65 GS Post Coupe Restoration (Painting)

[telriv]

Yes, what happens is when the trunk is unlocked most/many just let the lid go up with the torsion springs. After 50+ years of this the hinges get bent a little at a time.
A block of wood works wonders.
Just go easy at 1st. until you get the hang of it.
No need for shims.

Tom T.

[cwmcobra]

Just a comment on the "correctness" of shims.  The assembly manual shows use of shims to adjust the hood fit.  But it doesn't show how to fit the trunk lid.  However, in the Skylark Body manual it says to use shims to adjust the lid up or down.  See pictures attached. 

After painting the shims body color before installing them, they are not obvious at all, so don't draw attention.  Pictures of the closed trunk lid is also attached to show fit.  Also, enlarge the picture of the inside of the trunk to see the hinges (and shims).

 

Chuck

[schlepcar]

Assembly manual is for reassembly?lol   1965 Buick?s did not have shims on the trunk lid. I have always used them myself whenever they did not show. Hoods never had them either, but were often used to put a car back together.  Hoods were already bilaterally adjustable whereas trunk hinges were either bent or straight. We have a big problem finding hood hinges that are not just plain worn out and replacements are no good either. I?m pretty sure that if I have to climb in a trunk to find fault with a restoration I probably belong there. Just trying to give my perspective on ongoing projects. In today?s marketplace it is rare to find cars as nice as the one?s I have seen through this site. IMO it is the home of some of the best Buick?s ever made and I hope you guys still have a sense of humor. I pulled off a brake drum once to find shims behind it over one stud. The car didn?t even shake so apparently that fixed the bent axle.

[cwmcobra]

No worries, Dan.  I'm not upset about your comment.  In fact, my friend that painted the Verde Howitzer has restored many GTOs and had them points judged.  And he told me that trunk shims would be unacceptable in a GTO judging.  But after sharing the manual information, he agreed that the shims should be OK and after installation he commented that they are hard to notice.  And let's be honest, who really cares if a point gets deducted if a persnickety judge does see it and doesn't like it?  I like the fit of the lid!

So, there you have it Tony...a couple of choices of how to rectify the trunk lid fit.  It seems the shims would cause less potential damage to finished paint but being careful with a wood block could work too.

Happy Weekend!

Chuck

[35chevcoupe]

Another thing to remember is that the fit AND actually the finish too were really far from great on these cars when new . A lot of these cars at shows are done and look way better than new . I wonder if the judges take the fitment of the bumpers and or body panels into consideration as far as point deductions , I mean unless they are WAY off .
I know some of the most sought after cars ( we,ll just call them brand X mopars ) in the world had the WORST fitting parts ever . Plus there are very high end restoration shops now going back to using single stage paints again because thats what they came with .
I know its easy for me to get caught up with trying to get things perfect on these old cars when in reality they were far from it from the factory .

[schlepcar]

My friend used to restore 67-9 Camaros and we found that judges in some of these major events were a lot like beauty school dropouts at the lunch table. If you were not part of their clique they often overlooked the best cars and did not usually distinguish between the norm and cars that were obviously not even comparable as far as quality. Personally I liked to see unrestored cars because they were untouched and never as nice as most of ours are. As far as fit,finish,and overall straightness it is almost embarrassing that factory workers turned out some of the stuff as it appeared as new. I will say that Buick?s usually fit pretty decent compared to camaros and corvettes. I remember welding up body lines on some of the early camaros just to get them acceptable. I hope no one here owns it?but there was a very nice chevelle convertible at a local show here and he had just got it restored at a hefty price. You could literally put a roll of masking tape between the doors and fenders. The paint was excellent but the prep was lacking the due diligence and it still got an award. As far as the post goes we know the car is past the hump and just needs a little more prep to go together. Any Buick guy knows it?s worth the extra effort to get it straight and it?s definitely better than getting it all done and not being satisfied with the job.

[Rollaround]

There are deviations in aftermarket manufacturing in both size and compressibility for both door and trunk seals.  These can also cause issues with door and trunk alignment.

