deac Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 (edited) I have come across a '36 Buick Special coupe in B-minus condition. It has a heater and a radio. It looks presentable. Can anyone throw out a ballpark value on this car? NADA guides show 23 to 24 grand for a nice one. The seller wants 28,900 for it which I think is 7 to 9 grand too high. Am I thinking right? Edited June 19, 2021 by deac (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Old Cars Price Report Price Guide lists the following for 1936 Special Coupes: 2d Business Coupe No 3 condition-$16,740, No 2 condition-$26,040, No 1 condition-$37,200 2d RS Coupe No 3 condition-$17,280, No 2 condition-$26,880, No 1 condition-$38,400 I generally think that this publication is usually a little bit lower than the actual market on Pre-War Buick prices. I don't know which of the two 1936 Special Coupes you are considering, and I don't know what you mean by B-minus condition. Hopefully this information will be helpful to you. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suchan Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 (edited) To me, B-minus equates with #3 condition (solid driver). The guide Mr. Hinson quoted seems about right, maybe $17K in the condition you describe. Some sellers seem to think if the wheels aren't ready to fall off, it must be a #2 car. What you describe isn't a #2 car, and it's fair to feel the asking price might be too high. Photos? Edited June 19, 2021 by suchan spelling (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 7 hours ago, deac said: I have come across a '36 Buick Special coupe in B-minus condition. It has a heater and a radio. It looks presentable. Can anyone throw out a ballpark value on this car? NADA guides show 23 to 24 grand for a nice one. The seller wants 28,900 for it which I think is 7 to 9 grand too high. Am I thinking right? A previous discussion on this model 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deac Posted June 19, 2021 Author Share Posted June 19, 2021 (edited) Oka Seller says the car needs paint. There's no rust and the interior is very nice. He also said the car runs and drives. However this is what the seller says on a phone call. I have not seen the car in person as it's 1000 miles from me. Lot's can change between the sellers description and a personal viewing. And yes, it's represented by a dealer! This car is not mine and I am not the owner Edited June 19, 2021 by deac (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suchan Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Interior looks good. Brightwork looks good. Hard to tell much else. Time for you to take a trip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pont35cpe Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 (edited) Doesn`t look like a `36 carb/intake manifold. Extra switch and possible push button for start, left of cluster. Edited June 20, 2021 by pont35cpe (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 40 minutes ago, pont35cpe said: Doesn't look like a `36 carb/intake manifold. Extra switch and possible push button for start, left of cluster. Maybe a 1946~1948? stepped intake manifold with a vertical rise at no 8. 1936's are metal over wood frame. Poor wood frame lessens the value a lot even with shiny paint. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deac Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 I have a limited experience in evaluating a wood car. Visually inspecting floor boards, sagging doors and body panel fit are the buzz words for me. However I am sure there are more. For what it's worth the seller (dealer) said the previous owners son indicated that the wood in the doors had been replaced by his father, The wood content and the price are stopping me proceeding. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pont35cpe Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 You can crawl under the rear to visually check trunk wood where it extends down to frame, typical place for rotted wood. If doors have been done that`s good. You can open the door and grab it at the top and shake it, should be firm, not shake like a dish rag. Another good thing about the `36 coupe, not near as much wood as a 2 or 4dr sedan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deac Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 6 hours ago, pont35cpe said: You can crawl under the rear to visually check trunk wood where it extends down to frame, typical place for rotted wood. If doors have been done that`s good. You can open the door and grab it at the top and shake it, should be firm, not shake like a dish rag. Another good thing about the `36 coupe, not near as much wood as a 2 or 4dr sedan. Hmmm, an interesting point you make! The seller did some checks while on the phone and all the checks came good. Of course everything is good with you're selling. Because of the wood content in this one I have to extra careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suchan Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 deac, if you're a member of BCA, it might be worth your while to check the directory for a member with a wood-framed Buick near the car in question, and ask him/her to give it a look. