Grant Z

I couldn't agree more Paul (regarding collecting clocks).

Lovely Valk, I really appreciate these photos. This is beautiful. Do you know which code number it is & color? Is your car a Roadmaster or Century? I suspect a Roadmaster, so if I'm not mistaken it appears to be Grey Bedord Cord (2 Tone), making the Trim Code 907 (on the body tag). I can't seem to save those images on my computer so would you be kind enough to email them to me at zipcruise@tpg.com.au please?

Many thanks for sharing your experience Keith. I appreciate it and it gives me confidence.

I'd very much like to see any of the original Bedford Cord cloths thanks.

Many thanks for your response J.

I have received the sample piece of Bedford Cord from SMS Auto Fabrics (Portland, OR). I'm not sure it is the same as the original 'Tan & Grey' (Code 900) that is under my leather trim, but I actually prefer it. Can you notice the slight green stripe next to the dark brown? This would go very well with my green paint. Strangely this hint of green isn't visible outside in natural light, only inside my house in artificial lighting. Only the seat squabs would be in this cloth. I would have the base, rear & sides of the seats along with the door trims upholstered in a very light/fawn to enhance the 'Tan & Grey' cloth. As you can see this cloth is very expensive (it translates to AU$220/metre in Australia). Yikes! I've heard SMS Auto Fabrics can be a problem to deal with. Has anyone else had experiences they would like to share? Does anyone have photos of Bedford Cord interiors in 1941 Buicks? They seem difficult to find on the internet for some reason.

My 1941 Special Series-A Business Coupe has that exact wheel but in black. I have recently purchased a Deluxe steering wheel and will be updating mine. I believe your dash would have been wood-grained originally and can't help wonder if when/if it was later painted brown they also painted the wheel to match. This pic is of my dash (the car was converted to RHD soon after arriving in Australia from TX in 1989).

Many thanks. I'm very happy with the car.

Many thanks Neil for that explanation. I'm sorry for the confusion, it's just that I'm trying to understand and am very happy to be corrected. However, I thought that what I wrote makes it clear that I do already understand that my body is different to the Super (my friend Geoff Pollard's 56S). I mentioned the difference in the length of the doors, fenders & trunk (and even show my photo to prove the different rear ends). This shows that I KNOW my body is different. So I'm confused when you suggest I perhaps shouldn't compare "apples to oranges". Why not? I made comparisons BECAUSE I wanted to establish that I have had proved to myself they are different. Remember I live in Australia where these cars are rare and knowledge of them is rare. This is also my first Buick and my first prewar car. I want to learn and understand properly. Perhaps I should state that what I'm trying to establish is; did Buick go to Fisher and say "can we have some of those bodies you're producing for Chevrolet so we can produce an inexpensive entry-level Buick?" If so, I assume there Fisher may have had to modify the firewall & cowl area to adapt make the Buick hood & front fenders mate up. This is the crux of what I'm trying to establish. Am I barking up the wrong tree here? Perhaps there is something fundamentally flawed in what I'm saying? I also now understand there were 2 bodies extra to the A-body (B-body & C-body). Is it also possible to explain the difference between the B & C Bodies, and why were these 2 bodies produced instead of just 1.

Hi Neil, I've heard about there being a "C" body, but didn't know what than meant. Man this is confusing! So am I incorrect in thinking my body shell (firewall to trunk) is the same as a 1941 Chevy?

Hi Matt, nearly 3 years later I'm going over this information after a Facebook disagreement regarding my 1941 Series-A Special Business Coupe having a Fisher/Chevrolet body. You say above that you think the bodies to be identical between Chevrolet & Buick. However, my body is definitely different to my friend Geoff Pollard's 1941 Super Sport Coupe (model 56S). Geoff lives 400 miles (640km) from me but in March 2020 I went for a 1,300 miles (2,100km) 11-day journey in my Buick and visited him to park our 2 cars side by side. There were significant differences. His doors, rear fenders & trunk were all longer (we measured them). For the trunk see the attached photo where the top of the trunk of Geoff's silver car flows back quite a way before dropping towards the bumper. My car however starts to curve downward almost immediately. Also look at the differences in the 'shape' of the rear portion of our rear fenders (near the bumper). This shows clearly that my body certainly differs from the Fisher/Buick body. Matt Harwood's site also shows clearly that the wheelbase & overall length of different dimensions (3" & 2-3/4" respectively).

