1928 Buick

[ericwolf]

I am looking at buying a 1928 2 seater buick with a rumble seat, it is in good conditions but needs some work on the doors and does not run well due to carburation.

Can someone tell me what these are worth and any information about the carburation on these engine?

Thanks, Eric.

[Guest Kars711]

Hello Eric, I own a 1928 buick 128-54 model. I think they go around 25000 to 30000 euro (prices in Europe) if you can find one because they are pretty rare. There is a 1927 model for sale at Hemmings.

[Guest Roger_Roy]

I am looking at buying a 1928 2 seater buick with a rumble seat, it is in good conditions but needs some work on the doors and does not run well due to carburation.

Can someone tell me what these are worth and any information about the carburation on these engine?

Thanks, Eric.

its all in the wood for me, bad wood in the body = parts car or a cheap long term project.When you say the doors need work is the wood rotten? this can get expensive.

Carb wise parts should be available fro Bobs Automobilia. they are pretty basic but wear out like anything else, your problem could be anything...

Can you find a Vintage Buick guy near you to look at it?

[ericwolf]

The current owner tells me that the stock carburation, heat chamber and manifold are a poor design and should be converted to a down draft carb???

How rare are these, do you know how many 2 doors were made that year?

[unimogjohn]

Eric, you need to tell us the model number, which is on the passenger side firewall. Or tell us if it has a round bar between the two frame rails on the front of the car forward of the radiator. That will tell us if the car is a master or standard series. Pic of the car would be nice.

Standard, model 26, businessman coupe 12,417 produced

Standard, model 26-S, Country Club coupe 13,211 produced

Master, mode 54-C, Country Club coupe 6,555 produced

The marvel carb and its heating system works just fine if maintained correctly. It is simple to fix as there are few parts compared to modern carbs. Mine works great as long as it is kept clean. We can help with the renew. I would bet that the metering jets, two of them, are clogged hence the bad running. But he as to keep the choke all the way out to make and keep her running.

I would estimate that you are look at a $2 to 3 K car in my books. But we need to know more about the condition inside and outside to make a determination. A good, well maintained driver will run you about $13K.

[ericwolf]

It is a 26S with the rumble seat and side golf bag door.

Wheels are like new, new tires, interior is redone and paint is 90%, I thought these would be worth around $20 K or more?

[ROD W]

Eric

Prices can vary widely depending on condition and how recent the restoration was and the model, master,s tend to be more expensive than the standard models, but again depending on condition. Open roadsters are the most in demand. As this car has only 90%paint condition, doors need attention, problem with running, 20K sounds too much to me, Unimogjohn is probably closer to the mark. The tube running up inside the heat riser often rust out at the manifold exit. These can be replaced , The jets can get blocked or the tips of the jets can split, but these can be brazed up and drilled to the right diameter for the model, It may need a new float, these can become saturated causing flooding. Once fixed up the marvels are a good carby and reliable

Rod

[50jetback]

Eric,

Keep an eye on this

Buick Buick | eBay

Not much left to finish and a Master to boot so would attract a higher price than a similar Standard model.

Not a rumble seat coupe but probably a rarer body style still.

I doubt this one will bring more than $10 or $12K but it certainly deserves to.

[ericwolf]

So what is the differnce between and Master and non Master?

[Mark Shaw]

Eric,

Masters have a 5" longer wheel base and most parts (except door handles, etc.) do not interchange.

Marvel Carburetors

One of the most condemned and abused components in Buicks from the teens to the early thirties is the infamous Marvel Carburetor. Many Buick owners have plugged their exhaust heat systems and either replaced their original Marvel Carburetor with a Zenith, Carter BB1, or some other updraft carburetor. Some just gave up and flipped their intake manifold to install a more fuel efficient downdraft carburetor to improve both performance and mileage in their cars.

I still run original Marvel Carburetor in most of my Buicks. I use full choke from a cold start & usually need to keep the choke out 1/3 to 1/2 until the engine warms up. This seems to be normal for Buicks with or without working exhaust heat systems. Mileage & performance is not as good as downdraft carburetors, but I believe that keeping these old girls going with their original equipment is part of the pleasure in driving and maintaining these old cars.

