Projects 1949 Buick Sedanette Mild Custom Build

Looking good man can’t wait to see more progress!!!

 

These little curved extensions on the front fenders have a lap joint with spot welds....a place for rust. I tore a page out of Robert McCartney's playbook and butt welded them on. It looks better in person than in the pictures.


Also, I reassembled everything to make sure it all fits before I do any more work. I'm almost done with the dirty work, Thank God!

 

What did you do with the gas filler door there?

 

^^^^^^^curious also about that gas door.

 

That is a Hagan's fuel door. If I had a do over, I would just male my own, I think. It needs to have a larger perimeter, so you can hammer the welds flat after you've welded. It is a push to unlatch/push to latch magnetic latch like they use on cabinets. It also has a fuel cap that has the flap in it so it doesn't have to be removed when filling with gas.

https://www.haganauto.com/product_p/fd45ovq.htm

 

Dude !! you kicked it's butt. And you did it right. I bet you felt real good taking a step back to appreciate your own quality of work. looking forward to more pics.

 

Contrary to my not posting to this thread lately, I have been busy. In order to accomodate the two suspension relief boxes I fabricated underneath the rear seat, I had to diassemble and modify the rear seat bottoms. That part,is done and I need to go visit my upholsterer before I reassemble them.
This is what 70 year old foam rubber looks lime right before it turns to dust.

The pictures after that are the modified seat frame.

 

Also, I have been bolting components together to make sure everything fits. Also modifying the steering column and steering wheel. Mounting stuff on a BB Buick is not easy due to the way the oil pump is bolted to the lower front of the engine. Ive also made kick panels to hide the AC lines and the SPW wiper drive.

 

Somehow missed this build thread! FOOL.
Great skills, car is looking fantastic.

 

Finding glass for these Sedanette is pretty hard. Call Bob at Bob's Classic Auto Glass in OR. Bob has it, as well as glass for Nash, Hudson and other hard to fit models.

 

I'm jealous

 

Every once in a while I think to myself, "Have I bitten off more than I can chew? We will see. I keep thinking of 2 words as I look at this, cluster fu**!

 

Showed this pic to an upholsterer friend, he laughed(with you) and agreed with your thoughts!

 

We will see if I can make chicken salad out of this chicken doo in the next couple of days.

 

Can't you use foam construction something like you did in your 41 Plymouth? That seat turned out very nice!

 

I could but these sit so well that I thought ibwould try my hand at rebuilding them. I have a plan. Stay tuned.

 

I'll be watching. It's looking great!

 

Very nice build. Its comming together.

 

I ran out of hog rings, so I decided to finish up my steering column. I disassembled the trunk signal and rewired it. Had my machinist make me a spacer to fit a bearing I bought and turn down a puece of borgeson shaft which I weldes to the hollow shaft. He then turned down the o.d. and voila, I have a nice looking steering shaft. I ordered a horn contact kit from Limeworks to finish it off.

 

Looking good!

 

I never liked where the factory or dealers installed the backup lights on this car but I liked the lights, so I moved them to a better place, IMO.

 

I LOVE the art deco style of this car, especially the dash, instruments and steering wheel. However, the steering wheel is 18" in diameter and is just too big. A friend gave me an early Camaro wheel that is oval shaped. It is about 16" across and about 15" up and down. So, after,determining,that it would accomodate my horn ring, I cut the centers out of both wheels and welded the Buick center into the Camaro wheel. My buddy Richard will do the reconstruction of the plastic and the wheel will be painted body color.

 

Impressive build.

 

I'm parking my 49 on the other side of the show. Couldn't take the comparison.

 

Lol! It's not done yet! Yours looks great, too! Get it on the road!

 

Boy, when you can find a good machinist who doesn't mind doing small jobs, its a Godsend. My headlight switch was shot and a new one came with my wiring kit. I was thankful when it fit the die cast frame that the original switch mounted in but the stem on the knob was different from the original. The new one was triangular and the original just had one flat on it, plus it was too long. I wanted to keep the original knob but the stem was integral to the knob. My new machinist buddy suggested that he could probably emulate the the new stem by cutting the old one off and making this one triangular, while turning a new tip on it. Shazam! It fits the new switch like a glove. He also made me a knob for my power wipers that emulates the original knob. We're definitley working hard to keep the look that Harley Earl wanted.

 

For our USA members Not the guys down under.

 

When you changed the ring on the steering wheel did you keep some of the old ring and weld to the smaller ring, or did you weld the spokes to the new smaller ring? Hope that makes sense.

 

Thanks, Loudbang!

 

I cut away all of the old ring, cut the spokes down to the right diameter and the welded to the new spokes. Grinding that plastic away is a NASTY JOB! Do it out doors and wear a respirator!