1938 Buick Self Shifter on Ebay

[xavierreivax]

Currently there is a listing on ebay for a 1938 Buick Self Shifter. What exactly was this self shift option and is it as rare as the listing leads me to believe? I have seen quite a few '38s but must admit I have never seen a self shifter. HELP Please...Thanks, Xavier

[The Old Guy]

The 38 "self shifter " was the forerunner to the GM hydramatic. It used a clutch instead of a convertor, but once under motion shifted like the hydro. It was only used the one year and later used in conjunction with a convertor in the 1940 Olds and Cadillac

I am sure that Dave Corbin will enlarge on the subject, as he is the resident expert. He has one and is extremely knowledgeable about them.

[Mark Shaw]

I already sent the Ebay link to Dave Corbin. I am sure he will encourage a BCA member to get this car. But, the $30K listing seems a bit high for it's current condition.

[Brian_Heil]

Jim Campbell of Perry, Michigan has a '38 self shifter and knows a great deal about them. His car was at the Golden Oldies Show in Flint this past Fall. One thing the self shifter does is it has the 3.6 gear which makes it a very fast as in high speed car. Jim's Dad (I think) owned (or was a partner) of a Buick Dealership in Ohio in the 30s/40s/50s. Jim is retired now from Buick Product Engineering but I sat next to him for years and contracted the 'Buick Bug' from him. He is a 38/39/40/41/42 Expert and one heck of a nice guy.

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Xavier:

I have personally seen the car that's listed on E-bay, when it was for sale about two years ago near Houston, TX. It seems fairly described as the paint is not the original color and the upholstery, while quite nice, is probably also wrong. The seller is correct that the car was built at Southgate, CA. Of the 9 that I'm aware of, it is the only Southgate-built one. By body style, those 9 are 6 4-doors, a coupe, my 2-door and a convertible. I've seen 4 and driven 3 of them, including this car.

They are very rare. Mine has 92,000 original miles and was sold new in Ennis, TX. They are, as was noted, very fast with a 3.6 rear end. Top cruise (If you're not faint-hearted!!) is about 80 mph. I've had mine there once, but personally those non-power drum brakes aren't quite what I feel comfortable with, especially without seat belts.

I think 30K is a bit steep, but to each his own.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Brian:

I second your remarks about Jim. Really nice guy who knows these odd-balls extremely well and has served as one of my "coaches".

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Guest imported_Thriller]

I have one in my garage...the transmission that is...in a crate, ready to ship to Mr. Corbin. Quite a compact unit overall.

It is an interesting oddity to say the least. It would be neat to have one, but personally, for me, there are other cars of the '30s that I prefer over a '38.

[halmari]

I bought a 1939 Buick straight 8 off ebay (250182327706) some time ago for a rat rod project. It came with a transmission, and I did not think about it much, until I started looking at it. There's a clutch, but only one gear shift lever on the left side. The shift lever has 3 positions, with middle being neutral. I suspect this is one of these self shift trannys, but I'm not sure about it. Would anyone be able to confirm it being true or false? There seems to be limited info on these on the net.

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Halmari:

The transmission you describe is correct for a 1939 Buick, but is NOT a self-shifter. On 39's, there is only one side mounted shift lever. If you examine the center of the lever, you will see a place to attach a shift cable which slides the shaft sideways about 3/4 of an inch. This is how you get to the other side of the shift pattern. It's an odd design and was only used in 1939. While reliable, it's difficult to set and can ice up in the winter.

Since I have a 38 self-shifter and a 39 Roadmaster with a single lever box, you might consider this the voice of experience.

You don't mention what series your car is. If it's a Century, Roadmaster, or Limited, I'd consider buying the transmission. Send me a PM.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[halmari]

Dave,

Thanks for the info! You're right, there is a cable going to the shift lever. I'm not interested in selling the trans, as I need one. The cable system does seem difficult to set up. I probably going to end up welding a shifter handle directly to the shaft. It should be easy to set up and should work kind ok, but I'm not expecting it to work great. The engine and tranny are going to a '30 Buick roadster rat rod. I don't have much more than the frame and about 70% of the sheet metal so I don't think I'm destroying a restorable car. I don't know what model '39 the engine/trans came from.

Jaakko

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Jaakko:

Two things: I would suggest that you bolt anything you need to that shift lever. If you weld,it's impossible to get the tranny apart if something goes wrong.

Second, you can tell quickly what series the engine is from. Look at the stamped serial number on the small pad close to the distributor base. If the first digit is a 4, it's a 248 inch engine from a Special. If the first digit is a 6, 8, or 9, it's the big 320 engine from a Century, Roadmaster, or Limited.

As a transmission suggestion, you might want to find one from a 1937 or 1938. Same transmission internally, but with a top shift lever case.

Regards, Dave Corbin