'37 paint, is it correct?

[MrEarl]

This sweet lil 37 coupe is for sale in AACA forum. I am curious as to whether the two tone paint and the color of the paint are correct. Regrettably I am not in the market for one but just curious about the colors.

http://forums.aaca.org/f119/1937-buick-model-40-coupe-296653.html#post840066

Also, below is a little blue 36 I almost bought from someone out in Oregon back just before the '07 Nationals in Seattle. Just wondering if anyone else may have ended up with this car.

[Guest ewing]

2 tone in 37; don't think so.

I've never seen any literature with 2 tone, nore old 'period' pictures in 2 tone.

Firewall would be body color ( maroon in this case) . If that is original firewall color, the car was probably all black.

Don't know if dealers did customer order paint overs to order back then or not.

all black yes. and some nice colours offered. But not in combination.

I'm sure someone will pull up a color chart to see if the brownish maroon is an offered colour.

I do know that when dad bought a new 58 Pontiac in 58... ( I guess that would be obvious) he had the dealer paint the side spear only an ivory color, on an all black car.

Edited January 21, 2011 by ewing (see edit history)

[egor]

Pretty car, and clean engine compartment. On the other hand, driver's door panel is baggy and looks homemade, the seat has a vintage cover, steering wheel needs recasting, dash and garnishes are painted rather than wood grained. Two tone paint was gone some time before '37. I think there was a similar maroon that year, but if the owner felt free to paint the fenders black, he probably wasn't too concerned that the body color was authentic.

[Guest Tishabet]

Lots of stuff on that car is incorrect (painted headlight rings and missing side trim, black painted trim and dash, running boards wrong, speaker in the kick panel, wrong rear view mirror, looks like wrong hubcaps, wrong spears on rear bumper(?)) but it is actually a pretty handsome car.

Some odd things... am I imagining, or is the top of the window shown in photo 4 not straight? Also, I believe the gas cap should be located in the fender just above the passenger side brake light... where is it? It might just be the angle, but I also can't see the handles to operate the hood latches... are they gone?

Not worth anywhere near that asking price IMHO.

Edited January 21, 2011 by Tishabet (see edit history)

[Glassesguy]

I agree with everyone's observations. Another misuse of the word "original".

[Guest ewing]

Some odd things... am I imagining, or is the top of the window shown in photo 4 not straight?

I think that wavy edge you see in that photo is the metal edge of the felt window brush edge. looks like it is loose and bent, meaning possibly all of the window 'sashes ' are weathered , worn, ... That's typical of an old car , not really restored, but a repaint and the weathered small stuff, overlooked. That's the small stuff that separates a nice fully restored car, from a quick cosmetic 'restoration'.

Just an opinion of what I think I am seeing. A personal up close inspection would tell you a lot more than pictures and is always a good idea before you buy.

[rusty12]

It looks like a very enjoyable driver quality car. It's not a show car but it isn't priced like one either. Coupes are quite a bit scarcer than sedans and this one is priced about the same as a comparable condition sedan.

[50jetback]

Also, below is a little blue 36 I almost bought from someone out in Oregon back just before the '07 Nationals in Seattle. Just wondering if anyone else may have ended up with this car.

Mr Earl,

There's one right up your alley on the AACA Buy/Sell site at the moment - 1936 Buick 3 window coupe.

[DavidNA]

It looks pretty solid, looks like it was probably refurbished rather than restored 20/25 years ago.

It needs a new better quality interior, possibly running boards, perhaps only rubbers, it has sealed beam headlights, and the interior dash,needs detailing, not to sure about the woodgraining, as I have seen others from '37 with a painted dash.

The Bulkhead colour is black, .

Interesting point about the filler cap. The filler cap is not on the top of the rear wing, Right side, nor is it as in a 1938 on the left side within a flap on the side of the wing.

It is on the right side within a flap on the side of the wing, has anyone seen another placed like this

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

I'm not even close to being an expert on '37 Buicks, but I do recognize there are many things far from original on the car in question. I think I'd be prone to describe it as a resto-rod of sorts. One thing is for certain the paint job is my pet peeve of being overly glossy for the production year. Probably a five to ten year old single stage urethane.

I'm going to take a wild guess and bet to put gas in this guy will require the trunk be opened which will probably reveal a hot rod tank being used verses the original tank. I also noticed that all the wire-on welt around the doors is in desperate need of replacement as well as whatever should have been original floor mats. Bottom line: The car may be basically solid, is probably of Canadian production, and is going to take a lot of money to return to being of a purely original nature.

