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Data on My Buick 1931 export model


Karan

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I own a 1931 Buick Straight 8 export model.Its a 7 seater.I wanted to know where i can get historical and specific data for the same car.As in number of cars produced,still exisiting and any other useful data.Looking for help from ypu people.

Thanks

Karan

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It is difficult to answer your questions if you don't tell if it is an open car or a closed car and if it is a standard coach work on the car. Buick exported also chassis without body, and the body could be built by a coach builder in the country the car was exported to.

Buick made four series of chassis in 1931, with different wheel base and engines. These are Series 50, 60, 80 and 90. An X is put after the model number for export models. If the body on your car is made by Fisher, it is a standard body. In that case you car must be a Series 90 because only on this chassis Buick made 7 seaters. If your car is an open car it is a 4 door Phaeton model 95. If it is a closed car without dividing window between front and rear seats it is a 4 door Sedan model 90. If it has a dividing window it will be a 4 door Limousine model 90L.

If, on the other hand, your Buick has a body build at another coach builder than Fisher, it will be more difficult to know which chassi it is build on. You have to measure the wheel base of your car. Is it 114? it will be a series 50. Is it 118? it will be a series 60. A series 80 will have 124? and a series 90 132? between the front and rear axle shafts.

To find out if your car has a Fisher body you should look for a small name plate, low down in front of the front door post. The name plate should read Body by Fisher.

From the above information you should be able to find out which model of Buick you have. Please inform us about what you find out and we will tell you more about these cars.

Jan

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It would be helpful to know the model number, but since yu indicated that it is a 7 passenger car, it must be either a series 90 4 door sedan = 4159 produced, or a 90L 4 door limo = 514 produced, or a 95 4 door phaeton = 392 produced.

All other models that year were less than 7 passenger models. A total of 5642 "stripped chassis" and cars were produced for export out of a total calendar year production of 88,417 cars and chassis.

Data is from "The Standard Catalog of American Cars".

Mark Shaw

Vancouver WA

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Thanks a lot Guffin and Mark I will provide you the details very soon so that i can get a clearer picture.Also i would be obliged if you could guide or tell me where i can buy parts for the car such as head lights, door knobs etc.

Karan

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Guffin,

Its a soft top/open car.It has a straight 8 engine,RHD,it was said that Mahatma Gandhi did a tour of a certain area of India on this very car,but unfortunately there is no hard proof to substantiate the claim.There is no diving window.I think its either a X85 or X85 9?? The RC says its a 40bhp car chassis number is 2646102 and engine no 1248873.Where can i get proper historical data on this car.It maybe a X95 phaeton since its a open top??what do you feel.

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If your car has a Fisher body it must be a 95x (x stands for export). It is a very rare model with only 392 made for the US market.

If the chassie (serial) number really is 2646102, it should be 1932 year model! I don't recognize the engine nuber. Is this what you found stamped on the engine? The engine number should be in the range 2624638 and 2751921.

Serial number should be on a plate on the right side of the frame, behind front fender.

Please take a photo of the car and mail me.

You can find a lot of information if you go to www.google.com and e. g. seach for "Buick history".

Jan

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Wow! If it's a 1932 model, it's a real find! I've been told that the car in the attached photo is the only 1932 phaeton known to exist, so this would make two. After carefully studying your photo that you posted in the "General Forum - Details of my 1931 Buick," though, there are some differences: The 1932 models had hood doors rather than the louvers like on your car, and the rocker covers (frame covers) are different as well. Also, the front fenders are more "streamlined," i.e. angular.

post-33613-143137885467_thumb.jpg

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Guffin

It is a 1931 Buick and not 1932 sadly.The chassis no is. 2486359 and the Model is X8-95 and it is a convertible 7 seater with a straight 8 engine.I am looking for parts such as radiotor cap with emblem,front grill,headlights,tail lights,headlight rod with monogram,and hub caps/wheels caps, and any other original parts.the distance between the 2 axels is 134" thereby making it a series 90 i suppose.what can you tell me abt the history of this car and the value? where can i source parts from.

