Projects RainierHooker's '38 Buick Special Business Coupe

Too bad about the MC. The 38 looks huge next to the "bug." That thing is pretty wild... gave it a long look at GG last year... or the year before, cant recall.

 

Beautiful!

My dad had a '39 Chevy coupe. GMs from the late '30s and early '40s are gorgeous!

 

Yep, the Buick pretty much dwarfed every other car there. The bug certainly was interesting. Chopped with a Bus Rear roof and window section. Personally it was a bit too rattish for me in it current state, but I think it'd look great 'finished'.

Thanks!

 

Nice chattin' with you and your gal at the Bar B.Q. I had to split early, for fear of rain. (1 wiper on my '41 Fordor, and it's not working) Your Buick's going to look sweet when you drop it and add skirts. Glad you made it home safely, and in 1 piece.

 

Thanks, I think the possability of rain scared a few people away. Rain never came though. Hope you decide to drive the snot out of the '41, don't pay too much attention to my roadtrip horror stories. See you around...

 

If I recall correctly, it has been in its current state for a while. I think it is finished!

 

yeah, what he said about the trim pieces...l'm missing one on the left side and have been to hell and back looking for a replacement. tried to fab on in the shop and just didn't come out right...you're not that far north and do you park outside without a big dog

 

Well, I park inside, and I do have a dog. But then again, if you showed up with anything resembling food, my mutt would probably show you to the keys, car, and tools to take whatever you want

 

Way ot but that bug is from Olympia, and kinda cool

 

I see it so often that Cars that come directly from the overseashipping to our Shop (to make the cars conform for german streetlaw,yellow Flasher '70 up,Hazard,european Lowbeam, with white Parkinglights in Front,rear Foglight '90 up...) have Problems with theyr Brakejuice,some single Brake parts (the easy to get and to replace parts) are new but never the Fluid. Thats so importand to have no leaky Brake here,but we havent the Space on the Roads and Streets for a easy roll out.
Rainier,hope you can fix your Brake fast,easy, not too expencive and the Mainthing: SAVE

And,its funny to hear that you are so scary about Rain

 

Yep, brakes are definately one of the most important, and oft overlooked parts of our cars. I looked the brakes over when I got the car, the wheel cylenders were new, as were the brake lines and linings. I think the master cylender just packed up since I'm pretty sure I've put more miles on it in the past few months than its had in the past few decades. There's a place local to me that has my master cylender in stock, so when I get home from my business trip in a few weeks, I'll get on it and do another full run-through on the rest of the system as well.

I too think its funny how some people are scarred to drive thier cars in the rain, especially to shows in the seattle area. I'm pretty sure these cars saw plenty of rain when they were new, why should it be much different now...

Boeing Bomber, you are excused since you didn't have working wipers that day

 

Well, when you are stuck in your hotel on a business trip, two-thousand miles away from your project, and with only your laptop and photoshop to keep you company late at night; you can't help but dream...





Well, here's what I want. Shiny dark metallic-grey paint with subtle red pin-stripping. Red Steelies wrapped in blackwalls. Rear Fender Skirts. And maybe an inch, maybe two off the ride hight. Classy, yet sinister.

Unfortunately that may all be on hold for some time. Aside from my brake issues, I keep getting more and more pilled on. I'm in the midst of house-hunting, and while this brings the promise of a better work-space in the future, I'm going to have to be more and more frugal until I can seal the deal on a place.

And to put the icing on the cake, my Dad, who has been fighting cancer for a while now, seems to have taken a turn for the worse. We're all still very hopefull of as full a recovery as possable, but this whole process has taken a lot of time, attention, and funds away from my toys and projects, even if they provide a welcome diversion from real-life.

I hope to work toward getting the ol' Buick looking like my PhotoShops, and post plenty of updates, over the course of the near future. Its probably just going to be slow going from here on out though...

 

That is a fantastic looking car. Best of luck with it.

