1940 Buick 51 Super
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Owning and driving a prewar car had been a dream of mine for many years. After learning the ropes of auto repair on my own with other vehicles, I felt ready to find a prewar project car to work on rather than buying one all running and complete.
In late 2017, I noticed a 1940 Buick Super 8 posted on the Austin, Texas Craigslist and researched the car to learn that Buicks were uniquely differentiated from other brands with their legendary straight-8 engines that had been in production for decades from the 1930s to 1950s. The previous owner struggled to sell the Buick due to unrealistic asking price expectations and lack of a title, but eventually after an entire year we came to an agreement on price on the condition that I also purchase a 1953 Rover P4 75 that was sitting in the driveway next to the Buick. The Rover set me off on a 2 year tangent learning how to do a frame off restoration from 2018 to 2020. Then I finally got around to restoring the Buick that I wanted to do in the first place in 2020.
Above are photos of the 1940 Buick 51 Super Eight 4-door sedan in old Downtown Pflugerville, Texas in front of the Prost Alehouse, taken after restoration completed in November 2023. Below is what the Buick originally looked like when first purchased in January 2018 before restoration.
Restoration Diary
The following 3 videos provide an overview of the 4 year restoration progress from January 2020 to November 2023.
2018 01 - Initial condition
2020 10 - Tear down part 1
2021 01 - Tear down part 2
2021 02 - Front suspension rebuild
2021 03 - Frame repair and repaint
2021 08 - Rear axle reseal and repaint
2021 08 - Frame and suspension reassembly
2021 11 - Engine clean up and repaint
2021 12 - Engine reinstallation and start up
2022 01 - Body undercarriage and firewall work
2022 06 - First good test drive!
2022 08 - Fuel tank repair
2022 09 - Fender sandblasting and body work
2022 10 - First test drive on street
2022 10-12 - Remaining body work and prep for paint
2023 03-06 - Paint shop!
2023 07 - Body reassembly
2023 08 - Upholstery
2023 09 - Woodgraining dash and window trim
2023 11 - Finished car!