I am very pleased to offer this beautifully restored 1949 Buick Super Convertible.  The car had an extensive restoration back in 2002 and presents very well today.  Car has tons of eye appeal.  Be sure to view the 72 pictures on this page and also be sure to follow the link to view approx. 72 more pictures.

Car has been driven 6027 +/- miles since it was restored in 2002.  





1949 Buick Super 56C Convertible

Vin # 25151270

Ownership History:

12/07 to current:  "MW", Byron, IL

2002 to 2007:  Bill Jasper, Anderson, CA

1997 to 2002:  Unknown owner, Red Bluff, CA

Prior to 1997:  Unknown

Believed to have been purchased from Howard Buick at 2140 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA in 1949.  Howard Buick was the only Buick Dealer in the state of CA in 1949 and the car is believed to have lived it’s entire life there.

Bill Jasper indicated that the prior owner had bought the car out of a warehouse in the Chino, CA where it had been in dry storage for many years.

As purchased in 2002 by Bill Jasper, the car was in the original grey paint with black top and red interior.  At that time the car was dusty but completely rust free, without body damage or repair and mostly complete.

In 2002, Jasper commenced a 6000 hour restoration:

The body was removed from the frame and the frame was sand blasted, primed and painted in gloss black.

The body of the car including the underside were completely rust free. The frame and body of the car are all metal- no rust repair and no filler were used.

The undercarriage was cleaned, prepped and painted black.

The body was completely disassembled, all interior, trim and glass removed and then prepped and painted in PPG acrylic enamel with hardener.  The paint color is color code 07 Sequoia Cream which was a correct color code for the 1949 Buick, though not the original color for this Buick.

All chrome on the car was re-chromed.  No pitting anywhere. All chrome is in beautiful condition, including the convertible top arms.

All stainless steel was reworked as needed by a noted specialist.  The stainless steel is perfect.

All glass is in excellent original condition with no cracks or discoloration, including the small back window with chrome surround.

During the restoration the speedometer and temperature gauges were rebuilt and fully functional  The ammeter is present in dash but not hooked up due to the 12v conversion but an aftermarket voltmeter is mounted discreetly underdash.  This was done to reduce the risk of a dash fire.

This Buick is essentially stock but a number of upgrades were completed during the restoration to make the car more drivable:

The car was converted from 6v to 12v.

Lighting was converted to 12v.

A Newport 2-speed wiper motor was installed in place of the 6v unit.

The 6v radio was removed and a modern CD player is installed in the glove box. A cover plate covers the hole. The original 6v radio does come with the car as well as an additional parts radio.  This could be used but would require a voltage stepper to take the 12v down to 6v or it could simply be installed for an original appearance.

There is now a push button starter button under dash as Jasper didn’t care for the original starter button that was activated by pushing the gas pedal all the way down to the floor.

Originally the car’s convertible top, four windows and front seat fore and aft adjustment were driven by a HydroLectric system with a pump mounted in the trunk.  During the restoration the windows and front seat were upgraded to electric motors.  The convertible top is still raised and lowered with the HydroLectric pump but the original corrosive hydraulic fluid has been replaced with non-corrosive atf fluid.  Windows, seat and power top all function flawlessly.

The floors, firewall, and trunk were all insulated with dynamat to reduce engine and road noise.

Mechanical upgrades include:

Larger 2.25” X 12” brakes from the Buick Roadmaster of the same period. This yields braking performance much superior the smaller Super units.

The rear differential is the 3.9:1 unit also from the Roadmaster of the same period and is much better for highway driving.

Voltage regulator has been deleted due to the 12v conversion and a 12v alternator installed.

The car had the starter re-built and a 12v solenoid mounted.
The car features a Pertronix solid state ignition module.

An electric fuel pump was added in addition to the mechanical fuel pump (as a back-up and also to help prime the carb when it hasn’t been driven is awhile.)

Wiring harness—a high quality aftermarket wiring harness and fuse panel were installed in the Buick during the restoration.  Both were sourced from Ron Francis Wiring.  The installation is clean and well organized and all electrics work.

Engine:

The engine is a 248 cu. in. Fireball I8. The engine was completely rebuilt in 2003. The rebuild included new pistons and internals but the original crank was in good condition, and was ground .010 and reused.

The engine was rebuilt with hardened valve seats to enable it to run on regular unleaded fuel.

The original Carter WCD  carburetor is in the car and was rebuilt.

The Dynaflow transmission was also gone through, seals and gaskets replaced, though is was otherwise found to be in fine condition.

The radiator was re-cored during restoration and maintains a consistent water temp of 180 degrees.

Driveability:

This Buick fires up immediately and runs smoothly.

When warmed up, the car runs right at 180 degrees with little variation.

The Dynaflow functions smoothly, though over 65 mph the car feels as though it’s running at pretty high rpms.  60 mph is very comfortable.

This is still a heavy car at 4000 lbs and 120 hp so not especially powerful by today’s standards.

It cruises beautifully down the road and is a comfortable ride for up to six people with its good seats and soft suspension.

Condition:

High points -

Completeness—I believe the only thing missing from the car is rubber cover for the foot operated emergency brake. Otherwise everything is correct and present on the car and is in excellent, serviceable condition.  Everything on the car works.

Chrome and Stainless—Simply beautiful and close to perfect.  Original “Bomb Sight” hood ornament and three “Venti-ports” on either fender are way cool.

Convertible top and frame structure—Tan Haartz Cloth in perfect condition.  Bows, and arms in gorgeous shape.

Interior—as original cloth upholstery with leather trim in Tan in near perfect condition.  New wool carpet set.

Body Condition—Original rust free California car.  Most of these cars rotted out after the HydroLectric system for the doors and top leaked corrosive hydraulic fluid into the rockers, sills and trunk.  This car is an honest survivor.

Needs -

I think the car could benefit from some paint correction from a professional detailer to bring out the shine.

The fuel filler door needs minor adjustment. It binds slightly along the top edge when opened and a chip in the paint has resulted.

There are two or three small chips in the paint along the inside edge of where the hood touches the front fenders.  This is a fairly common issue with these cars where the hood can be raised from either side of the car.

* To view extra pictures of this cars, click here

Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman starred in the 1988 movie "Rainman".  The classic Buick featured in that movie was a 1949 Roadmaster Convertible.  Not the same car but very similar in a similar color.  

* To view a picture of the Rainman Buick, click here

           

           

 

- A great '49 Buick Super in a great color combination

- Tons of money spent years ago on this restoration

I have not viewed or photographed this great Buick.  I am relying on the pictures and details provided to me by the seller.  I can tell based on numerous conversations with the owner that this car is in excellent/restored condition.

The owner invites and encourages any interested party to inspect this '49 Buick in Byron, IL. (near Rockford) and determine for yourself that this car is truly in excellent condition.  Seeing is really believing.  

Take advantage of proxy bidding: Don't loose the vehicle at the last minute! There have been many people who have lost bids in the past because they were not familiar with proxy bidding. When you bid, bid the maximum amount that you are willing to spend on the vehicle. Each time someone bids higher than your last bid, eBay will automatically increment your bid by the minimum bid amount until it reaches your maximum. Don't get stuck loosing a good deal! 

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This item or vehicle is being sold as is, where is with no warranty, expressed written or implied unless there is a warranty in effect from the factory. The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein, and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, imperfection, defect or damage. Any descriptions or representations are for identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected the vehicle, and to have satisfied himself or herself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgement solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects associated with this vehicle at the buyer's request prior to the close of sale. Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle or item. 

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