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The chassi number indicates an early 1931 car. Search Ebay every week for Buick 1931 parts. There are sometimes parts for your car. Today there is a 1931 headlamp bar and a headlamp for sale. You can also try:

http://www.1933buickregistry.com/

http://www.hemmings.com

http://www.usedpartscentral.com/used_buick_parts.htm

You can also make a search for ?1931 Buick parts? on www.google.com and, of cause, http://www.buickclub.org/

Jan

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Guffin

I tried looking at ebay for the headlamn bar and headlamp but did not get a match.if u could send me the link i would be highly obliged.I am also in need of the front grille for the car as mine was stolen while transporting the vehicle.The grille is imprtnt and urgent.

Thanks

Karan

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Karan,

I am just curious where you are located. This does seem a rather rare car. MacBlair in Pennsylvania has some old parts and reproduction parts for mostly '32s, but also some stuff for '31s. If you provide a mailing address, I will see if he can put you on his mailing list. If you do not want to put your e-mail address on the forum, you can e-mail me at j.scheib@comcast.net

John

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I wanted to know where i can get a good look at what a fully restored car like this looks like because i have not been able to find a pic online of the X8 95.Alsso i really need a front grille.How many tail lights did this car have.just one with the number plate or 2?Guffin im confused abt the design of the tail light as i have come across two on ebay.Also the headlamps i believe were 2 large and 2 small am i correct when i say this?

Karan

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It sounds like you have a rare find. Do you have a chance to come to the USA soon? It would be good for you to get to the National Meet in July in Rochester, Minnesota. Or maybe your brother can make it. I cannot promise that an exact similar car will be there, but you should see some close and obtain loads of info. An alternative might be if you or your brother could make it to our Regional show in Vernon, CT August 18, 19 and 20. You should join the BCA to get the Buick Bugle magazine, or check the events schdule on another section of this forum, to get an idea when and where the shows are. Is the car similar to the earlier attachment which is a '32 Touring Car? This is quite a car, and is about perfect an example as you would see. The '31 is very similar, but a few differences. The car probable had another set of driving lights as did most touring cars of that period.

Parts may be hard to find, but do show up from time to time. There seems to be some serious pieces missing, that will take some time to replace. Can you make a list an e-mail me as an attachment, and I will see what I can help you with. E-mail address is j.scheib@comcast.net.

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Thanks for the response John.Im not sure if i can come all the way from india for that meet but i will surely try and ask my brother to attend it.As far as the car goes,its not a '32 touring its a '31 X8 95 phaeton i believe.I have found some parts and am still in the look out for the front grille which is vital in the cars restoration.If you can get me help on any such parts i will appreciate it.Any other information is always welcome and highly appreciated.

Karan

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West:

To let you know the 1932-95 in your attached picture is not the only one known to exist. I am aware of 4. There was one(Maroon)at the Buick National last year. I know both owners. There is only one listed under 1932-95 but the other is under 1932-90. I will agree these phaetons are truly rare finds.

Willis

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Karan:

You are in fact correct that your car is a 1931 not 1932, besides having louvers on the hood, the cowl door for air is a dead give away, as well as the sheet metal under the main body seals. If you had pictures, I could could get an idea if it was a 1931/32 engine. The engine could have been replaced with a 1932 which would cause difficulty in identifying the car. 1931 was the first year for the straight 8. As listed in previous replies, Buick's engine numbering system allowed the manufacture to have an account of the engines manufactured for the year. Do you have 19 inch tires on the car? Your wheel base (measure from center axle to center axle) should be 132 inches. You should consider joining the Buick Club of America (BCA), not all Buick owners are in America. Many Buick owners like yourself are outsider the United States. There are several owners of 1931-95 Buicks in the BCA. Most of the 80/90 series 1931s, I have seen had one tail light on the left rear. Since you have RHD the configuation was the opposite. Have you tried talking to the Tech Advisors for 1931 Buicks (50-90 Series) on the BCA web page?

Willis

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Karan,

My apology for the earlier confusion re the "touring" car vs. "Phaeton". I think 1930 was the last year "touring" was used and others may advise more on this. That was when the side curtsins disappeared in favor of roll up glass windows in what was overall the same type car.

