[{"id": 5745326, "authorName": "RiffRaff", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/riffraff/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Had me at Dynaflash - 8. Valve in Head. Luscious. GL.", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1613229344, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5745593, "authorName": "one_twenty", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/one_twenty/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Came home from the hospital in one of these. It was brand new too. My very first ride. Pretty good start. Thanks dad. Thanks mom.", "likes": 9, "timestamp": 1613233763, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5745655, "authorName": "Dennis.mcgillis", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/dennis.mcgillis/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "A beautiful parade car. Someone is probably looking for it to be in a WWII era movie.", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1613234589, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5745686, "authorName": "Lewis", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/lewis/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "It looks like the car seen at the end of \"Casablanca.\" You could round up the usual suspects in this.", "likes": 6, "timestamp": 1613235126, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5746194, "authorName": "77fleetwood", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/77fleetwood/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@Lewis - I immediately thought of the 1940 Buick in Casablanca also, though that car was a Limited.\r\n\r\nCoil springs at all four corners was quite advanced for 1940. I imagine this would be a great touring car. GLWTA!", "likes": 3, "timestamp": 1613243983, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5746293, "authorName": "Lewis", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/lewis/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@77fleetwood- I just looked up the ending of Casablanca- that car had dual sidemounts- That is a Limited model? I'll take either or both of them. I've heard that the Casablanca car is still in existence.", "likes": 2, "timestamp": 1613245929, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5746696, "authorName": "BMcD", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/bmcd/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "A driving video would be in everyone\u2019s best interest. This is a beautiful car! Especially with Easter \ud83d\udc23 coming up!", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613254542, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5746807, "authorName": "TomerBrian", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/tomerbrian/", "bidAmount": 1940, "content": "$1,940 bid placed by TomerBrian", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613257828, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5746998, "authorName": "Raffi", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/raffi/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "This is prewar American car design at such a high level. \r\n\r\nAmong the many amazing aspects of this car, the dashboard, the refined interior, the quality and presence of such a grand car. It's both beguiling and refreshing especially when you realize that it's a Buick. \r\n\r\nWe see Bentley, Delahaye, Alfa, so many other cars of this period and people rave about their style and quality. But the more you study the elegance of this car, the craftsmanship of that period, the earnestness of its purpose, you'll come to see that it stands up against any of its foreign competitors with genuine pride and presence. \r\n\r\nIf you've ever wanted an open pre-war car, this is a great option for family cruising and easy tinkering in your garage. The perfect reminder of Americana. \r\n\r\nGLWTA!!", "likes": 8, "timestamp": 1613263879, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5747290, "authorName": "Pracmac", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/pracmac/", "bidAmount": 4000, "content": "$4,000 bid placed by Pracmac", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613271977, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5747311, "authorName": "CaptainMyCaptain", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/captainmycaptain/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Some people have a gift for reading the clues. Following hunches. Striking when the iron is hot.\r\n\r\nBack in July of 1939 Max Holland read the tea leaves and determined that America was headed for war and decided this might be his chance. Figuring that auto production would eventually be shut down for the duration once the conflict started, he pooled all the resources he could muster and began buying new cars in anticipation of demand one day far outstripping supply.\r\n\r\nHe made sure he didn\u2019t buy any right here in Fort Stockton; he didn\u2019t want to raise the eyebrows of any of his neighbors. He and his brother went to Saragosa and bought two new Fords. Paid cash, then drove them back to his dairy and parked them in the back of his barn and covered them up with sheets. A month later they drove east to Bakersfield and repeated the process, this time purchasing a Plymouth and DeSoto. Within a few months the barn had eleven brand new cars parked in it, each covered with sheets he\u2019d purchased on sale at the J. C. Penny.