Any '38 buying advice?

[CarNucopia]

After getting advice from my last thread and pouring over my Buick books I've decided to try and find a '38 Buick to use as more of a driver. I imagine I'll end up with a Special sedan, based on my budget. I was wondering if anyone has advice on specific things to look for on a car of this year. Are there common mechanical failures I should look for? Is there a particular part or trim piece that would be expensive/difficult to find if it's not on the car?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[39BuickEight]

Most parts are readily available for these cars either from a large parts source like Bob's Automobilia, or eBay, or any of the industry magazines. If you are really nice some of the folks here can always help too . I just got a NOS set of Delco 46 plugs on eBay a couple of weeks ago for $24 shipped. Yeah!

For my '39 there are only a few odd things I haven't been able to get ahold of (vacuum advance line, timing hole cover, items like that) that I can easily make if I end up needing to, just dont want to yet since mine's still far from hitting the road again.

By all accounts '38 parts are easier to find that '39 since there is a lot more overlap year to year (you probably know that '39's were one year only cars in many ways). Bob's have many parts for '38's that they don't have for '39's.

I am by no means an expert on these cars, this is what I have learned over the past 4 years by participating here and restoring my car. I personally like the '38 front end better than the '39's, but I simply could not pass up my car when I found it.

[1937-44]

I have a 37 Special and like Billy mentioned most parts are readily available. There is also a great support group for the 37 and 38's with the 36-38 Buick Club, and the 37-38 Yahoo group. I have heard of the drain tubes in the 4 door sedans rear doors separating and causing rust out in the rear floors and rear bottom seat cushion, but I have a two door and can't elaborate. Basically they are great cars. You don't have to own a car to belong to the yahoo group and you might want to join, it's free and post your question their.

Carl

Edited December 10, 2013 by 1937-44 (see edit history)

[egor]

There aren't any parts I know of that are difficult to locate, but I never needed to get into the drivetrain. Between Bob's, CARS, Hampton Coach and Dave Tacheny, just about everything else is available. There are some cosmetic items that can be expensive to buy or restore (like the pot metal grill or running boards), but that's the case with many antique cars. The straight 8's do tend to overheat if the cooling system isn't optimal, and check the torque tube seals for leakage, as you have to pull the rear end to do anything with the driveline. Generally, the cars are beautifully engineered and tough. You might want to look through the copies of The Torque Tube, the newsletter of the old 37-38 Buick Club, that are available online. I don't have the web address of that site, but a web search should quickly turn it up.

[Pete Phillips]

Open the trunk, and the first thing you see just inside the lip of the trunk, is a little well, lower than the rest of the trunk floor. That is the first thing that tends to rust out on these cars, and it is rusted out on most of them.

Steering wheels tend to crack and disintegrate, and they are expensive to recast.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Leonard, Texas

[Marty Roth]

We drive our original '37 Roadmaster 80C Phaeton (convertible sedan)

Virtually all maintenance items are readily available : ignition, brakes, cooling system, etc.

The '37 and '38 are very similar - most items interchange

Edited December 10, 2013 by Marty Roth (see edit history)

[DonMicheletti]

I have two '38 Buicks. A Roadmaster (4 door) and a Special sport coupe, with the little jump seats in the back,

The Roadmaster was restored about 25 years ago and has been a great car that will easily travel at freeway speeds. Thursty at 11.3mpg. Like mentioned above, the drain hose on the back windows had gone bad and there was some rusting of the trunk floor pan.

When I did the restoration I took a lot of pains to get the entire cooling system cleaned out - especially the block. I have had absolutely no overheating problems even in hot weather on hills. However you'll see a lot of comments about these engines running hot. My theory is that they worked fine when they were new and if done properly they will still work fine.

I'm now restoring the Special. It has the standard 4.4:1 rear end which makes it a lot slower on the highway. There are lots of options to change the rear end ratio, the easiest is to use the 3.9:1 gear set from a Century.

This is the site you have to look at. Check the technical index at the top to find the subjects:

http://www.1937and1938buicks.com/The-Torque-Tube/The-Torque-Tube.htm

Since Buick used virtually the same engine into the 50's, mechanical parts are easy to get and the engines are bullet proof.

Don

[Guest Grant Magrath]

38's are cool! Used one as a DD for a while. Only issue I had was the water pump bearing seizing up.

Plastic parts are available in reproduction form from Skip Boyer. Tyres can be hard to find here in NZ, but not impossible. 600x16 is more common here that the Buick Special's 650x16. Transmission parts are available from North West Transmissions (including syncro rings). And plenty of Chev parts fit as well. (hinge bushing kits, headlight inner buckets, reflectors and lenses, etc). Unlike Billy, I find the 39 front more attractive than the 38, because it's styled on the German GP cars of the time, but I do prefer the 38's dash. Good luck with your search!

Cheers

Grant

[1937-44]

I've never had a over heating problem either and my car is unrestored. Had it down in Charlotte in 2012 in 100 temperatures and it never got over 185 degrees and the only reason it got that hot was because I was sitting idling waiting for a train to go by. Carl

[60FlatTop]

The best piece of adice came from a friend of mine during conversations in the early 1990's. He said join the club before you buy the car. Don't buy the car and then join the club. The BCA has the Torque Tube for those models. Become an active member and use all the resources of the club to help you make the best purchase possible. Once you have selected the model you want to own you will find there is a finite number of them left in various conditions. The better the condition, the more likely a member will know about it. They know about the bad ones too. Let them guide you.

The last thing you want to do is secretly make that "big score" and then show up at a meet to hear someone say "Oh, you bought THAT car."

Spend an active year researching. It is not a long time when you remember some have had cars for more than a year and can't toss the keys to their wife to let her run up to the store for a gallon of milk.

Bernie

[CarNucopia]

Thanks for all of the great info. The collective wisdom of this forum never ceases to amaze me.

Cheers,

[Ernie E]

I would add that '38 Buicks are very addicting so be careful if your will power is weak!