Parts availability

1

1929

Well-known member
I passed on I would say a good deal for a beautiful car on Ebay the other day, a 1936 Buick, auction ended at $8,000. The exterior was very good, the interior needed work, low mileage. The reason why I passed on this car that I really wanted was because, I was told parts can be a problem. It will never be as easy as getting almost anything I want for my Model A.
 
I agree with you, parts are tough to find for Buick. When I did my 1931 Buick 90 it was hard, but fortunately the car was so well built that I only had to rework most of the original parts rather than replace them. There's a big advantage to high quality parts, like with Buicks.

One thing is for sure, you can get ANY part for ANY car at ANY time...its really just a matter of how much money do you want to spend? How much ya got?:rolleyes:
 
1930-Pickup said:
I agree with you, parts are tough to find for Buick. When I did my 1931 Buick 90 it was hard, but fortunately the car was so well built that I only had to rework most of the original parts rather than replace them. There's a big advantage to high quality parts, like with Buicks.

One thing is for sure, you can get ANY part for ANY car at ANY time...its really just a matter of how much money do you want to spend? How much ya got?:rolleyes:
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Ya, it seems as if Buick was ahead of its time.
 
There are lots of 28-31 Fords - very few Chevrolets. although I drove a '28 Chevrolet for many years, like many, I always lusted after the beautiful '32 Chevrolet. Very few parts for anything other than a Ford. That is why I sold my '29 Hupmobile, '32 Pontiac, '28 Reo, '28 Chandler, etc., etc. And that is why I let pass a '28 Packard Cabriolet and a '32 Buick. Both of which were extremely "well priced" original cars.
 
I have a friend that restored a Morris Minor with real racing history, found an authentic windscreen washer bottle in Australia for near a thousand dollars. It is now on display in a museum in Australia with that bottle on it. Anything for authenticity I guess. I'm not that picky, a hairspray bottle full of windex would have worked for me and I bet 99.999% of the people that will see the car.
 
1929 said:
I passed on I would say a good deal for a beautiful car on Ebay the other day, a 1936 Buick, auction ended at $8,000. The exterior was very good, the interior needed work, low mileage. The reason why I passed on this car that I really wanted was because, I was told parts can be a problem. It will never be as easy as getting almost anything I want for my Model A.
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What this really boils down to is whether a car owner is a Restorer or a Parts Changer. Nothing wrong with being either, however in reality being able to do both is difficult for most as it is something that requires effort and diligence.
 
I have always found that having a parts car is cheaper than finding the pieces and a lot more time efficient.
 
BRENT in 10-uh-C said:
What this really boils down to is whether a car owner is a Restorer or a Parts Changer. Nothing wrong with being either, however in reality being able to do both is difficult for most as it is something that requires effort and diligence.
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Being a restorer as opposed to a parts changer also requires a LOT more investment in tools and equipment and, since most people only restore 1 or 2 cars in their lifetime, it makes no economic sense to tool up for restoring most parts. That's why it often makes more sense to have a shop like yours do the restoration if you don't just want a car made up of repop parts or repop's are unavailable.
 
Very timely discussion because we've been working on a 1936 Buick coupe with dual side mounts, and though some mech. parts are available, other parts are difficult. The owner spent almost 2x what an A motor costs just to get the top end and some bearings redone on the straight 8. Unlike Chrysler products of the period, a lot of the GM products still had a lot of wood in the doors,etc. one of which we had to repair due to sagging and fatigue without destroying the outer skin.
You may have made a very good decision especially if you plan to work on the car yourself.
 
Licensed to kill said:
Being a restorer as opposed to a parts changer also requires a LOT more investment in tools and equipment and, since most people only restore 1 or 2 cars in their lifetime, it makes no economic sense to tool up for restoring most parts. That's why it often makes more sense to have a shop like yours do the restoration if you don't just want a car made up of repop parts or repop's are unavailable.
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I honestly must disagree with you on all accounts except one. It DOES take more of an investment however not a LOT more. Purchasing a mill, lathe, a welder, and hand tools is generally all that is needed. When you do 'tool up', making wise purchase decisions will generally find the ROI near even when the time comes to sell those tools. Investing time in oneself' to learn the skills to restore (anything) using those tools will far outweigh the financial investment losses 'one might incur.
 
duke36 said:
Very timely discussion because we've been working on a 1936 Buick coupe with dual side mounts, and though some mech. parts are available, other parts are difficult. The owner spent almost 2x what an A motor costs just to get the top end and some bearings redone on the straight 8. Unlike Chrysler products of the period, a lot of the GM products still had a lot of wood in the doors,etc. one of which we had to repair due to sagging and fatigue without destroying the outer skin.
You may have made a very good decision especially if you plan to work on the car yourself.
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I guess I did make a good decision, but those 1936 4 door with dual side mounts are also a good looking sedan, its so very tempting to want to buy one.
 
Tom, I thought Chevy availability was the same as Ford.


I thought the same thing 5 years ago and bought a basket case 31 chevy roadster................. they are like orphan cars because of all of the wood rotting out.
and in 1931 chevy outsold ford........

so the chevy, while complete, sits in a storage body and I have been buying model A's since, and what brought me to this site.
 
it does make the hunt more exciting though besides the A I have a near complete 1913 Maxwell - have been looking for some upgrade parts for years ...just need one more hubcap
 
I put a 28 Chevy back on the road this spring it was parked inside in 1958. Parts for the car came from 1 vendor. Engine parts 4cyl were twice as expensive as Ford. Owner is very happy with the outcome.
I love my Model As and VWs
 
Buick straight eight engines were the best! the clutches to move them often wore out because of the cars weight.

always loved and enjoyed Buicks.
 
daveymc29 said:
I have a friend that restored a Morris Minor with real racing history, found an authentic windscreen washer bottle in Australia for near a thousand dollars. It is now on display in a museum in Australia with that bottle on it. Anything for authenticity I guess. I'm not that picky, a hairspray bottle full of windex would have worked for me and I bet 99.999% of the people that will see the car.
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heh i know of 3 morris minors in junkyards near me...
 
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