1921 Buick Model 46 Revival Saga

[IFDPete]

I used the good weather this week to clean up the aluminum crankcase in preparation for engine reassembly.  I covered the crankshaft with plastic, sealed up the valve lifter tubes with some foam wrapped in plastic bags, sealed up the distributor with a plastic cup taped on, place some cardboard to protect the firewall, radiator and fenders.  I sprayed with aluminum safe degreaser and let it soak.  Then I power washed the grease and grime off.  Next step will be to order an engine gasket set from Olsen's Gaskets and get things put back together.

 

You can see the thick layer of grease & grime on the crankcase in the picture below.  This was the engine as found before disassembly.

 

 

After cleaning:

 

 

It still needs some cleaning but is good enough to get things back together.  My goal is to get the engine running so I can back the car out and pull it back in as needed.  Then i can do more detailed cleaning.

Edited September 2, 2023 by IFDPete
wording (see edit history)

[IFDPete]

Freeze Plugs

 

On page 2 of this thread when I pulled the original freeze plugs from the block I was impressed with their thickness and durability for their age.  I wished I could find NOS freeze plugs to replace them. 

 

@Terry Wiegand noted in one of his threads on the restoration of his early Buick that the freeze plugs he could find locally had CHINA stamped into them.  I too found those Dorman made in CHINA plugs at the chain auto stores around Indianapolis. 

 

After some searching I was able to locate some old stock freeze plugs made here in the USA (Huntington, Indiana).  The store was a Carquest in Cicero Indiana that had these PIK-A-NUT plugs that the clerk said were probably from the late 1960's or early1970's.  I looked up PIK-A-NUT on the internet and found out that Dorman bought the company but I am not sure when.  The metal on these are thick .050 inches on my gauge.  So these were what I used on my 1921 block.  They should last as long as the originals.

Edited September 3, 2023 by IFDPete (see edit history)

[IFDPete]

Beautiful New Water Tube Received !!!!!

 

If you have been following this saga, you will recall on page one that I found a hole and a lot of corrosion in my original 1921 water tube.

 

What a beautiful week it was.  I received my new water tube from fabricator Roger McGinnis.  It took about 6 months from making contact with him.  Roger sent me some templates to match up with my original 1921 tube and guess what...none were tall enough.  I sent Roger my original tube and he had to make tooling to match my tube.  So there was a delay as I could not just buy a tube that he already had patterns for.  He had never seen a tube as tall as mine was for Buicks.   It fits perfectly and is an exact match of my original.  Great craftsmanship and he was easy to work with.  

Edited September 13, 2023 by IFDPete (see edit history)

[edinmass]

On 9/18/2022 at 11:42 PM, IFDPete said:

Moved the rug and pulled the floorboards to reveal the battery.......this car has not been run in MANY years!  Note the negative connector completely eaten away by corrosion and the cable suspended above the battery. 

 

 

Pulled the battery for clean up and pulled the box to assess.  I am thinking that the battery is from the late 1930s or early 1940's.  The casing is hard rubber.  How old do you guys think it is??  I will need to make a new battery box.

 

 

 

Just made one yesterday for the Buick we are playing with.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Morgan Wright]

Good luck getting those 6 pistons back into the jugs. On mine, the cylinder sleeves are tapered at the bottom so the rings self-compress into the cylinders. Can't use a ring compressor anyway. I had to coax some of them in, using feeler gage leaves as sort of shoe horns. I found the feeler gauge leaves of .025 to .035 made the best shoe horns.

 

But I put the pistons in one at a time, from underneath. Not sure if that's easier than doing all 6 at the same time from above.

[IFDPete]

@edinmass beautiful work on the battery box.  I have not made one yet.  What gauge steel did you use?

 

@Morgan Wright my block also has the taper at the bottom.  Pistons were a puzzle to get out with having to move the crankshaft around to different positions for each cylinder.  Not much room to clear the crank once they are almost out of the bottom of the cylinder.  Good idea on feeler gauges.

 

I saw that @Mark Kikta in his 1922 Engine Progress thread (page 7) lowered and reassembled his jug with all six pistons inserted in the cylinders.  I am undecided as to using his "piston in" method or taking my time and doing them one at a time from underneath.

 

========================

 

After thinking about this a few hours...I am leaning towards Mark's piston in the block method.  It might be easier if I go slow lowering the block.  I had a devil of a time getting the pistons out from underneath and am kind of dreading pushing them back in from the bottom.  There is very little room to line them up straight.

Edited September 21, 2023 by IFDPete
Wording (see edit history)

[IFDPete]

Crankcase Painted as original

 

After cleaning the crankcase I saw traces of the original green paint on it.  I thought I would repaint it prior to putting the engine together as the weather here in Indiana this late December has been abnormally warm - in the 50's.  Once the paint has cured I will get started on getting the engine back together.

