Buicksplus

Dyna: Most old cars have problems with the evaporating tendencies of our modern fuel and are hard to start when hot. But this problem is really exacerbated when you have a weak battery and poor wiring connections to your distributor or from the battery. The voltage drops severely when cranking an old, hot engine with a weak battery. There is barely enough spark to ignite the poor fuel mixture that you get when the carb is hot after parking your car. I have really improved the hot starting capabilities of my old cars by getting decent batteries in them with new substantial cables and connectors. Make sure the starter is in good shape too, poor grounds and brushes reduce the starter drive torque and ends up drawing extra current that your ignition systems needs. With strong ignition and cranking speed, you can usually get a hot engine started, though mine run very poorly and want to stall for several miles -- until fuel coming into the carburetor from the tank finally cools off the carb enough to stop the boiling in the carburetor. Avoiding gasohol (10%ethanol) also helps, the gasohol has a lower boiling point than gasoline. Bill.

It looks like a very clean car to me, at least from these few pictures. RE the price, I lived in Germany many years ago and then the prices of American cars were very high, mainly because of tariffs that were around then. Those tariffs may have been paid on this car and are now a part of its current value. If you were to locate a car in this condition in the US, it would probably cost 5 to 10K to get it shipped to Germany, depending on how close the car is to a port city. If this car were for sale in the US, I would expect it to be advertised at 15 to 20K, assuming it drives as nicely as it looks. There has been much more interest in '58 Buicks in the last few years, collectors have finally noticed how outrageous and collectible these cars are! The BCA shows now have many examples, but in the past you saw just a few. Good luck! If you have been looking for an American car in Germany, you already have a better idea than us about what American collector cars cost in Europe. Bill.

Gasoline is not a simple substance. But I have read from several sources that the boiling point of gasoline mixed with 10% ethanol is significantly lower than with "ordinary" gasoline. This is odd, because the boiling point of pure ethanol is relatively high. Yet, when mixed into gasoline, the boiling point apparently goes down, and that fits with my experience with my older cars. No doubt, gasoline is generally much more volatile now than it was in the 30's and 40's. Witness all the gimicks on our older cars to ensure that carburetors, fuel lines, and intake manifolds are all heated with exhaust heat -- just to help that gasoline vaporize. Combine these features with ethanol, and you need to figure out how to get the car to run literally on fumes! There is no liquid fuel to be had in the carburetor. J446 has a great situation with that 170 psi fuel injection. My modern car has 80 psi fuel injection. Cars with high pressure fuel lines have little problem with ethanol, there is not going to be much boiling under that sort of pressure. But my older cars run at atmospheric pressure or even less if they have a vacuum fuel pump. Meanwhile, the situation is probably going to get worse, I would welcome some sort of solution. Someone suggested adding kerosine to the fuel? I have not tried that. I did try 10% diesel, and mostly got a lot a blue smoke and tepid performance from the engine...... Bill Albuquerque.

I have not had a problem with rubber parts failing with ethanol, though I have heard of some having difficulty with that. I definitely have severe vapor lock problems with ethanol in my older cars on hot days. I have a 27 Buick which cannot climb a hill with the engine over 190 F if there is ethanol in the tank. That ethanol fuel simply boils like crazy, making it impossible to pump and keep a rich enough mixture in the carb. I get similar results with my other pre-war cars. Ethanol works OK on cool days, but we often drive in hot weather. With gasoline, my cars still suffer with occasional fuel starvation, but not nearly to the extent that they do with ethanol. I have learned to avoid ethanol like the plague in the summer -- and that is going to get harder and harder as we get more of this stuff into our fuel supplies. Bill Albuquerque.

Everyone knows that this is a Lexington Minute Man Six. (LOL) I think this car was featured in a recent Hemmings Classic Car. Bill.