Now lets se what we can do to help you with the missing parts. Is there any chance you can post some photos of the car from various angles?

John

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I will surely post the picture of the car from various angels and if you give me your email id i wille mail them to you as well.I am still unable to locate the front grille,so it would be of great help if some1 could help me locate the grille.I am honestly overwhelmed by the support and help i am getting from all you good people.

Thanks

Karan

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">West:

To let you know the 1932-95 in your attached picture is not the only one known to exist. I am aware of 4. There was one(Maroon)at the Buick National last year. I know both owners. There is only one listed under 1932-95 but the other is under 1932-90. I will agree these phaetons are truly rare finds.

Willis </div></div>

Thanks for the info. Sometimes owners don't know much about their cars. In this case, the restorer told me it was the only one known.

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I would probably be good to post the pictures here as well, but my e-mail is j.scheib@comcast.net

I will do my best, and I think the first thing is to seek out a grill. My assumption is that the radiator is intact.

I recall one of the forum frequent visitors had done some traveling to India and he may have a another trip planned that way. Maybe you can get together.

Bill, if you read this, please "chime in". I will try getting you a a separte e-mail to look at this situation and see if you can help.

John

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John,

I will post and email the pics soon as i am travelling on business.I would surely make an effort to meet the person if he/she is visiting India.If i could get the person's email id i will get in direct touch and co ordinate to the best of my ability.The grill for me till now has been the trickiest issue,something i dont know how to solve.Also where can i find a staright 8 logo to put on the front of the car

Karan

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Karan,

I have spare 50 series chassis parts that may be of interest if they are interchangeable with your 90 series. I also live close to the famous Seabiscuit 90 series phaeton & can get photos if you need some to help you with your restoration.

What part of India are you from? I too work for a company with operations in Hubli.

Mark Shaw

Vancouver, WA

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Guest DaveCorbin

Dear Karan:

I happened to stumble into this thread while searching for another thread and can give you some definitive information about your car as follows: Chassis number 2486359 was issued in the first block of 1931 frame numbers for model 95 X. That block of frame numbers ran from 2486347 to 2486512, which makes your car the 13th 1931 95X in the first run of 66 vehicles. While Buick's inventory practices preclude us from knowing exactly which engine went in which car, 2646102 is an engine that is in the range of probable numbers for an early 95X. This information is directly from Buick's own records and was compiled by them in 1943. I have been working to computerize these factory records for about 4 years and am happy to be able to give you this information. I hope it answers your question about the origins of your car. From this, I would estimate a build point of around October of 1930. Regards, Dave Corbin

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Dave,

Thanks a lot for the help!It really helps me out trying to reach the origin of the car.The car is taking time to restore as certain parts are not easy to find.I am still looking for the front grille,which has been tough to locate.I really want to do this car up well,she demands the respect!Keep in touch.

Karan

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Guest DaveCorbin

Dear Karan:

Has anyone mentioned the name "Joe Krepps" to you? I saw some mention of my BCA friend Mac Blair from Pennsylvania, who is THE authority on 1932 Buicks. However, Joe Krepps from Florida, who also is known as "The Buick Nut" is probably the best 1931 guy. He deals in a lot of 1931 stuff and might be able to help you on this grille thing.

I saw that someone mentioned the Buick Club of America in a post. You might also check the Buick Club of Australia, since they are also a RHD country. I've met some of their folks and they're very helpful and could possibly do some pictures.

Regards, Dave Corbin

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Guest DaveCorbin

Dear Karan:

Joe Krepps' address is: 2486 S Pacer Lane, Cocoa, FL. 32926-2606. There's also a Buick Club technical advisor for the 1931 80-90 series cars. He is: Roger Fields, 530 Retreat Lane, Powell, OH. 43065. If you send him an e-mail, it'srfields2@columbus.rr.com. Both are members of the Buick Club of America. Incidentally, the office of the BCA is: Buick Club of America, P. O. Box 360775, Columbus, OH.43236-0775 International surface mail dues are $53 for 1 year or $83 for international air mail.

Regards, Dave Corbin

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