ol' yeller
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Posts posted by ol' yeller
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Have to change my number to 14. Forgot the amazing '98 Regal GS. How did that happen?
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You are not going to negatively effect the value of a '65 Special by deviating from stock. They just aren't that desired by the collector crowd. That said I wouldn't swap out the 300 V8 if it is running well just because you can't get speed stuff. If you want to swap in something with more hair, then I'd go with a 455. I guarantee you won't be needing more HP than that and you keep a Buick all Buick. I didn't think you'd find Special interior stuff from the aftermarket as I stated in your earlier thread but the very available Skylark stuff will work just fine. As for bucket seats, if you want to go with original "65 buckets you have to weld the brackets on the floorpan on the inboard side of the seats.
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I've only owned 13. They range from several '64-65 Skylarks, to a couple of '69 Rivieras, to three 1990 Reattas. Sprinkle in a couple daily driver cars like a '76 Skylark Hatchback and an '86 Century 4 door and there you have it!
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I have been in touch with Kingsley. He no longer owns a Reatta so he was going to check the specs of the one he received from Spinning Wheel and then send it to Jim Finn for testing. I also ordered one from Spinning Wheel for a spare with the hope that it would work. It arrived a few days ago but I haven't had a minute to check it out and compare it to the factory one on my car. As the original one works fine now, I don't want to pull it off and replace it unless I have to. I patiently await the results from Jim and Kingsley. The replacement does have a sticker that says it has been charged to 1000 PSI.
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The 300 V8 is a wonderful engine. I have had several in my 64-65 Skylarks over the years, mostly the 4 barrel version. The 4 barrel factory engines also had different pistons than the 2 barrel versions. They were a slightly higher compression piston. Adding a 4 barrel manifold to a 2 barrel engine would still bring a good improvement.
A buddy and I took my '65 2 door hardtop (Ol Yeller) from Seattle to the National in Colorado Springs a few years ago. There was around 145K miles on the engine. I had the heads converted to hardened seats (for unleaded gas) and installed a new gasket kit as well as changing out the phoenelic gear on the timing chain. We did blow out the rear end in Twin Falls (due to a bad rebuild) but then ran all out from there to the National without stopping. She went at speeds over 70-80 for long stretches and even climbed a mountain pass at 11,000 feet without missing a beat. Overall she only used a couple quarts of oil on the entire trip. The trip home was more leisurely but uneventful. All this was on a long block that hadn't been touched in almost 50 years and had 145K on it! I have had similar results from other 300's I have owned over the years. I wouldn't be swapping it out unless it is bad. Mine also had a posi unit with 355 gearing which was well suited to the 300.
It is true that you can only find the 4 barrel manifold in 1965s. They aren't impossible to find yet and it really does wake up the small block V8. If you truly want to enjoy the '65 A Body experience, I'd spend your money on suspension upgrades. Rebuild the front end and install heavy duty front and rear anti sway bars. It would also be smart to replace all the rubber bushings in the suspension. It makes a huge difference in the handling. There are aftermarket upgrades available as well but I have little experience with them. My Skylark cornered like a slot car after I rebuilt the suspension, installed gas shocks, a close ratio steering box and the sway bars. I also upgraded to front disk brakes and a power assist booster as well as a double well master cylinder.
Yours appears to be a very nice car. Interior parts are available from Legendary Interiors for a very reasonable price and they make high quality stuff. You might have to change to a Skylark type upholstery as they didn't make Special upholstery many years ago when I redid my interior. Good luck with your new ride and welcome!
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The engine you have is actually a 300 CI V8. On the air cleaner it will say Wildcat 310 which is the torque rating of the engine. If it had a 4 barrel it would say Wildcat 355. The 4 speed makes it somewhat rare but not particularly valuable. In 1965 Buick debuted the Gran Sport in the A body which was their answer to the muscle car war. That is not to denigrate your car. A valuable rare car would be a Gran Sport convertible with the 4 speed. The 300 is a very respectable engine with plenty of get up and go. The Special is the lower end of the A body line so they typically don't have the upgrades that came with the Skylark. Most of the A body cars in 1965 came with the switch pitch 2 speed automatic transmission. If your car is a 2 door hardtop, it is generally more desirable than a 2 door post. Look for rust in the lower rear quarters, in the trunk floor, and around the front and rear windshields. Welcome to the forum!
