1941 Buick Tools

[Grandpa]

Hi,

Do any members know what tools were in the factory tool kit for a 1941 Buick? The 1937-38 Buick Club has a good desciption of the tools provided with a 1937-38 Buick. However, the Buick parts book lists different part numbers (no images) for 1941. Do any members have an orginal tool kit that can provide a description (including manufacturer's name, P/N, or trade mark on the tools)and/or pictures of the contents? Also, please include a description of the design and construction of the original bag.

Thanks,

Grandpa

[DAVES_BUICKS]

The Buick Gallery and Research Center of the Sloan Museum in Flint has an origional 1941 Buick factory tool catalog. I was just there a couple of days ago doing some research on my 41 and saw it. I'm sure if you contact them (810-237-3440) they will make you a copy for a nominal fee. Let me know if you have any problems getting the information.

[Guest imported_Thriller]

Ooooh...that I'd like. I'll have to remember to get a hold of them someday....

[Grandpa]

Hi Daves_Buicks,

Thanks for the information about the Sloan Museum resource. I believe that the factory tool kit provided with Buicks of the 1930s and 1940s were purchased by GM from the Vlchek Tool Co. in Ohio. Since Vlchek was in business from 1895 through the late 1960s, there are many design variations of the same type of tool. Thus, the problem becomes finding the correct vintage Vlchek tool for the year of the car. A picture and description of the contents of an original 1941 Buick tool kit would be a great.

Grandpa

[Guest edalfa]

Okay, I think this will help. According to the 1929-1941 Buick Master Parts List, the tool kit for 1939-1941 are all the same (part number 1314665). My 1940 Model 41 came with a cloth bag with pliers and a ball-peen hammer in it. The hammer is not original. According to the 1940 Buick Shop Manual; "Tools supplied with car consist of screwdriver, pliers, car jack and wheel wrench." There are no markings on anything except for "Drop Forged" on the pliers.

Ed

[Grandpa]

Hi Ed,

Thank you for the picture of the tool kit in your 1940 Buick. The pliers look like the Vlchek design. I found a web site that has good information on vintage GM tool kits. Visit:

http://1940chevrolet.com/

This web site details the tool kits provided with Chevrolets from 1916 through 1966. The information is detailed and includes drawings of the tool variations through the years. More than likely, the same tools are also used in Buicks. However, the selection of tool types provided in the Buick tool kit may differ from the Chevrolet.

Grandpa

[Grandpa]

Hi Ed,

This is a P.S. to my earlier post today. Visit the following web site for more information on Vlchek tool kits and company history:

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/vlchek-story.html

Grandpa

[Mark Shaw]

I recognize some of the tools on the Vlchek site. I guess I will have to sort through them again....

[Guest edalfa]

Interesting stuff. It just occured to me that I have a box of stuff that came with the car. I think it is in the attic. Maybe the screwdriver is there. Especially now that I have an idea what it looks like.

Ed

[Grandpa]

Ed,

I think (not confirmed) that the 1941 Buick (and likely the 1940 Buick) tool kit contained (as a minimum) the following Vlchek tools:

Ball Peen Hammer

Adjustable 9" Wrench (a "Monkey Wrench")

Pliers

Screwdriver (blade type with black stained wooden handle)

Open End Wrench (likely 1/2" x 9/16")

Spark Plug Socket

Anyway, this is a guess at this point.

Grandpa

[Guest edalfa]

I'm not so sure just based on the description from the Shop Manual "Tools supplied with the car consist of screwdriver, pliers, car jack and wheel wrench." The hammer that came with my car is a touch too long to fit the bag. Of course, I don't know that the bag is OEM but...

By the way, what kind of 1941 Buick do you have?

Ed

[Grandpa]

Ed,

My 1941 Buick is a Roadmaster model 71C convertible sedan.

Grandpa

[Guest edalfa]

Nice!

