Question for 1965 Buick folks

[teich]

Hi,

I've been charged with cleaning out an estate that includes 2 - 1965 Buick Skylarks and 1 - 1965 Buick 455 Wildcat. I am unsure if they run or when the last time they were run. I do know that 2 of the 3 have been sitting in a garage for at least 15 years. They look pretty complete as far as engines and body parts are concerned. Below are pics of the chassis tags from the firewall. I have researched the production numbers, styles and trims so i have all the basic info. Because of the very limited info, I'm not expecting an answer on value but if I could get an idea or two on how to start the process of selling and if I sell them as strictly parts cars what kind of number could I start at?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated

Thanks

[ols car dog]

Contact info 

where are the cars?

pictures please

[teich]

Milwaukee. I'll post the pics I have later tonight or tomorrow

[teich]

The 2 pics I have will not be any good to get an idea of the condition of the cars. We will have to clear out the garage in order to pull them out and record some proper detail. It may be a week or more before I can get back there to do that.

[ol' yeller]

OK, I guess we'll wait...

 

Things that would effect value.  Body style, 2 door vs 4 door vs convertible.  Rust, rear quarters, chassis, trunk and around rear window.  Which engine is actually in the car not just by the data plate.  condition of chrome and pot metal parts and options like bucket seats, air, power windows, floor shift, tach, console and PS and or PB.   Overall completeness.  

 

As it stands right now, you're asking how high is up.

 

Edited April 26, 2018 by ol' yeller (see edit history)

[Frank DuVal]

Body style easy:

 

44437 is a 1965 2 door hardtop Skylark. V-8

 

44469 is a Skylark 4 door sedan. V-8

 

46667 is a Wildcat convertible, v-8

[Rusty_OToole]

Not enough information to go on. But it may be best to sell them as is with just a wash job. You might hire a mechanic to get them running but that would cost a lot of money and you might not get it back. Sell them at a low price and let the buyer worry about the rest.

 

If I was in charge of the estate I would probably wash them and take some pictures and sell them as is with no further work or expense. I say this after 50 years of working on old cars and knowing how much it can cost to get one mobile, and how easy it is for an amateur to do damage.

 

Incidentally do not throw away any old jacks, parts, owners manuals, repair manuals, spare keys etc they should go with the car. It may not mean anything to you but the buyer will be pleased to see the stuff and may be more inclined to buy .

[teich]

Thanks for the response Rusty. I did find a bunch of keys and it looks like there are several car parts loose inside the vehicles and in the garage. I'll go with your advise and wash them and then take pics of everything that looks like it belongs to the specific car. The real key may be whether I can find titles.

 

I appreciate your time 

[Rusty_OToole]

O yes titles are important. If they are lost or mislaid apply for replacements at once. You can do this where a buyer couldn't and it has a big effect on salability and price.

 

Don't throw away any odd bits of metal or plastic even if they don't look like car parts. Leave them in the car, or maybe put everything in a box in the trunk. Owner's manual in the glove compartment. If you have a repair manual that is a very nice thing to have for a buyer.

[Pontiac59]

Some states a title is irrelevant. 

[Curti]

2 hours ago, Pontiac59 said:

Some states a title is irrelevant. 

They are relevant in Wisconsin,the cars are in Milwaukee.

[sean1997]

Car #1

The sticker on the air cleaner probably says Wildcat 445 and not Wildcat 455.  This indicates that the engine has 445 lb-ft of torque, making the engine a 401 c.i. nailhead rather than the Wildcat 465 or Super Wildcat which both had 465 lb-ft of torque and were 425 c.i.

GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION     
03D     
ST 65-46667 FB 161752 BODY 
TR 677 R1 * PAINT 
W-2LR-5KW
BODY BY FISHER     
     
03D = body build date = March (03) 1965, fourth week (D)     
     
ST = style     
65 = 1965 model year     
     
46667 = Fisher body style number     
4 = Buick     
66 = Wildcat Custom     
67 = 2-door convertible     
     
FB = body built at Flint, MI     
161752 = sequential body number, no relation to VIN     
     
TR = trim     
Trim 677 = Red Vinyl with Bucket-Type Front Seats, available on style 46667
     
Paint code R = solid Flame Red      
1 = White convertible top     
* = unknown, but only found on 1962-1966 tags from Flint, MI built cars     
     
Option codes:     
Group 1
W = Tinted windshield     

 

Group 2
L = 4-spd manual transmission     
R = Rear seat speaker     

 

Group 5
K = Door Edge Guards     
W = Seat Belts With Retractor     

 

 

 

