Projects 1940 Buick Super Duper Coupe

One built wasn't enough, so now I've got three builds going! This Buick is #3. #1 is my f100 on another build thread, and #2 is a '54 3100.

Vision statement: '40's style custom with mild (2-3") chop, lowered rear, but not tail dragger. '41 Fender skirts, newer bumpers, tuck outer rocker panels in flush with body/door line. Maybe hardtop, but unlikely. WWW with full caps, etc...

Externally it'll look like '40's custom, but using G-body donor car for front clip, rear end, 307 motor and trans. My friend Lonnie is doing most of the work since I'm busy with JOB and other builds.

Starting with a piece of junk, really, no motor/trans/seats, but the rest is there:



My daughter helping me strip car one weekend. Mouse pose is because we had to clean out 12" of mice nest/bones/etc from back seat area. (We wore masks).

 

Floor/rocker are shot



Here comes the '86 olds cutlass supreme front clip:

 

Body is off and going on rotisserie. Lonnie build this rotisserie using internet plans for this project. It works pretty slick, but the body is so rotten he had to reinforce it, otherwise the car was going to split in half! Creeeeeak.

 

Getting old rear end out

 

We're going to use the rear end from '86 olds donor, but build 2-link/panhard setup similar to stock, but since touque tube is gone, 2-links must transfer touque to frame. Our plan is to join 2 links together to a point with a single Heim swivel mount mounted to bottom plate of X-member. Slam 6" SS bags will replace the coil springs. This setup will get the axel right below the frame without having to notch the frame. Ride height would actually be four inches higher, which by my calculations, will be just about perfect for that dropped rear-end look we're going for. At first we thought maybe we'd need to channel the body a couple of inches, but I'm not trying to lay frame here, so we can get all the drop we need with just the bags.

 

The original motor/trans from this car went to a car built for the Great America Race. Would be cool to locate that car or find out more information about it.

 

Awesome, look forward to seeing this one come along. Really like those 40 Buick Coupe's

 

I have a '40 Super Coupe also........interested in folllowing your build.


Ray

 

nice! good luck with the build cant wait to see the progress. Good luck!

 

Nice project! I will follow this.

 

Super Duper Couper, right? The last "r" is needed to rhyme. I'll be following this with interest.

 

Hi ..This will be a great project...this coupe has great lines......Doug

 

Nice build, good choice for what should be a cool car. Good luck and have fun with it.

 

Sweet, I love these cars. I have tried to sell a buddy's 40 Olds coupe with no takers. Wish I had the dough to build it. Best wishes on this great project, and nice save. ~sololobo~

 

sweet car

 

Am I the only one not seeing the pics???

 

Pics work fine for me. Looking forward to progress on this, I love those cars.

 

Nice start. Nothing like an old Buick!!

 

I will be watching this one! im working right beside you on my 41

 

In the last picture; I see your "shop foreman looking in at the door".....mine does that too!

 

lookin good i'll be watchin this one
cheers Darren

 

subscribin to this 'un...love them 40-41 Buick coupes.

 

what motor will you be running?...re-read thread and see your goin 307..

 

i got a 1941 olds coupe 98
with a g body frame rear end is 64 in wide
just ordered ford 9 in rear 60 in flange to flange
are you sure you will be able to get wheels on it?
i had a impala 12 bolt rear

i did not want to spend but had to to get skirts anywher near to fitting
not a very wide car
i got a full frame and slight channel
olds 455 power

 

The g-body rear end with tires on just barely fit with the tires only a 1/4" from the frame to inside tire. I measured both stock '40 axel and the g-body axel, and the g-body axel is 1-1/2" shorter. That's why it's a tight fit. My plan is to use 1" adapter spacers to get me close to stock width.

At the PDX swap meet, I picked up a nice set of 50's Buick wheels, 15" x 5-1/2" wide, with the Buick 5x5 bolt pattern, so I need an adapter anyway to covert from g-body's 4.75" to Buick 5".

 

Rear end 2-link w/ panhard is done. Used Slam SS 6" bags and when deflated and resting on internal bump stop, the axel is just a hair from the frame. So this is as low as you can go without notching the frame on one of these old beasts. The bags give me 7 inches to play with. I'm going to run taller tires (29" or 30") so it's hard to tell from these pictures, but we got the backend within an inch of what I wanted. The block under the tire is to simulate the taller tire.



Then aired up about half way:



Outside shop, tiny tires mess up the look, but you get the idear:



Lonnie is rebuilding entire floor next...hopefully have some updates with new floor soon...

 

After putting body back on, there's a foot from the back of the engine to the firewall! We're going to move the engine back at least 10". Actually, the donor drive line from the olds might be the best guide, and will save having to stretch the drive line. We'll see, looks like we've got plenty of room to play.

 

We can move the motor back a foot and still not be up against the firewall! Looking at maybe using a chev 350 rather than the olds 307 since the 350 will bolt up to the 200r4 just fine.

 

New rocker panels and floor going in. Using 1x2 square tubbing to build the rocker/floor frame. The cross member hump got trimmed so we'll have a flat floor left to right, front to back. The floor will be about an 1-1/2" higher than the stock floor, with an angled step-up from the door opening. We're eliminating the running board flair and just following the body curve thru the rocker. The front/rear fenders will be contoured into the new rocker profile.

 

Drats, to get the front doghouse back on, we had to drop the steering box and sway bar. The steering box is going to stick out past the front sheet metal, so we'll either need to find an alternate steering bo arrangement or modify the front lower fender sheetmetal with a bump to clear the steering box.