B Jake Moran Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted May 19, 2019 Author Share Posted May 19, 2019 The phrase, "not for the faint of heart" doesn't begin to cover it. I can honestly say that there never was a point in my life when I felt that ambitious. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 Yeah I can’t imagine restoring that to a nice,safe 1939 Century. It will likely end up as sheet metal on a hot rod, which is better than where it is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted May 19, 2019 Author Share Posted May 19, 2019 I should add that I'm sure we all appreciate your checking it out, though. I'll try to post better quality leads in the future. James P Sheehan Minneapolis 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 (edited) Actually I am in disagreement with both of you but I doubt anyone will come to my defense. This is a car for the restoration hobby, not for showing or some intermediate purpose. It is a parts car for sure, as well. In my last home, I had a 3 car heated and air conditioned, extremely well lit and comfortable man cave garage. This car would reside in that garage in a heartbeat, but I no longer have that garage. I have a dilapidated mess of a 2 car garage with about an inch of water in it after this weekend's rain. My point is I don't have the right set up. I tore down many cars in that old garage including a body off the frame 1949 Roadmaster Sedanette. This is a restorable car in a better garage or building. I judge primarily by what is going on from the cowl back. In this case, I often see smashed in roofs from a tree or kids and body damage. Doors, fenders, front clips most can be replaced. But body perforation or damage I am no good at. 1st thing is in that garage I would clean the old girl down. Get all that debris out of there between sips of beer. (I would probably have my dust mask on) Once that was done I think you would have a pretty good car to work on. The rust out on this one is primarily in flat areas. Virtually every non restored project car from the 30's has rust out in that rear splash pan area. You have two good front fenders here, both specific to the Century as I understand it. The hood seems OK, no dents or damage. Grills are nice. I did not even see any pitting and I am not sure what a person would do to restore them other than clean them up. You could send them off for chroming, I guess, to compete for a trophy with someone that has - but as is I am not sure how much worse they are than new - except dirty. All glass is present, and the reason the rear fell into the car is because of movement from it's 15 year slumber. The front seat top is missing, but a Special can give theirs up, or an Oldsmobile or whatever, and the restorer can restore that. More important to me is the missing exhaust manifold. Seller said there was still a box of stuff in the Morton building. Let's hope it's mechanical. No matter what you get this old, new wiring from Rhode Island is likely on your list. Hubcaps look original. What would a more restorable car look like? Or cost? $10,000 to start with? Just playing devil's advocate here, but that body is pretty straight, it's complete except for it's seat, complete dash. For $1000 or less on a car which is truly rare and a favored body style. Edited May 19, 2019 by B Jake Moran (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 I like your optimism, but you have to admit it’s going to be ugly under all the stuff inside it. The frame is probably ok. They are so thick and strong to begin with. A person could buy it and treat it like I did with mine over time (except I had all the parts). It’s just missing so much. It could cost thousands just to get the engine parts that are missing, not counting rebuilding what is there. That said, it could certainly be worth putting out $1000 just to have it and look at it and contemplate your own plans—if you have a dry place to put it. It would be a fun car to play with and learn from, for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted May 20, 2019 Author Share Posted May 20, 2019 Bryan, I've probably made a rush to judgement based on the setting, color, debris, etc. I think that I also felt a little guilt for sending you on a wild goose chase because I posted this lead in the first place. Your unclouded description is cause for optimism. Perhaps someone who is up to the task will step up. It would be a great, classy and speedy Buick and one that anyone would be proud to own when finished. Here's a Century coupe from Google note the goofy sun visor angle. That extra bit of wheelbase goes a long ways toward making this car quite elegant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 ...and that's not a bad color. I found a really nice reproduction 1939 Century ad for sale on ebay in a dark maroon, also nice. I am a big fan of Sequoia Cream or similar Desert Yellows but not so much on this coupe. the beltline moulding helps on this car to accentuate the length. 126 is about perfect for a "normal" production coupe. I found it interesting to see that jump seat in the mess of the interior. So, I guess there was a jump seat or two back there. Seeing the rotted wood framing between the trunk and passenger compartment must really scare some folks but that wood is 80 years old or so. What I am worried about in addition to the missing exhaust manifold is the sill plates. I remember from the older cars I owned that these sill plates are a nice shiny stamping of soft metal. These I suppose are either long gone or as often I have seen - corroded on the lips or edge and unusable. I don't know where a person finds reproduction sill stampings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted May 20, 2019 Author Share Posted May 20, 2019 Google Images has this Special coupe in a burgundy. I imagine it's an attempt at matching the original factory color, but I don't know: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Yes that's a nice color, and it's close on the match to what the ad has, FWIW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 23 hours ago, B Jake Moran said: ...and that's not a bad color. I found a really nice reproduction 1939 Century ad for sale on ebay in a dark maroon, also nice. I am a big fan of Sequoia Cream or similar Desert Yellows but not so much on this coupe. the beltline moulding helps on this car to accentuate the length. 126 is about perfect for a "normal" production coupe. I found it interesting to see that jump seat in the mess of the interior. So, I guess there was a jump seat or two back there. Seeing the rotted wood framing between the trunk and passenger compartment must really scare some folks but that wood is 80 years old or so. What I am worried about in addition to the missing exhaust manifold is the sill plates. I remember from the older cars I owned that these sill plates are a nice shiny stamping of soft metal. These I suppose are either long gone or as often I have seen - corroded on the lips or edge and unusable. I don't know where a person finds reproduction sill stampings. 1939 Buick Door Sills 2 Door 40-60 Series NEW https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F401522585944 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 There was no wood in the body construction for 1939, so the rotten wood you saw must have been from something else. 1938 was the last year and only in 80 and 90 series cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 Someone not wanting to do a full resto could do like Bryan mentioned earlier. Drop in a nailhead, ST400, open drive line and rear from a donor; drop in a couple of big full sized bucket seats and a vintage air unit, weld in sme floor pans, and have a fun way to tool around on a weekend. Or, do Rte. 66 in 39 style with a fairly modern drive train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 19 hours ago, 39BuickEight said: 1939 Buick Door Sills 2 Door 40-60 Series NEW https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F401522585944 Billy Stop that. That's like leaving a pint of whiskey in front of an alcoholic and stepping away! Just kidding, those are so beautiful, and frankly at $400, that seems fair. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 16 hours ago, Thriller said: There was no wood in the body construction for 1939, so the rotten wood you saw must have been from something else. 1938 was the last year and only in 80 and 90 series cars. Actually, I believe the wood in this is correct. It's not structural. It was a separator between the back area and the trunk. I think that is correct from what else I have seen in this deplorable condition. I could be wrong - and since it was not visible, it may not need to be replaced. But replacement would be something you could get at Home Depot. Experts? Still waiting to know what trim code 15 stood for? The data plate seems kind of vague and uninformative to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 In 1939, the seat frames had wood in them, and rear seat arm rests (in cars that had them) were wood. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 Ah...ok...in that case it would be more carpentry than woodwork, so I don’t think of it as a big issue. The seat frames and armrests could be a bit more challenging to do nicely, but manageable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now