Chuck in Canada - 1966 Buick Wildcat

Well, I made an appointment to get the carb and engine tuned up. After that, the paint job. I just ordered a car cover. $385 US on for 1/2 price at carcovers.com. It comes with wind straps, a storage bag, a cable lock, microfibre wipes and an antenna patch. With the money I am putting into my old girl, it is time to take good care of her. As I said, I have admired it since Ray first got it 12 years ago, but never thought she would be mine. I used to hate seeing snow piled on it but it wasn't mine, so kept my peace.

A guy named Lee has left 3 notes on the Wildcat now, asking to buy it. I am going to have to call him and let him know that the car isn't for sale, ever. I used to always want a Mustang, but now, I enjoy the fact that she is a bit of a rarity while Mustangs are common. There have to be 50 old Mustangs in Lethbridge, But only one other Wildcat that I know about. It is al coming together. Next spring, a trip back up to Ray's place and re-build the motor. It only needs a little work, so will be able to rebuild it in-frame. At least, as of now, that is the plan.

For a nerd who only used to car about music, computers and drones, I am finding this expensive, but rewarding.

 

Iv'e still come across old school car guys who don't believe the 445, 465 etc. on nailheads don't stand for cubic inches.. It's rare but there are still good old school mechanics that don't know.
A while ago I was walking by a muffler type shop and 2 guys had the hood open on a bright red 65 Wildcat.. One guy was playing with the air fuel mixture screws trying to get a good idle.. I'm not a know it all type of guy at all, but when I heard them talk about maby a vacuum leak that might be causing the little lope, I very politely tried to mention that these nailheads used a somewhat aggressive factory cam to make up for the small valves etc. that makes for somewhat lumpy idle.
They looked at each other and laughed. These are the same guys that told me this bright shinny red Wildcat with over spray on all of the moldings and a heat soaked cracked dash and interior still had the original paint..
I just walked away and let it be..

 

Well, I picked up my car today. Unfortunately, when Ray rebuilt my carb, he made some mistakes and bent some things. Bob had to rip it down and rebuild it from the ground up. Luckily, he had a couple of spare "donor" carbs hanging around. It starts nice (Pump 2 or 3 times, it's a carb after all). It starts, idles (a little lumpy, but Bob said that is the way they idle). It does idle, it does run great and has a ton of power. I gave it a little too much gas at one point, and, since we have a lot of snow right now, taught me a quick lesson. This is not my 3.5 litre ecoboost F150, this is a 425 Cubic Inch muscle car. Bob asked me if I wanted to sell her. He already had plans for it. Air bags, 20 inch rims, gloss fleck black body and a gold roof. Nope..... not for sale. I explained that she was a gift that I had admired for about 12 years. She is now my baby.

Now, it is winter, sort of. It is Lethbridge after all. 2 days ago, -17 (~ 1F), today +7 (45 F). The snow will be gone in a few days and I will remove the battery and put the new car cover on her. Time to put her away for 3 months. I got some looks driving it home. Some were admiring, some looks were "Why is that idiot driving his car in this weather?" Only to get her home. I am glad that Ray put Mud & Snow tires on her. She drove well, but a lot different feeling than a F150.

 

Welcome Chuck. Great bunch of people here. Also very knowledgable about Buicks, and other stuff. They can answer just about any question or find most parts.

 

Actually, I like the mat. I might try to find one for my car as Ray had the carpet replaced and I would love to keep it nice. Right now it has "Betty Boop" mats and my wife is insistent that they go. I have to say I agree with her on that. I went around looking for gauges and found a cluster of three (Voltage, Temp, Pressure) that I will probably purchase. A nice set in chrome. Not right now though. I just paid $950 to Bob for the work on the engine and can't justify it until spring since I cannot drive her right now anyways. Asking for $100 for the gauges might be pushing my luck a little far and, right now, Jenny is tolerant of the money spent ($4000 since I got her in May). Any more right now might put her over the line. Next month.... maybe.....

