JohnD1956 Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 @neil morse. Great post and more beautiful California cars. Thanks for showing them..about how many owners and cars turned out for this event? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted May 28, 2023 Author Share Posted May 28, 2023 I'm not good at estimating crowds, but I would guess there were somewhere between 90 and 120 cars at the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 Thats a good sized crowd. I have been under the impression that the car people in California did not usually participate in the car show arena. It was thought that with the usually mild weather, the folks with collectible cars had much more opportunity to use them and thus the car show gathering wasn't as appealing as it is in other parts of the USA. But I don't have any evidence to back up my theory and this event seems to run contrary to it. Anyway, thanks for posting these unique cars and your gorgeous Buick. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted June 17, 2023 Author Share Posted June 17, 2023 New Seat Fabric Finally Arrives! A banner day at Morse Garage today as the fabric I ordered last September (!) from SMS to recover the front seat finally arrived! I had decided last fall that I had to do something about the front seat that has the typical problem of being worn through on the driver's side, both the upper and lower cushion. The seats and door panels of my car had been redone by a previous owner. (The headliner and windcord on the doors appear to be original.) I don't know how closely the seat fabric matched to the original Bedford cord offered by Buick, but it certainly looks "correct." Other than being a bit worn and faded, the back seat and armrests are in fine shape with no rips or tears, so my plan (consistent with goal of achieving presentable "driver" quality) was to try to match the fabric so I could get away with only having to do the front seat. I cut a swatch of fabric off the underside of the front seat and sent it to SMS in Oregon. They said they would have to have it custom-woven, but that they could match it for $149 a yard, which I thought was very reasonable. I took the car to an upholstery shop and got a estimate for the job and determined that they would need 3-and-a-half yards. (They will also fix the springs which have become a bit "relaxed" on the driver's side.) I ordered the fabric from SMS, which they said would take around three months to manufacture. That, of course, turned out to be overly optimistic, and I went through some frustration with the delays. However, I am very pleased with the result. This photo shows the new bolt of fabric and the swatch cut from under the bottom seat cushion laid out on the existing seat. Here's a close up. You can see that SMS did a great job of matching the new fabric to the swatch of the original. The color is almost a perfect match, and aside from the darker stripes being a bit closer together, it's the same. So my plan is to continue to drive and enjoy the car over the summer season and then take the seat cushions to the upholstery shop in the fall. I'm really looking forward to the day when I can ride around with no more blankets on the front seat! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 That new fabric looks really good! The seat top really has faded over the past 80 years... It will certainly look nice when completed. Hopefully SMS ran more than 3.5 yards of the material and others in need can benefit from your order. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valk Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Agree, great match. I hope to beef up my springs too at some point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootey Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 18 hours ago, neil morse said: So my plan is to continue to drive and enjoy the car over the summer season and then take the seat cushions to the upholstery shop in the fall. Neil, do you have an upholstery shop in mind? I’m not in need but just curious. I know of one in Livermore. Thom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted June 18, 2023 Author Share Posted June 18, 2023 11 minutes ago, Shootey said: Neil, do you have an upholstery shop in mind? I’m not in need but just curious. I know of one in Livermore. Thom Hi Thom: Yes, @Grimy referred me to Armand's Auto Upholstery in Walnut Creek. He has had very good results with this shop over many years. It is currently being run by "Armand III", who I believe is the grandson of the original Armand. Their letterhead says "Carrying on a family tradition since 1897," so I guess they started with carriages! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 That's really great they were able to reproduce the fabric. They sent me samples for my car, but nothing they had at the time, about 2 years ago, matched mine very well. It is possible that since the car was built in Oshawa the fabric could be of local manufacture. For these cars they did get a lot out of Flint and assembled them here. I've heard conflicting stories about this and I suppose they are all true. For the more popular cars they made more stuff here, and the less common ones were finished and trimmed out here. This is before the auto deals and fully assembled cars carried much higher duties than if they were built in Canada. Sorry for the diversion, but I'll be interested to see the end result! Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted July 31, 2023 Author Share Posted July 31, 2023 Buick Club Picnic This past Saturday was the annual picnic for our local NorCal chapter of the BCA. We had a good turnout and some very nice cars. I should have gotten an award -- I had not only the oldest car but also came from the farthest away! 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 I would have given you those awards for certain! