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Raise your hand if you drove at least one old Buick this weekend


JohnD1956

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Yesterday was to be the last warm sunny day for a while. Good day to take "Beulah" for a leisurely drive and put the top up for the winter.

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After the drive Joan helps to set the top free as it had been encased in the boot since May.

DSCF7936.thumb.JPG.8553c38eba69467d42de3ea41a2b0aef.JPG Quite a wrinkled mess.

DSCF7937.thumb.JPG.69b147f036436bd0e00c712edadf5ce1.JPG Now to stretch out in the sun.

 

 

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I started up the Skylark, and as soon as I backed it out of the garage it started running rough. Popped the hood expecting to find the choke stuck and instead I saw the carburetor vomiting fuel out the bowl vent. Float needle not seating properly or a float full of gas. So, does driving the car out of the garage and right back in count?

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For the past couple Thanksgivings I have been able to load up some friends and drive us all in a proper style in the big 4 door to the annual potluck fest we have at their Ale House. Sadly looking like this year is a wash out unless the skies clear and the roads dry in a few hours. So I will be driving her in spirit (and using the gravel road survivor 53 Plymouth instead)  It is sad looking into the lonely winter garage but tomorrow looks dry and 70 so hope is on the horizon.

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Edited by Brooklyn Beer (see edit history)
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My son and his wife were in for Thanksgiving from Virginia and he wanted to go for a ride so we took the Reatta down to Jones Beach and Ocean parkway to stretch it's legs. Tossed the keys to my son and let him enjoy the drive. Had a real good time and some missed conversation together. Really felt like Thanksgiving, Good Times!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.

 

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I grew up in Blue Point and if my sister who lives in Holbrook is right, you better get ready to hunker down as winter is coming !  Glad to see you got a day to enjoy the beach before the snow comes calling.  I snuck the 49 out after all today and just hit a mist coming home. That turtle wax ICE wax and rainX sure did it's job !  The tradition continued !

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It had all day to warm up and it appears to have hit 30 degrees. Went out for a ride along the Erie Canal. It has been drained and the water replaced by a steady flow of wind from the west.

 

Here's a stop by one of the wide waters where, some might say, three old barges could be seen.

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Sorry, didn't have the camera or cell phone for a current picture, 

but moved the 1937 Roadmaster Phaeton from one storage to another-

 

Bright sunshine and 80 Degrees today here in jazzy New Orleans - Go Saints !

 

but here are older pics at the National World War II Museum here in New Orleans,

with Katherine Smith as Margaret (Missy) LeHand, Secretary to Franklin Delano Roosevelt :

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I've been driving the limousine every day for a few weeks because the transmission on my Cadillac CTS failed and it's been working pretty well. It doesn't seem to mind the cold and it hasn't really snowed yet so there's no salt on the road yet. The Cadillac should be back early next week so that should work out OK.

 

I also acquired this lovely little 1941 Super convertible from my friend Doug Seybold. It showed up a few days ago and for the most part it's an original car. Paint, interior, top, most of the chrome, all original. Chenanga Gray with red leather that's in fantastic condition. At the moment, I'm not sure whether it's a keep or a sell--I'm still digging out of the hole created by The Car Which Shall Not Be Named, so it doesn't make any sense to buy another car. But I sure miss my green 56C and driving this one doesn't make that go away.

 

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Doug went through it mechanically, including brakes, so it runs and drives pretty well. Today I tweaked the carburetors a bit to make them idle a little better and the shocks were bone dry so it bounced and wandered all over the road. You can see here that the shocks were not doing their job:

 

 

I filled the shocks with appropriate ISO 100 hydraulic oil, which really made a difference.If not for the square tires, it would be a wonderful tour car. Still, it drives quite well so I took a little drive to test the shocks:

 

 

Edited by Matt Harwood (see edit history)
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Every year I help put on a local car show on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Today we had a total of 107 cars registered for the show. It was a nice day despite being cloudy all day. In addition to my 1937 Century Model 61, there were 2 other 1937 Buicks as well as a 1935 Buick and a 1922 Buick.

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Edited by MCHinson (see edit history)
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28 minutes ago, Brooklyn Beer said:

This be the same oil for the 1949 Buick shocks?  

 

 

This is the right stuff. There are thinner oils but for rear shocks, I have best success with the ISO 100 (which is about equivalent to 30 weight oil). There's also ISO 32 (10 weight) and ISO 46 (about 20 weight). I like the ISO 100.

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Rear shocks are bolted to the brake backing plate and have a filler on top. it's an 11/32 square bolt. Be gentle unscrewing it, it might be tight.

