1940 Buick Series 80 Limited

[heekster]

Can anyone tell me if replacement door hinges are available for this car? These are the hinges that stick out from the body, and they are severely corroded, to the point where a few have broken, and won't hold the door in proper alignment.

Also, I'm looking for a gas tank, and trunk floor, and lower fender patch panels, as well as sidemount wells.

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Rick:

I see from your number that you are a new member of the BCA and assume that you are from central Texas. First, welcome to the wonderful (and sometimes strange) world of Buick !! Second, the 7th annual South Central regional meet is 10/27 and 10/28 in Fredericksburg. Please come to it. We would like to meet you and there will be people there who can help you, including me. My near-like car is a 1939 Roadmaster Sedan, so I have "been there, done that" on a big series Buick. As you will discover, they're a completely different car from the Specials.

Regards, David Corbin, South Central Regional Director, BCA #2756

[heekster]

I was a BCA member some 23 years ago. Working full time, raising a family, while working on a physics degree, and somehow, I managed to let my membership lapse. I've been heavy into nailheads, with a '53 roadmaster 72RX, and a '54 Special Ionia wagon, with a 322.

Fredericksburg is nice. I stayed at the Hangar Hotel there last year. I'll try to drive down there after work that Friday. But, not in the ol' rustbucket. Not yet, anyways. Attached is a little something I picked up in Southern Cal last June. Series 90, Model 91, 1942.

[Matt Harwood]

I <span style="font-style: italic">knew</span> that Limited looked familiar. Is this it?

http://www.harwoodperformance.bizland.com/1941buick/Readers%20Cars%202.htm

Awesome car and super rare. For hinges, perhaps you could try Doug Seybold at 440-835-1193. He's got about 50 cars in his boneyard and would probably have a set of appropriate hinges for your car somewhere out there. He'll also know about interchangeability.

Hope this helps!

[heekster]

Yeah, the very same. Skip is repairing the sheetmetal for me on the one in primer. I'll go pick that one up in December, if he finishes paint and body by then. It will be painted a 1950 Buick color, Kashmer Green, which is the same color as Bill Stoneberg's '50 Woody. The car was originally Nightshade Blue.

The 42 has a single Stromberg on it now, and I have a compound carb manifold, and carbs. I have been looking for the aircleaner, without any luck.

Here's another pic of the 1940 Series 80. Lost the rear hubcap on the corduroy highway in Oklahoma, somewhere between Tulsa and Atoka. You can see the driver's door hangs slightly open, because the lower hinge is toast.

These cars are all rustbuckets, and it's going to take a long time to bring them back, but I think it will be worthwhile.

[Guest unclefogey]

There is a dual carb air cleaner on ebay at this moment with a little more than a day to go. Don't know if it is for a 320 or a 248 which I assume would be different. Seller probably doesn't know either.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AIR-CLEAN...036566560QQrdZ1

[Matt Harwood]

Both motors used the same aircleaner, so if you need one, this one will fit!

[heekster]

Thanks. Just what I was looking for.

[Guest unclefogey]

Don't be a shrinking violet on this one. Last year I saw what the pictures on ebay indicated to be an air cleaner in A-1 condition, obviously repainted, go for $300+. I have no idea if that was a fair price. Good Luck.

[heekster]

Unfortunately, the auction ended while I was at work. I didn't get it. But, I will keep looking. Appreciate the tip. I don't know why that a/c did not show up in my ebay search.

[heekster]

That is very useful info, thanks. I will now kick myself for not going after the dual carb a/cs that I've seen available for series 40 and 50 cars. I was looking at your web log of all the stuff you did on your car. Very nice.

[Guest unclefogey]

heekster,

You must be living right. There is another air cleaner on ebay, just posted today. I would have been willing to bet that another would not show up for months. Little rusty this time. I have been using, buick 1941, as seach criteria which is where this one showed up. As an alternative, I tried, buick 41, yesterday, and got an almost totally different group of items. Go figure. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1941-1942...040706474QQrdZ1

Good Luck, again.

[heekster]

Living right? Not really. A storm knocked out my wireless internet service, and I wasn't able to put in a bid, before the auction ended. But, I may have just scored one. I'll let you know.

[heekster]

Oh, joy.

I got one. A little surface rust, but very good condition. Bare metal, as it had been media blasted. I'll have to clean it up, and paint it. Now I have a couple of Strombergs to rebuild.

[Guest BJM]

I talked extensively to Skip on the 42 Limiteds after the ebay auction did not end with a sale. At one time we were close to a deal but since I am in Iowa I did not want to put so much into shipping/transport. I am very happy to know that these rare cars went somewhere within the BCA. The last limo Limiteds. Your photo of the black one put it more in perspective to me. Skip sent me photos, but because of the sheer size of the cars I could not get an idea of what they looked like from "stem to stern".

[heekster]

Just got back from Cal with the other one. Contrary to Skip's impression, there are not enough parts between the two, to make one complete car. But it is close. And there are extra parts. There is a lot of rot in both vehicles, but they are fixable. In the picture of the 8 passenger Model 90, you can see that the rear end has slipped back, because the engine and tranny are out of the car, and the front of the torque tube is not anchored.