jeff

Beautiful car. I agree with the earlier comments on the oil filter. I added one to mine as well - looks like the same unit, but mine came with some brackets that allowed me to mount it closer to the front of the engine, as I believe was done just a few years later in production. You might want to remove the fitting at the cylinder head, and check to see if the wire mesh filter has been removed. On mine it was very dirty, and was probably restricting flow to the rocker arm assembly. With your filter in place, you probably don't want another restriction in series. (there have been some posts on this subject, try searching for it) To get mine out, I used a grinder to cut a hook shape into the tip of a very small (and inexpensive) screwdriver. Also, it looks like a radiator overflow tank has been installed. Was this done with a pressure cap at the radiator? Can you show some more pictures of how this installation was done? Thanks, Jeff

I was very dismayed to see the same "wear" on my flywheel teeth. ('38 Special) Then, using a remote start switch, and with the flywheel cover off, I observed the starter engaging the flywheel. (ground out the coil lead to the distributor, and be sure (very sure) the transmission is in neutral and the car is securely raised on jack stands) Even with that scallop on the front edges of the teeth, the starter pinion travel is more than enough to engage all of the tooth. My opinion now (could very well be wrong), is that it was designed this way. Double and triple check all of your safety items if you want to lie on your back and make the same observation. Jeff

Thanks Mark - a great looking dash. Makes an excellent resource for those doing a restoration. Looks like the exact steering wheel I bought. Your letters on the speedometer glass look about like mine - little or no highlighting. Substantially more red on the spare parts I have - probably a mid-year change or something. Jeff

I recently pulled out my spare speedometer, andmade the observation that the glass had white numbers with red highlighted font. My car does not have this highlighted font –no evidence of it at all. Well, I madethe same observation on my spare clock last night. The speedometer came from aparts car, while the clock came from a purchase I made from a guy inCanada. (non-banjo steering wheel – rare,I think; arm rests; ash trays; radio surround; fog light switch; and, a prettyrough clock)<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The clock may actually be salvageable – it will never be a “10”in appearance, but may score a 7 or 8.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> What do you think about that red highlighted font? Mid-year change, perhaps? My car’s radio has an installation stickerwith a November 1937 date – so it must be a fairly early production ’38,probably assembled in October of 1937.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Interesting. I wonderwhich version the reproduction glass is? (I think Bob’s has some offerings)<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Any observations from '38 owners would be very welcome. Regarding that steering wheel - I believe the banjo wheel was an option, but I have never seen a '38 Buick without one. (mine is a Special). I bought the one I mentioned above, and later, saw one at Hershey - the guy was selling a complete steering setup, from steering box to steering wheel. I asked the guy where the parts where from, and he said they were from the Toledo area. Hmmm, Toledo / Canada - could these steering wheels have been used primarily on McGlaughlins? Thanks, Jeff

Thanks Carl - That's what I did! Jeff

Are they connected both at the front and at the rear? (regarding the isolators, I found one new one at a swap meet, and rebuilt my questionable ones with some two-part epoxy and a simple mold - worked great!) Jeff

I just finished a successful rebuild of my '38 Special radio, including all new capacitors, vibrator, and mechanical rebuild of the gears that turn the dial. I now want to install it, returning to the running board antenna system that was originally used. Can anyone please advise on the routing of the antenna lead from the radio out to the running boards? How about the lead that would have connected one running board to the other? Pictures would be great! (I suppose a '37 would have been installed the same way) Thanks, Jeff

I bought one (from California) and it works - but not really very well. The good news is that I developed a leak at the top of the tank (only shows up when really full - I think it is the sending unit gasket, based on the overall good condition of my tank). So, I get to pull the tank again. This time, I will check on two or three things that may be useful to you. 1. Run a redundant ground line from one of the screws of the sending unit on out to some good ground point. (yes, it should get a ground through the fuel lines, but...) 2. Investigate carefully whatever is supposed to provide the mechanical dampening function. I discovered this function on one of my old sending units, and will look to see if the new one provides this or not. (on the original, it is a spring loaded washer, maybe leather, that offers some resistance to the bobbing of the float.) Don't know how the new one does this, or if it can be increased - it bounces the needle about 1/3 scale!) 3. Try a higher-tech Permatex that offers better resistance to gasoline (assuming this is the cause of my leak) 4. Check the resistance range to see if this off-sets the reading of the gauge. Hope these "lessons learned" help. Jeff

