B Jake Moran Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 I am considering going to look at a 1923 Buick 6-48 Opera Coupe and am seriously asking , step by step, how does a person start and drive a 1923 Buick? For my 2021 Toyota Tundra, I climb in the seat (I am pretty small) and get set, then turn the key to start it. Once the idle settles down, I put my foot on the brake pedal and place in gear, and give it some throttle. The oldest Buick I have ever owned or driven is a 1964 Electra, many cars from the 1970's. But not a 1923 Buick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian_Heil Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Stock fuel pump, electric update or both is the first question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubert_25-25 Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 (edited) 1925 Buick Ownership manual – Starting & Driving Hugh Leidlein 11-24-19 C I have this on a piece of paper that I keep in my 1925 Buick to familiarize others when they want to drive my car. This manual is to help the owner properly drive and maintain this 1925 Buick. Before driving: - Check the Engine Oil. - Antifreeze is Evans Waterless Coolant. DO NOT ADD WATER or regular antifreeze. This is a special lifetime coolant. The radiator should be filled until the coolant is just visible in the radiator header tank. - Tires – 32 PSIG Starting and Driving - Transmission in neutral. No clutch. - Disconnect the battery tender if driving. - Pull out the Choke (Only when cold) - Retard the spark - Use the hand throttle to raise the idle. (Use it to operate the gas pedal when starting.) - Turn on the ignition, push the starter pedal. - Push the choke in after it starts. - Release the hand brake Transmission shift is a reverse H 2 R H 3 1 1st and Reverse are non-synchronized so you must be at a complete stop to use them. It does not like 2nd gear when cold. Shifting (especially down shifting) takes practice. Shift slowly. Double clutching is helpful. Over revving makes shifting more difficult. Ignition lever – Retard for starting, ½ way under 25 mph, full when cruising. Turn signals and Flashers - The switch is located below the dash on the left side of the steering wheel. They cancel 15 seconds after the brakes are released. - The 4 way flashers are initiated if the left turn switch is held for 5 flashes. If your foot is on the brake they will cancel, or if you flip the turn switch to the right. Lights Position 1 and up - powers the engine temperature monitor. It flips under the dash for shows. Engine Temperature Water boils at 212 F. Check the radiator fluid if above 225 degrees. Stop if at 250 degrees. This is a large car. Take wide turns. Use additional stopping space. Enjoy. Now if the car has not been started in some time, I do use a shot of starting fluid in the carburetor to help establish fuel in the vacuum tank and I do not wear out the battery and starter. Open the choke, give it a shot of starting fluid, close the choke. Rotate the throttle lever on the steering level where it just starts pulling the gas pedal down a little. Then you can crank it. To not confuse my feet, I use the hand throttle instead of the floor gas pedal. My right foot is used to push the starter pedal only. How long has it been since the car has been started and does it turn over with the hand crank? Edited March 21, 2022 by Hubert_25-25 (see edit history) 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Hugh, Does a '23 require valve train lubrication before operation like the earlier OHV exposed valve train engines? Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 1 hour ago, B Jake Moran said: I am considering going to look at a 1923 Buick 6-48 Opera Coupe and am seriously asking , step by step, how does a person start and drive a 1923 Buick? For my 2021 Toyota Tundra, I climb in the seat (I am pretty small) and get set, then turn the key to start it. Once the idle settles down, I put my foot on the brake pedal and place in gear, and give it some throttle. The oldest Buick I have ever owned or driven is a 1964 Electra, many cars from the 1970's. But not a 1923 Buick. Nice looking car. Would be a lot of fun to come on Nickel tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Wiegand Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Joe, A good rule of thumb is to make sure that the valve stems are lubricated every other time that the engine is started and that can depend on the length of time that the car is driven each time. The valve train on a '23 Buick is covered and this will hold the generated heat closer and longer to all of the valve gear. Mr. Heil is the 'resident engineer' on the '23 Models. He can tell you everything you will ever need to know about '23's. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Wright Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 You need to know the history of the car. How long has it been since anybody changed the oil? Not how many miles, how long. Oil turns to tar when it sits for many years in an oil pan. If the last oil change was 10 years ago or more, you will ruin the Babbit bearings if you start the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtech Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 To elaborate just a bit on Hubert's instuctions. The spark lever is the SHORT one of the 2 on the steering wheel. The throttle is the long one. To start: Spark lever all the way up , throttle cracked maybe 3/4 of an inch down if all adjusted correctly (ha). switch on, should be a soft noise from starter. Step on starter. Choke for 3 or 4 cylinders then push in 2/3 of way. Won't need choke when warm. When it starts, pull spark lever down to horizontal or below, wherever it sounds best. You are the ECM. You have to manage the spark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Wiegand Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 If I am thinking correctly here, there will not be any noise (motoring sound) coming from the Starter/Generator unit on a 1923 model. I think that this was a big change in 1923. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Wright Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Why doesn't the current owner know how to start it? If somebody died and somebody else is trying to sell a car that's been sitting for a long time, the LAST thing you want to do it start it. You need to run through everything, change all the fluids at the very least. You will just ruin the car if you start it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 4 minutes ago, Morgan Wright said: Why doesn't the current owner know how to start it? If somebody died and somebody else is trying to sell a car that's been sitting for a long time, the LAST thing you want to do it start it. You need to run through everything, change all the fluids at the very least. You will just ruin the car if you start it. He does know how to start it and will show me and when I go we will drive it around the farm. I am just trying to get a better understanding of the process before I get there. I have already told him I do not know much about the subject. It was a nice pleasant conversation with an old Nebraska farmer. His wife's dad bought the car many years ago and it's inherited and now they are selling the farm and all the accumulated stuff. Wood is supposedly good, older restoration that he just spent $2,000 to get tuned up. New battery. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian_Heil Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 My ‘23 is standard stock fuel pump with stock Marvel and is very sensitive to the choke and easily flooded. Cold: Turn on fuel petcock under fuel pump, set choke to full, set throttle lever to 25%, timing lever position has little effect on starting, big effect on running down the road. Crank until first bark of ignition and immediately move choke lever off full choke and point it at right hand screw head of choke bezel (even the manual states this). Continue to crank. Mine starts well right after this choke readjustment. Remove remainder of choke as it warms over the next 20 seconds of running. Then lower idle. Hot: No choke. No higher idle required. Any choke hot is a death sentence and a 15 minute wait to let things dry out to start. I leave my spark advance fully advanced as it will start well in any position. Retarding it for start just allows me to forget to advance it once running and then I look down some time later and notice it not advanced and car is sluggish. Stopping. Anything longer than a gas stop and I need to shut the carb fuel petcock off or I have a hard time re-starting. I’m certain it’s the float needle not fully seating but it otherwise runs so well I can’t can’t fault it. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFDPete Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 Just wondering if you decided to purchase the car. I think I saw it a while ago on Ebay before you went to look. It was in a small town in Nebraska and there cant be too many 1923 Buick Model 48's in Nebraska. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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