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1949 Buick special 05 paint code I.D


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  • 3 weeks later...

I am looking at a 49 sedanet that looks like a 1950.  The guy said his grandfather told him it was a 49.   Buick came out in late 49 with the new body for specials.  Does anyone know how to tell if it was sold in 1949?  The title has been lost.  The data plate says 1950.

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It fallowed me home.  It has cable hood release so it is a later 50.  The family has been  on the farm since the 1860's.  The car was owned by the grandfathers brother.  He went to Vietnam in 69 and parked the car in a shed.  It still has the 69 South Dakota plates on it.  He came back from the war but not to SD.  Stayed in California.  The car was pulled from the shed when it started to fall.  Been outside for 15 years.  The body is solid and the stainless in good condition.  Front bumper and grill good, the hood bar is in remarkable condition.  The floors are no longer with us.  The seats have covers on them but the critters have made them theirs.  Engine is stuck.  Dynaflow still has oil in it.  Ambitious project but saveable.

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  • 6 months later...
On 3/21/2017 at 5:58 AM, Dynaflash8 said:

A '49 Special is a very rare car.  Total built was around 5,000.  Only the 1946 Special is rarer.

We are finding this out as we are trying to source parts for this car. We knew it was rare, but we are hoping it shares some parts like trim and door latches with other makes/years...I just made a new topic regarding this and a blog post https://blog.drivenrestorations.com/2017/11/a-closer-look-at-1949-buick-special.html

 Any ideas on door latches that might fit?

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On 4/8/2017 at 3:04 PM, dfeazell said:

I am looking at a 49 sedanet that looks like a 1950.  The guy said his grandfather told him it was a 49.   Buick came out in late 49 with the new body for specials.  Does anyone know how to tell if it was sold in 1949?  The title has been lost.  The data plate says 1950.

Screen Shot 2017-04-08 at 2.50.56 PM.png

Does it show up on the serial number lists? Sometimes you can find out years certain car's were sold if someone has compiled a model year list using serial numbers. We had the same issue with the 49. It is titled as a 49 but some of the parts were coded for 48 and it was purchased in 48 per the original title. I guess they had extra parts from 48 to use on the '49 buicks!

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I thought these cars that you show were considered a Model 43.  However, I've never seen one, only a few parts like vent shades.  So, I think at the time it was considered by some to be a 1949 since it was released in June or July 1949.  However, if you need parts, you'll have to look for 1950 parts.  One thing you'll find different than a true 1950 Buick Special is the way you open the hood.  When I was a kid, our next door neighbor bought a car like this.  He had to stick a crank into one of the portholes to open the hood.  The true 1950 models had a pull cable under the hood.

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24 minutes ago, Dynaflash8 said:

I thought these cars that you show were considered a Model 43.  However, I've never seen one, only a few parts like vent shades.  So, I think at the time it was considered by some to be a 1949 since it was released in June or July 1949.  However, if you need parts, you'll have to look for 1950 parts.  One thing you'll find different than a true 1950 Buick Special is the way you open the hood.  When I was a kid, our next door neighbor bought a car like this.  He had to stick a crank into one of the portholes to open the hood.  The true 1950 models had a pull cable under the hood.

 

49Buick.thumb.jpg.2013bbbaaa5b8f44d7fb7ed09c270132.jpgI'm not sure which photo you were looking at. This is the car that we are working on(attached photo). It's definitely a '49  Buick Series 40 with a 248 (it was painted black at some point but was originally Elan blue ).  I believe that there are parts from years prior to it that will fit, but most parts 50 and later will not. It does not have port holes or a visor. It has levers that double as trim on either side to open the hood. We've found tons of date codes and markings on this car from factory assembly. Very cool to tear this one down and we can't wait to get the color on it! Lots of body repairs are in order though, especially on the fenders.

~Molly

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4 hours ago, DrivenRestorations said:

 

49Buick.thumb.jpg.2013bbbaaa5b8f44d7fb7ed09c270132.jpgI'm not sure which photo you were looking at. This is the car that we are working on(attached photo). It's definitely a '49  Buick Series 40 with a 248 (it was painted black at some point but was originally Elan blue ).  I believe that there are parts from years prior to it that will fit, but most parts 50 and later will not. It does not have port holes or a visor. It has levers that double as trim on either side to open the hood. We've found tons of date codes and markings on this car from factory assembly. Very cool to tear this one down and we can't wait to get the color on it! Lots of body repairs are in order though, especially on the fenders.

~Molly

Molly, Yes, that is a different picture for sure.  That is a Model 41.  The firewall plate should read Model 41.  The engine from a 1950 Buick SPECIAL will enterchange.  In addition the 1950 Series 40 engine is a 248 cid engine with insert rod bearings.  I'm not sure your car has insert rod bearings.  The Super changed over in mid-1949 but I don't think the Special did.  If that is a 1949 it is very rare, although not as rare as a 1946 Series 41.  There were quite a few of them built in 1947 and 1948.  1948 had the belt moldings and plastic insert on the nose emblem, while the 1947 has a metal insert in the nose emblem and no belt moldings.  You can't tell a 1948 from a 1949 by just looking at the car from five feet away.  I've owned a 1947 and a 1948 Series 41 in the past.  With optional fender skirts they are really good looking. (my opinion)

Looking at the screws on the firewall plate, I believe it is from another car.  That's a bad thing, because you will never know what body number it was among the 5,000+ Specials built from late 1948 to around March-May 1949.

