My fiancés new 1936 Buick 3 window coupe

Good on you for the score! That is a great find. Not only that, it is a great way to start off a new marriage, gifting her a car to bring her intimately into your car hobby interests. Good luck with all that too.
Please tell us more about her car, especially what series, model, and what engine size it is. If it is a Century, she has a big car, if it is a Special as it appears to be, she will have a fun sporty car! This will help us also when advancing advice and opinions. For example, I've had good experience with the 248 and 263 motors but none with the 320 inch. There are many more that have great knowledge with the 320 which has only a visual similarity. Unless your lady is an exception, she will want it to have an automatic transmission, so you'll have to go through the Bendsent trans-adapter thing again. You know how much that will tie up a vehicle already.
If you plan on cruising her car until your '52 is finished, you might want to take time out from that to make certain that the '36 has good brakes and is safe to drive. Then go for the finish of the '52 before tackling the '36. That way you'll always have a Cool cruiser.

As for the the '36's finish, it is certainly just black "Nitrocellulose Lacquer". Don't confuse it with "Acrylic Lacquer", they don't look or act the same and are not fully compatible. Find a furniture refinisher in your area, they are most likely to have black lacquer for ebony furniture. Make sure it's nitro. Get some "slow" lacquer thinner Dupont 3602 or equal and also some fast thinner to mix with the black. Get some high quality sable hair paint brushes from an art supply store. You'll need a few of varying sizes relative to the size of the patches to be painted. You'll need sandpaper grits from 400-1500, a pack of single edge razor blades and finally some buffing compound. If you see actual bare metal you may will need some old fashioned red oxide lacquer primer as well. Now you have what is needed to repaint the areas that are peeling.
To start; clean the area, then with a small brush work around the edge of the chips with 3602 which will soften and refresh the old lacquer's edge, and onto the old lacquer for an inch or so. If you find loose chips that the razor blade can slide into chip it out. Sometimes 3602 under a chip can soften it enough to re-stick it to the surface. It may take a while and require several applications to accomplish the softening but this is to insure that the fresh lacquer will melt and bond with the old. You will know when it is ready as the old lacquer will start to swell very slightly (opposite of shrinking). Mix some lacquer with fast thinner but keep it thick enough to stay on the brush. Now load a brush with fresh lacquer and brush it into the patches. Allow lacquer to dry, only a matter of minutes and reload the patch again and again until the area is higher than the surrounding area. Allow a couple days to out gas and shrink. Now you can carefully scrape with a razor blade to level and wet sand down smooth with the surrounding area. Try not to sand outside the patch until using +1K grit. If there are no low spots in the patch, it's ready to be buffed, otherwise reload the low spots with more lacquer and repeat.
This method uses lacquer like a brush on filler which is faster and avoids the problems associated with an air brush or spray gun, overspray, masking et-al. once the car is completely buffed, finding the patches will be very difficult.
This will be a great task for your wife to become invested in the car, it's detail work, no heavy lifting, nothing greasy or dirty and she has had plenty of practice doing her finger nails. In fact nail polish is acrylic lacquer.
Best Regards and good luck with all your endeavors, KB.

 

Do you have any pics for reference so I can follow what your saying on the base? I would defiantly be interested in running a different distributor thanks!

 

Wow thanks for all the help!! The 36 has new axle seals and all new brakes. I haven't inspected this to see for myself yet tho. I can't find number stamped on the motor anywhere so I'm not sure which motor is in the car. I unloaded it off the trailer and now it's not gettin fuel I think the fuel pump took a crap. I just filled it up to.

 

Now thats a trade! It will look great chopped!! Your girl must be thrilled, that's one killer gift!

 

Tell us if you have a Special or a Century. If it is a Special, the original motor would have been a 233cu in. which is the smaller Buick motor. Physically, it is the same size as the later 248 and 263 motors.
Sounds like you have crud in you fuel line. It's also in your tank. Get a gas can and a funnel, drain and remove the tank. Remove the gas gauge sending unit. Take several handfuls of nuts and bolts from your bin and drop them down the filler neck or sending unit opening. Now shake as best you can back and forth and all around until you have scrubbed the entire inner surface of the tank. This is to break loose all the rusted particles that have grown on the tanks inside. Shake the nuts and bolts out of the tank along with all the rust and particles. Next use your garden hose to flush and rinse out the rest until all you get from the drippings is clear clean water. Get it completely dry inside and reinstall sending unit. Before you do though, check to ensure that the float mechanism is in good order and that the float isn't leaky. It could have gas in it. Reinstall the tank.
Remove all the fuel lines from the fuel pump and carb and blow them out with high pressure air. Inspect the pump for debris. Remove the top of the carburetor and see if their is any crud in the bowl or needle and seat. If so you will need to tear it down too.
If you don't do a thorough job of cleaning out the fuel system it will keep plugging up.
Best Regards and good luck with all your endeavors, KB.

 

Thanks for the help. I believe it's an Special. model 46

 

That car looks perfect just the way it is, to me, anyways. A nice paint job, new tires and good to go!

