Haha now I can claim I'm actually restoring my '38 Buick

[Guest ZondaC12]

These vents on the hood side panels have bugged me for the 2.5ish years since I brought it out of hibernation. I actually kinda half-heartedly tried to get them looking nice with a Dremel wire brush attachment. They were completely BROWN with rust and felt like 80 grade sandpaper! They were okay....but just humidity and once or twice getting caught in a little bit of rain got em nice and spotted again...bare steel of course! As if that WOULDN'T happen.

Well this weekend, now that I'm on winter break, I decided to do it the real way. Before dad passed, and not long before either, he bought a Skat Blast cabinet. Last summer one rainy day when the very thing I wanted to do that day, whatever it was, was outside and thus wasn't happening, I decided to setup the thing, by putting the dust collector together and the lights in the cabinet and the little things like that. I found a rusty random object in my basement and tried it out. Boom like that I had a new favorite toy.

As they were.

The "Magic Box" and another thing I use that happens to annoy mom too! Loud droning tools + mom = not good. She understood but I had to try not to spend too much time so she didn't have to listen to it all for too long!

I routed the air hose up to our garage to the compressor. Wasn't sure it would be long enough but it was and this is nice and permanent, just kinda coil it up on a hook next to the stairs and its ready to use whenever. And yes the exit sign does light up, I plug it in when friends come over just for laughs. No I don't know where dad got it! Love his old radio too. When the volume is real low it hums!

He bought the Craftsman 30 Gallon one to use with the cabinet because he said the SpeedAire 22 Gal. wouldnt be enough. The new one runs a lot too, I knew this well because mom reminded me how often it was kicking on! So what's a poor scolded kid to do? Take some air fittings kicking around, and network the two together! Perhaps this wore on each a little less also, I can't imagine it's great for it to run constantly. Anybody notice ANOTHER radio of my dad's? Also from when he was in college like the other, circa 1970. I REALLY love this one, and it will be in my garage when I have my own place. It actually sounds GREAT. Funny, but I actually much prefer it instead of the 10 year old CD stereo system in my room I got new for my birthday back then.

One of the panels masked off. What a PAIN! Mainly the thin stainless diving pieces. HATS OFF to anyone who paints intricate and complex stuff! You can keep that job! But worth it, I couldn't believe how good it looked.

Alright, all done and back on the car! Simply stunning. I stayed out in the garage staring at both sides for at least 5 minutes.

I really can't wait to see what it looks like sitting there at a cruise night or showfield in the sunlight. It really stand out, and I think these vents are one of the more standout items that adorn the front end of a 38. I like them a lot and got very jealous seeing those on a fellow BCA chapter member's restored 38, and pictures of other 38's in much better shape. I'm ecstatic that mine look that good now too!

[Guest rbl2]

<span style="font-style: italic">I stayed out in the garage staring at both sides for at least 5 minutes.

</span>

That's nothin'. Wait until you go out to the garage for the sole purpose of admiring your handiwork, amazed that you could actually do it, and sit there for 30 minutes staring at it.

I've been known to go out to my shop and do just that. Sometimes I'll sit there and talk to the tools in my wood shop. They are, after all, old friends. Sometimes, if I haven't used them in awhile, I turn them on just to hear them roar.

I always talk to my vehicles. Not always in a nice way though. *&^%^&* gremlins!!!!

Then again, I have a small pharmacy of meds I take more than I'd like to.

Good job. Keep at it.

[Mark Shaw]

Lookin good!

Don't stop now Paul....

[Guest ZondaC12]

Well I'm thinking of buffing the stainless to get it REALLY shining as much as possible, and maybe taking off the headlights and blasting right around the area where that stainless trim piece is, and then going to a shop and having them use one of those IR things and match the color exactly and blend it and stuff since the rust on those is a bit of an eyesore with the rest of the front end so nice. Also I might do the same with the leading edge of the driver's side rear fender as there's plenty of chipped off paint and surface rust there. We'll see, if that does get done that would be the extent of it for awhile probably. And I would probably also try to find a shop that could do the lacquer finish this car has so that it is correct too. I must say I'd love to strip and repaint the car and make it like new but I don't think I can take this original finish off, it's too nice. Nice enough for me anyway.

But little things like this I am more than willing to do because of the huge difference they make.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Paul I saw your car at Rhinebeck this past year and I am sorry I did not get to meet you. My 2 cents - keep that original finish on it and detail as you have been and you will (already) have a pretty special car.

BTW - does the rotary dial phone in your workshop actually work???

[Guest ZondaC12]

Re: Rhinebeck--well there's certainly more of em where that one came from!! Hopefully I run into ya!

I would LOVE to use that old phone. I have no idea if it works. It has this HUGE plug with four round prongs on it. The amount of old junk like that my dad kept is unbelievable, at least to me. We gotta get rid of a lot someday but I plan to keep as much as I can.

[serb]

Paul,

Those prongs are to plug it into a wall jack. That came before the type in use now. You could wire one of the new ones in but they used to sell an adapter. I do not know if they are still available but maybe...... Radio Shack?

Stevo

[Guest ZondaC12]

HAHA good idea. Next time Im there I'll definitely take a look...I just can't help it.

[Bill Stoneberg]

Paul, even if you cant find an adapter you can hardwire the phone into the circut, The wiring hasn't changed since who knows when.

Its as simple as hooking similar colors together (red to red etc.) That should get it working for you.

Good job on the car....

[Guest Leonard Shepherd]

Looks like you are coming along real well.

Just thought I would post a picture of my Grandfather's 38 Buick with my two uncles by it. The uncle on the running board just died a couple of weeks ago and the one by the front fender is still living.

[serb]

Most definitely a picture to treasure.

Happy New Year to All.

[eric_b_1937]

I've been reading your posts for quite a while, I'm about your age, and I think I have some input for you now.

I bought a 1937 Buick coupe a few years ago that had been sitting in garages for 30 years and had a lot of scratches and chips put in the original paint by stuff stored in the garage. I had to rebuild the engine, so while the engine was out and I had time I repaired the existing paint. It is time consuming but cheap to do and you can also do it on a working car.

I used single stage paint that is matched to the finish. Buy a new set of small paint brushes from a hobby store and go to work building up paint in every scratch you see and make sure the paint level is built up higher than the surface.

For the big chipped area's I used a base clear and blended the paint.

Then I color sanded and buffed the entire car working one panel at a time.

The paint now looks great and shines and only someone looking closely can see the repairs. I call it a five footer.

Your finish may still have enough thickness to color sand and you really have nothing to loose since the paint is damaged anyway.

If some of your chrome parts keep rusting up you can polish it out then take your fine brush and dab each spot with clear or silver paint. At least it will not turn brown again.

You might want to paint the hood slats silver or it will rust again. If we lived in a corrosion free environment then cars wouldn't be painted or plated.

Be careful and take your time and it will end up looking great for little money.

[Guest ZondaC12]

Sheesh!!! You know I read it over again.....and what I said makes it sound like all I did was blast it!!!!

I indeed rattlecanned it silver. As I DID mention fortunately, I realized the wirebrushing I did would be very very temporary. So this time I wanted it to STAY nice, and, from the factory it wasn't left bare anyway! So it should be painted silver for that reason too.

[61 Sport Sedan]

I'm glad to see young guys like you two having interest in the older cars and preserving them. There is a 38 Buick Special flatback sedan here where I live that is owned by an older gent in his nineties. They are nice cars. Brendan.