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1963 Wildcat conv. 4-speed


Pete Phillips

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Guest stoptheclunkerbillnow!

Hi Pete,

A friend here in town has a 63 Wildcat 2 dr HT parts car. It had an automatic. The body is pretty ruined but there may be a useable piece or two. Also I have a lead on a 63 LeSabre 4 door parts car. If there are any pieces you are still seeking, let me know and I'll take a look at what he has.

Cheers,

Tim Stangohr -Newton, KS

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  • 3 months later...
Guest BEN FRANKLIN

Pete. I just found a beautiful 63 Wildcat conv 4 speed 401 block and numbers match,red with a white top.

Tach on the dash,console and maybe for sale. 35,000 miles on her and sitting for 15 years in a garage.

What is this thing worth? Anybody.

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  • 9 months later...

Hi Pete. I don't know how rare the '63 Wildcat Convertible 4 speed was in production numbers but I remember back in 1971 when I was 16 years old in Arvada, Colorado and bought my first car - a 1962 Olds Starfire Convertible, I had a friend buy a 1963 Wildcat Convertible after I got my Starfire. His was car had the orginal paint and it was sort of a Brownish Rust color on the exterior. In 1971, it was in very good orginal stock condition. Had the factory Buick sport wheels. It had a factory 4 speed in a console with the factory Buick tach on the console too. As I remember, I think he claimed his car had a 425 cu. in. engine. I have read some posts which indicate that the largest stock engine available in the '63 Wildcat was the 401 cu. in. but I know he said his car had the 425. We would always argue about who had the nicest car then. We would race our cars against each other some and as I remember they were both ran about the same side by side. The '63 Wildcat is a nice looking car but I still believe my '62 Olds Starfire which was White outside and had the two tone red leather interior with the 394 cu. in. engine and the Automatic transmission is the nicest looking GM Convertible they ever made!!!! Boy I wish I still had my '62 Olds Starfire Convertible!!! I remember riding in my friend's '63 Wildcat Convertible and it was a wonderful car!! Good luck restoring your Wildcat Convertible!!

Bill P. in OKC

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  • 4 months later...

Hey Pete,

I have just read through this entire thread and I just want to let you know that you have inspired me to do the right thing with my car.

I have a 1964 Buick Electra convertible and the floor is pretty much the same as your was. I was lucky enough to find another 1964 Buick electra convertible with minor rust damage in the floor. My initial intention was to use the body from my parts car on my frame and repair the minor damage. Being that my project car is one my dad bought new and is a numbers matching 425 dual quad car, It didn't really sit well with me to replace the whole body. Your story and pics have shown me that it's not impossible to use the floor out of my parts car only and retain the original car and heritage.

Would you have any advice or tips for me as I start on this?

Do you have any more pics of the floor replacement?

Thanks,

Larry

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Larry,

Find a welding shop that is not too busy to work on it until it is done, rather than one that will work on it only when other jobs are not coming in. That was my first mistake and why it sat at the first welding shop for over two years. Now the same thing is happening with the paint & body work. Get new rubber body mount pads and replace them before putting body back onto chassis.

Pete Phillips

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I will be doing all the welding myself so I will only be able to hold myself accountable :-)

I do plan on using new body bushings and bolts.

I see you have bracing in the door ways. Is this something you did or did the welding shop do it?

Were there any problems lining up doors etc when the welding was done?

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Bracing the door openings is critical to keep everything aligned when the body comes off the frame, and when rusty floors and rocker panels are removed and new ones welded in. In a convertible you don't have the rigid roof to keep things together, so the bracing is very necessary. The welding shop did that, as it was beyond my level of expertise, so I can't offer any more hints than that. The doors line up quite well now, thank goodness.

Pete

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Pete! My white 65 4-speed is so close to paint - all rust fixed, all blocking done, it is to the point of the shop bolting on the core support, fenders, hood, doors, decklid, then spray, sand, buff. jams and so forth are already in color, and it looks like it will be awesome. Al's Hot Rod Barn is getting er done-

one of his latest paint jobs was on a 87 Grand National; that car got best paint last weekend at a local show...and the Wildcat is looking even better than the black car. Pictures soon. :D

Any progress on the 63 Wildcat?

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  • 1 year later...

Finally, FINALLY some progress to report on this '63 Wildcat conv. 4-speed. A few months ago, I liberated the car from the paint & body shop that had it for over a year and did nothing but prime the trunk lid and hood. I found a place in Leonard, Texas where I should have taken it from the beginning. These guys are master metal workers and fabricators, and they had all of the previous welding fixed, smoothed over, and doors and trunk properly lined up within a few weeks. Last week, the car was primed and sanded; Thursday I bought the Arctic white paint & reducer; Friday they painted the car! I'll get some photos on Monday and post them here. It has been a long, long road for the resurrection of this rusty but rare Wildcat, and this week it will be back in my shop and under my care for putting it all back together. Hooray!

