What year Buick truck ?

[Dave_B]

I saw this Buick that had been modified to a truck at Hershey this year. Someone long ago grafted a small wagon bed where the back seat used to be. They did a real clean job too. Any guess what year.

Dave

[Brian_Heil]

Gas headlamps and oil side lamps are the best clues. This puts it pre-electric starter/generator. (I think that puts it 1912 or earlier but I'm a neophyte). This one is right up Mark Shaw's alley. The real question is what did it start out life as Mr. Shaw?

What a great indirect compliment to the early Buick's that so many of them got turned into trucks, tow trucks, saw mills, doodle bugs, etc.. Just couldn't wear them out!

[Guest imported_Thriller]

It's tough to tell definitively from the photo, but it appears it could be right hand drive...I'm not sure what year the change to LHD was made though.

[Mark Shaw]

Good guess Brian. It appears to be a 1912 B25 small series Buick. The hub caps are quite small and the wheel base seems to be shorter than the larger series.

Buick did make trucks and this may be one of them. But with only this photo to go on, it is hard to tell if it was originally a truck and/or what year and model it is.

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Mark:

I saw it too, and I had my draft copy of the Big Book of Buick Numbers in hand. It started life as a 1913 Model 25 and was converted by 1936. There will be an article about it in the Jan. Bugle.

It was the neatest conversion to a truck that I've seen, extremely well done with a professionally made conversion pickup truck bed.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Dave_B]

Wow Dave you are good.

Someone definitely did a very nice job. I might be wrong, but I thought it might have been a wagon bed and not a custom made bed by the way it fit the back fenders. There are some jap filling blocks there that are not visible in the pic. Hopefully there will be more info in the upcoming article. When I saw this truck I thought this would be a cool thing to have. I would love to see their faces up at the Home Depot when something like this pulled in the parking lot. hehe

Dave

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Dave B:

The touch that I really admired was that the person converting it had taken the 2nd or 3rd top bow, turned it sideways, and used it to define the curve of the upper end of the back of the cab metal piece. A really neat touch, very professional. That's why it fools everyone, because it matches your sense of factory curvature for the panels, both top and back.

Regards, Dave Corbin

PS: I liked it well enough to ask $$$. $49K.

[Mark Shaw]

How do you like this one Dave? It's a bargan at $15K I already have the oak to replace the side boards.

[Brian_Heil]

What a great looking spare tire wheel rim!

[Dave_B]

Mark, great looking truck. Check your email.

Regarding the '13 here; I really liked the alligatored maroon paint which unfortunately does not show up in the picture. No kidding I really did like it. I hope they don't paint it. Also the coat rail on the back of the seat is still there and the tool box bolted to the running board. Great stuff, I love it.

Dave

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Dave B;

That's what original factory varnish looks like 95 years later!!!! I loved that patina and they're only original once.

Same under the hood, by the way!!

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Dave_B]

While surfing the net I came across a '13 Buick model 25 for sale on the HCCA site. They were asking $17,000, but it was sold already. It looked very much like this truck. It might have been the same one. It was converted by the Columbia Wagon & Body Co. in Columbia Pa.