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deac Posted June 21, 2021 Author Share Posted June 21, 2021 7 hours ago, suchan said: deac, if you're a member of BCA, it might be worth your while to check the directory for a member with a wood-framed Buick near the car in question, and ask him/her to give it a look. Well the the car is in Tacoma, WA. Are you close? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suchan Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 (edited) 12 hours ago, deac said: Well the the car is in Tacoma, WA. Are you close? I'm about 45 minutes away. The earliest Buick I've owned is a '38, so I could take a look according to the guidelines listed above, but I'm no expert on structural wood. I sent you a PM. Edited June 21, 2021 by suchan Added to message. (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 (edited) I am far from an expert here on the wood body, still soaking up all the information about body wood I can as fast as I can, but I do own a 1936 Pontiac sedan with a very similar body to 1936 Special. The most structural part of the floor are boards called the "sills" that run right along the kick panel and the bottom of the door opening. Then there will probably be a metal panel in the center over the transmission maybe, and some plywood pieces under your feet. Those are minimally structural if at all. It is the sills themselves at the outer edge that are heavily loaded structural parts and holding the whole body together. They are sitting on the frame on spacers or mounts, and the whole body is built on and around them. When you see a 1930s car that appears to have the hood pointing up, these have probably collapsed, and the front of the body is sagging down with no support. There are some structural boards tying the sills together, maybe under the seat, but carrying less load by far and they also live in a dryer spot. As built, these cars have front mats that flip back, the battery is under there on my Pontiac, but probably the brake master cylinder on a Buick. Flip them back and look at the sills. A leak at the bottom corner of the windshield will drip water right on the most vulnerable and stressed spot, so if there's trouble, you have a good chance of seeing it right there. The body can rust out there too. The door frames are wood. There will be less trouble with front doors than rear IMHO, so you have that going for you on a coupe. the doors should feel solid and close normally. The wood is structural and the metal cosmetic, so wet noodle doors indicate trouble with the wood. Loose joints are common, possibly unavoidable, and front doors have a diagonal bar that adjusts to pull the rear lower corner of the door in, if the end of it hasn't rusted off. Front door hinges screw to the wood, with 2 wood screws and one machine screw that has the 1930s equivalent of a t-nut so the screws cant pull completely out. If the hinge is loose and the door sags, it is likely that the hinge pillar is cracked or rotten underneath. The worst wood trouble on a door will probably be at the bottom. The hinge pillar and the lock pillar go clear to the bottom, and are tied together with a "bottom board", a flat thin board under the door card. Since the door is not very thick down there, the bottom board has to be clearanced for the drains, but as you might imagine that doesn't work very well. Like a modern car, rainwater is expected to run down the glass and get in, and run out holes in the bottom. Unlike a modern car, there is no effective wiper to keep a lot of it out. Even if the drains don't plug, there is wet wood against the sheet metal down there every time it rains, so that is where the earliest door trouble will be. Don't forget to look at that spot in the back pont35cpe mentioned if you can access it. I am less familiar with that one. And unrelated to wood, I would just mention that all these bodies tend to rust out at the very back of the trunk floor and the very back of the car body. Edited June 21, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deac Posted June 21, 2021 Author Share Posted June 21, 2021 WOW, thank you BLOO!!! Quite informative and very much appreciated. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 (edited) To illustrate BLOO's excellent description. This is a 1935 coupe frame and has slightly more wood than the 1936 Buick. The 36 Buick should have a pressed steel floor in the trunk and the trunk lid is also steel ( no wooden frame ). Modern glues and T nuts can repair many loose joints but the big thing to watch for is WOOD ROT!! Edited June 22, 2021 by 50jetback (see edit history) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pont35cpe Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 My `36 coupe wood, i`ve made and replaced 90+%, kept what was good. Its amazing how solid body/doors are with the new wood installed. Drivers door had a diagonal crease from folding over when the top hinge came completely loose from rotted wood. This car was completely apart when i got it, so the wood was easy to get to. Now if i could just get my paint done and move on. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deac Posted June 22, 2021 Author Share Posted June 22, 2021 Amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now