jeff

I need to make a decision. After 20 years of effort, and a BRAND NEW engine rebuild, my car was hit from behind. I can either let the insurance co have it, or see it off to a good home (or, still consider fixing it myself). '38 Buick Model 48 (2 dr trunkback sedan) Repairable, but: rear part of frame kinked, body buckled, fender, decklid, bumper, tool tray, trunk floor - all damaged. Otherwise: perfect engine rebuild, .030 over, turned crank, insert rod bearings, new valve guides, balanced, etc. Less than 25 miles on it!!! Clutch, trans, brakes, complete front end, exhaust, tires, radiator, chrome. Everything done by me - body and interior show my amateur level, but mechanically, no excuses. Spare parts? Yes, tons and tons. Bring a trailer. Wow, it hurts to type this... My decision is not made yet, but please contact me with your interest. Not particularly interested in parting it out. The car can still be fixed, or can offer nearly everything to another restoration. Jeff

Are you willing to remove parts and ship, or are you trying to sell the whole lot? I have a Special 2 door sedan and need: rear fenders deck lid possibly a rear bumper possibly the rear-most section of frame Jeff

I am located just south of Dayton, Ohio. Yes, there are some really good shops in the area. Two of them have quoted. Looks like the insurance company will total it. I'll be more or less on my own with whatever the settlement is. Thanks for your help. Jeff

Thanks for the reply. I would imagine they are the same. I will be talking to the insurance guy tomorrow and hope to learn how this all works. I'll get back to you shortly. Jeff

It's a Special, 2 door sedan, model 48. Thanks for the feedback. What do you call the tray at the rear edge of the trunk? That's what I thought I saw reproduced. Tried searching for it on this site, but I am not sure I used the right name. Jeff

Certainly agree with your visability comments. Among my local old car friends, this has been a frequent topic of discussion. All have agreed that my '38 Buick has about the best tail and brake lights of any car of that era. Nice and bright, good side visability, etc. Having said that, I still plan to upgrade them when the car is back on the road. Thinking about an LED type high mounted option, either inside the rear window or on top of the license plate. Also thinking about a rear mounted machine gun, with one of my kids acting as tail gunner (only kidding)! My insurance is part of the package - home, daily drivers, plus the '38. Wasn't very expensive, has agreed coverage, etc - now I get to test the customer service part! Hope its not a bad experience. Live and learn, I guess. Jeff

Yeah, she readily admitted to the officer that she wasn't paying attention and just hit me. I picked the perfect road for this type of drive - absolutely no other traffic to speak of. Just her! Does anyone recall someone offering newly fabricated trunk sheetmetal?? I seem to recall that tray section being offered for sale recently. I'll need that, plus a bunch of stuff that I listed on the Buick buy/sell site. Also, any recommendations on the insurance thing? Seems like I may need an appraisal or estimate of my own, in case I don't like the solution her company offers. Anybody been down this path? Thanks, Jeff

Help! I was rear-ended yesterday, just 3.5 miles into the process of breaking in my engine. On the slight chance that the insurance company or body shop will need help finding parts... 1. Wasn't somebody offering a new fabrication of the rear lower body section (below the trunk opening)??? Trunk floor and tray? (whatever that recess is called) 2. How about a set of rear fenders? 3. Trunk lid?? 4. Bumper / bumper brackets? Thanks, Jeff

OK, time for the final update. I finished the rebuild, and lined up the front clip. Ran the engine up to temperature a few times in the driveway, and adjusted the valves closer to their final .015. (still left them a bit loose) Engine starts easily, hot or cold. Oil pressure and temperature perfect. Everything ready to go at the end of the day Saturday. Took it out for the first time Sunday. Eased up to speed (25 mph) for a trip around the neighborhood. Next, off to my friend's house about a mile away. Great, now I've done 30 mph! A brief visit, restart, time for a 35 mph run. All systems go. In fact, perfect. Nice, quiet boulevard, 35 mph speed limit. Signal left to begin my return run, slow to make my turn - WHAM! The only other car in sight slammed me from behind. 3.5 miles into my break-in period. Rear bumper, bumper supports, frame, trunk lid, rear lower body, left rear fender, and body creases on both sides below rear passenger windows (2 dr sedan). Nobody hurt.

