32 Buick Model 97

[BuickTom87]

After almost a year of debating.  Finally pulled the trigger bought 32 Buick Model 97. The car  has the original interior along with original paint . The owner owned it for over 40 years . The car is going to need some overall maintenance and going through. The picture is of my father and Charles . 

[Matt Harwood]

Great car! I sometimes miss my '32 97, which was awfully powerful and a great tour car. So easy to drive, I put my father-in-law in it to drive to a show and he'd never driven anything older than the 1960s. You're going to love it.

[BuickTom87]

I hope so , it just needs work . It’s sluggish a good tune up and a good run at 50mph for 20 miles . Will clear it out 

[31Buick96S]

Beautiful car, good luck with it!

[BuickTom87]

Thank you 

[BuickTom87]

2 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

Great car! I sometimes miss my '32 97, which was awfully powerful and a great tour car. So easy to drive, I put my father-in-law in it to drive to a show and he'd never driven anything older than the 1960s. You're going to love it.

I hope so, I just wish I was closer to your shop. You guys do some amazing work , the shops by me have no clue what this is haha . I always have to travel far to get any work done on the car . 

[Daves1940Buick56S]

I do most of my own work but when I need help Bill Anderson of Early American Auto is only 60 miles away in Berryville VA.

[BuickTom87]

Yeah , the problem is there are shops in Long Island where I’m at but they have no clue what they are looking at . The shops are mainly muscle car where they basically try to talk you into restomods. 
 

 

[Steves Buick]

Nice ride, congrats. Every one on the forums are here to help, enjoy!!

Steve 

[edinmass]

Great car.......enjoy. Take your time sorting it. Lots of good Buick guys here to help.......

[EmTee]

Wow -- I mean, WOW!  Beautiful Buick.  Do you still have the '41 Century?  How is it doing?

[BuickTom87]

Yeah still got it , it’s sitting in the garage . By next summer the 41 will prob be up for sale . I wanted to keep the 41 but when I saw this we had to have it . Who knows by next summer we may decide to keep the 41 once we get it running right and everything.  It might be too nice to sell 
 

You can find a 41 Buick all day, but finding a 32 model 97 is extremely hard . 

[EmTee]

Where/how did you find the '32?

[BuickTom87]

It was actually posted on Facebook for about a year for sale .

 

Then noticed it here for sale 

[32Buickman]

Great looking 32-97

 

 

 

[BuickTom87]

Thank you .. 

[Brooklyn Beer]

Nice car.  That nice garage will seem very empty to him after owning for 40 years..

[BuickTom87]

Yeah he’s has owned it since 1973.. 

[Brooklyn Beer]

Call me odd but I like looking at the floors and walls of old garages of people who have owned and lived in the homes for all those years. The walls surely tell a story as not many young people these days have a real garage like this but just a storage area for crap.  Look around and see story of the mans life.  My Grandfathers and fathers garage was just like this garage. But when you look at the floor you can't help but think of the countless hours he stood there, crawled around, swept, and spent a huge part of his life around this car.  40 years is a long time to see an old friend go and not feel a giant hole in there. I see a lawn chair in the reflection. I sit out in my garage in the same manner

Edited July 27, 2023 by Brooklyn Beer (see edit history)

[trimacar]

On 7/25/2023 at 6:58 PM, Daves1940Buick56S said:

I do most of my own work but when I need help Bill Anderson of Early American Auto is only 60 miles away in Berryville VA.

Yes, Bill is the best…he’s done work for me,  and I’ve done work for him…as most talented people in the business, hard to sneak in work with him!

[BuickTom87]

Finally took it for a ride changed the plugs . Put some new gas, marvel mystery oil slightly adjusted the carburetor.

 

This car is a slug though unfortunately, going to have to have someone with some more

time and mechanical skills then myself to o check it out and adjust it 

Edited August 1, 2023 by BuickTom87
Mistake (see edit history)

[31Buick96S]

1 hour ago, BuickTom87 said:

Finally took it for a ride changed the plugs . Put some new gas, marvel mystery oil slightly adjusted the carburetor.

 

This car is a slug though unfortunately, going to have to have someone with some more

time and mechanical skills then myself to o check it out and adjust it 

I’m curious as to what you mean by “slug”? I have never driven anything comparable to my ‘31 96S and have been wondering if the perceived lack of performance is because I’m comparing them to my other vehicles. The combination of weight, gearing and low revving nature of the engine seems to make acceleration a leisurely affair. I’ve been working my way through misfiring, backfiring, poorly adjusted valves etc and the engine now starts easily, has an even, steady idle and accelerates smoothly. But, it is slooow. I’m interested to see how you make out with your car, wishing you success.

[EmTee]

2 hours ago, BuickTom87 said:

This car is a slug though unfortunately...

But, a really pretty slug! 

 

I'm sure you'll get it sorted.  Just make a list and tick things off one at a time...

