65 4-Speed Restoration

[Mark Ascher]

Trying to get some updates here. Gas tank is now in. It's a Tamraz product, made in Canada.
I used a Patton Glade insulator pad. It was still a mutha to get the strap nuts started.

Mark

[Mark Ascher]

These are a little hard to see. These are the restored front park light housings. I must have purchased and tossed 15-20 of these before getting a decent set to fix. Both needed studs repaired, and they were replated by Beringer Plating in Ohio. Rustoleum white inside. Chris' lenses should look good on these. I can't find the original "painted" amber 1157 bulbs though. All the later ones have amber glass.

Mark

[Mark Ascher]

This is one of the hood hinges. They were both gray phosphate plated by Steve Gregori - www.brakeboosters.com.

Mark

[Mark Ascher]

There is a rubber filler that attaches to the pinch weld just under the taillights. I believe this filler is used to minimize light from the license plate light from entering the taillight area. The one from my car was dust, so I threw it away. I was able to get a couple of other good ones to choose from to use. These were either stapled or clipped on. Mine was stapled, but I chose to do the clip version. The clips are almost impossible to find, I found these on ebay from a regular Skylark being parted out, and had them replated.

Mark

[Mark Ascher]

I was able to locate an NOS grille and headlight bezels over the course of the restoration. I don't have pictures of the grille handy, but since they were Skylark pieces, all of the areas behind the bars need to painted black for a GS. Ditto on the bezels. Since I had an original GS grille and bezels handy, that was my guide on what to mask. The grille itself was a pretty intense masking project. These are the headlight bezels after I painted the black areas. Note: the upper 'triangle' area on the GS bezels stay silver, not painted black.

Mark

[Mark Ascher]

This picture shows a test fit of the radiator in the car after all the work that was done to get it right. As I stated in an earlier post, this car had been in a wreck in the front sometime in the past. The radiator tank on the right side (for the upper hose) was pretty rough, and had been repaired from the inside with a ball peen hammer. I sourced a good used tank from a contact on V8Buick.com, but the tank had a couple of cracks that needed to be patched from the inside & soldered after it was cleaned up. I had the tanks soldered to a new core. It's currently having the tanks finished and painted at the body shop.

Mark

[Mark Ascher]

This is the California air cleaner that Brian Stone was kind enough to save for me from a car he acquired. There are two styles for the California air cleaner I've seen, one that has a hose from the valve cover to the breather, the style shown here, or one that has a hose that goes to the air cleaner body.

UPS was kind enough to attempt to destroy this pretty rare piece in shipment to me. I had it repaired to fix the air cleaner body which had been dented, and the snorkel was nearly crushed.

I am putting together pictures for a separate post on the emissions breather/air cleaner. I have at least 3 different hose styles/lengths for them, and have taken a few photos over the years of cars that had them.

Mark

[Joe65SkylarkGS]

Looking real sharp Mark!!

[Chris]

See Joe...  you do have good friends like me!

I can't wait to see that car in person someday Mark...   :o

Chris

[nut465gs]

Mark,

Thanks for sharing photos and giving us an update. Glad to see that you are back at it with a vengeance. Looking good. I've met Mark a few times over the last three years and have seen his GS in person. Mark, you will without question, have the most meticulously restored '65 GS ever. Your attention to detail will give us a fine example to follow. I hope that you will be able to drive and enjoy the 'fruits of your labor' soon. Any plans to have it finished before the 2010 BCA Nationals in Ames, Iowa? Hope to see you there if not sooner on one of are trips to the Twin Cities.  Keep up the good work!

John

[Mark Ascher]

Chris,

I hope it's not far off!

John,

I appreciate the kind words! I don't know about the most meticulously restored 65. I've seen pics of your convertible in progress. That thing looks pretty meticulous to me. I haven't seen that many 65s restored period. Loren's 65 HT, Rod Johnson's red/red 65 HT 4 speed, and Al Jone's HT, which I saw at a BCA regional here some time back, were a guide for mine. I also have plenty of in-process photos of Brian Stone's HT and Pat Guida's convertible restorations. All of you guys have provided plenty of guidance for me!
I hope to see you back up here soon. You're always welcome, except next time it may be to work on this thing.

I had no idea the BCA Nats was going to be in Ames. I guess the gauntlet is now thrown down. That gives me one year. Should be doable. That will now be my goal.

Mark

[Joe65SkylarkGS]

See Joe...  you do have good friends like me!

I can't wait to see that car in person someday Mark...   :o

Chris

Absolutly bro. Buick people are the best. In a class all to itself.

Thats why I love my buicks.

[Loren At 65GS]

Mark,
Valve cover looks great!  Plan on doing that for the next GS.
Did you do the bolts and wire mounts also?

Loren

[Mark Ascher]

Loren,

Thanks!
Not yet. They are going over to him.

Mark

[dsags]

Mark,

Great valve cover ! Is your chromer in the twin cities area ?

Dan