Jump to content

1963 Wildcat conv. 4-speed


Pete Phillips

Recommended Posts

  • 3 weeks later...

Here's the latest progress on the 4-speed Wildcat conv. I guess you can call it progress--it looks like it is getting worse and worse! Engine and front clip, doors, and trunk lid were pulled out over the weekend in preparation for pulling the body off the frame. This project is getting more and more involved...!

Pete Phillips

post-33059-143137964029_thumb.jpg

post-33059-143137964035_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest DaveCorbin

For all of you following Pete's adventure:

I have been Pete's partner on this one since the "git-go". We just finished 2 weekends of stripping our convertible and our parts car and I've got a 30 foot trailer full of 63 Wildcat parts, all tagged, bagged and labeled as to what they are and which car they're from. I'm trying hard to deserve the sign which my chapter buddies gave me after they toured my garage, which reads " A clean garage is a sign of a sick mind! "

However, this is the part that all of you will hate me for. As many of you recommended, we fund a solid rust free 63 WC coupe from California in Colorado. When it arrived here in Texas, we all had serious reservations about what we were about to do. It had been stripped of most of it's interior, but a very solid car with another 425 will cause you heartburn over a decision to cut it to pieces. However, my argument was "Hey, we went looking for a solid parts car and we need the parts. The convertible is worth the PAIN!"

All of us reluctantly agreed. By the end of this week, the coupe will be a stripped bare (no engine or transmission in it) chassis, and our body guy will have cut the floors, the trunk pan, the edge around the trunk lid out of it, leaving only a shattered hulk.

A hard and sad decision for all of us.

The good news is that the covertible will be like new again, after we clean and restore all the parts we need.

We have a long way to go, but we're well underway. The body comes off next week into the rotisserie frame.

Regards, Dave Corbin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest DaveCorbin

Dear Joe (BamaWildcat):

It's only time and money! The three partners have several hundred hours of labor and some considerable $$$$ that we're investing in this historically significant vehicle.

Regards, Dave Corbin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Gentlemen, please! Allow me to say <span style="font-size: 17pt"><span style="color: #009900"><span style="font-weight: bold">THANK YOU </span></span></span>for what you're doing. That car is already priceless. It will be a real motivation to me see how you tackle some of these issues. And while I hope I can see that car someday when it is done, I hope you continue to document your work as you go along.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest DaveCorbin

To all on this thread:

We're trying to trace the prior owners of this vehicle. We bought it in Connecticut, where it had been for about 15 years. The previous owner's son told us he thought his dad bought it in Maine and it may have started out in Michigan. Does ANYONE remember the car anywhere? 1963 Buick Wildcat convertible, white with a black top, 4 speed. Unseen, but on the car when it was built, is a 425 engine and Positraction, both confirmed by appropriate data plates to be original to the car.

ANY LEAD, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

Regards, Dave Corbin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Dave,

I've been successful in getting vehicle history from two states. I would venture to say with a little time, you could have good results as well. The main stumbling point is a law passed in 1996 called the DPPA, which is a privacy act. You can still get old owner's names, you just have to agree not to re-disclose them, and pay fees, but many DMVs will just stop you at the DPPA because they don't know any better.

You can write to both the Connecticut DMV, Maine DMV, and Michigan DMV and request forms for a vehicle history searcha and they should be able to get the ball rolling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest DaveCorbin

Dear Joe:

I'm way ahead of you and have already exhausted those leads.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Regards, Dave Corbin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
Guest chriswildcat

Dave/Pete:

Saw the pics of your Wildcat rust problem & I had to post some pics of my 63 Wildcat conv. with the same problem. I did eventually get it all repaired.

Christopher

scan0021-1.jpg

scan0015_0001.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

There's not much more to tell. The welding / body shop hasn't touched it in several months. The owner's primary business is welding for oil rigs and he says he is too busy with that line of work to do anything to the car. We are getting impatient with him, but he says it will slow down after a while and he'll be able to separate the body from the chassis. After that, we plan on going back to the shop and strip the chassis down for sandblasting and painting. At the same time, he will work on the body.