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I may be wrong but isn't the current (2015) Buick Regal also an Opel? I wonder how it is doing in today's market. I was intrigued by it when it first came out as it had a manual 6 speed as an option but it seems that there are better cars available from other manufacturers in its price range.
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Hogs are known to be very vicious and aggressive.
And delicious!
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I think I'll just stay out of Jawga!
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Join a local chapter of either (or both) a Mustang or T-Bird club. Then volunteer to help older and experienced members with their cars. Not only will you gain the knowledge you seek but will gain some new friends as well.
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Sold on Ebay for $3,550. Probably the right price with the branded title.
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Of course the center caps are not plastic but covered with metal sheet. That's what I get for leaning on my faulty aging memory instead of getting off my duff and going out to the garage to look! Thanks.
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Harry, go to the last post in the above thread for the best advice. On a prior coupe with factory sunroof I discovered one of the rear drain tubes was pinched shut from the factory causing a leak. Just look in the 4 corners of the sunroof channel to find the drains. A quick shot of compressed air will tell you if you have a clog. Clearing the clog might be as easy as directing air into the drain or may require the removal of the headliner. My clog was inside the "B" pillar and took some disaasembly to get at it. I do NOT recommend sealing up the sunroof as a repair when the fix is not that difficult.
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I never did like the wheels on the '88-'90 Reattas. The 91's were a huge improvement. I have a question for those who have polished their '88-'90 factory wheels. How did you get the center caps to match. I know there is no way to polish plastic until it shines like chrome. I suspect you either had the center caps plastic chromed or found something else that was chrome that fit.
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I agree with Imperial62's comments above but I also find it strange if there is no process to evaluate the performance of our hired help in any position. There should be an annual review of the job duties assigned and how the contractor performed against previously identified measurements. It is not fair to the contractor to evaluate them prior to identifying what their expected job performance should be. If we as an organization have not identified these expectations, then we need to do that soon. This should include what the job requirements are and a method of how we measure success. If we find that the contractor is performing to expectations and we are happy with what we are paying them, then why throw everything upside down just to possible save a buck or two. It is like finding a new person to cut your hair when your old one doesn't do that anymore. Sometimes you have to endure a couple of bad haircuts before you find a good one. If you already have a good one, why go looking for something else? The big question is how do you know if you don't evaluate?
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They sound similar but I sold all my '65 stuff so I have to rely on my faulty memory. I seem to remember that '64 & '65 were the same. I don't know about '66. It is always cool to score some NOS parts but there is no NOS store. For the record, I have never seen NOS armrests advertised anywhere (ebay, Craigslist, Bugle, Google search, etc.) in the 20 plus years I have been actively interested in restoring '65 Skylarks. Given the need and the number of folks looking for them, if one should surface I expect a fast and furious bidding exercise. Finding two would be amazing. Good used is a much better prospect. I had better luck finding good used on the less used passenger side than ones that driver had been resting their elbow on for 49 years. They would fit either side in '65.
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Roger, I don't know about '66 but the '65 are pretty hard to come by. Someone did reproduce them for '65 but they were not real good quality and they only came in black. Your best option might be NOS (New Old Stock) or good used.
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I may know about this car. I think it belonged to a friend of mine in the Buick club several years ago. I'll check with him.
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Instead of us guessing what he wants for it or how much it is worth, it would be nice if he just follows the rules posted at the top of this forum and posted his price in his ad.
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According to the rules of posting in this forum you MUST post a price. Best offer doesn't cut it.
