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In the
early going The Buick Motor Company was saved from financial
failure many times by Walter Marr, Eugene Richard, the Briscoe
Brothers and William Crapo ("Billy") Durant, the latter of which
built Buick (and many others) to the huge enterprises we know
today.
With Durant at the helm of
Buick, by 1905 production totaled 750 units, a far cry from the 28
produced the preceeding year. Engines and transmissions were built
in Flint, Michigan while bodies were produced in Jackson, until
1907 when Flint became the permanent home of Buick. The Buicks of
this period attained power via an opposed dual cylinder L-head
engine rated at 22 horsepower.
Buick production for 1908 was
8,820 cars, second only to Ford. This success is due to two
reasons; the first being Buick's Model 10, the car that made
Buick. The second was the merger with Olds, forming General
Motors, under the guidance of Durant. Also in 1908 unassembled
Buicks were shipped to Canada for assembly and marketed under the
name McLaughlin. The early McLaughlin bodies differed greatly from
the U.S. Buicks but as time passed they resembled one another more
and more. McLaughlin production lasted until WWII, therefore
Canadian rodders should find an abundance of Buick-like tin
awaiting the chance to be taken out of retirement. The same
applies to British rodders, as in 1910 Buick's export theme was
carried over to Britain. Thus, Bedford Buicks began selling
throughout Britain.
1910s
1910 marked the beginning of
Durant's wild buying spree of other car makers and Buick's
treasury was dipped into whenever extra funds were needed. To add
to Buick's troubles the following year, the inexpensive Model 10
was dropped as Buick made the move into the high-priced, big-car
range. By 1912 all Buicks had sprouted doors and new, smoother
lines consisting of barn-shaped hoods and radiators with front and
rear fenders taking on a semi-circular shape. The engines powering
Buicks of the teens had their vertical cylinders cast in pairs
with non-removable heads, while rocker arm assemblies were fully
exposed. For 1914 Buick introduced a new six cylinder to be added
to its popular four cylinder line. New this year were the self
stater, an electrical system and left hand steering.
During the mid to late teens,
hoods became semi-oval in shape and from the side the fender
radius outline gave the appearance of a section of roller coaster
track, with steep inclines at the ends; this, of course,
represented the fenders themselves. In 1916 Buick's first sedan
appeared, the Model D-47, which had an off- center mounted door.
The doors on this Buick were placed where you'd expect to find the
rear doors on a four-door sedan. This made for a highly unusual
entrance, even more so than the actual center mounted doors
appearing on so may Ford T's. The roadsters seemed to have a
channeled look to them while many Buick interiors employed the use
of jump seats. Frames were extremely long and narrow but this was
compensated for by utilizing five crossmembers. Semi-elliptic
leafs mounted directly under the rails in front, but canti- lever
type leafs mounted outside the rails in the rear. Unlike the rear
axle placement of today, where rear ends are placed in the center
of the leaf spring's length, Buick engineers placed rear ends
directly at the end of the leaf springs. Such a suspension
arrangement would be an invitation to a Jag or 'Vette rear end,
perhaps with four coiled-over shocks. There is ample room for
sure. Of equal interest would be the afore- mentioned Model D-47
with a chopped top, thus doing away with the car's rather high
roofline.
1920s
For 1920 Buick production
numbered 115,176, the highed priced of which sold for $2,700.
Sedans and coupes were becoming popular, yet the open cars were
still king. 1921 marked Buick's change from letter to numeral
denotation with the new series 21. In that same year, second
cowls, located at the back of the front seat, disappeared on Buick
tourings. Valve covers debuted on all engines for the first time
in 1922. The Sport Roadster and The Sport Touring of this year are
identified by their rectangular rear windows while all others bear
oval rear windows. 201,572 Buicks left Flint in 1923, good enough
for third place, behind Chevrolet and Ford. Six 4-cylinder and
nine 6-cylinder models were available this year, many equipped
with Buick's big accessories, the rear mounted spare and/or the
accessory trunk. Headlamps had a miniature drumlike shape and a
single tail lamp mounted on the spare tire, dead center.
