31Buick96S

There’s a ‘64 Mercury Comet convertible in Millville, NJ, needs a total restoration. It’s advertised on Facebook marketplace for $1000. No affiliation with the seller. https://www.facebook.com/share/zJZ7sGt3vZExWdqg/?mibextid=79PoIi

The engine has to be pulling air from somewhere if it is running on full choke. Usually a sign of a vacuum leak.

Yikes, I thought I was the only one whose luck was that bad!!

My '31 Buick 96S has a cold cranking compression of 65 lbs plus or minus 3 lbs. I was concerned about the "low" readings, so I found some online calculators. I checked several and they were within a couple of lbs. This site has a lot of different calculators available, http://wallaceracing.com/Calculators.htm The picture attached shows the calculated results. Note the "gauge pressure" of 59 lbs. When I got the engine started and at running temperature, it is approx. 85 lbs, plus or minus 3 lbs. The Specification and adjustments manual lists 88.5 lbs (corrected). I would do more diagnostics with a vacuum gauge, leak down tester, etc and run your numbers on a calculator before turning any wrenches.

Is the compression test being performed on a hot or cold engine? Piston clearance can vary a considerable amount depending on the material and design of the piston. Ring gaps also tighten up with temperature. A leak down test can help pinpoint whether you have valve sealing issues, gasket problems or a ring seal problem. You may also want to check the cam lift to make sure the cam is in decent shape.

If an insulation pad isn’t correct for your car, I would recommend LizardSkin coatings. They have a heat barrier and a noise reduction coating. They can be used individually or in tandem and can be top coated with the finish of your choice. Their website is lizardskin.com . I used both of their products on a ‘48 Chevy pickup that I built and was very pleased with the results.

Ed, I was wondering why you choose to run the cooler on Buicks but bypass it on your Pierce cars. Do the Pierce rod and main bearings have more surface area than the Buick?

The oil cooler on my 1931 Buick 96S was bypassed when I acquired the car. While I have all of the components on that side of the engine rebuilt, I thought I'd check the integrity of the oil cooler by pressurizing it with air. How many PSI would be a good test pressure? If it turns out to have an issue, is it worth seeking out someone to repair the unit or just reinstall the bypass and move along?

Thanks for all of the feedback. I built two crates for shipping my parts. I sent the water pump to Arthur Gould Rebuilders and the starter, generator and distributor to Precision Power. Since all of my parts had round sections, I made 2 split blocks out of 2x6 for each piece and used a hole saw to make the appropriate size hole to clamp around the body of each component. I lined the hole with 1/4x1 1/2" weatherstrip foam and screwed the base piece to the bottom of the crate, and clamped the component in place with the upper half. I lined each crate with some 2" closed cell foam board and then packed around each component with foam peanuts until I couldn't fit anymore in the crate. I decided to buy insurance, just in case. Fingers crossed everything gets to it's destination in one piece. Thanks again.

I am readying the starter, distributor, generator and water pump for shipment to be rebuilt. All of the components are complete and correct for the car. They are functional, but have various issues. What is a fair value to insure each component for shipping? UPS lost my fuel pump when I sent it to be rebuilt and I only had it insured for about half of what a replacement ended up costing. Thanks for any advice on value for these components.

In my experience, it depends on the use and storage of the vehicle. Vinyl is much easier to keep clean than cloth, important if it’s a driver. Many people prefer the gloss of vinyl over the flat finish of cloth. If the vehicle is stored outside, vinyl will be easier to clean and last longer. A “show” car with a cloth top, stored inside will still require more work to keep looking good, but will last as long as vinyl.

I believe the words "best selling" are self explanatory. The article not only emphasizes the volume of vehicles being sold, but also the rising values in this segment. I agree that the volume is not a surprise, that era falls neatly into the sweet spot of cars that people who are now blessed with disposable income wanted and couldn't buy when they were new. What is astounding is the prices some of these vehicles are bringing. While we all have anecdotal observations of the direction the hobby has been headed for some time now, the empirical data that Hagerty presents in this article will no doubt be a precursor of changes to come. I was hoping to spark a conversation of how those changes may affect the hobby going forward. As the mid 50's thru mid 70's cars continue to lead in overall sales, will their steadily increasing values push the price down on pre-war cars or will rising prices extend to the pre-war market? Looking at the valuation tools available, pre-war cars have been stagnant for some time. The 1936 Buick Opera Coupe for sale in the Buick Pre-War forum is a wonderful car, the asking price seems fair, but who really believes that making that car a safe, reliable driver won't have you upside down before you ever consider chrome, paint or interior work? I'm not advocating the hobby as an investment, but I would like to avoid financial ruin, yet still have a nice car. How many vendors will continue to invest in reproducing and/or stocking parts for my 1931 Buick Series 90 instead of my friend's 1969 Camaro Z28? These boards continually have news of yet another vendor, service provider or restoration shop that can no longer afford to stay in business. I guess what I'm dreading is the day that my 1958 MGA is as hard to find parts for as my 1931 Buick 96S.

According to this article, the best selling era of collector cars spans a period from 1955 to 1975. Three out of my four collector cars do fall into that time frame. My other car is a 1931. I noticed at Hershey that the pre-war show field, though it contained stunning cars, they were dwarfed in numbers by the cars of the era Hagerty is talking about. I was curious what other forum members think. https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/hagerty-insider/charted-3-17/?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=MED_UN_NA_EML_UN_UN_DailyDriver_Tuesday&hashed_email=799a3c87be6900a8f0b31e875afce9501706e0f0b439dd3ef18085618b50bb02&dtm_em=799a3c87be6900a8f0b31e875afce9501706e0f0b439dd3ef18085618b50bb02

Thank you!

Wow, thanks for pictures. Be interesting to hear what you find out.