 

What year Pontiac dist would that be? So factory it would just take the big u shaped washer and a bolt? Then u just made the part to slip over the bottom?

 

So I've got fuel from the pump lines are clear took the carb off I'm thinking I've got a clogged jet. I don't have a manual for this girl yet and it's a little different then my 52. Anybody know the timing for this thing?

Also what the hell is this box that sits next to the carb on the manifold? Looks like it was connected to the choke? Maybe that's what's giving me issues..

Also had some spare time and had a little fun with the camera since we can't drive the car yet.

 

Oh my you're a big tease. You could play putt-putt with that shot. For a hole in one you get to keep the Buick.

Ok I cooled down now. ........
I believe that year is the first year for Stromberg carb to be used in production of Buicks. It also has an automatic choke. The part you questioned looks to me like the assisted choke. Although I've never owned one of these before.

 

Ok so I took the carb apart and cleaned it I can see fuel getting squirted into the carb when I grab the linkage I am getting spark also changed coil and condenser for shits and giggle double checked girding order cleaned the points and this thing just turns and turns and turns it won't even try to fire over. I'm loosing my mind here anybody have any ideas?

 

I would check the compression, the cylinders might be dry from setting. Pull a plug and hold your thumb over hole and have someone turn over engine. Should blow your thumb off plug hole. If lack of compression, I'd try a little oil in each cylinder and let it set for a while and try again.

 

Just did a comp test. Results as follows.

1-90
2-83
3-87
4-75
5-75
6-84
7-69
8-66

Not sure where the compression is supposed to be on this motor.
Keep in mind I drove this car down the road (didn't go faster then 25) just last week and I also loaded it onto my trailer under its own power. Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

 

http://www.teambuick.com/reference/buick_8_engine_specs.php

 

Thanks. My manual is at a friends right now. I'm just wondering if the specs are the same for this 233 I know it's similar to the 263. I think my issue is power. I think the starter is robbing all the juice and not leaving enough to fire off the fuel. Has anybody had this issue with 6 volt? I think tomorrow I'll try to wire up the coil with another power source and see if that helps.

 

And why isn't she your wife yet?i'm watching this thread

 

Haha October...

 

Awesome bro,congratulations

 

That looks like plenty of compression for those old engines. If you've got a good blue spark at the plugs and the timing is anywhere near close it should fire even from just dribbling gas down the carb. Sounds like ignition timing; the cam timing should be OK as you're getting good compression.

 

I pulled the plugs again they were still dirty after I already cleaned them. They smelt like fuel. I bought new plugs gapped then at .23 per manual. Re installed and still no cigar. I have confirmed fuel into carb and confirmed spark to each plug. It just cranks and cranks like I have no fuel. I don't get it. Doesn't even try to sputter or fire over. I am stumped. I even thought maybe the starter was robbing to much juice so it was causing a weak spark so I ran another 6v battery straight to my coil and my other battery right to the starter and still the same results.

 

Fuel pump may have lost it's prime & pumping more air than fuel. Try a squirt of starting fluid and some gas down the carb and then crank. Should at least fire for a couple of seconds after that.

 

If the Buick has not had fresh gas in it this could be a problem. Today's formulated gas is good for about 60 to 90 days and all the lights ( volital vapors are gone) then this stuff will not burn. May have to drain tank and flush fuel system out. Try starting it off fresh gas from a small tank. That's my 2cnts. worth Good Luck Frank

 

I've drained and put new fuel in. 91 octane. On a good note the ignition switch was stripped so I drilled and tapped it with a small lock et screw.

 

In my experience, once the plugs are fuel-fouled, they don't want to fire under compression. I'd screw a new set of plugs in the ol' girl. We used to pull the car with another car to get a balky one started also. Make sure the brakes are working.

 

When trying to start the engine, does it turn over evenly? By that I mean does it change speeds when the engine turns over trying to start?

 

Rocky I have already tried new plugs, I thought about trying to pull start it that will probably happen soon.

Petejoe only when the battery is low, with the jump it still does a tiny bit but not much.

Can somebody explain to me what the condenser does? Can I bypass it? I'm still thinking maybe it's not getting enough spark under compression maybe. This thing was just previously running fine. I think I'm gonna pull the valve cover off tonight check the valves in rotation of the distributor and make sure she is firing when supposed to.

 

Only two reasons to pull start a car.
1. When the battery is dead and you need to get it home.
2. When you've never seen the engine fire out of desperation.

You have seen the engine run and you are at home so.........
Concentrate getting it to start on its own.
It will also be a learning curve on this totally new to you engine. Don't forget... This is suppose to be FUN.
I'd suggest installing another condenser first. There are known bad ones in aftermarket circles.
From there
If it don't fire concentrate on the timing. Even if you have to turn the distributor a degree at a time. Turn-try fire- turn- try fire. You should at least be getting the engine to fire somewhere in there even if it doesn't want to idle.
A condenser drops the current to the points preventing them from burning out.
Here's a good explanation.
http://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cgi-bin/viewit.cgi?bd=nboard&th=500667

 

I have already tried all of that. Also tried a new coil and condenser and bench tested both condensers . Also I have confirmed spark on each cylinder.