Ed

[SinisterSpeed]

Looking up information on this car I stumbled accross this post. I am on my way today to see if my I can look into getting my wifes grandmothers car running again. It is a 1941 buick roadmaster convertible. It was parked and last licensed in 1960. It know it has been painted once to (to red not original color) for safety since an accendent took others close to her she felt this would make it more noticeable and therfore keep from being in an accendent like the one that claimed her loved ones. Other then that is all original and all there. It ran when it was parked and someone in the family was going to "fix" a wiring issue it was having. From what I am told they removed the wiring harness and thats the way it sits. It has been under a carport and covered by a tarp. This is a one owner car the woman that owns it has been a widow for at least 30-40 years and right now is 86 years old. I was asked to look into this car since I own and work on other classics she wants to drive this car at least again someday since it was the car her and her husband bought together. I am sure that if there was any tool kit in this car it is still there. If nobody has figured out what came in this car I can see if I can located it on this car. The question I have is what should I do about the harness that is missing. Go with aftermarked painless kit or try to locate a factory harness. If factory where would I even look for something like this. Sorry for the long post but the history on this car is what excited me the most. Thought I would share. I will take pictures today while I am out there. From the sounds of it, it might become my next resto project.

[jscheib]

To me, your post is a bit confusing. If the original wiring harness is completely removed and "missing", you will surely need a shop manual with good wiring diagrams and then get the proper lengths of wiring of the correct size and match. Aftermarket kits are readily available and I am not sure where you would find a NOS harness.

I would also argue that to remove a harness completely and replace it without taking the car apart is not what I would consider "painless', regardless if it was a NOS or "period correct" reproduction (that is correct appearing insulation but of modern materials).

At least that is my opinion. It sure sounds like an interesting project, but you might be faced with a situation to replace enough wiring to get it running on a temporary basis before determining what is needed for restoration.

Good luck and keep us posted. And, or course, welcome to the forum.

John

[SinisterSpeed]

Hello, Again.

Thanks for the welcome to the forum John. This car is in no way in the condition described to be prior. The wiring is all there but much of the other parts are removed. It does not have the correct progressive linkage dual carb set up in it. Although the car ran when it was parks it will need alot to do so again. After talking to the woman who owns it about its condition today she did mention that when one of her sons was in high school that he was working on the car. I have informed her that the car in its condition is not a total loss but was much more then she was anticipating getting it back on the road. I have passed on the project due to what was asked of me and its condition. I do have pictures of it but it will be a complete tear down to even have a chance to put this car back together. From what I can tell it is going to stay put and someone in the future will have to decide what to do with it. I did take a look around found a pretty much cut up 39 Buick roadmaster,54 ish woody wagon that’s pretty much a rusted away mess. A 56 chev 3100, just outside the car port where the 41 roadmaster was stored. I bought the 3100 for a parts truck for the 57 I have and the rest will just be left there for another day. Thanks again John for the info on the harness I think that’s the least of the worries for that car. It will take alot of money to put it back together the current owner is in no way willing to do that. Neither am I unless I would be the owner of the finished product. So it sits.....awaiting something, someday to happen with it.

[Guest AntsChevrolet]

grandpa may be correct about the tools and wrench size included in the 40-41 buick tool kits.

I was cleaning out grandpa's tool box (tools dating from 1930's and early 40's) and came up with some VLChek tools that are not part of other tool sets.

And Grandpa owned a late 30's or early 40's Buick years ago (in progress of confirming with the remaining family).

I found a ChromeXQuality tappet wrench 1/2"x9/16". The ChromeX wrenches were made by VLChek according the Alloy-artifacts site between (1936-39). I also have the Ball-pin hammer. There was also an old set of pliers that I no longer have. I mistakenly sent them off to Goodwill before I realized they could be part of an auto tools kit. Still checking to see I can locate the screwdriver and sparkplug socket.

Anthony

[Grandpa]

Hi Anthony,

Thank you for the forum post on the 1941 Buick tool kit. I think that for prewar GM cars, there could be two tool kits (1) A small kit furnished with the new car (2) An over the dealer parts counter accessory tool kit. As for the 1941 Buick, I could not find any evidence of a "free" factory kit furnished with the new car. However, since Chevrolet offered an accessory tool kit, it is likely that Buick offered a kit as well.

An Ohio firm named Vlchek Tool Co. made the tool kits for GM. Vlchek made all of the tools, except the sparkplug socket wrench, which they purchased from another company. Most Vlchek tools are marked with a V in a shield. An unusal feature of the Vlchek tool kit open end wrenches is that they are not marked with a size.

The Chevrolet accessory tool kits:

1941 Chevrolet Tool Kit

Vlchek:

The Story of Vlchek

For my 1941, I have assembled a tool kit like the 1941 Chevrolet accessory tool kit.

Grandpa