1935/1936 Buick Series 40 Coupe

[MargaritavilleBuick]

Hey guys was just doing some horse-trading and acquired a 1936 Buick Series 40 this afternoon.  Not new to the Buick world as I restored a 59 Electra many years ago.  This, however, is my first pre-WW2 auto and I really want to take my time and do it right.   The car only has 5,000 miles on it.  It was purchased in 1935 and traded to a dealer in 1939.  The dealership put it in a warehouse and it sat there long after the placed closed.  The car was not hauled out until 2019.  Since seeing the sunshine once more, it has a new radiator, brake lines, fuel lines, fuel tank, etc.  it has the original paint and all the chrome.  Very proud to own it.  Hope you guys can point me in the direction of a part from time to time and maybe provide some advice on occasion.

 

Owen

 

 

[auburnseeker]

We definitely want to see some photos.  We love photos around here. Sounds like a nice find.  Good luck. 

[MargaritavilleBuick]

[Matt Harwood]

Who provided the story on the car's history? I really hope you didn't pay extra because of the low mileage claim. It's certainly a handsome car, but I would look at the supposed four years and 5000 miles of use very skeptically. At the very least, it has been repainted along the line somewhere--Buicks were not two-tone in 1936 and they definitely didn't paint the headlight buckets a different color. Given the condition of the interior and the paint job, I'd be suspicious of the story. My gut says someone tried to freshen it in the '60s or '70s and it has been sitting ever since, which perhaps gave someone the impression that it was original. It's not, I'm sad to say, and I hope it was simple ignorance rather than deception that created the car's story.

 

Nevertheless, the '36 Special is one of the best-looking cars of the '30s and they're wonderful to drive so you've got a great foundation on which to build. But don't worry about preserving originality--there isn't much left, I'm afraid. Do it the way you'd like and have fun!

[39BuickEight]

It is odd that it’s so non-original, yet supposedly only has 5000 miles.  A lot of work has been done on this car between 1939 and 2019.

 

In any case, it’s a great looking car in terms of style.

Edited February 10, 2020 by 39BuickEight (see edit history)

[Bloo]

Low mileage doesn't necessarily mean good storage. 1936 was along time ago. Yes, there is work to be done, but I like it. I like it a lot.

[MargaritavilleBuick]

Well, when horse trading, sometimes you get a tall tale or two.  Took the guy at his word for the most part....heck it doesn’t really matter.  He did say that someone had started messing with the car who didn’t know what they were doing.  Appears that I will be going backwards a bit on this one before actually moving forward.  Be that as it may, I am hoping to build a few acquaintances here and garner some support as I attempt to save the old girl and get her presentable once again.  No hotrodding, no major custom work, I want her to look like she rolled straight out of the late 1930s.