1930 Buick V12 build

[TFoch]

Congrats!  Looks great!!

[sammons]

Essex that is Great news!  Thats a really troubling feeling not knowing the turn out. You run through your mind that you've crossed all the T's/ dotted all the I's and your sure you all the correct paper work filled and rules met. But alot of things hinge off just the attitude, of the inspector on what kind of day he's having. Or his personal interpetation of the rules.

Congrats again, the hard work and details have worked out well!

[Essex_29]

Thank you TFoch!
Sammons, troubling, that?s the word.
It?s like an enormous weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Working on the very edge of the technical rulebook takes its toll,
like a dark cloud over the fun of creating something new.
But that?s behind us now 

[Essex_29]

Some small details done, I got the clock converted to a tach
the other day. It made the dash look complete in a new way,
housing painted black and all. V12  emblem from a Jaguar
E-type completes it for now.
Last night I made small side panels under the seats, which
I think makes for a more finished look.

[sammons]

My stress level was through the roof with my 57 chevy. It had been in an old salvage yard in Texas since it was sideswipped in late 1967. The yard was closed up for a decade when my budy got it out. It only had 38k miles on it. Bill of sale deal. I bought it from him in 1987 with bill of sale. In Kansas you couldn't go through the titleing process with a bill of sale untill they were 35yrs old. I had it put together and driving in 1989. I didn't want to wait. I sold it to a company in Alabama to title it. They could process with bill of sale and sell back to me for $150 fee. They really owned it at that point, scary. With in 2 weeks they returned a title, tag, and registration to me in my name.

Your Buick is looking fantastic!  Your lower dash reminds me of a '58 up C1 vette with clock in bottom.
On my '35 coupe i did the same around seat bottom. Didn't look real finished in black paint so i planned to wrap it in black vinyl later. Of course i had to sell it before i did that.

Your sure close to being finished. Of course you really never finish, always a change or addition of something🙂

[sammons]

My seats in the coupe were Corvette, but sat at the same height as the mid 70s Chevelle/Monte Carlo swivel buckets. My covers i made were sheet metal and were just about identical to these plastc factory covers. (Much shorter than yours) the vinyl wrap would have made them look more factory on my particular set up.

[Essex_29]

I guess wrapping these in vinyl would have looked better,
but that looks very nice and finished like it is too.
In my case, I'll have to get the carpet and all done, then
see if wrapping them in vinyl would be better

[sammons]

Essex, yours look fine as they are.

I was reffering to mine, as the seats were low and that flat cover sticking outside my seat base.  With mine just painted, didn't look right. I thought about spraying bed liner for that textured look and decided real vinyl texture would look better.

With Ed (Fatnlow) finishing his '33 sedan and now you almost done with your Buick,   i am so discusted with my self for not being able to finish my 35. Its the only car i have ever started that i didn't finish🫤
I'm sure happy for you guys, you get to enjoy your hard work.

[Essex_29]

Thank you sammons, the feeling when you finally get to drive what
you've worked on for eyars is unbeatable.
I got it that you were talking about your covers, but I'm always open to
input and new ideas.

I would be the first to admit that a good deal of details on my project cars,
both regarding design and mechanical things, come from brainstorming with
friends, someone's whim, a kid's funny thought or just anywhere you can
pick up ideas or inspiration.

One favorite is the air filter on my 1929  Essex. My son was maybe 12 years old,
looked around in the garage and placed a 1928 Chrysler head light onto the carb.
"I think this would be cool" he said.
A few years later I did as he suggested. I liked it, it was different and fun.

[sammons]

That does look straight out of the old hotrodders from the 50s. Back when you used what you scrounged that looked cool. Days before everybody just payed for store bought.👍

I'm glad you didn't take it the wrong way. I wasn't suggesting you need too.  The last thing i ever do is tell someone they need to do things different. Like decades ago when i would do the car show thimgs, somebody always came up and would say "You shoulda done this or that".  He's usualy driving a beat up Subaru and never built anything in his life. When my friends are building stuff they ask me, i always say what all were you gonna try. Then i would try to agree with their best option, or give an opinion.

As far as learning something new or unthought of by you....  heck ya. There was a guy on here that was into 33-35 chevys, think he went by Mad Mike. I had already ordered, intsatlled pricey burl wood   contact/wrap on my intstrument cluster and glove box door like 34-35 masters had. His car he used heavy grain black vinyl over his, even with black paint on dash, it looked fantastic. There for... i did it, much happier with it.
When FATnLOW and wife came up to see me. Ed liked the way i made a dash lower extention to house my a/c vents and transition down to console. He went home and made a similar version for his 33 sedan.  When ever i see someones idea that i think is great, i file it in my mind to use on the next similar project.

I love swapping ideas with real car guys.

[Essex_29]

This is exactly the norm, the ones asking why you did do it this way, that way would have been better,
the critics, they are exactly the guys who haven't built anything themselves.
Those aside, when car guys, who know cars, and maybe even have a project or more under their belt,
start asking questions and looking for flaws, then you know you have accomplished something better
than average.
In any case, I wouldn't, myself, look at a car and critisize it to the owner or builder. It's all a matter of
taste, resourses and knowledge/ability. If someone asks for my opinion, I will give it, but it would be
silly to tell a car builder that "the '62 Chevy tail lights would have looked better on your car" if he
didn't ask for your opinion.

I have a sketch book where I draw simple drawings to keep my favorite ideas I find on the net or on
youtube. Also a few folders on my computer, where I save pics of good or fun looking details. You
never know when a time comes, when you need a good idea.

[sixball]

How cool to make it through the process and end up withs a legal driver. You have done well, quality all the way!

[Rattiac]

Whoa. I need to check in more often. Had to go back a few pages and find out it's painted and done and street legal. Congratulations on a job well done.👍
Now come up here and help me finish my car. 😉

[Essex_29]

Thank you sixball. It has been quite the process. At times I've been
pretty certain that I never get it done. The last year or so has been a bit
of a chore, but at times results were showing and it felt better for a while again.
On the other hand giving up was never an alternative.

Rattiac, I've really pushed on the last few months. There's a big car meet
in Umea, Sweden June 28th, that's been my goal since a few years. Last year we
had to go with my daily '85 Caprice wagon.
Get your ass out in the garage, tell yourself you're going to do something for
maybe five minutes, and you'll end up getting a little thing doen. Then repeat
every day.
My tip of the day. LOL.

Anyway, tonight I did a 300 mile check up. I lifted the Buick up on jack stands and
checked the prop shaft, both botls and play. All nuts and bolts that hold the four
link and front suspension, welds for cracks etc.
Only issue I found was the clutch bleed leaked a tiny bit, so I tightened it.

I have a bit of a vibration under accelleration, I think it may be the plastic bushings in
the four link. I think I might make new ones with thicker rubber or pulyurethane
bushings for next summer.
All in all not too bad for a newly built car.

I've added sound deadening in the roof, carpet on the floor with rubber mats, and
self adhesive also that heavy bitumen sheet under the carpet in the back. That has
turned it almost civilized.

[TFoch]

I'm happy everything worked great for the first 300 miles! Now you get to drive it and have fun this summer!
Tom