The engine is in the process of being torn down so we can detail and repaint it. At this time we have no plans to rebuild it because it was running fine and there's not that many miles on it. We have confirmed the carburator on the car is the correct number for a 425 High Performance engine with a standard shift transmission. It still has the original tag on it, which matches the number stamped on the base. So that's more validation to the authenticity of the vehicle.

The transmission has been rebuilt and ready to go back in. The transmission shop specializes in racing transmissions and told us he was very impressed with our transmission. He said it was a very rare heavy duty transmission and was excited to help us.

We appreciate everyone's interest. I personally find it encouraging and motivating.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Roy,

The oil and gas business is booming I don't need to tell you that - I sure hope your guy can get to it, it looks like energy will be hot for several more years

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
Guest DaveCorbin

Dear Bryan and all:

As you know, with oil prices falling like a stone, our guy ran out of oil well work a couple of weeks ago. It's been full speed ahead ever since after getting nothing done for about 8 months.

Today Pete and I picked up the completely sand-blasted chassis for paint and detail work. Three day ago I picked up the transmission, new bearings all around, new synchro rings, 1 new shifter fork, and a new rear seal. Roy's working on detailing the engine, I'm cleaning and storing parts, Pete's got the chassis.

Body is braced up and off, cutting the last patch panels out of the parts car body. Pete took some pictures, which I think he will post for all to see.

I think we're all the way to the bottom of all the problems, and it's starting to go back uphill.

Regards, Dave Corbin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The rear-most cross member was rusted out badly and a previous owner added or "piggy-backed" a new frame piece over it, which is much stronger than the original. We decided to leave it alone, as the repair is very solid and is in a spot that is virtually impossible to see when the body and rear bumper are in place. The rest of the car's frame is amazingly solid and rust-free.

The next steps are to reattach the exhaust system, shock absorbers & brake lines, the 4-speed transmission, drive shaft, and the cleaned and repainted engine as soon as it is ready.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

1949 Super Estate Wagon

1950 Roadmaster 2-dr. hardtop

1963 Wildcat 4-speed 425 conv.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was powder-coated pretty much as one unit. I removed brake lines & brake hoses, shock absorbers, and taped over all of the rubber bushings. The powder coating place put the whole chassis on a stand, and rotated it around while they sprayed it. Most of the grease in the rear end ran out through the little overflow tube on top, when they did that. So, I've got to remember to refill the rear end. They told me that this chassis is so heavy that they had to construct a couple of reinforcements onto their stand!

This is the first body-off-the-frame that I've ever done, so I'm already a little worried about getting everything back together properly. I didn't want to take the chassis apart any further than I had to.

Pete

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Guest Skyking

Pete, usually they sand blast parts before powder coating. Aren't you afraid sand particles & chemicals got into your ball joints and other major components? That's something I'd be worried about in the future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Well, today was a big day in the second life of the '63 Wildcat. After 2-1/2 years, two different welding shops, and several thousand dollars' worth of welding & body panel replacement, I towed the '63 4-speed convertible back home today. The body is back on the frame, new trunk floor, rocker panels, & passenger cabin floor are in place and SOLID, and the clean-up and reassembly are about ready to begin. We still have some minor body work and seam sealing to do. The second welding shop did more in seven weeks than the first one did in 2-1/2 years. If anyone needs a lot of welding done, I can recommend a good shop in Honey Grove, Texas! I will try to add photos.

Any one need a rust-free 1963 2-dr. hardtop Wildcat frame that rolls?

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Sherman, Texas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest 63grandprix

I see the 63 wilcat 2 door hard tops here in CALIFORNIA all the time I sell parts for the cars but no one ever wants the body parts for some reason I can send you some pictures of them sitting in the junk yard this week.. and you can tell me what you need... Good Luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...