around the corner do we? On March 22, I made the silly decision to pick up the cylinder-head (weighing 46kg/101lbs) of my 320 in.³ straight eight from the Roadmaster. I had a mild twinge in my back and thought I got off Lucky. The day after, I threw the ball for my dog to chase and felt another twinge, and remembered what happened the night before. Then the following day (feeling no pain), I went for a 6km (3.75 mile) walk before taking my dog to the beach and doing a 1.75km (1 mile) run along the beach. I was feeling zero pain. Two days after my beach run at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival (4 days after lifting the cylinder head), I lifted up the deck lid of my 41 Buick Special Coupe to get out my deck chair, due to my back, being a little sore, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I saw my GP (doctor) the following day and he sent me immediately to hospital, and within 2 days (after at CT scan & MRI) my neurosurgeon whizzed me into surgery quickly due to having done a serious injury. He performed a fusion of T11/T12 vertebrae and cut our the mangled disc between these 2 vertebrae. Since arriving at hospital I was having extreme pain & spasms in my back, so much so that my nurse had to call lCU (Intensive Care Unit) to administer more potent pain-killers that nurses were not allowed to administer. The Procedure: T11/12 Laminectomy, Microdisectomy and Instrumented Posteolateral Fushion with screws, rods, cadaver bone, novabone and boost. 2 days after my surgery, my neurosurgeon Professor McDonald said to my wife & myself “your spinal cord had been completely flattened and you were possibly 24hrs away from being a paraplegic”. I was deeply shocked by these words. I am extremely grateful to Professor McDonald along with the wonderful care given to me pre & post-operation by the Connery Ward at Calvary Hospital (Adelaide). After the surgery, I was greatly relieved to not feel severe pain any more, but now I have to begin the healing process and I’ll be out of action for some time. The lesson learnt is don’t lift anything over 20 kg Grant! I’m very grateful as my situation could have been much worse. NOTE: It is now 2.5 weeks after my surgery and I have been home for 10-days (after spending 9-days in hospital) and I'm dramatically improving with no walking assistance (walking-frame or walking-stick), plus no pain with some movements. I'm doing a daily 2.7km (1.7 mile) walk also. I'm resting a lot, but have exercises to do several times each day. Regarding the Roadmaster Build, I had the car ready to be collected for the major task of bodywork before my back injury. So it won’t be very long before the project gets moving again. I will be a little slow in my workshop and will be unable to exert my body in any way for some time. I WILL NOT LIFT ANYTHING OVER 20kg/45lbs AGAIN - I PROMISE. I AM A VERY FORTUNATE MAN! Above: after surgery in the Intensive Care Unit. Above: Happy to be home with our Whippet named Muddy who was very glad to see me.

ENGINE REMOVAL! I'm a little slow posting this update as I've had a slight hiccup with my health (as my next post will show you). That news will shock you. Tonight (March 15), a significant milestone has been reached in that the huge 320ci engine along with the 3-speed manual transmission were removed from the car. With help from 2 kind mates Allan Burgan & Doug Searle we had it all done & dusted within 2 hours after discussing whether to remove the engine & trans together (or separate), also how to disconnect the torque tube from the transmission. Removing everything from the dashboard took much longer than this. Previous to this, I had removed everything connected to the motor & transmission including transmission & clutch linkages, plus fuel lines, generator, twin-carbs, and everything mounted to the firewall. With the engine out, I could measure it properly as follows: · Engine + bell-housing = 1240mm (48.8”) · Cylinder head length = 880mm (34.65”) · Bottom of sump to top of the valve cover = 765mm. Add another 180mm to the top of the air-cleaners and the total height comes to 945mm (37.2”). Above: Doug (left) & Allan disconnecting the torque tube. Above: Santa's little helpers Allan (left) and Doug. Above: me with the monster 320ci motor. Above: empty nest. The 3-speed manual transmission.