Guy down the road has a 64 Skylark conv. he will let go right. Has no engine. Can someone give me some links so I can school myself? Know nothing about Buicks and looking to see what came with them and what will swap in. Thanks, Skip
Saw an article about putting Grand Nat. motor in one. Wow! Neat, undervalued pretty cars. Can't help with the engine choices. I would jump on it. I like Buicks.
The 225 V6 and the 300 V8 came in the 64's. Or so I have read... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Skylark But I say the hell with that, put a 401 or 425 Nailhead with a ST/SP400 in it....
Go to v8buick.com...Good easy engine choices are any Buick small block (300/340/350) or big block non-nailhead (400/430/455). Nailheads use special mounts and your transmission options are fewer, but it can obviously be done because '65 and '66 GS Skylarks came with them. A 350 Buick and Turbo 350 is about the easiest and cheapest thing you can do to get it rolling.
Oh, by the way...be sure to pick the car up--they're great cars and you don't run into one on every street corner either unless you live in Flint, MI. I think the GM 100th cruise was the one place I've been where Skylarks seem to outnumber Chevelles.
Our house is for sale so quick and easy is what I'm looking to find, I don't want to get caught without power. Is a Chevy smaal block 350 going to work or is this Buick specific. Or is it just the mounts?
Put a Buick motor in there or just find a Chevelle... You can do a Buick 3.8 V6 easy enough, they're plentiful as well. With a 200r4 you could even get some decent mileage.
It would work but 1. Most Buick guys will dislike you, and 2. It's not worth the hassle...Buick motors are pretty cheap and reasonably available.
The 64 convertible is very desireable. Grill looks like the later 66/7 chevelle, best of all the skylark/special front ends. And the back panel has the small horizontal taillights, very clean, could stare at it all day. Can be powered with just about anything GM, lots of room in the engine bay. The original 225 V6 odd-fire is the precursor to all the GM V6's that followed. Also used as the Jeep Dauntless motor in late 60's, plus in Rovers and some Chris Craft boats. Used extensively in dirt-track car transplants. I've restored one of these motors, very satisfying. But for the vert, go with a V8, pick one. Ditto, the Buick guys will love you if you use a Buick powerplant and despise you if you don't.
Be cautious about putting to big of an engine in the car. I was a personal friend of the head of the Buick training center in Calif. in the 60's and there was a very good reason that the Buicks with BIG engines had totaly boxed frames. Those big torque engines can really hurt a car not made for them. A good friend of mine just put together a 500cdi chev in an El Camino and terribly disappointed when it got twisted all out of shape the first time out. Just some thing to think about.
Great point on the boxed frame...that's what I found too, extra reinforcement and heavier a-arms, the buick site can help you compare the base cars with the various super-powered versions.
I need to keep it simple, something with a carb that bolts in, maybe fab a trans mount and cut a driveshaft.
The simplest bolt in and go will be the V6 or a 300 V8. 300's can be had cheap with tranny in good running shape. Here's one on eBay for ya.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1964...yZ140684QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem It's in MO but shows how cheap they can be had...
+1 on the 300 suggestion.....good motors plus they have the nailhead look. -Lee Atomic Radio www.atomicpinup.com
Forgot about that....guess they look like a nailhead that mated with a Ford. -Lee Atomic Radio www.atomicpinup.com
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