NEW DISCOVERY

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

I have been constantly working on our 38 Buick Special for two years. I thought I knew it pretty well. Today I was peering in the rear widow and I noticed what looked like a WINDOW SHADE tightly rolled up attached to the rear package tray. I opened the back door and got on the back seat and sure enough there is a window shade with the spring rewind mechanism still working. It is not ripped but does seem fragile. It is missing a hook of some sort to attach it to a stock piece of chrome bracket that is centered above the rear window. Were these an option or does every 38 Special have them? If someone does have one could you post a picture of the hook part that connects to the shade. Dave

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

I just did a search and found that many 37 and 38 Specials had the rear shade, it does not seem to be an option but just standard equipment. If anyone has a picture or an extra of the part that hooks to the shade I would like to buy it.

[1937-44]

Hi Dave,

 

 Maybe these will help. Sorry I can't do more of a closeup and have the flash work. Doubt I have one but will be a while before I can look for one.  In the meantime if you find one go ahead and buy it.

 

Carl

[Mark Shaw]

Yes, mine has one too.  My 38 Special is covered and sleeping through the winter now, so a photo will have to wait awhile.  I have a short history of my car that I put in the window when it is displayed at events.  The following is at the bottom of that page...

Special Features

     Although this Buick Special was ordered as a “Plain Jane” car, it does have some very distinctive features.  Please note the rear window shade pulls up from the rear deck and hooks on a button at the top of the rear windows to make this an ideal “Drive-in Movie Car” with a roomy back seat.  The knob on the far left side of the dash is a throttle knob that allows the driver to start the car when stalled on a hill without removing his foot from the brake pedal to push on the gas pedal to re-start the car.  This also doubles as an early form of “cruise control”.

     Some new features were: Stabilizer Bar & Coil Spring Suspension, Vacuum Starting Switch w/ Automatic Choke, Hypoid Rear End Gears, “Tiptoe” Hydraulic Brakes, Lighter Steering & Clutch Designs, Under-Hood Mounted Battery and Turbulator Pistons to increase horsepower.

 

 

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

3 hours ago, 1937-44 said:

Hi Dave,

 

 Maybe these will help. Sorry I can't do more of a closeup and have the flash work. Doubt I have one but will be a while before I can look for one.  In the meantime if you find one go ahead and buy it.

 

Carl 

 

 

Thanks for the picture Carl, I have that piece but not the part of the shade that hooks to it. I think it is just a piece of shade cloth with a grommet in it but if I could see some pictures of it maybe I could make something close.

 

 

3 hours ago, 1937-44 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1937-44]

Sorry Dave but my shade has deteriorated to the point the part of my shade  that connects to the button is also missing.

 

Carl

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

I think most original shades will have that same problem. I just finished making a PULL out of 1/16 thick reinforced rubber. Its Black and only slightly over 1/2 inch wide. Its not original but it looks good and it pops ever the little stock stud and holds the shade up. I don't really know what the purpose of the shade was unless it was to keep the sun off of a passenger riding in the back seat. The stock shade was there and not ripped so I just wanted it to work. I don't think its good idea to raise it up to many times as the material is 78 years old and fragile. By the way REINFORCED RUBBER has a cloth every 1/4 inch layered in it like a conveyor belt. 1/16 inch thick is the thinest its available in with the cloth reinforcement. It makes good gaskets for some applications and it doesn't deteriorate or squeeze out like regular rubber does. I can't rip it no matter how hard I try even at only 1/16th thick. I use it on my mirror mount and it will never let the mirror get loose or let it hit the paint.

Edited December 5, 2016 by LAS VEGAS DAVE (see edit history)

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

Here are a few pictures of the shade in our 38 Buick after I made the strap. I think I should have made it an inch shorter so as to not let any light in at the top with the shade up. However its not the original strap and its all to fragile to fool with it any more so this is how it will stay, I can't believe the factory thought this item was important enough to include as standard equipment on the SPECIAL. On the Roadmaster or Century where the car s were the high end models I can understand it. In any event I don't like having anything in the car that doesn't work so now the shade is working. I see that LeBaron Boney makes brand new shades for our Buicks and at a reasonable price but you must use their brackets, another choice if this one ever rips.

[FLYER15015]

That's cool Dave !!!!

I don't have that rear window feature on my '40 LTD.

Though mama is making curtains for the 2 rear side windows.

Boo, Hoo.....

 

Mike in Colorado

 

PS; you know that there are supposed to be rubber pads under your trunk hinges, don't you ?

Edited December 5, 2016 by FLYER15015 (see edit history)

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

Hi Mike, Maybe at some point the trunk hinge rubbers were lost when one of my repaints were happening. I might order some and keep them in my Buick stuff and wait till I see some sign of movement around the existing paint before I add them. I never noticed there isn't any. There might not have been any when I got the car. It was obvious to me that the trunk had been rubbed out but not the rest of the car when I got it so maybe it was a replacement. However the paint on the inside of the trunk was the same original blue ae the rest of the car so its likely it to was original. It looked to me as if someone had the trunk off and rubbed it out to bring back the original shine. They did not continue doing this to the rest of the car. If it has a replacement trunk then it was also a Boctelli Blue one. Now that its painted I probably will leave it alone. As far as I know the hinges were left on the car when it was paintedly my painter. There is not even the slightest tinge of blue paint on the base of the hinge which I just assumed was due to great job of masking. 

 

[FLYER15015]

O.K. Dave, here you go.

"Bob's" catalog volume #62, page 104.

 

Mike in Colorado

PS; even though I just joined the "zipper" club, with a double bypass, I'm still planning on being at the "Shot" show January 17-20 of '17.

 

[DonMicheletti]

Steele Rubber Products also has all the rubber pads

[dibarlaw]

LeBaron Bonney stocks replacement shades and assist straps for our 1937-38 cars.