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Front shocks have the filler on top, you'll see it when you look down on the shock from inside the engine bay. Bounce the car while you fill it to work out any air bubbles. Don't over-fill, either, it needs a little space to expand. When it starts to firm up, add a little more then stop. And be prepared for them to leak--most shocks that are empty are empty because the seals have failed. I'm surprised that the shocks on the Super are holding oil, but we'll see what the look like in a few days...

 

 

Edited by Matt Harwood (see edit history)
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2 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

 

 

I also acquired this lovely little 1941 Super convertible from my friend Doug Seybold. It showed up a few days ago and for the most part it's an original car. Paint, interior, top, most of the chrome, all original. Chenanga Gray with red leather that's in fantastic condition. At the moment, I'm not sure whether it's a keep or a sell--I'm still digging out of the hole created by The Car Which Shall Not Be Named, so it doesn't make any sense to buy another car. But I sure miss my green 56C and driving this one doesn't make that go away.

 

41Super1.thumb.jpg.0432a0d844f82831f86b4d8942cae8dd.jpg  41Super2.thumb.jpg.5686b30571635b71d12c263bea1d3050.jpg  41Super3.thumb.jpg.525b5dde1ccdf08c7c8ec089d6fb4e7e.jpg

 

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Loved the video of the drive.  But, every time I saw a car approach an intersection to your left or right, I puckered up a little hoping that car would not cut in front of you.

 

 

 

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13 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

I've been driving the limousine every day for a few weeks because the transmission on my Cadillac CTS failed and it's been working pretty well.

 

Just a random though thinking Buick and Cadillac at the same time. Ever compare putting a '41 Buick and a '41 Cadillac into reverse?

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After finally getting my 56 Titled and Registered (again) and insuring it, I was finally able to enjoy the highest quality automobile I've ever had the pleasure of operating. It had been some months, I forgot how solid the doors sounded when they came shut on the fresh weatherstripping. Or the very brisk startup with the touch of the gas pedal, or the seamless acceleration from a stop with no hard shifting. Unfortunately I'll be limiting myself to 3000 miles a year. Fortunately with my yearly daily driving, I've never exceeded 2500 miles. Can't wait to be back in the challenge next year.

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Glad you have the car back on the road Ben!

There just is something about driving our old Buick's isn't there...

One just has to experience it to understand right?

For me it likely is the flood of memories that come up when I fire mine up and head out, sometimes for no other reason than to go for a ride.

 

The quality build was brought to may attention once when I had a spare transmission rebuilt by my then mechanic after I had found a complete rebuild kit at a swap meet.

Larry had owned several Javelin's and raced them for awhile and had a three bay service garage but had never rebuilt a dynaflow before.

As the job progressed using my chassis manual we talked about the few needed things he found. Mostly it was a worn out washer/spacer and cleaning out one of the accumulators(?) but his comment was he was amazed at the precision and tolerances he found. Ne never figured them to be so good "back then". That was good to hear.

 

So Ben, 2020 is around the corner and sooner than we think spring will be in the air (likely your way before mine) so here's to a successful 2020 challenge young man!

 

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I know it's not actually driving, but given that there's a snowstorm getting ready to happen outside, that's OK. Our master detailer, Michael Johnson, is hard at work bringing the old lacquer on that '41 Super back to life. It was chalky and dull, but after two passes he's already starting to see a decent shine. You can see in these photos that the passenger's side of the hood is considerably brighter and "clearer" than the rest of the car. He has his own system and it'll probably take him 3-4 days to get it where he wants it, but I think it'll turn out great. Just wish I could drive it some more before he makes it too pretty to use (our lights make it look more green than it is).

 

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Oh, and I found this in the photo studio this afternoon. I think I need to take this for a spin, too...

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I had my '41 out today.  Not too many falling leaves in San Francisco, but our neighbor's Ginko tree puts down a nice golden carpet every year a this time.

 

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And I decided to ride out to the RC flying field in style a few weeks ago.  This is actually a small private airfield where they allow us to fly RC as long as we stay out of the way of the 1:1 scale jobs!

 

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Cold and crappy here in PA today. Fired up the Buicks et.al. this AM. got them nice and warm, turned on/off all the acc and motors, raised and lowered the tops and ran them through all the gears back and forth in the garage. Tucked them back in until it's time for some more exercise.

Time for a spot of lunch than maybe watch the Eagles kick some ass........Bob

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1 hour ago, Buicknutty said:

 Very nice, Neil. We have a nice carpet here as well, only ours is white.

 


Thanks, Keith.  I was thinking of posting that pic on the "Winter Buick" thread just to be a smart ass, but I thought better of it! 

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