My '38 Special is pretty liveable, except for the 4.4:1 rear, and the very slow 1-2 shift. For some strange reason, modern traffic is not very tolerant of that crawl to second gear! Once in second or third, pickup is pretty decent. Remember, no synchro on first, only second and third (true until the fifties, I believe). I have always enjoyed speculating on the first owner, taking delivery on a brand new '38. That individual probably traded something from the early thirties, and was probably THRILLED with the performance, comfort, convenience, etc. of the '38. We will never fully understand this, coming from our perspective in time. Jeff

I almost agree with your assessment, but there is one thing to check first. The job of the sending unit is to complete a path to ground, adding from about 0 to 10 ohms depending on how much gas is in the tank. So, you need to make sure the resistance from the sending unit to chassis ground is zero, otherwise this adds to the apparent resistance that your dash unit sees. Since the tank is grounded via the straps that hold it in place, this is usually a problem. Rig up a test lead with a couple of alligator clips, and see if a better path to ground changes things at the dash gauge. Jeff

Boy, am I glad I found your post (for your sake)! I tried to have mine plated some years ago, dropping them off to a guy who "knew what to do" with these wiper transmissions. Well, he totally ruined them! And, wouldn't stand behind his screw up, telling me "they were junk". (sure were, after he got done with them) It cost big bucks to recover from this, by buying NOS replacements. Bottom line - the shafts press out, somehow. The instructions are either on this site, or on the '37 - '38 club's site (where they have archived all of their publication's technical articles) Work with the search function here first. Please don't even try to guess how much money I just saved you. I have been trying to forget the amount for about ten years now. Jeff

Does any '41 Series 40 or 50 owner want this brought to Hershey? Jeff

Well, for front and rear windshields, there is a trick using a string to help pull the lip seal though the opening. Soapy water can help. No real easy way around it. Since it is a difficult task, I held off on the sealant until the window was successfully installed. (You will make a number of attempts before succeeding, and with sealant in place it might get very messy!) Then I used "flow-able" windshield sealer from Permatex. I pulled back the lip, and added sealant between body and seal. Also, a very thin bead between glass and the inner edge of the seal. My strategy was to use as little as possible, and add more if I saw a leak. Keep looking at your local auto parts stores until you find "flow-able". They make a standard type, which you don't want. Don't know about the pinch weld molding - my '38 doesn't have it. P.S. Go to Buick - buy / sell and take a look at my radiator. I just discovered this morning that it is for a '41 (I knew it wasn't a '38). Good luck, Jeff

Some years ago I pulled a radiator out of a '38 Special parts car. I started to clean it up, pressure test it, etc. when I noticed it is not the same as the one in my '38. (although it certainly was installed in the parts car) The filler neck is not offset like my '38 is. Part number is: 3114744 - I have recently learned it fits a 1941 series 40 / 50. I fixed a leak in the top tank, repaired the rusty section of frame at the bottom, pressure tested to 5 psi, and painted it. Now to find a home for it. $100 - Located in Dayton, OH. Can bring to Hershey.

