Dan O

Bought one on eBay - never mind!

I found some cool posters on the Wal-Mart website, of all places, http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=1964%20buick%20poster There all sorts of photos of factory buildings, ads, etc. which led me to these sites: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?sf=qz&rh=n%3A1055398%2Ck%3A1949+buick&keywords=1949+buick&ie=UTF8&qid=1456666773 http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=%2Fgetthumb.asp&txtSearch=roadmaster&CID=5F545CF0E52341E5B77D67EC1A8BB27A&SSK=roadmaster

Hmmm. What vehicle do they fit?

Thanks for all the interesting advice! I would not even do this if I had not blown a head gasket. I suppose it's warped. We shall see when I am able to check it. I do somethings myself, somethings I leave to my shade-tree mechanic. , NOW, what is a good source for valves, springs etc if I need them? I have not tried sourcing these except thru a simple Google search. Any recommendations?

Pete - thanks for that - do you have a shot of the stem or mounting post underneath? Here are a pair on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/151616057737?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

My 1949 Roadmaster came with amber fog lamps installed in the panel behind the bumper but I am sure they are wrong since they are stamped "FORD" in the chrome on top. I have seen many on eBay but cannot tell what type is correct for the 1949's. Some have an arched stem or stalk and some just straight. On eBay some are Unity, some Guide, Some GM so I am confused! Was there a Buick factory lamp or were these all after-market add-ons? If no factory correct type what would be period correct in style and make?

I need to rebuild my head which is probably warped. The cylinder head that is - but you know mine is warped for getting into old car rebuilding. I have it off and ready to send to a machine shop here in Houston. I have an NOS gasket but that's it. The engine ran alright without smoke and the cylinders are fairly free of gunk. I think it has 90K miles on it. What all will I have to replace "as a matter of course"? What is optional? Any fancy machine shop tricks I should employ/pay for? Should the valve springs be replaced or just tested and used? Am I on a budget? Not really for this job. Why not do the whole engine while I am at it, you might ask. Well, certain time and work space prevent that. Also, any advice on choosing a machine shop in Houston will be appreciated. I have been talking to the man at Super Heads who says he has done a few of these over the years.

Rear fender moldings should be the same. Some are pot metal and some stainless - the sweep spear trim is all pot metal, front to back.

1949 buick -sign -bulbs -racing . Also, be sure and save the search and get daily updates of new items by email as previous poster stated. I usually have no more than 50 new listings to view. I have found some sellers leave out BUICK and just use ROADMASTER in the title so on days when I have more time I search that way but then I get all more stupid stuff like the steering column flashlight brackets and aftermarket turn signals. But I love eBay! I've sold all manner of things on it over the years to people all over the world. Shipped an Edsel to New Zealand and an Eldorado to Australia - that was interesting.

Thanks, gents! Bout what I expected - all good info.

I have some stainless side-trim or molding on my 1949 sedanette rear fenders that is bent up and in need of repair. One side was squished partially flat in a garage door frame and the other is perfect except it looks like it was smashed over someone's knee (like breaking a stick!) while off the car. Both probably have 1/6" tears in the metal. I live in Houston so a place within 3-4 hours of Houston would be preferalble. Also, has anyone got advice on polishing stainless trim themselves at home? Is it do-able or best left to the pros? Eastwood has a lot of supplies but are they what is required to do an A+ job?

I have a question for you all about an engine we have gotten as part of a estate purchase. It's a 1975 Cadillac 500 CI engine that has been completely rebuilt by a professional shop out of Dallas, Texas. They did not have detailed records but said if they did it would have been a "complete" rebuild. It's never been installed and is sitting on an engine stand covered with a dust cover. It's been sitting there inside protected proper storage since 2009 at least due to its being in an estate. There is no intake or exhaust manifolds. I know that's a pretty open question but I will throw it out there for comments and ideas on how to arrive at a value. We are looking for the invoice to see what all was done in the rebuilding process as to any special performance parts being added, etc. Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the photos but I gotta say, that's not what I expected it to look like with that huge lip. Is that from your sedanette?

While replacing a rear seal and bearings on my '49 76c, I decided to cleanup and paint the nasty parts. The drum looks to be painted a semi-flat black. The backing plate was covered in grease and it's hard for me to tell what was on there. There appears to be a gold cadmium finish on the plate under the little bracket used to secure the parking brake line gasket. Was gold cadmium used on the backing plates?

Pete - I have a 1949 76c and that is not anything I have ever seen on my car. The directory is definitely cool.

