Terry Wiegand

We had the Buick in Wichita early this morning at Douglas Photographic. It was agreed by everyone to get this done early in the day to try and avoid the 106 degree temperature that hit us this afternoon. Ric did his usual magic with the camera and shot a nice video at the end. We told him to take his time in putting everything together and that there was no hurry. What you are looking at here is just a small portion of the photos that were taken. The ol' gal sets up pretty well when everything is taken into account. Hope you enjoy the pics. Terry and Barbara Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Members #947918

I have the third brush set at the lowest possible position and I am still running 10 amps. This is almost half of what it had been. Like Brian, I could run the spotlight and tell everyone that it's my daytime running light. The next time I drive the car I will try that and see what the ammeter shows. Ed, Thanks for the compliments on the car. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

I put 8 miles on the car this morning and checked out the work that I did the last few days. I set the third brush on the generator back to where it is charging at 10 amps. I feel a lot more comfortable with this rate. This should protect the battery from an overcharged condition. I also took the sight gauge on the dash apart and cleaned everything so as to be free from any oil residue. I then used this EZ TURN sealer on each piece when it went back together. I am here to tell the whole world that this stuff works!! No more seepage or fitting leaks. I am also here to say that when using this stuff you will get it on your hands. I should have used the Nitrile gloves (I got in a hurry) to keep the fingers free of this goo, but I didn't and I am here to tell everyone that it is a nightmare to get off of your hands. Gasoline won't touch it, Kerosene, Acetone, and Turpentine is useless. It took about an hour with water as hot as I could stand, Lava Soap, and a small piece of ScotchBrite to finally get my hands cleaned up and free from this gooey stuff. All that I can say is if you have an oil seepage issue, this is what you want - just don't get it on your skin anywhere. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Look at the car in the background in the second picture. The driveway is more than likely on a slope. The block of wood on the front tire is just added insurance. Come on guys, you are starting to lose it. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

We are getting the car ready to take over to Douglas Photographic's Studio on Saturday. Ric and I talked about what we want to do with the car image-wise when we have it on the turntable. We both feel that it would really be nice to get photos with ALL of the side curtains in place. As is shown in this photo, the middle set is in place and we will put the front ones in once we have the car where we want it. Barbara brought up a very interesting question while we were working with these. She wondered about back in the day when these cars were new and driven daily, HOW did people get in and out of this car when it was raining a pretty good clip? She said that her question was just about the front seat passengers. Then she went on to ask about the back seat passengers. She asked about how the fasteners were turned on the outside once the person(s) were inside the car? Beats the daylights outta me. Maybe somebody on here could enlighten us both. I really had not thought about this until she started asking the questions and we were putting them in place. Bill Krause out in New Jersey lent us the original curtains from his 1916 D-45 to use as visual patterns when Gary was making our new ones. I am now wondering just how things were done back in the day. This should be an enlightening discussion. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Chuck, Thank You for the kind words and encouragement. You are right, just because the car is running well and drivable doesn't mean the story ends here. As it has been pointed out to me, I will be messing with this car for quite some time to come. There is a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction on my part in watching that engine come to life after the starter pedal is pushed. I am reasonably certain that the rebuilder of your steering gear got the half nuts in backward. Nothing damaging, but it will have to come apart again to be corrected. I'm taking the car to East Moline next month to get its 100 year medallion from the AACA and then the Red Flag Tour is coming up the last weekend in September. Please keep this thought in mind - I do not have all the answers and I have had some fantastic help all along the way. This is what has made this restoration so much fun and so rewarding at this point. As one friend has told me several times -"keep it between the ditches". Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

The Delco Starter/Generator Units changed with each model year change on Buick automobiles. The Starter/Generator Unit used on Buick Models 44, 45, 47, 49, and 50 for 1918 was a #117. What I scanned and posted here is specifically for the 1916/1917 Buicks. This is still good information for the early Buick enthusiasts to have access to. The Delco #117 unit was also used on Models 34, 35, and the E-4 Truck. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Neil, Thank you very much for helping to correct this situation. It seems like everyone is more computer savvy than I am. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

If anyone out there can correct the #2 photo to read right, I sure would appreciate it (Larry Schramm - are you out there my man?!) Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