For Sale: 1947 Lincoln Continental Convertible plus parts car. The convertible is rough but restorable. Includes some floor rust and electrical fire damage to the dashboard. Has an Olds V-8, transmission appears to be the original Lincoln OD unit. Parts car is a rusty 48 coupe with complete V-12 running gear and dash hardware. Neither car is operable. You could build a beautiful convertible with these cars, Price for both: $8500. Cars are in Albuquerque, NM. Send e-mail Sullivan.W@att.net for more info. I have a few pics. Phone 505 265-8113 MST

For Sale: 1947 Lincoln Continental Convertible plus parts car. The convertible is rough but restorable. Includes some floor rust and electrical fire damage to the dashboard. Has an Olds V-8, transmission appears to be the original Lincoln OD unit. Parts car is a rusty 48 coupe with complete V-12 running gear and dash hardware. Neither car is operable. These beautiful cars need a home and restoration, Price for both: $8500. Cars are in Albuquerque, NM. Send e-mail for more info. I have a few pics. Phone 505 265-8113 MST

For Sale: 1947 Lincoln Continental Convertible plus parts car. The convertible is rough but restorable. Includes some floor rust and electrical fire damage to the dashboard. Has an Olds V-8, transmission appears to be the original Lincoln OD unit. Parts car is a rusty 48 coupe with complete V-12 running gear and dash hardware. Neither car is operable. These beautiful cars need a home and restoration, Price for both: $8500. Cars are in Albuquerque, NM. Send e-mail for more info. I have a few pics. Phone 505 265-8113 MST

Here are two contacts I know of for that tour: Carole Chifalo 719-547-9072 e-mail chifalopw@aol.com or Kathy Kyle 719-545-4413

Car is a 37 4dr sport sedan. Looks to be in good solid original shape. Should have 6 cyl overhead valve engine in it. I guess car is in Indiana? Looks great to me, but the value on wonderful cars like this is not all that much. Probably 4 to 8 thousand. Suggest you advertise it here or in the Vintage Chevrolet Club (www.vcca.org)magazine. Unfortunately, street rodders go for this type of car and they might offer you more for it

Brian: The Glidden tour is sponsored on alternate years by the AACA and VMCCA. 2006 is a VMCCA year. The VMCCA operates the event slightly differently, cars 1942 and older (prewar) are eligible for a VMCCA Glidden. AACA Gliddens are more restrictive, 1936 and earlier. Both clubs offer judging at the Glidden if you want it. VMCCA offers gold award of merit judging and I think AACA does offer senior awards if your car is eligible. Your GTO is not eligible for a Glidden, but both AACA and VMCCA offer many events that would welcome your GTO. Most offer judging as well, you need to discuss that with the tour organizers. Go to VMCCA or AACA to find out what events these clubs are having next year.

This is a 15 year old high level restoration (VMCCA Gold Level award in 1991) that has been very well cared for. It is a two door hardtop that has been driven on many tours. It drives as well as it looks. Car is located in Albuquerque, NM. It was restored from a very complete Texas original car with very little rust. Car has a rebuilt original Y block V-8 and Fordomatic. Paint and body work is excellent. Please e-mail or call (505 265-8113) for more details. Price: $18,900.

Jay: Thanks so much for your personal comments. I met George only once, around 15 years ago on a Western National Tour. I remember him being very personable and friendly -- fun to talk to and very well informed. He left quite a legacy for our club. His years of publishing the Bulb Horn were most impressive, he built it into a very informative and authorative magazine. I thought the Chrome Glidden Tours were his idea too, though no doubt many others may have contributed to this tour series. He will be missed. At least he will have an opportunity to join so many other fine VMCCA and car nuts from all over who have also passed on. Bill, VMCCA Webmaster Albuquerque, NM

Tom: AACA generously donates this forum for our use, and I am no expert on how to use it. However, I found if you click on the "My Home" link at the top of the forum page, it will bring up a page that allows you to edit your profile -- including your screen name. You will have to come up with some sort of name that is unique among all the car folks using this forum.

Please keep us posted with your conclusions. We would like to have our website histories be as accurate as possible. Loved that postcard, what a grandiose event those Gliddens were.... Bill, VMCCA Webmaster

I think that 3.8 engine has been very good. I loved the Flint plant tour back at the centennial, it was most interesting and informative. I have not owned a 3.8, but the ones I have driven are powerful, quiet and trouble free. Unfortunately, the 3.8 engine was one of the few good automotive products coming out of GM. The fact is GM years ago abandoned most parts of the passenger car market in favor of sport utes. So, surprise, the imports now dominate this part of the market. And with the high cost of gas, that is where one needs to be to survive. Imagine what GM spent developing dinosaurs like the Hummer and Avalanche and even all those Buick sport utes. Hindsight is easy, I know, but just a little more effort marketing and developing modern, efficient cars might have GM in a stronger position today. My sympathies to those hard working folks at that 3.8 plant in Flint. They knew they were hanging by a thread, GM said years ago they were going to replace the 3.8 with some sort of OHC engine - built outside of Flint. I hope Flint, Buick and GM find a way out of this mess.