Car #2

GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION       
04A       
ST 65-44469 KAN 3430 BODY   
TR 131 C-C  PAINT   
E 2KXPR 3H 4F 5W
BODY BY FISHER       
       
04A = body build date = April (04) 1965, first week (A)       
       
ST = style       
65 = 1965 model year       
       
44469 = Fisher body style number       
4 = Buick       
44 = Skylark V8       
69 = 4-door thin pillar sedan       
       
KAN = body built at Kansas City, MO       
3430 = sequential body number
       
TR = trim       
Trim 131 = Blue Cloth and Vinyl, available on styles 44337, 44369, 44437, 44469       
       
Paint code CC = solid Arctic White       
       
Option codes:       
Group 1
E = Tinted glass (all windows)       

 

Group 2
K = Air Conditioner       
X = ST-300 auto trans        
P = Back-up Lights       
R = Rear seat speaker       

 

Group 3
H = Belt reveal, wheelhouse  opening molding       

 

Group 4
F = Remote controlled outside driver's mirror        

 

Group 5
W = Seat Belts With Retractor       

 

 

 

Car #3

GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION    
01C    
ST 65-44437 FB 89968 BODY
TR 138 CC * PAINT
W-2XP-3H-4F-5W
BODY BY FISHER    
    
01C = body build date = January (01) 1965, third week (C)    
    
ST = style    
65 = 1965 model year    
    
44437 = Fisher body style number    
4 = Buick    
44 = Skylark V8    
37 = 2-door hardtop sport coupe    
    
FB = body built at Flint, MI    
89968 = sequential body number, no relation to VIN    
    
TR = trim    
Trim 138 = Black Cloth and Vinyl, available on styles 44337, 44369, 44437, 44469    
    
Paint code CC = solid Arctic White    
* = unknown, but only found on 1962-1966 tags from Flint, MI built cars    
    
Option codes:    
Group 1
W = Tinted windshield    

 

Group 2
X = ST-300 auto trans     
P = Back-up Lights    

 

Group 3
H = Belt reveal, wheelhouse  opening molding     

 

Group 4
F = Remote controlled outside driver's mirror     

 

Group 5
W = Seat Belts With Retractor    

[Thriller]

Thanks Sean. My den is a mess so finding anything to help would be tough. 

 

I don't know the Skylarks as well, but you have something there with a four-speed Wildcat convertible. I would expect a stronger demand for that car. The Skylark hardtop is likely to draw more attention than the thin pillar coupe. Being a smaller car, some folks prefer that. I know the GS got the 401 engine (labelled as a 400 ci). I think there may have been a smaller V8 for the others. 

 

Cleaning up the cars and bringing parts and such together is good advice. For the protection of the executor you may want to look at getting an appraisal locally. 

 

Good luck. 

 

[Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel]

Hi Teich!  I am more that interested in the red Wildcat.     Please contact me if you are interested in selling.  Thank you, 

Ted

[teich]

Great info sean1997. Thanks much for putting that together. I had already found a lot of that on a quick search of the body tag but little nuggets like the group options and such.

 

We will hopefully start getting into the cars this weekend.

 

Thanks again. I appreciate the time spent

[teich]

Will do Wildcat65. 

 

We will hopefully start getting into the cars this weekend.

[TxBuicks]

Wow, a 4-speed 1965 Wildcat Convertible.  And don't discount the Skylarks, either.  All are nice finds.  I hope they go to good homes for restoration.

[teich]

Thanks for the note TxBuicks. Just had a guy who is familiar with the cars from years ago offer $3,500 for the lot of cars and parts. Seems really low to me.

[cjp69]

50 minutes ago, teich said:

Thanks for the note TxBuicks. Just had a guy who is familiar with the cars from years ago offer $3,500 for the lot of cars and parts. Seems really low to me.

  Seems too low to me as well, I wouldn't be in any rush to take it. 

[SBRMD]

Following with interest....

 

especially the Skylark sedan.

Edited May 1, 2018 by SBRMD (see edit history)

[RivNut]

On 5/1/2018 at 8:54 AM, teich said:

Thanks for the note TxBuicks. Just had a guy who is familiar with the cars from years ago offer $3,500 for the lot of cars and parts. Seems really low to me.

Really, REALLY, low.  Have you looked for comps yet?  If not, it might  be worth your time.

[51dyno]

You have to remember they are Wi. cars that have been sitting idle for 15 years . Many times people think they are sitting on Gold when it might not even reach silver .