It was noticed by one of the sharp eyed, Pre-War Buick enthusiasts that in the one video that we posted showing the dashboard of the '16 that the ammeter was showing 18-20 charging amps. That is a bit on the high output side for running in the daytime. I spoke with Rex Curtiss and asked him about this. He told me that it wouldn't hurt the Starter/Generator but that it could be a little hard on the battery. With that said I decided to set the third brush back to a charge rate of around 10-12 amps. This is still enough to run the lights when driving the car with the lights on and still put a little back into the battery. I have included the Delco Instruction Sheet for setting the charging rate on the '16's Starter/Generator. I hope that this might be of help to anyone with the Model 70 Delco Unit. When we scanned these pages we had them all oriented in the left to right reading position. Do not know why Page #2 went the way it did. Hopefully the reader can do something about that to make it easier to read. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Bloo, I'm not really having any trouble with the clutch. It is me just learning how to drive this car all over again. Here is what I have learned and learned very well so far. To shift the transmission into 1st, or low gear, the vehicle must be at a dead standstill. Slips right into gear with no problems. Taking off in low gear you only need to go about 50 feet. As Don says quickly means really quick - no gear clash whatsoever. Moving in 2nd gear a person repeats the shifting process to go to 3rd gear. Again, no gear clash whatsoever. I'm finding out that if I'm a bit hesitant on getting off the clutch pedal it will shudder a little bit. Otherwise all the shifts are smooth and non eventful. As of this afternoon we have 65 miles on the odometer, and that's just since last Friday. The next matter is to get the seepage from the sight gauge on the dashboard stopped. If no one has ever told you this, then let me be the first to enlighten everybody on here. ONE NEVER GETS IN A HURRY DRIVING ONE OF THESE AUTOMOBILES. Take your time and enjoy the scenery going by. It will get you there and you will arrive in style. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Bloo, When I cleaned out the transmission case and went back in with the 600w gear oil I also added 2 tablespoons of #2 Flake Graphite. There is the possibility that the new gear oil is heavier than what came out. I am thinking at this point that the new leather clutch cone lining probably has a lot to do with what is going on now. Getting more and more miles on the car is going to tell me a lot about what I don't know right now. All that I can say right now is that I have learned just how to drive and shift and keep things from clashing and this is a very good thing. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Don, You said it much better than I did. I started out trying to drive the car like I remembered I did. That just does not work anymore! No Way No How. I got it down now and there doesn't seem to be any problems. It's all good now. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

In talking with another early Buick friend (he has a 1918 4-Cylinder with a cone clutch) he told me that a person can expect these newly lined clutch cones to take a little time to get 'seated' in. I had not thought about that angle before. It makes sense when you stop and think about it. I felt like I knew how to drive this car and that it would only take a few times and I'd be right back where I was all those years ago. That got thrown right out the window. The slight pause that I was used to between 1st and 2nd and 2nd and 3rd is totally gone. I start out in 1st and get the car moving, push the clutch pedal down and shove it right into 2nd gear. Do the same thing going into 3rd gear. There is no gear clash and a smooth shift is the result. The only thing that really causes a slight problem is the backward shift pattern that Buick used. A person really needs to be mindful of this and then it becomes business as usual to drive the car. I was very pleased with the way the car ran right down the road today given the fact that the thermometer was pushing 100 degrees here. Hopefully when it does cool down it might run even better - we will certainly find out when that happens. With the front end being nice and tight it runs right down the road without all of the back and forth on the steering wheel. The car really is a pleasure to drive and I look forward to every time I take it out. And Ed, by no means is the car completely sorted out. I expect to be messing with it for some time to come to get it anywhere near close to done. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

And drive this car we are! We drove it over to Buhler, Kansas which is about 15 miles from home. We met up with Luke Chennell for lunch. He drove his '23 Model 41 Buick down from McPherson. Buhler is about half way between Hutchinson and McPherson. It is windier here today than we would like, but we want to get the miles on the clock. When we pulled back in the drive there is almost 53 miles on the odometer since last Friday. I'm getting the shifting technique down pretty good. And one other thing that I am really happy about on this little jaunt - absolutely no tools of any kind were taken along. The car seems really happy cruising along between 25 and 30 miles per hour. With the larger wheels and the rear axle gearing, I'm thinking that this would have been about right for back in the day given road conditions at that time. We're going for Ice Cream tomorrow afternoon. Any reason at all to get the car out and drive it is just fine with us. Terry and Barbara Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Members #947918

I think I have the clutch cone disengagement set about right. It only took three tries to get to this point. The first attempt was totally off the wall because I went the wrong way with the adjustment screw. I got the oil line seepage up under the dash on the firewall taken care of last evening. With regard to oil seepage, the only thing left (that I know about now) is the sight gauge proper in the dash panel. The knurled ferrule that holds the glass is brass and it needs to be tightened just a bit to shut everything from seeping. I'm thinking Hobby Lobby might have a small piece of leather that I could use with my Channellock's to gently tighten the ring. Ed, what was that you were saying about the sorting things out?🤪 The engine sure runs smooth. Maybe it's just my imagination but it seems like it gets a little better every time it is driven. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas bka Doo Dah AACA Life Member #947918

