JamesR Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 2000 miles according to the owner. Seems plausible, though there is some pitting on the radiator fan blades and the alternator housing, but I guess that could be from the mere passage of time if the storage was less than ideal. The current owner says he has owned it for 9 years and bought it from the original owner when it had 1300 miles on it. It is very clean, but doesn't look like it's been primped or polished up. I'm guessing it's pretty original. He says he has the original tires and wheels for it. I didn't put it in the Buick section because my intent wasn't to promote a sale, but to let you guys see what might be the optimum scenario in original low mile cars. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-Buick-Wildcat/303256909759?hash=item469b8537bf:g:-bsAAOSws9tdMI2J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Novak Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Could be plausible but wounder about the 2 previous owners not driving it because they did not like it? Also, doubt that it is exactly 2000 miles. even 20,000 miles would be too few miles to not be sure of. I think engines need to be run to keep them oiled and I wouldn't buy it unless I wanted to not drive it, have the rubber bushings, belts and hoses, among other things survived? I'd negotiate a lower cost then what they want and sit back to see if they come down before going further. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locomobile Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 (edited) This happens, my ex Father in law got some bug to buy a corvette after he retired, he bought it and then realized how difficult it was to get in and out of and all around impractical for a 70 year old guy to be driving, it sat for close to 20 years with less than a thousand miles on it. It was an early 80's model (less desirable as I understand it), but it still sold for quite a bit out of his estate. -Ron Edited August 21, 2019 by Locomobile (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 17 minutes ago, Doug Novak said: Could be plausible but wounder about the 2 previous owners not driving it because they did not like it? Also, doubt that it is exactly 2000 miles. even 20,000 miles would be too few miles to not be sure of. I think engines need to be run to keep them oiled and I wouldn't buy it unless I wanted to not drive it, have the rubber bushings, belts and hoses, among other things survived? I'd negotiate a lower cost then what they want and sit back to see if they come down before going further. It has 2019 miles. It’s all in the advertisement. Many questions are answered by reading it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 This reminds me of my '69 Impala that I purchased in 2004. It was advertised as a original, 4900 mile vehicle. Two owner vehicle that was located in Audubon, Mn. The individual that was selling it , purchased it from the estate of the second owner... the car just sat in storage and he was just going to flip it. It still has the service sticker in the door jam from 1980 with just over 1000 miles listed ... the original dealership that sold the vehicle did the service on it. Seems crazy how a vehicle just sat, and it's just a Plain Jane vehicle. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wetherbee Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 A kid I knew in high school had a 68 Vette Roadster with extremely low miles. It had been bought new in the early summer after a graduation and driven about 2000 miles before the young guy went into Vietnam. The parents wouldn’t sell it as it was a last, and very precious memory of their son. In the early 80’s when they decided to move south it was given to the teenager next door who helped cut grass and do odd jobs for them, but from what I remember, every engine seal and all the brake lines cylinders etc. needed replacement before he could drive it. It took him quite a while but it was at school on the last day of our senior year. This isn’t an urban legend to me as I was there, and helped work on it a few times but even now I still can’t believe his luck... So, as for the Wildcat, it could be that it’s had an odometer “fixed” to make it appear low mileage but the lack of wear on the front seat and drivers side of the carpet makes me think it’s very likely a low mileage car. Those things can’t be faked easily. Sometimes it is what it is... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted August 22, 2019 Author Share Posted August 22, 2019 18 hours ago, STEVE POLLARD said: This reminds me of my '69 Impala that I purchased in 2004. It was advertised as a original, 4900 mile vehicle. Two owner vehicle that was located in Audubon, Mn. The individual that was selling it , purchased it from the estate of the second owner... the car just sat in storage and he was just going to flip it. It still has the service sticker in the door jam from 1980 with just over 1000 miles listed ... the original dealership that sold the vehicle did the service on it. Seems crazy how a vehicle just sat, and it's just a Plain Jane vehicle. Steve I'm really loving that Impala, Steve. Would it be possible to post more pics of it? How many miles does it have now? I mentioned that I had a '66, but my dad bought a slightly used '69 four door in either '69 or '70. I remember the purchase year because we bought it from a student teacher in my 6th grade class. I always thought the '69 full size Chevy had a very modern look to it. I still do. The only thing my dad complained about with the car was the grille. Up to that time grilles on most cars were metal. The plastic grille seemed very futuristic to us at the time, but over time it cracked and he didn't like that. I'm guessing it's hard to find intact original grilles? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 (edited) Thanks James. It has just over 7000 miles now... yes, those grills can crack easy now, due to the age, but original ones are out there...My parents purchased a new 1969 Impala Sport Sedan from the local Chevrolet Dealership in the fall of '69. I was with them when Mom picked it out..... parked all the way in the back of the lot since the '70's were out front. They paid $3000 cash for it...lol Dover White exterior, Black interior and a Black vinyl top.... no a/c.... I can't tell you how hot that car was during the summer months ! The picture I posted above was at the Hemmings Motor News New England Concours d'Elegance in Stratton Mountain, Vermont in 2010... It was runner up in the Preservation category.... Some pictures: Edited August 22, 2019 by STEVE POLLARD (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 more... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plymouthcranbrook Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 I bought my 1980 Plymouth Volare with 8400 miles on it in 2007. Changed the rubber parts, shocks and flat spotted tires. Been driving it ever since. Now about 30,000 miles on it. No issues from the lack of use. Spent most of it’s life in a heated garage in Cincinnati. In fact I drove it home to north of Chicago. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted August 23, 2019 Author Share Posted August 23, 2019 Beautiful Chevy...both in condition and styling. Congrats on the show success. Here's a Chevy question: I believe Chevy made both a 350 and a 327 in '69. Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 I know a guy who bought two or three cars just like this but with actually no miles. They came out of a closed/deceased dealers collection and I’m not sure if they were ever titled. All were black with that shiny blue metallic looking vinyl interior. I believe it was two Buick’s and one pontiac. I saw them in person and they were virtually new. You opened the door and there was even plastic still in places. Early seventies cars, both two and four doors. Can’t remember the models and specifics but they were all time capsules. They are out there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 8 hours ago, JamesR said: I believe Chevy made both a 350 and a 327 in '69. Why? Good question ! I've had four '69 Impala's at one time, three were 327 and 427.... maybe a member here will chime in with specifics on this. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 Super nice car Steve and it was runner up in preservation?......... what the heck was first, your car looks like new, it had to be close! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 (edited) Thanks ! The winner was a 1973 Chevrolet Vega GT... it was beautiful, still had it's original tires on it I believe... you can see it in this photo. Edited August 24, 2019 by STEVE POLLARD (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 The Wildcat listing has ended.... so I'm guessing it didn't sell, unless it sold outside of ebay ? Nice Buick ! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 Listed again....price lowered ...... On 8/21/2019 at 5:49 PM, JamesR said: 2000 miles according to the owner. Seems plausible, though there is some pitting on the radiator fan blades and the alternator housing, but I guess that could be from the mere passage of time if the storage was less than ideal. The current owner says he has owned it for 9 years and bought it from the original owner when it had 1300 miles on it. It is very clean, but doesn't look like it's been primped or polished up. I'm guessing it's pretty original. He says he has the original tires and wheels for it. I didn't put it in the Buick section because my intent wasn't to promote a sale, but to let you guys see what might be the optimum scenario in original low mile cars. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-Buick-Wildcat/303309405595?hash=item469ea63d9b:g:-bsAAOSws9tdMI2J 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Smolinski Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 On 8/21/2019 at 6:19 PM, 39BuickEight said: Many questions are answered by reading it. When all else fails, read the directions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 Late to this parade but can see why a woman would not like it, looks like close to zero options. May be missing something but do not even see a power steering pump (not sure what that is on far lower side of the engine shot) much less an AC compressor, may have been just too hard to drive. As to the Chev 350 it was introed on the 67 SS Camaro and was a disaster, crank oiling issues. In '68 they increased both the crank bearing size and went to four bolt mains so the '68 327 is prized for its bottom end strength but all of the failures in the 67 poisoned it a bit. Same thing happened with the 70 Pontiac 455. Meanwhile back at Chev it's purpose was to get the sans coulottes to buy the SS-350 (295hp rated) and not the Z28 302 (290 hp rated). In the late 60's Chevrolet and Pontiac both used massive derating to keep the really good engines for the real racers. e.g. the top 'vette engine then was the 435 hp rated tripower while the single quad L-88 was derated to 430hp so only those who knew what it was went for the L-88. Back in the day, one sign that an engine/drivetrain was something special was the legend "NA with C60" - not available with air conditioner. In 1978 I had to put 25%, $1000 down to ordfer a car to be delivered in south Florida that was NA with C60. Won a lot of autocrosses with that Sunbird. