38' and 39' Series 90 Production Numbers

[Guest GT390]

Hi, I have four 90 series Limited Limosines, 2 x 1938, and 2 x 1939

one of the 38's is a hearse, and its the only left hand drive,the other three all being right hand drive. All four have the glass partition between front and rear seats.

I remember one time I found a list of production numbers for the 38 and 39 cars somewhere on the internet, but I just dont seem to be able to locate it anymore, I lost all my bookmarks when I moved to a new PC a while ago.

Does anyone know where I can find this information

Thanks in advance

Regards

Robert

[1939_Buick]

Welcome to the forum

Where do live ? (being RHD I guess not in USA and you posted about noon Aust time)

Have a look Buick Club of America - BCA - Welcome documentation

If you list the engine numbers & chassis number the ever helpful Dave Corbin (early Buick numbers guy) can tell you when they were made

1939 Production.pdf

Edited February 20, 2010 by 1939_buick (see edit history)

[Guest GT390]

Thanks for the info on the 39's, looks like my right hand drive 39's are pretty rare if they only made 120 for export that year ??

I am in not so sunny Ireland !

[1939_Buick]

Ok from a very sunny Melbourne (34°C 93°F)

Not sure how Canadian chassis are counted: most UK cars came via Canada due to import taxes, etcs

There is an other thread (with an image) here of the funeral directors in Belfast who had a large fleet of Buicks. Another UK poster has one of these cars

Will send you a Private Message (top right of ths page) and an email.

Edited February 20, 2010 by 1939_buick (see edit history)

[Guest GT390]

Wilton Funeral Directors,

My four are all ex-wilton cars, hence one being a hearse

[1939_Buick]

OK as I expected. What condition are they in ? (We all like photos )

Will be one of the car in the image in this thread http://forums.aaca.org/f165/newbie-38-mc-laughlin-limo-257615.html. Good to see they are still around. Art Williams has a new name on the forum due to problems with logging into the forum software

Another thread with RHD 1938-39 large series Bucks

http://forums.aaca.org/f117/parts-1938-buick-series-90-model-268190.html

Edited February 21, 2010 by 1939_buick
spelling (see edit history)

[Guest GT390]

They are all in need of restoration, sorry about the bad quality pic's, and all the junk on the cars !

I snapped these with my mobile phone camera, these 4 have all been stored togeather since 1967,

[1939_Buick]

Look good for being stored 40 plus years.

A freind in in Namibia (Africa) is after a 1938 series 60-80-90 gearbox / transmission for a RHD 1938 Seres 80, if you happen to have any spares. RHD is a different casting to LHD. His casing is cracked and it has been welded up

Edited February 20, 2010 by 1939_buick
"Casing crack" comment added (see edit history)

[Guest GT390]

I will try and get the numbers tomorrow, I would really appreciate it if Dave Corbin could shed more light on them. I have all the side mounts, hub caps ect.. a complete spare engine and a mint condition dash and radio that all came with them.

[Guest GT390]

I think there is a spare bell housing on the spare engine, so it must seperate from the gearbox, maybe the rest of the transmission may be the same as L.H.D. ?

[1939_Buick]

Yep, 1938 internal the same as far I know, Think the casting is different due the way the pedals are supported on the tranmission, Don't know for sure as have not seen a 38 transmission / gbox in detail for some years

Some 39 Buicks are for hire in Scotland. The 40 seies is Australian made. Web site ARISTOCARS

Edited February 20, 2010 by 1939_buick (see edit history)

[Guest GT390]

I think they are all Canadian built, so numbers may be different to US models

'39 90 Series Limited Chassis. 944191677 Eng. W3422457

'39 90 Series Limited Chassis. 949332004 Eng. W3422885 ( Reported to have belonged to The Russian Embassy in London, and possibly used by Joseph Stalin ? )

'38 90 Series Limited Chassis. 249190092 Eng. W3423596

'38 90 Series Limited Chassis. 13280387 Eng. 13454651

The "Spare" engine I have is # 93542893

Can anyone decipher these ?

Edited February 20, 2010 by GT390 (see edit history)

[Dynaflash8]

One of the '38 cars looks to be a Series 80, best I can tell from the shape of the back quarter window. Have you double checked the firewall plates?

[Guest GT390]

One of the '38 cars looks to be a Series 80, best I can tell from the shape of the back quarter window. Have you double checked the firewall plates?

I think possibly you are seeing the '38 hearse from a bad angle, its a 90 series but the quater window pillar has been removed and a one piece long window fitted<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Firewall plates all give the numbers in the post above

[1939_Buick]

Dave Corbin will able to decipher the numbers

Given the large number of these cars Wiltons had very possible engines and transmissions were swapped between cars

In my limited knowledge of Buick "W" in the engine number & "94" in the chassis indicates Canadian production. The 1938 90 Series Limited Chassis. 13280387 Eng. 13454651 may be ex USA:- 1 = Flint production.

The "Spare" engine # 93542893 was originally fitted to a USA 90 series car (the first digit indicates the series 4=40 6=60 8=80 9=90)

Do the cars have "McLaughlin Buick" data plates on the fire wall or "Buick" ?

What is the wheelbase on the hearse ? Has it been extended ? There has been a comment here on the forum that Wilton's had there own hearse bodies made

Edited February 20, 2010 by 1939_buick
spelling (see edit history)

[Guest GT390]

The vin plate on the firewall of all four cars lists chassis number and engine number, all match the actual engine number on the block, but none of the vin plates have any reference to Buick or McLaughlin, simply a brass plate, stating "Engine No." and "Chassis No."could maybe even been stamped by wiltons as all 4 plates are very similar in layout. The hearse does seem to be a US car going by the numbers, and the chassis plate number on its frame rail matches the bulkhead number plate. Wiltons did indeed convert the cars to hearses themselves, in there own coachworks, basically the rear doors are still there, but riveted and body soldered, a section about 10" wide has been added in the roof, just visable where some of the paint is flaking, looks like they chopped the rear section off the roof and moved it back to square off the rear and and of course the rear tailgate is a two piece affair with a timber frame.

The hearse was last road taxed in 1967, still has the licence disc on the windscreen, and the oddometer shows just 30,000 miles. The original colour was a dark blue.

I do not think the chassis is lengthened, but I have not measured the wheelbase,

I did think they were all Canadian McLaughlins, but it seems now the hearse may be the odd one out, it is the only left hand drive car out of the four, and as you say, appears to be from the Flint plant.

[Glassesguy]

Nice to see some of the Wilton fleet has survived. A number of years ago the McLaughlin Buick Club Accelerator featured pictures of the fleet.

[1939_Buick]

Nice to see some of the Wilton fleet has survived. A number of years ago the McLaughlin Buick Club Accelerator featured pictures of the fleet.

Anyone got a copy of those pictures or the magazine ?

[Guest GT390]

A Few more photos of the spare engine, RHD Bellhousing, and I know some folks removed or drilled through the body plate installing a heater, Wiltons seem to have fitted a large remote oil filter in this position, and removed the body tags in doing so. They have made there own type of body plate and mounted it higher up on the firewall.

A few more pictures also included