The four cylinder was
discontinued in 1924, leaving Buick motivation to a 255 cubic inch
six rated at 27 horses. The face of the radiator shell took on an
interesting shape, looking much like the curvy Packard shells of
the same time. Suicide front ends vanished as a four-wheel braking
system became standard. Sheet metalwise, overall appearance was
improved in the mid-to-late '20's. This pertains not only to
Buick, but to all manufacturers as the "buggy carraige" look
disappeared from the drafting boards. Buick hoodlines rose almost
even with the highest point of the cowls, eliminating long and
sweeping cowls. Tourings and roadsters had slanted windshields,
the closed cars had vertical ones. The huge front semi-elliptics
made for distinc- tive snub-nose type splash pans covering the
frame horns. Buick offered "closed tourings" in 1925 which went on
to last until the early '30's. These so-called "closed tourings"
featured a fixed roof, something like a Carson or California top.
The Buicks which they appeared on were given an open car look,
with the exception being they were non-removable, and had roof
pillars with sliding windows opening halfway. Split windshields
were replaced by one-piece units with vacuum wipers. Frames
remained long a narrow, yet ride improved with the now standard
front shocks.
1930s
By 1930 Buick fell to sixth
place due to the depression and the new Pontiac/Oakland team.
Strangely enough, they were from another stall of the mightly GM
stables. On the positive side, there were such new Buick
innovations as bullet-shaped headlamps, smoother hood, radiator
and cowl contours, three-bar bumpers and the famed "H" shift
pattern. On roadster and touring models the windshield folded flat
across the cowl.
As of 1930 Buick had turned
out a vast majority of improvements and new innovations to the
automobile industry, many of which are advantageous to the modern
street rodder. Due to frame width, rack and pinion steering
pirated from a small import or domestic economy car should fit
well. The long frame, making for lengthy bodies, especially on the
tourings, should allow for ample firewall setback without
sacrificing precious legroom. The lenghty rear leaf springs make
for lots of space by the rear portion of the frame rails. Space
for an extra big fuel tank or a scratchbuilt tendem rear end,
allowing for an interesting truck with Buick sheetmetal and
ornamentation. As things went, dozens of fine coach builders
extended Buick frames and bodies for their own unique
delivery/panel trucks, really long limos and taxis and bubbletop
hearses. Such coach builders were located throughout the world and
the practice lasted through the teens up into the '60's. For the
novice or economy minded rodder something in the straight six
cylinder range of the durable little Chevy 230 incher should fit
an early model Buick engine compartment made to order. Then, of
course, there's Buick's ornamentation: the side-mounts, dual or
single, the windwings on the open cars, the distinctive Buick
grillework, the sharp wire wheels, all of which make an
outstanding appearance. It was during the '30's and '40's when GM
relied heavily of the same basic body lines, letting ornamentation
denote the different models. Buick by far was the car sprouting
the sharpest ornamentation of all the GM vehicles.
Three new engine versions
were released in 1931 in straight eight form, resulting in
discontinuation of the six. Cubic inches were of 220, 272, and 344
respectifully, delivering horsepowers of 77, 90, and 104. The
major exterior changes were the elimination of one bumper, as
bumpers were of the dual-bar type. Chrome had begun sharing
plating tasks, along with the old standby, nickel. Buick still
relied heavily on wood in the construction of the bodies. This is
especially true since closed cars were becoming unpopular.
Only 41,522 Buicks rolled off
the lines in 1932, as Buick fell to seventh spot in the industry.
With Buicks of this era selling at $1,500, GM announced a sales
campaign whereby Olds, Buick and Pontiac were to be sold through
one dealership, in other words, from the same showroom. As a
result, 25 percent of the Buick dealerships folded, and the
campaign was withdrawn after one and one-half years. In styling,
Buicks took on rounded edges and flowing lines with the aid of
slanted windshields, fuller hoods and radiators, with longer but
tapering headlamps and fender-mounted turn signals. Dual
stoplights appeared on Buicks for the first time, also in 1932,
along with outside horns and single-bar bumpers. This was the last
year for the headlight bar, and the first for opening panel
louvres in the hood's side, like the Chevrolet of the same
vintage.