Dave, Our friend, Mr. DiBarry, taught me the importance of keeping a very close eye on the water pump packing nuts area. I went through that miserable mess one time and that was more than enough for me. That poor fellow had multiple doses of misery in that area. Things seem to be working out real swell for my water pump. I'll do what it takes to keep things that way. We're going to take the car for a ride this evening and see how the latest clutch adjustment is going to work. We are supposed to be getting a cool-down from this blasted heat at the end of next week. Will keep everyone up to date on the sorting. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

I got out there first thing this morning to see what could be done about the clutch adjustment. Before I started I was looking at this ol'gal and I thought this would make a pretty decent photograph. So, here it is. I got under on the creeper and wouldn't you just know it, I went the wrong way on the adjustment threads and that didn't work well at all. Went back under and hopefully got things right this time. Sometimes laying on your back and trying to get it right with the threads will mess your thinking up a little bit. I'd bet my last dollar that the old leather on the cone was what left on the car from Flint. Bob Knaack relined the cone for me and I am thinking that the new leather changed the adjustment a little bit. When the transmission was removed from the engine and cleaned up I did not do anything with the adjustments. My thinking was and still is, I'm going to have to do it now after everything is all back together and seated in place. A little bit of trial and try again is what it is gonna take to get this just right. Ain't we having fun! Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

George, It has been over 46 years since I drove this car and as I said before, it is learn to drive it all over again. I do truly believe that the clutch needs some adjustment and I am going to play around with that in the morning. That newly lined leather cone sure is smooth. Bob Knaack did a great job with that. Will keep everyone advised with the progress. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Bill, You are in a WIN WIN situation here. What is not to like. You have two of the most important things that a person can own in this life - a Harley-Davidson and a General Motors automobile. I have told everyone that will listen that there are only three things in this life that are worth a solitary dime - and they are HD, GM, and JD. Not necessarily in that order. Now, if we can just get you connected with John Deere somehow, we can tell everyone that will listen that you is da man. Good Luck with the Harley. You got my vote. And as they say in Chicago - vote early and vote often🤪 Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

The advice is well taken. After our evening meal we put almost 10 miles on the car right in our local neighborhood. I have a little bit left to do with the brake adjustment, but they stop the car in good order. I can see right now with this drive that the clutch is going to need a little adjustment. The clutch cone is very smooth but I feel like the cone is not coming back out of the flywheel as far as it should. This car has a clutch brake so a person has to be careful not to push the pedal all the way down or everything comes to a complete stop and this is not what a person wants to happen. I checked temperatures right after we pulled into the shop and shut it off. The inside top tank on the radiator checked right on 187 degrees. The front side of the water pump (packing nut) checked at 150 degrees. The back packing nut checked 146 degrees. Between #'s 5 and 6 cylinder on the block the temperature was 191 degrees. Between #'s 1 and 2 cylinder on the block the temperature was 192 degrees. I feel like the cooling system is operating as it should. When we pulled back into the shop the outside air temperature was 91 degrees. Maybe this has some effect on heat dissipation? I'm sure that we would have had slightly lower operating temps if it was 60 degrees outside. It's crawl under and check the clutch adjustment in the morning. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas Doo Dah AACA Life Member #947918

I owe a lot to Rex Curtiss of Precision Power in Lansing, Michigan for the operation of the Starter/Generator on our '16. He told me that the unit really was in pretty good condition, however, he said it was filthy dirty inside. He turned the commutator and installed new brushes after getting everything cleaned up. It works like a charm now. The comments about the cables are so very true. I am running the heaviest gauge cable that can be had from the battery to the S/G Unit. This is one of the most important things that a person can do with a 6-Volt system in one of these old vehicles. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Gary, I just wanted for you to know how much of an inspiration for me your restoration was. I have always felt that any restoration will never be completely 'finished' as they say. There will always be little things that will need attention as time goes by. Photo documentation and plenty of ZipLoc bags are an absolute necessity when a person takes on a project like this. What you did for the young lady and her wedding is what life is truly all about. My shop is an absolute mess and in total disarray. This is the perfect time to get my rollaway cleaned out and re-organized. It is no secret that I really love the OLD cars, but your '37 really makes my heart skip a beat. You did good sir - really good. Barbara and I wish you and yours many happy and fun-filled miles with this Buick. Terry and Barbara Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas

I am really wanting to get the car out and drive it for awhile. It was 108 degrees in the shade here this afternoon and that really puts a skid on just about everything that goes on outside. We really appreciate all of the comments that have been sent our way with regard to this restoration. I am looking forward to taking the car to East Moline next month. I am experiencing first hand just how my Dad felt when he finished the restoration on one of his many 2-Cylinder John Deere Tractors. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Mark, You have some really beautiful country to be driving around in. Congratulations on your 'first drive' also. I know what that feeling is all about. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918