unimogjohn

George, welcome and where are you? Post pics of the car and the data plate. That will give us something to base a value on. From Seventy Years of Buick. "Why Buick never built this beautiful 7-passenger touring car for domestic sales is unknown. The car is the Model 29-49-X Touring, built for export only. The car featured standard wire wheels with sidemount and a built in trunk rack. Only 756 were produced." I would say that you have a very rare master series Buick. There is a picture in the book, and it is very handsome indeed. It is based on the US version. Here is what the author says about that car model. "The 7 passenger master Six Touring, Model 25-49, used the 128 inch wheelbase chassis. Standard equipment included the dual rear spares and covers and the windshield visor. The car sold for $1,625 and weighed 3,610 pounds. Buick built 2,826. Buick claimed that this car would easily maintain 60 to 70 mph without strain."

Bob, how did you know the clock is the only thing not working? Not high on the list but certainly one of the things that need to be done. I will give you a shout when I am ready. It is Monday, Dec 26th. Hope everyone had a great Christmas. We have the car ready to go to Indiana tomorrow. We have a 560 mile drive to see a prospective car buy. I have already put the cart before the horse in that I have already bought period VA plates for it. We see the car Wednesday morning. If she checks out good then we will make an offer and will see where it leads us. I guess I can say it is a early 50s car and European. So on Thursday morning I will know the outcome and will post pictures even if I do not get it. If we do get it the plans are to go back up with the Suburban and enclosed trailer and bring it home. Or we might see what it will cost to have it shipped home. If around $500 it would be worth it. And I did not start the tear down of the Avanti today. Chris, aka Seventhson on this forum, may come over on Friday to see our Avanti and pick up a few parts and to borrow the rear drum puller. What him to see it still all together and running. We will give him a ride too. Got to keep his interest up and motivated to continue work on his new Avanti.

Bernie, your car is really going to look nice with that top. It is going to look rather sporty. Too bad you cannot tilt the windshield, but I understand what you are working with. I was just reading about the Packard Twin-Six cars with the custom bodies by Fleetwood, Derham, Demarest and others. The article has some great pictures. The article is in the January, 2012 issue of Hemmings Classic Car, #88. If you like I can scan the article and send it to you. Funny, you are working on an American car, and I am off tomorrow to look at a British car. I hope to have her in my garage in a month or so.

It is Christmas Eve, Saturday, Dec 24. Just got off the phone with the body shop/painter for our green Avanti. I decided that I was just wishing that paint and body work were only going to be a couple of grand for a professional job. Well, it just is not so. So decided to pull the trigger and go with the crew at Sterling Hot Rod. Got an agreement that we are looking at $7000 plus or minus a couple of hundred. We will see how close we get. My job now is to get as much off as possible so avoid masking. We will not remove any glass, but everything else is going to come off. There are two badges on the sail of the car and you have to remove upholstery to get to the fasteners. I will have to leave them in place or may just drill them out, which will destroy them. If I do that I will buy repros and glue them in place. I will take pictures as I start the process. I hope to have her in the shop by the end of the second week of January. While it is in the shop the bumpers will be sent away too.

It is Friday, PM. Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Posting to the forum may be cut short over the next couple of weeks due to the holidays; and Alice and I are taking a short trip to Muncie, IN to take a look at another car. Cannot say much about it right now except that it is in original condition and beautifully maintained. It is a early 50s car. Will go up and back in two days early next week. Then we take a week long ship cruise the first week in January. Greg said that he did not know how much he was going to get done over the holidays either. So, you all enjoy the holidays. Greg and I wish you all the best, and thanks for following along this past year. Hopefully, next year I will have news on another car and another little adventure. Now I have to build another garage!

Chris, the carb looks good already. Going to look brand new when you get her all cleaned up and the kit installed. I have a helpful aid when you are working on her. I get four long bolts and eight nuts, and put them through the four corners of the flange, with a nut on underside of the flange and a nut above the flange. Now you have made stilts for the carb to keep it off the work bench, and you can move the throttle plates without hitting the table. Makes it much easier to work on, at least for me.

It is Friday, December 23rd. Well, I got the paint estimate for my driver green Avanti. Boy was I way off on what paint cost these days. My low estimate was $2K from Maaco, and this one came in almost the highest, $9K. A show quality paint estimate came in at $10K. I am so disappointed. I had convinced myself that I would pull the trigger at $4 to 5K. I guess I will keep looking. I hate going back to square one. Greg continues to bore ahead in his work. Here is his report. "Well, after last night's drama in the Matheson department, I'm taking tonight to do something more relaxing. During the day while I bore away on that Wright vertical four block, the Wright eight engine is close by so I study it during cuts. The next step is to lay out the main bearing caps, get them attached and while I still have Mitch's line boring apparatus, and John's bar mike. I'd like to get the main caps machined, installed and then bore the saddles for the babbitts. So tonight while no one is around except for the occasional errant stink bug flyby, I'm working on the main caps. With nothing to go by except a few photo enlargements, the Baby Grand eight insides are a mystery. I'm combining features from their production fours and also clues from their inline six which seems to have been designed alongside the eight. It's heavier bearing journals make sense, as well as the dimensional layout of the four in production at the time. So tonight it is repetitious passes for the five caps to rough out the bores. And letting my mind go on vacation as Big Al used to say."

