http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1966...184864826QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item170184864826 Ted need another Cat??? :grin:
I checked that action earlier...it would be against my "no new projects " rule! That would be a sweet looking ride fixed up :beers2:
damn,i have the same "no new" rule in effect:af: now if it were a 2x4,or 4 speed,i could break that ruleuzzled: kinda like when the suncoupe "followed" me home.
I don't need the whole car, but i sure could use some of the pieces on it for my Cat. The trim pieces at the back of the rear quarter windows and the head liner bows are the last items i am going to need for mine.
I bought the car. Having almost finished my '65 Riv GS, I was hoping to get a break. A wildcat has been on my short list of cars to own and this one was priced right. I havent seen the car, but it all seems to be there except for the seats. It's missing a piece of the ribbed door trim and I'm concerned about having to find that piece. From the pictures it appears to have a red stripe distinguising it from non-GS cars. How difficult is this stuff to find? It's a single carb set-up, but I've got spare dual-quad set-ups out in the garage. SO, you know what it's gonna get. The shifter is is onthe column which I suspect mean the car is a bench seat model. How difficult is it to add a floor shifter?
You would except I saw the car when it first was listed on Ebay. I found this thread through a Yahoo search as I was trying to research the Wildcat GS becuase I know nothing about this car except that it's a one year only car and this it's rare enough and cool enough that it deserves to be saved by one who will get it done right. I hope that I'm up to the challenge. My first concern is gettting to my house. It's 800 miles away and the car is not running. I've a 2006 Dodge Ram with the Hemi and towing package and wonder about how to get this done: For example, #1. Is the car too heavy for my truck to haul with a 2000 lb trailer? #2. How will I get it on a trailer? I've seen some ratcheting systems, but don't know much about them. #3. Can I use a tow dolly instead? If so, will the back drag the ground? My second set of concerns include finding trim for this car. The pictures indicate that a missing piece of ribbed door trim. The trim has a red stripe which I suspect is unique to the GS. (How do I find this? Can I have one made without having to mortgage the house) The dash emblem looks trashed (pitted) Do I need to have this reproduced? The shifter is on the column. (Darn! I wanted buckets) Can the car be change to a floor shift? If not (or if it's a hassle, are there consoles that are not set-up for floor shift (i.e., storage only)? The list seems never seems to end. . . Inany event, the restoration will be well documented and I'll keep the board updated each step of the way. P
My first concern is gettting to my house. It's 800 miles away and the car is not running. I've a 2006 Dodge Ram with the Hemi and towing package and wonder about how to get this done: For example, #1. Is the car too heavy for my truck to haul with a 2000 lb trailer? #2. How will I get it on a trailer? I've seen some ratcheting systems, but don't know much about them. #3. Can I use a tow dolly instead? If so, will the back drag the ground? My second set of concerns include finding trim for this car. The pictures indicate that a missing piece of ribbed door trim. The trim has a red stripe which I suspect is unique to the GS. (How do I find this? Can I have one made without having to mortgage the house) The dash emblem looks trashed (pitted) Do I need to have this reproduced? The shifter is on the column. (Darn! I wanted buckets) Can the car be change to a floor shift? If not (or if it's a hassle, are there consoles that are not set-up for floor shift (i.e., storage only)? The list seems never seems to end. . . Inany event, the restoration will be well documented and I'll keep the board updated each step of the way. P[/QUOTE] As far as towing, I have a regular open trailer and I've towed 4500 lb. Riviera's on it with no problem. Just make sure the tires and brakes are up to the task and up to pressure. As far as getting it on the trailer, you can get a 3000 lb winch almost anywhere like Harbor Freight and the like for cheap. Then just have a spare battery and bolt it to the front of the trailer. That's what I did after hand winching two on there. Good luck.
Patrick, you should have no problems towing with your rig. I've hauled my '65's around with a F150 (just barely adequate), but never any problems. The cars fit on a 16' dovetail trailer, but make sure its wide enough. Wild Bill and Roberta are great for 66 Wildcat GS info- one big item you may need is the chrome low pro q-jet 66 GS only air cleaner...contact Bill (TopCat) for leads on trim! Ted
P[/quote] As far as towing, I have a regular open trailer and I've towed 4500 lb. Riviera's on it with no problem. Just make sure the tires and brakes are up to the task and up to pressure. As far as getting it on the trailer, you can get a 3000 lb winch almost anywhere like Harbor Freight and the like for cheap. Then just have a spare battery and bolt it to the front of the trailer. That's what I did after hand winching two on there. Good luck.[/quote] Thanks for the info! Okay, I've found the Harbor Freight winch on their website and there's one close to me, but if it's rated for only 3000 lbs, what happens when it's pulling just over 4000 lbs? Plan B is hand winching: What do I need to do this? Has anybody used a U-haul trailer? If so, experience any problems? I think they're about 14' long.
