Larry Schramm

Buick went to electric starters for cars in 1914 and trucks in 1916.

If you are interested in a project car with a pile of extra parts, please look here. Car has a clean title. Thanks.

I have a 1928 Dodge Fast 4 touring car that was taken partially apart and started to be put back together. The seats are redone with vinyl. The body is straight and has little rust. The wood wheels look to have been redone, or they are in very good condition. I have been told that the engine has been rebuilt, but I have not checked it for a rebuild. The engine does turn over by hand. Along with the car, there is enough parts to fill another trailer. It includes NOS fenders along with used one, multiple starters, generators, extra wheels, Dodge radiators, and who knows what else. The transmission is out of the car, but is with all of the parts. Car has a clean title. The car is located in Flint, Mi. Asking $4,500 for everything or best offer.

With the exception of pulling the pan & cleaning the gunk out it and putting fresh fluids in the vehicle which includes the fuel system. The best thing to do is the above and try to get the vehicle running. See if it will start & run. @edinmass has made it clear along with a lot of us is that if you start shot gun parts replacement and it does not start it could take a lot of time to figure out what the problem is. Usually best and easier to change one or two parts at a time to improve performance.

Are you sure the timing is correct and the distributor is working properly?

True words. The older the vehicle, the more they change hands by word of mouth within contacts of a club. Coming into the interest of a specific group of vehicles without contacts makes it difficult to find a vehicle that an individual is able to buy. That is another reason to join a specific brand club and then the local chapters. The older the vehicle interest, the smaller the "fraternity" of knowledgeable individuals of the make, and from my experience the more helpful they are to help you along with your vehicle journey.

Walt, Joyce and I practice what we preach. We were on a tour in Sept and stopped at an elementary school for the kids to see all of the old cars. Here are a couple of pictures of the kids lining up to sit in the 1915 Buick truck. They were lined up 30-40 yards back to sit in the truck. Everyone on the tour had fun. Some of the kids were asking for autographs, what kind of vehicle we owned, how to drive it, and they were all very polite. Touring and not sitting on a parking lot is our cup of tea. That is the reason that we purchased a 1912 Model T a couple of years ago for the specific purpose to go on the Model T Coast to Coast tour with the Model T Club if it happens in 2028. I have the car currently apart and going through it in preparation of going on the tour. We will drive the car a lot after it is back together to sort it out so it is ready for the tour. God willing Joyce and I are alive and able to go on the tour, We are going to take our two grandsons on the tour with us. They will be about 10 & 14 by that time. We figure that at the end of the tour the boys will either love us or hate us, but they will NEVER forget us and their time with us. Life is not about just the money, it is about the experiences that you can pass on to the next generation. It is those experiences that you can, if you decide to do, to pass on and leave your foot prints in the sand or concrete for the next generation to remember. We already have taken our older grandson on a couple of tours with us and he said that he has enjoyed the experiences. He is 7 years old. He currently looks forward to being with us and the old car(s).

Mike & Nancy have not been managers of the Buick Club for probably three or four years. Cornerstone Registration has been doing that since they stopped. Buick Club of AmericaNATIONAL OFFICEc/o Cornerstone Registration, Ltd.PO Box 1715Maple Grove, MN 55311-6715

It would appear to be true because every month of the year there is a request on the cover of the Buick Club magazine, the Bugle looking for judges. I am not into judging, but I have heard that discussion among friends that do judge. Maybe if that is the case, the greater interest in the hobby does not lie in judging. To stay in business and grow, you need a product that the customer is willing to pay for. In the case of car clubs, figure out what the "product" the customer wants to buy with a membership and change.

One way to help stop the decline is to let the younger family members drive our cars. If we keep telling them to not touch, they will find their interests in other places. My son in law is a car guy, has not been into the older cars. I finally talked my daughter and him to go on a tour with us this year. She was hesitant, but agreed to go. After going on the tour, it was hard for her, but she cracked a smile and said that the tour was fun, and........she would go again. This is a picture of them in our 1915 Buick truck driving in front of us in the 1913 Buick touring car.

1908 Buick Model F cars had sidelites.

I trust that you are looking for a parts car with a title?

Last time I looked at that information, it seemed like there were over 250 individuals that made more than one car. Only the manufacturers, those that made most of the parts including the powertrain, engine, transmission, rear axle survived for some time. The rest who were assemblers of purchased parts could not compete on price or quality and went out of business.

If you retard the timing with the engine running, if it is a rod knock, it could diminish in loudness or go away with the timing retarded.

Be sure to clean any paint or corrosion off the block before attaching the ground cable.

You might just give them a call and see if they have them, but do not list them on their website?

Here is a comment that I saw in one of the Model T magazines. I have not tried it yet, but it does make sense and appears to be a simple test for proper clearance. Just be sure to put oil on the piece of paper before you put it on the rod cap. Here's a quote from Jim Lyons: "Put a small piece of newspaper that covers about 70% of the rod cap in place and tighten down the cap on the rod on the crank with the paper in place. If you can rotate the engine then it's still too loose.Sep 2, 2015

Would you post some pictures of the cables at the battery & at the starter? That will help us help you.

The grease fitting on the end is an Alemite grease fitting. You can buy a grease gun for this type of fitting or change to a modern type. Your choice. https://www.huyett.com/a336

Here ya go.

I would be fairly sure it would be three on the tree as standard. I was told years ago that if you bought a vehicle with no options, GM was selling the car at or below cost. They made all of their money on the options.

What is the correct fuel pressure according to the service manual? 4 PSI sounds a little high?

These work great and are accurate.

Have you checked the clearance of all of the rod & main bearings? Also the thrust bearings for the crankshaft. Don't forget that you might have an issue of cam chucking. Just some thoughts.

That is normal. Drive it, break it, fix it, repeat.