NZ Buick Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 Hi There, I posted this in the general discussion forum and it has been suggested that it could be more beneficial to post it here. I have recently come across the remnants of a 1919 Buick roadster that i'm hoping to restore to its former glory. It has been sitting under a lean-to shelter for over 20 years and has suffered from the conditions a bit due to this but being the sort of person that is not deterred by this sort of thing i'm extremely excited about getting it! The thing that worries me is it has basically been completely disassembled and although I love a good jigsaw puzzle it would be a huge help to me if anybody out there has any information about these cars as I have practically none. Has anybody restored one and taken photos along the way they wouldn't mind sharing? Does anyone own a complete one? my father has a very original 1916 DX45 tourer that i'm intending to use as a reference point but i'm sure in the 3 years between his and mine there must have been a fair few design changes. If anyone out there has any info it would be greatly appreciated as I don't know of any other Buicks of this model here in New Zealand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted September 29, 2017 Share Posted September 29, 2017 (edited) Where in NZ are you? Send an email to NZ Buick Club : nzbuick @ yahoo.co.nz (remove the spaces) The NZ Buick people do help out each other Edit Looking at the 2017 NZ Buick register 1916 4 are listed 1917 2 are listed 1918 4 listed. are 1 x E45, 2 x E44 & 1 x H45 1919 nil listed 1920 nil listed There are Buick's in NZ that are not in the NZ Buck register Edited October 1, 2017 by 1939_Buick added "2017" (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Phillips Posted September 29, 2017 Share Posted September 29, 2017 I have a copy of the 1919 Buick Reference Book for Six Cylinder Models. It is like an owner's manual. You need to get one on Ebay or from an antique auto literature dealer, or print out copies from the BuickHeritageAlliance.org .It has 65 pages and lots of drawings of different parts of the car. If you cannot get one anywhere else, I could probably get mine photo-copied at the local copy place for about $16. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 Leonard, Texas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROD W Posted September 29, 2017 Share Posted September 29, 2017 (edited) NZ Buick I have a 1920 roadster which is the same as the 1919. As Pete Philips said, get an Owners Manual. ( Reference Book ). You will find them on U.S ebay for sale. or through the Buick Heritage Alliance. Terry Weigand on this Forum, is the authority on this period Buicks and I am sure will be able to answer any of your questions. Post photo,s of the car, we love to see photo,s, does,t mater what condition. There was a green 1920 Buick roadster for sale in NZ a number of years back, that I was interested in, but I can,t remember where it was located. Edited September 29, 2017 by ROD W (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted September 30, 2017 Author Share Posted September 30, 2017 Hi Thanks everyone for your feedback! I have tried contacting the NZ Buick owners club but am yet to receive a response. I will cerainly keep an eye out for a manual now I know where to look and hopefully I can source one without too much trouble. I will try to post a picture of the car I have found now so hopefully they come through! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 (edited) That looks like a challenge NZ rego MQ4413 is/was registered as a 1919. Plate: MQ4413 Engine No: 142635 Chassis: 552159 Edited September 30, 2017 by 1939_Buick trying to fix formatting (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted September 30, 2017 Author Share Posted September 30, 2017 Yes a challenge most certainly! But after looking at it in person I strongly believe it would be a waste to let the opportunity slip by as the parts that are there are still very sound considering their age! My main worry is the state of the body woodwork being too far gone to use as patterns for replacements. It will be very interesting to see if I can locate the green roadster in your photo as if it is still about it may be worth a trip with a camera to figure out some of the missing pieces provided the owner is happy of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Ken McGee - http://www.kenmcgeeautobooks.com/ - is a possibility for a manual as well. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 NZ Buick - you have a good starting point. Attached are photos of a 1918 Roadster which I regret not buying here in Perth ( West Aust ) a few years ago. It is now undergoing restoration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 On 29/09/2017 at 3:17 PM, ROD W said: NZ Buick I have a 1920 roadster which is the same as the 1919. As Pete Philips said, get an Owners Manual. ( Reference Book ). You will find them on U.S ebay for sale. or through the Buick Heritage Alliance. Terry Weigand on this Forum, is the authority on this period Buicks and I am sure will be able to answer any of your questions. Post photo,s of the car, we love to see photo,s, does,t mater what condition. There was a green 1920 Buick roadster for sale in NZ a number of years back, that I was interested in, but I can,t remember where it was located. Colin Rae in Christchurch restored a 1919 roadster many years ago. It was dark green, mounted on 875 x 105 BE tyres and looked superb. I will have to ask around to find out what happened to it. Exact dating of these things is always tricky because of the mid year to mid year production run. Ongoing arguments re the 1918-1919 H series as in theory only the first half of production eligible for Veteran events. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 (edited) Not that many pre 1920's Buicks in NZ The 2004 NZ Buick list has 15 off 1918's listed, but some may be duplicates (Same car but different owner and the list not updated) Edited October 4, 2017 by 1939_Buick trying to fix software error (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Make sure you get everything under that roof, whether you think it belongs to the car or not. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Wiegand Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Looking at those photos just makes me tired. You guys most definitely have more gumption than I do about that. My first thought was, 'is there enough there to even tell if it is/was a Buick'? Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted October 9, 2017 Author Share Posted October 9, 2017 I agree that the photos show a mammoth restoration task but to come accross something of this nature in NZ nowadays is becoming unheard of. It has always been a great pleasure of mine when reading club magazines etc.. To see pictures and read stories about people pulling rusted metal out of farms, swamps, blackberry bushes, all sorts of places and transforming it back into a car of some sort. To get this chance myself I feel is almost an honour and it would be sacrilege not to at least try. Especially when a fair amount of the cars history is known to go along with the story I will hopefully tell while standing beside some sort of Buick Roadster. I will try to put some photos up of my last project which started in a very similar manner although it is far from being a Buick. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROD W Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 At least you have the complete back section, which is a big plus. Have you got the car out from under the lean to yet. I can,t see an engine in the photo, or is it hiding under the panels. See if you can find the engine number and chassis number so we can verify the date. Here is a 1918, I was making a new wooden frame for at one time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted November 19, 2017 Author Share Posted November 19, 2017 Hi there, it has taken me a while to find the time to pick my Buick up from its resting place under the lean-to. I now have it home in the shed and have managed to find the serial numbers on it although the chassis one is quite rotted and very hard to read. I believe they are as follows: Chassis No. 527681 Engine No. 520453 Spare Engine No. 621291 I would be very interested to see what, if any info these numbers can relate to dating of the car etc.. I will upload some photos as I get into cleaning it all up etc.. It appears to be relatively complete except for the diff which appears to have been stripped of all its innards so will pose a bit of a challenge to get going again in that respect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 (edited) From the BCA Judging Handbook Chassis No. 527681 = 1919 Engine No. 520453 = 1919 Engine No. 621291 = 1920 Edited November 19, 2017 by 1939_Buick (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted November 19, 2017 Author Share Posted November 19, 2017 What size of wheels should a 1919 Buick have? It appears I have acquired 2 sets and a couple of odd wheels with it. All are wooden spoke but have steel fellows apart from one which is a bigger wooden fellow one with a beaded edge rim. The two sets are 23 and 21 inch I think. Are either of these correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Wowsers, when you said "challenge" you weren't kidding! Kinda reminds me of the joke where the punchline is that the kid says "I know there's a pony in there somewhere!" So in that pile o' parts is a car waiting to come out! Keep us posted with lots of pictures! The model for that is what Gary is doing on his '37, basically creating a photo "how to" guide on a frame off resto. Good luck, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROD W Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 NZ Buick 1919 had wheels with wooden fellows, are 24 inch diameter, from outside to outside of fellow and take a 33 x 4 tyre. 1926 used the 21" wheel, and I think in 1923 a 23" wheel was used with 32 X 4 inch tyre. I think Buick started using steel fellows in 1921. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 Rod W, what size/type of wheels are on the blue sedan in your picture? They look very similar to what I have got with my parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H.Boland Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 There is a 1919 McLaughlin-Buick roadster for sale here in Ontario,Canada.It underwent a concourse restoration 10 years ago and is still winning awards.Only $48000 CDN ! See on Kijiji Ontario. Jim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Still haven't won Lotto Max. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROD W Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Love those wire wheels on that roadster. NZ Buick, They are 21" wheels, But they are the wrong wheels for the car. It was a 1980,s restoration and there are a number of things that aren,t correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sligermachine Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 no matter what u can restore a old car with enough time .I did one close to this bad but it 7 years of my time . looking back i would buy one a little more to start with or store it to see if u can find another car to increase your odds of not giving up looking for parts is a hobby 2 kyle 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 (edited) On 22/11/2017 at 8:19 AM, J.H.Boland said: There is a 1919 McLaughlin-Buick roadster for sale here in Ontario,Canada.It underwent a concourse restoration 10 years ago and is still winning awards.Only $48000 CDN ! See on Kijiji Ontario. Jim Real bargain when compared with this KIWI offering for a mere $420000!! I guess that's New Zealand dollars and probably a typo? http://www.justauto.com.au/justcars/cars-for-sale/1917-BUICK-ROADSTER-JCM4068139?backurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justauto.com.au%2Fjustcars%2Fsearch%3Fcurrent_page%3D1%26urlname%3D%26search_location_state%3D%26search_vehicle_type%3D%26search_type_make%3DBUICK%26search_type_model%3D%26search_details_earliest_year%3D%26search_details_latest_year%3D%26search_details_lowest_price%3D%26search_details_highest_price%3D%26condition_search%3D%26keywords%3DWhat%2Bare%2Byou%2Blooking%2Bfor%3F&backtext=Results Edited November 23, 2017 by 50jetback (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted November 22, 2017 Author Share Posted November 22, 2017 I have finally managed to get a photo of it now tucked away in my shed where I have started sorting through what I do and don’t have etc. I am quite pleased that the majority of parts are here and some spares also but as with anything of this age there are some vital parts missing like the marvel carb and I only have one correct wheel at this stage but am happy to get it rolling with a set of 21s on it in the meantime like Rod W’s sedan as I already have some tyres I can make use of in that size 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROD W Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 (edited) NZ Buick, You can not put a 21" wheel onto a 1919 axle. The 21" wheel requires a shorter stub axle and larger size bearings. the top stub axle is off a 1920, the bottom one fits a 21" wheel. The King pins also differed between 1919/20 and 1921/22. 