[Morgan Wright]

On 9/13/2023 at 7:09 PM, IFDPete said:

Beautiful New Water Tube Received !!!!!

 

If you have been following this saga, you will recall on page one that I found a hole and a lot of corrosion in my original 1921 water tube.

 

 

I had the same problem with my original water tube which kept springing holes in it. It was made from thin metal resembling sheet metal or some other very thin steel, I found an old aftermarket replacement for it which was much thicker and made of pipe steel or something, I can't tell but it was MUCH thicker, when you hit it with a hammer it rung like a bell like a steel water pipe, while the old one if you hit it with a hammer it just went "thunk" like sheet metal. I think the new one looks original to the untrained eye, but will last forever.

[IFDPete]

New Battery Box Made

 

Recently had some surgery and was limited in what I was able to lift as I healed.  I needed a lightweight project to keep me busy while I was home recovering.   I still need to put the last coat of paint on the cylinder block so I could start getting the engine together....but too heavy to move and get painted.

 

I spent the last couple weeks working sporadically in the barn to recreate a battery box to replace my original rusted out unit.  Not as neat and tidy as the one made by @edinmass and posted above... but I don't think it is half bad for a guy who had never worked in bending and welding metal and has limited tools for this project.  Ed's work motivated me to create and gave me something to do while I was off work.  

 

3" Air Cut Off Tool, Vise, Mallets, Hammers, Grinder, Flux core wire welder, Bench Grinder, Long bolts to mallet bend the hanging tabs around. 

Basically I had to get creative with tools because I did not want to buy special metal working tools.  Measure, remeasure, remeasure again, cut, bend, test fit, remeasure, re-bend and finagle, test fit, etc - weld, paint.  You get the idea.  It probably took a lot longer than it took Ed to make but I don't mind the effort of a creative solution and I am satisfied with the results.  It's not perfect, but I tried to do a quality job with the limited skills I have.  If I can eventually drive it around town reliably, and to a local show, I will be thrilled.  If it looks good doing that.. well great.

 

I took pictures of the process and test fit things in the car as I went.  You will notice that my hanging tabs do not look beautifully rounded and even.  They are equal length but each is bent slightly differently to get the empty box to hang level and with equal contact on the car's frame brackets.  

 

16 gauge steel on the endcaps and 22 gauge steel in the middle, same as the original.  I had a rusty & painted 22 gauge steel tray in the shop scrap pile that I cut to size and sandblasted clean.  You may see some pitting in the center steel because of that - but I like it, it adds patina under the new paint.  The 16 gauge end steel was new.

 

 

 

Edited January 25 by IFDPete
wording (see edit history)

[David Zitzmann]

On 9/21/2023 at 1:10 PM, IFDPete said:

@edinmass beautiful work on the battery box.  I have not made one yet.  What gauge steel did you use?

 

@Morgan Wright my block also has the taper at the bottom.  Pistons were a puzzle to get out with having to move the crankshaft around to different positions for each cylinder.  Not much room to clear the crank once they are almost out of the bottom of the cylinder.  Good idea on feeler gauges.

 

I saw that @Mark Kikta in his 1922 Engine Progress thread (page 7) lowered and reassembled his jug with all six pistons inserted in the cylinders.  I am undecided as to using his "piston in" method or taking my time and doing them one at a time from underneath.

 

========================

 

After thinking about this a few hours...I am leaning towards Mark's piston in the block method.  It might be easier if I go slow lowering the block.  I had a devil of a time getting the pistons out from underneath and am kind of dreading pushing them back in from the bottom.  There is very little room to line them up straight.

Just a thought... on 30s Cadillac engines you put the rod up from the bottom then put the piston on, push wrist pin through, locks, then push in in from top down to journal.

Edited January 25 by David Zitzmann
Spelling (see edit history)

[IFDPete]

1 hour ago, David Zitzmann said:

Just a thought... on 30s Cadillac engines you put the rod up from the bottom then put the piston on, push wrist pin through, locks, then push in in from top down to journal.

@David Zitzmann David - I appreciate your idea... however the 21 Buick has a Jughead engine.  No removable head on the cylinder block to work anything through the top.  There are good pictures of the cylinder block on the bottom of page 2 of this thread.  Pete

Edited January 25 by IFDPete
Reference page (see edit history)

[dibarlaw]

Thanks for your post on the battery box. My 1925 Standard has a very nice one while my 1925 Master looks like what you started with. Now I have to get busy.

[David Zitzmann]

8 hours ago, IFDPete said:

@David Zitzmann David - I appreciate your idea... however the 21 Buick has a Jughead engine.  No removable head on the cylinder block to work anything through the top.  There are good pictures of the cylinder block on the bottom of page 2 of this thread.  

I didnt see, read, that part. I know what you mean. Sorry

[IFDPete]

No worries David...I appreciate you taking the time to comment with your idea.