37_Roadmaster_C

A good machine shop could make you one using your broken one as a pattern, but the cost may be high. Bobs pricing tends to be good.

I know nothing about Model A Ford, but distributor ignition is very strait forward. Check points as mentioned above. Check to make SURE the points are properly opening on EVERY high cam lobe. I have seen cams wear unevenly causing strange issues. Next the cap, rotor and wires. Pay close attention to the wires. With good spark on #1, try swapping the #1 wire to the #2-4 location and test. I think you will find your problem with a little investigation and luck!! GOOD LUCK 🤔!!!!!!!

Hi David and welcome to the asylum 😇! It is very nice to see the younger generations keeping the hobby going!!! The above advice is right on point. The one thing I will add is simply a safety thing. The car is almost guaranteed to be loaded with rodent droppings. This can be loaded with things hazardous to your health. First off wear your mask and be careful!! Vacuum out the interior very well and wash off the outside. After that look everything over and move forward slowly and with care! Good luck and keep us posted. We love to follow projects.

I'm here because I do like old cars, but money old or new catches my eye also............. I just wish there was a way to make examples of these scammers. something like hands on a railroad track with a very slowly approaching train 😠.....

All lights and accessories off. Quick on and off with the jumper cables. Two people best or under the hood if possible. Not best, but doable...

Hi Marq, With no replies from members here I would call Bobs and/or Cars Inc and ask them. I have had very good results with questions from both. Good Luck...

I currently drive a 97 GMC Sonoma with a 195 hp V6 and it is doing just fine for me. Chances are it will be repaired/rebuilt until parts are not to be had or made. With current prices for new vehicles, if I ever get a NEW vehicle again I am sure it will be a low end import and be viewed as disposable. If I were to spend the big bucks it would be for a classic I liked from 50+ years ago..... Just sayin...

Well, you did say the transmission was leaking a lot when you had it on the sloping driveway..........🤔

Congratulations!!! Enjoy the road in your Buick!!!

@Dapper, The relay we are talking about is the one at the lower end of your picture. It is the one with the three contact fingers. I can not tell for sure, but I think the upper copper contact appears to be stuck (the one closest to the middle relay). It is hard to tell, but in the picture that contact appears to be slightly lower than the others, like it is stuck. You can do a simple test with your meter to confirm the stuck contacts. I think your meter has a beeper function on the lower end of the dial. To confirm set the dial and touch the probes together. When they beep you have the right setting. Now, with the negative battery cable disconnected AND the wires disconnected from the Bat terminal of the regulator, touch the probes as follows: one probe (either one) to the regulator bat terminal and with that one touching, gently touch the other probe to the rear of the copper contact assembly. Do not press down very hard. If the meter "Beeps" the contacts are stuck. If so, you will need to GENTLY try to "unstick" them. I would just gently pick under the copper with a fingernail. You do NOT want to bend the copper contact finger. Repeat the test and confirm there is no "Beep". If there is no beep you can keep the probes touching and gently press down on the contacts with a finger to confirm you get a beep. If this all checks out proceed to cleaning the contacts as I mentioned in an earlier post and then reconnect the wires to the Bat terminal. Now test for sparks when you touch the negative battery cable to the battery post. If no sparks connect the negative cable and start the motor, rev slightly and then turn off the motor. Disconnect the negative cable and repeat the spark test. If no sparks I would start the motor, stop the motor and spark test several times to confirm the contacts do not stick again. If all is good disconnect the negative cable one more time and replace the cover on the regulator (do not forget the gasket). Reconnect the negative cable, close the hood, start the car, smile and go for a drive!!!!! Let us know what you find!

@Dapper, Terry is exactly right with his idea and troubleshooting procedure. I just had the exact same problem with a 1956 tractor. The tractor is 6 volt just like your Buick. The problem was a dead battery which would work just fine after being charged. Then after the tractor was shut off and left overnight the battery would be dead again. This tractor has no electric accessories, only generator, voltage regulator, starter and ignition. With a little more elaborate troubleshooting it was found that there was a 10 amp draw when the ignition was shut off. To cut to the chase, the cutout contact in the voltage regulator was stuck closed causing the generator to be connected to the battery all the time, even when the motor was not running. I got lucky and was able to free the contact and all is well and still working properly. One caution... If you do find a stuck contact and are able to free it, be VERY careful cleaning the contacts. Do NOT use a file, sand paper or any grinding device. The contacts are made out of or coated with special metals and if they are removed the regulator will fail very quickly and have to be replaced. To clean the contacts the best way is to use a thick plain white paper. Think a business card or several folded layers of copy paper. Use rubbing alcohol or brake cleaner as a cleaning solvent. Simply wet the paper with the solvent and slide through the contacts with a light pressure on the contacts to lightly "pinch" the paper. Do this several times until the paper stays clean. Reassemble and reconnect and test. Keep a close eye on things for a while to be sure the problem does not return. Keep us posted!!! Good luck!