Thanks! What is this "chrome low pro q-jet 66 GS only air cleaner?" Does anybody have any pictures? Although I plan to install 2x4s using the Super Wildcat air cleaner, I'd also like to have a correct set-up for this car.
Hi Patrick, I`m delighted by your choice in Buick muscle, a `65 Riv GS and `66 Wildcat GS...my two favorite `60`s Buicks!! This car is quite rough compared to other choices which become available occasionally but I admire you for wanting to save such a rare beast.When restored the colors are quite striking. Personally, I would put a black vinyl top on the car, just like the car featured in the `66 Buick Fleet catalogue, but colors are obviously a very subjective arena.... They are quite rare and serve as a perfect example of what I think a Buick should be, a banker`s hotrod, comfortable and powerful with excellent open road manners. To bring the car home I would discourage the use of a tow dolly for several reasons. The Wcat is big and you may have a problem fitting it on a dolly. I towed one once with a "full size" tow dolly and had to load it backwards on the dolly to make it fit. Not a problem if properly securing the steering wheel but still a little un-nerving. Also, you need at least two excellent tires to be safe and most cars which need complete resto such as this just dont qualify. I would use a full size trailer. Loading the car is a cinch with one or two come alongs. Use them as you would use a nose mounted winch, no rocket science here. I have all the available statistical data which you might require. I also have many spares. The side molding are not a problem as the LeSabre moldings are the same except for the painted accent stripe. You have purchased a rare car and a big project. If I can help in any way please feel free to contact me. Bill Burton, also a member of this board, lives and breathes these beasts and should be able to help with most anything also. Between Bill and I, you should have most bases covered. Best to contact me via a PM if a timely reply is needed as I visit this site irregularly. Welcome to the world of the big kitty kats! :TU: Tom Mooney
I towed mine home on a flat bed trailer . i borrowed one from a friend and towed it from Pennsylvania to New hampshire with my F-150 with no real difficulties . I was able to get it on the trailer using just a 2000 Lb come along and the guy i bought it from pushing. Make sure you have adequate Tie downs as you will not have any brakes at all. The trim can be had , but like anything for these cars it is rare. Some things wil exchange betweeen Lesabres but be sure to check with Wild Bill or Ted or Tom to be sure. Interior items are the same , tough to come by but available if you look hard enough. The air cleaner is one that took me over a year to come by. The GS Cats had a Quadrajet that had a one year only chrome aircleaner . It looks similar to the Chrome GS aircleaners for the earlier cars but has the larger throat diameter for the quadrajet carb. They are not cheap but they really make the whole engine compartment really shine.
Ive decided for safety's sake, time, and the fact that I'm getting too old to push two ton cars around, to have the car shipped to my San Diego home from New Mexico. The car has no brakes and I was concerned about being able to adquately secure the vehile to the trailer. I did, however, manage to buy the 3000 lb winch from Harbor Freight. The day I went in to purchase, it was on sale for $69 down from $169. and it mounts to my truck hitch. The car arrives Wednesday. It has no seats, but I've purchased buckets from a '66 Bonneville. Now I just need to find the correct pattern to have them redone in the original white vinyl. The car will sit for a while becuase I want to focus on my 65 Riv GS. Ive had this car over 10 years and it should be ready in the next few months. It's a loaded with every option and several rarely seen accessories (NOS compass, NOS saleman's desk, NOS clothing rod, NOS carpet inserts, vanity mirror, tissue dispenser, purse hook, tach, trunk trouble light, 4 note horns and other stuff I've forgotten). I've also a set of the original triple stripe 8.45 x 15 bias ply tires. I've gained enough experience with this Riv to tackle the Wildcat. From the ebay pictures, it appears to be a tired old kitty. It doesn't run, its got not brakes, it has bondo in the driver's rear quarter, no interior, rust around the rear window (who knows what this means for the trunk) and the dash is pitted. The upside is that all the GS stuff appears to be there (except for the air cleaner, but I have some 2x4s with an air cleaner) and space in my garage. To be continued. . .
Good luck Patrick Love those car's. Hope to see plenty of pic's.My dad had one he drove to work for about 10 years.It had the same motor 425-Qjet. My brother and i use to love to fry those tires.
