Mark Shaw

Century 4 door. Portland Craigslist Posting ID: 721862239

Dave, Written like a true hot rodder.... or are you into Resto-rods?

Dan, Yup it is a rare one, but not the only one. I have seen a 1913 Mc Laughlin Buick near Seattle with one and I have talked to two others who are trying to assemble the parts for starters on their cars. I even heard of a guy who was brave enough to use it on his car years ago (as a demonstration). There are photos and a complete description in the back pages of the January 2008 Bugle.

This is a great restoration project. Runs good, but needs a front end alignment, carpet & some upholstery work. This car is 100% original & comes with extra parts, including owners manual & shop manual. Good glass, chrome & stainless. No dents or major rust. A real head turner. Asking $6,000.00 OBO. Located in SW Washington near Portland Oregon. For more info. call Jim @ 360-835-2587 or email: nwxtc@comcast.net

Upper right corner is for 30 - 32 Buick wire wheels.

Some photos:

I no longer use Champion plugs. Autolite 3077 plugs do not carbon up like the Champion W18 plugs did in my 13 Buick. They cost less too...

Like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Battery-T...1QQcmdZViewItem

Dan, If you want to see a rare option..... You should see the Acetylene Starter on my 13 Buick! Most people see the acetelyne tank on the running board and think it is for the headlights. Then they see the light bulbs in the headlights and get confused.... That's when they finally ask questions......

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/car/718442991.html Maybe this parts car has what you need....

Bottom photo rods with threaded ends are king pins.

Top photo left side are mechanical brake levers. The brake rods go into the small ends. The U bolt holds the leaf springs on the spring perch.

12V conversion is unnecessary if you make sure your battery cables and wiring are the same as original. 6V systems carry double the amps and need heavier wire to deliver full current. Optima batteries are available with both 6 & 12V from the same battery to run modern accessories as well as original lights and gauges. You can also install a second 6V battery to run both. So, there is really no reason to convert a 6V car or truck. 6V systems and vacuum wipers contribute to the original experience in driving these old cars. Conversion to more modern (and reliable) equipment removes some of sensory experience of driving an old car. My 2 cents....

Don, Years ago, I used a tow dolly to tow my 31 Buick from S.W.Washington to central California. I blew a tire on the 31 before I got through Portland & had to swap the rear flat for a front tire on the Buick. After reducing the tire pressures a bit to allow for the high speed heat build up, I had no real problems. However, it does wear tires, bearings, etc on the old car being towed. I now have both open and enclosed trailers. I store one at my daughter's house and one here in my side yard. You may get a car buddy to store yours & let him use your trailer once in awhile.... I agree with Steve that renting a trailer may prove to be your best option. After all, if you sell your trailer, the proceeds will probably pay for a lot of trailer rentals.

Way to go Lamar!

How do you get in???

