41 Buicks...are they worth it?

Hey folks, I have the chance to score a 41 Buick Sport Coupe and a 41 Buick Roadmaster Sedan, both with the Fireball straight 8 for free. They have been sitting unattended since oh, 1965 or so. Obviously the elements haven't been too kind to them but all the trim, grills, and drivelines are intact. I am sure after looking closely there will be extensive rust so the bodies and frames are probably toast. My question is, are the engines worth the trouble to pull? I have heard that sourcing parts is tough and expensive for the Fireball. From two I figure to try and get one good mill for a later project. I am afraid I do not have pictures yet. I'll get those when I get back stateside. Any opinion is welcome. Thanks.

 

I wish those were close to me, Id love to have the nose off of them. 41 Buick is one of the best looking front ends of that era ... IMO

 

Pictures would help

 

Unfortunately I am deployed to Afghanistan so pics ain't happening just yet.

 

FREE??? Yea... I could swing that!

 

Anything free is worth dragging home.Thanks for your service!

 

Maybe the better question is, does anyone have any experience putting a Fireball in a rod? PITA or on par with other installs?

 

41 Buicks make some of the most beautiful customs

 

'41 buicks are great!!!!!!!! I salute your service.

 

If you have room to store them, take them.
A straight six in a rod is cool.
A straight eight is awesome.
Unless you want a belly button Chev V-8.............

 

Grab Them NOW before they get crushed, and part them out... Buick has a HUGE cult following and there are tons of them out there you will do very well parting them out.....

 

X2 Here,, And many thanks for your service.

 

Take them!
If one can be saved, build a beautiful kustom out of it.

If they are too far gone for you, sell them to the more ambitious.

If they are too far gone to sell, part them out. I sold some of my dad's '36 Buick parts and it was crazy what they went for. (A cigarette lighter for something like $250, and bumper bolts for well over $100). It's the odd little parts that have value more than the engine. Heck, you can part out the motors! All the brackets, pulleys, pans and covers are worth something to those restoring one.

If they are too far gone to even part out, you can scrap them for a couple hundred a piece, maybe a few hundred a piece. But PLEASE try selling them before scrapping them as what you consider "shot" another might consider a project!!

 

The coupes make great customs and the restorers and Bomba crowd both seem to like the big Buick sedans.

About the only hot rod type car I'd want to put the straight eight in is a roadster set up like an old Indy or Grand prix car out of the early 30's though. A looong hooded boat tail roadster with eight lead pipes going into one big long straight pipe down the side would be cooler than all hell and have quite a bark in the process.

 

Being '41 models, there's a good chance one or both has the factory twin carb setup on it, which would be awesome.

And if they're in Texas, I'd say there's a good chance they're saveable. Part out the sedan and see if you can build the coupe. Would make a nice taildragger.

 

41 Buicks are sweet.

 

thanx for providing my family safety & freedom; and YES the buicks are worth free!

 

Grab em! I have a 41 century here with the big 320 cube straight 8, cool cars but this one is getting cut for parts, big time rust that you wont have in a texas car.

 

In 1941 Buick offered 5 Models, which were known by both number and name. There was a Series 40, 50, 60, 70 and 90, also known as the Special, Super, Century, Roadmaster and Limited respectively. I assume that the Sport coupe is a Super Sport Coupe, Model 56S (one of the Series 50 offerings), which had the 248 cubic inch engine and standard dual carbs. The Special also had the 248, and you could get the optional dual carbs on them, although they were rare. The Century, Roadmaster and Limited were all 320 cubic inch engines, all with standard dual carbs in 1941. There isn't a lot of parts interchange between the two engines, but they are both sweet running motors. And they can be made fast, although at some expense. DO a search for "salt cat bonneville" when you get a chance.

Thank you for your service, a pair of free 1941 Buicks is just a small bit of karma coming back at you for your sacrifice.

 

If you think they're not salvagable, ship them to New York or elsewhere in the rust belt.