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You definitely have something out of whack (technical term) with respect to your top linkage. HydroElectric sells a very inexpensive guide to the Reatta top mechanism including adjustments to the top frame. I'd suggest you buy a copy. The very first time I tried to raise my top I had issues with interference but I was lifting from the bottom of the 5th bow. You need to lift from the 1st bow or the side rail. If you lift from the side rail, be careful not to pinch your hand in the top frame as it comes together! Ask me how I know. Now I can lift and lower my top with a smooth motion using one hand. I have found that once the top is down in the well, it helps save wear on the material if you lift and then lower the fifth bow onto the 2 landing pads and insure it is sitting on the weatherstripping rather than on the bent over top material. It also helps with top wear if you make sure that the top material isn't pinched in the top frame at the base of roof rear quarters (B pillars). I should make a video of lifting and storing the Reatta top but I can't do it and film at the same time. I also have a knowledge issue with how to post a video on this website.
I can't believe I am contradicting Padgett on something Reatta but the top mechanism should unfold as it comes out of the well exactly as Walter (WWS944) describes. The catch should hold the 5th bow at a 90 degree angle to the body when fully up so the tonneau can be closed, and then be released by the red handle on the driver's side. I think this catch is often broken by past owners who didn't know it existed and pulled the 5th bow down gorilla style. I also agree it is best to latch the pins first and then the clamps at the top of the windshield.
Here is a link http://www.ebay.com/itm/1990-1991-Buick-Reatta-Convertible-Body-Manual-/110708568446?pt=Motors_Manuals_Literature&hash=item19c6beb17e&vxp=mtr to an Ebay auction for the book. Hydro-E-Lectric's website for some reason doesn't list Reattas although I know they sell this book and also sell the fifth bow weatherstripping.
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He either can't spell or maybe can't read "Reatta" off the car. He thinks it is a '95. He calls it a Riviera in his description. He defaced the beautiful classic lines of the Reatta with 22"ers. The interior pic shows a cigarette pack so you know how the car smells. Finally the car's mileage is given within a 30,000 range! Yeah, this one's a keeper.
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Not to answer for the OP but I can identify. Some of us are just stupid enough (me included) to want to make their car as nice as it was when it rolled out of the factory. That means that even if we start with a "nice" car we will eventually be pulling things apart because they don't measure up to our standards. We spend well beyond what the car is worth as a labor of love rather than as an investment. Perfection is the goal and it is never attained. Once we start tossing our money into the pit, it snowballs until we either run out of disposable income or we come to our senses and sell the car (at a great loss). We are the guys you want to buy your next car from as we have spent the money getting things right. After some time is spent trying to sell at a high price to recoup some of our expenses, we relent and sell the car at market value or we keep it and enjoy the fruits of our labor. It is a sickness with no cure other than a long in-patient stay at the poor house.
My '90 vert is a good example. I have had it 3 years and it just turned 100K. There was a lot of deferred maintenance and cosmetic repairs that needed to be done. After sinking over $10 into it including purchase price over the last 3 years, it won a Gold Award at the Buick National in Portland this summer. Does anyone here think that a '90 vert with 100K is worth $10K? If so, please send me a PM! I am thinking about selling it in the spring when convertibles are most desired but I have to reconcile myself to whether I take a $4,000, a $5,000 or a $6,000 bath when that time comes. Even at the highest loss, I think it will be tough to sell. Please remember what I said earlier, It is a labor of love, not an investment...and a sickness.
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Get your parts from Jim Finn before they are buried for the winter!
Buy - Sell guidelines change
in Buick - General
Posted
The only reason why people don't put a price in their ads is because it is so high they fear it will discourage people from responding to the ad. I skip any ad that does not post a price for this reason. If you are that proud of what you are selling, then post your price and tell us why. It will weed out those who are not willing to pay what you want. Why waste time with people who can't/won't pay your asking price. This change is NOT one for the better. If you want to ask what something is worth, the Buy & Sell is not the right venue.