Can someone tell me the significance of the digit 255 (it may be 253) on the car stamp of a 1946 Buick Series 40 Sedan Model 46-194 (i.e. Color BLACK 255). Does the number relate to a specific color like Carlsbad Black or Nightshade Blue? Is there any way to determine if an engine in a 1946 Buick is original - we know that the build date is consistent with the build date of the car body.
Can you post a a picture of what you are talking about? I'm not sure if it is the car serial number, engine serial number, or the trim tag. I've attached a picture showing a 1946 Buick car serial number plate and trim tag, is this what you are asking about? The number 255 is not a U.S. built Buick paint or trim code for 1946. Also not sure what a model 46-194 is. Was the car assembled by Holden? There were only two Buick Series 40/Special models in 1946, models 41 and 46S. The Fisher body style number for model 41 was 4409 and for model 46S it was 4407. The Fisher body style numer is often preceded by the model year when stamped on the trim tag, so they would be 46-4407 and 46-4409.
As for the engine, the first year for numbers matching in Buick was 1957, so for 1956 and earlier the only way to know for certain the engine is original is a paperwork trial back to the orginal sale.
Sean Smith
BCA# 42746
MBCC# 2122
SAH# 4186
Buickman Award 2015
It appears that the vehicle was assembled in a GM Holden plant in Australia. I have attached 2 photos of info. In addition, the engine number is 4713119.
Is there an equivalent of a Team Buick in Australia? Any references to relevant Australian web sites would be appreciated. I shall continue with researching web sites.
There are several Buick clubs in Australia, you could try contacting one of them. You can find links to them on the Buick Club of America (BCA) website:
Scroll down towards the bottom to find the listing for OTHER CLUBS, there are four of them listed.
Car serial number and engine serial number decode as follows:
14506059
1 = built at Flint, MI (shipped to Australia for final assembly)
4506059 = sequential number, range for Flint was 4,364,445 to 4,524,130
4713119
4713119 = sequential number, range for 1946 was 4558037 to 4737739
For U.S. built Buicks, the series number was stamped at the end of the engine number, making the engine serial number 8 numbers long. So your engine number would be 47131194, where the last 4 = Series 40/Special. There might be a space between the rest of the engine serial number and the series digit. Does your engine have a series digit stamped after the rest of the engine serial number?
Sean Smith
BCA# 42746
MBCC# 2122
SAH# 4186
Buickman Award 2015
Thanks for the clarification on the number ranges. I did not know how far the engine numbers went to for 1946 models but I was aware of the body number range.
There does not appear to be a digit after the engine serial number. I have attached a photo for your information.
I'll check your supplied reference for other BUICK Clubs - Thanks.
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