Grandfather gave me my Great Grandfather's 41 Buick

never ever sell that car. that was your great grand fathers! and congrats.

 

I have a '40 column stashed but don't remember if it still has a shifter...I'll look..

 

Just like your grandpa, you only get one car like this. I got my grandfather's truck the same way. He gave it to me before he died, and I went and picked it up a few months after he passed. He was a very poor man, and it was the only thing of value that he really owned. The cool thing for you is that this car was your great-grandpa's. I especially enjoy the fact that the Buick has always been a Texas car. I really hope it works out for you man. I'm really glad that it has so much of your family history in it. Only in Texas. God, I love our State.

 

cool thanks for looking....

 

looks clean

 

wash it and drive it.

 

Man, think about the family history you have there. I love cuttin up cars, but if I was in your shoes, I would do NOTHING to that car except fix the shifter, including lowering it. Leave it as your great grandpa bought it, as you get older, you'll be glad you did, and so will the next generation (I hope).

 

Damn, you guys have the best grand-dads. The only car I got was a wrecked '63 Dodge Dart from my grandpa years ago. He only gave it to me after he decided it was to far gone to fix it again. He actually wrecked it two or three times before and those times were major. That thing had tons of bondo and not a single original fender or quarter panel. I got the thing drivable again but I never got it straight enough. It was just too far gone to bother.

You guys get the best cars. ENJOY!

 

very kool man. Dont know if i would lower it any tho. I would just put some good tires and tag it and drive the hell outta it.

 

chop it , section it, nose n deck job, wild flames....nah just lower it and drive it !! awesome family history there.Hope you get many years of enjoyment from that beauty!! PB

 

That thing is COOOOOOOL! I LOVE old original untouched cars!!

 

Wow, Transslam...ya got somethin' there, that's for sure. Talk about a survivor...just awesome.

Even the paint looks good overall. Keep in mind that paints are different today, so if you're interested in retaining the car's true old-time flavor, treat the paint well.

First thing I would do, (if you haven't already) is to clean...I mean really scrub clean...every nook and cranny of every part of the car. Take the seats and rubber mats out for easier and more thorough cleaning of both the seats and mats, and floors. One point here...be careful of the firewall mat...they aren't very flexible when new, and even more brittle now, so they break easily.

Not only will you start fresh with a super-clean car...you'll also get to know every inch of it, and find issues that need to be attended to. Write down every issue that you find as you go.

Fix all the mechanical/electrical issues first, before any major cosmetics. Don't be tempted to start modifying, until later.

On the subject of lowering: You're car has coil springs front and rear. Your local automotive spring-shop can provide and install new shorter/stiffer springs for the rear. As long as you don't go too low, no other mods will be needed. Past a certain point though, other mods would be needed, such as "C"-notches in the frame for frame-to-axle clearance, possibly driveshaft tunnel mods, etc. If (again) you want to keep the traditional, old-time image, I would not lower the front very much or not at all. There were exceptions, but most semi/mild/full customs were lowered mainly in the rear. I would seriously consider no lowering at all though...they don't all have to be customs.

A couple of observations concerning a car that's been lowered mostly/only in the rear, that you might not realize until after you've lowered it: It'll be a little more difficult to see over the steering wheel/dash/hood...but I think that's part of the coolnessism...lol. You'll have to adjust your headlights, of course...simple. Also, depending on how low you go...you might find that you're not able to see very far behind you when looking through the inside rear view mirror...'cause you'll only be seeing the road directly behind you. This can be fixed by mounting the rear view mirror lower...atop the dash. If you don't go too low, this really won't be an issue.

Your Buick has hyraulic lever shocks front and rear. Many of them leak by now. You're lucky if they don't. If they do leak, you can either have them rebuilt, or adapt modern tube shocks...some fab-work needed to make brackets. With tube shocks, you can eliminate the original rear lever shocks. But the front ones are your upper A-arm supports/pivot-points, and can't easily be eliminated. (a whole new support would be needed) So you retain your old front shocks, but don't keep them filled...just wet...for lubrication.

The Buick strait eight engines are awesome. Smooth power. Not tire-smokin', but nice. If you ever find the need to remove the intake/exhaust manifolds to replace gaskets, be careful not to lose the small exhaust-port sleeves that insert part way into both the exhaust manifold and the head.
Does your car have dual carbs? I think it does...only in '41 and '42. Not a bad system, when working correctly. I think you also have the two exhaust manifold outlets with a short Y-pipe. Eliminate the Y to install dual exhaust pipes. There are some parts available if you ever decide to hot rod the motor for more grunt and speed. One of the best things for upping power, is to mill the head and/or the block for more compression.