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted July 31, 2023 Author Share Posted July 31, 2023 36 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said: I would have given you those awards for certain! Thanks, you are very kind! My '41 made the 120 mile round trip with no complaints, at a steady 55-60 mph both ways. I'm a happy camper for sure. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 12 hours ago, neil morse said: My '41 made the 120 mile round trip with no complaints, at a steady 55-60 mph both ways. Sounds like a 'win' to me! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 All's Well That Ends Well Some of you may have seen my post on another thread about my frustration with my front seat recovering project. It turned out that the three yards of fabric that SMS had made up for me were not sufficient for the upholstery shop to do the job because the bolt of fabric wasn't wide enough. Not having any experience in these matters, I had just asked the shop how much fabric they would need, and they said two-and-a-half "yards." So I ordered three "yards" from SMS, figuring a little extra wouldn't hurt. Almost a year later, when the fabric had finally been delivered and the time came when I had worked my way to the top of the queue at the shop, I delivered the fabric and the seat cushions to the shop. Later in the day, the guy called me to say that there wasn't enough fabric because it was too narrow. His calculations were based on a 60" width, and the fabric SMS had provided was only 50" wide. I had never gotten any specifics as to width from either the shop or SMS -- I just naively figured that they were speaking the same language and there was some kind of industry standard as to what a "yard" of fabric was. Well, apparently not! As has been nicely explained to me by a fellow forum member, bolts of fabric vary in width and you always have to specify. So lesson learned, but a little too late to help me. SMS first said they had more of the fabric, then said they couldn't find it, and finally stopped communicating with me altogether. I was super bummed. However, I then got a call from the shop saying that they had discovered some fabric in their own stock that they thought was a "pretty good" match and the right width. And it was only $65 a yard (as opposed to the fabric from SMS that cost $149). I went over the shop and had a look. It was almost as good a match as the SMS fabric, and by that time I had really had enough, so I said, "Great, let's do it." Yesterday, I went over to the shop and picked up the "new" seat cushions. I am finally a happy camper with no more blankets on my front seat! An extra bonus was that they found the original material on the backrest under the previous reupholstery job. I have seen a lot of samples of fabric that is supposed to be appropriate for a '41, including from LeBaron Bonney when they were still in business, and none of them looks quite like the original stuff. Here's a photo of it for the benefit of anyone who's looking for stuff to do a full interior. For comparison, here's what LeBaron Bonney suggested: It's hard to tell from these photos, but the "stripes" are much wider on the original fabric than on the suggestion from LeBaron Bonney. If anyone is interested in having a swatch of the original fabric, I would be happy to send you one. 10 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valk Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Way to stay with it, Neil. It looks great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 Looks nice, Neil. That really steps-up the appearance of the whole interior. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingrudy Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 On 10/10/2023 at 5:57 PM, valk said: Way to stay with it, Neil. It looks great. No doubt, it looks well worth the wait. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 Plaid Tour 2024 Another year has passed quickly and it was again time for the Plaid Tour, an ALS research fundraiser in honor of Marshall Mathews, this year the 21st iteration of this annual event. We start at the Mathews home in Woodside where we drink coffee and mill around admiring each other's cars and perusing the wonderful collection that Marshall assembled over many years. Then we head up over the hills and down the other side to the little town of San Gregorio where we enjoy Bloody Marys, kick tires and spend more time socializing. Then the event ends in a schoolyard in Pescadero where we have a picnic. The weather was great, all the roads were open again after the rain damage that caused problems last year, and attendance was way up. Here are some of the cars in attendance this year, as well as some of the cars from the Mathews collection. Very early Buick -- I don't know the year 1926 Bugatti racer '33 Packard V-12 Club Sedan '52 Jag XK-120 My '41 Super The Bugatti departing: 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 A few more: '39 Ford Phaeton One-off homebuilt boat tail speedster Stutz Bearcat '64 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbuick Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 On 7/31/2023 at 6:38 PM, neil morse said: Buick Club Picnic This past Saturday was the annual picnic for our local NorCal chapter of the BCA. We had a good turnout and some very nice cars. I should have gotten an award -- I had not only the oldest car but also came from the farthest away! WOWWWW VERY VERY BEAUTIFUL !!!! All of them are superb, I love them ! And this 1959 Buick (Electra?) convertible is magnificent, and the other Buicks are magnificent too ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 Rear End Exploration I was kind of looking for a project, and I read in the shop manual that the rear end should be "completely drained, flushed out, and refilled" twice