1925 Buick 25/55 Sports Tourer details

[147 Franklin Airman]

Hi

I am looking at buying a 1925 Buick 25/55 on auction in the UK and wondered if anyone would be able to supply a few technical details that I have been unable to find.

Wheelbase length?

Availability of engine parts?

 

Thanks

[Leif Holmberg]

Beautiful car,the longest of Buick this year,128" wheel base(Standard 114").A lot harder to find part to than Standard models,but not impossible,but it can take some time to find..

Leif in Sweden.

[147 Franklin Airman]

Hi Leif

 

Thank you so much for the information. Very helpful.

 

Regards

[ROD W]

Here are specifications for the 1924 six cylinder,  which are the same as the 1925 Master  This 25-55 parts car is for sale. California. Its even got the trunk rack.   It might be easier to read when its the right way around

Edited May 3, 2016 by ROD W (see edit history)

[dibarlaw]

And here are some period photos.

[hidden_hunter]

Obviously the car hadn't been running in that first period photo, she would have been burning up with all those clothes on and the heat coming off that engine 

[147 Franklin Airman]

Thank for the info Rod, very informative. That spares car would be handy for the transmissions internal gears.

Great Photos dibarlaw, now I just need to buy the car.

Strangely, the car I am looking at was imported from New Zealand in 1990 and is a right hand drive.

Edited May 4, 2016 by 147 Franklin Airman (see edit history)

[dibarlaw]

I found these on Antiquecars.com It has been there for a long time at $49,500,The wheels look to have been done by a 5 year old.

[27donb]

7 hours ago, dibarlaw said:

 

It's a beautiful car, and my Buicks will never be as nice, but for that kind of money I would want the belt line trim between the hood and cowl to match up better than that as well.

[147 Franklin Airman]

Another query.

 

Is there any difference in the body width between the 24-49 which seats 7 and the 24-55 which only seats 4. I would have thought that the rear seats would fit 3 in both touring cars. 

[ROD W]

Franklin Airman,   The back seat width ( body width ) of the 25-55 sport tourer is the same as the 25-45  five passenger tourer  and the seven seater.  The seven seater body is longer so there is more room between the back of the front seat and the back seat to allow for the two small folding seats.  The seven seater  and the sport tourer are the same length to the back door,  as they both have the 128" wheel base.  The difference is that the 7 seater has a longer tub extending to the back of the car,  where as the sport tourer has the shorter tub and the built in trunk rack.  The first two pics are a 7 seater you can see the two folding seats,  and the maroon car is a sport tourer. I don,t know why they say the sport tourer is only a four seater

Edited May 5, 2016 by ROD W (see edit history)

[Terry Wiegand]

Rod, I have always heard that the Sport Touring bodies were physically narrower than the 5 and 7 passenger touring bodies.  If anyone on here can confirm this, I hope that they will chime in.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

[Dave_B]

I believe you are right, Terry. My 28 Sport Touring car has a narrower back seat than the sedan and the top of the back fender is wider and not interchangeable with the sedan. 

 

Dave

[Terry Wiegand]

I believe John Beatty out in Mass. has a '22 Model 55 and if he by chance should see this, I think he might be able to shed some light on the Sport Touring body.  I know that he has told me that a lot of the trim on the Sport Models was Nickle Plated cast brass.  The bodies and trim on these cars were entirely different from the regular production Roadsters and Touring's.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

[ROD W]

Thats the great thing about this forum,  your continually learning new things.   When I bought my 25-55 the previous owner had built a new  timber frame but it was  too wide at the rear doors where it joins onto the tub,  so the rear doors actually slopped in at the top. Tried to correct it but just could not get a clean line as the doors were glued together at the wrong line.  So decided to scrap that timber frame and start from scratch.   Now when you say the sport tourer is narrower i,m thinking maybe he  took the measurements off a 25-45.  I got these measurements off a 27-55. This is a pic of the timber frame when I bought the car.. Have nearly finished  building a new wood frame

Edited May 6, 2016 by ROD W (see edit history)

[147 Franklin Airman]

Thank you for the information, still not quite sure but I do wonder if the word "Sport" has something to do with it.

The Tourer is a 5 seater but the Sport Tourer is a 4 seater. 

I guess the best way would be to have them both together but that could be asking the impossible.

[Terry Wiegand]

Rod, from what I can see in your photo, your restoration looks like a work of art.  Could you possibly get some close-up shots on both sides of the engine and the body framework and post them on here?  Would love to see your detail work.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

[hwellens]

Here is a little more information:

 

[ROD W]

Thanks Terry,  I had very little of the original wood to use as patterns,  so have had to make ply patterns  for most parts.   Still have the back seat to make,  but don,t have any of the original wood so unsure of dimensions.  The first two picks is  the only original wood I had.

Pic 3,  Making the patterns for the main frame rails.

Pic 4,  Positioning main rails for alignment with tub, and width.

Pic 5, Clamped together checking the base for width.

Pic 6,  Shaping template for cowl post.pic 

Pic 7,  New floor in back seat.

Pic 8,  Positioning centre pillar and posts.

Pic 9,  Trial fitting front seat for alignment.

Pic 10, Positioning tub.

Pic 11,  Checking that doors and tub all have correct gaps and alignment.

Pic 12,  New corner blocks for front seat.

 

Franklin Airman.  If you get that 25 55 could you take some photo,s of the back seat and maybe the woodwork with the seat out.

 

[Terry Wiegand]

Rod, I have a couple of questions for you after looking at these photos.  It looks like you are using two species of wood here - I think I know what they are, but I'm going to have to ask anyway.  And what kind of oscillating spindle sander are you using?  I knew a fellow in Waterloo, Iowa who worked for a pattern company.  He was a neighbor of ours and he talked about an OS Sander that they had in their shop that was built by a company named Clayton.  The thing had a table about 3 feet square and weighed close to 1500 pounds.  He told me that they could sand dimensions to within a few thousandths in wood no less.  The epitome of precision woodworking - just like what you are doing here.  Beautiful work in these photos.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

[ROD W]

Terry,  The wood the previous owner had used was philippine mahogany ( meranti ).  It is a soft wood which does not have very good screw holding ability which is required for a car body which is flexing. So I,m replacing all the wood in a New Guinea hardwood called Merbau.  The only wood I,m not replacing is  the wood in the doors which will be alright in the meranti  but it was necessary to break all the joins to get more twist in the doors.  I don,t have an  oscillating spindle sander.  but cut shaped pieces out on a band saw and finish off with a belt sander starting with a cause grit and finishing with a fine grit,  Then the usual hand tools such as chisels,  planes,  and the router with various cutters for rebates etc

Rod

[dibarlaw]

Rod:

 Thank you for the detailed photos. Fabulous work!  I will not complain about the rotted sections I have had to replace..

[ROD W]

 Larry,   It is harder repairing bad sections of wood when the metal  body, brackets, lining and all sorts of other things  are  covering it up. You always find there is one more thing that needs removing.  I always find it difficult to know when to stop.  Before you know it you have a fully dismantled car. 

[Larry Schramm]

6 hours ago, ROD W said:

 Larry,   It is harder repairing bad sections of wood when the metal  body, brackets, lining and all sorts of other things  are  covering it up. You always find there is one more thing that needs removing.  I always find it difficult to know when to stop.  Before you know it you have a fully dismantled car. 

 

Now that is so true, that it is funny.  All of us have been there done that.