Thank you for the advice. Electronics, I know. Cars.... total noob. This is a steep learning curve for me, but, it seems you can teach an old dog new tricks.

got to go.... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

Greetings from Edmonton

 

My old girl came from your neck of the woods. My brother-in-law lives in Beacon Hill, near Pierceland Sask. That is about 30 Km east of Cold Lake. Before that, he bought it from Medicine Hat. Now, she lives in Lethbridge. Todd left another note on my car, third one. He seems to be eager to purchase what I have no intention of selling. I told him once, but, I guess it's a try try again thing. Ah well..... no sale. I found 10 Wildcats for sale on Kijijji. None in BC or AB, but east of us are some. Only 10 in Canada, seems pretty rare. I really love it and plan to keep working on her in the spring.

Well, time to sign off.... for today. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

 

I went to order the gauges for my car from Bob today. I told him that my wife told me he was in charge of decisions, not me. He asked me what I wanted. I told him that I wanted a set of gauges that would supplement the "Idiot Lights" on the car and be fairly accurate. We talked about a set I had seen that were electric. He told me that for real accuracy, I need a set of mechanical gauges and for water temp and oil pressure, the electrical connection isn't the way he would go. He had a set of Chrome gauges, Auto Meter Three Gauge Console 2329 that, although a little more expensive, were far more accurate. In the end, they were only 9 dollars Can. more that the ones I had been looking at, but way better. Okay, I bought the ones that had been on the shelf for a while (dusty), but other people had balked at the cost when you can go to Canadian Tire and buy a cheap set for $40 less. He said to call me next week to arrange putting them in. We then talked about the leaking motor. It used 2 quarts of oil to go 450 miles. Not burning blue, but pushing it out. He said for about $1200 he could pull the engine and replace all of the gaskets, but, since the motor is already out, it should be looked at while apart. He recommended replacing the oil pump, timing chain, honing the cylinders and new rings, maybe crankshaft... I told him that my budget was going to be around $2500 for this work and he thinks we can work with that. I am thinking engine before new paint. Fix up the old girl as I can, but mechanical should be before appearance. So far, I have spent on the car about what Ray did in 12 years on her.

 

If people can bear with me, I know I am messing up with the terminology on things. I am working to educate myself. My bad..... sorry.

 

I don't plan on any performance enhancements on the engine, just stock. Since it isn't burning, it shouldn't need new pistons or crankshaft, just rings. At least this is what Bob feels. Now, it could turn out like the "small rust hole" I fixed this summer, but I knew going into that that a small visible hole mean's a lot more to fix. Well, I have to call Bob next week to arrange a time to bring it in the following week, so we will see than.

 

Sorry your season was so short. I can really relate to it. I got my old girl in May and only got to drive her once. I have put around $4500 into her (excluding insurance) and got to drive 60 miles. But, she has had a tune-up and the Carb rebuilt from the ground up. Now, the engine rebuild. My goal is restoration as well. I am not a performance type of guy. Factory is my goal. She has enough power as it is. As Mike's brother said on Rust Valley Restorers, "She is a Personal Luxury Vehicle", not a high performance muscle car.

Ray told me that when he got her, he replaced some gaskets and it didn't leak, but... she pretty much sat for twelve years and things dried up. Now, she drips, slowly, but she does drip. I asked Bob about replacing the gaskets and just that, but he suggested I wait until I could spend more money. He was willing to do the gaskets, but said he would rather wait. I went home and calculated my finances, came up with a max of $3000 by the middle of the month. I went to talk to him and he said that that was good.

I bought the proper red paint for the engine. While it is out, time for paint. Red is going to look good, rather than the sad condition of the paint right now. After that, he is going to install my gauges, that way, do it once, not twice. I am going mechanical first because I am such a mechanical noob that if she breaks down, I would be in trouble, and paying for a tow. Knowing that the engine is in good shape will be a weight off of my shoulders.

