1923 Six Cylinder - Rear Outer Wheel Hubs - What Years Are They Common?

[Brian_Heil]

My Master Parts Book is in storage. Can someone check and tell me what years the Outer Hubs are the same part number as 1923? Six Cylinder Application. (I think the 4 cylinder ones are smaller).

This is the cast hub the hub cap screws on to and the outer flange of it bolts to the wheel in six places and the axle shaft bolts to with a large nut at the center.

Thank you!

[Leif Holmberg]

Brian,I don`t think you can use anything else than small bolt and nuts from 4 cyl.models 1/4"-5/16" that will fit 6 cyl.models,the rear hub are totaly different between those 4 and 6 cyl.cars.But I can help you with a scan from my parts book.

Leif in Sweden.

[Brian_Heil]

Leif,

Thank you!

As you can see by the chart (which I had a vague memory of) there are a large number of Hub part numbers. It makes you wonder what they (Buick) were changing year-to-year to cause a new design and part number.

I knew the 4 cylinder hub would not fit my 6 cylinder, but could not remember all the details on what fit what on the 6 cylinder cars.

Thank you again.

Now the next part of the mystery is: What axle does this chap really have, and is it what he says it is.

Brian

[Terry Wiegand]

MR HEIL, AS A GENERAL MOTORS ENGINEER, YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, SHOULD KNOW THAT IF THERE IS A REVISION TO AN ENGINEERING DRAWING, THIS WILL TRIGGER A PART NUMBER CHANGE. I HAVE ILLUSTRATED PARTS CATALOGS FOR THE SIX CYLINDER MODELS FROM 1916 UP THROUGH 1925. I KNOW OF SEVERAL PARTS THAT WERE THE SAME THROUGH SEVERAL YEARS' USAGE THAT HAD THE PART NUMBER CHANGED FOR SOME REASON. WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT THE ORIGINAL ENGINEERING DRAWINGS AND GO THROUGH THE TITLE BLOCK ON THE PRINT AND READ THE REVISIONS AND DATES OF THOSE REVISIONS, IT IS EXTREMELY HARD SOMETIMES TO DETERMINE JUST WHAT CHANGED ON ANY GIVEN PART. IT COULD BE AS SIMPLE AS INCREASING THE DIAMETER OF A SPOTFACE. OR SLIGHTLY MOVING THE LOCATION OF A DRILLED HOLE. PART NUMBER CHANGES ON A VISUALLY IDENTICAL PART WERE DONE FOR A REASON. I WOULD ASSUME THAT A LOT OF THIS WAS DONE TO HELP THE MECHANIC IN THE FIELD ORDER THE CORRECT REPLACEMENT PART WHEN REPAIRS WERE NECESSARY ON THE REALLY OLD MODELS. YOU HANG IN THERE. THE SKILLED TRADES FOLKS WILL HELP YOU ALONG. TERRY WIEGAND DOO DAH AMERICA

[Brian_Heil]

Dr. Doo Dah, D.V.M.,

Nice to hear from you.

While it pains me , I do agree with you. My point was, wouldn't it be fun to know what the changes made were and why that drove the P/N changes.

I am still amazed at how so few parts are shared between the Buick 6 cylinder cars and 4 cylinder cars. Must have cost a fortune to tool all these up.

I have a line on a 1923 Model 45 'parts pile' consisting of: Rear Axle and Torque Tube/Drive Shaft complete, Transmission and Clutch, Four Wheels/Hubs/Rims, Four Fenders. Pictures coming. Anyone need something if I end up hauling this stuff home?

The parts sound to be a bit rough, the body tub had been made into a truck as so many were, and this chap kept the frame and what was left of the tub and turned it into a B-Bucket (what I call a Buick Bucket similar to the popular Ford T Bucket street rods). The engine was sold off some time ago.

These Buick 'Trucks' can be pretty tired after serving as a family car and then turned into a truck and run hard for years. We shall see. Sometimes the hunt is the best part. More to follow.

Brian

[Terry Wiegand]

DEAR BRIAN, THOSE WORDS COMING FROM YOU WERE MUSIC TO MY EARS. HOWEVER, I DO NEED TO POINT OUT THAT YOU JUST DIDN'T QUITE GET THE DEGREE PART RIGHT. IT SHOULD BE D O B THAT DENOTES A DOCTORATE of BUICKOLOGY. THAT WOULD THEN MAKE ME A BUICKOLOGIST. THAT HAS A NICE SOUND TO IT I'M SURE YOU WILL AGREE. YOU JUST STICK WITH ME KID AND WE WILL GET YOU SMARTENED RIGHT UP. HAVE A GREAT DAY. TERRY WIEGAND SOMEWHERE IN DOO DAH AMERICA