[option B9]

   Hi everyone, I have no problem using shims if it is going to help me get the  GS restoration back in motion. Today my friend Joe & I put in 5 hours of work in on the GS. The nose is almost in line. Just a few more tweaks tomorrow and it should be good. Since most of the bolts were missing I had to reach into my stash of Skylark parts car/junkyard bolts.  There is one bolt that I cannot remove or tighten. It's the fender bolt at the top of the drivers side door that is accessed when you open the door. They must have some how snapped the stationary nut loose. If anyone can recommend a repair for this please post. We were spending too much time on it today so we had to leave it to get other work done.
    Like John stated, these Buicks were not perfect from the factory so if something is slightly out of line it should be acceptable. Considering that Steve Shuman rescued this rusty GS out of a PA scrapyard I would say that it's condition for it's second life will be noticeable improvement.... I will be able to put in a few hours in tomorrow since the high will be 71 degrees & sunny.
    I really do appreciate all the advice, It's making dealing with this terrible situation bearable.

             Tony. 

[telriv]

Most all of us have a tendency to over restore these cars because we don't want them to start rusting the unpainted surfaces like when they left the factory the 1st. week on the road.
I can understand that, BUT they are only original once as stated.

Tom T.

[schlepcar]

The battle of the rust is always lurking. I started another project that someone else never finished. It is a 65 Impala SS that a bodyman started in the 90?s. This guy was hard core and removed the deck lid from its shell to get surface rust off the inner skin. Most people would have just bought a rust free deck lid but I guess it was not an option for this car. He literally took all the caulk and sealer out and dipped,blasted etc?to rid the car of all rust. I would say it is just plain crazy to go that far but it may get done some day. I bought it because all the hard dirty work is done but it is a long way from a car. I believe it also has the lower fender issue and I think the old bolts will have to be drilled out. I don?t think they are j clips but actual threaded caged nuts so start with an 1/8 inch bit and get it as centered as possible.

[option B9]

 Hi everyone, I worked on the GS coupe with a few friends on Saturday & Sunday. The weather was in the 70s both days so we were very lucky. The front end sheet metal is aligned ! I ordered a set of shims to align the trunk lid, so it looks like next week for that. Today my son Mike volunteered to start cleaning the mess of polishing compound and body shop dust in the engine compartment. After several hours of cleaning it looked better, but we are going to get back on that when we have more time. And the interior is another problem for another day...I will work on the GS as long as the weather permits. Once the Winter sets in, the cover goes on until Spring...     

            Tony 

[elagache]

Thanks Tony for keeping up posted,

I'm glad that you aren't seeing anything that you cannot handle with the help of your friends, but the pictures sure do give voice to your disappointment.  This car was abandoned in a real mess by the body shop.  Clearly it is going to take a lot of TLC to bring her back to life.

Best of luck in your efforts and hope the weather cooperates as long as one can reasonably wish.

Cheers, Edouard

[option B9]

      Hi Edouard, So far we have had above normal warm weather. But that is going to change Sunday night. Starting Monday we can expect daytime temps in the 40s. So that may put off everything until late Winter/Spring. I will try to address the chipped primer/paint on the doors on Saturday so it does not start rusting over the Winter.  If I have the opportunity to work on the GS I will post updates.

                Tony.

[option B9]

     Happy Spring Everyone ! We had really warm weather last week so the cover came off the Red GS and I started bringing boxes of parts to my garage from my storage space. First I cleaned the trunk of the white polishing compound that was everywhere, then gave the trunk another coat of light grey paint.
after two days of drying I loaded the trunk with the boxes of parts for reassembly.  Since I tagged, Bagged & labeled each box of parts things are going smoothly. Today I worked on the taillights and then I was going to install the new door handles that I purchased from "The Parts Place" and when I went to install the first one the pushbutton rod is too long, 1 1/2 inches. Does anyone know how the correct length of this rod for our Skylarks ? This would save me time going thru boxes of used parts.
    This past Thursday I dropped off the cowl grill to my local Auto paint supplier, they are going to match up a quart of the 2 stage Flame Red paint along with some clearcoat so I can touch-up where the body shop screwed up. So I should be getting that a day or two, but I cannot spray until June when the pollen count is very low.   I will take some photos of the progress this coming week and post them over the weekend.....Tony
     
     

[elagache]

Hi Tony and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Glad to hear that the weather has warmed up enough that you can resume work on your GS Post Coupe!

Sorry, I don't know the answer to your question about the push-button rods, but hopefully someone will chime in soon with the answer.

Cheers, Edouard