Jim

[DavidNA]

Attached pic of the filler cap hatch on the RH fender, the 37 coupe normally has this on the top of the fender, and the 38 has a similar hatch on the LH fender

The fuel hatch is 2 o'clock to the circular reflector on the fender

The boot interior is standard with no 'rod tank

Different, but it is US made not Canadian

Edited January 29, 2011 by DavidNA (see edit history)

[motoringicons]

Jim- There is NO HOT ROD GAS TANK inside the trunk. This is not a resto-rod nor is it a Canadian production car.

[rusty12]

I have seen painted dashboards on 1937 Series 40 standards. Buick had a variety of fuel fill placements during the late 1930s and the one on this car seems typical.

[Guest Tishabet]

[ATTACH]77051[/ATTACH]

Attached pic of the filler cap hatch on the RH fender, the 37 coupe normally has this on the top of the fender, and the 38 has a similar hatch on the LH fender

The fuel hatch is 2 o'clock to the circular reflector on the fender

The boot interior is standard with no 'rod tank

Different, but it is US made not Canadian

Very odd... could the fender be from another GM car?? That location is not consistent with the location of the 1938 filler on the opposite side either.

Unscientifically, I googled "1937 Buick Coupe" and went through the entire first page of images which allow a view of the rear, and while not incontrovertible I'd say the evidence is strong:

[DavidNA]

I did the same, and all the '37 Buicks came up as in your pics. The nearest GM is the La Salle which has an external rh fender mounted filler for both '37 and '38.

The chevs fenders have a different profile.

It's probably somewhere between the change from the '37 top fender filler cap and the '38 LH flap filler. Manufacturers do have changes before final version.

I would be interested to know as I haven'r seen another like it, also the headlamps are odd, even with out the side trim there should be a seam where the trim fits over, but they are both completely smooth and also sealed beam.

[Guest Tishabet]

I would be interested to know as I haven'r seen another like it, also the headlamps are odd, even with out the side trim there should be a seam where the trim fits over, but they are both completely smooth and also sealed beam.

I was scratching my head over the headlights as well.... sealed beam conversion is actually not uncommon and there used to be a kit for making this "upgrade" to your bulb/reflector style headlamps. You make a good point re: the seam/strip for the missing headlamp trim, it's a fairly prominent profile on the 38 headlamp bodies and I would assume it's difficult to remove.

I personally think the 37 and 38 Buicks end up looking kind of funny with the sealed beam units, the OEM lenses added quite a bit of dimension to the overall headlamp profile.

[rusty12]

My 37 "40" sedan has a sealed beam conversion just like the one on this coupe, it doesn't have the typical trim either. I have seen a few this way. It may be have been a later factory replacement or ??

[DavidNA]

Thanks for the info, I'm just getting into all these differences, I have just bought the car, so time will tell. I won't have it for a couple of months thought, so I thought I would start collecting the parts I need such as new interior trim, Buick scroll hub caps, a pair of headlamps would be good with the trims and those very rounded lenses, I agree they do make the car look distinctive. Any ideas for side trims, chrome rims and lenses ?

Any ideas for trim supplier, I would like a complete kit, door panels, scuttle panels, carpets , seats and rear trim. I am awaiting samples from LeBarron Bonney, plus the trunk interior which is solid and original

The trims to the side of the headlamp shells are pressed or crimped on and appear very similiar to a LaSalle, but I think the LaSalle lamps have painted rims, rather than chrome. I have found a set but they seem expensive at $950, I think, and have painted rims. I have seen a car for restoration at near that price.

Rusty, I was told the sealed beam headlamps without trims were a period aftermarket accessory. It aslo has the additional dash mounted spotlights as well.

The car does have an original Buick radio which I will have serviced, and refitted.

It doesn't have any jump seats, so if possible I would like to find out who can make me a rear panel with seats and the chrome stays / latches to match the new trim.

I will keep the car the same colour, as it will be in Europe, I like two tone cars, hence one of the reasons I went for it.

Can anyone tell me where I can find a replacement spark plug cover, it is is missing, and whilst most of the mechanical parts are available the side cover does not seem to be.

Thanks

David

Edited January 31, 2011 by DavidNA (see edit history)