\r\n\r\nMax went down to the First State Bank of Fort Stockton and mortgaged the dairy to continue the plan. He drove up to Grandfalls and bought two more Fords, a Dodge, and a Pontiac, all in one day. There was no more room in the barn so Max rented some warehouse space in town. No windows. He even painted the glass on the roll-up doors black so no-one could see inside.\r\n\r\nHe continued the process all across west Texas until he had 97 brand new cars in storage in three different facilities in and around town. The very last car he bought was a 1940 Buick Century Sport Phaeton. The nicest one of the bunch, and an absolutely beautiful automobile. Stunning. Deep maroon over red leather.\r\n\r\nHe paid a high school kid from Our Lady of Immeasurable Concern to start each car once every couple of weeks to make sure each stayed in tip top shape.\r\n\r\nAnd he waited.\r\n\r\nBy early \u201942 when people were hungry for a new car and none were to be had, word got out that there was still a source. Prices started at double what he had originally paid.\r\n\r\nBy mid \u201943 the price had gone up to three times the original price for each car, and people were more than willing to pay it for that which could not be found anywhere else.\r\n\r\nBy early \u201945 there was only one car left: the Buick convertible sedan. Rumors of the car\u2019s existence swirled all the way from Comstock up to Del Rio. It was said Max would take no less than $25,000 for the car, five years old, but still brand new with less than 58 miles on the odometer.\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s when an attorney showed up at Max\u2019s dairy, riding in the back seat of an older model black Ford with Texas government plates. Beside him was a heavy cowhide brief case. A state trooper was behind the wheel. When he exited Max\u2019s farmhouse he no longer had the brief case in his hand. He slid into the Buick and followed the black Ford back to Austin.\r\n\r\nLegend has it the governor was frequently seen driving the Buick around Austin in the years that followed.\r\n\r\nShortly after, Max sold the dairy. He had seen how easily people would part with their hard earned cash to get that which they couldn\u2019t find anywhere else. While some of the townsfolk questioned the legality of Max\u2019s endeavors, others talked about the morality.\r\n\r\nMax and his wife worried about neither as they headed to a wide spot in the road in Nevada that would later be known as Las Vegas, where people were just beginning to pay far more than they should for something even better than that new car smell.\r\n\r\nBest of luck with the auction. The high bidder won\u2019t be rolling the dice on this one; it could be the deal of the Century.", "likes": 25, "timestamp": 1613272570, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5747394, "authorName": "porscheman28", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/porscheman28/", "bidAmount": 5000, "content": "$5,000 bid placed by porscheman28", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613275979, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5747667, "authorName": "PFFK", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/pffk/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "beautiful and usable car! Is there a tonneau cover for when the top is down and folded?", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613307516, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5747696, "authorName": "Jolit", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/jolit/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Is this a babbitt bearing motor or steel inserts?", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613309254, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5747721, "authorName": "Hammerdad", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/hammerdad/", "bidAmount": 10000, "content": "$10,000 bid placed by Hammerdad", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613310158, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5747749, "authorName": "Menschl", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/menschl/", "bidAmount": 20000, "content": "$20,000 bid placed by Menschl", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613311094, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5747755, "authorName": "Jaguarman", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/jaguarman/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Beautiful car. I have my great uncle's '40 Buick that he bought new and its been in the family ever since. But he was a simple farmer in northern Minnesota, and bought the entry level Buick Special. Sure wish he would have bought a convertible like this one, but that didn't work with the winters of the great white north. GLWTA.", "likes": 4, "timestamp": 1613311220, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5747796, "authorName": "morgannut", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/morgannut/", "bidAmount": 30000, "content": "$30,000 bid placed by morgannut", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613312087, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5747831, "authorName": "MARTY_ROTH", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/marty_roth/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Beautiful example of a pre-WWII Buick Phaeton, so similar in many ways to our own 1937 Buick Roadmaster 4-door convertible Phaeton.