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1941 Buick Buyer's Guide
PART 3: ISSUES The 1941 Buicks were extremely durable and well-made cars. The engines are as trouble-free as any pre-war vehicle, and the materials used are of sufficiently high quality throughout. That isn't to say they don't have issues (all old cars have unique problems endemic to the brand), but most of these problem areas are not insurmountable to the average restorer. Of course, the biggest concern on any collector car is rust, and 1941 Buicks are not immune to it. Though the steel used in their construction was of acceptable quality, they just didn't have the paint and galvanizing technology we have today. In addition, the bodies did not seal as tightly as modern cars. Finally, they are old cars—someone's probably been driving them for decades. The most common places for 1941 Buicks to rust are the floors and trunk, just like any other old car. The floors often rusted because of water being trapped under the carpet from wet shoes, and from underneath the car by debris. On 1941 Buicks, the areas to be especially watchful of are at the base of the A-pillars where the front doors bolt to the body. The windshields of 1941 Buicks often leaked, with the water dripping down to the floor in these areas. To be honest, it is almost unheard-of to find a 1941 Buick with floors that are not rusted in this area. Even the most well-preserved originals often have the beginnings of trouble in this area. When inspecting a potential car, make sure you pull up the carpet and take a very hard look at the floors in these spots. Be especially attentive to the condition of the heavy-duty brackets that form the top and bottom of the body mount in this location—the brackets tended to trap gunk and moisture and accelerate the rusting process. Look under the car in this area to determine the extent of the damage.
The rocker panels on certain 1941 Buick bodies were of a new design that fully enclosed the rockers in a box section. The fastback bodies were built this way to enhance rigidity, and it worked well. It also worked to trap moisture inside the rockers and rust them from the inside out. Make sure you do a careful inspection of the rocker panels. If possible, climb under the car and examine the panels from under the car as perforation often starts here because of its exposure to the elements. There are no aftermarket replacement rocker panels for 1941 Buicks, so any damage will require new panels be hand-fabricated.
Another problem area on all 1941 Buicks is the trunk. Like the interior, weather stripping on these old cars was not always up to the task of keeping the water out. The problem was always compounded by interior materials that would get wet and stay wet, accelerating the corrosion process. You should expect a rusty trunk when inspecting one of these cars, particularly in the rear-most area of the trunk, near the trunk opening.
Make sure you check all the other little nooks and crannies where rust is common on all old cars—under the trunk lid, the inner fenders, the package shelf area, etc. Remember to think like a drip and check carefully for places that moisture can be trapped. The trim on 1941 Buicks is a combination of "pot metal" castings and stamped stainless steel. The grille, hood ornament, parking lights, tail light housings and fender "spears" (front and rear) are all poor-quality zinc-based castings. The rest is stainless steel. The bad news is that pot metal is extremely difficult to repair and rechrome and it is a very labor-intensive process to do it correctly. The good news is that the stainless is relatively easy to straighten, weld and buff to a like-new shine. I guess they kind of cancel each other out. The most critical piece of trim is the grille. Even a grille in decent shape will probably require substantial work when being refinished, and rechroming a 1941 Buick grille can cost more than $1000 (not a typo). It's best to start with the best base stock you can find to minimize the hand work required to make it perfect. Grilles show up frequently on eBay, though it's rare to see examples that are not badly pitted and corroded. When examining a potential car, take careful note of the condition of the pot metal pieces. If they are badly corroded, make sure you take their replacement costs into consideration when making an offer to the seller. Chrome may be the single most expensive part of a restoration, and starting with good base stock can save you a bundle. The front bumper has 4 bumper guards with a license plate holder assembly, all of which requires chrome plating. The rear bumper has 2 guards. Bumper guards in decent condition are becoming more and more difficult to find all the time, so make sure your car has a complete set if possible. Bumpers are easy to find in decent condition for rechroming. Hood ornaments and taillights are pretty easy to source if yours are missing. However, the rest of the cast pot metal trim on the car is tough to find. Rear fender spears often show up on eBay, but like the grille, they are labor-intensive to restore. The front fender spears are virtually impossible to find, as is the rear deck lid emblem, and are subject to the same damage as all the other castings on the car. Finding a complete car will really save you some time and headaches. The interior fabrics are reproduced and kits are available to completely reupholster most 1941 Buicks. The kits aren't inexpensive, but they are of typically high quality and look very authentic. Interior plastics can be re-cast and reproduced, so don't let chalky, crumbling steering wheels and knobs turn you off. Interior handles are difficult to find, especially the escutcheon plates (the handle surrounds). Interior garnish moldings around the windows are equally difficult to find and are made of steel painted with a woodgrain finish, so they are prone to rusting if the car has been sitting with the windows open. Mechanically, most every single part you'll need to refurbish these cars is still available from a variety of sources. The original equipment is pretty durable, and the engines are of a modern overhead-valve design, so any machine shop should have no problem refurbishing one of these monsters. The main bearings and connecting rods use babbit instead of bearings, but it can easily be converted to use modern insert-type bearings during your rebuild. Make sure all the carburetor linkages and manifolds are present, particularly if the car is equipped with Compound Carburetors. Dual carb pieces, including the air cleaner, are tough to find and expensive if you do. Go on to Part 4: VALUES E-mail me at toolman8@sbcglobal.net This page accessed Thanks, Fidget! |