Looks like this part number lines up with a 1941 40 / 50 series. From my friend with a Hollander book: Okay...definitive: the number you have indicates the 41 series 40/50. The 48G means nothing according to Hollander and my Flat Rate and Parts number book.<o:p></o:p>

OK, good catch. Someone stuffed this into a '38 (actually, the size and mounting is the same as a '38), in spite of the center fill. It must have been very difficult to access the radiator, since the filler ends up right under the hood support. Look further on this site, I think there was a guy who posted Buick parts that he coud bring to Hershey - one of them was a '38 radiator. Jeff

Well Josh, I will be happy to take a picture or two and add some measurements. Give me your e-mail address and I will send you something. It was in a 40-series, 1938 - but its not quite correct for a '38. The size and mounting were all fine, but the '38 has a filler neck that is offset to the side, while this one has the filler at the top center. You will see what I mean in the pictures. Jeff

Thanks for the tip. I'll see if I can get in touch with him through PM's. Jeff

Some years ago I pulled a radiator out of a '38 Special parts car. I started to clean it up, pressure test it, etc. when I noticed it is not the same as the one in my '38. (although it certainly was installed in the parts car) The filler neck is not offset like my '38 is. Part number is: 3114744, with 48G also on the tab. (1948??) Anyway, I fixed a leak in the top tank, repaired the rusty section of frame at the bottom, pressure tested to 5 psi, and painted it. Now to find a home for it - any ideas of what it fits? $100 - Located in Dayton, OH. Can bring to Hershey. Jeff

I replaced a float, but still had issues, and ended up replacing the sending unit. If I recall, I had to file off the crimp, then I gave the rod a slight bend to hold the new one on. Some things to consider. Measure the resistance from the empty position to the full position. I think you need approximately 0 to 30 ohms. If you don't have that, or if it jumps around as you travel from one extreme to the other, you may want to consider a new sending unit. When you re-install, include a ground wire under the head of one of the mounting screws. Leave the other end long and un-terminated. You may need it later, if you have trouble getting a good ground from the tank straps. Jeff

I can't speak to '36, but for '37 - '38 folks the best solution is to fit a rear from a Century. That takes your ratio from 4.44:1 to 3.9:1. I think its the same for '36. Unfortunately, these are very, very scarce. If you search the Torque Tube articles in the '37-'38 club site, you will find articles explaining how to fit a rear from a post-war Dynaflow Buick to your car. Its not simple, but do-able. Be careful you don't go too far with the ratio, your engine only has so much horsepower, and relies on that gear reduction to get the job done. Jeff

Vielen dank, Jenz. I always wondered how you keep up with European traffic with the '38 Special. A later engine certainly helps, along with the milled head. Are you still running the 4.44:1 final drive ratio? With more horsepower you could tolerate a better ratio, but it's a big job! Regarding the seal - what you said makes sense. My gasket kit also contained a rope seal for the later years. The '38 shop manual says that the bigger series engine used this seal, but the 248 in the Special does not. They rely on the design features you mention. Do you think it is possible to install that rear bearing backwards (bottom half in the top, and top in the bottom). Would that make the spiral work the wrong way? I don't recall if this is possible - I will check when I pull the oil pan off this winter. Maybe this is operating as good as possible! Jeff

Sorry, I checked my spare parts shelf and have one spare Multibeam RH lens, and two generic aftermarket lenses. These are the result of about four consecutive years of searching Hershey with a scrap trim ring in hand. I visit the guys who have one or two miscellaneous lenses. If the lens fits, I buy it! The lens specialists seem to want an exorbitant amount of money for the Multibeam lenses. Jeff

I think your open circuit, full scale reading indicates a good gauge. Your grounding attempt, giving you 1/4 tank reading, must be a bad ground. I had some flakey operation recently due to a short on the power side, the mounting of the gage to instrument panel plate is very critical - you can get a short to ground very easily. Be careful working under the dash, and be sure your battery is disconnected. By the way, does anyone know what achieves the damping of the gage? The book says there is a mechanical inertia damper as part of the gage, but both of the gages I have tried bounce all over the place. I would love to somehow restore this function. Typical of this timeframe would be a little leather disk, that might re-swell with a careful drop of oil! (but that's just my wild guess, I can't see anything that does this damping function.) Jeff

Over the years I have probably tried three times to improve on the fit of the cork gaskets at the rear main bearing cap. (they seal between the cap and the block - the 320 engine also uses a packing, but the 248 does not) It seems that a cork cut generously will not assemble, and backing off just a bit gives me a significant leak. Is there another material or design available?