Thanks. Sounds like a good plan, I'm going with the rubber line (3" - 4"). I have been rebuilding my engine, and have it re-installed with the front clip still off. Getting ready to re-install the fuel pump, distributor, water pump, etc., so it seems like a good time to get this done. Still, I wonder how they left the factory... Jeff

My steel fuel line goes straight to the pump - no rubber line at all. It has never been a problem. But - should there be a length of rubber fuel line to handle the vibration? Can you '38 owners take a quick look? Thanks, Jeff

I've heard two reasons. If you were leaning on the door, and the body flexed a bit (like going around a corner), the door would pop open and the rush of wind would pull the door wide open and you would come tumbling out. Also, if you opened the door to get out (driver's side) and a car came around you from behind, it could smash the door shut with you in between the door and pillar. I have a '38 also (2-door), take a look at my fuel line question I am getting ready to post. Jeff

I bought some seals for my '38 from one of my two favorite vendors. (I forget which one) Anyway, there is no way the seals I bought would stretch over my pedals, with the rubber removed. Disassembling the pedals from below didn't seem to be the solution either - although I didn't try it. I ended up making a two piece mat - kind of a sandwhich of stiff cardboard and thin foam. Each piece had 1/2 of the shape I needed for the pedal to pass through. Sliding these together and using a really tough tape, then using the floor plate to hold the whole thing in place - a pretty effective temporary solution. I'll still need to find the right solution some time in the future. Jeff

If you look at later straight eight Buicks with oil filters, the design intent is to take the pressurized oil from the oil gallery running the length of the engine on the lower passenger side. (use the line that feeds the rocker shaft) Take the outlet of the filter, and feed the rocker shaft with it. Use the correct filter for the canister, so you don't inadvertently disable the bypass. Otherwise, you will starve the rockers if the filter plugs up. Jeff

180 isn't bad. What was the air temp on the day of your short run? If you were up in the 80's, then 180 may be about right. On the other hand, if it were a 60 degree day... To fabricate a diverter, try a bolt with a nut and a washer (use all stainless steel and Loctite). The washer doesn't have to be a close fit in the throat of the casting, since the production part doesn't fit too close either. Just close enough to offer resistance to flow through the bypass, so that 95% of the flow goes through the radiator. Without a restriction, you may be at about 50% recirc, and 50% through the radiator. The production one is designed with a long brass shaft (bolt in your case) that has a spring to return it to the closed position. When the thermostat is closed, the pump flow pushes open the bypass, allowing flow through the block. You could make yours fixed, in the closed position, and never use a thermostat.

You need that bypass valve installed! I am fairly certain its job is to allow flow through the block when the thermostat is closed. When the thermostat is open, it closes to force flow through the radiator. Jeff

Here's the link you need... Buick Carburetor Parts 1935-1960 - The Carburetor Doctor The carburetor doctor has the kit for your car! The rebuild is pretty easy, just be sure not to drop any small pieces, and chase out any drill paths with carb cleaner. You will find (based on where its leaking) that you need a new accelerator pump "piston", which is a cup-shaped piece of some kind of phenolic (if I recall). Probably was leather, back in the day. Good luck! PS. Move over to the pre-war Buick site! Jeff

With my '38, I too thought I was missing about 30% of each flywheel tooth. (in my case, each tooth looks exactly the same) However, after lying on my back with a remote starter switch (be careful - neutral, wheels blocked), I concluded it was ok. The starter pinion easily travels all of the way across the width of the tooth. I decided (could be wrong) that the tooth profile was as designed. Does anyone know for sure what a new flywheel gear looks like? I think the profile is not rectangular, but is designed with the "scalloped" leading edge. Therefore, leave it alone! Jeff

