Projects 1962 Buick Skylark . . . What to do

Has a lot going for it, nice

 

I agree with get it running - driving - reliable and start driving it.

Start ordering spares of what you may need in future so you have them on hand. Ignition parts, water pump, test generator and decide when / if to rebuild or if you swap to alternator have the parts and process there.
What you have may last for a long time - if you need it - it's on the shelf or in the trunk.

14" or 15" wheels would be key for me. If you buy wheels, choose size that would allow a disc brake swap in future - don't think you need one,but buying wheel and tires twice - ****s.

 

Don't get fancy with paint for door panel carpet - off the shelf automotive spray paint is all I used, just make sure to mist it on lightly and you should be just fine.

 

I sent the dash out to Just Dashes to be restored. I can't wait to get it back.

I also picked up carpet so I can replace the faded-to-pink carpet that's in there now.

But - Currently, I'm going through a maintenance routine, and just can not find a filter for the transmission. It has the 2spd Dynaflow, and it doesn't look like anybody carries those filters anymore. Any suggestions on replacements?

My goal is to drive this in Power Tour this year, so I really want to have it ****oned up before then.

 

Route 66 is absolutely possible with a generator and points, personally, i would trust the points more than i would the electronic. But you can do what you want, its your car.

 

Also dynaflows arent two speed, they are single speed.

 

I had one for as while. My friends called it the Clown Car, cause of the paint, haha. It had all kinds of goofy stuff done to it. First, I lowered it 4". Then ordered some chrome wheels from Wheelsmith, cause nobody else had anything that would fit. They are the same bolt pattern as 63 Chevy Novas. Got rid of all the Iron Crosses and skulls, chrome bullets in the grill. It was candy orange, yellow flames, green scallops.....I know, but it was a fun car. Rode amazing and ran great. I'll see if I can find a photo.

 

I had the same problem with finding a filter for the Powerglide in our Corvair. I ended up carefully cleaning it and reusing it with no ill effects.
I would do a little research on what ATF to use though. After reading the thread by PhilA about his experiences with an old car and modern ATF, I will be more picky about what goes into my old transmissions.

 

You can do a search for 62 Skylark, by Bad Bob, and see all the stuff I did to it.

 

The wheels, tires and lowering job look great. The paint, uhh…..

 

Dynaflow had two forward ratios/speeds. It's just that you could start off in high gear.

 

HAHA I KNOW! If it would have been all one color, I might have kept it longer. Lowering was easy, cause I just cut a few coils off. Had to upgrade to 14" wheels, think they were 14x7". The wheels were different colors and all 4 tires were different. Interior looked just as bad as the outside.

 

It felt like a Powerglide....

 

Oh, huh, the diagrams make it look like its literally a torque converter with a reverse band and two different stall settings on the converter.

 

That's one gorgeous paint job. Beautiful car.

 

For now I'm sticking with the generator / points. I picked up an extra regulator, coil, points & condenser to keep in my parts box. The round trip for me for Power Tour is just over 2300 miles, and I want to have them all on hand just in case. My more immediate need is to replace the speedo cable, and if that doesn't fix the speedometer I have 2 more clusters ready to go. One of the three will work.

If I feel extra inspired I might dig through my cabinets and see if I can put together a small cluster so I have real gauges to watch for temp, oil pressure, volts, and a tach. Or I just go in with the 'no news is good news' approach and hope.

 

Submit a good side picture of it on the Photoshop site and ask for some ideas as to wheels/paint & al***ude adjustment...might surprise you as to how great that little kewl Buick can look.

 

HAHA, it was a nice quality paint job, but poor choice of colors.

 

Now, you all have me considering a future paint job. I've been happy leaving it as is since it's still original. This place has the worst influence.

 

I kinda like the two-tone...Ditch the billet wheels and maybe go with chromies or Astros.

 

Guess they didn't like the two I posted. Well, you got the idea. Just trying to show you options...Weren't my style either, haha.

 

helped my buddy build back in the 70's. nailhead, which just fit, 4 spd, narrowed 12 bolt. chopped the top 4''. and we replaced the seating with buckets and back seat from a 76 regal. the nailhead was a little warmed over. three hands to drive it. 2 on the wheel and 1 on the shifter. wild car.

 

Speedo cable can be oiled if you remove it entirely, try dribbling lube down the cable and working it around. On the back of the cluster there may be a very small oiling cup right above where the speedo cable screws in and you can put some lube in there. For the life of me, I can't remember what lube was used for my car (64 Chrysler) but it solved the bouncing speedo problem for me - after I broke a speedo cable in cold weather driving - hard as hell to find those cables now.
For replacement parts try Mid Canada Suspension - Norm's got an entire warehouse full of NOS stuff and ships all over. He may be away until warmer weather, but it's worth the wait. The guy's a walking encyclopedia.

 

Loved the 215 powered cars I've owned. They're hard to kill but you do need to keep up on oil changes else they have a habit of eating cam lobes.
Mine went for years with a missing head stud, spitting oil at the underside of the hood. Took all the abuse and continued to run.
Had a Lumenition ignition system in one, never let me down in ten years.

Looks like a nice car though, I do hope you'll enjoy it.

 

Thanks for the tips. I did find a cable at Rockauto of all places. I just need the world to get a few degrees warmer. Every year I swear I'm going to add heat to the garage, and then I realize how much that would cost.

 

Thanks for the advice. I have a MSD 6AL box on a shelf from another project. When using it to trigger, do you retain the original coil, or should I replace it and remove the ballast resistor?

I've never tried this before. In my other points vehicles, I've just stuck with the points. Sometimes going to dual points if I was building more power.

 

good luck with the car, looks like a nice one. Hope you get to do the PowerTour.

 

Hello,

This GM model has the style lines built in place. It just takes some slight modifications to make it a really nice design. In the colorful green top photo, the sight lines are too high in front, above the windshield. It makes the design similar to a larger version of the T-Bird.

With a slight lowering of the front 1/3rd of the roofline, the top now looks as if it was designed this way and much more streamlined with the rest of the body. The slight lowering makes the top almost parallel to the design lines of the rest of the body. The lower portion did not need any other modifications other than some nice Buick Skylark Wire Wheels, and a cool rake to give it some at***ude.

Jnaki
The simple style lines are set, even if you want to go lower all around. The air flow will go smoothly over the hood and top without any hinderance. If the way to go is low and lean, then a ground s****e scene is there.

Sure, get it running well first, but keep in mind that there is always something else that would make your Buick stand out. Besides the Buick Skylark wire wheels, why not a small GM turbo charged motor for the added good looks when the hood is up or you stomp on the gas pedal?
A custom turbo v6 motor as seen in a 62 Buick convertible…
Or, find a sister car in the 62 Oldsmobile line for a one of a kind swap with the GM factory turbo motor. YRMV

 

Hey, i know where there is a complete, rebuilt turbo 215 for this car. The guy that has it, has no use for it. I believe it can be had at a very reasonable price. It is in southern california.