1908 Model 10 Buick

A beauty of a 1908 Model 10 Buick Owned by Sandy & Tom Pierce

For six months I kept noticing an ad for a 1908 Buick in Old Cars Weekly. The ad was only a phone number with no photo, so I looked up the Buick and thought it might be a great project, for someone who did not know much about Brass era cars. The car was still available when I called, so Sandy and I went to see it. It was located in Brockport, New York at the original dealership, that had sold it in 1908 (in those days, the dealer’s name is written in brass and attached to the car, as shown in the photo above… by Whiting). It was red and cute and shoved into a back corner of their garage. We wanted to see if it would start but water went right through the radiator and there was only an old rusty can for the gas tank.

We bought it and they transported it to our garage. I figured I could get the parts I needed from JC Whitney or NAPA. Boy was I in for a surprise! Over the next few years I took the car apart, glass blasted and numbered parts and primed them. John Layport built the radiator to exact Buick specs. The engine was rebuilt in Glens Falls. I took out the seats and found pieces of the original red leather upholstery and had the seats recovered in Water-bury by Patti and Phil Tomeny in the correct color. I had it painted the original Buick white by a friend and pinstriped by another. Sandy and I found running board covers and other parts at Chickasha and tires in Tennessee.

After about five years the car was back together and running. I was so proud of it and still am. Its fun to show because its so cute and stands out among all the big cars and the black cars and the newer cars. People love to talk about it and the Buicks in their family, and are always interested to know more about its history and car history in general. My jaws are happily tired from talking about my horseless carriage after a show.

Editor’s notes… A few days before the car show in Stowe a few of us heard how the Buick had not run for a while and that Tom wanted to take the Model 10 to the show. So, five of us piled into a pickup and headed south to Rochester to give Tom a hand… four enthusiastic theoretical mechanics and one real 100% mechanic (he is sitting on the running board in the picture to the left).

While “theories” were flying through Tom’s garage the real mechanic cleaned the buzz coil connections and made sure the plugs had a healthy spark. The carburetor was found to be loaded with a quarter inch of gunk, so that got cleaned out. Next, some gas was poured into the empty gas tank under the driver’s seat and a fresh battery was hooked up to make the buzz coils do their “buzz” sound.

All that was left was to turn the crank while the “theorists” advised the “cranker” where to place his thumb….. and the little Buick came to life. We did find the cone clutch was stuck but with some jockeying, we were able to get it loose.

We hope you saw the Model 10 Buick at the show in Stowe, it is a beauty!

The Buick Model 10 Specs…
Valve-in-head 4 cylinder engine, cast iron block, 165 cu. in., brake HP=22.5, S.A.E. HP= 34.2. Mechanical valve lifters, Schebler carbu-retor, W.B. 88 inches, tires are 30X3 inches. It has a planetary transmission, 2 for-ward, 1 reverse, cone clutch & shaft drive. The top was an option that cost $10.00. The new price was $900.00 and Buick produced 4002 Model 10s. The Model 10 was the most popular Buick in 1908. Information from “Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942”