 

She already has new motor mounts, belts and hoses. The drivers side mount let go while Ray was driving it down and so I replaced the mounts. He had an eventful drive when he brought it down. First, the thermostat stuck, so he removed it. Then, the motor mount let go. He found that out after a train went by, revved it up and.... clunk. He had to baby it the rest of the way down. The first time I tried to move it, the linkage let go. At that point I wondered "What have I gotten into?" I learned a lot about the linkage and replaced a few parts. Now, she shifts tight. I wouldn't trade my Wildcat for any of the other cars he has, even to 57 Lincoln, which is, a sweet machine. Before the carb was rebuilt, it would stall at every light or stop sign. I felt it was just too unsafe to drive in the city. I didn't want to cause an accident, so, she stayed parked. The tune up included new wires, plugs, rotor distributor cap, belts, hoses, and the carb repair. Half the cost was repairing my carb, bent parts that had to be repaired. Now, turn over twice... off she goes.

When I first got the car, I told my wife that anything we put into it was basically, lost money. You never get it back. To be honest, she didn't care. She is just glad that I have found something that I am passionate about. I watched that car for 12 years. Between the car and my drones, I have hobbies now that get me out of the house. I walk the dog 3 km (2 miles) every morning. The last few mornings have been pretty slow, but, the dog gets walked. My wife is close to retirement, but said she is going to keep working until I get the car painted and new tires (maybe rally rims..... shhhhh). I found a set of original rally rims. Hopefully they are still there when I can afford them.

 

Well, the mechanics has revised his estimate. he said the $3000 would just be a start. As he said "A small block Chevy oil pump is $35, but one for the 425 is $150." Everything is more expensive. I just cannot afford $5000+. I know he loves the car, but, finances are finances.

I bought the Rings, timing chain, Timing chain sprocket, Gaskets, and timing cover gasket. I am going to have to wait until Spring, but Ray, or Gord, both have garages and would help me rebuild the engine. Ray has a hone and a timing light (I know, I gave it to him when I got my 89 Cavalier). Don't need to touch the carb, so, not as hard. I am not going to do the heads though. Just cannot afford it right now. I got the paint to repaint it. I will clean and paint it while it's out. While it is out I will also replace the passenger side motor mount and paint the firewall.

Bob is still going to put in the gauges next week sometime. I have the money for that.

Well, goodnight all. Have a wonderful weekend (What's left of it, anyways!).

 

I appreciate your wish. I hope so as well. I will find out in the spring. In the mean time I have ordered a set of American Racing rims for the car. I have spent the last week filling and sanding the cracks in the original steering wheel. I have it to the point now where I can put the first coat of primer on it. Prime.... Sand.....Prime....Sand.... and repeat. The primer I purchased is made to fill small scratches. I am looking forward to putting the original steering wheel back on as the replacement is not one we care for. It's okay, but smaller and too new looking style wise.

Alright, I have to admit, Nailhead I understand, but BBB? As I said earlier, I am trying to learn the lingo, but am still more acquainted with DSLAMS, SONET, ASAMS, Rectifiers, PCM, Switches, Rack, Runways..., telecom equipment. I freely admit my lack of car knowledge.

 

Dont know about all of that. My 430's are pretty strong.

 

Ah, now that makes sense. I read that they replaced the Nailhead with the 430 in 1967 and the 455 in 1970, but didn't connect the two. Thank you for clarifying this for me. I tried to google it, but all I got was Better Business Bureau. Not very helpful. My lack of knowledge is showing.

 

I going to start a new thread for this process with my car. This thread is getting quite long and should be moved. 1966 wildcat Sport Coupe is the title.

 

The early bird get his beak frozen off.

 

Thank you. I will have to check this out.

 

No, sorry. I was far too busy wrangling an 18 month old boy (They are fast!). There were a few Buicks there, one Electra and a Grand National. No Wildcats though, although I understand that there is at least one more Wildcat in Lethbridge.