Guest dgp0703 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I have a 1936 Special, Series 40. Car has sat in a garage for a few years and now I have it and am starting to work to slowly restore it. We have gotten the car running and driving but that is where the problems start. All fluids have been changed out in the car. Currently, while driving in 1st or 2nd gears, the transmission makes a loud growling noise that sounds like a sack full of rabid weasels. Once you shift into 3rd, it becomes amazingly quiet. Acceleration in 3rd gear is quick between 15 and 35 mph and then it won't go any faster at all. Uphill, downhill, flat ground is the same. It hits a barrier at 35 mph and won't go any faster. It feels like it is top speed for that gear but no more gears to shift to. I am looking for a carburetor kit and a fuel pump kit to try those out to see what happens. They should help, can't hurt. Also, I am thinking it is probably bearings or gears that need replaced in transmission. I want to get it torn apart and completely rebuilt like new. The car is in pretty good shape with only 66,000 miles on it. Body looks great but paint needs redone. Also it will need a complete new interior and new wood work in floor and doors. It is a project to last the next few years but I want to still be able to drive it quite a bit in good weather. Also, I have searched all over the motor and can't find a dipstick to check the oil. I also can't figure out how to turn on the heater. At least I think it is a heater under the dash above the passenger side floorboard. I know some of these models did come without heaters. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egor Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Congrats on your new car! The good acceleration around 25 mph is typical, due to the 4.44:1 gearing on the Specials. So is the motor starting to wind out around 35 mph. If you mean 35 mph with the pedal floored, that would be interesting. Typically, the cars will go quite a bit faster while sounding like they don't want to. Mine sounds bad at 50, much better at 60. The typical parts suppliers are Bob's Automobilia in California, and CARS, Inc. in, I think, New Jersey. Parts will be more expensive and less extensive than Chevy. Dave Tacheny in MN is the go-to guy for used '37-'38 parts; you might want to call to see if he has any '36's, 763-427-3460. The dipstick should be on the passenger side, lower midpoint of the block. If yours is missing, get busy with a flashlight to find the hole. You found the heater. There should be a control under the dash somewhere. There are upholstery kit suppliers, but you can probably find someone local who'll be cheaper in the long run, unless you've got upholstery skills and can modify the kits available to fit properly. Reprints of the factory manuals are available, and worth their weight in gold. You might want to consider joining the 36-37-38 Buick club, too. Check out 1937and1938Buicks : 1937 and 1938 Buicks ( Buick ), too. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dgp0703 Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Thanks for the great advice. I'm looking forward to start playing with this new toy and your advice was very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groselle Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 You can check out my much out dated blog. I'm restoring a 1936 Series 40 and have posted many photos. I haven't updated it in quite a while though. The link is in my signature below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Good to see you're alive and well Greg.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groselle Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Good to see you're alive and well Greg....Indeed alive and well. Just not having alot of time to work on the Buick or update the website. I've also been distracted by a couple of Model T's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_b_1937 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Check your accelerator linkage to the carburator it may be set wrong so that you are only getting half thottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erndog Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Nice site! Can't wait to take the time to go through your whole "logbook". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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