Paul: As I understand the rules there are two Glidden Trophies. The Glidden Trophy is awarded to a participant registered in the Glidden Tour and who is driving an automobile 1913 or earlier who has made all maniditory tour days and whose average driving time is nearest the average driving time of all participants. The Reserve Glidden Tropy is awarded to a participant registered in the Glidden Tour and who is driving an automobile 1914 or later that has made all maniditory tour days and whose average driving time is closest to the average driving time of all participants. I think the spirit of the average rule was to have the award given more randomly than competitively to participants who actually complete the tour. It is not really possible to compete for an average, because it is a moving target. So the Glidden today is not a competitive event like the Great Race or NASCAR -- rather it focuses on comraderie and the joy of touring. The fact is for the Glidden Trophy, there are very few pre 1914 brass cars on these tours, and many of them do not complete the mandatory tours due to mechanical problems, weather, etc. -- so a participant who has an old enough car and completes all the tours has a good chance to win the award. The Reserve Glidden Trophy is another matter, there are plenty of cars in contention for that award. There are many other sponsored awards associated with the Glidden Tour, such as best Buick, best this, best that -- that are either choosen by the tour committee or participants. VMCCA also offerers merit judging for participants who are interested.

I have had several of these gauges repaired by a fellow called the "Temperature Gauge Guy". He advertises in Hemmings (along with a few others) and lives in Fl in the winter and Maine, I think, in the summer. He repairs the units for around $50 if I recall. He will replace whatever needs replacing, such as the tube, bulb, or the pressure gauge in the unit. Don't worry if you have damaged components, just pack it all up carefully and ship it. I think the working fluid in these gauges is acetone. Refilling and soldering one is not easy without the skill and tools needed to evacuate and seal the thing. They usually break when removed because the bulb gets stuck in the bore -- and there is nothing to pull it with except the delicate little capillary tube. That process usually manages to let all the working fluid out. Driving and old car without a temperature gauge is no fun. What else would you stare at for hours on your lovely dashboard? Good luck!

I've started several engines that have sat for 25 years or more. I usually follow the same procedure, assuming the engine is free: Disconnect and plug the fuel line from the tank. Drain the oil and replace it with fresh oil Remove the plugs and squirt some motor oil into the cylinders. Turn the engine over by hand a few revolutions. Connect a battery to the starter and crank it with the plugs still removed. Confirm there is oil pressure during cranking with either the dash gauge or a mechanics unit tied into the oil gallery. If all this looks good, top up the radiator, install new ignition parts (points, rotor, condenser). Confirm that the points actually produce a decent spark. Remove, clean and reinstall the carburetor. Jury rig a fuel supply with a small electric pump, some rubber fuel line, and a can of clean, new gasoline. Do not attempt to run the engine off the fuel in the tank. Install the plugs, fill up the carburetor. With luck, it will start and run rough. If there are no awful noises and the oil pressure is ok, let it keep running. Stuck rings, valves can free themselves and eventually improve the compression and smoothness. After you have run the engine for a while, stop it and check the compression. I suggest you drain the water immediately after this hot run and replace it with fresh coolant -- assuming the water pump and hoses are not leaking. I usually find one or two bad cylinders and other problems (exhaust smoke, water leaks, bad accessories such as generators, power steering pumps, etc.). You get to decide how to fix these items one at a time. I usually end up rebuilding the engine, though it is always fun to see an engine come out of rest and actually work!

K8096: I may not have helped you in Tucumcari (300 miles from me) if I knew about your problem, but I would have tried. Unfortunately, your CCCA directory would not have done you much good. My name isn't in it and our region in NM has been barely hanging on for the last five years. There are many classics in NM, but most of the owners are too infirm to even attend a meeting, let alone bring one of their cars out for a CCCA event or hustle off to Tucumcari to give you a tow. We had three deaths just this year of very prominant NM classic car collectors. It's a very sad reality. No doubt this gives me a different perspective about whether the CCCA might think about being just a teeny weeny bit more progressive when it comes to looking at the list of elegible cars. I mean, admitting a limited series (no pun intended) of cars that are essentially identical to a car they admitted in 1995 is hardly radical! True, it won't bring in hundreds of members. But maybe a few younger, members that just might add some vitality to the club. Actually, if all I did was read magazines, I would probably have stayed with the CCCA. They have a good magazine. But I am an active old car collector who restores and drives my cars and even volunteers to organize events. Since I don't have a CCCA classic, I cannot really participate so there was really no reason for me to remain a member. But, I guess your region of the CCCA is a thriving "niche" club with thousands of members, so no need to be concerned about that. But when you travel, be sure to throw in directories from the BCA, CLC, AACA, VMCCA, etc, it will increase your chances of getting help. Bill, NM