\r\n\r\nThese cars are a fantastic Road-Car, not only a parade example. We drive ours at modern highway speeds, and ours is an unrestored original. The next owner needs to get out and drive and to experience what \"motoring\" is really all about - like we do!", "likes": 5, "timestamp": 1613312956, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5747854, "authorName": "RoundHeadlights", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/roundheadlights/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@CaptainMyCaptain That \"deal of the Century\" comment is Special. What a Wildcat. When a modern Buick comes across the auction block, how `bout an Encore? Beautiful Buick straight-eight, by the way. Gotta love it.", "likes": 3, "timestamp": 1613313549, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5747994, "authorName": "oldforgemotorcars (The Seller)", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/oldforgemotorcars/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@BMcD The video listed here includes: walk around, cold start, under carriage, and a drive down the road in scenic Lansdale PA.", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1613316736, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5748005, "authorName": "oldforgemotorcars (The Seller)", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/oldforgemotorcars/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@PFFK We do not have a Tonneau cover.", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613316870, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5748153, "authorName": "steveschurman", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/steveschurman/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "From style to engineering, Buick was really making outstanding cars from 1937 through 1941!", "likes": 3, "timestamp": 1613320127, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5748774, "authorName": "Carrera4.0", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/carrera4.0/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "It's really beautiful. What's the curb weight compared to, oh, a tugboat?", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613332651, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5748837, "authorName": "ChuckRitter", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/chuckritter/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "In the late 60s - early 70s, I was paying for my engineering degrees working for my Dad's roofing/siding company. I think my Dad was one of a few who made money putting his kids thru college. As a plus, he always knew where at least some of his workforce was and that we would show up sober. Mostly.\r\nOne re-roof I did was for a very eccentric 50+/- year old reclusive spinster. She asked us to be sure we left no holes in the roof where squirrels could get in. Said she was squirrel-crazy. Yes, ma'am.\r\nPer Dad, her parents gave her one of these for her 1940 high school graduation. We were allowed to leave some of our gear in the adjacent one car garage; a garage where all the windows were papered over. Opening the garage doors, my first encounter showed a monochromatic tan car. Brushing off a little of the 15 years of dust that covered the ragtop, the painted surfaces and all the brightwork revealed a big beautful burgundy Buick like this. My Dad told me that she drove it until 1954 when she decided her faithful servant could be put out to pasture. Doubtful she drove it more than 25 miles per week those 15 years. The car she replaced it with was a 54 Ford sedan which had recently been retired to pasture as also, replaced by a 1970+/- Buick sedan. The Ford was already on collector's radar - that was possibly the reason the garage windows were papered over. \r\nThe only other notable car I ever encountered in the wild was a partially disassembled DB4. It was owned by a buddy of my Dad, who had an excavation business and was more familiar with Cat and Deere products where considerable maintenance could be performed with either the hammer or the big hammer. Not true of the DB.\r\nI sometimes wonder what happened to any of these cars. Hopefully restored and maintained.\r\nGLWTA of this beauty.", "likes": 2, "timestamp": 1613333843, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5749198, "authorName": "CaptainMyCaptain", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/captainmycaptain/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "They\u2019re already calling it \u201cThe Great Blizzard of \u201921\u201d here in Fort Stockton. Seems premature, but it is colder than a mother-in-law\u2019s kiss outside, to be sure.\r\n\r\nI felt like I needed to get out, nonetheless, and give Buttercup some space. I can only show her how a dishwasher should be properly loaded so many times. I\u2019d normally get in the car and head down to the Grounds for Divorce cafe for a hot cup of joe, but the streets are slicker than snot on a doorknob, so I walked instead.\r\n\r\nThe parking lot was empty, but the coffee shop was jam-packed. Looks like everyone headed to the GFD for a change of scenery and a place to get warm. Nearly all the BaTboys were there. Rusty Hammer shut down the hardware store and wandered over. Wasn\u2019t long before Chad from the Piggly Wiggly stopped in after his shift.\r\n\r\nBefore long Chad starts telling us about his maternal grandfather. Seems he was a handsome man in his day. A distinguished gent, much like Gary Cooper. But, like any of us, had begun to show his age long ago. To say he\u2019s lost a step would be an understatement.\r\n\r\nNot long ago, the ol\u2019 guy had a brush with death. The details aren\u2019t important, but the resulting changes in his life have been significant.