I have this build on a couple other sites. Doesn't get much feedback on the PT site with all the high dollar builds that go on over there. It's on LTXTech as well and is well accepted, I figure it's time to put it here on the Buick site. My first attempt at posting it here many years ago before I actually began any work was not taken very well do to the engine that I'm using. But oh well. Here's the story. Little back story on the car. It was my older brothers first car back in 2002. He saw it in the parking lot of a 99 cent store and waited for the guy to come out since none of us had cell phones back then. Car ran and body was clean with a decent respray. Paid 1k for it and took it home. I always wanted the car since day one, thought it was so cool. Then he put spacers in the rear springs to jack it up a bit and threw on son 14x10 cragar SS in the rear with 14x7 up front. Had a mean look to it. Next he did a Flowmaster 40 series dumped at the axle. Now it sounded and looked mean. Never forget getting rides home from school and dropped off at homecoming with my date in it. Time went on and the car started to leak more and more from everywhere. Carb needed work and the suspension was shot. Not to mention the rust that started to develop under the rear glass. He still drove it everywhere until one day coming around a corner from a stop some kids jumped in the middle of the road and he swerved right into a jeeps front pushbar. Smashed the driver fender real good and bent the bumper up, messed up all the grill and headlight stuff on the driver side also. Nobody was hurt, except my brothers heart when he got out and looked at the car. Everything was handled outside of insurance since the only damage was to the skylark. So, the car came home and sat. Brother bought a new car and never did mess with the skylark again. Fastforward a couple years and my brother had a baby and needed work bad. There was no work for him in southern cali and he did what he had to and moved him and his family out of state to the other side of the country. He knew he couldn't take the car with him and even if he did, it would just sit since he couldn't afford to do anything to it. Before he left, he took me aside and said that he knew how much I always wanted the Skylark and that he knows I have what it takes to do what he never could with it and handed me the keys and the title. I dove right in and got it running under it's own power again and just kept it going to drive around the block when I had a few min. Couldn't register it as it was still wrecked. After a while I decided to rebuild the carb and when that came off I also pulled the intake manifold. Well it just snowballed from there; because the intake manifold had about half the ports completely blocked off with carbon buildup, I pulled the heads. Headgaskets were leaking. Pulled the engine and trans, trans was puking. Engine went to a couple places for estimates and came back home after deciding to just store it since I wasn't too fond of $2500 engine rebuild being quality at all and 210bhp is pretty lame. The search then began for a fender and front end parts. Found a fender locally after some years of searching, clean, no rot, no bondo. Got all the front trim pieces off the Buick forum for an awesome deal. Was moving along nicely. Then stopped moving at all. I didn't know what I wanted to do with the car, what engine I wanted, or any real goal. I had some thinking time as money wasn't really rolling in and I wanted to get out of my parents house. I used this down time to save up money for a house and started looking for a place I could call my own and most importantly a garage. Looked for about 8 months and finally found a great deal on a house I liked. Took almost 6months to get the deal done but finally had it. Moved everything over and got to work. That brings us up to date for the most part. The last two years is where most of the pics are from so let's get started. I finally decided on a plan. LTx h/c T56, built BOP 8.2 posi and 3.90s. Adjustable front and rear suspensions pieces. ---------- Post added at 08:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:42 AM ---------- Now at my new home. Goodbye Drums Engine harness mess Goodbye non efi tank Terrible picture but that's a 96 B-body impala tank. Bout to rebuild stock 8.2 open diff.
65 Chevelle Frame pads. 65 Chevelle engine mount LT1, no work done on it yet. Brodix Track one heads. body off finally Fixing holes with my noob welding skills. Frame painted. C5 calipers and 13" rotors. 52mm Throttle Body There is some more progress but I have yet to get picture of it. This has been is the last three years. I know it's slow but up until a year ago I made minimum wage which was 8 bucks. It will be running mid 2014. Might have the heads and cam installed but it will have the t56 in there and running. I have to save up about 10k for mine and my fiances wedding in October.
Keep up the good work and good luck with your wedding. I assume that's her in a picture. If so she is giving you her full support! Keep use updated.
Cool project! I really like how you're going against the norm with a 4 door, oughtta be a really neat piece when your done!
You're telling me, but what can you do. Thanks. Not in that early pic when I am pulling the old engine. That's when I still lived at my mom's. She is always ready to turn a wrench. Thanks. I always loved sedans and wagons.
I'll have some more updates and pics this weekend. There is more progress made that is not pictured here. Thanks for the support everyone.
Interesting project. Nice progress. Where are you at? I would venture to say high desert based on your pics. Might be in my neck of the woods.
Jeremy, Please put your name in your signature, we are all here on a friendly first name base :TU: That's a very cool project, talking about a sleeper......this is a thread I;m now subscribed to. Keep us posted Tom, this is what it says in his signature:
LT1 from a 94 Trans am, 76k miles. re-gasket and install Brodix Track 1 heads, Doug Herbert custom cam in the 228/236 range. Good guess. I'm just right nextdoor in Apple Valley. Will do. Thanks for all the support. It's been a long road. I wasn't able to get the other pictures up like I said. Sorry, been doing Christmas shopping and all that last couple weeks. New year though so everything should start coming together.
II'veeen doing some work. The engine is ready to go in when I get the body on the frame which should happen next week. I tried today but just ran out of time. I went to the junk yard and picked up a close ratio steering box from a jeep today. Only 45 bucks and it was the cleanest one there. Finally finished clearancing the frame for the impala gas tank also.
Got the body on the frame and fit the engine in to see if my $50 headers would work. I wasn't sure if they would being that they are off of a chevy 1500 truck but they do. I just had to put them in after the engine was in. No pics of the trans yet but it's also in.
Super cool !..... I would like to do a suicide door 65' ! with air ride and everything else.......... Good luck ,nice job, alot of work ! Jim
Not a lot of updates. In the final stages before I fire it up. I cut a ton of holes to accomodate everything, like t56, fuel tank... I threw out my shoulder a couple weeks ago so I can't do anything with my parts that are sitting in the garage. Hope to get back at it next month. I'm just too sore still to lift anything.