1933 brought on radical
streamlined cars from every car maker. Buick was no exception,
however the 1933 styling theme prevailed in Buick design through
1935. "V" shaped grilles were well recessed behind front fenders,
as fenders themselves hinted of full wheel coverage by starting to
nose-dive toward the bumper. As the headlamps grew in diameter the
horns grew in length. Windwings were the coolest new idea from
Buick. For the 1934 model year grilles really angled back on both
sides, separated by a piece of sheetmetal running vertically down
the center of the grille, where one might expect to find an extra
wide grille bar. Also it must be noted that grilles were not
vertical and sort of wrapped around the hood's side. The panel
louvers on the hood were replaced by chrome strips running
horizontally while fender-mounted running lights vanished. The
straight axle lost out to coils as the front suspension became
independent on all Buicks in 1934. Although leafs still held
everything together at the rear, the frames did receive an
X-member for added strength. The 1935 Buicks were almost exact
reproductions of the 1934 models, with one exception. The grille
bars on the 1935 models slightly bend inwards, whereas on 1934
models they are straight. The most accurate description of a 1936
Buick would be a 1936 Chevy. The difference is that all 1936
Buicks house small submarine-like running lights atop the front
fenders; many 1936 Chevys do not. This type of styling similarity
might have a huge advantage on any GM cars of the same year.
Bodies, fenders, doors and what have you are often
interchangeable, so long as Buick ornamentation is placed on a
body shell of the same make.
1937-39 Buicks
1937 and 1938 were to Buick
what 1932 was to Ford. These two years are often considered
Buick's best by restorers and rodders alike. Clamshell fenders had
more to them at the rear of the wheels, as they sloped down,
gracefully rounding off and dropping to the running boards.
Headlights nestled between the fenders and hood while the grille
angle and curve to the bars gave Buick a high priced look. Chrome
vents ran down the hood side and bumpers have a rib in their
center, running horizontally. All convertible tops folded down
into the package tray, eliminating the cluttery look which soft
tops had been noted for. Despite this, open cars were meeting
their demise as three and five window coupes were increasing in
popularity. Front and rear stabilizer bars were incorporated into
the 1937 suspension system, but that's not all. The following year
coils replaced the leafs in the rear as styling became even
sharper. The 1938 Buick does resemble the previous year's styling.
The change was in the reduction of the number of grille bars,
therefore they are spaced farther apart. Dynaflash Eights supplied
the go for the amazingly fast Buicks, the most powerful of which
was the 248 cubic inch block, cranking out 141 horses at 3,600
rpms. This high output engine was available in the Century,
Roadmaster, and Limited models. The Special had to make do with a
107 bhp version of the 248 engine. 168,689 Buicks were produced in
1938, carrying tags anywhere from $1,200 to $2,400.
The 1939 Buicks underwent a
facelift, this time looking like an Olds, of about '40 vintage.
The depressions between the inner fender and the side of the hood
were filled by flowing fenders. Awkward headlamps still protruded
atop the fenders witha rather small split grille rising up in the
center, like that of a dirt track roadster. Optional chrome strips
ran along the semi-circular rocker panels, doing away with running
boards. Again optional, sunroofs hopefully compensated for the now
extinct rumble seats. Column shifted Buicks appeared for 1939 and
went hand-in-hand with the already popular banjo steering wheels.
Ornamentation Takes Buick
Into The '40's
With GM's look-alike styling
still going strong, ornamentation made Buick stand out in the
years before WW II. For example, the 1940 Buick grilles were much
fuller with the aid of heavy horizontal bars. Headlamps receded
well into the fenders, but on the 1941 models they were recessed
completely. In addition, there's less emphasis on the rise in the
grille's center and outside grille molding tapered as it ran down
the edge. While everyone else had their new front-opening hoods,
Buicks opened from either side, from the right side up or the left
side up. Windows were bigger, with slanting roof pillars and both
were rounded at their edges. Overall room in the 1941 Buick coupe
is excessive compared to others of that time. So they have an
outstanding contour to their rear decks and those of you
considering a trailer for long treks should consider a Buick coupe
instead.
