Author Topic: New member from SoCal-'65 Custom Sport Wagon  (Read 2249 times)

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Offline elagache

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Looking good! (Re: SoCal-'65 Custom Sport Wagon)
« Reply #15 on: March 05, 2017, 09:48:39 PM »
Dear Les, Chuck, and mid-60s Buick longroof fans,

I just completed the under hood part of my hybrid a/c system in our Sport Wagon.
. . . . . 

Your installation looks very nice indeed!  Some of the components are ending in the same place as they did on my trusty wagon.  You are making good progress toward having A/C for the summertime!

One bit of advice that I haven't had time to take myself.  At some point you might want to insulate between the headliner and the roof.  I have some Dyanmat insulation on the cabin side of the firewall and it does a great job of reducing the engine noise.  As you might have also noticed, when you leave a wagon out in the sun, it really heats up because there is so much roof surface area.  I have a few electronic items I want to hide behind the headliner before I replace it.  When I finally get that done I would like to put some high-performance insulation before replacing the 51+ year old headliner.

Congrats on the process!!  :icon_thumright:

Cheers, Edouard  :occasion14:

Offline wheelspin

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Re: New member from SoCal-'65 Custom Sport Wagon
« Reply #16 on: August 29, 2017, 09:55:19 PM »
Getting close to completing my original pick list of mods/improvements. Given the choice of attempting to increase the power of the stock non-original 340 Buick motor or changing the final gearing (3:23 currently) I chose to get serious about improving the overall driving experience/performance. I elected to replace the original 2-speed ST300 trans and switch pitch converter for a 3-speed TH350 with a TIGHT 13" 2200 stall converter. How did it work? Outstanding mod that added the feel of another 50 horses at the wheels without even touching the stock 340 motor. By adding another gear to help the small block Buick "stay on the cam", trading the ST's low gear ratio of 1:78 for the 350's 2:48, and swapping the switch pitch's 1700-2200 converter for a fixed 2200 stall converter the little wagon accelerates much faster and now burns rubber easily even on the 1-2 up-shift  :thumbsup:. I had my tranny guy add sufficient hard parts to the TH350 in order to handle the additional torque of a big block Buick should I feel the need sometime in the future.     
Les Iden

'65 Buick Custom Sport Wagon, 340, ST-300, 3:08
'66 Pontiac GTO Sport Coupe, 468, 700R4, 3:31 (son Mike's car 8-16)
'68 Pontiac GP, 455, T-400, 2:93 (sold)
'72 Pontiac TA tribute, T-400, 3:08 (son Russ's car 8-16)
'97 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Turbo, Konis
'09 Pontiac Torrent GXP 2wd

Offline elagache

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Good scheme. (Re: New member from SoCal-'65 Custom Sport Wagon)
« Reply #17 on: August 30, 2017, 10:48:15 AM »
Dear Les and mid-60s Buick long-roof fans,

I elected to replace the original 2-speed ST300 trans and switch pitch converter for a 3-speed TH350 with a TIGHT 13" 2200 stall converter. How did it work? Outstanding mod that added the feel of another 50 horses at the wheels without even touching the stock 340 motor.

Yes this is a relatively simple change that makes the car much more perky.  You might be satisfied with that alone and skip the bigger engine swap.  The only "still mor' bettr'" change that some guys have done is to use a 200-4R transmission with overdrive instead of the TH350.  The overdrive makes the car quieter and improves gas mileage for freeway driving.  However, that only matters if you are going drive the car a lot on the freeway.

Congrats!  :thumbsup:

Cheers, Edouard

Offline wheelspin

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Re: New member from SoCal-'65 Custom Sport Wagon
« Reply #18 on: September 01, 2017, 12:31:25 PM »
Thanks, Edouard  :icon_biggrin:. I have struggled a bit with the unusual rear shocks (stud/eye mount on bottom and shaft mounted on top) discovering the there is only one currently produced shock for my '65 Sport Wagon which is produced by KYB called an Excel. It appears to be the old GR-2 non-adjustable shock selling for a very reasonable $20 from Summit. I found these shocks to be overly stiff on compression and lacking sufficient rebound to control the rear end "pogo" probably due to the extra weight and overhang of the wagon body and boxed frame. The only company that that was willing to build a reasonable custom shock ($190 each) for this application was RideTech who sells Fox branded aluminum bodied single and double adjustable shocks in various lengths/strokes. It took them two tries, but I now have the ride and handling that I am used to when making the type of performance mods that this wagon has.

I'm now ready for some track days @ my favorite track: Willow Springs Raceway big track  :cheers2:.   
Les Iden

'65 Buick Custom Sport Wagon, 340, ST-300, 3:08
'66 Pontiac GTO Sport Coupe, 468, 700R4, 3:31 (son Mike's car 8-16)
'68 Pontiac GP, 455, T-400, 2:93 (sold)
'72 Pontiac TA tribute, T-400, 3:08 (son Russ's car 8-16)
'97 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Turbo, Konis
'09 Pontiac Torrent GXP 2wd

Offline elagache

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My wagon also has KYB shocks (Re: SoCal-'65 Custom Sport Wagon)
« Reply #19 on: September 01, 2017, 12:57:04 PM »
Dear Les and mid-60s Buick long-roof fans,

Thanks, Edouard  :icon_biggrin:. I have struggled a bit with the unusual rear shocks (stud/eye mount on bottom and shaft mounted on top) discovering the there is only one currently produced shock for my '65 Sport Wagon which is produced by KYB called an Excel. It appears to be the old GR-2 non-adjustable shock selling for a very reasonable $20 from Summit. I found these shocks to be overly stiff on compression and lacking sufficient rebound to control the rear end "pogo" probably due to the extra weight and overhang of the wagon body and boxed frame.

Hmm, my wagon also has KYB shocks, but they were bought back in 2013.  I don't remember which model it was, but I might be able to dig it up in all the paperwork of her restoration-modification.  I haven't noticed any problem with the rear end bouncing as you say, but I never drive my wagon too aggressively.  I'm not overly pleased with the car's handling at this time, but that's a problem that will have to wait until the drivetrain is back together and operating normally.

Let me know if you do find an alternative shock to the KYB.  I kept the previous load-leveling shocks that she was equipped with before we switched her to a big-block, but they are old.  If I ever get around to doing some serious towing I'll need some sort of air-adjustable shocks or lifting bags.

Cheers, Edouard

Offline Buicknut65

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Re: New member from SoCal-'65 Custom Sport Wagon
« Reply #20 on: September 01, 2017, 07:04:19 PM »
Put air lift bags much better ride and performance over air shocks . I have on my 65 GS wagon drove great plus didn't loose ride .

Offline elagache

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Thanks for the recommendation! (Re: SoCal-'65 Custom Sport Wagon)
« Reply #21 on: September 01, 2017, 09:53:47 PM »
Dear Buicknut65 and mid-60s Buick "long-roof" fans,

Put air lift bags much better ride and performance over air shocks . I have on my 65 GS wagon drove great plus didn't loose ride .

Thanks for the tip!  :thumbsup:  I'm definitely not ready to take that on yet, but I most dearly wish I could!  :angel4:

Cheers, Edouard  :occasion14: