Dying for a ride: Jeff Knapp’s 1939 Buick Century exhibited at Vintage Automobile Collection | Area Information
The hearse’s most noticeable contributions to engineering are the fender-mounted rear transform signals. For causes Knapp can’t reveal, there are no front-mounted transform signals — only the rear signals. They’re controlled by a switch on the steering column.
“Maybe they have been just fearful of currently being rammed from at the rear of,” Knapp stated.
The in-line eight-cylinder motor is mated to a a few-velocity transmission with a shifter on the steering column. The Buick is solidly built, and its heft contributes to a smoother ride. But don’t hope a lot in the way of cornering. With all of that fat, coupled with the very long wheelbase, the Buick handles straightaways just fine, but it receives docked for weak cornering.
“The hearse rides like a lumber wagon,” Knapp reported.
The Buick is shod in interval-correct 8-ply Firestone blackwall tires. They glimpse very good on the hearse, but the tires really don’t inspire confidence when Knapp will take his Buick for a spin.
“They hold air, but I never go extremely far on them,” he said.
Knapp trailered the hearse to a auto present in Fast Town, South Dakota. He didn’t want to hazard a breakdown.
“Where are you heading to locate replacement pieces for a 1939 motor vehicle?” he claimed.
He paid $15,000-$16,000 for the hearse. He’s done pretty very little restoration, which pleases him since correcting previous cars can be like tossing cash into a hole. The Buick nevertheless has its initial paint, and there are blemishes and a couple rust spots, but people do not bother him so much.
