Hello everybody. My name is Matt. I just purchased this 65 Skylark two days ago. It hasn't sunk in that the car is actually mine yet lol. This is my second car, the first car i can truly call mine. It has been sitting in a barn for I don't know how many years. It's integrally very solid. Superficially it needs some work, but hey who doesn't like a good restoration? It has the 300 with a 2 barrel and the St300. I would eventually like to put in a 401 or 425 nailhead. I'm thinking possibly with some sort of forced induction, and a manual transmission behind it. I want to keep the stock style suspension as well. This is going to be my daily driver. I believe I can have her on the road legally this weekend, Well if I can find some exhaust manifolds that is! I'll try to keep my pictures updated fairly regularly. If you guys have or know of where to find some of the parts I need please let me know. Lemme know what ya think. Your time and help is MUCH appreciated! I'm from Marion, IN, near the James Dean and Ducktail Run car shows. I'd like to have her presentable enough to put her in the show. If any of you regularly go to the shows let me know! I'll be looking forward to seeing you this year!
Looks like you have a fun project there. There is a board member that goes by "197064buickspec" that is likely one of the best resources for 64 and 65 Buick A-body parts on this board.
Matt: Please post your first name in your signature, otherwise we will not remember it...:beer "simmi": Why don't you first introduce yourself in your own introduction thread ? :TU:
Matt,,, Son ,, I am an old fossil,,,, and down thru the years I have had a 64 skylark coupe and currently have a 65 skylark coupe GS.... i have built and installed a 300 ''optional'' engine, a 401 nailhead, and a stage 2 430 into that/those bodies.... just looking at the pictures , I would say that rust is going to be your biggest problem.... Just how much body work are you able/willing to do your self.... ??? The front windshield is going to have to come out, and a new flange for it fabricated and welded into place...also you have major damage across the front edge of the hood that will have to be repaired and both rear qtr. panels , the trunk floor and deck lid.... now , all that is doable, but if you have to pay some one else to do it, you are going to be better off getting another car and using that one as a parts car.... this is a golden opportunity for you to gain knowledge , skill and experience... and it aint magic, it is just work and common sense.... When dealing with rust damage , you always, always remove a rusted out piece just to discover more rust that has to be dealt with... the sand blaster is your friend... and the brazing torch, and the guy who sells sheet metal...:laugh: Of all the skylarks the 64/65 years are the best... just the right size, will take a bunch of engine/ trans combinations... How do you eat a elephant???? one bite at a time.... Want some fries with that????:laugh: you can get a kit to replace the trunk floor.... and i think a kit to replace the windshield flange,,,, the exhaust manifold can be welded.... dont even mess with trying to repair the damage along the bottom of the car,, just cut out the rotten , fab an new panel and weld it in.... same along the back of the deck lid.... and on the front of the hood.... as much as possible, cut out and replace with good metal.... Check out my list of cheap tricks in the ''wrenchin secrets'' section, there will be some stuff you can use.... Hope this info helps.....:grin:
Doc, thank you for your wonderful reply:gp: . i am looking forward to learning to do all the body work. i can get most of the metal i need, if they don't make it i'll definately have some fun fabricating it :Brow:. i recently started an internship at a local auto shop, and they have been a great help to me ray:. Through them i have met a gentleman who has done body work for much of his life. I am going to help him redo the roof on his house for him to teach me what i need to know for all the body work, the only thing i won't do is paint the car myself. I have never been interested in body work, but i want to have a true appreciation for all the time, effort, and money that goes into a car, and i want to be able to truly call the car mine. Back to the rust, i am glad to say it is all very much superficial from what i have seen myself and all of the local gentlemen who know what they're doing seem to think it is a good car as well (i don't want to seem like i'm trying to argue with you, i agree 100% :laugh. I just am glad to have found such a beautiful solid car for so little, and to have the opportunity to restore it, learn valuable skills, meet many people such as yourself who know so very much, that i can pick the brains of and seek advice from, who will willingly take time out of their day to help me out. I am sure i will have plenty of questions for you and many of the board members on here as i progress with my project, and i want to thank you all in advance for all of your time and for sharing your knowledge. Whenever i get around to getting a 401 in her, i am sure i'll have a million questions for you Doc, i've read many of your posts and am looking forward to chatting with you. I really can't wait to try out the famous "Doc dual plane" and see how many manifolds i butcher lol ou:. To many great future conversations with you all(i would do a cheers, but seeing as i'm not legally old enough to drink) :TU:. ---------- Post added 03-08-2013 at 12:03 AM ---------- Previous post was 03-07-2013 at 11:59 PM ---------- BBBB64lark, thanks for the info, i just recently contacted him about a deck lid, thanks for the info! ---------- Post added at 12:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:03 AM ---------- Thanks for the welcome Erik! ---------- Post added at 12:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 AM ---------- And thanks for the heads up about the signature Erik.
