My 1941 Buick special 8

[Eisa Ibrahim]

hello,

I own a right hand drive 1941 Buick special 8. It belonged to my great grandfather, the car is all original but requires restoration . I wanted to know all the information i could get on it. 

VIN NO: 14087913

ENGINE NO: 4271562

[1939_Buick]

Welcome to the forum.

Where are you? Not that many RHD countries.

South America - Argentina?

Is the car driving OK?

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by 1939_Buick (see edit history)

[EmTee]

If you post a picture of the cowl tag people here can tell you more about the car.

[Den41Buick]

The data plate would help identify the components and specific model.

 

The basic information for the VIN is that 1 is for the Flint Michigan plant.

The engine number beginning with 4 indicates a 40 series which is a Special model with a 248 engine.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Den41Buick (see edit history)

[Eisa Ibrahim]

51 minutes ago, Den41Buick said:

The data plate would help identify the components and specific model.

 

The basic information for the VIN is that 1 is for the Flint Michigan plant.

The engine number beginning with 4 indicates a 40 series which is a Special model with a 248 engine.

what exactly would be a 'data plate'? I appreciate the information.

 

 

[Eisa Ibrahim]

17 hours ago, 1939_Buick said:

Welcome to the forum.

Where are you? Not that many RHD countries.

South America - Argentina?

Is the car driving OK?

 

The car is in India. The car is in the process of being restored as of now but, the engine runs perfectly. 

 

[Den41Buick]

25 minutes ago, Eisa Ibrahim said:

what exactly would be a 'data plate'? I appreciate the information.

 

 

 

This would be on the sidewall when you open the hood to the car. In the USA it’s on the passenger side. On your car it may be on your driver side. This will tell you the cars story. Color, interior material and color, what series etc. take a picture and I/we can help. There are a lot of 1941 Buick experts on this forum and all will be happy to share their knowledge. Good luck.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Den41Buick
Message (see edit history)

[Eisa Ibrahim]

1 hour ago, Den41Buick said:

 

This would be on the sidewall when you open the hood to the car. In the USA it’s on the passenger side. On your car it may be on your driver side. This will tell you the cars story. Color, interior material and color, what series etc. take a picture and I/we can help. There are a lot of 1941 Buick experts on this forum and all will be happy to share their knowledge. Good luck.

surprisingly my car doesn't have this...

[Den41Buick]

That is highly unusual. Do you see any evidence it may have been removed?

Edited August 24, 2023 by Den41Buick
Spell (see edit history)

[Morgan Wright]

The 1941 special had a model 40A and 40B, the B had a longer wheelbase.

 

They had the same 248 engine but the B had higher compression ratio and more HP. I don't know how you increase the compression of an engine except maybe make a thinner head gasket but this is some data:

http://www.carnut.com/specs/gen/buick40.html

 

[neil morse]

It's not an "A" model.  It's the 40B, you can tell by the body style.

 

I'm not sure it's that unusual that the data plate is missing.  The data plate was missing on my '41 when I got it.  If you could send more photos, we can probably help you answer more of your questions.  Your initial question is pretty general, asking for "all the information" you can get.  It would help if you could ask more specific questions.  We have a lot of information!

 

Good luck, it looks like a solid car.

[1939_Buick]

4 hours ago, Den41Buick said:

That is highly unusual. Do you see any evidence it may have been removed?

Not that unusual for cars not in USA-Canada.

What listed as VIN is the chassis number. VIN's did not exist until 1950's and standardised in 1980's.

May be holes where a data plate would have been.

 

Engine serial number near the distributor.

https://www.teambuick.com/reference/ident_engine_til_52.php

 

Have seen images of other Buick's in India.

More images would be good to see

 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by 1939_Buick (see edit history)

[Eisa Ibrahim]

19 hours ago, 1939_Buick said:

Not that unusual for cars not in USA-Canada.