Brian, Sounds like that timing chain is your best bet. Why it ran for five minutes initially, is anyone's guess. One of your engine guy's statements sounds a bit suspect. If that timing chain is off, it's not just the ignition timing that will be wrong, it's also the valve timing with respect to the crank. I seem to remember that 10 vs 11 discrepancy. Depends on if you count "between" or "from" one tooth to the other. In other words, which link is #1, the one in the tooth or the one after? Most chains have two copper rivets spaced the correct distance apart. You line these guys up with the marks on the crank and cam and it simplifies the whole discussion. Better dive in and check it! You've worked every other path. It won't be too bad, grill, radiator, water pump, harmonic balancer, then cover. Hopefully, your hood is still off. If you are anywhere near SW Ohio, I'll come help you. My engine is one step behind yours, I'll start reassembling late next week. Hopefully, your findings will benefit many others. Jeff

Brian, I have been following this for some time, and the one thing that just hit me is this... You had the engine running for 5 minutes at first, until you noticed the exhaust leak. When you removed and reinstalled the manifolds, (and removed the damaged guide ring), is it possible that the manifolod gasket(s) slipped out of position? This would give you a vacuum leak on one or more cylinders, and may be enough to result in a super lean mixture - no matter where the carb is set. Then, it would only run when you feed it additional gas. Jeff

How about valve adjustment? Could you have left your valves too tight, so as it warms up they are no longer seating? I think the approach is to leave the valve setting a bit too large (like .020 to .025 cold), then when the engine starts, warm it up and set to .015 warm, with the engine running. (By the way, has anyone out there mastered this pain-in-the-butt process?) The other thought is that the timing chain is off by one tooth. And/or the distributor is off by one tooth. Try this: pull the number one plug and see if you can find top dead center by having someone hold a 1/4 inch wooden dowel in contact with the top of the piston while you manually rotate the engine. Then, look at the valve status and the position of the rotor with respect to the cap. While you are at it, double-check the spark plug wire routing to make sure you have them in the right order. Check the integrity of the spark by holding the wire 1/8 inch away from ground while you crank the engine. Maybe your points have slipped out of adjustment or gotten damaged in the handling of the parts. Just a few quick thoughts - chances are you have already considered them. Jeff

Thanks Brian. Sounds like you stayed with the babbitted bearings?? For your starter, here are a few things you may have already checked: good ground connection from the battery to the block (because that's where your starter finds ground); load tested battery (don't just check voltage, but take it to Interstate Battery or someplace with a load tester); timing (not too far advanced). In my case, I had a battery that looked good on the charger, measured 6.3V, but had no remaining "capacity" when asked to produce serious amp-hours (like when you engage the starter). A new battery from Interstate (they carry a very similar case, but rated at about 650 CCA instead of the 350 CCA I had) did the trick. Jeff

Ok, new update. Going with: 1950 rods, new 1950-style insert rod bearings (.010 under); new 1938 main bearings (.010 under); new 1950-style pistons and rings (.030 over). (ok'd by Egge experts) The machine shop will also rework the head, as my intent to simply lap valves and reassemble won't address the worn guides. So, new bronze guides, machined seats, and ground valves. They will also install rubber guide seals, unless anyone knows of a reason not to. The shop advises that the valve stems will still get adequate lubrication, and that excess oil consumption will be about zero. Flywheel, pressure plate and harmonic balancer will also be balanced with the crank. I suppose when the pistons come in, I will let them balance them as well. Why not, there's nothing else that can be done, as far as I can tell. If you want to know how much paint to buy, you'll need about 1/4 pint more than the one quart can. So, just get two quarts at once, and save on shipping. At least I am still allowed to sleep in the garage - just until the project is done and the wife's van moves back in. Then I will sleep in the backyard, I guess! Jeff

Couldn't your crack also be in the block? My head is currently at a local machine shop (1938), and I noticed they offer a pressure test to search for cracks in the head. There are techniques used on the block as well. Depending on the location of the crack, welding may be an option. You may wish to consult with a good machine shop. Jeff

Given that the other benefits of antifreeze are rust prevention and pump lubrication, and looking at the chart and explanation from Joel, I going to run about a 25 - 30% solution. Sounds like a good compromise if everything else is working ok. Has anyone consulted the shop manual? There is a section on using the "new" glycol-based products. Sounds like the previous choice was alchohol-based, with the huge disadvantage of gradually evaporating with heat. Most interesting are the comments on what not to use: honey, salt, some other old time remedies. So, stay away from these! Jeff