Chris, yes, that is the correct carb. S is for sealed.

Chris, it looks like you dodged the rust bullet on that tank and sender. That will save you a few dollars for sure. On the carb, does it have a plate on the front that says that it is a sealed carb? If not, what does the little id tag say? Sealing a carb is not hard, just follow the maintenance manual.

Eric, you need to tell us the model number, which is on the passenger side firewall. Or tell us if it has a round bar between the two frame rails on the front of the car forward of the radiator. That will tell us if the car is a master or standard series. Pic of the car would be nice. Standard, model 26, businessman coupe 12,417 produced Standard, model 26-S, Country Club coupe 13,211 produced Master, mode 54-C, Country Club coupe 6,555 produced The marvel carb and its heating system works just fine if maintained correctly. It is simple to fix as there are few parts compared to modern carbs. Mine works great as long as it is kept clean. We can help with the renew. I would bet that the metering jets, two of them, are clogged hence the bad running. But he as to keep the choke all the way out to make and keep her running. I would estimate that you are look at a $2 to 3 K car in my books. But we need to know more about the condition inside and outside to make a determination. A good, well maintained driver will run you about $13K.

It is Thursday, Dec 22nd. Boy, Greg is really working hard on the Matheson engine. He told me that he is getting close enough that soon he will start putting it back together. He said that it will be started and run at the shop. He confessed that ignition and timing system is still a mystery and that he still had some research to do before he dared spin the engine. I hope to be there that day. Should be interesting. Here is Greg's engine report from last night. "My intention for tonight was to finish my work on the Matheson camshaft. The crooked gear consumed last night, now it was time to install it. Trying to work up to the standards of a hundred years ago, I wanted to duplicate the nice, tight fit furnished me by the guy in the Matheson plant. That meant to not make the gear a sloppy fit on the shaft. I machined the rebushed gear to a little on the snug side, dressed the bore with a large rattail file wrapped in aluminum oxide sandpaper. Again trying not to make the hole too big. I tried it gently on the shaft, it started to go, so I thought "well, a little heat on the gear should expand it just enough to allow it to slide on and line up the tapered pin hole. Restoration Rule #1 - There's always time for that last minute aw$hit! You mechanic/machinst guys know what's coming next. Sometimes, seems like more often than not, the warmed part slides part way on, then cools just enough to shrink to the shaft wherever it is at the moment. Not where it is supposed to be. Won't go on, won't come off. To remedy the situation then at hand, often one of the two components must be destroyed. Sacrificed . So, it was a dark and stormy night and there I was. trouble to the left of me, trouble to the right. Stuck you might say. Let's see, do I want to saw the camshaft up to save the gear, or saw the gear off to save the cam? With neither a good option, I decided to try something that usually doesn't work. Put the cam in the press, use more heat and try to press the gear all the way home. Heating the outside to expand the bore, with the two parts fitting together so tightly, the heat just transfers to the shaft, nothing is gained. So, with nothing to lose (except an irreplaceable camshaft and an expensive gear), I put the torch to the gear and yanked on the handle to the hydraulic press. It began to creep, so I kept after it. The gear was hot, but I was the one sweating. It went. And they think the machinist trade is a day at the beach."

Chris, Santa sure visited you early. Look forward to seeing what is inside. But you forgot one pic.

This should be your car. Buick for sale | Hemmings Motor News

It is Wednesday, Dec 21st. Well, I did not get to the 23 yesterday, but did work on the Avanti. I decided to see if I could find out what was leaking all over the top of the engine. I thought that the gallery cover was leaking. Of course you have to take the intake off to get to all the bolts. That was not going to happen. I could get to two of the bolts, they were tight. Then decided just to clean all the oil off again and take her for a long drive. When down and saw Greg and his projects. Too much fun. Then looked at the engine again, the oil was seeping under a little plate on the front of the engine, the two bolts were loose! Tightened them up. One of many leaks fixed. Had a great time visiting Greg and he was busy watching the lathe turn, turn, turn. And I got to look at the Vin Fiz Wright airplane. What a great bird. And here is Greg's report. "Tonight's Matheson mission: While spinning the camshaft in the lathe, I noticed the drive gear on the end was running out, crooked. To remove the gear, a taper pin was removed and then the gear pushed off in the hydraulic press. Nice fit. Back to the lathe to see where the problem was. The end of the shaft is reduced in diameter and evidently something knocked the gear out of true, the end of the shaft had bent. I couldn't see trying to straighten it the solution, so I moved the lathe steady rest to near the end of the camshaft and then reduced the diameter of the bent end until it ran true. Didn't take too much, maybe .030" total. I was going to machine a bushing to press onto the shaft to bring it back to the original diameter, but realized that was stupid. How was I going to find the hole for the taper pin that I'd cover up. So I machined the bushing to press into the gear, have bored it to just a thousandth too small and tomorrow will hone it to size for a good fit like they had. Then I can see the hole to open up. Getting smarter? No promises. How am I wiling away my hours at work? Currently I am line boring the main bearing saddles on another new casting for a Wright vertical four. It beats bagging groceries. =