Hi Valk, I'm so sorry to hear you were "burnt" buying panels that weren't what they were claimed to be. I'm intending to have a go at the panels myself as I'm a fitter & machinist by trade (been out of my trade for a long time, but I'm sure I could give it a go). I'm quite convinced the swirls are 3/8" round. I'm in no hurry at this stage as my car is on the road currently. When I get my new Bedford Cord material for the new interior, plus have my recently acquired Deluxe steering wheel restored, I'll take the car off the road and my friend will woodgrain the dash & window surrounds. This will all happen in 1 hit probably next Winter (June-Aug here in Australia). Thanks for your interest.

Hi Valk, I'm so sorry to hear you were "burnt" buying panels that weren't what they were claimed to be. I'm intending to have a go at the panels myself as I'm a fitter & machinist by trade (been out of my trade for a long time, but I'm sure I could give it a go). I'm quite convinced the swirls are 3/8" round. I'm in no hurry at this stage as my car is on the road currently. When I get my new Bedford Cord material for the new interior, plus have my recently acquired Deluxe steering wheel restored, I'll take the car off the road and my friend will woodgrain the dash & window surrounds. This will all happen in 1 hit probably next Winter (June-Aug here in Australia). Thanks for your interest.

Many thanks for your kind words 1941Buicknut (not sure of your name). Thanks also for your offer re my wheel, but I have full confidence in both people here to do the work. I've been to the USA 6 times (mainland 5 times, Hawaii once), but not since 2010 now. I'd very much like to catch up with other 41 Buick owners like yourself. Re my "spotlight", there are 2 of them and they are mounted with the original mounts. I'm now planning a whole new interior for the car as I really do prefer Bedford Cord and it's still available. This will include woodgraining the dash, and engine-turning the 2 panels as original. No a visor doesn't look quite right on a convertible. Man I'd like a Roadmaster convertible but it's out of my league I'm afraid. Cheers

Thanks for your response, however I'm a little confused. Your car isn't a Sedanette as that bodystlye has the sloped body. Also there were no Roadmaster Sedanettes. Are you saying yours is a Roadmaster Sport Coupe (which is what 76S stands for)? Are you from Canada? I guess then the models may have had different names (as here in Australia).

Your car is gorgeous, and next to a beautiful house also. Is your car a 56C (Super)? Regards, Grant

Great minds think alike regarding the skirts. I only like the skirts on cars that have been lowered in the rear. But, I am a custom-guy. To me, 'styling is everything'. Cars were produced at a standard, practical height, but to make a car look it's very best I think lowering it enhances the natural lines and proportions if closer to the ground. I understand this makes the car less-practical (depending on how low). I know many restorers won't agree and I respect that. My own views have become more conservative as I've aged. Regards, Grant

Many thanks for your kind comments. I'm very much a coupe-man. Cheers, Grant

Hi Den, it's very interesting to find you have the same Bedford Cord material. As Neil stated above, my new wheel is from a 1947 model so it has the 1947 horn button (they were different year). I will simply replace it with a new 1941 horn button after getting the wheel fully restored. Also as Neil also stated, my hub caps are not Buick but an after market hub cap made in the early 1950's I think to loosely replicate the 1948-52 Cadillac hub cap. Lyon is the company who made them I'm told but there is little on the internet about the history of them. They are universal and will simply clip onto any 15" rim quite easily and stay there. I'm led to believe the Cadillac ones secure on the Cadillac rims quite differently and won't transfer to non-Cadillac rims. The guys with custom cars like to 'improve' their cars with these caps. These hub caps were quite expensive for me to buy but in excellent condition. I'm a bit of a custom/hot rod guy, but like my cars to be very traditional with modifications (if any) kept strictly within the character of the car, or out of sight. Thanks for your comment, regards Grant

Thanks Lawrence, I understand what you're saying but when I have the entire interior bought up to a high standard I do believe an un-restored wheel would look out of place.

The more the merrier my friend!

Hi my friend, I state in my post that the visor is a “Fulton Series 800”. The ‘Fulton Series 1000’ was also optioned on the ‘41 Buicks I’m told. There are reproduction versions made but I obtained an original one.

