Shocks

[RamAir]

New to the forum and I just acquired a 65 GS vert. Nice original car with one re paint. It has been in storage for 28 years. I've gone through the fuel system and other mechanical and she runs good and strong. My question is what would be the best HD shock absorber? The cars seems a little floaty and loose.

[elagache]

Dear RamAir and mid-60s Buick fans,

New to the forum and I just acquired a 65 GS vert. Nice original car with one re paint. It has been in storage for 28 years. I've gone through the fuel system and other mechanical and she runs good and strong. My question is what would be the best HD shock absorber? The cars seems a little floaty and loose.

Afraid I don't know the answer to your shock question but I can definitely . . . . .

Welcome you to this forum!

Definitely a very nice car! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[Brian]

There are alot of choices for the A body cars since they fit so many models and years.  I have a set of gas charged AC delco shocks on mine and am very happy with the performance.  They come painted black and are good quality.  What ever you choose, make sure you get gas charged shocks--much better performance over stock shocks that are not gas charged.
 Where are you located?

[WkillGS]

Nice looking car!
Tires and even air pressure can have a big effect on road feel. Try 32 psi and see if that changes the feel.

KYB Gas-a-just shocks would be the next level up for performance. They're about $33 each from Rockauto.
Edelbrock and Bilsteins would be another level up and at a higher cost.
EDIT: Edelbrock no longer makes shocks, their tooling was sold to QA-1 about 2 years ago.

For even better performance, consider a larger front sway bar, adding a rear sway bar, and upgrading to a fast-ratio steering box.... those changes will make a HUGE difference in how the car drives!

You can try searching on other GM a-body forums such as www.Chevelles.net and www.Performanceyears.com

[nut465gs]

RamAir,

Welcome! Glad to have you aboard. Your GS convertible is a great find. Congratulations. I noticed that it has the Skylark side molding trim. However, it does have the Skylark Gran Sport ventiport trim.  There is some speculation that the Skylark side molding could have been a special order from the factory or as a dealership add on. It would be nice to see the firewall trim tag out of my personal curiosity. I have seen this side molding on a few other GSs.

John

[RamAir]

John,
I actually was able to speak to the son of the original owner. He told me his dad worked at a Cadillac dealership and ordered the Skylark trim and installed it at the Caddy store. He also said his father didn't like the plastic vert top window and had Cadillac Eldorado glass installed. There is also two extra Buick road wheels in the trunk with snow tires mounted on them. 
This is a very solid corrosion free car with original metal except for a little bit of filler in the lower quarters. There is a rear floor support that has corroded away underneath and it looks like some makeshift repair has been done on the LR floor. It doesn't look like an easy fix, but I'll investigate further. Otherwise, the frame is solid. The trunk looks amazingly original and preserved. The interior is completely original except for the carpet.

[dsags]

The floor braces and various floor pieces are available from several vendors. Not that difficult a fix except for all the work to take the interior apart to get at the issue.
Another vote here for nice ride. Welcome.

[nut465gs]

RamAir,

Mystery solved regarding the side trim moldings. I see now where the Gran Sport emblem was also moved above the body line to make room for that side trim molding. The addition of the hard glass rear window is a plus. The vinyl window usually takes a beating over time. I also see where it has '66 ralley wheels. This must be a low milage GS to be in such good condition with the original interior. Congrats on a great buy.

John

[RamAir]

John,
How do you determine that the wheels are '66? I have 6 of them and they're all stamped 'A' on the inside, other then that I don't see any numbers.
Check out my smokey burnout. Ordered new tires today. It has Michelin X's that have probably been on there for 30+ years and a set of snow tires that are probably 40+ years old. I ordered redline BF Goodrich Radials from Coker.

http://youtu.be/DkEnAMSngtM

[nut465gs]

RamAir,

The '65 Buick Ralley wheels are unique to '65. Regarding your wheels, the center caps are of a 1966  Skylark bird design. The 1965 wheel centers should be painted gray not black. Obviously, '66 center caps and black paint could have been easily changed in it's past. Some things that can not be easily changed that are unique to '65 wheels are the weld between the hub and the rim. If you look on the back side of the wheel, a '65 will have four separate weld runs. Whereas, later year wheels will have a continuous weld around the hub and rim. Also, the offset between the hub and rim on later rims is about 3/4" more making for a wider track. Also the '65 wheels have smooth chrome spokes. Whereas later wheels have been peen shot before chroming which gives it a slightly textured look. Here is a link to show the '65 center caps and gray paint.

http://65gs.com/board/index.php/topic,1466.0.html

Great You-Tube video!!!! Glad to see you are enjoying the new ride. Go Fast With Class!

John

[RamAir]

Thanks John,
I did check the inside of the wheels and all 6 have the 4 separate welds ;-)

[nut465gs]

RamAir,

Great. Looks like you have '65 ralley wheels painted black and with '66 center caps.  I do think the black painted centers look better than the gray. I have my radial tires mounted on ralley wheels that I have painted black. However, when I show the GS at BCA judged shows, I put on another set of wheels with bias ply tires with gray painted centers.

John