Paul, I don't remember where I got this, but it should help: Timing Your Magneto Ignition If you do major engine work, or just want to clean and paint your engine, chances are you have to remove the magneto and spark plug wires. And, you probably dread when you reach the point where you have to put it all back together and make it run. You might try carefully making a diagram of the wires, tape the magneto in the position it comes off, and be careful not to turn the engine over while you have these components off. But after the cleanup and painting is done and it is time to put the magneto back on and start it up, you usually find that the tape didn't stick too well and your diagram is long gone. You could bolt it on as near as you can remember and hook up the wires according to the diagram (if you can find it). But the best you can usually do is crank till you have massive blisters and all you can get is an occasional pop or sputter. Sound familiar? You won't usually have the luxury of keeping the components aligned correctly. Magneto setup is a simple process that every old car guy should understand. Rough Timing Aligning the Cap There is a gear on the magneto shaft that drives a gear on the rotor. These gears must mesh at the proper point. On some magnetos, there are 2 teeth with bevels on the magneto side and a tooth with a timing mark on the cap side. The marked tooth meshes in between the bevel teeth. The intent of this process (in case all the marks are gone), is to get the points to open and close at the correct times to provide voltage out to the plug wires. Knowing this, it is possible to guess the meshing in the case of missing markings. Lining up the Engine The engine should be at the top of the compression stroke on the number 1 piston. There were many ways that this can be marked on engines, and these timing marks are often missing. There are a couple of sure-fire ways to know. Make a tool using small fittings with the same thread as the spark plug on one side and a nipple for a hose on the other side (These are commonly made for compression testers). With this screwed in to the number 1 spark plug hole, attach a hose to the other side, & crank the engine until air begins to rush out the hose (put a balloon on the end of the hose if you want to get some visual feedback). When the air starts coming out, it means you are headed into the compression stroke. Slowly continue turning the engine until the number 1 piston reaches its highest point. (You can use a long thin plastic rod or straw to feel & see how high the piston is. Bolting on the Magneto To get your magneto to mesh to the engine, you must turn the magneto (in the direction it was designed to operate in) until the rotor is positioned over the number 1 plug wire terminal. When positioned correctly, the dogs or slots on the mag should line up with the corresponding dogs or slots on the engine and slide right in. Loosely bolt on the magneto so it can still be turned while being held in place. Connect a grounding wire or kill switch in the off position to prevent the engine from starting unexpectedly during the final timing. Plug Wires The plug wires should be connected in the order specified in your manual (Note: if you are not using what your manual, hook the number 1 wire to the cap terminal that you timed to be number 1). The firing order and direction of magneto rotation are the keys to hooking up the rest of the wires. Some engines use 1-2-4-3, others use 1-3-4-2. If no engine manual is available, you can determine the firing order by watching the order in which the intake valves open (the rocker arm will go down when the valve opens). Determining the firing order this way will work for modified engines. Final Timing At this stage, you have rough timing but don't try to start it this way. Make sure the magneto is grounded or you might just break your arm or worse. In this state the engine can backfire and run pretty ragged. If you are using a hand-crank, it can furiously spin backward and seriously injure you. To get that final timing, rotate the body of the magneto counterclockwise (Note: whether counterclockwise or clockwise will depend on the rotational direction your magneto is designed for, the rotation you want here is the opposite of the normal rotation). Slowly turn the engine through its strokes till you have the number 1 piston at the top of its compression stroke again. Now gently rotate the magneto clockwise until you hear the pronounced click of the impulse coupler. This indicates that the magneto is right at the point where it will fire the number one piston. Tighten up the bolts, remove your temporary safety ground wire (if you put one on) and try starting the engine. This is the point where, if you are hand-cranking the engine, you must follow hand-cranking safety precautions. Since you are trying to start an untested engine, there are several factors involving timing that can cause your engine to backfire, making this the most dangerous time for hand-cranking. After this process is complete, it is up to you to figure out if any further minor adjustments will help your engine run at speed. In general, your timing should be very close at this point. Problems You may have timed your magneto correctly but the engine still won't start. There are many things that can go wrong that are beyond the scope of this article. A few related problems are as follow. No Click? An audible click was mentioned that should occur when the engine comes to the top of any compression stroke. This click is made by an impulse coupler that allows an engine to start at cranking speed with an extra hot spark by accelerating the action of the magneto. If you do not hear that click, your magneto may not have an impulse coupler, or it may be broken. It is possible to start an engine with a dysfunctional Impulse Coupler, but to do so requires a starter that can crank the engine at fairly high RPM. Confused on Number 1? Some caps have a #1 at the contact where, by convention, the number 1 spark plug wire should plug in. In some cases, this conflicts with what the operators manual may indicate is the number 1 plug contact. In this case, if you time the magneto according to the manual but hook up the wires according to the number on the cap, the machine might not be timed correctly. What's important is for you to hook up the number 1 wire to the contact on the cap with the contact you are timing the rotor to inside the magneto. Got Spark? Before you spend too many days cranking, check the spark. If the magneto is functioning, you should be able to get a spark. Most auto parts stores carry a spark tester that makes it pretty easy. It looks like a spark plug with a large alligator clip. Hook this tool to a plug wire and connect the clip to ground. When cranked, it will flash if you have sufficient spark. If you can't see a spark, you are wasting a lot of energy cranking. Grounded? If you aren't getting spark, disconnect your ground wire at the magneto and try again. Remove all the plug wires from the plugs to keep the engine from starting since you are testing for spark, not trying to start it. The kill switch could be shot and permanently grounding the magneto. Pulling the ground wire off is the same thing as disabling the kill switch or more directly "turning the key on". When the engine does start, ground the magneto immediately with a jumper to kill the engine. This is critical since, depending on the wiring of your electrical system, you may be running with it disabled (since the ignition switch is the component in question). This could damage the generator if you have one.

Hello again Ron, Please post some photos. I am much too far from you to come get it, but I will try to help you find someone to save it.

Try here: http://www.egge.com/

Scott, Could you post some photos and advise where the car is located? 1935 Buicks have some of the best styling in prewar cars.

At least you can now say you have one.... You could bring it to Flint via air freight for display only....

Yes, exactly. See..., you are learning....

Norb, Take the extra to the next Buick event and give it away to a non-member.

Right on Joe! You wrote: "Most of the Reatta owners are in the younger group,.. and I think that once we have them as members, you will find that they are looking at the other Buicks, and will some day acquire an older one." You put your finger on it Joe! In both the BCA and HCCA clubs I have seen and heard lots of comments from board members and others about how we are going to attract younger members. I can't tell you how many times I have talked to guys and gals with newer cars that really want an older (prewar) car someday. We must all keep in mind that most younger car enthusiasts are probably still raising families and may not yet have as much disposable income to buy cars that they cannot use as everyday drivers. Take them for a ride and talk to them about your car, encourage them, so they can learn how much fun it is to own, drive, and enjoy these cars.... Someday, you may be selling one of your cars to one of them....