Brian_Heil

67 mile test run today in 90F heat mid day. Ready for the Nickel Tour this June in Ohio.

I agree doing some Google searching but it would appear Buick had two configurations for the valve cage retention? This engine has a form I am not familiar with. Other 1908 Model 10s have the locking nut valve cage which they ran up to 1923. Can someone explain what years Buick used this pictured configuration ?

This one is local and they have no idea what it is. Any help appreciated.

So, it all started with a cracked distributor cap. Replaced the cap and the other items noted but at the same time installed a bad set of new points continued the ignition issues.

It was more frustrating than it sounds. Just the pressure of my test probe against the points head was enough to improve the continuity and get a good reading. More frustrating is the point head would rotate around and have good and bad continuity as it ran and rotated to different angular locations. Fooled me several times. This issue now tops the ballast resistor issue above for difficulty in finding.

The saga has another chapter I still had some ignition issues after the leaf spring cleaning. Run 100% then fall off then come back. Another afternoon of hunting. This time I found the point head on the new points set, not securely riveted to the points arm. You could spin it with your fingers. Perhaps this rotating points head / poor contact was it all along? A rap with a center punch on the back rivet head and all good. Fingers crossed.

Clean it and the little nook where it clips in the points arm too and the nook in the points arm

I thought I had seen the most difficult to solve ignition problem 25 years ago when the external ballast resistor filament was broken on my 1923 Buick and that little filament would make and break contact as it would heat up and cool down. That one took several days until working into the late evening and I saw something spark as the engine quit in my dark driveway. Here is headache #2: Car was running poor then not at all, no spark, then weak spark, stall. Then it would try to run. I checked all the wires, cleaned all the connections. Nothing. New plugs cap points rotor capacitor coil. Nothing. Did find the loose banjo fitting on the fuel pump and fixed that. Took the Marvel apart and didn't find anything wrong but it got a good cleaning. I then walked the entire ignition circuit with my multi meter starting at the battery. All the way to the points. Hey, the points arm is dead. The little leaf spring that provides spring load to close the points also carries the voltage and current from the points arm when they close and are grounded. The leaf spring was rusty where it makes contact with the nesting arm that comes off the isolated grounding terminal on the side of the distributor. That was it. The leaf spring pressure is all there is to make the leaf have good contact with the nesting arm. Not a great design so that interface needs to be clean. There, I just saved someone 18 hours of frustration.

These washers also work great on the bottom of the Marvel where the fuel inlet banjo fitting is nearly identical to the banjo fitting on top of the S/W vacuum fuel pump

Thx Found one here locally

Yes, the S/W lids can be fragile. I was really careful while tightening my fitting. Not sure how Morgan’s fitting hex head looks so nice. I’ve never had a wrench on my fitting in 27 years but it looks like it went to a Plyers Convention every year before that.

Modern API certified lubes have anti oxidant stabilizers. The damaging (oxidation) of the ‘yellow’ metals (it’s actually the copper in them that was once oxidized) is a thing of the past. Cars from the 50s and before that never got their lube updated is why the stories persist.

Not a fan of leather belts as mentioned above but at least these don’t have the metal clasp ‘belt buckle’ going round and round making noise The two ends are tapered and sewn so you have a consistent belt thickness. Lots of sizes to choose from If they are accurate it says the 1923 Buick 6 cylinder takes a 30 1/2 inch belt.

https://www.then-now-auto.com Is who you are thinking of. Massachusetts

It’s not as dry as you think Pulled down a 1923 engine that had been sitting for years in a garage. Turned over by hand so not stuck but had not run in 40+ years. There was oil in the journals. Beware of Lucas products. They do not API certify. There are no 3rd party quality audits done of their product and it is not passing any set or rigorous standardize tests. Higher priced and hype.

If you don’t tour in the pouring rain a leather belt will get you home. And I bet it wasn’t $19

And listen to Hugh above. Your style fan hub should be rebuilt w modern sealed bearings. They are known to fail. I believe Hugh has a write-up on how to do this. Hugh? Also check the rivets that hold the fan blades to the ‘spider’. Most of mine were loose.

After 27 trouble free years well pretty close to trouble free ha, my 1923 started to run poorly. Tune up items all checked good. No loose connections. Took the Marvel all apart. Nothing found. I did note my Venturi is brass not pot metal which may explain why my Marvel has always run well. Took the cover off the Marvel and noticed the fuel level was way down from the normal level. Float not sticking. Engine struggling. Hmmm. At this point and two afternoons of frustration I noticed the gasket at the top of the S/W vacuum tank was sticking out and the banjo was loose. I was thinking before I saw it that the S/W may be the issue. Gasket failed. Vacuum leak and poor fuel delivery. There has to be a better way to seal this banjo fitting. Amazon to the rescue. These ‘rubber’ molded steel washers are 3/4 inch I.D. and fit perfect and they really seal. These are used to seal oil pan drain plugs. I lubed the top seal that sees the turning head of the fitting so I would not damage the seal. Perfect fix for a pesky joint.

And another quick search says Amazon.de is the most visited e-commerce site in Germany so you should be fine cousin!

A quick search on Amazon found an 8 rib x 30 inch Goodyear belt for $19 Measure your belt, it is something close to 30 inches. Lots to choose from. Presume you have an online vendor of a similar sort you can search and order from in Germany?

Steffen I took my old belt to the auto parts store and asked them to match it with a ~25 mm wide modern serpentine belt. That was 27 years ago, still doing fine. Let me do some quick searches and see what I find now with the internet. Stay tuned.

The transmission lock actually came out in 1923. The caption is in error.