\r\n\r\nHe had a brand new pacemaker put in, a prototype NS-4600, developed and tested by General Cardiogenics. Afterwards, he trained at Cross-Fit and bulked up like a man a third his age. The blue eyes that had gotten cloudy over the years had been cleared by laser-cataract surgery and returned to the brilliant lapis color of his youth. He went down to the Second Chance Tattoo Parlor and Hookah Bar and picked out some ink that reflected his newfound physique and liberated lifestyle. Though blessed with a full head of hair, a trip to the Clip-N-Dye restored it to the deep ebony it had been decades earlier.\r\n\r\nApparently, when completely dressed, his grandfather cut a dashing figure that still reflected the look of Gary Cooper in his Sunday best. When stripped down to his Fruit-of-the-Looms, he looked more like Conor McGregor about to crawl into the ring for a mixed martial arts competition.\r\n\r\nA few of us were beginning to get a little envious as Miranda brought us a round of pies on the house.\r\n\r\nChad went on, \u201cA few weeks ago granddad was over at the RexAll Drug getting his Cialis prescription refilled. Seems he keeps running out now. Anyway, some kid came in and cut in line right in front of him, as though he wasn\u2019t even there.\u201d\r\n\r\nChad continued. \u201cPardon me, son. You seem to have accidentally joined the line in the wrong location.\u201d Grandpa told him.\r\n\r\n\u201cScrew you old man.\u201d the young buck disrespectfully replied.\r\n\r\n\u201cThen what happened?\u201d @HairlessB29 asked. @eddiedout , @RoundHeadlights , @PDXBryan , and @Mgaguy were hanging on every word. (@KiwiinAussie was struggling to hear, as he had dropped his menu and was down under the table looking for it. He\u2019s always down under, for some reason.)\r\n\r\n\u201cDropped him like a cheap transmission. Kicked his rear end like it was a 9\u201d Ford!\u201d Chad roared.\r\n\r\nAnd then @dominator pulls up this modified 1949 Cadillac Series 61 Coupe on his flip phone and passes it around. Seems to be the perfect metaphor for Chad\u2019s granddad.\r\n\r\nOr maybe the other way around.\r\n\r\nBest of luck with the auction. This grand old gentleman is going to kick some serious arse.", "likes": 14, "timestamp": 1613343479, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5749351, "authorName": "PDXBryan", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/pdxbryan/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@CaptainMyCaptain\r\nDoh - I hate it when that happens! But the Buick straight 8 was also known to walk softly and carry a big stick back in the day.", "likes": 4, "timestamp": 1613348034, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5749373, "authorName": "CaptainMyCaptain", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/captainmycaptain/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@PDXBryan . . . The story works a lot better with the one it was written for, the Modified 1949 Cadillac Series 61 Coupe. No one was more confused as I was that it showed up here. Must be the cold weather. Might need to check the batteries in my NS-4600.", "likes": 9, "timestamp": 1613348489, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5749421, "authorName": "bringatrailer", "authorUrl": "", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "The listing has been revised to reflect that the AM radio and Clock are inoperable. \r\n\r\n-BaT", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613349904, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5749440, "authorName": "RoundHeadlights", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/roundheadlights/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@CaptainMyCaptain @PDXBryan Pacemaker smacemaker, I swear it's the laughing gas under Fort Stockton. Must be leaking from the cracks in the ground under the Grounds For Divorce Cafe. Dang, this is a nice Buick.", "likes": 2, "timestamp": 1613350551, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5749639, "authorName": "H_O_wheels", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/h_o_wheels/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Was \"Sport Phaeton\" the name Buick used in their sales literature? I ask because technically speaking, the roll up windows make this a convertible sedan, not a Phaeton. An alternate name also used was \"all weather\" sedan.", "likes": 2, "timestamp": 1613358343, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5749689, "authorName": "David_C.", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/david_c.-user/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "It's really hard to top the 1940 or 1941 Buicks for the most beautiful American cars ever made across the entire lineup of models, the Special, Super, Roadmaster and the Century. Yes, there have been some individual models that could certainly rival these cars in beauty, but not the entire marque for that year.", "likes": 2, "timestamp": 1613360501, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5749687, "authorName": "H_O_wheels", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/h_o_wheels/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@jolit\n\nBy 1940 all mainstream manufacturers used insert or shell bearings in their engines. But, sometimes the replacement shell bearings were sold as \"semi-finished\", meaning they required align boring to fit the crankshaft or camshaft. I have experience with an early 50's Buick straight eight which we were only able