eric_b_1937

I know this car and I would have bought it if I had the space to store it. I'm glad to see it will stay in the Wichita area. The local AACA cub members know this car as well. If you need mechanical advice send me a private message. I'm in the area.

The 1937-38 Buick fuel system pressure is 5 -10 psi. So the 15 psi pressure kill switch will not work unless it is adjustable. I would like to find a type of Gravity/Shock safety switch to install on the power line to the pump. Use aircraft toggle switches they have positve feel and are high quality.

I installed my pump near the tank just above the lower edge of the cross member that is in front of the fuel tank. I grounded it to a hole that was in this cross member. it is in the center of the car and protected by the frame and differential so that if I hit a big rock or simillar object then the fuel system line and pump are protected. I've seen a lot of installation photo's on this and other forums that have the fuel lines un protected from damage. It is wired thru the ignition on/off switch to a toggle switch mounted to the dash. Because of the safety issues related to running a electric pump with no crash switch then I use it to prime the carb. Then I usually shut it off and Drive on the mechanical pump. When I get up to 70 mph my mechanical pump cannot keep up with the volume of fuel required and the carb will lean out so I switch on the electic pump and it will run great.

Nice project! The fuel door is unique. My car is similar to yours and has some minor mods, I would call it a Mild custom or a Touring car. The Knob to the right of the aftermarket radio is a replacement Cigar lighter. No need to rebuild the original radio with modern components simply attach a mp3 player to the antenna jack. Jump seats are sometimes hard to find. But keep looking I found some for my car and they work great. You will need the seat pans and the seat backs which attach to the side under the opera window. You might consider Wood graining the dash and window trims when you re-Upholster. Bad Fuel sender check for corrosion on the wire contacts or bad cork float.

If you look at wmsteeds photograph. Someone had added a bolt to the valve counter weight so that it will open at a different vacuum setting. The second carb would then kick in at a higher rpm. Was this a fuel saving measure? Here is a photograph of the damper valve I have. The valve plates fit to the square holes at a slight angle in the direction they will open when there is vacuum. At rest there is no gap for fuel/air to pass.

The information will be in the Buick Maintenance manual. Order it from Bob's, CARS, or ebay, or any other source. These drum brakes are a fairly common design so search google for photographs of 36 - 50's Buicks and You might see photographs of what you need to see. If you have a local brake shop talk to the mechanic and they might instruct you on how assemble it. Parts like springs, shoes, and cylinders are available from many sources.

Add some hydraulic jack oil from your local auto parts store and see if they are working properly or leaking. If they are locked up then you must remove the caps and check for broken or contaminated parts then clean the internal parts, relief valve piston etc . If the caps are frozen I use the vibration from a rivet gun to free them. If they are leaking try some seal swelling agent if this does not work then you must remove the arms and replace the packing. This is a more complicated job then cleaning the internal parts and you should have pullers and a press.

I would change the name to "Msutang Plus"

1. Flush with some radiator flush from your autoparts store it is easy to do. Test 2. Check to see if distributor is advanced correctly. Test 3. Check the radiator fins. Test 4. Check Fan 5. Check to see if you have all splash pans and air deflectors. Test 6. Open thermostat housing and make sure all parts are there. Test 7. Check water pump impeller. 8. Pull Block Freeze plugs and check for corrosion build up especially around rear cylinders. Use the Radiator as a filter and run some more radiator flush. 9. Pull Radiator and have it rodded out then you should have a cool running engine.

The E 10 fuel problems are related mostly to cars of late 1920's to 1980's with diaphram fuel pumps, low pressure fuel lines, OEM/NOS rubber components, and carburators. The problems are not showing as apparently in the Model T and A community. Model T and A's have a gravity feed supply and short line to the tank. They were also designed to run on a variety of fuel grades.