Taking Ford and the rest of
the entire GM line by surprise, Buick unveiled a new style for the
1942 model year. New grilles smiled at onlookers and kept smiling
at them in one form or another until 1954. "Airfoil" fenders swept
the entire length of the car. Front fenders ran back, trailing off
in height, into the rear fenders, just above the gravel shield
placement. Thick double belted chrome strips ran along the bottoms
of fenders with huge bumpers wrapping around the sides of them.
Then the effects of WW II crept slowly upon Detroit. Cast iron
pistons substituted for aluminum ones, causing the 248 cubic inch
Buick to drop from 125 horsepower to 110 but the 320 incher stayed
at 165 horses. Buick production went into hybernation in February
and began turning out Pratt & Whitney engines (no relation to
J.C.) at a rate of 1000 per month.
The long awaited 1946 models
were all reserial '42 models, yet Buicks were the most modern with
their "new" 1942 styling. A big hit with the public were Buick's
bombsight hood ornaments. Parking lights were simple round units
under the headlights for 1946 as opposed to the chrome
side-sweeping strips which curved around the fenders on the 1942
Buicks. The way to tell a 1946 Buick from a 1947 is just as
simple. The 1946 Buick's center grille bar ran up into the hood's
molding crown, which reads, "Buick Eight". On the 1947 models,
this center grille bar does not run into the crown. The 1948
Buicks carried on the same bodystyle as the two previous years,
but, there's one dead give-away in identification. It's called
Dynaflow, Buick's first fully automatic transmission. Buick also
built 12 prototype Holdans in 1948. The big selling
Australian-made Holdans were powered by a six cylinder engine and
looked very much like a Morris Minor, with that strong pre-'48
styling theme.
With the dawning of 1949
there came a new and different body style from Buick. They called
it the hardtop. Holes in the hood side were also new and went on
to become a Buick hallmark. With wider grilles, parking lights
were now placed atop the fenders with spearlike chrome strips
trailing them. Gone were the balloon fenders and running boards of
the '40's. Belt lines, now the very top edge of the front fenders,
ran straight back from them, just a few inches below the side
windows, fading into the bulging curved rear fenders. Within these
fenders were frenched taillights like those of a '56 'Vette. 1950
belt lines ran down the car's side, midway in height, casually
rising to form the rear fenders. Taillights could pass for '58
Chevy items, placed vertically, at the fender's bottom end. Nine
massive smiling grille bars looped over the bumper, tucking out of
sight and were blockaded by huge bumper guards at both ends. For
1951 the grille bars reduced in width and consequently added in
number to 25. They now stopped at the bumper, instead of
enveloping at as they did last year. As the model years passed
changes became less noticeable. On the 1952 Buicks, a chrome
spear, just ahead of the rear wheel well, swept forward ending
atop the front wheel well. On the 1951 models this spear had a
stray piece to it which ran above the rear wheel wells.
1950's Super Cars
Despite the fact that chrome
was rearranged to denote one model year from another, the Buicks
of the early '50's are super cars. They have a unique styling all
their own and their size makes for plenty of room, even in the
2-door models. Automatics were the rageas 85 percent of all Buicks
built in 1952 were equipped with Dynaflow. That fellas, is a good
excuse for a second rod for the lady of the house. Even with their
watermelon appearance they are surprisingly fast haulers. They
became even faster when Buick celebrated their 50th year in 1953
with the new overhead valve V-8s, in two versions no less! These
engines were capable of producing 188 horsepower at 3,000 rpms
from a 322 cubic inch block, fed by four barrel carburation. These
engines also had the highest compression in all of Detroit with an
8.5:1 ratio. Style remained the same, with the exception of
cluttered headlight shrouds and new taillight configuration. To
really celebrate their golden anniversary Buick introduced
America's first family-sized sporty car, the Skylark. Built in
convertible form only, they had a short run of 1,690 for 1953,
selling at a flat $5000. The Skylarks resembled the other Buicks
of the same vintage, yet their soft tops, wire wheels and fully
radiused rear wheel wells were all that was needed to set them
apart. In 1954 the Skylark's price was lowered to $4,355 and in
production to 836, making them extremely rare. Clean and well
proportioned lines on the 1954 Buicks were evident. There were
panoramic wrapping windshields, longer quarter panels and smoother
hoods without the huge bubble running down the center. Interesting
to note is that some models were identified by their rear wheel
wells. Some being of the slit type while others were
semi-circular. 1954 also marked the first year for all steel
bodied wagons.