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Leonard, Texas

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. . . . . Yes, the were only 30 63 Wildcat 4 speeds, 18 4 Door hardtops, 6 coupes, and 6 Convertibles . . . . .

Could this be one of the 6 convertibles?

I took this pic at GM's Centennial Parade on Saginaw Street in Flint, Michigan in 2008, and remember talking to the owner. He mentioned it was one of a very low production model, but can't remember all the other details since my main interest is 1953-1954 Buick Skylarks. Can't tell you if he was at the 2008 Buick Nationals in Flint (I would assume) or a resident of Michigan.

Maybe somebody can fill in the details. I thought the colour was cool. :cool:

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

post-41556-143139228403_thumb.jpg

Edited by 1953mack (see edit history)
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
I just brought the chassis home this afternoon from being powder coated in semi-gloss black. Will try to attach photos.

Pete Phillips

BCA #7338

This chassis looks like chassis black paint to me and not powder coated as powder coating requires heat to temps of 400*F to activate the thermal catalyst. Then that same 400* temp has to be maintained for several minutes to allow the powder to cure. No powder coater would ever do a complete chassis because all the bushings in the control arms would be going up in flames as well as the differential lube and wheel cylinders, springs would be sagging. I am not trying to rank just hope you didn't get taken. Good Lick with your project.

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More photos as it goes back together. Due to the new floor pan, I need to cut a hole for the gear shift lever. I laid the four-speed shifter plate there for inspiration.

If anyone has a spare hood lip molding, mine has disappeared.

I know other early 60's GM vehicles equipped with 4-speed use a extension panel to cover up the hole in the floor board. Then the shift plate attaches to that (see pic.) This is the one used in 61-64 full size Chevrolet. The second pic is the one in my Bel Air and it was modified on the back side as it needed to be moved back 3" to accomodate the transmission I am using. If you do not have one for your car I would bet this one would fit perfect and make a much cleaner install. You can buy it new here. www.show-cars.com - 60, 4 speed transmission in 0001

Looking at your early pics before the floor boards were removed it looks like there was a extension panel under the carpet.

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post-82368-143139272582_thumb.jpg

post-82368-143139272585_thumb.jpg

Edited by 421-6speed (see edit history)
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Kenneth Ferguson

I was at the Centennial Parade, and I live in Flint, and it is a '63 Wildcat 4 speed, convertible. You're right...the color is cool :).

~Wildcat Ken

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Looking good Pete! Nice to see such care for such a beauty.

I'm not sure what your mounts looks like for the 4-speed, but I did a quick search and it looks like Steele Rubber (www.steelerubber.com - Automotive rubber parts and weatherstripping for restoration cars, trucks and street rods.) offers 3 transmission mounts for 1963. This one is off the shelf, and lists it is for the Wildcat. If this isn't your little guy, I bet they could revulcanize your old mount.

Hope that helps & Merry Christmas!

Anderson

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[TD]Transmission mount, rear. 1 required per vehicle.

  • 1963 Electra, Invicta, LeSabre, Wildcat
    1964-72 Electra, Invicta, LeSabre, Wildcat, Century, Gran Sport, Regal, Sklark, Special, & Sportswagon
    1973: Century, Gran Sport, Regal, Skylark, Special, Sportswagon, & Apollo
    1974 Apollo & Skylark

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70-2058-25.....$ 32.50/ea.[/TD]

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Pete,

I bought one for my 65 Wildcat 4 speed. I have a 63 Wildcat coupe 4-speed with full console and a 65 Wildcat custom convertible 4-speed I bought from the original owner this summer. I ran into the same issues finding 4 speed parts as the catalogs don't show them. So I looked up corvette parts and ordered the trans mount and reverse light switch. Just make sure it's for a t-10 4 speed. The mount is an exact match, easy to get and at a low cost. I got #29835 or # 1JA5901E both numbers show on the package. It lists it as manual trans mount 63-81. I just looked up one for a 1980 Corvette from NAPA ( part# BK 6201024) and they stock it for $10. I have a repair shop in Seattle and we work on vintage vehicles often. Some jobs as you know takes longer to find a part then do the repair.

Cant wait to see it done!

Merry Christmas, Steve Fisher

Edited by superbuick (see edit history)
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Guest Kenneth Ferguson

Have been searching for your transmission mount, if you still need one. Have located a new 4spd. transmission mount for a '64 Wildcat. I think, and so does my source, that they are the same. Would have to order, but I can provide you with info and an email picture of said part. Let me know if I can help.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Still plugging along on the '63 Wildcat conv. 4-speed. Here's the 425 engine, repainted in proper silver color (425-only color in the full-size cars) and almost ready to go back into the car. Have had a lot of trouble trying to get the 4-speed transmission and the U-joint to fit under the new floor pan/transmission tunnel. Granted, the replacement floor pan was from a 2-dr. hardtop with automatic transmission, but could there have been THAT much difference in floor pans? Got so frustrated, that I finally cut out the top of the transmission tunnel in the replacement floor pan, and will have to take it to a welding shop now to get greater clearance fabricated. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

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