Charles2

For what kind of car?

Dear Mr. Ranchero, I'm a lifelong westerner and I disagree with just about everything you have said. The West is pretty much controlled by the extractive industries. When they start paying the full cost of producing their products then I may start changing my mind. But they don't and they leave a big mess behind just about everywhere they go. And, the politicians from the western states keep looking for federal subsidy for everything from mining and timber to livestock grazing, water and land development (but not for cleanup or responsible environmental stewardship). So in fact, the so-called self-sufficient western life-style is heavily subsidized by taxpayers from both the East and West coasts. If it weren't for customers back East (and on the left coast) and the tax money they provide to subsidize grazing, mining, timber harvest etc., a lot of people in Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and such would be quietly starving to death. The real problem with this country isn't the "damn" easterners, it's that there are too many people wanting finite resources which are being unthinkingly and unsustainably used. And, personally, I think that driving a fuel hog just to soothe ones ego is a bit on the unthinking side.

The glass and frame are held to a track with screws that are easily accessable once the door panel is removed. The screws are Phillips head with shakeproof washers and are in pairs through tabs projecting from the bottom channel. If you remove these screws, the glass will be released from the regulator mechanism. You should then be able to work the glass and frame out of the door but you will have to remove stops and a few other items to clear the way. Just remove anything that is in the way of removing the glass. The vertical tracks were most likely held in the door, at the bottom at least, by 9/16" nuts with a large shakeproof washer under it. If all else fails, remove all of the screws that you can see on the inside of the door and you should be able to work the glass out. Good luck!

I would wait till you have a good set of directions. The rear door glass on a 4-door hardtop has a lot of adjustments that interact with one-another. The glass goes up-and-down in two curved channels that must be properly adjusted to work together; if not, the glass will bind or will not be properly positioned. There are also vertical travel stops and "lean-in' adjustments that must be correct or there will be a gap at the top. You may want to consider locating a glass shop with an old guy who did this kind of work back when this was something that auto glass shops encountered. There weren't too many of these that came in even when the cars were new; I don't think the average glass installer nowadays would even know where to start on this job. I did auto glass from about 1958 through 1966 and only did five or six of these and getting the first one adjusted right took me about four hours. Good luck.

To prime the oiling system, remove the distributor after carefully marking its location relative to the cylinder block and the location of the rotor relative to the distributor body. With a flashlight, make an accurate note of the direction of the slot in the oil pump drive shaft because it will have to be there when you reinstall the distibutor. Then, insert a large screwdriver into the slot on the oil pump drive shaft and turn the shaft by hand until you feel resistance building. Continue to turn the oil pump drive shaft probably another ten to twenty revolutions. This will be enough to get oil to the cam, main and connecting rod bearings. I don't right now remember which direction you turn the shaft. You have an oil filter so disconnect the oil filter inlet pipe and turn the pump shaft one way and then the other until oil flows out of the pipe. This tells you what direction to turn the shaft. Then, reconnect the oil line and keep cranking until you have the engine pumped up. Some people will use an electric drill to build pressure but I've never found it necessary. Just remember that the more blisters you get, the more oil has been moved into the critical parts. Once you have the oil system primed, replace the distributor being careful to align the marks you made before you removed it.

I don't know whether it is coincidence but the same key fits all of the locks on my 40-41.

The 28 and 29 Fordors are different. I presume your car is a Briggs body 60A, 60B, or 60C. On these, the glass does not remove through the top of the door. To remove the glass, you do pretty much what you described: Remove the screws holding the regulator in the door and remove the regulator from the glass channel. Then, you need to remove the screws (or sometimes nails) holding the side felt channels in the opening and make sure they are loose in the opening. Slide the glass up into the opening with about 1/4" of clearance at the top and then push the top of the glass, and the channels, to the inside of the door to clear the door header. This will give you the clearance you need to remove the glass. To replace the glass just reverse the procedure.

Is this trim on the inside or the outside? If the inside, remove the Phillips head screws and wiggle the garnish molding away from the opening. Sometimes you have to pull the door mouldings out at the top and then lift up parallel to the door. Inside windshield and backglass garnish mouldings are a tight fit and require some finesse to remove without damage to themselves or the upholstery. Be careful. For the outside, I would assume that you are talking about the windshield and backglass trim. As I recall, the trim on the 51's was held to the car with a flange that hooks into the windshield rubber. There were also a few minor trim pieces that were held to the A-pillar with screws. If there is rubber showing between the trim strip and the body, then the trim is held on with the rubber. To remove this, the glass has to come out. It may be, though, that the trim strips are held on with clips that are held to the body with sealed nuts. These are accessed on top by pulling the headliner away from the headers and on the bottom from under the dashboard or from the inside of the trunk. Hope this is helpful.

I'm not sure that what GM recommends and what is best are the same thing. I'm pretty sure that all of the manufacturers use crimp connectors because they are easy to use and quicker than soldering. Moreover, the car maker (or wire harness supplier) is spared the cost of teaching people to solder well. I have spent a lot more time than I wanted to trying to locate electrical problems on cars with crimp connectors and push-pull, multi-conductor plugs. If you want a real hairball, try locating electrical problems on an early 70's ElDorado convertable. Unless there is the possibility of cooking a heat sensitive component, I now solder everything. A point was made earlier about soldering concentrating the bending and potentially causing metal fatigue in wires; I would submit that crimp connectors do the same thing. A flexible insulating sleeve should help reduce this problem.