Chris, I can hardly wait until you take out the sender and peek inside. I hope that it is clean, but I doubt it knowing gas that has been sitting for fifteen or so years. Good luck.

Alexandra, you have a Model 23-35 Touring if it has a front and back seat. It was priced at $885 US dollars. It weighed 2,520 lbs, and used the 109 inch wheelbase chassis. Buick built 36,935 for domestic sales, but only 63 for export. Since you have right hand drive it appears that you have one of the export cars. A very rare car indeed.

It is Tuesday morning, Dec 20th. With the farm and snow equipment now all ready for winter I promised myself that I am going to get back on the 23 Buick to see what is up with the starter generator. I guess I realized that it is not going to fix itself. But then Greg never stops. Here is his non-work projects for yesterday. "I loaded the R-3 block (black Avanti), took it to Lee's. You have to know Lee Day to ....well, never mind. Caught him before he locked up the shop. Showed him the cylinder bores hoping he could sometime find time to hone the wear paths out and bring them all to a uniform size. He fussed at me for not bringing the main caps. "You want them too?" " No!, I don't put them on and use a deck plate either, dumba$$". That's a typical conversation with Lee. So while he was getting the hand truck I was scrambling for the connecting rods I'd brought along. Like trying not to get caught with gum in school. We got the block inside the shop and I sauntered over to the shot peening cabinet. More grief, but he showed me how he mounts them for his best result. Photo enclosed shows them shot peened and notice I protected the big end bores with old bearing inserts and held the caps on with Tractor Store hardware. Meanwhile back at the Matheson engine works: While the ignition cams are off, it is a good time to address the fact that someone had apparently timed things by turning the camshaft with pipewrench. Since this camshaft lives outside the engine, it needs to look factory fresh. Tonight was spent with the cam spinning in the lathe so that I could dress out the boo boos. Note to self: Degrease the main caps and bolts and take them to Lee.

It is Monday PM. Congratulations to Greg and the Wright Experience crew. Here is Greg's great report. "To document tonight's progress, I need to empty the camera of today's progress. With Paul Glenshaw bearing down on us as our company photographer, there was a flurry of activity to install components on our Wright Model EX Vin Fiz reproduction for it's photo shoot. This afternoon we saw it completed for the first time when we rolled it out for it's baby pictures. We were blessed by the appearance of the sun. Many of the Wright's products were dressed in silver varnished or aluminum burnished woodwork, as this one was. The wood finish and the cream of wheat colored fabric really light up. While constantly researching the aircraft we are to copy, our team actually gets so familiar with it that they decide what day in it's life we are trying to capture. Machines like this one changed from day to day, especially this one that saw so much abuse and repair. I understand this portrays the Vin Fiz early in it's life, when leaving New York and before more artwork was added enroute. And before something we learned when we viewed the original fabric at Air & Space. By the time the aircraft arrived in California it had accumulated hundreds of scribbled autographs enroute. As I helped roll it out I was really taken with the size of the machine, only a thirty-two foot wingspan..... and how big this country would have been in 1911. Cal Rodgers, if you were looking down on us today, you certainly earned your rest. And give those other Early Birds our regards."

It is Monday, Dec 19th. I spent some time on my Avanti, the green one, over the weekend. Changed the oil. This is its third oil change with me in about 1000 miles or so. I was happy. For the first time I did not get any goo out of the bottom of the oil pan, but the oil was coal black so the detergents are doing their job. I had about 500 miles on this oil. I am loosing some oil from the rear main seal area, but I do check the oil before every drive so I am never really that low. No word yet on the paint estimate, expect something today or tomorrow. While cruising around Youtube I found this site sponsored by the US Auto Industry and a bunch of old motor films. Here is one that I liked. Lots of teens and 20s cars. And Greg is working on his black Avanti R3 engine. Here is his report. "I did get a little done on the R-3 engine this past weekend. When I scrubbed the piston decks, I noticed that beneath the carbon buildup were some traces of corrosion and pitting. Saturday afternoon I chucked the pistons in the lathe and took a few thousandths off to clean them up. Sunday I received a call from Mitch who informed me that he had not only a good ridge reamer, but also a piston knurling machine. Both available to me. Dropped what we were doing to borrow the ridge reamer. This evening I did try cutting the ridge from the number two cylinder. It was the worst of them, at that just a few thousandths wear (on a side). I did drag a hone through the bores but think it best that I take the block to Lee at the machine shop so that he can true them up. All for now."

