1940_Buick

Try Special Interest Autos for the distributor: Special Interest Autos - Antique Auto Electrical Parts They have a lot of 1920's era ignition parts including distributors. I go to them whenever I need ignition stuff. If he needs a hub wrench for his 490, let me know.

Just went through my stash. I did have 1 wire wheel hub wrench, but must have sold it. But there are a number of guys who specialize in tools, who may have one. Try to get fairly accurate measurements, and search through Hemmings. Ideally, if you can make it to Hershey, or one of the other good pre-war meets around, just take a hubcap with you and go searching.

In our older applications, you may not get a worthwhile return on your investment with synthetic. As you said, it synthetic has real advantages under extreme conditions. But with our older cars running at cooler operating temps, it probably isn't worth the extra cost. But, our older cars do tend to have more blow-by making the oil "dirty". So, IMHO the money would be better spent using petroleum based oil, and changing it more often. However, on modern applications, there are advantages. I've talked to a fellow who was an engineer and very experienced with turbochargers. He explained that the problems that occurred with the turbos when they first started using them on cars in the 1980's was that the higher temperatures in the turbo would cause the petroleum based oil to "coke" at the high temperatures, causing premature turbo failure. The solution was to use synthetic oil.

How about this... a 1969 GTO Judge, complete with it's RamAir-IV engine. Of course that was in 1982.

Your truck may have come from the factory as a chassis, to be fitted with an aftermarket commercial body. It's also possible that it was a sedan that had it's body cut off. Either way, T's are a bunch of FUN! The seat of course, isn't original. If you ever decide to re-do the body, Lang's Old Car Parts sells a variety of complete commercial wood bodies (pickup, station wagon, etc) Model T Body - Wooden Model T Bodies: Page 1 of 1 You may be interested in the Model T Club of America forum: Topics - Model T Ford Forum As you'll see from these 2 groups of photos, period correct wood bodies can be considered "correct" MTFCA Photo Gallery: Hacks MTFCA Photo Gallery: TT & Trucks The key to "correct" as one of the other fellows stated, is the details of the construction. That is... is it similar to other known original wood bodies. But correct or not, you'll have a lot of fun with it... and that's what is important.

A number of interesting points have been brought up. To address the point of cars from the teens & twenties being "different" mechanically. They certainly are! But that's what's so cool about them. My first foray into the early stuff was frustrating. Problems would take me weeks to figure out. But since that time I've found a number of older guys who know their stuff and I'm always learning more from them. Lots of "Ah ha!" moments when a problem & solution are explained by someone who knows these cars. The early cars have babbit bearings, but with low RPM engines and low compression, babbit bearings can last as long as insert bearings... and they can be adjusted as they wear. No front brakes... well that just gives you an even better reason to drive slowly and enjoy the scenery (hopefully you have roads you can enjoy like that). Early cars didn't have factory shop manuals. What manuals were produced, weren't very specific. But what you learn about one car, is useful for most of the other cars from that era. Interestingly enough these cars, with proper care and maintenance, are very reliable. I've fixed ignition switches in parking lots, repaired a linkage with a bobby pin, and a number of other simple fixes to keep going when on the road. These cars are simple and the solutions to their problems usually are too (once you understand them). Just this past summer my wife and I took off in our 1921 Ford Model T... with nothing more than the usual preventative maintenance and my little tool bag, and traveled from eastern Pennsylvania, to West Virginia, then Maryland, and finally back home. We had no destination or schedule. Our only worry was being able to find a hotel before dark, and the GPS was a great help with that. These early cars had to endure terrible roads. They may look frail, but they are quite sturdy and capable. Another point made was that fewer early cars are seen at shows. I have to admit that I'd rather be driving one of my cars than sitting behind it all afternoon at a show. My cars get attention if I so much as stop for gas. Another pet peeve of mine is "registration fees" at some shows. Why would I go to the trouble to bring my early car to a show, and then pay $10, when I can drive my modern car to the show, and walk in for free. What reason would I have for going to the trouble & expense of bringing one of my cars to that show? True, it's an opportunity for the public to enjoy these historic autos. But judging from the smiles and waves when I'm driving around, folks seem to enjoy seeing them "in action" too.

Some folks like what they had when they were younger. But I love the cars from the teens & twenties. I'm in my mid 40's and have had cars from 1911, 1912, 1913, 1923, & 1926. The cars from the 1960's and 1970's are interesting because I remember when they were daily transportation. But the SPECIAL stuff is the early stuff. Back when cars had a romance about them (just read a few Jordan ads). I used to have the newer cars because I couldn't afford the early cars. My dad grew up in the 1920's and used to tell me stories. Like riding a Lincoln phaeton so fast the top was snapping in the wind. Or the wealthy family down the road with their big Franklin sedans. Or seeing a brand new Auburn in the showroom. The cars from the teens are interesting because you can see different solutions to problems, like carburation, cooling, transmissions, etc. They were still trying to figure out "how to do it". My 1911 EMF is a ton of fun. Nothing beats gliding down the road, riding high, nothing to block our view, hearing the engine chugging along, brass gleaming in the sun...

NJ and PA are prime grounds for decent cars from this era (and others). You won't have any trouble finding a fair priced car not too far from home. If Milford, PA (just across the river from northern NJ) isn't too far away, try calling Dave Helms (of Helms' Garage) in Milford, PA. He deals in cars from this era and prices his cars reasonably. In the attached picture is a 1929 Peerless that I saw for sale about 3 years ago. It was a well preserved original, but it was priced much less than the car you're looking at. It sold soon after this picture was taken.

