Projects 1949 Buick Sedanette Mild Custom Build

Cool car. Shame about the PO.

 

I like the idea about the covers but are they removable to access the bolts when doing a front end alignment?

 

Absolutely! 6 screws in the fender well removes them.

 

Here us another look at the covers. I plug welded some tapped flat bar in so its easy to install and remove. Also here are some pictures of the rear panel in the wheel well.

 

Finished moving the motor mount and I believe someone suggested gusset, so I added those. Also, here is a picture of the front of the wheel well closing panel.

 

great work, rock, it is a vision becoming true.

 

Lots of excellent work and metal fabrication going on here. Keep at it, it's gonna be a great build

 

No pictures today because they would be pretty boring. I removed all the interior, tar paper, etc plus cleaned out the trunk. I hit the restoration lottery when I bought this car! There is Zero rust in the trunk and only two small places near the front of the doors. That is all of the rust to be repaired in the floor boards. Even the door bottoms are solid! Besides that, I have some inner and outer rocker repair and the lower rear portions of the front fenders. So, far, that is all I have found. That's all I'm going to say for now, because I don't want to jinx myself.

 

Well, it's been "vandalized". I got it stripped down pretty good and will get the rear fenders off tomorrow and then pull the front end apart for the last time for a while. Then I will get the body off the frame, so that I can do some frame work and body repair.

The only surprise rust I found, so far is in the wells below the rear quarter windows, which is really not a surprise. That is also how the rockers got rusted. Im seriously considering putting the battery in the cavity where the hearer used to be. Since the seat bottom is removable, i think that may be a good option. Stay tuned.

 

If you put the battery under the seat what about the routing for the exhaust?

 

It is all contingent on my getting the exhaust through the X member while skirting the transmission. I've got to give it another look but I think I can do it. This will let me keep my through the floor brake pedal, as well.

Also, there are holes cut in the X member for routing exhaust. The P.O. torched them, I dressed them up and surrounded them with 1/2" X 1/8" angle iron boxes to reinforce them. I may modify that once I get the frame out from under the car.

How did you do yours?

 

"Im seriously considering putting the battery in the cavity where the hearer used to be. Since the seat bottom is removable, i think that may be a good option."
That is where I put my battery in my 49 Sedanette

 

Got pics Or link? How did you route your exhaust?

 

I don't have any pictures, and the car is in storage 70 miles away right now. I ran the exhaust between the frame and the battery. I cut ovals in the X member on the passenger side to match the cutouts on the drivers side for the stock straight 8 exhaust.

 

I have matching windows on each side. Navigating around the transmission will be the biggest challenge but there is room and it will be a lot easier to do with the body off. Immwill tig up a nice stainless exhaust and wrap that portion with header wrap.

 

No surprises. Just about as solid a 70 year old car as you could hope to find. Damn those fenders are big! Anyone need a trailer hitch for a 49 Buick?

 

Same body as the Cadillac. Change the rear fenders to 49 Cad for a custom look Buick. They bolt on!

 

I'm sure they do but where are you going to find them? I would hate to have to find Buick fenders.

 

I did cut matching holes in the X member on the passenger side for the exhaust but haven't put the pipes in. Problem I see is on the passenger side and I haven't figured it out yet. I have the stock 455 manifolds and it looks like I will have to have a 90 outboard within a few inches of the manifold dump and then another 90 to back along the frame to the muffler which I plan to put between the frame and the X member. Another problem is routing the pipes out the back. I have a coil spring rear so there is very little room over the axles. Once I get it figured out, I will send you pictures.

 

I will do mine with the body off the frame. I will not run the exhaust past the rear axle unless I run it underneath the axle and I don't like that. You a are correct that it is going to be a tricky fit up.

 

On my 49 the exhaust pipes go over the rear end angled towards the middle of the car, tight to the body.

 

I managed to get back on the Buick for a while today and finished enlarging my transmission hump to accommodate a floor shifter on the 700R4. The OE hump is double walled, so I had to pinch it together and plug weld around the perimeter before welding in the pieces. It's not exactly like I would have liked to have made it but it will be just fine when I'm done grinding.

 

I've not been working continuously on the Buick but I have finished relocating the rear suspension points and enlarging the transmission hump. (Final welding and grinding to be done after I remove the body.)

The boxes over the rear suspension allow me to get the ride height I wanted. I will have to modify the seat bottom but that shouldn't be a big deal.

 

What's the plan for attaching the hood, now that the side latching mechanisms are gone?

 

They aren't gone. They are integral to the outer fender assemblies.

 

I would try to hinge at the front and open from the rear. Like the ones on the earlier BMW and other cars. The Buicks were notorious for the hood coming unlatched when a truck passes then that's why some one took the hinge-latch trying to fix theirs.

 

An area on all of these old 2 door sedans with roll down windows that often needs repair is the well below the roll down quarter window. Usually, the drain gets clogged, water sits in them and they rust out. When that happens, the water that leaks down the outside of the window goes directly into the rocker panels. Not good.

A lot of people just patch these up with fiberglass but I decided to cut the side out of the panel, remove the old well, fabricate a new one and make it like new again. Not shown is the seam sealer I brushed around all the joints after the paint dried. I now have to just weld the panels back in and attach a piece of 5/8" heater hose to the drain and through the inner rocker once I get that part done.

 

Looking good Frank

 

Who's Frank? Rock did all this work but I would be glad to let Frank help if he's any good.

 

Twasn't me McGee....lol.