a year (!). I assumed this recommendation had something to do with the inferior quality of gear oil back in 1941 compared to what we have now, since I hadn't heard anybody talking on the forum about this, but I decided to go ahead just because I had never done anything but top up the oil level in the rear end since I got the car seven years ago. The rear end was also dripping oil pretty badly, so I figured I would try to clean things up a bit. I also wanted to confirm, once and for all, what rear axle ratio I had on my Super. The standard on the Super was 4.1-1, with an optional 3.9-1. When I first brought my car down to Don Micheletti's, he noticed that there was a red paint mark on the torque tube where it joined the pumpkin. We looked in the shop manual, and it said that red paint identified the axle as the optional 3.9-1 ratio. But what troubled me was that the manual talks about "daubs" of paint "on the outer ends of both axle shaft flanges," not where the torque tube joins the pumpkin. The performance of my car on the freeway seemed to confirm the 3.9 ratio. It seemed very content to cruise at 60 to 65 mph, whereas I have read that in cars with the standard 4.1, the engine is getting quite a work out at those speeds. So I assumed that my car had the 3.9 gears. But I had also heard that the difference between the 4.1 and the 3.9 was very slight -- so I remained curious. Well, today I got the cover off the differential and confirmed that I, indeed, have the optional 3.9-1 rear end. Here are a few photos: In the second photo, you can see that the pinion gear is stamped with a "13" and a "51." 51/13 = 3.92. So that's confirmed, and anyone who sees daubs of red where the torque tube joins the differential should assume that also means the optional 3.9. I'm just going to clean things up a bit, and button it up again with a new gasket. Very satisfying day! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Pretty clean! Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 49 minutes ago, neil morse said: When I first brought my car down to Don Micheletti's, he noticed that there was a red paint mark on the torque tube where it joined the pumpkin. We looked in the shop manual, and it said that red paint identified the axle as the optional 3.9-1 ratio. But what troubled me was that the manual talks about "daubs" of paint "on the outer ends of both axle shaft flanges," not where the torque tube joins the pumpkin. That is a thing in Pontiac, it is interesting to learn that it is a thing in Buick, too. The literature says that the daubs are on the axle ends, and I have seen it there, but there is a daub on the bottom of the pumpkin that isn't mentioned. I doubt the colors cross over, but apparently the practice does. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 Marks like that are done by a guy with a brush. Location accuracy probably wasnt very important 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 Looks good in there. Thanks also for the PM on some of the research you did on fluid fill level requirements over the model years. I found similar paint on my torque tube as well as the axle ends. Mine was blue but I have no photo. The 76C parts car had red paint on the axle ends and torque tube: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 (edited) 1 hour ago, kgreen said: Looks good in there. Thanks also for the PM on some of the research you did on fluid fill level requirements over the model years. I found similar paint on my torque tube as well as the axle ends. Mine was blue but I have no photo. The 76C parts car had red paint on the axle ends and torque tube: Here's a table from the '41 Shop Manual showing the color coding for rear ends. Assuming it was the same in '40, this would indicate that your car had the optional 3.6 and your parts car had the standard 3.9. As Don says, I'm sure the location of the paint daubs differed a lot since there was just a pot of paint on the assembly line and some guy just slapped it on wherever. I see it also refers to figures stamped on the underside of the axle housing -- I haven't checked on mine. With regard to the PM I sent you, I have to stress that I did not do that research personally. The information was provided to me by my friend and neighbor Thom ( @Shootey ). I was planning on putting the info on this thread, so I might as well do it now since you have mentioned it. In Ken's thread on his '40 Roadmaster, the question of the proper orientation of the drain hole in the differential cover came up. Most pictures show the drain hole at the 6:00 position, but some show it at the 4:00 position. Thom, who is turns out is quite a scholar of Buick shop manuals, provided the answer. The section in italics below is a quote from an email that Thom sent me. I have 1941, 1942, 1948-1949, 1950, 1952, and 1953 Buick Shop Manuals. The following manuals instruct rotating the cover with the filler at 4 o’clock: 1948-1949, 1950, and 1952. They all say 4 pints of lube would then be needed. A 1952 product service bulletin at page 142 states: “AXLE HOUSING COVER 1952 ALL SERIES. In the near future, the rear axle housing cover will be replaced in production by the cover used during 1951. This cover has a higher filler plug hole location which increases the axle oil capacity approximately 1 pint. The increased quantity of oil appreciably reduces axle operating temperatures at high speeds and also assists in reducing early gear and bearing wear. The additional oil capacity insures a constant supply of oil in the bottom of the housing when taking high speed turns. Whenever axle trouble is experienced with 1952 cars and the job is torn down for service, we recommend installation of the 1951 type axle housing cover and plug assembly, Group 5.398, Part No. 1390887. “ The 1960 Buick chassis parts book specifies the same cover for 1940 thru 1942 