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First Buick

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Everything posted by First Buick

  1. I joined the BCA about a year ago after buying my '41 Special coupe. I have had some serious life changing events since then and am selling my car due to my declining health and advanced age. My coupe is mostly original with 81000 plus miles. It is licensed and on the road and does not require anything. It has blemishes but nothing major. All gauges, etc,. work except for the radio and clock. I am asking $23,000 for it. I can email photos if you are seriously interested. Please keep in mind I do not have the time nor inclination to send photos just so someone can see what it looks like. Car is in Fletcher, NC. Email is srdeni@frontiernet.net Thank you. First Buick
  2. Thanks for all the tips and info on batteries. I will start my search locally for a suitable battery. Having only lived around here for a couple of years, I am not too familiar with what is available as during the first year, I had both knees replaced at the same time and then came the virus. I just haven't been out and about all that much. As for the 00 cable, will I have to get that at a welding supply place and then add the ends or is there some place I can buy a ready made one?
  3. It appears as though I need a new battery. Don't know how old the one in the car is as when it was installed, they did not remove the Mo/Yr tabs on the label. I have only had the car 6 months. Anyone have any druthers, favorites, etc., with regards as to where to buy a battery for this car? Thanks.
  4. I made a posting on June 12 about a problem I was having with my brake lights. Wife has been in and out of the hospital and haven't had time to work on the problem. After the "hot wire" to the brake light switch melted, I could only think the new brake light switch had a short and was going directly to ground. Today, a friend and I finally got around to checking it out and that was the problem. I had already purchased another brake light switch and after replacing the burned wire, we took the suspect switch out and tested it and sure enough, it had a short to ground. We put in a new switch, after checking it out, and plugged in all the wires and the brake lights work fine as does the "third brake light" in the rear window. Now I will not be afraid to go on the streets with it. The faulty switch was a high quality switch but it just goes to show you that sometimes quality is not all it is cracked up to be!
  5. I am installing a 3rd brake light. Soldered a pigtail with disconnect into brake light circuit for positive side. Put ground with disconnect to tail light assembly. Brake lights and 3rd light worked fine. A couple of days later, I went to mount the 3rd brake light and nothing. I by-passed the brake light switch and lights worked fine. Figured brake light switch coincidentally went bad. Put in new one. Still nothing. By passed new switch and lights worked. Bled new switch, still nothing. Put fluid into new switch and carefully put it into connecting block. Nothing. New switch had bullet connector vice original screw on connections. Made new wire to voltage regulator with bullet connector and put pigtail with bullet connector on wire coming from harness. Nothing. Today, I put a stick between the brake pedal and seat and in a few seconds, the wire to the voltage regulator (16 gauge per diagram) was almost on fire. Melted all the insulation. Don't know why this got so hot as it hadn't before. New switch is SLS27. Tested it in car for continuity using board to pedal but it did not show continuity. Is the board simple not providing enough force or could the new switch be bad? I can get a friend to help to make sure I am putting enough force on the pedal but the hot wire scares me. Is there a positive and negative to the connectors? Don't see how there could be as it is a simple flow through switch but obviously wire got hot due to a short. No problems in that area before. Again, lights worked fine in earlier testing by by passing the brake light switch. Any ideas? Don't want to burn my house down!
  6. Thanks for the replies. And how do I bleed the brake light switch? There are no holes in it other than where it connects to the system.
  7. Can someone please tell me what this little gizmo is that comes out of the steering column just above the box? The wire to it is very frayed where it comes out of the harness. Since I have to open the harness a bit to put in a pigtail for my new brake light switch, I would like to make a new one for this also. I can't tell what gauge the wire is but if I know what the gizmo is, I can check the wire gauge on my wiring diagram. Thanks.
  8. Back in March shortly after I purchased my first Buick, I posted a WTB post for the small, rounded piece that goes on the top of the rear license plate holder as I could not find a commercial source for that part. Thanks to the generosity and helpful spirit of "Grandpa", I received that part in the mail this week. It is now on my car and looks good. I would post a photo but did not take my camera downstairs to the garage and I am still a little limited to how many times I can make it up and down those stairs in any given day.
  9. I was thinking along the same lines. I don't recall ever using anything on these switches, but since teflon tape had not yet been invented when I was changing them, I was just curious to see if that is something that is done these days. Thanks for the advice.
  10. Thanks for the tip. Should I wrap the threads with a little teflon tape?
  11. Thank you very much. After I made my posting, I searched old forums and found one that identified the placement of the brake light switch in a '55 as your photo shows. I looked in my car and found it there. I guess Buick put it there for some time. In the '50's, I worked in service stations and have always taken care of my own cars but don't remember ever seeing one there. They were usually on the master cylinder. Anyhow, I thank you for taking the time to help me out. I by-passed the switch and the brake lights came on so now I will have to figure out if it is just the corrosion on the switch causing the problem or that the switch is faulty. I ordered a new one from Rockauto and it will be here Tuesday so the problem will be fixed for sure by then. Thanks again.