 

best of luck with your house hunt! we just landed a new house up in Shoreline with a detached 2car garage with office and loft space. Hopefully you are just as lucky

 

Ya ,thats the mainproblem here too,not enough Space for work on CarsI'm thankfull for this old gasstation where we live in,with 3 good Places for the Cars (Lincoln V 12 '47 Clubcoupe,a '56 caddycoupe both from my neighbour and my Buick).Good luck for searching.
(And:..on the Photos Your Car looks Darkbrown,not Grey.. )

 

Ranier- Nice Buick! You mentioned being in Iowa on business and I saw that you mentioned being a flight engineer for the CH-47. Any chance the business trip has you going to the National Guard Armory next to Davenport Municipal Airport?

Anyway...have a safe trip to Iowa....take that rental car and head to Des Moines to the Goodguys show!

 

Bingo, I'm assisting in some training here at the Guard Facility in Davenport Municipal. In my off-time I've been driving the rental and seeing the sights, although I think I'm going to have to widen my search-pattern. After a week in the Quad-Cities, I seem to be running out of attractions.

I'm hoping that we are wrapped up in enough time for me to head out to the GG's show if even for just a few hours on Saturday...

 

Cedar Rapids is only about an hour away, Iowa City is pretty close too. I'm right next to Cedar Rapids. There's an antique car show (all stockers) this Saturday in Cedar Rapids. Of course, most of the hot rod guys will be in MN for Back to the 50's this weekend. I actually have to be in Davenport this Saturday in the afternoon.

 

Funny, my Wifes First Name is Marion...

 

Hi Rainier,
no News? you are so busy?
..so quiet here..

 

I just got back from my business trip last night. I'm going to head down to the parts place tomorrow and pick up the needed parts to go through my brakes.

Also, the Misses and I are going to look at two houses this afternoon. Both have nice big detatched garages. Hopefully soon I'll have space to spread-out in.

 

Like your 38 Special coupe cool looking Buick



my 37 Buick Century coupe the day i bought it

 

Nice Century, those cars have lots of potential. I'd love to find one to rob some parts off of, especially the brakes and the Ring-n'-Pinion gears.

 

Hi Rainier,I hope for you that you find the right Garage...(äh.. and a House of course).......
I think then You at first havent Time for Your Cars,only for fixing the new House and shopping with our Misses FOR Your House .

Yea a Century Coupe!!...... absolutly Rare.....and what a fantastic condition ,
I like this real first Musclecar..I hope it will run next Time .

 

hope the house hunt landed you a new shop. we are a few weeks till we get in ours.

 

We'll see about the house-hunt. We are really interested in a particular place. Now we just gotta deal with making the deal and death-by-paperwork.

No real progress to report. But I did wind up with a few wheel covers...


I love Lyon's caps, and they only seem right for where I'm taking this car, they just scream Taildragger.

 

...I really have to get rid of those horendous porta-walls

 

Well, the Buick is back on the road. I spent the last week finally getting the brakes done, just in time for the "Rebel Riot" show in Tacoma (I know, stupid name, but it was a great show and it's the first good show we've had in town for a few years). I posted a pic thread of the show, just search for "Rebel Riot".

The car got all new wheel cylenders, a rebuit master, all new rubber lines, and new springs. The pads, I left alone. Even though they are really old, they have lots of meat on them. I'm pretty sure now that the milage on the odo is correct, just a hair over 19k, since, except one wheel cylender, every brake component in the car had original rubber in it. Kinda cool, but kinda scary. One return spring had exploded and was hanging out in the drum, in about a hundred pieces.

I pried the Porta-walls off, cleaned-up and painted the wheels, and she now sports the '40s Lyons Wheel Covers.

Here's some pics of the car at the show...






If anything, now that its back on the road, I have more motivation to get this thing moving closer to mild tail-dragger perfection. Parts are already on order...

 

Sweeet!

 

Love the pics but I wonder why the pics seem to go from purple to maroon.