ol' yeller

Marty, Reatta convertibles didn't come with a hard top. There are some pictures floating of an aftermarket hardtop I think was made by ASC but no one has owned up to actually seeing one. Bill, an ad without a price is like a cake without icing. I won't pursue ads without pricing because I assume that the seller is asking too much and doesn't think I woill notice. It is a nice car but the advice about selling prices is a good one. Reattas typically don't command high prices and less so if they are higher mileage or have problems. The headlight fix is cheap and easy, you would be well advised to get it done rather than discount your price because of it. Good luck with your sale but POST YOUR PRICE!

Is this website now charging by the word for car ads? If you really want to sell your car you need to be more specific in your ad. Where is it, is a good starter. The form sticky at the start of this thread is another. What are the car's issues? If you can't do pictures then your option is the thousand words.

The front brake lines should be the same. Also the ones on the rear axle should be the same as well. The only one that might not be the same is the one that runs from front to back. I'm pretty sure the wheelbase is the same on a 2 door as a 4 door but I don't have access to a FSM to be sure. If the wheelbase is the same, then you shouldn't have an issue. The attachment is in the same locations all the way back to the junction block on the rear axle. I highly recommend changing to a dual reservoir for safety. It is easy to do and parts are readily available. If you do that, you will need to get the front lines for a 67 or newer Special/Skylark as they had the dual setup.

Is this car for sale? Where is it located and how much are you asking for it? You're not providing much to go on here.

$4,000 for that car is crazy low. If the rear quarters and floors are in good shape (no rust or damage) it is easily worth well over $10,000. It isn't just a '65 Skylark convertible, it is a '65 Gran Sport convertible. It is a very rare car. Among Buick and the smaller Buick GS population this is a very desirable car. It isn't as valuable as other muscle cars like an SS 396 Chevelle despite being more expensive when new and a much better car overall, go figure. If there is rust, then the price would drop accordingly. The problem is that nobody makes exterior body panels for this model like they do for Chevelles or Mustangs. That raises restoration costs above the return. After all I think the car is in Massachusetts which has its share of rusty cars. If you weren't so far away from me, I'd be a player. Don't modify or dump it. You have something that is very desirable to a select group of folks.

Seems to be missing a firewall...

Price? Location?

The Insurance issue is real. It is not an issue IF you can afford the premiums, it is a question of what they will pay if the car is totaled. Regular auto insurance will "cover" the car but seriously devalue it when paying out a claim. You will likely discover that a minor fender bender could give them cause to total your car and pay you peanuts. Yes there is agreed value (or stated value) policies available but most (if not all) require you to have another vehicle to commute in or seriously limit how many miles one can drive. They also have an age limitation and won't insure drivers under the age of 25. I think the OP is 16 or 17. If that all is of no issue to you, then go ahead and enjoy your car.

This would be for a 1963 or earlier Skylark/Special. In 1964 the V8 offered in A body was a cast Iron 300 V8 with aluminum heads and intake.

You asked for the best way, not the cheapest way. Bondo over a rust hole is a temporary fix at best. It never lasts for very long. It doesn't cost that much to do a repair correctly and you learn a new skill along the way.

Best way to get rid of rust spot is to replace the fender. I don't know how hard they are to find. It appears to be in a place where new metal could be welded in or find a donor fender that is good there and cut and weld a patch panel. The unknown is how much rust damage is in the fender supports and cowl. You won't know until you remove the fender.

That is a pretty car, great color too! Good luck!

It is cable operated. Where I am confused is the OP seems to be saying he has both a non tilt and tilt switch installed. There is no way I know of to install the non tilt switch into a tilt column. On a non tilt column, the switch is installed in the column at the top of the column attached directly to the turn signal lever. On a tilt, the switch is installed at the base of the column externally. There is a cable that runs down inside the column from the top to the bottom which activates the switch depending upon the position of the turn signal handle. It is attached on the top to a metal plate to which is attached to the turn signal lever that when moved it also moves the cable. You are correct about how the tilt switch operates. It is also on a slider with a spring that allows for the switch to be properly positioned when the wheel is put into any tilt position. The procedure for the adjustment in in the FSM. Going from memory it requires a bent paper clip to hold the switch while the screws that hold the switch to the column are adjusted properly. If not adjusted properly, the brake lights will not light when the brake is depressed on one side. The switch turns off the power from the brake light switch and then lights the (same) bulbs from the flasher.

I had to sell my Reatta convertible a couple of years ago in order to buy a handicap van for my wife. I still come here almost daily to see what's going on and offer whatever advice I have knowledge of. I too am amazed at the following the Reatta has enjoyed on this website. All 3 I have owned were great cars that I kept on the road with the help from the folks here. My health has deteriorated over the last year and I don't know how much longer I will be able to contribute here but I will until I just can't. Ronnie is aces in my book.

AH rust. I've owned vehicles that when I had to brake hard, I worried that the chassis would stop but the body would keep on going.

I'm not sure if they are the same as my experience is with Skylarks. With those you'd need the correct pigtail for the switch to work. At one point I considered making my own adapter using push on connectors but then I found a pigtail. The switches are very different between tilt and non tilt. With the tilt, the switch is mounted at the base of the column. There is also a detailed procedure to follow to adjust the switch so it operates correctly. I believe the procedure is in the service manual.

Instead of a 3 on a tree that would be 56 on a tree!

I don't care who you are, that's there's funny!

Can't sell it if we don't know your price.

Sorry, but '73 was the first year of the curved windshields on the super beetles. I agree that the one pictured in the OP is a '72. I have owned '65, 71, 74, 99 and 2004 Beetles. I also have owned a '71 Ghia and '71 Squareback. My '74 Super Beetle was the only one I bought new. It was a special edition SunBug. Every one of them were great cars, giving good performance with great economy as well as being super reliable. My '74 was the best of the bunch

Wire transfers are very safe. However not all financial institutions will do them. I recently sold my RV to a person who was financing it through his Credit Union. They refused to do a wire transfer, even for a transaction fee. They claimed that $40,000 was to little for them to use that transfer method.

Glad you got it resolved!

I left a lot of skin and blood behind the dash in my '69 when I restored it. I think I had it out 4 times before I got everything to work the way it should.

Nothing wrong with what you are doing but I feel compelled to point out that the 4 barrel engines from the factory also came with higher compression pistons. I don't believe that in '66 you could get a 300 4 barrel. If you wanted a 4 barrel, you got the 340. The 4 barrel manifolds on the '64 300's were made of aluminum and don't match up with the cast iron heads on a '65 manifold. That means you are looking for a 1 year only manifold. They are getting pretty scarce and therefore expensive. The good news is that the 300 was used in A body and B body cars in '65.

My last Reatta was one of the 1990 Great Race pace cars. It was bought from a dealer in SoCal by the original owner and shipped up here to the Great Northwet. I purchased it several years ago. The original owner had kept the pace car decals and passed them onto me. I had one mounted on a display board for when I showed the car. The car had no other markings or special stuff that wasn't on any other white, 1990 convertible with a garnet interior. It was remarkably well kept and at 100K miles it won a Gold Award at the Portland National. I then sold the car to good friend who still has the car. I'd be happy to share any further info if desired. While the Pace Car history made for a good story about the car, I never felt like it added anything to the value of the car.