The older they are the more simple they are... If you have Marvel carb issues, first give it a good cleaning and check the cork float. Replace it if needed and set the fuel level just below the top of the lower jet. Make sure the air spring (inside the big adjustment knob) has a bulge in the middle or verify that it is original. If it is a straight spring, it may be the wrong spring. Set the big knob even with the tang and open the bottom fuel screw about 1 1/2 turns to start. It should start and idle with these settings....

The most common cause of Marvel Carburetor problems seems to be the need to replace the 70-80 year old cork float. I know that many prewar Buick owners struggle to get their Marvel Carburetors to work properly with these old dried up cork floats. It would be rare for such old cork floats to work reliably, so they must be either be replaced or coated to prevent saturation.

The purpose of the float is not just to start and stop fuel flow to the engine; it also continuously maintains the correct fuel level at the jets. The jets are carefully sized to atomize fuel to supply the correct volume of fuel & air to the engine at all operating speeds. If the air control knob is not properly adjusted or the fuel level is too high or too low, the jets will either starve or flood the engine. Sound familiar?

I have several old books and manuals that troubleshoot and/or explain the various designs and theories of how all kinds carburetors work. I also have Harold Sharon’s book “Understanding Your Brass Car” that explains how any do-it-yourself amateur can replace the cork in an updraft carburetor to drastically improve performance. Harold explains in simple terms how you can use “Crazy Glue” & wine corks to make a replacement cork float to fit in almost any carburetor. He also states that coating the cork is not necessary. I expect that gasoline additives & ethanol in modern gasoline would probably dissolve any of the old recommended shellac coatings and gum up everything anyway. But, I know that model airplane dope or Crazy Glue can be used to seal cork floats.

Another potential problem with Marvel Carburetors is with the brass jets that sometimes develop small cracks. Plug one end of the jet with your finger and suck or blow to determine if there are cracks. These cracks can easily be soldered to solve the problem. Just run a drill bit with the same inside diameter through the jet after soldering to make sure excess solder does not restrict flow.

The ultimate alternative is to flip the intake manifold and bolt on a Rochester carburetor from a "Stovebolt Six" GM engine. There are several models of this carburetor with and without automatic choke. My son is considering doing this on his 29 Buick. If you keep all the original parts, this modification can easily be reversed if you or the next owner prefers to show the car.

[pepcak]

1927/28 Master Six is 274 cid engine on 120" or 128" wheel base (few body styles) while 1927/28 Standard Six ("non Master") is 207 cid on 116" wheel base. If you have just a few pictures or bare chassis you can distinguish them by water return pipe - Master has a long pipe on the whole leght on left hand side of head, while STD has a short pipe from radiator to the front face of head. Master frame has a front tubular cross member that is missing on STD models. Hope this helps a bit.

Mark is right, parts generally does not interchange between Standard and Master models. They are of the same or very close design but dimensionally differs.

Edited December 23, 2011 by pepcak (see edit history)

[Old26Buick]

I changed both my 26 and 27 Buick to down draft carbs. Used stromberg one barrel off about 40 dodge 6 cyl. Also use electric fuel pump with pressure regulator. They both run super and start instancely. Just my thoughts

[Guest DonP]

If your still looking for a roadster I'm putting my restored 1928-54 master roadster in Hemmings this month. The frame off restoration was completed in 2009 starting with a low mileage California car with buffalo wire wheels and duel sidemounts. I'm asking $36,000 which is NADA high retail without the wires and sidemounts and trippe lights which were options offered in 28. If you have and interest I can be reached in San Diego at 619 838 9867.

Regarding your question on the fuel system, I have had good luck with the original systems on both the 1928 standard and master roadsters I have owned. I have also converted a 1926 to the downdraft carb. There seems to be more power and speed with the downdraft but you loose points at shows. I have an extra rochester carb that is suited for the conversion if you are interested.

I found the biggest difference between the standard and master roadster is the size of the door. The master door is four inches wider making getting in and out much easier.

Thanks, Don Pettee donpettee@aol.com

[ericwolf]

I believe it is a Master, it has a round bar between the frame rails at the front.

Eric.