Edited by Dynaflash8 (see edit history)
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4 hours ago, DrivenRestorations said:

 

49Buick.thumb.jpg.2013bbbaaa5b8f44d7fb7ed09c270132.jpgI'm not sure which photo you were looking at. This is the car that we are working on(attached photo). It's definitely a '49  Buick Series 40 with a 248 (it was painted black at some point but was originally Elan blue ).  I believe that there are parts from years prior to it that will fit, but most parts 50 and later will not. It does not have port holes or a visor. It has levers that double as trim on either side to open the hood. We've found tons of date codes and markings on this car from factory assembly. Very cool to tear this one down and we can't wait to get the color on it! Lots of body repairs are in order though, especially on the fenders.

~Molly

Molly, Yes, that is a different picture for sure.  That is a Model 41.  The firewall plate should read Model 41.  The engine from a 1950 Buick SPECIAL will enterchange.  In addition the 1950 Series 40 engine is a 248 cid engine with insert rod bearings.  I'm not sure your car has insert rod bearings.  The Super changed over in mid-1949 but I don't think the Special did.  If that is a 1949 it is very rare, although not as rare as a 1946 Series 41.  There were quite a few of them built in 1947 and 1948.  1948 had the belt moldings and plastic insert on the nose emblem, while the 1947 has a metal insert in the nose emblem and no belt moldings.  You can't tell a 1948 from a 1949 by just looking at the car from five feet away.  I've owned a 1947 and a 1948 Series 41 in the past.  With optional fender skirts they are really good looking. (my opinion)

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On ‎11‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 7:25 PM, DrivenRestorations said:

.....hoping it shares some parts like trim and door latches with other makes/years.....Any ideas on door latches that might fit?

Need more info. Front, rear, left, right, or both? Striker plate, lock, handle, or?

You own what Fisher Body called a Style #4409 for 1949.....5,777 built. My BUICK MASTER BODY PARTS BOOK shows quite a few parts interchangeable with prior-year Buick Special Models and other GM marques.

 

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

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  • 3 months later...

Last fall we completed the 248 Engine Re-build  (link will take you to the blog post with photos)

We are slowly making our way through the frame off restoration process and the customer (who owns the car) has the goal of taking it BACK TO OKLAHOMA, where he and his family are from, for Buick Nationals in 2019. 

Hopefully we stay on budget and we can complete everything on time for him! The engine turned out great and body work is in progress.

 

I'm sure there will be parts we need once we get closer to assembly. So any leads on good resources are appreciated. 

 

 

Buick248.jpg

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On 11/10/2017 at 12:16 PM, 1953mack said:

Need more info. Front, rear, left, right, or both? Striker plate, lock, handle, or?

You own what Fisher Body called a Style #4409 for 1949.....5,777 built. My BUICK MASTER BODY PARTS BOOK shows quite a few parts interchangeable with prior-year Buick Special Models and other GM marques.

 

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

I'll have to verify which doors I need (notes are in the file at the office) but here is a photo of the assembly we need for 3 doors. Handles snapped off they were so rusted to the mechanism, so we had to drill them out to get the handle and trim off the doors. Nightmare!

 

 

20170626_142703.jpg

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On 11/7/2017 at 8:25 PM, DrivenRestorations said:

We are finding this out as we are trying to source parts for this car. We knew it was rare, but we are hoping it shares some parts like trim and door latches with other makes/years...I just made a new topic regarding this and a blog post https://blog.drivenrestorations.com/2017/11/a-closer-look-at-1949-buick-special.html

 Any ideas on door latches that might fit?

Many parts fit the Series 40 from the 1941-1949 models.  Even more from the 1942 Series 40 interchange, and virtually all from 1946-1949

The 1946 and 1947 did not have belt moldings.  1941 rear fenders fit, but do not have the same shape wheel opening.  I love the 1942-1949 Series 40 Specials.  I've only had two of them though; one in 1958 and one in the early 1970s.  My uncle had a 1942 sedanette from 1943-1951 in two-tone green and I always liked it as a kid.  I wrote an article for the AACA magazine, ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE, on the 1942-1949 Special back in the late 1990s.

Edited by Dynaflash8 (see edit history)
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On ‎2‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 6:50 AM, Dynaflash8 said:

Correct me everybody if I'm wrong, but I think that engine should be aqua, not green.

 

Try the picture that's in their blog by clicking on the link shown in Post #14 above. Different shop lights (LED, halogen, fluorescent, incandescent, cool white, not-too-cool white, sunshine peeking through the windows, etc.) and flash cameras bring out colors differently.

Agree or disagree?

 

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

Edited by 1953mack (see edit history)
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4 hours ago, 1953mack said:

Different shop lights (LED, halogen, fluorescent, incandescent, cool white, not-too-cool white, sunshine peeking through the windows, etc.) and flash cameras bring out colors differently.

Yeah, I guess so, but I wouldn't expect it to throw the color off that much.  But, it could be.  Anyway, the correct color is sort of a blue-green.

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