1927 Buick Model 27 - 27

[MG1927]

Hi To All,

I just joined having become the owner of a 1927 Buick Model 27 about 10 days ago. I'm afraid to admit that I have so little knowledge of cars and what makes them go, but I am determined to see my purchase brought back to its finer years. I am going to need advice, places to find parts, and I suppose some  "how do you do this" questions answered.

 

I see that my pictures are pretty large for the max allowable size, so I will try one with my first question. It involves the wood, which I do not see much about on the old posts.  Some of the wood is useable, some is rotted and will need replacing, and some has been replaced by plywood (running boards, door posts, and bottom strips that sit on the frame below the doors).  The roof is pretty much shot.  The lengthwise slats aren't bad, but the side to side ribs are all rotted on one side, and sunken down.  Originally were the ribs cut in a slight bow, or were they steamed to achieve a slight roundness?

 

Does anyone know what kind of wood was used in the original car? 

Is there a source for premade wood replacement parts?

Or does a drawing exist that shows the dimensions?

Or better yet, what do you folks do in this situation? 

 

Thanks much,

Marty

[JFranklin]

If you can carefully remove the existing wood it can be used as patterns. I don't know what was used from the factory but it would be a hardwood such as ash. Welcome to the forums and have fun with your car!

[FLYER15015]

Take lots of pictures of what you have now, especially what was used to attach the wood.

Take the wood to your local lumber store and ask what it is, ash or oak would be my guess.

Top covering material is available, or a close modern equivalent.

Disassemble carefully, and tag each piece as to location and orientation.

Make it a "fun project" and you will be telling stories of how you did it for years to come.

Document your progress here, and those who have gone before will help you on your journey.

We like pictures............

 

Mike in Colorado

[MG1927]

Thanks Mike.  I planned to take lots of pics, but will need to retake most pics that I would post on here due to the size of them. 

 

I am looking for info on the roof. The ribs that go from side to side are all sunk in.  Since they are rotted on one end, they would likely need to be made from scratch, and I probably would use white oak. Obviously they were originally made with some amount of dome shaping.  How would I find that out?

 

I'm thinking it would be wise to get good solid measurements on the roof/wood as it is before anything is taken apart as the car body as a whole would keep it to its original dimension., or at least very close.

 

Thanks,

MG

 

[Kenneth Carr]

I have no experience with a 1927  Buick but I suspect there was crossover with other makes.

I once owned a 1947 Mercury station wagon and everything under the fabric roof was built very much as yours is.

The long slats (I remember there being about 13 of them) were made of basswood which is a softwood. The side rails and front and rear headers were made of maple that was made of thick laminated pieces.They were joined with complicated finger joints and bolts that were countersunk and then plugged with wooden dowels.

 

You can copy the pieces exactly as previous posters recommended. That is preferable. A good carpenter can do this if you preserve and possibly make dimensional drawings of the pieces.

 

Another method that some people do is to replace the frame and header members with oversize solid wood timbers. Then plane, shape, and sand them to the exact contours of the original piece

 

[Hubert_25-25]

MG, 

    Welcome to the forum.   We love pictures.  My camera was taking "too large" pixel size.  Some cameras are set for 5 MB per photo.  Try to set the default for 1-2MB per photo.  I also use a camera and not my cell phone.  You will end up with a lot of photos on your computer hard drive when you near completion.  I am ready to replace my computer due to lack of storage.  Be sure that you back up your photos.  

There are no available wood kits for the top.  I do not know if anyone has taken the time to make drawings.  I have wood drawings for a Standard Buick Touring, but that could only be used as a guide for you.  

Your wood roof looks pretty sunken in.  All you will find at the big box hardware store is Oak, Pine, and Poplar.  Other woods like Ash would be better, but you will need to order this online or find a specialty shop.  I do have a write up on correct replacement of your running boards.  I can also show you how they built the wood around the bottom perimeter of the body. 

Hugh    

[FLYER15015]

Marty,

You are right in that the cross bows are sunk in, and you know that you can't just turn them over. HAHA !

On my '31 Chrysler the top bows don't have much of an arc, but it was redone back in 1980, so who knows.

You can search the web and find pictures of the same year, make, and model an possibly see what others have done.

If any, I don't suspect there was much of an arch in 1927 models.

I believe that came later when wood / fabric tops were more of an "insert" and had a steel perimeter.

 

Mike in Colorado

[Terry Wiegand]

From past experience with my 1920 Buick I will go out on that proverbial limb and say that Fisher Body used White Ash in their bodies.  It is a very straight grained hardwood that lent itself very well to this type of body framework construction.  As others have stated, photos are great - the more the better.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

[jps]

Hi Marty,

 

Since you live in Wisconsin, you are fortunate because one of the experts on 1927-29 Buick's lives in Whitewater, WI.  He has a lot of parts for 1927-29 models, does a lot of repair/restoration on Buick's, and is very helpful.  His name is Tony Bult and his e-mail is tonybuick272829@gmail.com.  Although he doesn't repair wood himself, he knows who can do it and would give you good advice for how to do it yourself.  I have a 1929-27 and have relied on Tony many times for parts and advice.

 

John

[MG1927]

A Thank You to each and everyone of you guys. This is a WEALTH of information that will help me get a foothold on getting started.  

Marty

[MG1927]

Thanks Ben for the info. 

 

I did buy the Fisher body manual, so I now have what you are showing.  This a good book to have, but I just wish I had a dimensional drawing for the front posts.  The posts are shown in the book, but it appears that any posts that are made will have to be made to fit the contour of the body.  I suppose a pro would know how to approach this, but it seems like that is about the practical way to go about it.

Marty