About the wheels... that's too bad. With a cracked spoke and clicking, you'll need to either replace them or respoke them. There are a number of wheelwrights around. Calimers (Calimers Wheel Shop: Wooden Wheels Made for Antique Autos.) is good, but probably has at least 6 month waiting list. There are some Amish wheel wrights around that can do the job too. Just make sure the work is done by a wheel wright. Its not a job for the average woodworker. On the other hand, really decent wheels come up every now and then when some one desecrates a nice car and makes it a street rod.

That one just cracked me up:D

A blind man is telling a friend how much he enjoys sky diving. The friend is shocked and asks "how can you tell when your getting close to the ground". The blind man says "I can smell the earth, trees, and grass". The friend is astonished and asks "But how can you tell when your about to hit the ground?". The blind man replies "the leash goes slack".

Cool car Wrennch! Keiser31 has good advice. Check the head and block with a straight edge before any milling. You can take metal off, but can't put it back. You're right about copper coat. It helps with these older engines. Just spray on enough to make it sticky. The guys are right about 6 volts. The more you change from it's original design, the more problems you might make for yourself. 6 volts works just fine when everything is the way it should be. The late 1920's artillery wheels stand up pretty well, and your car looks like it's had nice dry storage. So they're probably OK. Tap each spoke and listen... a loose spoke will have a higher pitch. Check the condition of the wood where it meets the rim. The best test is to listen closely while driving or better yet, turn a corner near a wall to reflect the sound. A loose spoke (or two) will make a distinct "click" each time it comes around. But odds are your wood wheels are just fine. The spokes are made out of hickory and tend to hold up well.

You might want to give these folks a try for the distributor: Special Interest Autos - Antique Auto Electrical Parts They specialize in ignitions and starters. I've dealt with them before and they seem to know their stuff when it comes to 1920's era components.

There's nothing like finding a low mileage, well preserved original like this, eh? They still drive like new. Take good care of it. Maybe you'll get a chance to take it to one of the AACA meets and get your HPOF (Historic Preservation of Original Features) certification.

Regarding the hubcap wrench... Sometimes the wrenches are not labeled, just stuck in the tool kit with everything else. Do you need 6 sided or 8 sided wrench? What is the measurement of the hubcap, and is the lock release on a side, corner, or center?

There's nothing that says you can't restore it as a truck. This conversion wasn't unusual during the depression. The REO Flying Cloud was a great car, and would make a cool restored pickup.

Great looking car John. You've come a long way from what you started with!

John, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but can you post some pictures of your finished 1923 Buick? I remember when you bought it (I used to have a 1923 Model 45). It's good you hear you got it finished.

The headlight plumbing is pretty easy. Restoration Supply (RSC) has the brass gas lines, red rubber hoses, and clamps. You just route and bend the lines the same way you would to make brake lines or fuel lines, using a tubing bender available at any auto parts store. The last 6" to 12" to the headlights is rubber, and the first 12" from the supply tank to the lines is rubber. The gas is very low pressure. The gas for the headlights likely came from a Presto-Light tank, but may have been from a gas generator. Look for round brackets in the trunk. A Presto-Light tank is the easiest source. It's just an acetylene tank. You'll need a regulator. The modern B tanks don't have the offset, and shouldn't be used (unless you can find one with the offset that isn't empty). An MC tank is smaller and is what I'd use. Just a bit of acetylene trivia... the tank sizes B & MC don't seem to make sense, until you realize that B is for Bus and MC is for Motor Cycle. These tanks were used for headlights on trucks & buses into the early 1920's. Motor cycles with acetylene lights mounted the tank horizontally on the handle bars, and of course needed a smaller tank than buses.

What I use in my 1911 EMF, and a number of other member do is tractor transmission gear grease. Its a very thick gear oil, even more than 600w. It lubricates very well and clings to the gear teeth and bearings. It's liquid enough to flow and lubricate well. But thick enough so it doesn't leak out easily. It's the lubricant used in farm tractor transmissions. It's used by Case New Holland (aka CNH). Not sure if John Deere or IHC have an equivalent. Here's the info: CNH EP Gear Grease Part # 9821006

Congratulations! As soon as you get it home and the dust off, please post more pictures!

I don't know specifically about the 1917 Maxwell, but cars from this era in general had the following: Front - Either a rubber floor mat over the wood floor boards, or the floor boards were covered with grey linoleum. If linoleum was used, there should be evidence of of aluminum trim around the edges of the floor. This was generally used on the middle to upper models. I would expect the Model 25 to have a rubber mat. Rear - Usually carpeting with a short nap. The type of carpet that dried mud could easily be brushed off of. On lower priced cars, sometimes the rear was just another rubber mat. Running board covering from this era was usually grey linoleum with aluminum trim. The trim is available from Restoration Supply. Below is a picture of the 1912 Maxwell Special that I used to own. The current owner is treating it to a full restoration.

You can get the 600W at any Model A Ford parts dealer. Without it the trans will leak and be hard to shift. The 600W helps slow it down to make shifting smoother. If you get a set of gasket punches you can make your own gaskets pretty easily.

This is that Buick while it was still sleeping, before it was brought back out into the public eye.

I know people who have had claims with Grundy and I've been to Mr. Grundy's garage. If you could see his garage, you'd understand why he understands car people. He's one of us... a collector.