Trim and style break out for 1940 Buick 51c

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

I'm new to the forum and it took me a while to find it. I'm just got title to my dad's 1940 Buick 51C and am trying to find out what the original color and trim was. So far I haven't had much luck. Found the thread that gave trim codes but it doesn't seem to match anything on my data plate. Here is what is on the plate:

BUICK MOTOR DIVISION

GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION

FLINT, MICHIHAN

1940 MOD, 51C

STYLE No 40-4529

BODY No 161

TRIM No 140644

PAINT No

MO. DAY YEAR

BODY BY FISHER

Can anyone help me break all this out.

[Thriller]

A Super convertible phaeton...nice. From The Standard Catalog of Buick, there were 1351 made with a shipping weight of 3895 pounds and a price of $1549. From the BCA Judging Manual and AutoColorLibrary, the paint code should be a three digit number expected to be in the five hundred range. I don't have any trim decoding information for 1940.

I suspect the trim and paint numbers are together as what you have listed under trim. Typically, they are each 3 digits. That may explain why you are having difficulty decoding the trim number as well.

Based on the body number for your car, it would have been built fairly early in total production. The early and late cars can sometimes be a bit confusing for numbers as the model year changeover resulted in a few more unusual things happening (carry overs from previous model year or changes implemented early for the upcoming model year).

I know I haven't been very useful in actually decoding what you have, but I hope this is useful. Welcome to the forums and the wonderful world of Buick.

[Leif Holmberg]

1940= year,mod 51C =Super 4dr.Sport Phaeton:40-4529=Fisher Style:Body No 161 Factory Identification:Trim 140644????(1940 844 Tan Leather)All Trim No. are between 800-891.All Paint No. are between 541-557 in my Buick Parts Book.MO Day Year?????.

Leif in Sweden.

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

Thanks for the information, that confirms what I was finding. Is the information normally all stamped or combination stamped and painted. I've attached a scan of the tag and it is stamped with two different sizes of stamps and there is no paint on it. It appears to me that someone has added the larger numbers since they don't match any codes. Do the numbers appear anywhere else on the car?

[Leif Holmberg]

I don`t think anything is changed on your sign, the numbers does`t exist in my Buick book as I can see,so why should they have stamped other numbers on the sign that don`t compare with Buick..There must be something specific with this sign.Maybe someone else with a 1940 Buick can tell you.

You can´t find the numbers on other places on your car.

Maybe Mr.Dave Corbin can help you if you have a Serial number and a Engine number.?Take a look at BCA jud.

Leif in Sweden.

http://www.buickclub.org/BCA%20JUDGING%20MANUAL/BCAjudgingrev2.pdf

Edited December 21, 2009 by Leif Holmberg (see edit history)

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

Thanks Leif

I'll check it out.

This Buick is very special to me, it's been in my family for 40 years.

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

I just remembered another unusual feature of my 51c, the rear doors are not suicide. I just looked at the title and they used the engine number as the vin, it is 53992415. According to a previous thread that Dave Corbin posted the 39 engines were between 3,601,918 and 3,786,214 and the 40 engines were between 3993000 and 4023000. So, on mine the 5 indicates Super and the serial number falls between the two years. This coupled with what Derek said about the body nr indicating that it would have been early in production for 1940 makes me wonder if it was some kind of prototype. I still need to get the chassis nr off of it and get ahold of Dave to see if he has any insight as to the meaning of these numbers.

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

Forgot to mention that it doesn't have running boards.

[Leif Holmberg]

Take a look at 1941 Buick 51C they have a different running board than 1940:s and not suiside doors,your car maybe is an early "1941".

Merry Cristmas from Leif in Sweden.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

If I remember correctly, the running board issue and the back door issue is a non issue. I believe the

Super and Roadmaster were equipped this way.

Ben

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

Ok, I went over and verified the engine number and got the chassis number. They are:

Engine Number: 53992415

Chassis Number: 13799019

Somehow this posted to the wrong thread the first time I posted it. Probably my mistake

Anyway, Got the msg that Dave may be playing Grandpa in Colorado, Tks. Merry Christmas to Leif and to all you other Buick lovers.

Edited December 26, 2009 by 40 Buick 51c
Accidently added one two many numbers on the Chassis nr (see edit history)

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

Thanks Ben, didn't really think they were, but I've read and seen conflicting information on the doors. Did all the 51-c's have non-suicide doors or was it based on which plant produced them?

I know that the non running board version was an option, but are there any statistics as to how many of each were produced? Merry Christmas

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

Dave Corbin,

I saw that you are back from playing Grandpa. Hope you had a great time, also hope you can help me with the numbers on my 40 Buick.

Darryll

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Darryl:

The numbers you give (frame 1 3,799,019 and engine 5 3,992,415) are for a Flint built car, with an engine probably built in the last two days of March 1940 and installed about a week later in a car assembled around April 8, 1940.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Darryll:

I looked at that factory tag picture. I think that the number 140644 is what's known as an "FO" number. That stands for "Factory Order' and would indicate that Buick did something very unusual on the car. It would include possibly the paint and trim, but also indicates something else is unusual. I have seen a similiar number on two or three Buicks, all of which had something different about them. One was a 1939 that had a divider window in a convertible sedan and another was a car that had a foldup second windshield factory installed in a convertible sedan.

Check your car closely and you may find a very odd or unusual feature.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

Thanks Dave, will check around on the car and see if I can find anything unusual. Would be helpful if I had one to compare to. Am planning on going to the BCA National Meet and hopefully there will be one there that I can compare it with.

Darryll

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Darryl, this is getting interesting!! How about some pictures?

Ben

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

Thanks Ben, just added some over in Me and My Buick. They came out really dark and unfortunately there are a number of things blocking it right now. Will try to get some better light and get some more pictures.

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

Just uploaded my new signature and thought I'd test it out!

[Guest 40 Buick 51c]

A Super convertible phaeton...nice. From The Standard Catalog of Buick, there were 1351 made with a shipping weight of 3895 pounds and a price of $1549. From the BCA Judging Manual and AutoColorLibrary, the paint code should be a three digit number expected to be in the five hundred range. I don't have any trim decoding information for 1940.

I suspect the trim and paint numbers are together as what you have listed under trim. Typically, they are each 3 digits. That may explain why you are having difficulty decoding the trim number as well.

Based on the body number for your car, it would have been built fairly early in total production. The early and late cars can sometimes be a bit confusing for numbers as the model year changeover resulted in a few more unusual things happening (carry overs from previous model year or changes implemented early for the upcoming model year).

I know I haven't been very useful in actually decoding what you have, but I hope this is useful. Welcome to the forums and the wonderful world of Buick.

I was going over the information that I have found and discovered a difference in statistics listed by two different books: Above, Derek quoted The Standard Catalog of Buick as saying that there were 1,351 Buick 51-C's manufactured in 1940 and I was just looking at my Seventy Years of Buick and it lists that there were 529 built. Which one is correct? Also, were turn signals standard on a 1940?