Another 64 Skylark Owner

[Alex]

Hi everyone.  I'm another 64 Skylark Convt owner .  I've had her since 88 and did a clean up in 92/93 with new paint/carpet/top
rebuilt motor and trans.  It has the Wildcat 355 but on the last rebuild the block was cracked and I ended up with a 67 block
replacement that we opend up 30 thou but the rebuilder said he could only get 9 1/2 2bbl pistons.  It was ok on gas but not
like it should have been.  This time ( I started in 2003) I was just going to rebuild the front end suspension...  honest that was it.
I had some rot in the trunk mounts and thought it would look good to the firewall and still have 39 years of dirt and grime to the
back end so all of a sudden I had the front clip off and the motor and trans out.  A little while later I had the body up on blocks and the
frame stripped right down.  Since then I have spent countless hours in the garage.  A friend helped with the welding the new mounts
in the trunk and tips on painting... I blasted the underside rear to clean it up and then painted the underside and firewall and filled in the
firewall seam.  Then back down onto the refreshed frame and started on the inside prep where I stripped , sandblasted and then etched
and primed.  From there down to the body shop for the outside finish.  In the mean time I've cleaned and /or rebuilt just about everything
on it.  I'm now at the point of putting my big jigsaw puzzle back together and wanted to thank you for the use of your manuals as a reference.
It's been a long go so some of the small things may have slipped thru the cracks ... haha....

[nut465gs]

Welcome Alex,

Your convertible's engine bay looks spotless. You can be proud of your restoration project. It's a labor of love. I also started out like you with wanting to only repair the rust behind the rear wheels and reupholster the seats. 12 years and thousands of dollars later, I completed a total body off the frame restoration. It's difficult to know where to stop, so I ended up restoring every nut and bolt.

Post some more photos when you have a chance.

John Egel

[Alex]

 these are pics of when we first got it in 1988 and the change in 92/93 ...... that one was about 7 thou but things were past over so we
could enjoy it.  I promised the wife the paint had to last 10 years and it did but over the years I had re-done the interior, went to dual
exhaust, all new brakes , drums as well . We put about 17k miles on it over a 10 year period.  The best trip was the Oregon Coast and
into N California.  Didn't go further south as I hadn't changed out the rad yet and she doesn't like the heat.  We relocated and would
go out exploring in our new surroundings but theres more gravel then paved back roads so we kept mostly in town.  After doing a local
car show in 03 and seeing what else was out there I decided to give her a little clean up.....  yeh right ..... I just put the receipts in a file
and will look at them when it's done.... and like yourself it is an "every nut and bolt" rebuild and have learned alot about the car and
it's rareity and how to modify your own parts cause you can't find any originals.... neccesity is the mother of all inventions though ....

[Alex]

these are pics as she sits today ........ there a just too many pics of how it got to this stage for this post......
you got to like digital cameras though....... theres a shot of it after I had done my thing in my garage and
it was going to the body shop for the exterior work.  The paint was just as nice as it was when it was first
put but that didn't stop them from giving it a good once over ...... a little more just in body and paint as the
total of the first rebuild .... and those bumpers ...... that was a chunk of change to have re-chromed .... :))