I found this document on my local Oil Refinery's web site and it may help explain some of the problems with vapor lock and hard start. http://www.frontieroil.com/attachments/contentmanagers/106/PrdctsSpec_UnleadGasSpecs.pdf In this document is a chart for Seasonal Gasoline Specifications. Gasoline vaporizes according to fuel system pressure. December - February gas mixture begins to vaporize at 11-15psi at 105 deg F April gasoline is 9-11.5 psi at 124 deg F and May gasoline is 7-9 psi at 140 deg F If you had winter gasoline in your Antique car on a 100 deg day you would only be about 5 degrees from vapor bubbles in the fuel. A vapor lock condition would be caused. If you purchased April gas when you take your Antique out of winter storage it is only a month until the switch from 124 deg F to 140 deg F. This might explain a lot of problems in early summer. I Have problems with the fuel temp in my 1937 Buick. I can start my car instantly after sitting in a cool garage at about 75 deg F. Drive 30 miles and then park for 20 minutes. As the car is parked Temperature Will rise to above 180 degrees on the Temperature gauge. Much of the excess engine heat will end up soaking the fuel system under the hood. The fuel pressure is at 1 - 3 psig since the pump is not running. The summer gasoline vaporizes in the line and the heat soak is quicker and longer on hot day's. If I wait a hour for the system to cool to ambient temperature then it starts easy. I have a electric pump at the tank to try and speed up the fuel cooling process but if you have a 100 deg F day you may have fuel near 100 deg F in the tank. If I could get 75-85 octane, non-ethanol, Regular gasoline that vaporized at above 180 deg F, I think my car would run fine all the time.

I heard that the Cuban government had banned the export of antique vehicles in fear that the U.S.A. would get them. Any truth to that? Is the original motor in the car? It's common in Cuba to replace the motor with a small four cylinder. I'm sure it has a lot more interesting mods from lack of parts. Was it a taxi?

Will a 1935 sr 40 Ring and pinion work in a 1937 sr 40 rear end?

I am not sure what models will work but you could look at Buick post war Brakes as well. Make sure you have the correct size master cylinder and brake cylinders for the size of brake shoe for proper operation. You are not crazy 1939 Drum brakes work fine for the times and conditions in which they were developed. But if you like to drive like it's 2010, tailgating and using your brakes all the way down a mountain then you might be dissapointed.

1918 Detroit Electric Restoration - Wichita Eagle News Story. A car ahead of its time | Wichita and Kansas cars | Buy or sell cars in the Wichita area | Wichita Eagle

Replace the thermostat and make sure the relief valve is in working order. After a engine rebuild there may still be some corrosion scale left in the water jackets. Over time the Radiator filters the particles and clogs up. Re-flush the block and radiator using Radiator flush agent available at the auto parts store. There may be a lot of rust/scale come out. You should not need the radiator to be professionally cleaned if was in new condition during the rebuild. Add your 50/50 water glycol and test.

I am looking for the same shock arm rubber seals so If someone finds a part number and supplier post it here. On the Lovejoy double arm front shocks it looks like you cut the weld and use a puller to remove the arm. Is the metal cup removable without bending it up. Do you have to replace the metal cup for the rubber seal to seat properly?

Can you post photographs of your trunk repair? Thanks.

I would assume that the mileage is 130,000 until you are proven wrong by the overall condition of seldom replaced mechanical wear components like rear end gears, transmission, engine, etc. Not the regular maintenance items on the car like starters, generators, carbs, etc. If this car was used from new through the war and into the fifty's the car could very well have over 100,000 miles. If it was parked in a dry dark barn for most of it's life this would preserve the interior. You would need detailed records to know how long it sat out side and how it was used. Gather all the info you can and estimate the real mileage.

I feel you. My old Buick had several inches of Clay on the frame then under that Road tar mixed with sand. As far as I could tell the car had never been cleaned underneath since it was new. All the oil and crud protected it from rust but I hate working on dirty car's. It took me months to clean the stuff off laying on my back with scrappers, wire brushes and getting dirt in my face. These old car's spent most of their time on dirt roads so that could be why they are so bad.

Thanks for posting the photo's.

I am going to install a tool tray from Kemps and I am looking for good photo's of how the Tool tray rear panel assembly is put together. My car had a previous repair that was done wrong. So I don't have a proper pattern except for the Fisher body manual which has poor photo's. Can you Post a photograph of your tool tray bottom where it touches the rear panel on the inside of the trunk? Thanks

At the Sunflower swap meet this weekend there was a very original 1937 Buick 2 door model 48 for sale. It had all of the parts on it even the rock gard on the rear bumper. Original interior, nice wood grain dash. The body appeared to have been repainted once. I didn't look at the engine bay or hear it run.

Did you try to adjust the sidemount bracket arm to provide more clearance?

Sounds like a fun car to restore. Post a photograph so we can see what you are missing. You could join the Buick Club of America and post a wanted add in the magazine. Look at swapmeets ebay or craigslist for spare parts. Or simply type what you want into a search engine. You never know what will come up. The cheapest method to fix it up is find a street rodder who has the whole front end assembly and wheels for sale. I have some brake components for sale.