 

Everything Ebbsspeed said is absolutely correct. I can add a little. The shifter for the standard 3spd trans if a little unique compared to others, and may be difficult to hook up to any other standard-shift trans, if you did a drivetrain swap. If you stick with the original drivetrain, the differential in the rear axle has a rather high gear ratio...not real good for long-distance expressway cruising. But I believe that the differential in the Roadmaster sedan has a lower ratio, which will slow the rpms of the engine down a bit. An even later Roadmaster differential would have a lower ratio still. Also, the early Buick lever shocks often leak, and usually need new seals. But you may get lucky if the other car's set of shocks are in better shape than the other, and you can swap. If you do a drivetrain swap, be aware that you'd have to build/adapt a whole new rear suspension system, because you'd be eliminating the torque-tube, which is a major component (acts as a swing arm) for controlling the rear axle. This may be reason enough to seriously consider sticking with the original drivetrain. If you do end up building one of these cars, (the coupe!!!) don't be too quick to junk the other. Many of the parts interchange, except for the engine and trans. They look about the same at first glance, but as Ebbsspeed said, they're different.

The only other thing I can think of to add right now, is a big "Thank you" for your service, hope for you to come home safe, and this little bit of inspiration concerning how cool a big Buick straight eight in a '40s Buick can be. Maybe go a little less wild on the exhaust pipes...lol. Best wishes.

 

Man.. I'd love to have me one of them Buick coupes. I'd make a nice tasty kustom out of it.

 

I appreciate all the advice and opinions folks. Luckily my family has had an auto parts store in Denton, TX since 1921 and it's full of goodies. Unfortunately the times are a changing so family owned auto places are on their last leg. We are selling the place in the near future to some real estate asshole. My intent is to save as much as possible. There are alot of cars, parts, tools, etc in there that I can't let go to the scrap heap. I finally got the green light from my grandfather to have at it. There's OE parts from the 30's and up on the dark, oil impregnated wood shelves way in the back still in the boxes. Now that I think about it....I wonder if Ryan would let me write a piece on the history of the place. I remember as a kid combing through the warehouse in the 70's and I stumbled upon a Cessna 150 with the wings removed in a dark corner. If I do decide to sell stuff it will be stupid cheap to HAMBers only. I'd rather make someone happy than gouge good folks for their cash. Trust me when I say that after 5 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan I know whats important in life and it ain't money. Cheers.

 

I salute you too bud. That's the stuff old car dreams are made of, and your service helps us keep having em. I'd love to hear the story. Be safe...

 

I picked up this '41 Pontiac in Iowa about 12 years ago, and it has very little rust. Seems biggest problem was the rear fenders were all banged up from the driver not being able to see them while backing up. I've got two nos rears for it.

If Buick is like Pontiac, there are two different wheelbases, so body parts don't always interchange. Mine is the larger at 122", while the shorter one is 119".

Good luck with getting them, and as others have said "Thanks, and stay safe."

 

Buicks are junk! Give me his number I can help him get rid of the cars.

 

This is a Century that was new to our family in 1941. It runs great and now we are turning down big money (in cash) offers for it. I think you have gem. Spend a few bucks on it and enjoy what you could sell later for three times what you invested and if you don't tell the IRS you won't pay any tax on the profit either.
Normbc9

 

Of course theyre worth it. Especially if theyre free. I say grab them before it goes south.

 

Grab them! Or at least have someone grab them for you while you are away. As has been said Buicks are highly desirable cars and '41s are among the most desirable Buicks due to their looks and (mostly) standard dual carbs. Just selling the carbs and manifolds off of one of the cars will more than pad your restoration budget, since they were a two-year only thing for Buick and they interchange on any of the mid-30s through early 50s cars.

Thanks for your service. I can speak from experience, there is little more enjoyable than coming off a deployment to come home to a project to look forward to cruising around in. Fill that transitional leave with beer and wrenching!

 

Culpepper, Grabem.
Thanks Brother, keep your head down and come back safe.