How about some more '64-'66 Specials and Skylarks

[WkillGS]

Here's my '66 Special Deluxe, one of only 10,350 V8 sport coupes built in 1966. I bought it in Sept 1996 for $1300. The PO had a nice '66 Chevelle and bought the Buick for his 15 /yo son, but the son was more interested in Hondas than Buicks (sad isn't it!). Only had 53k miles on it and barely had more than a finger-tip sized rust hole in the body.

I used it as a fair-weather daily driver until I started the repaint. Car was stripped from the firewall-forward. Frame and suspension components were sandblasted and painted, then reassembled with some used GS springs, disk brakes, fast-ratio steering box and Trans Am 1.25" sway bar. Moog 6197 springs are in the rear on the stock 2.78 rear. Body was stripped to bare metal and I painted it in my garage with PPG base/clear.
The 300 engine was upgraded with a '64 aluminum 4 bbl intake, 67 340 carb and valve covers, Petronix ignition and dual exhaust. I painted it red to better match the car. Buick used red anyway on the higher-performance 340 and GS 401, so I felt it was fitting.
In 2006, I pulled the st300 trans and installed a 3 speed manual. It was a fun trans with the extra low v6 first gear, but it was getting noisy and wasn't going to last. In 2008, I found a Richmond 5 speed to replace the 3 speed. It does not have an overdrive, but does have an extra low 3.26 first gear that works very well with the 2.78 rear.

It's a great driving car which I drive the more than my GS's.... I figure it's less likely to get stolen from a parking lot and it's easier to replace than a GS. Less worry = more fun!

[GS66]

Great pictures here of great cars. I am getting my grandkids interested in vintage cars and so far so good.

[GranSportSedan]

Here's my '66 Special Deluxe, one of only 10,350 V8 sport coupes built in 1966. I bought it in Sept 1996 for $1300. The PO had a nice '66 Chevelle and bought the Buick for his 15 /yo son, but the son was more interested in Hondas than Buicks (sad isn't it!). Only had 53k miles on it and barely had more than a finger-tip sized rust hole in the body.

I used it as a fair-weather daily driver until I started the repaint. Car was stripped from the firewall-forward. Frame and suspension components were sandblasted and painted, then reassembled with some used GS springs, disk brakes, fast-ratio steering box and Trans Am 1.25" sway bar. Moog 6197 springs are in the rear on the stock 2.78 rear. Body was stripped to bare metal and I painted it in my garage with PPG base/clear.
The 300 engine was upgraded with a '64 aluminum 4 bbl intake, 67 340 carb and valve covers, Petronix ignition and dual exhaust. I painted it red to better match the car. Buick used red anyway on the higher-performance 340 and GS 401, so I felt it was fitting.
In 2006, I pulled the st300 trans and installed a 3 speed manual. It was a fun trans with the extra low v6 first gear, but it was getting noisy and wasn't going to last. In 2008, I found a Richmond 5 speed to replace the 3 speed. It does not have an overdrive, but does have an extra low 3.26 first gear that works very well with the 2.78 rear.

It's a great driving car which I drive the more than my GS's.... I figure it's less likely to get stolen from a parking lot and it's easier to replace than a GS. Less worry = more fun!

very cool car Walt and a nice read about the history since you've owned it.

[elagache]

Dear Tony and mid-60s Buick owners who's cars are members of the family,

  Here is our 65 Buick special that's been in our family since 1966, this photo was taken November 2017 at a local show. And those are my triplet boys in the photo, James, Michael & Steven,

Very nice!  Thanks for sharing Tony!   

and the cup on the fender is empty !!!

. . . . I dunno' about that . .  Did you ask your Buick if it wanted a latte or something? . . . .

Cheers, Edouard 

[GS66]

Looks great Walt! I see you blacked out the finish panel, GS-like.

[WkillGS]

Thanks guys. Yes, I had to paint that back panel black, body color just didn't look right to me! The Deluxe comes with the same r panel trim strips as the GS, so it was easy. I blacked out the grille too.

[TrunkMonkey]

I had a 1964 Special and found a '64 Skylark in a junkyard and grabbed the rear center trim panel.

The "frosted" paint was a bit scratched, so I used polishing compound and hand rubbed it and then drilled the holes and stuck it on.

It just made the car so much nicer to me.

Funny how a small thing has such a great impact.

I am not a purist, and try to keep the "spirit" of any mods. One of the reasons I was attracted and "stayed" with Buicks, is they are not "just another whatever", and taking a bit of license and liberty in tasteful changes are fine with me.
Especially for those cars that are in such poor shape. Getting them into drivable condition and keeping them "alive" is a good thing.

But I also appreciate the specimens that are pure and original. And am grateful for the time, effort and expense of those who restore, keep and preserve them.

[TrunkMonkey]

I bought this car from a good friend in the USAF in the 70s. It was his dad's, and he got it and after a few months wanted a Mustang Mach 1, so I bought it.

A long story, but to shorten it a great deal, I replaced the entire driveline, put front disc on it, built the engine and several other things in front of a trailer home on a sandy dirt road in about 3 months by myself, except when my wife helped me carry the short block out of the trailer and a friend standing "fire guard" when I broke it in.

To say "I loved" this car would be an understatement, and after I let it go, I actually had dreams of this car, many times, finding it and it always in a "sad state" needing some work to get it fired up for nearly 40 years, and that led me to buy the 1964 Skylark convertible, and that led to me buying the 1968 Skylark after missing out on a 1968 Wildcat.

Yeah, I live Buick. I dream Buick, and I love Buick.

I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell Buick...







and now...



















I don't dream of the Special anymore, not since I got the Skylark Convertible. But as troublesome as the dreams were, it is odd that I did get to "experience" that car again, and I "miss" it even more. But, new memories and new things to experience with these two I have now. Likely these are my last cars, but I am going to make the most of them.

And I am having a blast!

(I am working on the entire drive line to replace on the 68 to make the front tag "honest"...  )

[elagache]

Dear Walt, Jim, Michael, and mid-60s Buick lovers, . . . . 

Thanks Walt for the photos!  I think i missed them last time I visited the forum.

Thanks Michael for the pictures and stories about your Buicks!  You are definitely passionate about these cars!    Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[TrunkMonkey]

...You are definitely passionate about these cars! ...

It's a living! 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick lovers, . . . 

I wanted to contribute some fresh pictures to this thread but California is doing its autumn imitation of a monsoon season and that makes taking classic cars out a dicey proposition.  We have had a few dry days before the next round of rain so today was basically now or never:



My rascally wagon still looks really good even if she hasn't been waxed since September 2016!  Here is a view of that important tailgate with some more Autumn foliage in the background:



Biquette's new tires definitely are more "assertive!"  For those of you missing those fall trees here is a portrait view:



Finally here is one last view of Biquette's passenger side:



She is back in the garage and will have to wait out the next round of storms which could run beyond next weekend.  That's good for putting out wildfires, but definitely not conditions for even a racially 50+ year old Buick!

Cheers, Edouard 

[Super65lark]

Awesome photos everyone.

[Brian]

64 Skylark.  Bought it in 1993 from the original owners that are friends of the family.  I grew up around this car--they drove it to church alot on Sunday evenings back in the late 80s when I was in high school.  They special ordered it new with the 4-speed--was their first car when they got married.

[Brian]

66 Skylark.  Bought new in Richmond, VA by my grandfather with some of the money he got when his dad passed away in early 66.  I have had it since June of 1987 when my grandfather passed away (I was 16 at the time).   It had 75k miles when it got it, so was in excellent mechanical condition, but body was rough due to him backing into things when he got older and multiple Earl Scheib paint jobs on the car.

[elagache]

Dear Iain, Brian, and mid-60s Buick lovers, 

64 Skylark.  . . . .

66 Skylark.  . . . .

Thanks for sharing the photos and stories!    Those are two very special cars!    It is so much nicer when you know the complete history of a car.

Awesome photos everyone.

Do you think you could scare up a photo of Ruthy to add to the collection?  Anyone else have a photo of their 64-66 A-Body that they would like to share?

Cheers, Edouard