to source semi-finished cam bearings for. I can't account for why finished bearings were not available other than the possibility that a straight 8 engine, given the very length of the block casting, after multiple thermal cycles would be more likely to become out of align than a V-8. With semi-finished bearings, align boring would eliminate that as an issue.", "likes": 2, "timestamp": 1613360658, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5749767, "authorName": "fbcg1956", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/fbcg1956/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "This is a lovely car and similar to the car we had during WWII when my love of cars developed as a very young child.", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1613364206, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5750082, "authorName": "uncle_jack", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/uncle_jack/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "It appears that this was a high quality restoration. With that said , I am surprised that this car has the wrong engine color. '40 Buicks did not have red engines.", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1613396529, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5750097, "authorName": "oldforgemotorcars (The Seller)", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/oldforgemotorcars/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@uncle_jack I asked the current owner about the engine color as well. His response was \"I do not like gray engines\".", "likes": 5, "timestamp": 1613396752, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5750197, "authorName": "oldforgemotorcars (The Seller)", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/oldforgemotorcars/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@Jolit steel inserts. receipts for all of the mechanical work will go with the sale.", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1613399222, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5750526, "authorName": "unclecharlie51", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/unclecharlie51/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@CaptainMyCaptain Sounds like my grandfather. One night he was in a fight at the bar. \"What happened, Pop\"? \"Oh, the kid wouldn't leave the old guy alone so I banged 'im\"! Seems the \"old guy\" was younger than Grandpop! He also cold cocked the bookie one night but that's a story for another time.", "likes": 4, "timestamp": 1613404686, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5753647, "authorName": "morgannut", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/morgannut/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@oldforgemotorcars Gotta love the quote: \u201cI do not like gray engines\u201d. I wish more owners would build them like this owner has done to drive and enjoy without being bound by devotion to originality. Since you can't order a new one, he did the next best thing and got to choose his own colors. I like the car as presented.", "likes": 4, "timestamp": 1613426590, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5761744, "authorName": "MARTY_ROTH", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/marty_roth/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@Jolit - Buick continued using Babbit bearings until, I believe 1951 or 1952 being the changeover to shell bearings - and by the way, bearing shells had babbited surfaces\n\n@H_O_wheels - while \"Convertible Sedan\" was commonly used as a generic term, as well as by some manufacturers, neither that, nor \"Sport Phaeton\" were used in 1940 for this car. \n\nBuick's official name for this 1940 Model 61-C was \"CENTURY CONVERTIBLE PHAETON\".\nOther than model designation, the same naming convention also held for Special, Roadmaster, and Limited Series Convertible Phaetons. Yes, a generic Phaeton may commonly have been a folding top car with no \"B\" pillar, and/or no roll-up windows, each manufacturer generally decided what to call their models. My 1937 Buick 80C is a Roadmaster Phaeton, a 4-door convertible with removable upper \"B\" pillar, and yes, some prefer to call it a convertible sedan or even a Sport Phaeton - But Buick used the term \"CONVERTIBLE PHAETON in 1937, confirmed by \"Dammann\" in his book \"Seventy Years of Buick\". \n\n\n@Carrera4.0 - Hardly a Tugboat, this baby really handled - with centerpoint steering and all-four coil springs, the Century was following the idea of \"The Banker's Hot Rod\", essentially the original \"Muscle Car\". Stuffed with the huge 320 ci Roadmaster's straight eight engine - essentially the same type used to power Flxible and GMC, and Greyhound busses - not only great horsepower, but fantastic torque. It will easily run highway speeds all day long - ask me how I know ! And steering is so light, yoou'll thing it was power assist - not needed !\n\nThis is a rare model as Buick only built194 of the Model 61-C for domestic sales, and 9 special order for export. At 4,050 lbs, it was 145 lbs lighter than the comparable Roadmaster and 490 lbs less than the Limited, but powered by the same 320 inch, 141 hp engine.\n\nThose of us who drive our pre-WWII Buicks know just how amazing they really are. We not only show and tour ours, we also are able to drive it cross-country.