Wagon Parts

Discussion in 'Drag'n Wagons' started by Klunker, Jul 2, 2011.

  1. Klunker

    Klunker Member

    Any sources for wagon Patrs (New, not used). Especially the 64-67 A body wagons, not the Sport Wagon? I have made a mold for the tailgate wire harness Grommet/tube and made one for my 65 Tempest wagon. I am going to let someone else use the mold to make parts to sell. It'll be awhile before that happens. Check out his site, it can be found searching for einstyn he is aimed at Chevelle stuff but some of it will interchange I'm sure. Another source that is Chevelle orientated is Hindshaw, he has some wagon stuff too. His site can be found by searching for hindshawschevelle. He has several wagons himself. I myself have a 65 Tempest wagon, I know its not a Buick but its a sister to the Skylark. Anybody else know of any other sources for wagon parts please let me know.
    Thanks
     

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  2. elagache

    elagache Platinum Level Contributor

    Reproduction wagon parts mighty scarce (Re: Wagon Parts)

    Dear "Klunker" (sure hope that isn't a reference to your wagon!)

    I don't know of anyone who specializes in wagon parts. There are some parts available from general suppliers. I managed to get a replacement tailgate window glass from Pilkington Classics. Weatherstripping for the tailgate is available from Original Parts group. Beyond that . . . . *heavy sigh* :(

    There is a fellow who has started a business making parts for 68 A-body wagons:

    http://einstyn.com/

    However, he was overwhelmed by that project. Still, you might want to get in touch with him. Perhaps something bigger can come of it.

    I have a sister to your wagon in the form of a 65 Buick Special. Let's all do what we can to keep our classic wagons on the road and happy! :3gears:

    Thanks for inquiring here! :TU:

    Cheers, Edouard :beer
     
  3. kcombs

    kcombs Well-Known Member

    www.oldsparts.com have rear bumper rubber filler which also fits Special Wagons. Might have some other parts?
     
  4. ragtops

    ragtops Gold Level Contributor

  5. 75Riv

    75Riv A.K.A. Harry Clamshell

    More for 68-72 A body (Chevrolet, but some will fit our Buicks as well):

    http://einstyn.com/
     
  6. Klunker

    Klunker Member

    There are some more "new" parts I have found.
    The tailgate strap has 2 rubber covered "L" shaped pieces on each side. These are available from Steele Rubber, they are listed under Full size Pontiac (Bonnevile) wagons. I recently bought new Door cards and seat covers for my Tempest. These are 2 colors. The door cards are ready to assemble. the seat covers are embossed and ready to assemble on the seats. I have not gotten either one yet so I can't comment too much on fit etc.
    Also I have bought headliners from a source in Oregon or Washington. I had to measure my old one. But it assembled and fit decent. I would imagine that if anyone needs a headliner they could help them with different mat'ls and colors.
    Of course there is ebay. One good thing about wagons is there is less demand for the parts. I Bought a NOS pot metal tailgate chromed part for my car. $50. Your not going to find NOS chromed pot metal parts for any of the GM muscle cars that cheap. I also see tailgate switches and wagon specific trim parts on occasion.
     
  7. elagache

    elagache Platinum Level Contributor

    Wagon parts mustly "in the shadows" (Re: Wagon Parts)

    Dear Klunker,

    If you cruise various sources, you can find parts hidden in other parts resources. For example, there is a thread on V-8 Buick about gas tanks for 64-67 wagons.

    http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=231865

    It turns out that the 64-67 El Camino gas tank most likely also fits GM A-body wagons.

    There is a forum for Chebbys that has an active group of wagon lovers:

    http://www.chevelles.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=44

    Finally, there is a Yahoo email group called Rarewagon:

    http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Rarewagons/

    In my absolutely desperate search for a tailgate window channel someone off that Yahoo list was able to come through for me.

    So the situation isn't as bleak as it appears. Still, if you are a wagon lover, you'd better be prepared to do a lot of leg-work to get the parts you need.

    Cheers, Edouard :beer
     
  8. Klunker

    Klunker Member

    elagache,
    Thanks, I am aware of the Chevelle site. I used to visit the site quite a bit but haven't for quite awhile.

    You tripped a forgotten memory/fact on the gas tanks. Yea, I knew that El Camino Gas Tank was the same as the Wagon Tank. Did you know that the tank it self for a wagon and a 2 or 4 door is the same stamping. The difference being where the fill hole is stamped in. And of course the Wagon tank has a vent hole on the side above the filler hole. This being true means that a 2/4 door tank can be modified to work in a wagon. It might be cheaper to buy a new one than have someone modify a old 2/4 door tank. But if your a do it your selfer I am sure that it could be done very cheaply.

    Thanks for the tip on the Rarewagons list. I joined and checked it out. Not nearly as nice as this forum but it works. I see your post where you were looking for the lower rear window channel. Did you get one and from where might I ask. I too could use a new or rust free used one. I have 3 of them and they are all rusted thru in various spots. Its not a very robust part to start with and with the rust thru I it I am concerned with how well it hold the glass. I also could use the side channels IF they had good plastic seals on them.

    Rear windows are a tough one for these cars. Used ones are easy enough to find, But used without scratching, especially down the middle are tough to find. At one time I had about 6-8 of these windows all but 2 had bad scratches down the middle. I sold a clear one and kept the tinted one for my wagon. At one time I had a new one (imported, from China I think) and it was very poor quality. The edges were not smoothly ground like a OEM one, The glass had waves in it and it was thinner than a OEM one. Yes it was cheap enough. I also found a source for a domestic window but it was very pricey. If I recall correctly it was in the neighborhood of $500.


