1951 Buick Special

The Craigslist ad caught my eye as I was checking it for old cars in general and Buicks in particular.

“Relocation forces sale of this beautiful '51 Buick. Much work and love put into this vehicle which was restored in the desert of California and has been in the family (and in the garage!) since '92. “


That was not much information to go on but as the price seemed reasonable I called and was told someone was coming to look at the car that day. I couldn’t get out there until later in the week so I figured the Buick would be long gone, however when I called back I found the starter had malfunctioned so the car was still available.

I made arrangements to see the car the next morning and did a map quest search of the address which told me it was 61 miles away with a driving time of just over an hour. Early the next morning I headed out and 2 ½ hours later finally reached the home. Map quest is normally very good but in this case it directed me through several accidents and lots of construction. Thinking this was a bad omen I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Buick for the first time.

The car had been repainted the factory Verde Green with Old Ivory top some time in the past; the upholstery was in excellent condition and although it was not done in the correct material the original pattern was followed so it looked great. I checked the car over for obvious rust in the rockers, fenders, bottom of the doors, and floor and all I could find was a small spot in the right front floor. The brake pedal felt good and although the starter was bad it had a standard shift so I rocked it a little in gear and the engine fan turned freely so I knew the engine was not stuck.

The couple who owned the car said it had been fixed up to be her daily driver but was set aside when the clutch started to slip and first gear developed a click due to a chipped tooth. The car still had California plates that expired in 2005 but they started it up and drove it around the block 2 or three times a month to keep it exercised.

They looked like an honest couple and even included another transmission they had purchased to replace the one with the chipped tooth so I purchased the car and made arrangements to have my favorite towing company pick it up for me.

After working on the car and seeing the problems the owner had trying to solve the small things that were wrong with it I think it may have been fixed up by her father who knew what he was doing and then she got married and her husband was not mechanically inclined. With the addition of 2 kids a mini van worked better for her and another relocation sealed the fate of her well loved old car.

When the car arrived at my work location it was raining so I wanted to drive it to my garage where I could fix the starter in a dry area. I also wanted to see how the engine sounded so I hooked a chain to the back of a friend’s pickup and the engine fired in just a few feet. To my surprise the engine sounded smooth and quiet with no smoke or other unpleasant sound effects. On the drive to the garage the transmission didn’t sound bad although I could tell there was a chip out of low gear and the clutch seemed to hold fairly well.

During the previous restoration the car had been converted to 12 volts however the starter was still 6 volt. I had the parts to change it over to 12 volt but since the armature was in excellent condition along with both bushings I elected to just purchase a new solenoid and a set of brushes. With the starter repaired the engine caught with very few of the rapid spins that result when feeding 12 volts to a 6 volt starter.

Now that the car was able to be driven an evaluation drive was in order but as the fuel gauge registered empty I headed straight for the nearest gas station. When the pump shut off at just over three gallons I tried to feed it slowly, only to realize that it was full. One of the items in the box of spare parts was the gauge unit for the tank so I think they may have changed that for a 12 volt unit so I will try my 12 volt dash unit from my 53 Buick to see if that works. I will also need to install the defroster and heater motors from the 53’s spare parts supply along with the radio I had rebuilt for the 53.

All lights on the outside of the car worked except the back-up lights including turn signals and brake lights but the interior light was missing its bulb and fuse. Checking for draw at the fuse showed a dead short so that will need some looking into. The cigar lighter worked instantly letting me know it still contained a 6 volt element. I tried the horn with no response until I took the button apart and adjusted the contact strip. What a loud sound you get when driving 6 volt horns with 12 volts but I don’t know how long they will last before burning out.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning and sorting and am quite pleased with the results. The paint has just enough wear to appear original to the casual observer and from 10 feet away is show quality.

I replaced the defroster motor and it works great but now I need to find the right size hose for the duct from the defroster to the heater box as well as the duct to the left side of the windshield. When I installed the fuse that was missing for the defroster motor the under- seat heater started to run. I thought about leaving it 6 volt as it really turned high RPM’s, but changed it out for the 12 volt unit I had rebuilt from my 53 Buick. Both motors work well so I need to install new heater hoses to finish the job. The old hose connections were blocked off when the new water pump was installed, probably couldn’t remove the fittings from the old pump, so I need to find two of those first.

One of the things the previous owner had replaced was the generator and voltage regulator but I noticed there was no charge indicated so tested the system and found the generator was not putting out any voltage. I removed the obviously new generator and took it apart for inspection and found a broken brush spring. One new brush spring later the generator works fine and even though it still has the old oil cups on it the bearings were converted to the sealed type so it should last the life of the car.

With the 12 volt radio installed and working well you can barely hear the clicking from the transmission so I think I will fix all the small items before tackling that job.