Projects 1949 Buick Sedanette Mild Custom Build

@rockable

Just Absolutely Awesome Workmanship!!

Ray

 

Thanks, Ray!

 

Now we're getting somewhere!

 

Yes you are!

 

GREAT color.

 

Stance looks great as well. Looking real good Rock.
Traceys dad

 

I posted this as a separate thread, hoping to gather more input. It doesn't appear my Sombreros are going to work out. Its a shame, I like them but they are throwing the tires out of balance at cruising speeds.

Here's a shot after installing the front bumper.

 

Beautiful, congrats. I’m sure you’ll figure something else out. Snowman ⛄️

 

So, removing the sombreros fixes the imbalance?

 

FInd someone that can spin balance them.

 

Yes

 

If they were mine, I would set up a tapered ended rod to check the balance. Hitting center might be difficult, maybe tape a small washer underneath. Add little beads of silicone underneath until it's balanced. Something a guy could try and it's removable.

 

If those tires are tubeless you might try tire beads. Most tire stores have them available. Might help with the issue. We used them at our store for difficult balance jobs.

 

Beautiful car, hopefully you can sort out the balance issue with those hubcaps..they really work with that car.

 

Maybe your car is crying out for a set of Buick sombreros.....
Beautiful car.

 

X 2 on the tire beads. It should balance the tire, wheel cover, and the brake drum or rotor.

 

Little by little, bit by bit. Its coming together. Upholsterer said mid April before we arendone with the interior. I did get the balance situation resolved...i think. So, I'm putting some miles on it and massaging out small bugs.

 

I am one lucky guy. After taking the Buick for a drive, for probably the 20th-30th time, I parked it and locked the shop. Fortunately for me, a friend texted me and told me he had come by when I was gone he had left me a part outside the shop. So, I went back out there and the shop was filled with smoke! (There is nothing else like the smell of electrical smoke.) I opened the door of the Buick and the panel was on fire! The whole right side of my American Autowire Highway 22 panel was smoked and a relay was on fire. I blew out the small flame, pulled out the 2 relays with a pair of pliers and disconnected power. I had not wired in a main cutoff, which I usually do, so I had to disconnect power manually.

As I think through this, there are no melted wires connected to the panel, including the main feed wire. (I will inspect the fuses tomorrow.) So, something in the panel or one of the relays had to short out. I will have to replace the panel and some other small things but, all in all, I was very lucky. My shop and my cars could have burned to the ground if my friend hadn't texted me when he did. I will be installing a master cutoff. I won't sleep well for the next few nights.

 

WOW rockable That could have been awful!!!! Thank your friend for texting. That would have been heart breaking. You could have lost your 49 Buick and your shop. Is the interior of the Buick smoke damaged?

 

Really no damage other than electrical and the AC vent hoses that I saw. I immediately texted him after I got things under control. I could have lost my other cars, too! It would have been a major disaster. I'm feeling very fortunate.

 

Someone smiled upon you!

 

Good to here the damage was minimal.

 

WOW…..just…..WOW!

Happy beyond words for you Rock!

Ray

 

WOW good deal you caught it before everything went up.

 

OMG! The one thing I (we) worry about is just what happened to you. I recall the fire that Ryan experienced a few years back. Scary deal for certain.
Did you have a fusible link on the primary? Or just a manual cutoff for protection?
I experienced a similar issue years ago while traveling out near Yellowstone with the Motorhome. Had electrical smoke pouring out of the dash. It gets your attention quickly. Fortunately, the power to the effected circuit (rear camera) was tied to the ignition side of the key switch. The camera installer had pinched the hot side of the 12 volt feed to ground for the camera and no fuse! Took about 9 months for that to finally cut through the insulation shorting to ground.
I will be very curious to see what you find as the cause of your short. Terrible set back.

 

Great catch. Your guardian angel was watching over you. I’m sure you will figure it out real quick. All the best. Snowman ⛄️

 

Well, the horn circuit shorted and caused the fire. The wiring panel had the horn relay on the panel but it was not fused....and I did not catch that. So, I guess my horn button triggered the horns but I did not hear them. Maybe when I was getting out of the car, I depressed the horn ring. I don't know but the DS horn got really hot, so I'm guessing it shorted. So much for using the original horns that I cleaned and adjusted.

It won't take me too long to replace the panel since all of the wires are terminated at the panel with screws. I did not have a master cutoff but I have seen the error of my ways and will remedy that, too. Dang, that was scary!

 

After checking the horn button today, I am certain it did not stick. What likely happened is I hit it when getting out of the car and the relay contacts welded themselves together. There was no fuse. Also, I was using the OE 6v horns which would draw high current. When I asked American Autowire why there was no fuse, they said that's the way GM did it for decades. Lesson learned.

 

Wow, what a mess. Glad you caught that before it developed into a major disaster.

 

Buy your pal a beer or a hunert........good save.