There are a couple of jacks on eBay that might be for a 1949 Roadmaster but I don't have anything to compare them to. Are either of these correct jacks for the '49 Roadmaster? http://www.ebay.com/itm/131663384715?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT http://www.ebay.com/itm/252202115507?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I got a set of belts ffrom Juliano's and am now trying to install them in my 76c and need some advice from anyone that's seen it done. I was surprised to find that there is a heavy sheet metal shroud around the back part of the front seat bottom. It is really in the way and prevents the belt from just slipping between the seat back and bottom at a nice 45 degree angle from the floor. It looks like I will have to go straight up from the floor and bend the belt at a 90 degree angle or cut some sort of slot thru the metal shroud for the belt to pass thru. Has anyone seen it done? I've searched google images to no avail. My thought right now is to get the 90 degree "angle bracket" from Julianos and go straight up without cutting the shroud. I wanted this to be a simple, clean factory-look install but now I am having doubts. Any help will be appreciated!

I am looking at a cylinder head that is supposedly for a 320 straight 8 motor. It is numbered 1340862. Would this properly fit my 1949 Buick 320 motor? It has been machined and magnafluxed. Any advice or comments on using a re-done head? They want $170 for it. Mine is probably warped due to overheating and blowing the head gasket and I could get it worked over myself easily enough but I am not sure of the price for the work.

Grimy - I like the idea of the two Optima batteries in parallel. Twice the price but more than twice the performance from what you write. Could you send a picture of how you wired them together? I'm curious about the actual configuration and the jumper wire itself - did you make the jumper or use something from Bob's Automobilia? Did you put the cutoff switch at the battery or in the interior? I have seen some smaller vintage-look battery boxes on eBay to hide a single Optima 6-volt battery. Perhaps I could take a 19" case and stash two optimas inside. That would be slick. I do appreciate all the tips on wire gague, booster pump, new regulator, etc. I have read those tips on this board over the years and have made the changes but the 6-volt tractor batteries out there just don't last in Texas heat as Bill S says. I keep wondering who I can call for a jump or a ride home everytime I go for a cruise and that uncertainty is never my idea of fun. I go from being that cool dude in a great looking classic Buick to some loser pushing a clunker in the heat in 60 seconds flat.

Thanks for the tips on durable batteries! I now have some reference numbers to deal with - 3EH. Sears does not seem to have one though I found an old number for it - DieHard 50703. Armor Plate makes one with 925 CCV which is the highest I have seen but I have never heard of the brand; available thru Standard Batteries, Inc. But they don't ship.

I have been using a Continental 6 volt battery in my 1949 Buick Roadmaster and it has very little cranking power. My car sits for weeks sometimes and is hard to get to fire up so I often have to crank it a lot to get her fired up. I may try turning it over six times (15 "revolutions" per try?) and the battery is then kaput even right after having it fully charged at the shop that sold it to me. It's a new battery but I think it's just a lousy brand. This is the second Continental I've had. So, while I'm not looking for help getting it started more easily, I am looking for opinions on what brand of 6 volt battery out there is the best and where they can be bought. I am not too concerned about authentic appearance as long as it is the long 19" battery and does not poop out.

Sitting for a long time should not hang it up IMHO. Check the battery at the parts store first. But not sure what the results of the solenoid test you did imply - I'm not much of a mechanic.

eBay sellers have all sorts of trim for sale for these cars. I have a "saved search" I follow everyday on 1949 Buicks: http://www.ebay.com/sch/eBay-Motors-/6000/i.html?_dct=1&_rdc=1&_sop=10&_dmd=1&_nkw=1949+buick+-franklin+-ad+-diecast+-brochure+-sign+-1%2F32+-1%2F43+-brooklin&_trksid=m194&_ipg= The parking lights and trim are on there now. Seats are out there but not on eBay now - too bulky to ship - contact sellers that appear to be parting out cars and they can pull them for you. As to side trim for the rear fenders, those are truly rare. The rest of the side trim is also on eBay regularly - for now. There were a pair of fender skirts on eBay this month for this car : http://www.ebay.com/itm/PAIR-1949-BUICK-FENDER-SKIRTS-ABSOLUTE-RUST-FREE-/400986118738?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=9KjGyQt%252F9nFqxuODUYXOX7B0ZFY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc Seller might still have them. These parts are out there but do keep going up in value/price year to year. Have fun!

I did finally find a pot metal drive end plate for my 1949 Buick Roadmaster and an armature, etc, to get it back together. There is an oil filler cup that needed to be replaced which I am going to be doing. I see some with a wick on them which seems logical and about the right length to fill the oil passage in my old one. The one pictured below is from a delco-remy generator for a FarmAll tractor. Anyone know if this was used on Buicks? It seems like a good idea to employ a wick to feed oil to the bearings as needed rather than in a gush. Ideas?

Thanks, Pete. I looked on eBay and there are actually a lot of them for sale. Some at a decent price. Sizing is an issue I guess.