    Thanks
    Dirk
     
  9. elagache

    elagache Platinum Level Contributor

    Gas tank and other rare parts. (Re: Wagon Parts)

    Hi Dirk and V-8 Buick wagon enthusiasts,

    Just to be sure I've got this right:

    So as far as you know, I can buy an "off the shelf" 64-67 El Camino Gas Tank and it will fit perfectly in my 65 Special wagon? I'm asking because Jim Weise has floated the idea of having my new engine fitted with some sort of aftermarket EFI system and I've heard bad things about trying to run EFI without an integral gas tank fuel pump. Spectra now makes an EFI version of the 64-67 El Camino Gas Tank, so that would be one way to "skin that cat."

    There is very little traffic on that list, but people do reply to questions.


    I lucked out as some "friends of friends" from folks on the Rarewagons list eventually came up with one in reasonably good shape. The fellows at the body shop rechromed it along with the car bumpers and the result is very nice (and will hopefully last another 45+ years! :TU:)

    Ultimately, I went with new replacement glass from Pilkington Classics: http://www.pilkington.com/the+americas/usa/english/automotive/agr/pilkington+classics/default.htm. It wasn't quite as expensive as your last quote but it wasn't cheap. Still amazingly, they had the tinted rear glass in stock. They shipped it almost across the country and it arrived in one piece. The fellows at the body shop are supposed to put the tailgate back together in the next few days and I'll see how this tailgate restoration finally turns out!

    Best of luck on your own braggin' wagon! :3gears:

    Cheers, Edouard :beer
     
  10. Klunker

    Klunker Member

    Wow, interesting that you mentioned EFI. I had a 65 GTO that I put in sequential port EFI.
    I used a system from Rance EFI. This was back about 6-7 years ago. This is my opinion on it. I would never do it again. It's of little improvement over a well tuned carb set-up. I had it on a freshly rebuilt 455SD. This was a long rod motor with offset ground crank and it actually displaced 463ci. It had a hydraulic roller cam in it. Don't remember spec's. It was not as radical as possible, more middle of the road. I was using a Richmond 5 speed and a Chevy 12 bolt with 2:56 gears. The richmond has a low 1st 3.27 if I remember correctly and 5th is 1:1. No overdrive. So you run it with tall rear gears. The best I got for gas mileage was around 17mpg. Normal driving was about 14mpg. I would say I am very gentle on the pedal when I want to be. I have a cousin who had a stock 72 GTO 4 speed 3:90 with the 455HO which is about as similar to a SD as you can get. Apples to Apples the HO should be better on gas. Anyhow he could get 15 mpg with his car.
    .
    Forget about drive-ability and mpg for a while and I' really don't see any advantage to having EFI added to a older "street driven" engine.
    It cost ALOT more, I had about 4-5 K stuck in it.
    It is much more complicated, if you have issues you better know how to trouble shoot it yourself or have DEEP pockets.

    I had a fuel pump mounted outside the tank. It was a Accel High press. EFI pump. But I would agree to put the pump in the tank as it will be queiter. But more importantly you better have baffles in the tank. Under hard acceleration with 1/4 tank or less I could starve the engine. Also again with 1/4 or less of gas or less I could do the same on hard cornering.

    After about 2 years of driving the beast around I was disappointed with the performance of the EFI, tired of the richmond 5 speed (stiff shifting S.O.B.) and some other things on the car. I had the 65 wagon I was trying to restore and a daily driver that was needing constant work all while running a small biz. I was overloaded with things so I decided to simplify my life. I got rid of the GTO, bought a brand new car and kept the wagon.

    Its up to you. Do lots of research.

    Dirk
     
  11. elagache

    elagache Platinum Level Contributor

    Quickie EFI diversion with closure - I hope! (Re: Wagon Parts)

    Hi Dirk (and interested onlookers,)

    Not to hijack the thread, but EFI is one place where the technology has really evolved, so your experiences may well have reflected what could be done then, while today's systems are in a different league.

    Jim Weise (who founded V-8 Buick) is building a big-block Buick engine for my trusty wagon. He recently sent me an emali telling me that because of changes in the TA-Performance cylinder head design, getting a reliable choke on the Quadra-Jet carb I initially planned was going to be very difficult.

    He suggested that I consider the EZ EFI system: http://www.fuelairspark.com/ezefi/default.asp. It includes software so that the car is self-tuning. Another V-8 Buick member: Ken Warner was very pleased by his installation: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=181640. Also, the cost has gone way down, so while more - it is reasonable. I haven't decided to go this route, but I am leaning that way.

    However, a deal-breaker would be not getting a integral fuel pump. So suddenly a EFI friendly gas tank for a 65 GM A-body wagon is the next item on the search list! :Do No:

    Stay tune to V-8 Buick for the next installment of my wayward wagon soap-opera!! :grin:

    Cheers, Edouard :beer
     
  12. Klunker

    Klunker Member

    Heres is the link to Rance EFI http://www.rancefi.com/
    I looked at the ezefi and the only advantage I see over what I did was the "self Tuning".
    I think the cost has not really come down all that much. I did a quick add up of a couple of items, Basic kit, sensors, throttle body w/injectors and fuel supply kit. that comes to $2400. That's for a throttle body injector set=up, not a sequential port injector set-up which needs more injectors, fuel rails, more powerful computer. And there is a lot of little items that are not in there. The Intake manifold, modification to headers/exhaust, fuel lines, modified gas tank.
    My system was a Gen 7 Accel DFI system with sequential port injection.
    Not to get in a pissing contest but I would ask what is my advantage in putting it on vs. a well tuned and matched carb set-up?
    I know what they'll say, I 'd ask back Specifically how much better.

    I don't have a problem with someone adding efi on a old car, I've been there. I would say you should go in with your eyes wide open. I know for what it costs it'll never pay for itself. But in the old car hobby I know that means little, I've been there too.
     

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