Hello, I just recently joined the forum. I was hoping I could get some opinions on the following: I have been looking for a project car for my high school sons and I to work on, and have as a driver. A guy in the area drug out an old '65 Skylark and put it out front at a local auto repair shop. It looks like it's been stored outside for quite a while given the moisture rot. It has the 300 V8 in it, it does not run, and I do not know if it's original. Most of the metal decay is in the trunk from a leaking decklid and water settling in behind the fender wells and rotting out, with the passenger side of the car. There are also smaller spots behind the front wheels. The interior appears to be shot, maybe even had animals living in it at one point. The guy is asking $1600. I know the Skylark's aren't as popular as the GS's for the same period, and this combination with the bench seat and automatic transmission is probably even less desirable. -I don't know if this is reasonable or not given the condition? -Is this damage severe enough to give anyone pause? -If it turns out the engine is original, does that factor in at all to the value or restoration prospects? Thanks in advance!
Wellcome WoW quite the project.... You could do better on the price. This is a CL listing NOT mine. looks like less rot https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/pts/d/arlington-1965-buick-skylark/7099774471.html
That one is going to need LOTS of metal work and body/paint work. Will you be doing it yourself or paying someone? Wolf Steel is the only one which makes fender repair panels for the Skylarks. The generic metal such as floor and trunk pans can be gotten from any GM resto supplier. Chevelles are a bit different, so be sure to get parts that fit GTO/442's. Windshield channels and rear window channels often rust out. Repair parts are avail but it's more work to do.... The front seat isn't original to the car, no armrest on 65's. Interior upholstery is repo'd, exterior trim and chrome is not. 300's are a std engine. Not a big deal if it's original or not. Overall, it's a big, expensive project. You'll likely be much better off finding something in better condition.... unless you like big projects!
Being the engine is original does not really matter because it's not a GS. And because you wont be making it into a concours car. If you and your boy are ready to work pull the trigger on it. Your boy might grow to be a man if you keep waiting for the right one. Hard work will bring you guys together and keep the family strong. Back to the engine you could swap in something running already, watch the add for something running with a GM v8 from that year up to 75. Anything newer will bring more computers and complications. Factor in how much it would cost to rebuild both the engine and trans and ask yourself if you want to go that route or swapping in something from a 800 dolar car on craigslist would be cheaper. To answer your question that is a reasonable price, but I'm a haggler and I would try to get it for 1200. The trim on the roof is called halo trim and is desirable and could be sold to fund your project or kept. What your trying to do is have a project and this is a project, when you dont have all the money to do what u want you will always have energy to do so much that it needs. Were is the bumper at? If he dont have it drop the price if he whine that his tires cost a lot tell him keep the tires and you show up with 4 and a tow truck. Anyway my is Ronnie and this my opinion
Here's the link for the repo fender sections from Wolf Steel. https://www.alfaparts.net/sky.htm You could easily spend another $1500 in sheetmetal alone to repair the fenders, trunk, floor and window channels! As far as Specials/Skylarks go, try to find a car with good sheetmetal and interior/exterior chrome..... those are the most difficult and expensive items to replace.
Welcome.! I would personally not even consider that one IF you want to have a project you & sons can complete in a reasonable time for them to enjoy with you. With that one, you'd be lucky to complete it before they finish college, assuming that's where they'll head. Plus the longer it takes, people get completely disgruntled and give up on it. Of course, you might have all the skills necessary to do it in a shorter time period. Good luck with your search for a much better one Steve BTW, I thought I posted this last night but lo & behold, I logged on a bit ago and find it at the bottom of this thread, waiting for me to click the Post Reply. Didn't know it would do that...
I was really trying to get a sense of how bad a condition this one is compared to others. I'm from the upper mid-west and I've looked at pretty much every listed "project car" in the vintage of '64-'73 all over the middle part of the U.S. that are listed on the usual boards. Most of them appear to have pretty significant rust issues, and still price $4k to $10k depending on the model, whether it runs, matching #'s, etc. As background, I've done some modest car builds in the past, but those were either kit cars or circle track applications. We also owned and ran a Outlaw Sprintcar team for about a decade after we ran some of the stock car circuit. We did our own body work on the fender cars, but obviously this would probably require more than I'm used to. I asked about the engine because I would probably customize everything on the drivetrain to give it more performance. The chassis and suspension wouldn't be an issue. Same for interior. I did look on Original Part Group and it looked like they had a lot of the body stuff, but maybe I was mistaken or misunderstood what they were listing. Additionally, I have 4 boys and sometimes it's worth having something for them to do that don't require an xbox. They get tired of me telling them to move the same pile of rocks back and forth. I was just trying to gauge how bad this one compares to others.
If you ran a sprint car team it sounds like you're capable of doing the work. The question is: how valuable is your time? It's cheaper to buy a class 3 car than it is to buy a class 5/4 car and bring it up to class 3 condition. So, is this amount of rust normal? Answer: There are more rust free examples out there for more money. In 2001 I bought a 65 Skylark post coupe that was purchased new in St Pete Fl, which is where I live, and it still needed work on the rear quarters (about 2 inches toward the front ) and a floor pan section due to a leaky heater core. Anyway, they all need something, it's almost impossible to find a totally rust free car. Also, the 300 is a great engine, most of the members of this site would try to convince you to put a 455 in it, don't listen. The 64 Special I had when I was 16 would go 115 MPH, beat every non-hypo Mustang in town and it got 21 MPG. BTW, my sprint car team won the USAC East Coast Challenge the last 2 years. (Beware, this site is very drag racing oriented)
Spending 10K on a car that has little rust compared to 3-5K for a car that is blown out rusty is a no-brainer. Even more so if this is your first resto. Keep your eyes open here or put a Car Wanted ad in the for sale section. Original motor to that car is not really in the equation .. nice if it is but not much else