Don't have to go this wild...but here's a little inspiration, and an example of what can be done with a Buick straight eight.



On some standard shift cars, a fairly high-ratio gear was installed in the rear axle, and the engine runs at high rpms at speeds over 45mph or so. Not great for the engine, and it'll kill any hopes for reasonable gas mileage. If this is the case, consider installing a differential from possibly a post-war automatic-trans Buick for more comfortable highway manners.

This is not particular to the Buicks, but I notice your rubber window-seals are dry and cracked. That lets water in, and can stain and rot your headliner/upholstery, and cause rust. Of course the best is to replace them, but that's not always an immediate option. In that case, use some black silicone sealer, and smoosh it into the seal, smoothing and blending as you go. Try to be neat, but you can use a razor-blade to trim and remove any that gets on the glass. Scoring with the razor-blade, then rubbing and peeling will take care of any little bit that gets on the body. Then replace the seals later, maybe if and when you ever do decide to repaint the car.

That's all I can think of right now. It's late, and I'm shhhhleepy. Congrats, good luck, be careful, have fun. And welcome to the H.A.M.B.

 

Here's my dads '41 Buick, I learned to drive in 1948.

 

Too. Freaking. Cool.

 

I think you nail it Rickybop. Good advice and that’s exactly what I would do if it’s where mine.

 

One of my favourite cars. Awesome-enjoy!

 

Wow i love this message board....im on other forums for modern cars (ls1tech.com etc.) and i have never had the response to a post like this or this much advise. Will be hanging out here late nights for sure. Thanks for all the much needed advise....first things first...im going to try to get this thing running and a major bath.

 

Wow, I would give my left manifold for that car.

 

Wow, that is super Awesome!

Treat it along the lines of the "Waco Kid" just bleed the brakes and change the oil.
They're only original once, and that Buick is a time capsule.

 

That rules!!

Rickybop is right!

I bet that paint will wax up nicely.

I probably wouldn't put whitewalls on it even if your family never had them on there. It has a great '40s time capsule look about it. For tires, I would go with some blackwall Firestones. Definitely do not put radials on it, but if you must, then go with the Coker Excelsiors.

 

There are not many cars that have survived for seventy years with so little modification! I would suggest cleaning, servicing and driving it. Take it to car shows and such and see the amount of attention it gets. It is special.
I would lose the tractor lights, as they detract from the appearance.
It appears from one of the invoices it originally had whitewalls. It is marked WW.
As for the shock absorbers, go to a motorcycle shop and get some "fork oil" and refill them. They should work okay.
Drive it!

~Alden

 

Tractor lights? Boy are you mistaken on that one! The foglights rule.

 

yeah i dont know if they are tractor lights the brackets look like they were for the car. But i have no idea

 

That is a sweet car and the history is awesome! My grandpa gave me his truck a few weeks before he passed, and the family connection means more than the actual vehicle.

I'd "modify" it only as far as you could take it back to stock in the future. Nothing too excessive or "out of character" for that vintage.

 

When I was in grade school (looooong time ago) my aunt had a 41 fordor with the dual carbs, it was black and lots of chrome. When I got old enough to drive she gave it to me but it was beyond fixing (setting out side in NE Iowa) so I sold it for scrap. Keep it original, you have a piece of history that you can drive.

Lee

 

Awesome score bud. Get ahold of nicks here on the H.A.M.B. as his dads speciality is 41 Buicks. I've seen a couple he restored and... damn... He knows his stuff.

 

yes maintenance first, tune-up, fluids, battery, check fuel tank and lines. go thru electrical u dont want a fire, pay attention to front end parts and rubber stuff. oil everything that moves. Then u gotta decide if u want bias-ply or radial tires(we already know it needs white walls). u should be as proud of this car as your great grandad was. welcome to the H.A.M.B.

 

That thing will just break your heart and is worht nothing! I will take it off your hands and save you the heartache, just kidding, what a nice score, those cars are beautifull when built as a kustom. something to be proud of. congrads

 

Those fog lamps were a dealer accessory, and were an OPTION.
Can't imagine removing them, some things are 'right'. This was a serious "road car", and accessories like fog lamps, bumper over riders, and functional spotlights were options that augmented the car.
Keep it like Great Grandpa ordered it, that Buick is a rolling timepiece!

 

Great car! The fog lights were a period accessory, maybe even put on by the dealer. As for cleaning the interior, don't get it smelling too good. I love the way an old car smells!