I would get one of the carpet-type dash covers available from after-market suppliers. I don't think there is anything that comes in a bottle that will protect a dash the way that a sun-proof fabric cover will. Most of the older plastic dashboards on cars in this part of the world are in pretty poor shape from the heat and the sun. I have seen a few that were covered by those dash "rugs" that are not cracked or faded. Otherwise, they are pretty rough.

Unless there is the potential for heat damage to some hard-to-replace component, I would solder and use heat-shrink tubing to cover the joint. Soldered joints are much less prone to corrosion and the consequent increase in resistance. Like a lot of other stuff on modern cars, crimp connectors were developed because they are quicker and cheaper, not because they are better.

I believe that there are solenoid fuel shutoff valves made for the Model A Ford. The Model A has the fuel shutoff under the "dash" except for the very latest production. These leaked into the passenger area and if not shut off would often leak through the carburetor. So, a lot of effort has gone into providing leakproof and foolproof valves. You might check in one of the Model A supply catalogs.

Did Buick use valve stem seals on the 248 straight eight? There were O-ring type seals on the intake valve stems of my 1940 engine when I dissassembled it but can't find any reference to them in the 1940 service manual or in the relevant Motor's Manual. I don't want to use them if they weren't there originally. I don't recall them from other straight eights I've torn down. Thanks for any information.

I would be reluctant to purchase a NOS or NORS fuel pump for my car. The diaphragms deteriorate over time without being used and you can wind up spending a lot of money and having a leaky NOS pump. I speak from experience. Better to buy a "fresh" rebuild kit; they are available from Bob's Automobilia and Kanters.

Ordinarily, the detailed rebuilding instructions are included with the rebuild kit. Otherwise, Motors Manuals of that era usually have a pretty good section on rebuilding fuel pumps.

Assuming that the engine is in reasonably good shape, I would use any name brand 10-30 in it. That is what was originally used by the manufacturer. All quality motor oils are about the same, the major differences between them is the amount spent on advertizing to make you think one is better than any of the others. If they meet the Military specs or OEM specifications then they will serve you well. Or, you could use synthetic oil if you want to spend a bunch and don't mind risking a few leaks.

Thanks for the information. I tried the tech support phone but the person I talked with didn't know whether there would be a problem or not. I'll mix up a real small batch and daub it on potential problem areas and see what happens. I'll keep my fingers crossed because I don't want to have to completely strip the firewall; too many nooks and crannies to dig paint out of. Thanks again!

Try a wrecking yard. You may find a car of that vintage in a local yard or you may be able to get the bolts from one of the older car yards that advertise in Hemmings or in the Bugle.

Bill, The rubber seals fit into the vertical slots on either side of the main bearing cap. The metal stakes are then driven into the rubber to expand it and make a seal on the sides of the cap. I usually put a small dab of RTV sealer on the end that goes up into the block and another on the bottom when I'm fitting the pan.

I am getting ready to paint the firewall of my 1940 Buick. I have used sandpaper and paint stripper to remove spray can paint and rust. The firewall now is a combination of bare metal(etched), original lacquer paint and original primer. Before I paint, I plan to seal the surface with PPG, DP40LF, epoxy primer. The product information sheet says this primer is compatable with OEM finishes but I'm not sure they meant finishes that old. Has anyone had experience using this primer over old original finishes? I want to avoid problems so anything you can tell me will be much appreciated.

I am getting ready to paint the firewall of my 1940 Buick. I have used sandpaper and paint stripper to remove spray can paint and rust. The firewall now is a combination of bare metal(etched), original lacquer paint and original primer. Before I paint, I plan to seal the surface with PPG, DP40LF, epoxy primer. The product information sheet says this primer is compatable with OEM finishes but I'm not sure they meant finishes that old. Has anyone had experience using this primer over old original finishes? I want to avoid problems so anything you can tell me will be much appreciated.

I have put jack stands under just about any part of the frame during one part or another of restoring my 40 Special 4-door. After a lot of jacking, I recently used a plumb-bob and tape measure to check the frame for square and straightness and it is right on for all critical measurements. I have never had any tendency for the frame to either dent or bend while being jacked or supported. I have supported the front of the car on jack stands on the frame under the cowl, near the rear motor mounts, about halfway along the engine, in front of and behind the lower A-frames and under the front frame horns. Also have supported the rear of the car just forward of the rear kick-up and about 18" forward of that. I do use 1/2" plywood pads on the top of the jack stand. I keep a bag of 1 1/2" by 3 1/2" plywood cut up and on hand for jacking purposes. It cuts down on scratching and distributes the load a bit. The car weighs just a bit over 4000 lb with the weight distributed about 53% front and 47% rear. I don't think that is too much of a challenge for the frame. Maybe I've been lucky but I suspect that it is more that the Buick frame of that vintage is STRONG.

I have been insured by State Farm for nearly 50 years and over 35 cars ranging from a 1939 Cadillac V-16 to my current collection plus family cars. I have never had a problem with the company, period! That includes claims against my collision insurance, comprehensive insurance and uninsured motorist insurance and other drivers liability insurance. I've also made claims against other companies and I can assure you that State Farm is one of the top companies in the nation in the way they handle claims. I'm sure there are people who have had problems with the company but I'm not among them. I have encountered some lazy and semi-competent State Farm agents over the years but the company itself is tops. Agents are easy to change.

It's not a Model 41, there are vent windows in the back doors. On the Model 41, there are no vents on the rear doors but there are sliding vents just behind the rear door opening.

I agree with you that 1939 is probably the best looking Buick line of all time. A close second would be the 1940 and then the 1938 lines. I suspect, though, that there will be some disagreement and a wide range of opinion on this topic.