Hi Matt, About 1970 I bought a 1938 Chevy Master Coupe, I probably paid around $400 for it in running condition, including the paint job that had been done with a paint brush. I disassemble the whole body and did a frame on restoration. I stripped paint and had parts sandblasted, the grilles was re-chromed along with the bumpers and other parts and I had the 216 Chevy six rebuilt professionally. I also had the Upholstery redone. Now the good part. Before I bought the Chevy I dated a young lady who's father had been an auto body repairman. He offered to help me with the body work and paint in his garage. We spent many weekends priming and block sanding and finally painting the pieces for reassembly. He did all this out of the goodness of his heart to help out a young man who was not related to him and who was no longer dating his daughter. In fact it was a time in my life when I was mostly into partying and other undesirable activities. I learned a lot from him, especially about helping people without expecting anything from them in return. I also learned an enormous amount about body work and about how we see the physical world around us. I use some of that knowledge when doing construction and when building things. My point here is body work is about how we see the physical, not necessarily how things really are. You just received a post from Doc which reminded me of that man and what he did for me all those years ago and how much I learned from him. You can expect more help from folks on this site with all the things you will need to learn and research. I think you are on a new and interesting journey and you will learn a lot about cars in the process (and journeys teach us about ourselves). You will also learn about project planning and budgeting. BTW, my Chevy cost me double what I budgeted for the project. So get in, sit down, and enjoy the ride because you are going to have a great time and learn a lot.
Congratulations on purchasing one of the best looking cars ever made. And, with a little love, one of the best driving.
Well,,, thanks for the compliments, guys,,, but there is Tom, Jim,Devon, and several others that I cant think of at 5 in the morning.... it is a pleasure to mentor young men and ladies that want to learn.... Steve, it is a goooood thing to watch a 64/65 skylark blast past other cars, knowing that the competition thinks that ''a buick wont run''.... I love it.....:Brow::laugh::laugh:
Welcome aboard Matt! (Re: 1965 Buick Skylark) Welcome aboard Matt! Your Buick is from a particularly good year! :3gears: Even if I might be a bit biased in my opinion! :Brow: Best of luck in bring yours back to life! :TU: Cheers, Edouard :beer
Howdy Matt It sounds like you might have the most important part youre going to need to fix the ol' girl... Love It sounds silly, I know, but all the welders, tools, and parts in the world wont keep you up till 3am working on a car that just isnt worth as much time and money as youre spending on it. But love will. And in the end youll have a car that isnt just yours because your name is on the title. Itll be yours the same way your arm is... Because its a part of you:TU: O.K. sappy a$$ rant over
Welcome Matt! Nice project. Lots of good people here on the board, I have learned a lot from them in the last year that I have been here. These guys are right about how you will feel about your car, especially after you get some hands on time fixing stuff and the driving afterwards. Now I'm gettin' sappy :laugh:
Matt, Good to see you and your ride here. I can see the potential. Like Doc said, rust will be your biggest issue. Rust never sleeps. You will be busy for a while. When you are done, not only do you own it, you built it.
Welcome, newbie here myself with a 65 Skylark someone started to restore. Mine is about the same shape as yours with the exception someone already pop riveted in patch panels which are now going to be cut out and replaced properly. Mine was gold with tan interior but i am now gutting the interior and going with black, i am ordering trim from another fella on here for the side of the cars as mine was removed and the holes were covered poorly. The exterior i am going with white just like yours. Will mine be serious show quality, nope, not worth it IMO. But i will have it clean as possible, decent paint and it should be a solid driver after all the suspension, steering and brake upgrades. Lucky for me the previous owner dropped in a 401 nailhead with 78k miles, a rebuilt TH400 and a 10bolt posi out of a Temptest. So besides a shift kit and someday a gear vendors overdrive unit i would say my driveline is all set. How good are you at body work/fabrication? I am still in the air to either make the pieces i need for the rear 1/4 wheel openings or opt for cutting up 1/4's for a 65 Impala for what i need. They seem pretty close to the Skylark IMO: http://www.classicindustries.com/impala/parts/body-panels/rear-quarter/?p=1&sb=0&r=15 You may want to check your back window for leaks, mine was all rotted out on the lower corners and now need patching. In fact, besides the rubber holding at the top of the glass the only thing holding the window in was some caulk someone squeezed in to stop the water and the trim itself. I found this pic on the internet and hope for mine to look as nice as this when it is done.
"I found this pic on the internet and hope for mine to look as nice as this when it is done." Looks like that will be three of us only mine is a post car. As to the white paint I think I have finally settled on the Lexus Starfire White Pearl paint code 077. That is the whitest pearl paint I can find. Good luck with both of you on your builds. By the way I am also hoping mine turns out very close to the one in the picture. However I will be going with 17" wheels front and rear. American Racing VN500's.
Add me to the list on that white car from internet. Very nice! I have hopes of mine looking similar to that someday. There is a board member that has a white 64, but I don't remember his name. I think his has 17" and American style wheels, looks real good.:TU: I have the pic in an old e mail, I'll try to load it here. .
I don't know WV, but I know you are in the club :laugh: Is that a recent pic of your car in your garage pics? I like it.
Kurt, thanks for your post. I hope to have a similar experience with my car :grin: . Well except the double the planned cost hehehe. ---------- Post added at 07:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:05 PM ---------- Steven, i would certainly have to agree :TU: ! ---------- Post added at 07:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:06 PM ---------- Edouard, being biased is perfectly acceptable in this case :laugh:, thanks for the welcome though!