Unfortunately K8096's attitude is typical of the CCCA. It is viewed by some of its members as an exclusive country club with little interest in expanding the list to include more fine and unusual old cars. No, a 80 (or 90) series Buick is not remotely comparable to a V-16 Cadillac Roadster or V-12 Packard Dual Cowl. But guess what, many cars on the approved classic list (such as Packard limos, Franklin sedans, etc, etc.) aren't either. My concern has nothing to do with saving old cars or adding value to them. There is hardly anything much less relevant to a car's value or desirability than its status with CCCA. I argued that CCCA needs these additional cars to increase the club's value and relevance, not the other way around. Old cars (or their owners) don't need CCCA, they are doing just fine. But so be it, the arguments have been made and remade many times. There are more important matters in the world -- and plenty of other car clubs to join and enjoy. See you on the road, but definitely not at the next CCCA event. Bill NM

Rule, based on my observation of the classification committee: There will be no additional "production" cars in the 1925-28 era given CCCA classic status that do not currently have it. The only exception to that rule that I have seen in the last few years are for correction of obvious errors of ommission, where virtually identical cars of different years, one with undisputed classic status and the other not. The 36-39 Buick 80 does not qualify for this, because as Jon points out, the 1940 80 series Limited was considered a glitch. I can't think of the last time a production car was given classic status, since the Cad 62. I am sure a few very rare production models squeaked through (large series 1931 Nash, perhaps), but hardly enough to see. I was a member of the CCCA for many years (I had a 39 90 series Buick) but I did not renew several years ago, mainly because of this policy. Bill, NM

My wife and I have traveled cross country for years with old cars, mostly pre-war. I generally do NOT carry a whole lot of spare parts. When we travel with our 1927 Buick, there is not a whole lot of room for heavy spare parts. I do bring ignition parts, they use no virtually no space or volume. I bring my: AAA membership card for towing, a nylon tow rope, car club directories for BCA and other clubs so I can find locals to help me, a cell phone, a shop manual, a recent copy of Hemmings to find parts suppliers, a decent set of tools, a small 6V battery charger, and a laptop computer. We have been very fortunate, this stuff is rarely needed to repair my car. But our cars usually act up in some way on every trip, usually handled with some sort of adjustment, a UPS or FedEx order to our motel or a trip to Auto Zone. If our car croaks in a major way (it never has, fingers are still crossed), we would call AAA to tow it to a collector (use your directory) and arrange for an antique car transporter (find one in Hemmings) to take it home. We would go on our way with a rental car or take a bus and save the memories. Good luck and keep 'em on the road.

Our Buick is a '27 Model 51 Brougham. We have taken it on several VMCCA tours and one very long trip: Buick Trip I suspect the big Marmon is Steve Wolf's car, I saw it last year on the Glidden tour in Branson. We don't plan on bringing the Buick to Mt. Dora, we have been on two tours this year already and we only have so much time and money to travel to these things. But there is a definite possibility of making it as a passenger, with my mother living within a couple hundred miles of there. Your Cadillac is a beauty, I recall seeing a picture of it in the Classic Car a couple of years ago. I think you told me it was sold originally in NM. There couldn't have been many of them around NM in 1932, though I know of a number of big classics that were found in New Mexico. I think the large, expensive cars were well suited for the terrain and open spaces around here.

I may go as a passenger. Our Nickel car ('27 Buick) is a long ways from Florida, but my mother lives south of there and we go to visit often. Of course, Mount Dora sounds like an oxymoron for Florida! I'm looking forward to seeing those hills. Where I go in Florida (well south of Orlando), the biggest hills are in the landfill! I will look for your Cad if we make it. Bill Albuquerque, NM