The one-millionth hardtop
left Buick's assembly line in 1955 and under it a fresh new body
style. Buick this year parted with their smiling front ends, a
Buick hallmark since 1942. The mesh grilles were enclosed by a
bulky bumper dipping in the center, with missile-type bumper
guards protruding near both ends. Boomerang shaped chrome housings
ran the full height of the rear fenders, for taillight and backup
lamp placement. Buick was still a top performance contender,
despite their somewhat sluggish appearance. Redesigned cams,
manifolds and carbs fed an outstanding 9:1 compression ratio.
These durable engines could push their 4,200 pounds of Buick
sheetmetal to speeds in excess of 110 mph while 0 to 60 was
reached in 11.2 seconds. Grillework received a minor rearrangement
for 1956 as hoods had a slight point to them. With the new
two-tone paint nobody missed the bombsight hood ornaments. Also in
1956 Buick departed from the slit type rear wheel wells, giving
the cars a much better side view. Prices ranged from $2,400 to
$3,700 during the mid '50's.
The Powerful Sleek '57
Buick engineers again were
busy redesigning body lines for the 1957 models, but this was a
common practice with all manufacturers in the late '50's. The new
Buicks looked somewhat like a chopped, stretched out '57 Chevy.
They were low and long, with the Specials and Centurys being 208
overall while the Supers and Roadmasters were longer still, 215
inches overall. High slanting fins were dominant but blended well
with the rear roof pillars which were angled forward,allowing for
a wrap-around back window. The new 364 cubic inch engines had
9.5:1 compression ratios, developing 250 horses at 4,400 rpm's or
a 10:1 ratio developing 300 horses. These engines were powerful
and fast, especially for their time. Therefore street rodders
Buick-bound who would prefer to keep it all Buick, a Buick eight
from the '50's could be an ideal power source.
Although the 1958 Buicks kept
last year's roof line and fins there were new curves in the
sheetmetal again this year. The 1958 Buicks almost passed for
Oldsmobiles of the same year, equally sharing the same amount of
afterthought chrome. Production was a low 257,124 setting Buick in
fifth. Buicks were capturing the prestige market's attention (or
visa versa) as prices reached a high of $4,700, and strangely
enough, a low of $2,900. Debuting with the Edsel, and being
outlived by it, was Buick's air bag suspension. A fan belt driven
compressor fed air to a tank located between the frame horns. From
there the compressed air was routed to each of the four air bags,
which replaced the coil springs. Fortunately, this system was
optional, front and rear, this year. In 1959 it was optional on
the rear only, then faded out of production. Getting back to 1958,
Buick offered a dual exhaust system with two resonators placed
before and after each muffler. 1958 also marked the debut of
Germany's four-cylinder Opel, which was to be sold through
American Buick dealerships.
Small Cars of The '60's
Price dropped slightly for
1959 with the most expensive Buick selling for $4,300 and at
year's end Buick was seventh in sales. Fins ran the entire length
of the car protruding out over the headlamps topped by a flat roof
supported by thin, graceful pillars. Buick's two millionth hardtop
was sold this year and it's one millionth Opel gave Buick an early
start in the small car rush of the '60's. Buick itself changed
only in grillework for 1960. In the early '60's Buicks became more
streamlined than before using frames of the "K" type (no X member)
and of the "X" type (X shaped with no siderails). In 1962 there
was Buick's new 198 cubic inch V-6 and the following year there
was the luxurious sporty Riviera. 1965 saw the debut of the
Skylark Gran Sport, Buick's muscle car, and the rest is history.
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