1920 118" wheelbase cars having a 5/8 pin and the later having a 3/4" pin. which is also longer, as can be seen in the photo. You would need to get a later front axle that would take the 21' wheels which has been done on my 1920 sedan. I also understand the heavier cars on the 124" wheelbase used a different stub axle/axle to the 118" wheelbase cars. You can pick up carby,s on U,S ebay. Edited November 22, 2017 by ROD W (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROD W Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 (edited) NZ Buick, The 1919 and 1920 118" wheelbase cars are the same, 1918 is the same, except it does not have engine covers. There were engine changes in 22/23. Also in 1921 the gear lever and hand break lever went from right hand to centre on the commonwealth cars ( Aust & NZ ) Here is a 1919 for sale at the moment in Aust, for A$20,000 with the Holden body, which differed to the U.S body Edited November 22, 2017 by ROD W (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Thanks for your info Rod W. I am fairly sure that between the two front axles and the mountain of hubs etc I have got with all the parts I hopefully will have enough parts to make the 21s fit. I’m pretty sure one of the axles may be a 1920 one as it has a bigger hub on one end already. I will keep my eyes out for a marvel carb on eBay and hopefully one becomes available at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 These would look nice - EXPERTS would/could they fit? https://www.ebay.com/itm/1924-Buick-Ash-Wire-Wheels/263312623507?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROD W Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 (edited) Stuart, I was also wondering about those wheels. I contacted the same seller about the hood/top and was told it is off a 4 cylinder which sounds correct as it has an oval window. So would assume the wheels are off a 4 also. I don,t know if those hood frames could be adapted to fit a six as I don,t have any for my 25 Master. Dibalaw ( Larry ) If you see this could you measure the width of your top frames on your Master and the length from front to back. My car is out on the farm at the moment and I won,t get there for a couple of weeks. Thanks Rod Edited November 23, 2017 by ROD W (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif Holmberg Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 (edited) 50jetback. If using those ASH wire wheels it needs a lot more parts to put them on the car,as hubs and the twin hub caps. I have 23" ASH Wheels Detroit on my 1924 4 cyl.Buick. I think 1924 was the last year for that make ASH. Leif in Sweden. Edited November 23, 2017 by Leif Holmberg (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 3 hours ago, Leif Holmberg said: 50jetback. If using those ASH wire wheels it needs a lot more parts to put them on the car,as hubs and the twin hub caps. I have 23" ASH Wheels Detroit on my 1924 4 cyl.Buick. I think 1924 was the last year for that make ASH. Leif in Sweden. Leif, Thanks for the detailed information. I have a set of 24" ASH wire wheels and while they look the same as yours the hub, lock ring and hubcap dimensions are all larger so I am assuming they are from the 6 cylinder model. Do you, or does anyone know if these wheels will fit a range of years for a 6 cylinder Buick ( i.e. same for maybe 1918 to 1924 ) or would they be correct for only one year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif Holmberg Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 (edited) My 23" ASH wire wheels can be used on the 4 cyl. Buick cars 1922-1924.But I can`t help you about the 6 cyl cars those years. I made a misstake 8-10 years ago and bought this very good locking outer hub cap but it was wrong size for me,to "big",I think I bought it from "hubcap collector" in AU thru e-bay. This outer cap is the "lock"cap.I payed $120 US including shipping.Probebly the same size as on your wheel Stuart. Leif in Sweden. Edited November 23, 2017 by Leif Holmberg (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Here are the two from axles I have with my parts it appears they are actually very different. from what I can tell I think the one with the center section that drops down from where the spring mount is is the 1919 one and the straighter of the two is the later one. Can anyone suggest what year this is likely to be from? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 (edited) 22 minutes ago, NZ Buick said: Here are the two from axles I have with my parts it appears they are actually very different. from what I can tell I think the one with the center section that drops down from where the spring mount is is the 1919 one and the straighter of the two is the later one. Can anyone suggest what year this is likely to be from? I was under the impression all the wheels you had were wooden spoked Your photo of the axle shows wire spoked wheels and hubs? What size are those wheels? Edited November 24, 2017 by 50jetback (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 I don’t believe they are Buick wheels. It appears the front axle has had the stubs welded up and been used under a trailer at some point. I’m unsure what the spoked wheels are off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Buick Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Does anybody know if there is anywhere that can supply new brushes for a delco starter generator? I have mine in pieces at the moment and they are too worn to refit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif Holmberg Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Scroll down and you will find bruches for the starter. https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=bruches&_ssn=fibersouth&hash=item21237d892f%3Ag%3ANWkAAOSwB-1Y2vGr&item=142329350447&_osacat=0&vxp=mtr&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xbruch.TRS0&_nkw=bruch&_sacat=0 Leif in Sweden-. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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