What listed as VIN is the chassis number. VIN's did not exist until 1950's and standardised in 1980's.

May be holes where a data plate would have been.

 

Engine serial number near the distributor.

https://www.teambuick.com/reference/ident_engine_til_52.php

 

Have seen images of other Buick's in India.

More images would be good to see

 

 

 

 

[Eisa Ibrahim]

20 hours ago, neil morse said:

It's not an "A" model.  It's the 40B, you can tell by the body style.

 

I'm not sure it's that unusual that the data plate is missing.  The data plate was missing on my '41 when I got it.  If you could send more photos, we can probably help you answer more of your questions.  Your initial question is pretty general, asking for "all the information" you can get.  It would help if you could ask more specific questions.  We have a lot of information!

Good luck, it looks like a solid car.

I would like to know the historical facts about the car. e.g. how many were built, if RHD is uncommon, how many RHD's were made,etc

[neil morse]

Your car is a Special, model 41 4-door Touring Sedan.  According to William Anderson's "Restoration Facts -- 1941 Buick," 91,138 of this model were produced (more than any other model for 1941).  I have been unable to find any figures for factory RHD cars.  I assume they are very uncommon.  Maybe @Grant Z or one of our other Australian members will have some information about RHD cars.

 

If you need help with the restoration or obtaining parts, feel free to reach out to us on this forum.  The '41's are very popular and there are a lot of good sources for parts.  Glad to hear that it's running well!

[neil morse]

I found this old thread that might have some useful information in it for you.

 

 

[Eisa Ibrahim]

9 hours ago, neil morse said:

I found this old thread that might have some useful information in it for you.

 

 

thank you. this was helpful.

 

[Eisa Ibrahim]

Can someone let me know what spark plugs fit into the my car?

[EmTee]

The OE replacement would be AC R45.

 

[Eisa Ibrahim]

I would like to know where these parts would be available,such as:

1. carburetor service kit

2. fuel pump service kit

3. master cylinder assembly 

4. water pump repair kit 

5. spark plugs

6. points (starter)

7. tie rod ends

8. front & rear windshield rubbers

9. front quarter glass rubbers

10. roof light lens (dome light)

11. ignition switch with key 

12. gear rod knob

13. meters set (instrument cluster)

14. radio

15. steering wheel

16. engine foundation rubbers

17. wiper arms & blades

18. parking light lenses 'guide'

 

Links or any information as to where i could get the above mentioned parts would be really helpful in my restoring process.

P.S. preferably in USA.

 

 

 

[Den41Buick]

Try Bob’s Automobilia in California. They would be a good source for some of the items.

[neil morse]

As Den says, Bob's Automobilia in California is a great source for Buick parts.  If you don't seen something in the catalog, it is definitely worth making a phone call because they have a lot of parts that aren't always listed.

https://bobsautomobilia.com/

 

Another good source is Cars LLC in New Jersey.

https://oldbuickparts.com/

 

Steele Rubber Products in North Carolina has a wide variety of rubber parts for all cars.

https://www.steelerubber.com/

 

Things like gauges come up from time to time on eBay, but I find their search feature a bit difficult to navigate.

https://www.ebay.com/

 

Good luck!

[EmTee]

Items that Bob's doesn't have can sometimes be found at CARS: https://oldbuickparts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cat360.5.3.23-compressed_1.pdf

 

[drhach]

I've bought most of the service items for my 1942 from Bob's as well. I've had a few service hiccups with them. But I would still say they're the best of the bunch. For items like a radio or a gear shift knob, you may want to post that request here on the Buick "For sale" forum. Several people here have pats to sell or know where to get them. 

