I found a 1923 series 120 model 28-48 coupe in a barn not far from me and I know nothing about Buicks. Are they hard to get parts and info on? It ran 25 years ago and turns over, appears to be a very complete car, altho the interior has been taken apart. Any idea on how to value it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Dennis
Terry Horlick had a '28 cp. He's been distracted lately being a proud new grandfather, so I'll pm him to answer you.
The Buick Club of America can probably give you some opinions. There's an active pre-war section. I'm not in it because my Buick is pre-an-earlier-war.
I have and have had a number of friends with Buicks from the '10s and '20s. They are good cars. Nothing else has parts availability like model T and model A Fords. But Buicks are pretty good.
They are great cars with good support in both national and local clubs.
Value? Not really high for a car that needs much work. The most important thing is "how solid is the wood frame body"??? A '23 coupe needing restoration could be worth anywhere from under $2000 to almost $6000 for one worth preserving unrestored. Nice original cars may be worth somewhat more than that.
I would love to see photos of the car.
Good luck!
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Dennis,
If it's a 28-48, that implies that it's also a 1928, not a 1923 model. Also, never heard of "series 120" mentioned with Buicks. That sounds more like a Packard designation, but I may be wrong there.
You'll get a lot of help here;
http://forums.aaca.org/f165/
Here's something from the AACA forum
Robert,
What year model does the information you posted cover?
1926 brochure
The 120 is the wheel base. The other numbers don't line up with 1923 those numbers would be 4 or 6 followed by a two digit number. A 6-48 could be a 4 passenger coupe 1924, 25, 26. Looks like they used "120" from 1927 1929.
Quick search; American Car Spotter's Guide 1920 to 1939 by Tad Burness
WOW, That didn't take long to get lots of responses, Thanks. Jerry you were right, I googled 23-48 and I found more info on this car. I actually found pictures of this car and the same questions that I was asking. While reading the info I realized that it was my brother in law that was asking the questions, he looked at this car 3 years ago. After reading the info that Robert posted I knew that it had to be pre 1926 because it only has rear brakes. I am going to try to post pictures (we will see if it works)
After an hour and a half of trying I give up for now. I will try again later. Dennis
Let's try this again.
Wow, that's a great find, hopefully the price is reasonable and you'll be able to snap it up!
Looks like a 1923 4 passenger, still has the old style shell on the radiator. 6 cylinder with
non-detachable head. New top, interior, tires and check the mechanical bits and I would drive as is.
Nice!
Be very careful with that engine. If the water pump or distributor is bound up (often happens when an engine sits a while), you can/will strip the timing gear teeth by cranking the engine over. These gears are HARD to find and $$$$ if you do.
Don't ask me how I know this. . . .
Also, the combustion chamber is larger than the bore--if you have the crank out and let the piston go too high in the bore, the top ring will pop out of it's groove, and then you are in REAL trouble, the solution usually requiring a new piston.(That one didn't happen to me, but to an acquaintance.)
T'
David D.
Okay, I LIKE that one!
Good luck! (And heed David D)
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Very nice! I bet that will be a strong runner. Good luck,
Rob
Nice!!!!!!!!!!!
Wait why would you need a new piston if the top ring came out? Does the cylinderhead not come off?
No it does not.
That was excellent advice about making sure the water pump is free as the timing gear is hard to come by. Treat the dist cap and rotor with care as they can be hard to locate too.
The gears at the bottom of the steering column ARE being reproduced, and if the Delco combination switch has a glass face then many of the parts for rebuilding it are available.
I'll be happy to sell you a spare headgasket
Bill
Dennis Here are my parents in front The 1921 Buick my girlfriend and I bought This summer. It's a 1921 6 cly. It have proven to be a very powerful and smooth riding tour car. We love it! If you were looking to upgrade from a T a Buick would be a great choice.