Looking at a 65 GS vert

[RARESUN]

OK I need a little guidance here. I went and looked at an early production (01B date code) convertible. The car is a basket case, lots of rust and in a million peaces.  The seller says he has everything plus extra parts to put it back together.  However he has nothing organized and there were parts scattered all over his garage. After looking over everything i do believe most of it is there.  The engine has been disassembled but is a 'LT' code block. I could not verify the serial number matched because we could not get the drivers door opened.  The cars interior is gutted so I could see inside the door and the latch was moving but not enough to clear the striker, so I believe the body may have some sag considering the floors were rusted out, although the rocker panels were not.  I am just wondering if its worth saving? Originally black, black top, saddle interior, auto, no A/C, AM radio. The good parts: hood, fenders, bumpers, trunk lid, doors, original wheels(plus extra), small badge, bucket seats(2 sets), all emblems plus extra, all trim is good, console, carb.  Bad: rusty floor boards(left, right, front, rear), broken windshield, lower quarter rust, rust in cowl, tail panel is BAD rusty. Missing: back seat, breather assembly, ignition switch.      Any thoughts?  Can I get floors, tailpanel, breather, etc?

[RARESUN]

Here's a few pics.

[WkillGS]

Neat find! Nice color combo too.
Some cars did come with LT blocks, so there is a chance it still has the original engine.
Repo floors are available, and lower rear quarter patch panels are available (finally!). Taillight panel would have to come from a donor car, unless you can find a NOS panel.
I'd say the stuck door is unlikely to be caused by a body sagging issue. What broke the windshield? maybe the cowl got pushed back.

Cars in worse condition have been saved. It's your call on how big of a project you want to take on.
And welcome to 65GS.com!

[Loren At 65GS]

Body sag? I'd look the frame over.
Just my $.02.
Loren

[nut465gs]

Jon,

Any car can be restored with enough time and money. Unfortunately, this convertible will take a lot of time and a lot of money. Probably more than the GS convertible would be worth when restored. This will take at least $50,000 to restore properly (professionally). Unless you are a body and paint guy, this is where the bulk of the money will go. If there is body sag, it can be caused by a really rusted out frame or maybe just the body to frame rubber bushings are dry rotted out. The LT engine is suspect as it has the wrong aircleaner. Does the engine's oil pan have the unique rear sump? Does it also have the '65 GS specific exhaust manifolds? The engine should also have the unique motor mount pads and adapter plates.  But a VIN from the engine compared to the VIN in the door jamb. Compare this number with what is on the title or the VIN stamped on the frame. That would give you a clear picture as to whether this is a numbers matching '65 GS. Did you get a photo of the firewall trim tag?

As much as I'd like to save them all, logic and available funds need to be considered. Good luck with your decision as to whether this is a challenge that you'd like to tackle.

John Egel

[Chris]

I think that if you bought my convertible you'd be much further ahead in the long run and you'd have a car to drive and enjoy today and restore later on if you wanted a "perfect car".     

I haven't been trying to sell it that hard as I think it'll bring $25,000 in the spring (EBay) but I'd sell it now for $22,500 if someone offered it.

Chris

[RARESUN]

Thanks for the info guys, that's what I was looking for. Here is another pic of a box of parts. I believe it shows a rear sump oil pan(correct?) and the motor mounts with adapters. Again the guy is really disorganized, parts scattered.
 I do have the cowl tag info:
01B   65- 44467   83973
TR 159   A2
E - 2XCP - 3H -4FS

Although I am not a paint and body guy , I do most of my own work. I have done several 70 - 72's just not a 65. I am not interested in any completed cars I enjoy the restoration process. I guess at this point I just need to try to verify the title and vin tag to the serial number on the block.

[rwg65]

I looked at that car myself 2 weeks ago Jon. Much work. Probably have way more money in it than it would be worth even though they did only make 1400 of them. The fella tried hard to get me to make an offer so you can probably get it all fairly cheap. If I were you I would get under it and check the frame real well. From the looks of the diff the car has sat in a field for a long time.

Bob

[Mark Ascher]

I think that the car would have some decent value when completed, especially with the early build date. I think it's a good looking color combo. Looks like the right pan is there, motor mounts & plates. Two things that you should make sure are there; as John stated, the exhaust manifolds, and check to see if he has the fender venti-ports. If you decide to move ahead with the project, all of us here would be happy to help with resources, parts, etc. Frames are the same for all three GS body styles, so they can be found if it's needed. The breather, back seat, and ignition switch would all be pretty easy to find. You won't see yourself coming & going in a 65, and they are a blast to drive.

One question.... what is the ballpark asking price of I may ask?
Let us know how things work out.

Mark

[RARESUN]

Well after talking to RWG65 (aka Bob, nice to speak to you again Bob) and the seller, it was determined the engine is NOT original.  I'm not sure how that effects the restored value of one of these, but for me considering the amount of work this one needs it would not be worth the effort without the original engine.  Since the GS was an option in 65 not a distinct model isn't the only way to verify is by the serial number on the 401 matching the VIN?   I still do believe this is a real GS convertible though.
Mark - it does have correct ventiports for the fenders, don't know about the exhaust manifolds. How do I identify the correct ones?

[dsags]

Part number 1369953 is cast into the side of the driver's side manifold. Looks like this.

[nut465gs]

Dan,

You beat me to the punch. I was just about to post a photo of those exhaust manifolds.

You're working awfully close to your Corvette. Be careful not to scratch the new Buick paint on the engine with that yellow paint.   

John

[Mark Ascher]

Jon,

Any news?

Mark

[RARESUN]

Well I have decided to hold off on this deal for now.   I have had an ongoing negotiation for a 72 stage 1 for years that has come back up.  I knew as soon as I make a deal on the 65 the stage 1 would show back up...lol.  I gonna wait through the end of the year to try to get the stage 1, if not I may come back to the 65.