Roger Barrett

They are accessory demountable wheels for pre-1917 model T Ford.

If it has a water manifold running over the top of the cylinder head it’s the big one. If the upper hose hooks up to the front of the head it’s the small one. I have parts for the small one. Fred Rawling May be able to help with the big one.

You are missing the oil pump drive. Is this a small or large series car?

Hugh, if there is a hole in the heat jacket sleeve it is a tremendous vacuum leak no matter if the Marvel intake preheat system is working or not.

You are better off removing the original sleeve and replacing it. A skilled operator with an acetylene torch can slice the steel sleeve where it is pressed into the iron heat jacket without damaging the casting. I have done it many times. I then machine a new sleeve to fit the jacket bore. They can vary so each one is a custom job. The sleeves used to be available but as far as I know are not anymore. You really don’t want to choke the the intake down any smaller.

To the overhead. Damn auto correct

The prewar Buicks and other cars I have worked on have an orifice about .035” the the overhead.

The RI wiring harnesses available new are really nice. It is likely if the car was restored in 1974 the original harness was left alone and is now nearly twice as old as it was then. Who knows how long new harnesses will be available.

My father started restoring this car in 1960. Perseverance pays off.

You have a voltage problem. The starter is dragging the voltage down below where the ignition will function. When you release the starter the voltage comes back up while the engine is still turning over and it will start. Either your starter is taking too much to operate or more likely you have a battery cable problem, like small 12 volt cables on a 6 volt car, or bad connections or grounds.

If you have seven to ten it will be okay. Less than that and you should drop the pan and look at things. Pay particular attention to the soldered joints of the oil plumbing and cleanliness of the pan and oil pump screen. I made a device to pressurize the oiling system with the pan off. It’s messy but makes it easy to see where your pressure is leaking off.

Those bearings look pretty good. They will give good service if the car is driven as intended. If you are going to push it beyond that you may want new ones.

I am bringing my dad and his roadster to the meet. He’s BCA #99. Had this car since 1952.

The best thing you can do is get a copy of the Buick service manual and go through the entire adjustment process. There are something like 25 steps. Do not skip any of them, all are important and have likely changed or been tampered with by this time. There are pictures and specifications in the manual that need to be correct for acceptable brake performance. It is also importsnt to have the correct brake lining on the bands.

What year and front or rear?

Michel, I shipped your starter today. Will you email me at bcanumber99@yahoo.com Greetings from your Buick friends in the USA.

We are working on getting dad's 27 Standard roadster to the Oklahoma show. Paint is done and we are almost ready for upholstery and top. He has owned this car since 1952 and is BCA #99. Hope to see all of you there.

That's a 26 or later starter. I have them for Standard 6, I think Master may be the same.

1928

I can save you the trouble, I have spares. Email me at bcanumber99@yahoo.com

Are you using the vacuum tank or a fuel pump? If you have a pump you need a pressure regulator to cut down to no more than 1or 2 psi. In any case, the fuel level in the bowl should be just below the top of the main discharge nozzle. Too high and it will run out the nozzle and onto the floor. We set up these carbs on the bench with whatever pressure they will be seeing and set the float so the fuel is just barely visible in the main nozzle. These carbs are not great even by standards of their day. That said, they will run acceptably if everything is right. The fit of the pot metal air valve in the main body is crucial. Also be advised that these units can have a slow leak with modern gasoline when they are in perfect shape. The castings are so porous 21st century gas will seep through them.

We have done this with 6 cylinder cars but not an 8. Good results as far as performance but looks wrong under the hood. What are your issues with the Marvel carb as it is? The heat riser is prone to having the inner sleeve rust out, making a huge vacuum leak that makes the engine hard to start and unmanageable if it does. We have rebuilt a number of these Marvels. They are not a great carburetor even by the standards of the day but they will work fine if in good shape. Even then they will leak modern gasoline.

Bob's used to make a replacement filter assembly that uses a modern spin on filter concealed inside. I have two of them and they work great. Look just like the original. I don't know anyone who has the original filters available and even if they did they would be 90 years old.

Here are some pics.

Pics