I am looking at a 1953 Skylark and have some question

[Dave Henneman]

I am looking at an unrestored 1953 Skylark. The tub and sheet metal all seem to be there and not too bad. I think it has at least a front seat. I haven't noticed the dashboard. I do however have three big body 1953 Buicks, and was just going to get your opinion of dashboard interchange, and what other parts would interchange with a regular Roadmaster. Also wondered if there was anything special they did to the engine, or if a standard four barrel 322 engine would work without taking too much originallity away. I am hoping to put the Skylark together with some parts from the Roadmaster. I know there are certain parts that are exclusively Skylark. I just wanted to get your opinion about what parts from the Roadmaster I could use on the Skylark. Thanks for your help. Regards from Colorado, Dave Henneman

[Pete Phillips]

1953 Roadmaster and Skylark engines are exactly the same.

[53buickconvert]

I have been working on my '53 Roadmaster for about seven years now on a complete restoration. From what I understand, many of the parts are interchangeable, but the exterior is different in that the way the windshield is laid back and the sides have been lowered on the Skylark compared to the Roadmaster. My parts car was a '53 Super which came in very handy when the reassembly time came in addition to the different hard to come by items I needed.

I have heard several times that over the past few years that Roadmasters have been used in the restorations of Skylarks, whether this is true or not, my observations have been that I have seen very few Roadmaster convertibles compared to the number of Skylarks.

I am will to help in any way I can with your project.

Tim

[billbuickgs]

 roadmaster that fit  53 Skylark -Front and rear bumpers and attaching parts, grille and mustache and ends, all drive train and frame, hood and trunk lid. dash etc

 The big difference is the front fenders, rear quarters, cut down doors and front seat top ,rear quarter inner body cur down, roof framing,

windshield ,

I never restored a 53 but owned 3 Skylarks  #11 , #756 or 757, and I think #1090 .They are the ultimate BUICK !!!!!!

Bill

[1953mack]

Good to hear about another 1953 Skylark survivor. I'll send you some info on the 1953-1954 Buick Owner's Registry.

 

Interchangeable items without any necessary modifications:

-  Front seat frame and cushion springs are similar (coiled springs vary) from Super and Roadmaster convertibles and two door hardtops. The back rest frame with springs are lower than all other Buick Models. There were differences in respect to hydraulic vs. manual controls and side panels (skirts). There was a recall for mostly the entire production run of these two-door seats with the 'Easy Entrance' feature.

-  Dashboard and gauges from all 1953 Supers and Roadmasters. The electric antenna was a Skylark-only item and the convertible top controls were the same for Super and Roadmaster convertibles. These two items were attached to the underside of the instrument panel's front lip. The DI-NOC transfer decal was installed only on Roadmasters  but the Silver Gray with White checks color was a Skylark-only color.

-  Major exterior sheet metal items include only the hood, the two front gravel deflectors, the trunk lid, and the three-piece rear gravel deflector.

 

Note that the later 1953 Buick V-8 322 ci engines had a harmonic balancer. Good luck.

 

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

Edited February 1, 2016 by 1953mack (see edit history)