@Dapper, Here is the contact info for a local Buick club. I got this from the Buick Club of America website. Just Google Phoenix car clubs and you will find more!!! VALLEY OF THE SUN (Phoenix) Ken Mitson 480-607-3714 PS: there is an email for Ken on the BCA site.

Also, Phoenix is a big place. I am sure there is an antique car group there. Those people would most likely be happy to help out AND they most likely have a 6 volt charger!!! You might want to make a post in the post war Buick forum: https://forums.aaca.org/forum/57-buick-post-war/ and ask for local help. I am sure there are Buick people local to you.

The Harbor Freight chargers are a problem. They are an electronic controlled charger and will not start charging a battery that is completely dead like yours. There are ways to force it to charge, but it is a pain and not guaranteed. If you can find an old dumb charger it is your best bet in this case, even if you can borrow one for now. I will leave recommendations up to others as with my background I am able to do quirky things that would be risky to people without the understanding. Sorry, just do not want to hurt anybody or any Buicks.

I do not remember the exact size, but 10-32 is very close to a metric thread size. You can force a 10-32 into the metric thread, but it is NOT right. On every sender mounting I have ever worked with on Buick the screws would thread in all the way with finger pressure unless there was damage or contamination. I am betting the Taiwan tank has metric screw size threads....

Just read your last reply. mV=milivolts So 70mV=.070 Volts Very dead battery!! Charge it ASAP. The battery may be damaged because of the deep discharge. A quick recharge is your best action!!

It sure sounds like you have a dead battery. Terry is right about auto ranging meters. I worked in the electronics industry for 45 years and I have been bit by auto ranging meters many times. There is nothing wrong with them, you just have to pay close attention to the display AND understand what it is telling you. Now back to the problem.... My first thought with what we now know is why is the battery dead? My next question is: Why was there a battery master kill switch? It might have been for security or storage, but it might be because there was a problem causing dead batteries. You might want to disconnect the battery and put a charger on it. Next give the guy you bought it from a call and ask if he ever had battery problems. It is amazing how many people fix problems with a hack/band-aid instead of a proper fix.

@Fr. Buick Please explain your reference to balancing a torque tube. The tube does not spin therefore balance is irrelevant. Now the shaft inside the tube is a whole different animal...

Um... Correct me if I am wrong, but is that not the torque tube and therefore not spinning? The drive shaft is within the tube. Welding would be perfectly Ok, but the flange does need to be perfectly square to the tube to minimize stress and avoid future breaks...

I agree with the above. The plate should not be moving up and down. If you are trying to use a charger to do this test it is very likely the starter is drawing the voltage down so far it will not spark. Get a fully charged proper battery. You will need one anyway when you get it running 😀.

I have never checked for sure, but police friends of mine have told me they are illegal on road vehicles in Washington State. Now I have seen them on antique vehicles here and never heard of anybody being given any trouble....

I understand wanting to do a good thing, but as said above... You can not fix stupid!! If you choose to buy the car back you should NOT accept any expense loss, period. You can be extremely fair and go back to even, but the idiot needs to learn a lesson and the only way for someone like that to learn is to feel it in the pocket. You must do what allows you to sleep nights, but you must not feel obligated to pay for his poor decisions.

Frank, Buick Straight 8 engine numbers have a pattern and that pattern changed in the 40's (I think). On the early engines the first number was hand stamped and represented the model of the car. A 4 for Special, a 6 for Century, a 8 for Roadmaster and a 9 for Limited. In the case of your number, if early it is a 320 out of a Century and the engine number is 3271355. On late engines it was the LAST number that was hand stamped representing the car model. The later cars are not my specialty so I will not try to quote numbers for models... Anyway, if your engine is later it is out of a 50 series car and the engine number is 6327135. Hope this helps! 39_Buick beat me to it 😀.

Roughly what year do you think this siren was from and what car? It very well may be 6 volt. If you run it on 12 volts it will rapidly over heat and be damaged, but it will be louder and higher pitched before it quits. Good Luck!!

This type of siren was very common on all types of emergency vehicles before electronic sirens became common in the late 60's. These "spinner" sirens (because of the spinning fan) are actually still available today. The one big advantage to this type of siren is simply the volume they can produce for the physical size. The big drawback is that they can draw as much or more current (amps) than a large starter.