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Smolinski Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 10 hours ago, padgett said: Late to this parade but can see why a woman would not like it, looks like close to zero options. May be missing something but do not even see a power steering pump (not sure what that is on far lower side of the engine shot) much less an AC compressor, may have been just too hard to drive. As to the Chev 350 it was introed on the 67 SS Camaro and was a disaster, crank oiling issues. In '68 they increased both the crank bearing size and went to four bolt mains so the '68 327 is prized for its bottom end strength but all of the failures in the 67 poisoned it a bit. Same thing happened with the 70 Pontiac 455. Meanwhile back at Chev it's purpose was to get the sans coulottes to buy the SS-350 (295hp rated) and not the Z28 302 (290 hp rated). In the late 60's Chevrolet and Pontiac both used massive derating to keep the really good engines for the real racers. e.g. the top 'vette engine then was the 435 hp rated tripower while the single quad L-88 was derated to 430hp so only those who knew what it was went for the L-88. Back in the day, one sign that an engine/drivetrain was something special was the legend "NA with C60" - not available with air conditioner. In 1978 I had to put 25%, $1000 down to ordfer a car to be delivered in south Florida that was NA with C60. Won a lot of autocrosses with that Sunbird. I read it twice & still am wondering what it means. Seems like sentences on 2 or 3 subjects all jumbled together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted October 7, 2019 Author Share Posted October 7, 2019 11 hours ago, padgett said: As to the Chev 350 it was introed on the 67 SS Camaro and was a disaster, crank oiling issues. In '68 they increased both the crank bearing size and went to four bolt mains Wow, very interesting. I didn't know that. I thought all SBC's were blessed from heaven, so it's a shock to hear that some actually had issues.😁 Thanks for the lowdown on the simultaneous 327/350 offerings, padgett. Wish I had one of my sbc powered cars from my youth...I also had a '70 Monte Carlo with a 350, all stock. This was back when you could buy decent used examples for under 1000 bucks. 😊 I hope they sell that Wildcat. Whatever the mileage is, it's a beauty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 I almost bought a '70 Monte Carlo when I came back from SEA but they would not sell me the big engine with a four speed. Buick was happy to build me a GS with 4-speed, posi, full instruments, AC and power everything. First time I saw a 21 spline clutch. Four items: the Olds (too bare bones for me), answered the early 327/350 question, which flowed into the games GM played this HP ratings back then. Finally mentioned how to identify the "interesting" engine when they played games with the ratings. Separated such with paras. Is how I think. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 2 hours ago, padgett said: I almost bought a '70 Monte Carlo when I came back from SEA but they would not sell me the big engine with a four speed. They did not sell it to you because it was not offered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Did Monte Carlo ever offer a big block option? I remember there was a 454 offered in Chevelle in 1973. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 (edited) AFAIR there was a 402 (396) offered but only with automagic. BTW I have bought GM cars with things that were not officially offered before, just in 1970 they did not certify the 402/4 speed combo. Naturally I can't find my 1971 edition of Bill Carroll's Chevrolet V8 Performance Guide. It lists everything available by RPO and engine number. Know it is in my den.... Edited October 7, 2019 by padgett (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheezestaak2000 Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 two things i always looked for when appraising a VERY low millage car, battery should be a replacement and exhaust system should be totally rusted out, or recently replaced. otherwise i'd need a lot of documentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 I also take a close look at the pedal rubber. With 2k miles there should be no wear. Keep in mind that the odos in those cars were so easy to manipulate that they had to make it against the law.. ps would also be concerned about fluids becoming acidic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 I bought a 1970 Yamaha 90cc enduro with 300 miles on it several years ago from an estate. The low miles was easy to document both by the family and the friend that connected me with the family of the owner. The downside was the storage it was exposed to, in an old shed in the back yard. A lot of the metal cleaned up nicely but a fair amount did not. The under hood pics of the Buick remind me of similar storage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Point is there is always a reason for cars like this having such low mileage. Big car with no power steering and a lady owner is one, car that would not start reliably is another, but you should always find out the reason and decide if it is important or correctable. Am odd but am usually more concerned about the underside of a car than the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 24 minutes ago, TerryB said: I bought a 1970 Yamaha 90cc enduro with 300 miles on it several years ago from an estate. The low miles was easy to document both by the family and the friend that connected me with the family of the owner. The downside was the storage it was exposed to, in an old shed in the back yard. A lot of the metal cleaned up nicely but a fair amount did not. The under hood pics of the Buick remind me of similar storage. I still have my 1979 Suzuki DS100 that I purchased new, used it for two summers and then went into my parents basement in 1981.... I rescued it two years ago... a little dusty, but looks new, I bet I don't have a few hundred miles on it....they are out there ! I wonder if the bike is worth anything now, I paid $700 at the dealership. Steve 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 It has power steering. Look for the pulley- it is there. It also has power brakes. Much more likely to have both, since I can see the PS pulley it is a moot point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalowed Bill Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 So just curious. Since there hasn't been any push back regarding the 1967, small main 350 being problematic, does this also hold true for the 327 and if not why? That engine had been around since 1962 and I don't remember any issues. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 1 hour ago, STEVE POLLARD said: I still have my 1979 Suzuki DS100 that I purchased new, used it for two summers and then went into my parents basement in 1981.... I rescued it two years ago... a little dusty, but looks new, I bet I don't have a few hundred miles on it....they are out there ! I wonder if the bike is worth anything now, I paid $700 at the dealership. Steve They are, or at least were popular as they were the bikes we began on as kids. Mine won several awards for its originality at a few local shows. I would show it next to my all original 1964 Vespa VNB 125. Great memories with those two little gems! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 13 hours ago, John348 said: They did not sell it to you because it was not offered They did, however, offer the 454 c.i. engine with the Turbo-Hydramatic, and it's a shame that the 4 speed was not offered with the big block engine. I always liked the styling of the Monte Carlo, and, as I recall, it was marketed as a "luxury" class automobile. Maybe that's why the 4 speed coupled with the big block was not offered... too sporty. Cheers, Grog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zimm63 Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 I drove a 69 Impala in college for about a year. 350 250HP with a powerglide. Ran it hard. Spent most of Spring break my senior year replacing the cam and lifters after one collapsed. Had to drop the pan and push the lifters out through the bottom. Put a 300 HP cam in it and it ran well. Month or so later the powerglide packed it in and I sold it to a guy who put the motor in his chevelle. Bought another one for $150 that had some body damage but ran good. Drove that for another year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 OK this is my understanding: the 327 had a 3.27" stroke with an oiling system designed for a smaller engine (283 - 3" stroke") I do not recall my 67 327/275hp Camaro (then and now do not care for "bling" - what I wanted was V8-4speed-posi-guages-and AC) having much over 30 psi oil pressure. At the time GM advised NOT to run 10W-40 and just use 10W-30. The 302 used a 327 bore (4") and a 283 stroke (3"). There were aftermarket "high volume" oil pumps available (Melling was my choice) and I had a 6 qt "trap door" oil pan on my Corvette. In '67 Chev came out with the 350 for the SS-350 Camaro (3.48" stoke) which turn out to be too much for the stock crank/oiling system (and the American habit of running 2 quarts low). Whatever, enough cranks were damaged that for 1968 all SBCs for passenger cars (truck engines were "different"), 327 and 350, received a new crank with larger bearings and (AFAIR) four bolt mains. That was also the last year for the 327 so a '68 327 block/crank is prized (or was once upon a time). Personally do not care for long stroke gas engines. Of course I guarantee nothing from memory... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Smolinski Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 19 hours ago, John348 said: They did not sell it to you because it was not offered The 402 in the Monte Carlo could be mated to a 4 speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Yes it could but in March 1970 I was not allowed to order one from Chevrolet that way so I went over to the Buick dealer. GS really suited me better so did not pursue the Monte Carlo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin1221 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 12 hours ago, George Smolinski said: The 402 in the Monte Carlo could be mated to a 4 speed. There is a 1971 Monte Carlo with a 402 and 4 speed being offered this Friday at Mecum in Las Vegas. https://www.mecum.com/lots/LN1019-387821/1971-chevrolet-monte-carlo/ Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) No surprising but my need was in the '70 model year. '71 was also the last year for a manual trans in a Grand Prix until 1990 (maybe 88, not sure). Was interested in the '73 GP with SD455 and manual trans but the EPA debacle put the kibosh on that. Next was a '93 GTP with DOHC-6 and a five speed Getrag. Just a bit more: Pontiac's problem when 1970 model year was neigh was that GM had relaxed the cubic inch limit for F and A bodies. Chev had the 454, Olds and Buick had 455s, all with engines designed in the 60s. Meanwhile Pontiac was stuck with the same block that powered the 1955 287. It was designed to be expanded but not to be almost doubled. 4.15" bore was it so it had to be a long stroke engine to make that many cubes. "blem wit" that was the oiling system which in 1970 was still designed for 40 psi. That plus the long stroke (4.21") resulted in many crank failures. To compensate they did the only thing they could: redesign the oiling system for 60 psi. Then when the SD455 came out with increased loads a special 80 psi oil pump was used. Despite this the public was poisoned against the Pontiac 455 even though the 71-72 was improved. Sales were poor. And that is the rest of the story. Edited October 8, 2019 by padgett (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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