\n\nBy the way, the \"CENTURY\" nameplate came about in 1936 where the 60 Series Buick was devel;oped and built to hitt \"THE CENTURY MARK\", to hit 100 miles per hour, right out of the factory.", "likes": 6, "timestamp": 1613531533, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5763329, "authorName": "H_O_wheels", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/h_o_wheels/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@MARTY_ROTH\r\n\r\nThank you for clarifying the name Buick chose for this car, though clearly vis-\u00e0-vis the use of the name by the majority of carmakers Buick was stretching the definition a bit. Though certainly not as much as Volkswagen would decades later when they applied the name to their top of the line Mercedes/BMW fighter.\r\n\r\nAs for the question about bearings, for clarity some history is in order. In the infancy of the industry, precision machine work was all but non-existent. Only when Henry Leland and his financial backers bought the remains of what was Henry Fords second attempt at auto-making did precision machine work start to enter the picture. \r\n\r\nOtherwise there was a lot of hand fitting of parts so that they would be able to work together. In the case of bearings, once cast, a crankcase then was machined and this included rough machining of the main bearing saddles. In the case of cast iron, molds were then placed in the roughly finished main bearing saddles and a bearing material, usually some alloy of lead, tin and antimony A.K.A. Babbitt, was melted and poured into those molds. A similar process was used to deposit bearing material in the main caps and connecting rods. When cooled the bearing material would need to be align-bored to a size to fit the crankshaft, with oil clearance included in the sizing. If aluminum were used for the crankcase a bearing shell was made to fit the bearing saddles but those would also require align-boring to fit the crank. A 1920 Buick (aluminum crankcase, cast iron cylinders) which I align-bored many years ago used that system for bearings. Those shells were solid bearing material, no steel backing. \r\n\r\nAs time went by, the \"precision insert\" was developed. The use of a precision insert required very precise machining of the main bearing saddles and bearing caps of the crankcase, this being necessary to fit the outside diameter of the main bearing shells. The semi-finished bearings I referred to in an earlier comment were only precisely finished for the outside diameter of the bearing shell. The inside diameter would require align-boring of the bearing shell in-situ with the block. So even the semi-finished bearings saved the step of having to pour molten bearing material into the engine block. \r\n\r\nSo having said all of that, the use of the term Babbitt can be a little misleading. In the strictest sense, Babbitt refers to a particular bearing alloy. That material can be used for poured style bearings or it can or was used as the bearing wear surface material in a precision insert. I say was, as the move away from lead in manufacturing has all but eliminated it's use in modern vehicles. \r\n\r\nIf Buick was still using semi-finished bearings into the 50's I can only speculate that the very long cast iron block of the straight 8 was prone to some distortion from thermal cycling and it might not have been practical to specify fully finished insert bearings for service. Surely Buick was not still using poured style bearings into the 50's.", "likes": 7, "timestamp": 1613581789, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5768395, "authorName": "HYCO", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/hyco/", "bidAmount": 35000, "content": "$35,000 bid placed by HYCO", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613615606, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5768797, "authorName": "MARTY_ROTH", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/marty_roth/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@H_O_wheels\r\n\r\nThank you for the additional technical details many on here may not have been aware of. We've come a long way. I recall my '50 Chevy and '50 Buick being called \"Babbit Pounders\". Yes, we've had to pour nickle babbit and align-bore when rebuilding the engines for our '27 Chevy and '34 Buick - thankful for the skill taught by frinds and Old-timers who kept their early machine shops going. Of course we first tried removing shims to tighten a rod bearing with too much clearance - and one-upon-a-time on a cross country tour in the '27 Chevy Roadster in the middle of nowhere, we even used the concrete in a parking lot, and then a file, to \"adjust\" the size to tighten a piston rod bearing cap. It got us going again without destroying the crankshaft, and allowed us to make proper repairs later on. Old-time ingenuity? Or just listening to the old-timers?\r\n\r\nInteresting how different manufacturers use, or abuse a name - according to Hudson terminology, our 1915 Six-40, with 1-man top and sidecurtains is officially a 7-passenger Phaeton. Buick calls my '37 Roadmaster 4-door convertible with roll-up windows a Phaeton, and Packard calls my Series 733 7-passenger wwith side curtains and a rear glass windshield a Touring, while the 733 5-passenger with the same 320 ci engine and same 134-1/2\" wheelbase is a Phaeton. Is it really that different than Badge Engineering? \r\n\r\nAny way, this Buick will make somebody a serious driver-quality memory machine. Already having my unrestored 1937 Roadmaster Phaeton, and our '41 Cadillac convertible cabriolet (convertible), I guess I'm not a bidder, but in a way, I do envy whomever wins this auction. I think if it were painted Buick's Sequoiah Cream (pale soft yellow - like our Cadillac), my wife would be bidding. A dear friend of ours in the Cleveland area, known for his 1940/1941 Buick expertise, has a '40 Century exactly like that.