Possible 1937 Special Bargain?

[Daves1940Buick56S]

Take a look:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1937-Buick-Special/263366543447?hash=item3d51de8857:g:tOoAAOSwUlxaJj5G&vxp=mtr

 

1937 Special 2 Door for $14.5k. Looks real clean. Seller claims all is original. Maybe HPOF candidate?

 

Cheers, Dave

[MCHinson]

Nice looking car but I would suspect it has been repainted at minimum. The non-original headlight trim rings appear to perfectly match the rest of the paint, which makes me highly suspect a repaint. A lot of times owners think things are all original when they are actually old restorations. 

[Daves1940Buick56S]

Yeah, probably. Still a nice price, though.

[Thriller]

I don't think the engine would be that bright if it were a 90,000 mile original 80 year old with factory paint. The newer hose clamps could easily be explained by replacing the hoses. I don't recall seeing a steering wheel of that era that bright a yellow. 

 

Nice looking car overall. Would that be an original colour? I can't say I've seen any like that unless it was military olive drab. 

 

[Gary W]

Model 48 like mine.  I really love looking at the photos so when I install my interior kit I have a guide.  

Looks like sealed beams, but mine was also converted over at some point.

I noticed the car still has the "particle board"-like pads under the carpet with the jute backing.  Even the trunk wall coverings look exactly like what I found.  

The glove box doesn't match, but maybe the clock was installed later and it was easier to just swap the glove box door??  

There looks like an extra knob and an extra button on the left side of the dash.  Maybe to work the guide lamps and possibly a starter switch if the vacuum switch failed.  (again, the same way I got my car)

I would agree with Matt regarding the paint.  There are two photos where the paint in the door openings appear darker.  (but photos sometimes distort)

I was really studying the photos to see if there are window sweeps between the glass and the door openings (not the garnish molding side of the glass, the door side of the glass)  Still stuck on that.

 

Overall, it looks like a very complete car and the Model 48 body lines are beautiful.... (in my humble opinion!!)

 

G

 

 

 

[39BuickEight]

Folks define "all original" in many ways.  Some say it means unrestored and untouched.  Some define it as having all the original parts, whether they have been taken off or altered.  Some think it means as it would have come from the factory.

 

The only way to know what it means to a seller is a conversation and inspection.

 

This car certainly "looks the part" as some say.  Beautiful.

[MCHinson]

I don't recognize the color as an original 1937 color. I think that the glove compartment door is actually original. Unrestored dashes often have a different shade glove box exactly like that one. If I understand correctly, the woodgrain on them was originally a decal which tends to fade like that.

 

The wheels also appear to have been painted, since they have no stripes. Engine paint does not appear original My guess is the car was restored quite a few years ago, but the interior was in good shape so it was left alone.  It was not uncommon to upgrade to sealed beam headlights, but certainly not original. 

 

While it looks like a nice car, from what I have seen, it would probably not receive an HPOF certification. Like my 1937 Century, It appears to have had too much work done to achieve HPOF certification.

[MCHinson]

I looked at the photos again and noticed a couple of other very minor things. While the running boards appear original, the running board moldings don't look like the original ones to me. I can't see their profile clearly in the photos but I don't think they are original. Also, the car does not have a 1937 Buick steering wheel. That wheel is a 1938 wheel. Many of them werre changed, including my 1937 Century. The 1938 steering wheel is an  improvement over the 1937. It is almost impossible not to accidentally hit the horn ring while turning the wheel on a 1937 wheel. The 1938 horn ring is slightly recessed to help prevent that from happening as often. I still occasionally hit the horn ring accidentally with the 1938 steering wheel.

[Daves1940Buick56S]

Agree, no HPOF. But I think it's still a bargain for someone who wants to get into the old car game.

 

Cheers, Dave

[DonMicheletti]

Looking at the engine photo, everything says at least rebuild. Paint is too good to be original and on the valve cover the "Valve In Head" is clearly one of the replacement decals  sold a few years ago - not like the original nor like the new vinyl transfers.

 

As Gary says - still a nice car.

[BuicksBuicks]

I also noticed that the steering wheel is a horrid yellow. But if you look carefully at the spokes in the steering wheel, there's an extra bend just behind the horn ring. Other than that this is the same model as my first car that I bought as a teenager in 1961. It cost $60 then and I split that with a friend. These days I drive the 4-door model of the same Buick.

[Mark Shaw]

14 hours ago, Gary W said:

 glove box doesn't match, but maybe the clock was installed later and it was easier to just swap the glove box door??  

Same as in my 38 Special.  We thought maybe the glove box door was left open when the clock was disconnected during storage...

[MCHinson]

3 hours ago, BuicksBuicks said:

I also noticed that the steering wheel is a horrid yellow. But if you look carefully at the spokes in the steering wheel, there's an extra bend just behind the horn ring. Other than that this is the same model as my first car that I bought as a teenager in 1961. It cost $60 then and I split that with a friend. These days I drive the 4-door model of the same Buick.

 

That "extra bend" is a 1938 steering wheel. It has a 1937 horn button, but the wheel is a 1938 steering wheel. The majority of the 1937 Buicks here locally have 1938 steering wheels. It really does make it easier to turn the wheel without accidentally hitting the horn ring. There are a lot of ideas about the "correct" color for these steering wheels. Some people think that they were almost white when new and yellowed with age. I was born 20 plus years too late to have any idea of what they looked like when new. I agree that one is a bit too yellow for my taste.

[Gary W]

Can I ask about the front and rear bumpers.  The outer bumper bolt head shows through the outside of the bumper.  My outer bolts are housed in a "Keeper" all on the inside of the bumper so the outside appearance is smooth from one end to the other.  All fasteners are inside.  Is this a later bumper, or is it a '36 bumper...  just curious.

[MCHinson]

9 minutes ago, Gary W said:

Can I ask about the front and rear bumpers.  The outer bumper bolt head shows through the outside of the bumper.  My outer bolts are housed in a "Keeper" all on the inside of the bumper so the outside appearance is smooth from one end to the other.  All fasteners are inside.  Is this a later bumper, or is it a '36 bumper...  just curious.

 

I had not noticed the bumpers. No, 1936 Bumpers are different. The bumpers on my 1937 Buick are like yours. I don't think I have ever seen any bumpers like those on any other 1937 buick. With a quick look at a few other car photos, I think those are 1938 Bumpers on that car.

[Gary W]

Yup...  '38

[smithbrother]

Rear fender welting appears to be same color as car, weren’t they BLACK from factory?

 

Wondering,

 

Dale in Indy

[dibarlaw]

I was unable to find my 1937 color chip sheet but I feel that the green is a 37 color. The catalog illustration Gary uses in his avatar would have been in that shade. Although the printed catalogs color representations are not even close at best.

[MCHinson]

It might be close to Windsor Gray Metallic, but it looks too green to me for that color. It does not appear to be any other 1937 color to me.  The only 1937 green on the original paint chart (Coronary Green) looks closer to black than anthing else. There was a late addition to the 1937 available colors, # 511 Balmoral Green Metallic but I don't have a chip for that color.

 

It actually looks closer to the 1938 color Raphael Green Metallic than anything else to me. It has enough 1938 items on it, it would not surprise me that someone painted it a 1938 color.

 

Attached are 1937 and 1938 color chart photos.

[Daves1940Buick56S]

Now offered as of today at $12900. Mr Harwood are you going to grab it?

 

Cheers, Dave

Edited December 11, 2017 by Daves1940Buick56S (see edit history)