My 1941 Buick Series-A Special Business Coupe has been a fabulous purchase as it was in excellent condition all-round and has only required normal maintenance (see last photo below from the day of purchase). I have been able to personalize the car to make it my own also. I’ve grown to appreciate the fat-fender cars from the mid-1930’s through to the late 1940’s as they capture the late Art Deco styling well. Adding numerous accessories from the period enhances the look of these cars. In nearly 3yrs of ownership, I’ve achieved quite a lot. In 2yrs & 8 months, I’ve driven the car 8,500 miles (13,680km) which averages 60miles (96km) per week on average. I was surprised when I made this calculation. I’ve also removed the following incorrect items & replaced them with the correct parts from the US; Removed Replacement · 1980’s Ford interior rear-vision mirror GM mirror (reproduction) · Late 1970’s Holden exterior rear-vision mirrors GM mirrors (reproduction) · Aftermarket reverse/back-up light GM unit (genuine original) · English Notek ‘Fog Master’ Fog-lights Guide 859-C (genuine original) · Spot-lights mounted off the side of the hood No spot-lights fitted · Front (only) original hubcaps Rare after-market 1950’s Lyon hubcaps I’ve also made the following additions to the car; · Rear fender skirts handmade by a friend · Lowered the car 3.5” (rear) and 1.5” (front) · Genuine original Fulton series 800 visor I have also recently been very fortunate to snap up a 1947 Buick Deluxe steering wheel (see photo) out of Sydney on an Australian Buick Parts Facebook page for a very reasonable price (couldn’t believe my luck). It’s in very good condition, but I will get the rim ‘plastic’ recast. Fortunately, I’ve found 2 such places in Australia who do this work and both come highly recommended. My Buick has the simple 3-spoke (non-banjo) wheel in good shape, but it’s very plain and somewhat boring especially in black. I’ve also wanted to get my dash back to being wood-grained (as it should be). Fortunately, I have a friend who can do this (he’s done nice work on several cars). The engine-turning on the glove box lid and instrument panel however is my main challenge, but we’re working on ideas for this. The original upholstery in the car was Tan & Grey Bedford Cord (Trim Code 900), but when the car was purchased by an Australian in Waco TX in 1989 and imported to Australia, it had a Bedford Cord interior that appears (from photos I have) to be very light tan. However, I recently took my seat base to my trimmer to see he could make adjustments as I sit too high in the car and the seat is quite firm. He discovered underneath the leather there is several layers of ‘packing’ on top of a Tan & Grey Bedford Cord (see photo), but none of the light tan cloth from the 30yo photo was in sight. I can only conclude the car had been recovered in a light tan Bedford Cord over the top of the original Tan & Grey Bedford Cord before it left the USA, then when it reupholstered in leather by the 2nd Australian owner, the light tan Bedford Cord was removed (and not the Tan & Grey original) before being covered with leather. I have always admired the cozy look of the nice Bedford Cord interiors (rare in Australia), so I now was starting to think – could this be my excuse to get a Bedford Cord interior? I decided to email SMS Auto Fabrics (Oregon) with the trim code, description and a photo of my cloth. They replied 1 day later saying “I have that stuff. I’ll mail you a sample.” I was amazed! Now that I have the opportunity to obtain the correct Bedford Cord to have my car re-upholstered in, along with a Deluxe steering wheel and wood-grained dash, I am very excited as this will totally transform the interior of my car giving the driving experience a very special feel indeed. Meanwhile, I will keep putting miles on the old girl while I make my preparations. We are currently in Winter here in Australia (June-August) so this will probably not happen for another 12 months at the earliest. Below: as the car looks today. Below: as the car looks today. Below: my recently acquired 1947 Steering wheel (it will have a new '41 horn button fitted) Below: my original Tan & Grey Bedford Cord (Trim Code 900) Below: The day I purchased & collected the car in September 2018 (in Melbourne).

Fabulous, many thanks for all that info. You have done some serious work there. My car runs a stock 248 with single factory Stromberg carby, but the car is more custom (low & slow) so I'm happy with it and everything works superbly. I haven't the energy & knowledge to do what you have done especially when my car works & runs superbly (I use it often). Cheers Grant