30, 31 and 32 oil fill cover

[tcslr]

This photo is of -what I believe - an original oil filler cap on a 1930 car. 
questions: 

is this correct for 1930?

is this a correct label for 31 and 32? 
Tom

[Robert Engle]

Not correct for 1932.  they had a more modern style where you pull it off the tube.

 

Bob Engle

[CarNucopia]

It looks like what is on my ‘30, but I’ll need to check to be certain. The car isn’t at my house, so I’ll look for a picture.

[JayG]

Here's one that's on a 1930 model 57 engine that I have.  Looks the same.

 

[tcslr]

Was this label on 31s?

[Dave39MD]

Not the same cap as on my 31 60 series.

 

Dave

 

[JayG]

Or my 1931 90.  

[BuickTom87]

29-30 possibly maybe even before .

[32buick67]

Tom - 

The 31-33 all series engines appear to have the same simple stamped aluminum oil fill cap as shown by @JayG and others...essentially the opposite of fancy, just a plain and simple Amish-style cap.

There are a few variations of the same fill cap, but it seems the official one is like that shown below with a center dimple and two square tabs at 180deg.

It seems in 1934 the cap was redesigned to have two dimple dot stampings, and the new caps would still fit the fill pipes from 31-33.

 

Anyone have additional photos to confirm the two-dot stamping of a 1934-35 cap?

How about 1936?  Material and style?

 

1931-33:

 

 

1934-35:

[tcslr]

Thanks, Mario!

mea culpa. The photo JayG showed is it. I was looking over some personal photos  and thought ‘ this is nice’ - I knew it was a ‘30. I am remiss and apologize to all - I knew - or rather should have known - 31 was different and didn’t have that label. 
it really was a nice label and think it would have been pretty on 31s.

 

 

[Str8-8-Dave]

On 31-32 they used the aluminum filler cap like Dave Dunton showed in his picture and mine below, both Dave and I have 1931 60-series cars.  I did learn the hard way though that the 1931 and probably 32 cars use the same style aluminum cap on 60/80/90 series cars but the 50 series cap is slightly smaller and won't fit the 60/80/90 lifter cover fill tube.  Neither Dave Dunton or I have a correct original oil filter.  Mine is a Bob's setup with a cannister that looks and mounts correctly and hides a modern spin-on oil filter.  Dave Dunton's car has a different style filter altogether, does not mount the same as original and uses replaceable cartridges.

 

 Both cars do have the filters correctly placed in the rocker arm supply line and both have the original Buick branch fitting at the block which has a controlled size orifice on the rocker arm branch that restrict oil flow rate to the rockers at about 1 quart/5miles at 25mph.  A lot of guys replace that fitting with a freer flowing fitting and they wind up with oil fouled generator at best and flooded rocker covers at worst with main gallery oil pressure taking a hit.  Thes cars must use the correct fitting or have some method of throttling down oil flow to the rockers. 

 

My oil filter looks close to authentic and mounts correctly but has a modern spin on filter inside.  Note the aluminum fill cap on the lifter cover and the rocker shaft

line that connects to the block just below the head.  You can't see it from this picture but there is a branch fitting that supplies oil to the filter which then passes oil

to the rocker shaft and sends oil to the front generator bearing.  The other branch on the fitting supplies pressure to the oil pressure gauge via the line that disappears

through the firewall.  

 

This is the plumber's nightmare filter/line/gauge setup that was on my car when I got it.  Pictured above is what I wound up with.

 

Here you can see the cobbled brake line fittings that were substituted for the correct Buick oil distribution fitting that restricts oil flow to the rocker arm shaft to 

1qt/5miles @ 25mph.

 

Here is the correct Buick fitting which took some time for me to track down but is very important to preserving oil pressure

to the main and rod bearings by not over-oiling the rocker shaft.

 

You can be sure if it's Westinghouse- I mean, Buick.  Westinghouse did supply detonators for Fatman and Little Boy- the 2 WWII atom bombs the US dropped on Japan

and they did live up to their slogan.  

 

You can see the correct branch fitting installed in this picture, the open port is for the dash mounted oil pressure gauge.    

Edited January 23 by Str8-8-Dave (see edit history)

[Fred Rawling]

The oil filler asked about is the same from 1927 to 1930 all series.   1927 is cast iron, the later are aluminum.  Painted,  you can not see the difference.

[raydurr]

What is the orifice size of the restrictor fitting?

[Erndog]

This is the original one on my 1930-61.

 

Edited February 23 by Erndog (see edit history)

[BuickTom87]

Yeah 29-30 are the same straight 6

 

the 31-32 straight 8s are the same .. I’ll have to check to see if the oil cap is the same from a 1936 for my 32 

 

 

[Buick35]

On 1/9/2024 at 9:53 PM, 32buick67 said:

Tom - 

The 31-33 all series engines appear to have the same simple stamped aluminum oil fill cap as shown by @JayG and others...essentially the opposite of fancy, just a plain and simple Amish-style cap.

There are a few variations of the same fill cap, but it seems the official one is like that shown below with a center dimple and two square tabs at 180deg.

It seems in 1934 the cap was redesigned to have two dimple dot stampings, and the new caps would still fit the fill pipes from 31-33.

 

Anyone have additional photos to confirm the two-dot stamping of a 1934-35 cap?

How about 1936?  Material and style?

 

1931-33:

 

 

1934-35:

My 35 has the two dimple stampings. Sorry my camera isn't workimg.