 

[teich]

I took more pics and will have them up tonight or tomorrow am

 

Thanks 

[teich]

We did not get to the garage clean out as expected. There was just too much to do in the house and we only had manpower for a limited time. I was able to take a few pics of all 3 cars but did not get to the cleanup part and did not attempt to move them. We also took 3 boxes of paperwork home still looking for titles. Found misc. parts in the house as well.

 

Thanks Tim

[ol' yeller]

Wow!  I know nothing about Wildcats so I'll leave that to someone else, but I gotta say a 4 speed convertible is pretty rare.

 

Your 4 door Skylark is probably not worth much as it it appears to be very rusty.  That said, it does have factory AC.  If it is all there, that alone might be worth some bucks.  Also if it has a 4 barrel carb, the carb and manifold are worth money too.  If the taillights and center emblem are not too pitted, they too are hard to find in good condition.  Those items may make this car interesting to someone as a parts car.

 

The 2 door hardtop seems to be a better car.  It appears to be a Skylark that someone added a Gran Sport grille emblem to.  Your best bet may be to package the 2 cars together which I surmise is what the prior owner had in mind, have 2, make 1.  You're not going to get rich off these 2 but you should get enough to make it worthwhile for your efforts.  Of course it will be a tough sale without titles.  Missing those will hit the value severely.   Good luck!

[Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel]

The more I look, the more Wildcat parts I see- tail panel & grill in the rafters, tail light in a box,

oil pan, rocker cover and trans cover in the back of the shop, fender trim in the back seat of the Skylark- treasure hunt for sure.

Tim- did you find the seats?  I'm digging the lightweight rig. 

[teich]

Thanks for the time you took to reply. ol' yeller. Finding the titles is our top priority now

[teich]

Ted,

 

I may have the seats in my sights. I'll let you know

 

Tim

[RivNut]

The photo of the engine in the Wildcat shows that someone has added some non 65 parts to it.  The air cleaner was part of the 66 Riviera Gran Sport package - chrome plated pancake shaped with a single snorkel.  That air cleaner was designed to fit the Rochester Quadrajet, which has a larger air horn than the 65s Carter AFB or Rochester 4GC - either of which would have been standard on a 65.  In 65, the finned aluminum rockers came only on the Super Wildcat (dual four barrel carbs) engine, BUT were part of the 66 Gran Sport option.  If it has the Q-jet air cleaner, I wonder if it also has the 66 Q-jet carb and rare Q-jet manifold for the nailhead.  66 only, Riviera only.  (The factory did out fit a few of the 400 cid Buick GS's with this carb setup for NHRA purposes though.) Big Q-jet and a four speed might add up to a lot of fun.

[Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel]

I was thinking it may be from a 65/66 GS chrome package, but your theory is also plausible.  Nice find either way.

[wildcat1562]

On 4/25/2018 at 3:14 PM, teich said:

Hi,

I've been charged with cleaning out an estate that includes 2 - 1965 Buick Skylarks and 1 - 1965 Buick 455 Wildcat. I am unsure if they run or when the last time they were run. I do know that 2 of the 3 have been sitting in a garage for at least 15 years. They look pretty complete as far as engines and body parts are concerned. Below are pics of the chassis tags from the firewall. I have researched the production numbers, styles and trims so i have all the basic info. Because of the very limited info, I'm not expecting an answer on value but if I could get an idea or two on how to start the process of selling and if I sell them as strictly parts cars what kind of number could I start at?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

 

 

 

Hi Teich

i live 50 miles north of milwakee

Ted told me to contact you

give me a call so i can come down and look at the cars

thanks

Greg Hildebrand

920-893-0629

ghildebrand@wi.rr.com

 

 

[wildcat1562]

On 5/8/2018 at 4:38 PM, teich said:

Thanks for the time you took to reply. ol' yeller. Finding the titles is our top priority now

Hi Teich

i live 50 miles north of milwakee

Ted told me to contact you

give me a call so i can come down and look at the cars

thanks

Greg Hildebrand

920-893-0629

ghildebrand@wi.rr.com

[bhclark]

So.....whatever happened to these Buicks?

[Mario Nocito]

I have a 1965 buick skylark 2dr ht v8 300 and I am looking for doors and rear quarter panels can anyone help.  thanks nocitoma@hotmail.com

[Loren@65GS.com]

Doors are fairly easy to come by as both hardtop and convertible used the same doors. Also '64 and '65 doors interchange. There is a small difference between the doors in the way the outside lock cylinder is secured.

Quarter panels on the other hand, not so easy and the panels available on the aftermarket are ok, at best. With some massaging the aftermarket panel will work to repair the usual rust area.

 

  Good luck on your hunt,

  Loren