\r\n\r\nThanks again @H_O_wheels for your comments.", "likes": 6, "timestamp": 1613624651, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5769165, "authorName": "H_O_wheels", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/h_o_wheels/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@MARTY_ROTH\r\n\r\nYour comment confirms what I suspected, that is, I wasn't telling you anything you didn't already know. Some of the B.A.T. regulars seem to appreciate the history and technical details provided in the comments, and they were more of the target for my comments. The 3 thumbs up seem to confirm that, and I'm happy to oblige. Certainly the COVID pandemic and our current extreme winter have made more time for authoring. \r\n\r\nWikipedia has a very good article on Babbitt. Link here. \r\n\r\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babbitt_(alloy)\r\n\r\n\r\nAs I previously stated, Babbitt has become the very generic term for poured bearings but in my mind it is more descriptive of an alloy with properties ideal for bearing loads. The linked article delves into more of the details. \r\n\r\nI was told many years ago by my mentor in the machine shop where I worked that Ford did not use the alloys developed by Babbitt, rather Ford developed their own alloy which they referred to as \"heavy pressure metal\". Google searches have so far failed to confirm.", "likes": 5, "timestamp": 1613654764, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5769349, "authorName": "hankbates", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/hankbates/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "In 1949 Buick went to insert rod bearings for both the 248 and 320 motors. Insert main bearings were used much earlier.", "likes": 3, "timestamp": 1613657755, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5772651, "authorName": "mikebutts", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/mikebutts/", "bidAmount": 35250, "content": "$35,250 bid placed by mikebutts", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613682781, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5784279, "authorName": "Jailorsurf", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/jailorsurf/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "I love the information and stories that are freely shared on BAT. Where else can we get info like this on-line? Wish I could bid on this beauty as I am pretty sure I could get that radio to play again. Alas, this mighty example of moving sculpture will hammer out over my head. GLWTA!", "likes": 2, "timestamp": 1613865644, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5785218, "authorName": "resipsa356", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/resipsa356/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "I love buying restored cars like this that only need the radio & clock to be fixed. I can handle that. Does the chrome center post just un-clip? This is a fine Buick.", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613922384, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5785242, "authorName": "harryclark", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/harryclark/", "bidAmount": 35500, "content": "$35,500 bid placed by harryclark", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613923261, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5785663, "authorName": "MGWrench", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/mgwrench/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Has anyone mentioned that the correct name for this body style is Convertible Sedan, not Sport Phaeton. Phaetons do not have roll-up windows, Convertible Sedans do.", "likes": 3, "timestamp": 1613933940, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5786089, "authorName": "Pstackhouse", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/pstackhouse/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@Jailorsurf in the late '60s my first car was my grandfather's 1950 Special - if I could get it running and back on the road. Even less than 20 years old the Buick was incredibly well engineered and assembled - but still all pre-war designs. So one of my biggest challenges was finding the correct tubes for the radio. In a very short time transistorized circuits had taken over the world and those formerly ubiquitous tube testing machines in stores had disappeared. So good luck to whoever takes this chore on along with keeping the leather seals in those knee action shocks in good order. I am love with this beautiful Buick - GLWTA", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1613946944, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5786391, "authorName": "Jailorsurf", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/jailorsurf/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@Pstackhouse We share the love of this car and old Buicks and maybe the tube radio sound and glow. Usually, the tubes are not that hard to find. The challenge is finding a decent solid state substitute to the vibrator ( which produces the required a/c voltage) and to find a decent schematic diagram so that you can diagnose and troubleshoot any wiring issues. You never know who worked on the radio before you. The electrolytic and paper capacitors need to be replaced and much of the time the wiring insulation has deteriorated and crumbled and the entire set needs to be rewired. Like