1939 Century vs 1940...

[C-Lamb]

Rumor has it there's a good deal on a '40 Century near me.  I'm hoping to look at it next week, but I'm wondering if there are any real advantages 39 vs 40.  It has the front fender lights, radio, and maybe a few other features vs. my '39?

 

I'm slowly repairing my '39 but progress has been slow.  This one has been driven more recently, which might be an advantage. (

 

Thanks!

Chris

[Matt Harwood]

Same car mechanically. However, the '39s have a lot of unique features that make them slightly more challenging than the '40s, particularly when it comes to parts availability. Early '39s have the abbreviated rear frame which can cause headaches during restoration if it has been hit or is rusty back there. The '40 has a full frame. And while I'm not entirely sure it's due to the grille, there are some who believe the '39s run hotter than the later cars, although making the cooling system healthy will probably alleviate any potential issues. There are other little detail issues, but the '39s seem to have far more one-year-only parts in them than the '40s which can make finding the right parts a challenge.

 

However, the differences are slight enough that given two cars in roughly equal condition, I'd pick the one that appeals most to me and go from there.

[1939_Buick]

As Matt stated. Will depend on the condition of both cars.  The actual body shell is substantially the same.  Difference are in trim & dash board.

Many 1 year only parts/design in 1939 series 40 & 60's. Most in transmission - drive line -diff. But also elsewhere.

1940 Series 60 - 320 ci have a lot more common parts with other later straight 8's / later years.

For example 1940 transmission will swap with some later years. Diff can be changed relativity easily to higher ratio from later Buick's (to mid 1950's)

1939 has 2 piece drive shaft-torque tube. 1940 1 piece.

 

But 1939's look a lot better from the front 😃

Edited June 28, 2022 by 1939_Buick (see edit history)