1939 Century parts

[deac]

I'm buying a '39 Century. It has a '37 320CI engine in it. I need an air cleaner assembly and the spark plug cover for it.

 

On another note, can anyone tell me what color the pin stripping on the wheels were originally? This was the 1st year for an optional 'dante red' painted rim. In my case the car is painted black. I think pin stripe is silver but it may have been body color.

[MCHinson]

Dave Tacheny would be the best source for the air cleaner assembly and spark plug cover. You can reach him by phone at 763-427-3460.   

[jvelde]

There are three Silver pin stripes on the '39 wheels. Each about 1/8" wide on my '39 Special.

 

Edited January 6, 2017 by jvelde (see edit history)

[jvelde]

Here are a couple of photos.

[Dynaflash8]

Notice that the center stripe is wider than the two outer stripes.  That is correct.

[Barney Eaton]

1936-1958 could be ordered with optional red wheels...Dante red was used from 1938-1951

Also....if anyone has a clue to the BUICK emblem in a circle shown in the picture let me know....it was on the fender skirts when I purchased the car.

Someone suggested it came from a professional car conversion.

[MCHinson]

Barney,

 

Not to be argumentative but I think the optional red wheels started in 1938, not 1936. There is a mistake in the current BCA Judging Handbook. Here is an excerpt from the July-August 2016 Torque Tube II that addresses that issue. 

 

-From these DuPont color charts it looks like no 1937 Buicks were equipped with red wheels. On the next page, you will find BCA Judging Manual information that shows red wheels available as an option on cars that were painted in a limited number of exterior colors. I contacted BCA Chief Judge John Steed and asked if he had any additional information on this issue. His investigation revealed the following: “It looks like the optional wheel colors in the Judging Handbook are incorrect. Those colors should be in the Wheel Stripe column and not in the wheel color column. It looks like the option is for the stripe and not for the wheel in 1937. I think what happened is that the printer moved that information to the wheel color column instead of having it in the Wheel Stripe column. I will plan to change this when we update the Judging Handbook.”-

 

 

 

[deac]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the responses.  I remember reading somewhere very recently that it was not until 1938 or 1939 that GM ok'd the Buick division to paint their wheels the "dante red" color, but only as an option!  The non option color was body color.  I will contact Dave regarding the parts.

 

I know that Pontiac painted a lot of their wheels "carteray red" in the 40's and 50's.  

[Barney Eaton]

I found the information posted in the judging manual.....my '39 has the red wheels on a black car and I think they look much sharper than black. 

[39BuickEight]

My car will have red wheels.  I love the look!

[cxgvd]

Presently refinishing the wheels of a '39 Century.  Thought they had three rings of white but no actually silver, eighth of an stripe times three between the hubcap and beauty ring.  They are black gloss now and even though I love the look of Dante Red I am staying with black.  Gary

[Dynaflash8]

The red wheel option was not originally available for the 1939 cars.  It was a mid-year introduction in 1939.  This according to documents once owned by the late Bob Jones, BCA #54, which he provided to the late Lewis Jenkins of Jenkins Restorations.  Either Lewis Jenkins or Bob Jones copied those documents for me.  Don't ask me where they are today.....maybe in the folder of documentation for my 1971 straight 8 Buick History written for Antique Automobile magazine.