 

Regards,

Dan 

[kingrudy]

I have dealt with both Bob's and CARS and usually have had good luck. With Bob's they will require a minimum of a $50 order before you can place an order. CARS has usually been very reliable, but if they have a part on back order, they will accept your order and hold shipping of the entire order before shipping without communication. Now this only happened to me once and I have had several transactions, but if you place an order through them make sure the parts are on hand. I would also recommend Chevs of the 40s. I ordered seat belts from them recently, they have good prices and if you are looking for small items they are very reasonable in shipping. For some insulation and window seals I have ordered from Restoration Specialties, also if you have rubber matting in your car they will send samples at no charge. You have a great looking car.

[Paul White]

With regard to the missing data plate, have a look on the front left hand side door sill (under the mat/ carpet) and see if there is anything there. I didn't have a firewall mounted data plate on my South African '36 but did find a plate on the door sill, the information was limited but it did identify it as being an export model with other codes that suggested it might have been sold via the Lendrum and Hartman in London. Cheers Paul

[Eisa Ibrahim]

i am planning on repainting the car. Any colour ideas?

[Paul White]

I suggest in its original colour(s)

[drhach]

4 hours ago, Paul White said:

I suggest in its original colour(s)

There's no data plate identifying the original color. 

[EmTee]

Pick one that you like from among those on the the 1941 Buick color palette.

 

[Eisa Ibrahim]

On 9/8/2023 at 7:31 PM, drhach said:

There's no data plate identifying the original color. 

the colour in the picture is the original colour i am sure of it.

[kingrudy]

You could look on the inside of the trunk, as it has never seen daylight to match the color to the chart that EMTEE provided. That two tone is more than likely factory colors. I have only seen a couple of two-tone cars. I believe that Valk has a blue and silver two tone and I have seen a '41 that was English Green and Luddington Green both cars looked very sharp. My car was originally Aztec Brown (very ugly from day one) that is why it is now Royal Maroon. I let my wife choose the color. 

[drhach]

On 9/9/2023 at 2:42 PM, Eisa Ibrahim said:

the colour in the picture is the original colour i am sure of it.

Yes, but you asked for color ideas, suggesting that you wished to change the color. My point was that given there is no data plate, you aren't necessarily tied to the original color, whatever it may have been. Anyway, I think Buicks are supposed to all be black. It's on page 5 of the owners' manual :). 

 

Regards,

Dan Hach

[Eisa Ibrahim]

1 hour ago, drhach said:

Yes, but you asked for color ideas, suggesting that you wished to change the color. My point was that given there is no data plate, you aren't necessarily tied to the original color, whatever it may have been. Anyway, I think Buicks are supposed to all be black. It's on page 5 of the owners' manual :). 

 

Regards,

Dan Hach

oh i am sorry i misunderstood what you said.

[drhach]

No worries. Good luck with your efforts. Please continue to post progress updates. 

[Eisa Ibrahim]

I am having trouble finding the right spark plugs for my car. If anyone has a tried and tested spark plug please send me the link

[EmTee]

https://oldbuickparts.com/

 

https://oldbuickparts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cat360.5.3.23-compressed_1.pdf

 

[Eisa Ibrahim]

what would be my car’s body style number? 4409 or 4409D. Also what is the difference between the two?

Edited September 14, 2023 by Eisa Ibrahim (see edit history)

[neil morse]

I am not an expert by any means with regard to decoding data plates, but I found this earlier thread which indicates that a '41 Special Touring Sedan (like yours) was designated "41-4409" on the data plate.  The initial "4" indicates a Special model, the "1" indicates a 4-door sedan, and the "4409" is a Fisher Body internal number indicating the 4-door fastback sedan.  I can't find any mention of a "4409D" designation -- maybe someone else can chime in with the answer.  I'm curious -- since the data plate on your car is missing, where did you find out about the possible "4409D" designation?

 

Here's the earlier thread:

 

 

[Bloo]

From the 1941 Master Parts Book:

 

"41" (first two digits) is the year. 4409 is a model 41 (four door touring sedan). 4409D is a model 41SE (four door touring sedan).

 

Now whats the difference between a model 41 and a model 41SE?