[32buick67]

These cars are period monster torque cars - the straight 8s are designed to be powerful smooth from start thru top speed, no vibration, no shutter, which is part of the distinguish for Buick from other makes, mostly due to Italian engineer John Dolza's innovations.

Based on basic mechanical engineering calcs, my little 60 series could easily explode the clutch and destroy the driveline gears, here is a graph of factory torque specs.

At an idle speed of approx 400rpm, when starting in 1st gear, the empirical torque delivered to the tire tread onto the road is about 1200 ft-lb.

I should do the math on each piston hp, could be quite a lot as an interesting 1-cylinder model equivalent...

 

 

Don't give up on setting ignition, timing, carb settings, fuel, etc.

Nothing about your larger 90 series is sluggish, they are amazing cars and should impress you, and impress anyone about how much pull-away torque they have for a higher- end 30s car.

Smiles and excitement probably aren't far away...

 

Are the dual points and timing adjusted per the manual?

Consider more timing advance for modern fuels such as 87 ethanol blend or 91 non-oxy.  I run about 3-5deg adv for modern fuels, and I am considering blending diesel as my next series of experiments.

Is the carb air valve set per the Marvel manual and do you have original jets in the carb? 

How are the venturi's, air valve tail air gaps, is the air valve spring correct for your car and does it have the correct spring rate or is it fatigued?

This is easy to check and setup, just need about 15min with a warm engine.

What plugs are used and what is their gap?  Start with 025.

How do the plugs look?  Any wet vs dry vs imbalance across the cylinders?  Imbalance is ok, its due to original intake manifold design, but the plugs should look the same, mostly, across all cylinders, with #1 and #8 looking a little bit different due to extreme distances from carb.

Does the engine seem to stall as you get started, or is it strong?  Is your sluggishness due to engine, or driveline, or hard to tell?

Have you looked into the transmission and rear to check on their health, and is the lube somewhat close to spec?

Compression in all 8 cyl?

Vacuum at idle?

At moderate speed 50mph?

 

Consider this, with my stock 60 series, I have no doubt that if I smashed the throttle, I would permanently destroy far too much that is unreplaceable and that I am trying preserve...the 90 series is much more powerful.

 

BTW, your car is absolutely awesome, jealous!

I would really like to drive any 90 series from 1931-1935, they are just amazing...

 

 

 

[Oldtech]

Check Ignition timing. By that I mean not only distributor timing correct but mechanical advance working properly.  If it has a vacuum advance, that too. 

[edinmass]

90 Series Buicks are very nice cars and certainly not a “slug”. Power to weight ratio is usually better than a V-8 Cadillac of the era. It’s probably more than one thing…….do your self a favor. Start with the basics. Take a compression reading across the board…..dry and wet. Then go about DIAGNOSING It………not guessing. Don’t become a parts changer……they are expensive and hard to find. To put it plainly……….fix it properly. Properly means inspect, test, diagnose, and repair. Also……find the right guy to do the work, which isn’t easy either. Preferably one with Buick experience. I have a rule of thumb when paying someone to work on something I own. If they don’t own one themselves…….I look elsewhere 90 percent of the time. I rather pay an experienced Buick guy twice the hourly rate than a general mechanic……..I prefer not to pay for the education of others.

 

Where are you located? Rule of thumb when you buy ANY big pre war car is to expect to spend 10k on it…….if it’s a bit more exotic like a V-12 Lincoln, Pierce or some other semi exotic expect to spend 25k. If it’s a big boy toy…..the number is probably 50k.

 

Take your time, do your homework…….and you will probably be able to fix it yourself. And for less out of pocket dollars than above. The trick…….it takes time, effort, and determination……..all difficult things to find today..

 

 

PS- if 32Buick67 lives near you….make him your new best friend. I would PM him for his phone number and advice………he has better insight than 99 percent of the people who will offer you help.

Edited August 2, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[BuickTom87]

I’m going to have to check the car over check the timing, points and wires first . Then do a test on the carburetor and pull it off and check it out. I had to do the same thing with my 29 Buick . It was a slug also until I tinkered with the carburetor adjustments.

 

The car is complete quiet no ticking no nothing sounds like it’s running strong but it struggles with acceleration.

 

the owner before me out this crappy electric fuel pump on the car so my guess it’s that and the car is being starved for fuel.  So, I am going to run a Carter fuel pump . Forgot off hand what model # it’s the one that Matt harwood used on his Lincoln. I had one put on my 29 and love it along with an aeromotive fuel carburetor regulator . 
 

if that’s not the case , I’ll call a specialist or bring it to a trusted repair shop Buick guy . I’ve heard good things about Morton auto in ct.  

 

 

 

 

[edinmass]

Do a compression check first..........I can give you a thousand reasons why.....but I don't want to repeat myself. 