  12. Checking the car over this morning and discovered the brake lights were not working. Working fine a few days ago. I suspect the brake light switch has gone bad. I looked in the Service Manual and a restoration manual but neither gives the exact location of it. I can not crawl around under a car very easily so I was wondering if anyone can tell me the exact location of the brake light switch on a 1941 Special coupe, Series A. A picture or two would help but I do understand just an explanation of where it is. The manual shows it separate from the master cylinder. Thanks.
  13. Like they say, hard to tell from one photo. However, it looks exactly like the Special, Series 40 A, that I purchased in March.
  14. I am learning a lot about my first Buick. My Bugle came yesterday featuring '41's and I saw where my red engine is the correct color. Unfortunately, the valve cover is black. Anyone have experience on where to get the correct red so I can paint this? In the Chevy club, Bill Hirsch seemed to be favored but all he has in Buidk red is for late 66-71 models. I also see decals for the valve cover being offered by different vendors. Anyone have experience with a good one? Thanks in advance for any tips.
  15. Thanks a lot. Your pictures give me a much better understanding of these springs. If I am correct, your top photo shows part of the spring attached and the bottom one is after it has been removed. I have not had my hinges off. I am just doing a visual. I did look at mine after seeing these photos and I do see what's left of the rivets in the holes. The bottom hinge still had a piece of the spring and it was wedged under the hinge. I could move it around and got a hold on it with a forcep but could not get it out. I tried to move it again with my fingers (small space) and in doing so, I dislodged it and it fell into the body cavity! I tied to get it out with a long magnet but couldn't. This was on the drivers side. The car is in the garage and I didn't feel like moving it to look at the other side. Anyhow, this seems like a lot of work just to have something hold the door open. I will just use a piece of 2 x 4 as I have in the past.
  16. Looking at the photo of these on the ebay offering, they appear to be rivited on. I don't see any place on my door hinges where they might have been. Does anyone have photos of these detent springs on their door hinges? I can not find anything about these on Google. Thanks.
  17. I thought my door check rods would normally hold the doors open on my coupe but that mine were just not working. Not so. According to the 1941 Repair Manual, the hold open feature is clips mounted on the upper and lower hinges. My hinges do not have clips. The manual says all models have them. Are these something that get lost/broken over time? I learned the hard way that I have to prop my door open. When I didn't, it slammed shut on my drop cord and cut it like a cleaver! I haven't lived in our home for two years yet so I am not familiar with some of it's idiocyncrasies such as the fact that the GFCI protecting that outlet in the garage was upstairs in the master bath! Talk about frustration! Anyhow, that doesn't really have anything to do with my question re the door hold open feature on hinges.
  18. Thanks guys. You have set my mind at ease. Lowest octane, ethanol free gasoline, and, since I have an oil filter, a good multi viscosity oil appropriate for the season are what I will use.
  19. Sooner or later, I will need gas in my newly acquired 1941 Special coupe (40-A), single carb, and I was wondering what gas these require. My old '38 Chevy ran fine on regular gas but don't know if that is suitable for the Buick engine. Are any additives needed? The engine has been repainted but I do not know if it was rebuilt. It has 81,xxx miles and other than the engine paint, it is pretty much all original, and doesn't smoke or drip oil. Also, what is the best oil to use? I used to use a little Marvel Mystery Oil in the Chevy but again, don't know if this is appropriate for the Buick. I know there are lots of opinions on these issues but would like a consensus from you Buick folks as I am one of you now. Thanks.
  20. I did get a reply from Bob's Automobilia and they do not have the part. I didn't think of using a frame. Good idea. Thanks to everyone for the help and suggestions.
  21. Nothing from either of these places. At Bob's Automobilia, you have to buy a catalog and there were dozens of Cars, Inc., places in NJ. I tried a few that advertised vintage parts, other than for cars like Porsche, and couldn't come up with anything. I think I will just make one.
  22. Sorry to have bothered anyone but this morning, I did what I should have done in the first place. My switch would not budge up or down and I wondered what could hold a simple sliding switch to tight so I removed it. The answer was 80 years of not being used! After copious amounts of WD-40 and a little compressed air carefully applied, it worked fine. Being older than the car, I should have know better but I guess I had a senior moment.
  23. Looking for a good dome light switch for my 1941 Buick Special coupe.
  24. Thanks a lot. I will check those places and see if I can find one.
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