40-50-60-70 series and 1946 thru 1955. This would have been a retrofit of the redesigned 1951-type cover to the earlier years. So in 1960 and before, the 4 pint idea seemed to have relevance to years dating back to 1940. I infer from the 1952 service bulletin statement that Buick’s fix for prior years was rotating the cover to enable adding a pint of oil to the housing. Hence the instruction in the earlier shop manuals. This is consistent with the lube chart for '41 which indicates that the rear end has a capacity of 3 pints. My car seems to have managed for the last 83 years on 3 pints, but I will go ahead and rotate the cover by one hole when I put it back on to achieve the 4 pint level. Edited March 26 by neil morse (see edit history) 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootey Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Neil, I mistakenly sent you a haha emogi. I meant to send a thank you. Thomas Schuttish aka Shootey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 Not a problem, Thom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 A little more automotive archeology today. I actually had not noticed until yesterday the statement in the shop manual that the optional gear ratios could be identified either by figures stamped on the underside of the axle housing, or by daubs of paint. So I decided to take a look at the underside of the axle housing on my car. Here's the first photo I took. Obviously there's the number "40" that's very clear. I don't know what that signifies, but it doesn't seem to relate to the axle ratio. But I then I looked closely, and it seemed like there might be additional figures stamped to the left of the "40" in this photo. I went back down to the garage and took a wire wheel to the area in question. Sure enough, what looks like it might be a "3" and a "9" emerged. But the stamping is so light, particularly compared to the "40," that is difficult to say for sure. So anyone who is curious or has doubts about what axle ratio that have in their car might want to take a look at the underside of the axle housing and see what they find. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 Also, here's where the paint was on my car -- on the torque tube just where it meets the axle housing. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Ah ha, the photo above shows your trick to eliminate the clang of the emergency brake hitting the torque tube on a road bump. I experimented by rotating the spring clip at the cable adjustment point into the upwards position. When inserting the spring, the tendency was to hold the mechanism downward. This spring position still seems to allow a good road bump to create the clang. Just a detail, but I wonder what the original configuration was? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 The original, I believe, had a rubber grommet the cable ran through . Seldom , maybe never, replaced. I used a short length of heater hose to replace same. Ben 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 4 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: The original, I believe, had a rubber grommet the cable ran through . Seldom , maybe never, replaced. I used a short length of heater hose to replace same. Ben Those grommets are available 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 11 hours ago, kgreen said: Ah ha, the photo above shows your trick to eliminate the clang of the emergency brake hitting the torque tube on a road bump. I experimented by rotating the spring clip at the cable adjustment point into the upwards position. When inserting the spring, the tendency was to hold the mechanism downward. This spring position still seems to allow a good road bump to create the clang. Just a detail, but I wonder what the original configuration was? Yes, but that is not my trick. That was the fix that was installed by a previous owner -- very simple, a length of heater hose and two zip ties. I read somewhere the torque tube was sometimes referred to as the "Buick bell" because of the clanging sound produced by the cable equalizer hitting the tube. As far as orientation, the shop manual shows the spring clip on the bottom. The rubber grommet that Ben mentions does not prevent the "clanging" from occurring. As you can see in this photo, my car has the rubber grommet. But even with the grommet in place, the cable equalizer can hit the torque tube when you go over a big bump. I think the little piece of hose is a good fix. I have no clanging. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I remember the "Buick Bell" as a kid. Very, very common. As far as the daub of paint goes, it makes sense that the daub is on the torque tube or carrier housing. They are the parts that hold the gearing and they are assembled before being attached to the axle housing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 42 minutes ago, DonMicheletti said: I remember the "Buick Bell" as a kid. Very, very common. As far as the daub of paint goes, it makes sense that the daub is on the torque tube or carrier housing. They are the parts that hold the gearing and they are assembled before being attached to the axle housing. Don, I remember not only the Buick "bell," but also the distinctive rattle of worn-out shock links that could be heard a block away 🙂 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 13 hours ago, JohnD1956 said: Those grommets are available Yeah, but I had the hose.😁 Ben 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Grimy, you can ask Neil about noisy shock links 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 Yes, been there, done that. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 Neil, may I ask where you obtained the shiny one? Looks better made than most. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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