1940 Buick Inquiry

[Guest BJM]

Standard Catalog (Buick) states that the Special 4 door trunkback sedan had a 121" wheelbase and the Century trunkback sedan was 126".

Can a smarter person then myself verify this is correct?

I thought the Century was based on a Special chassis with the bigger Roadmaster engine.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Jake, would the Century not have to be longer wheel base to accomadate the longer engine??

Ben

[1939_Buick]

Jake, would the Century not have to be longer wheel base to accomadate the longer engine??

Ben

Yes. Same body shell but a longer chassis Edited December 19, 2010 by 1939_buick (see edit history)

[50jetback]

A bit of a misconception, probably due to the advertising.

The Century is really more like a short wheel base Roadmaster than a Special with a large Series motor. To accommodate the larger engine the chassis is not only longer but much heavier as is the suspension, brakes, transmission and rear end.

In the main body parts from the firewall back appear similar and may interchange although I have discovered with my 1936 that the running boards are longer and the speedometer runs to 120MPH ( Special only runs to 100MPH ).

So a Century wasn't based on a Special chassis, it had it's own much heavier chassis but was advertised as big motor in a car around the Special size.

[jscheib]

Ah Yes, Marketing Department poetic license.

No wonder we get confused.

John

[Guest BJM]

Well this inquiry is in relation to a 1940 Buick Century/1940 Special offered on CL in Peabody, Mass. The Century has a "body" that has been rendered unusable because a tree fell on the roof and in addition to the dent, it rusted clean through and can not be restored.

The 1940 Special - same 4 door trunkback body per seller - is part of a deal offered for $1500 so that the Special can give up it's roof section for the Century, which is a dual sidemount car.

I've looked at several photos and the Special "body" looks the same as the Century body. This does NOT include the front clip.

If this is the case, then the Special can be rebodied to the Century IF the extra 5 inches for the Century is in the front clip only. But comments on here seem to indicate the Special offers no parts swap bodywise for the Century (i.e. Century has bigger frame and drivetrain)

[Glassesguy]

Bryan is correct on the body. 1940 Special and Century are the same body from the cowl back; so a body swap would be entirely possible and probably simpler than trying to cut off the roofs. Inside the cars Centurys used slightly different trim and added a folding arm rest in the back seat. Buick did this for years starting with the 1936 Century. The staight eight years used a 3 -4 inch longer chassis to accomodate the longer engine as Stuart noted. When the Century came back in 1954 as a V8 they were simply a Special with the larger series engine and higher trim.. This was done through 1958. In the Sixties the Century's successor, the Wildcat, was more like an Electra with a Lesabre body. Finally the 71 through 73 Centurion became more like the 54-58 concept for the Century which was a Lesabre with the big engine and higher trim level. Sorry to get windy, but I sometimes forget that this stuff is not as common knowledge as it used to be.

[Guest BJM]

Thanks very much Dave. Your input is most welcome.

Edited December 21, 2010 by BJM (see edit history)

[Glassesguy]

As a followup I recall a Buick restorer once told me when transferring a Special body to a Century chassis, the body to frame mounts located on the cowl might need to be transferred from the Century body to the Special body or possibly reworked. Just something to be aware of.

[Matt Harwood]

From 1936 until at least 1942, the differences in wheelbase were almost entirely in front of the cowl. Special and Century shared bodies, while Super and Roadmaster shared theirs, with the added wheelbase being entirely ahead of the firewall to accommodate the longer engine.

In 1941, for example, if you look at the front fenders, particularly where they sweep in to meet the front door edge, you can see the difference in the length of the fender itself. On the small series cars, the fender reaches to the door, while on the larger cars, the fender has a flat area ahead of the door before it curves back out.

Edited December 22, 2010 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Guest BJM]

From 1936 until at least 1942, the differences in wheelbase were almost entirely in front of the cowl. Special and Century shared bodies, while Super and Roadmaster shared theirs, with the added wheelbase being entirely ahead of the firewall to accommodate the longer engine.

Again, I appreciate the confirmation before I pursue buying the cars.