Erndog

Feel free to highjack. I find this older Buick to be fascinating. The location and shape of the cowl lights is also a clue to being from the twenties. Ernie

Actually, I do have that piece and the associated regulator. It is the front crosspiece that I am missing (goes behind the metal sun visor). A crappy old plywood scab was all that was there, and way too crude to go by.

The use of the blind nuts is brilliant! Seems so obvious now. THANK YOU!!

So, do you think there is any chance my 1930 Model 61 would be the same?

Great post, Joel! That's the kind of information I have been looking for. It is nice to know I am not the only one out there suffering this pastime, though I may be the most unsuccessful sometimes. Like an idiot, I rarely use patterns. I get too excited about the finished product and jump right into the Ash wood $$. Usually it is ok, but sometimes, like with that curved piece, it is painful. Keep the great info coming.

The original was made from two pieces glued together on my car, so eventually that is what I did. That made life a lot easier, too.

That piece is very difficult. It took me about two years of thinking and making mistakes. I am still not totally satisfied with my results.

Bob's Automobilia is always a good place to start.

Thanks, Joel! Great looking project. Pictures are definitely worth a thousand words. Do you have info on how you dealt with the center hinge posts? Also, I am still very curious about the quarter window wood situation. Take your time, as I can't do anything with mine for at least a few weeks. Ernie

My head exploded a long time ago.

I am doing mine all in ash. That is what I always understood it to be, and sometimes in oak. Supposedly, it had a lot to do with which forests Fisher could buy. I wish I had seen your thread long ago. It looks like we are suffering the same trials. I am re-wooding a 30-61 and am very slow. It is almost all cut out, with the exception of one or two pieces and the roof slats. I am sure I will have to redo a lot when I start final fit-up. I have a question or two for you. 1. How do you get the hinge piller wood back into its metal wrap? and 2. How on earth does one get the wood installed for the rear quarter windows?? Fisher seems to have put the screws in from the outside and then wrapped the metal around the window openings after installing the metal skin.

Wow, this is also a need of mine for my 30-61. I don't know how much difference there is between the different models and 30/31 bodies, but anything helps. ...I think.

Thanks. All good advice.

This is a great resource site. Reference manual is here: http://www.oldcarbrochures.org/NA/Buick/1932-Buick Home page with tons of other info: http://www.oldcarmanualproject.com/

I am looking for an uncracked cylinder section (center) for a 1930 Buick Master..

I am trying to, and/or making paper patterns. My son had me making 3D cad drawings of them, but it got pretty difficult. That is a project for a future time. I just wish I had taken side to side measurements of the body, sill dimensions vs frame, overall heights, etc. before I dissected it. I think it will be ok because I am duplicating most of the pieces and can still see where they joined, etc., but I won't know for sure until I am done. As far as making two of each piece, I think I have already done that and more, due to mistakes. I am not sure I will have the energy or drive to make them again.

Next, I tackled some easy pieces; main sill cross-members.

Well, I just looked up pattern cutting router bits. Damn, Taylormade, where were you ten years ago??! I think that would have made a lot of things a lot easier. Unfortunately, almost everything I have done has been with a bandsaw. Some was with a table saw, and sadly, some with a jigsaw when absolutely necessary. I hate jigsaws. The blade always seems to have a mind of its own.

Thanks for that post, Taylormade. That is very impressive woodwork! I use router bits with bearings when possible, but I think you are referring to a different type. I will have to look that up. I haven't renovated any old pieces, other than gluing pieces back together in order to see what I need to make. Some of my pieces literally crumbled to dust when I removed them. It can be very frustrating and confusing sometimes.

Right. Thanks. I am beginning to get that opinion about a lot of it. Some of the original factory installed pieces don't even show up in the manuals or sales brochure pictures.

This is the rear window/windshield frame. It was one of the first sections I tackled because it looked fairly easy to achieve. Included are photos of the frame in situ. Hopefully, the dimensions are symmetrical, as I found what I believed to be the center of the bottom piece and mirrored it. I later determined that the routing on some pieces is not completely necessary, but I tried to stay as true to original as possible, since I had no idea what I was doing. As you will see in later posts, some of my routing leaves a hell of a lot to be desired, and I may even go back and remake some pieces someday... or leave that to my GGGrandchildren when they finish this thing. Anyway, here it is.

Great looking engine!

I would do that, but I have completed making just about everything except the roof slats. The only real piece I have left to make is the front crosspiece above the windshield, which was missing on this car. So I really haven't a good idea what it should look like. The photo in the Fisher Body manual for this is woefully inadequate and dark. Any advice on this piece is welcome, as is any advice on anything.

My first replicated piece. Gotta start somewhere, and it might as well be a simple piece. Remember, this is my first real woodworking project, which I had no intention of ever getting into.

So the beast began to shed its flesh, piece by difficult piece. Here she is without her doors, rear fenders, and seats.