Bernie, just a question. Since your car had its top cut off and is now an open car, do you have plans to put an convertible/period top on it? If yes, what do you plan to use? Still enjoy all our posts even though you are still on the mend. John

It is Friday, Dec 16th. For me it is tractor maintenance day. For Greg he is busy as usual and working on the Matheson engine. "More time on Matheson camming. Interesting camshaft drive gear. Cam timing is adjustable. Slots allow you to dial in the valve (and ignition I guess) timing. Tonight I removed the ignition cams. With wear visible, I built up the wear paths with bronze and dressed them by hand. I'll have them plated to hide the repair and hopefully remedy the problem. No Studebakering."

Found a similar duPont. It is a 1929 duPont LeMans Speedster. It is at the Simeone Foundation Museum. Here is a pic. And here is a bit of the duPont automobile company, and its racing history. http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/makeHistory/488,10331/DuPont_History.aspx My son, Chris, just sent me this link. It is of the actual car that I photographed today. Boy, the internet is sure great. Makes the world much smaller. http://www.conceptcarz.com/events/eventVehicle.aspx?carID=9611&eventID=669&catID=2531

It is still Thursday, but PM. Had a great few hours driving the Avanti over the back country roads to the hot rod shop, Sterling Hot Rods. What a great shop. The body and paint specialist went over the car with an expert hand. He impressed me with his fiberglass and paint knowledge. We discussed and agreed on a plan of action. Now I just have to wait for the estimate. I will share it when I get it in a couple of days. Wayne's 64 Corvette looks like a alabaster sculpture. All stripped of her paint and primer. I snapped a few pics. Plan is to put it in primer with some finish paint to the engine bay and interior panels. Wayne will then take her home, pull the body off the frame, restore the frame and components, put the body back on and take her back for the final paint. I dared to ask him the cost, but I did. He estimates that the body work and paint will run right at $15K. The shop is in an area with a lot of speed, hot rod, and racing shops. Around the corner I spied this race car. It is huge. I know nothing about it. I will have to do some research. The radiator says that it is a duPont.

Greg just sent me a couple of very, very short video clips of the Matheson break ignition. I have put them on Youtube, but you have to have the link to view. They are not in the public domain. You will have to watch them a couple of times to figure out what is going on. In a message dated 12/15/2011 12:23:57 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, gregcone@msn.com writes: I don't know if your computer will play this. Some do and some won't. Sounds like dating. First clip #1 shows the Matheson cam blade turning it's normal rotation and tripping the trigger. This closes the contacts in the cylinder and being spring loaded, when the cam blade releases it's hold on the trigger, the opposing spring snaps the points open at the proper time for firing. Second clip #2 shows that I have been experimenting with the rubbing block on the trigger and also adjusted the shape of the trigger to allow for the cam to counter rotate in case the crankshaft backs up for any reason. Reducing the thickness of the rubbing blocks supplied now allows the trigger to pass between the cam blade and the valve lobe. Reshaping the trigger keeps it from crashing with the cam blade. It's a plan.

It is Thursday, Dec 15th. Heading out this morning with Wayne, a Corvette car nut, to take a look at his 1964 roadster that is in the paint shop for body work and priming. He is having the interior parts painted in his color of choice, and then then will take it home for frame restoration and engine/tranny installation. Then it will go back to the shop for final paint. While there I am going to get another estimate for painting on the green Avanti. Speaking of green, I found the correct color of the car. I painted a little panel and it is an exact match. It is a Dupli-Color Ford Deep Jewel Green Metallic. (looks blue in the pics, but it is really green) Greg and the folks at the Wright Experience are still at it with their various interesting projects. Here is Greg's report and pics. "Well, we're still at it. Scott on the Vin Fiz deathmarch. Me, I'm still poking around the Matheson engine trying to understand all I know about the ignition system before the day comes when I try to power it up and watch for fireworks. I've also stolen some time to scrub and look over the black Avanti's R-3 cylinder block, and demount the pistons from their connecting rods. The cylinder walls show some wear, two of them more than the others. I can feel some ridge, so I hope to have Lee straighten them up on his power hone and since it will remain a low time engine, I want to find someone to knurl the pistons to tighten them up in the bores a little (Forgedtrues are scarce these days). I did this when I overhauled the R-2 that was in the car. That was back in the seventies when there were automotive machines shops and skilled workers. Now everything is "crate motor", over the counter and right out of the box."