any other car electrics, I suppose. Just on a more condensed scale.", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613957867, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5786484, "authorName": "Pstackhouse", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/pstackhouse/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@Jailorsurf - too bad we can't have this conversation off line. My grandfather's car didn't have a radio so I sourced one - along with lots of other Buick parts - from a local junk yard. The radio needed a full going over and luckily my father was an electronics expert - at the time converting IBM mainframes from tube to printed circuits. Even then those paper capacitors were problematic but his parts bin provided everything needed - including tubes. The heat from tube-type radios took a huge toll on the circuitry so even then we did some re-wiring. Those radios were monsters with lots of room to get inside with the soldering iron\n\nYes - I loved that car and the many hours working on it. Wish I had a place for this one. Great memories.", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1613961086, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5786605, "authorName": "300llc", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/300llc/", "bidAmount": 36500, "content": "$36,500 bid placed by 300llc", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1613966038, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5786820, "authorName": "dukemantee", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/dukemantee/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "\"used to have brown leather, not this hideous red...course 15 minutes to Wapner\"... Wonderful car, very rare bodystyle. For the record, I love the red interior and prefer it in any car I buy. If only it was a 25 year old pickup truck you'd have something valuable here. Just kidding. I have a horrible dry humour and bad sarcasm. But the car made me think of Rainman, and the high quality and the fact it's a convertible made me think of how mass produced trucks of the 1990s have eclipsed rare convertibles and sportscars in prices these days. It just seems weird to see everything I've been taught for 40 years, go up in smoke. Cheers good luck with the sale. It was very short time before a convertible sedan would not be available again at any price until 1961. We had a long wait. Then another long wait when Lincoln quit, then we lost all american convertibles for a time.", "likes": 3, "timestamp": 1613993463, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5786926, "authorName": "oldforgemotorcars (The Seller)", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/oldforgemotorcars/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@resipsa356 The \"B\" pillar easily pops right out.", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1614000758, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5788727, "authorName": "harryclark", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/harryclark/", "bidAmount": 36750, "content": "$36,750 bid placed by harryclark", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1614023020, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5788738, "authorName": "phieldbar", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/phieldbar/", "bidAmount": 37000, "content": "$37,000 bid placed by phieldbar", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1614023100, "type": "bat-bid"}, {"id": 5788764, "authorName": "Anonymous", "authorUrl": "", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Reserve not met on 2/22/21 at $37,000", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1614023220, "type": "bat-bid-reserve"}, {"id": 5788766, "authorName": "logixjock", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/logixjock/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Seriously though, wouldn't you really rather have a Buick?", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1614023224, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5791297, "authorName": "MARTY_ROTH", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/marty_roth/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "@MGWrench \u2013 while \u201cConvertible Sedan\u201d was commonly used as a generic term, as well as by some manufacturers, neither that, nor \u201cSport Phaeton\u201d were used in 1940 for this car.\r\n\r\nBuick\u2019s official name for this 1940 Model 61-C was \u201cCENTURY CONVERTIBLE PHAETON\u201d.\r\nOther than model designation, the same naming convention also held for Special, Roadmaster, and Limited Series Convertible Phaetons. Yes, a generic Phaeton may commonly have been a folding top car with no \u201cB\u201d pillar, and/or no roll-up windows, each manufacturer generally decided what to call their models. My 1937 Buick 80C is a Roadmaster Phaeton, a 4-door convertible with roll-up windows and removable upper \u201cB\u201d pillar. Yes, some generically call it a Convertible Sedan or even a Sport Phaeton \u2013 But Buick specifically used the term \u201cCONVERTIBLE PHAETON in 1940 (as well as in 1937), confirmed by \u201cGeorge H. Dammann\u201d in his book \u201cSeventy Years of Buick\u201d, revised edition, page # 188.", "likes": 1, "timestamp": 1614037155, "type": "comment"}, {"id": 5791562, "authorName": "MGWrench", "authorUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/member/mgwrench/", "bidAmount": 0, "content": "Thank You, Mr. Roth! I stand corrected.", "likes": 0, "timestamp": 1614041981, "type": "comment"}]