[BuickTom87]

Thank you I’ll be doing that tmrw just ordered a kit. I have use them before but always borrowed one . 

[EmTee]

12 hours ago, BuickTom87 said:

I have use them before but always borrowed one . 

That and a vacuum gauge are two tools that I also waited far too long to acquire for myself! 

[edinmass]

EmTee:
 

 

It’s amazing how many people haven’t read or committed to memory Ohms Law. Someday we’ll have to have a conversation on stoichiometry……….. maybe we can post a bad five gas read out and suggest what the problem is.

Edited August 3, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[BuickTom87]

Checked the compression is not bad at all considering the age and mileage of the car. I went to harbor freight since I couldn’t wait for the one Amazon was delivering.  Between the 8 cylinders it ranged from 55 to 70 which is pretty decent. Took it out last night for a ride it was a slow crawl to get to about 55mph. 

 

So today once I get out of work going to adjust the carburetor, see if I can fix the hesitation . Hopefully the tune up kit from bobs arrives soon.  It sounds like it’s hesitant. Changed the oil and put some restore. Going to drive it down to the beach and back about 10 times doing about 50mph for about 15 miles then drop the oil pan to clean the sludge .

 

 

 

 

[EmTee]

A couple of things to consider, based on the 'sorting' experience I have had with my '38:

 

1) Have you checked the brakes?  Dragging brakes or any mechanical issue that causes one or more wheels to bind can make any car feel like a dog.

2) Is there any evidence of rodent activity - particularly the exhaust system?  Has any debris been expelled from the tailpipe?  A plugged muffler can also cause poor performance.  Use your vacuum gauge to check for exhaust blockage by watching for a vacuum decline while holding a steady fast idle.

3) Dwell and timing, as already discussed above.

[BuickTom87]

2 minutes ago, EmTee said:

A couple of things to consider, based on the 'sorting' experience I have had with my '38:

 

1) Have you checked the brakes?  Dragging brakes or any mechanical issue that causes one or more wheels to bind can make any car feel like a dog.

2) Is there any evidence of rodent activity - particularly the exhaust system?  Has any debris been expelled from the tailpipe?  A plugged muffler can also cause poor performance.  Use your vacuum gauge to check for exhaust blockage by watching for a vacuum decline while holding a steady fast idle.

3) Dwell and timing, as already discussed above.

I didn’t think of that , the guy had this weird exhaust train whistle tip on it . Which I took off mainly because I felt as if it was backfiring more with it on. 
 

I’ll get the car on a lift and get the exhaust checked out Gonnna have to check out harbor freight again for a vacuum gauge .

[EmTee]

5 minutes ago, BuickTom87 said:

the guy had this weird exhaust train whistle tip on it

Hmmm, that's an interesting coincidence...  Backfiring could be due to bad ignition points/condenser, primary wiring problem (e.g., ignition switch) or (probably) sticky valves from storage.  My '38 would backfire when I first got it.  I ran a jumper from the battery "+" terminal to the "+" terminal on the coil and drove the car to rule-out a wiring fault.  When it continued to backfire I knew it wasn't an ignition circuit problem.  In the end, it basically cleared-up the more I drove it, so I think in my case it was due to sticky valves.

[BuickTom87]

Yeah I think that’s my problem , the car needs to be driven . From talking to the guy it sounds as if he only put 9000 miles on the car in 50 years . 
 

So just gonna check those things out fix them . Then drive it and keep it cruising at 50. My 29 was also very sluggish til I fixed the carburetor and fuel jets.

[edinmass]

 

Our 34 Buick 8 has 85lbs compression, with the original rings in it with 67k on the clock. I recommend running the car a bit to be sure the rings aren't stuck/sticking as they will often free up over time if they are sticky. A valve job on the car is easy if you pull the head. And it can be done in one day if you have all the gaskets on hand. 

 

I would check primary voltage to the coil VS the battery voltage, as well as fuel pressure. It's probably time to pull the carb apart and clean it. 

 

Someone with experience can usually tell if it's fuel or ignition. 

 

Do not wire the electric fuel pump to the ignition circuit. 

Edited August 3, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[BuickTom87]

Yeah , we are gonna have someone check it out. That rebuilt is 30 Buick motor and his 37 lasalle motor. First thing is first check the fuel and ignition then proceed . I can do the basics but still learning as time goes. 

 

I just ordered master master gasket kit from olsons. Sometimes these parts you gotta buy and multiple to always have them on hand . 

[Pete Phillips]

"and the car is being starved for fuel."

 

Everything you describe sounds like a partially plugged fuel line. Check the pick-up tube in the gas tank, especially if the car has sat for a long time unused.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

1932 model 57

1932 model 57S

Leonard, TX.

[BuickTom87]

Thank you , I’ll look at it. It's prob a few things. Can’t  wait to get this sorted out so i can drive it and enjoy it. There cant be many around with being absolutely all original .