The Beginning
This 1934 Buick Model 56S is number 822 of only 1,150 built and has remained in the same family since new. The car was originally purchased ninety years ago in San Francisco by Charlie Klingensmith, where he worked as a locomotive engineer. The car was used sparingly for many years, with Mr. Klingensmith electing to drive it only on Sundays.
Charlie moved his family and the Buick to Oregon in the early 1950’s, and eventually sold the car to his twenty-four-year-old nephew – one Frederick Davis. Two years later Fred decided the ol’ straight eight needed a little attention and the head was separated from the block. As is so often the case, life intervened, the head was never reinstalled, and the Buick was eventually towed to Fred’s newly purchased home in 1962. The car was safely nestled into the new garage, and there it would remain, in an inadvertent hibernation, for the next six decades.
In early 2022, Brad Davis, Fredrick’s son, inherited the car from his father. On February 3rd of 2022, Brad pushed the Buick out of his father’s garage and into the sunlight for the first time in sixty years.
Brad had been hearing stories about, daydreaming of, and scooching past the Buick his entire life, and he couldn’t stand the thought of the car being hidden away any longer. He fully understood that there was a unique value in the Buick’s originality, but he also knew he wanted to drive the car, as well.
Restoring the car’s go and whoa were at the top of Brad’s priority list, and that’s when he reached out to Darryl here at Schroeder Speed & Custom. Brad and Darryl bounced ideas back and forth until they settled on a basic strategy – maintain the original look and feel of the ol’ Buick, but update the drivetrain, chassis, and brakes in a sensible way as to maximize the car’s comfort, usability, and reliability on the road.
Build
The heavy lifting began with stripping the sheet metal off the front of the car and running a measuring tape through its paces. A custom Art Morrison front clip designed to incorporate rack-and-pinion steering and coil-overs was ordered up, and then the dirty work began.
The chassis was liberated from the body and stripped bare, sandblasted, and prepped for surgery. The Art Morrison front clip was then grafted into place and the chassis reinforced and strengthened. The rear end was then updated to a Ford 9” suspended by a custom four-bar that is supervised by the same Strange coil-overs as those mounted up front.
Once all the cutting and welding was buttoned up, the chassis was sent out for powder coating. Upon its return, the chassis was reassembled, brake lines were plumbed, and new white-walls were mounted on the original wheels.
Engine
When discussions turned to the Buick’s drivetrain, Brad was initially considering completing the straight eight rebuild that his father had begun way back in 1959, but that plan was fraught with unexpected complexity. The realities of rebuilding the original straight eight, the prospective long-term maintenance, and the day-to-day drivability of that engine soon had Brad considering other options.
That’s when Darryl suggested running a Nailhead instead. A Nailhead, Darryl proposed, would remain true to the Buick’s heritage, make usable, reliable power when updated with EFI, and provide a unique appeal all its own.
Brad agreed, and a 401 Buick Nailhead and Turbo 400 were sourced from a 1965 Buick Riveria. The engine was then detailed and upfitted with Holley’s Terminator FX fuel-injection, and now exhales through a set of Patriot headers and a Schroeder-built stainless steel exhaust system.
The Rest
The Buick’s body remains all original, right down to the dual side-mount spares, with only one 1950’s repaint separating us from its “as delivered” appearance. Chrome was polished and cracked lenses were replaced, and then attention was turned to the interior.
The cockpit was stripped bare and all electrical components and wiring were replaced or updated with modern componentry. The original gauges were loving restored before being reinstalled into the unmolested original dash. The wooden window frames were refurbished, the seat reupholstered, and new carpet fitted over the original wooden floor. All of which contributes to a comfortable, original presentation.
Brad and Darryl debuted the car at the Portland Roadster Show this past summer, and now Brad is beginning to roll on a few miles as the weather permits. He’s managed to organize the old photos, get the Buick back on the road, and has begun writing the car’s next chapter – one we can only hope will be full of motion, and not just memories.
Disassembly
Chassis
Reassembly
Hand-built exhaust
