I'll share some secrets that I've been working on, thanks to inspiration from SkymanGS (Chris) and his '69 Customizing project! It's getting too cold, and I don't have a warm place to work, but I've been doing what I can, with the nice weather we've had! If my GS wasn't such a POS, I would put time and money into it, but it's not worth it to me, so it's sitting until I decide it's fate. Instead, I've turned my focus onto my CLEAN car, the 4 Door, for now! SO, progress with the 4 Door Skylark is going well! I've sold the original 350 engine, and the original TH350, to other Buick guys who wanted/needed them! With the engine/tranny gone, I've been prepping the car for it's 455, and custom bodywork!:bglasses: I've already changed the Rear Suspension to 2" Lowering Springs, and New Shocks. I have new 455 front springs that I'm cutting coils out of, to match the rears, for low profile! With a few extra pairs of fenders, I chose the best ones that I have laying around, and I modified them, so they are 3/4 steel and 1/4 fiberglass lower fenders, so I can use them as a Tilt Front End (my own design)! There will be no side marker lights, as the holes will be welded closed and smoothed over for paint. Only the GS badges will be visible, as they will be lit up from behind! Scratchbuilding a Core Support, only to keep radiator in place, while Fenders/Hood will Tilt around it! I've also designed a custom hood, using a Skylark flat hood, and a Low Profile Cowl scoop, with a cutout for my Star Wars Air Cleaner to stick through, as a "shaker" style hood! Only the LED air ducts of the air cleaner will be visible at night, from underneath the Cowl!:shock: The engine is a '76 455 block, .030, with '70 SF Heads, Poston Headers (Chrome), and whatever I have laying around to build it (new). Interior will have Aircraft style gauges in a homebuilt steel bezel, to replace the original parts! I have a custom steering wheel, similar to an airplane yoke, that will have a Buick Tri Shield emblem in the center! Also thinking 4 Bucket Seats and a Full Console (front to back, between all seats)!:bglasses: I hate Winter! All cars on hold, temporarily! Wait to fit it all in the Spring!o No:
Sounds like som special ideas going on over there I would sure like to see that 'shaker' mod :TU: Post some pics when its done!
The "other" Modified guy Hey scott, nice to see you're still planning the project! Haven't heard from you for a while. Not trying to steal your thread, but here's a pic of how mine came out. It's been called (argueably) the smoothest Buick A-body on the planet! I'll be pullin up stakes and headed to Colorado Springs in about 2 weeks, so commo will be a little iffy on the board. Keep in touch though. Chris
I have seen a few of Scott's creations(some of the best crafsmanship you will ever see!) in person and I for one can say that this project w/ his 4 door is going to look pretty radical and very awesome. With all the ideas that Scott is putting into it, I can also say that no one out there will have one even close to being like his 4 door once he is completed! And I must say Chris, that car of yours is a very out of this world ride, and I have kept track of it from day one when you started the thread, and how it came together truly amazed me! Very cool Good luck w/ the project, Scott! Keep us all updated as you move about on this project! :TU: :bglasses:
I've been keeping up on your progress, Chris! You ALMOST have me interested in buying a '69 Skylark, instead of '70-'72s! Yours is THE most beautiful example of a '69 that I have ever seen, and actually LIKE (extremely)!:TU: Not only have I been "planning" with the modifications, but I've actually DONE a few, and bought some parts and materials for some Trial and Error engineering.:TU: I wish I was better with Computer Drawing, so I could Draw and Animate how my car will look (and function) when it's done! I can draw it "freehand" (pencil and paper, or MS Paint/pixels), but I'm no artist, to make it look like a real car (I don't know how to "shade" for surface lighting/detail). Maybe I should experiment on one of my extra 1/18th GSX's, to see how it will look and work, first!o No: Chris, what have you done for a Stereo system? Are '69 Front Dash speakers the same as '70-'72 Front Dash speakers?o No:
Thanks, Cody!:ball: :beer :TU: I appreciate the compliment, though I don't deserve it. I just do what I Enjoy doing. I'm getting more into Fabrication (building parts from scratch), and learning to weld (I can, I just never have.), and experimenting with different materials and parts to see what looks good, or what functions good, or both. I don't care much for "Restoring" cars. If Chip Foose was to only "restore" cars, he'd be like every other body shop on the planet. Chip Foose is an ARTIST, because he takes Factory cars, and Modifies them, just enough, so that you can still Identify them and Recognize them for what they are, but yet notice there's something a Little Different about them! THAT'S COOL! And That's what I'm hoping to achieve, with my own car! It doesn't matter so much what anyone else thinks about it, because I'm going to be the one who has to Drive it, and use it, so I want it to be "user friendly" for my own preferences. I only hope that other people can enjoy it, and just appreciate the time and effort that goes into it, as they would put into their own vehicle. I want it to still keep the Stock appearance, but when the Fenders fold out and then forward, that will catch people's attention (plus it will be easier to do maintenance on the engine, without having to lean Over the fender, when it's Tilted Forward and out of the way! I'll be able to sit on the front tires to work on the engine. :Brow: :bglasses: ) I've been thinking of relocating the Gas Filler neck into a 1/4 Panel, and adding the "Race Cap" (with the Rivets around it, like the Formula cars have), just to be different. I have another idea about that, too. I might "hinge" the Rear Bumper, instead of just the License Plate, to expose the Filler Neck, and it would also be easier to change Taillight Bulbs that way! I'm not sure which way, yet.o No: Reverse hinged Trunk Lid to offset Tilt Front End, for Appearance Shock Factor? o No: It can all be done, it just won't be done "easily". :TU:
Scott, just keep us posted... You have peeked our interest, now we need more!!! LoL. Thanks for the compliments, but I really can't take too much of the credit. Interjections from the board members saved me from feeling real stupid several times with stuff I hadn't even thought of. If it wasn't for this forum, It'd never be this far along. Just keep on truckin, and let no one tell you it can't be done, or shouldn't be done. You got my respect for that pal! Later
Chris, I've always had a problem of not knowing WHERE to START on these cars. Until I see the work that you've done on yours, with the Body, and how it looks, and you don't even have the Interior or the Engine done. Hey, I don't mind not driving it, if I can look at it and enjoy it, like yours turned out! With mine, though, I have a little bit done here, and a little bit done there, and a Lot done here and Nothing done there, in different stages of the car's total rebuild. I find it difficult, as only one guy, to do some of the things that I'd like to do with it. (For Example, I Hate having to remove the Hood off the car/hinges, by myself! I do it, because I HAVE to, when no one else is around to help me!) Motivation is usually from helping a few of my other buddies around here, when I work on their cars, then I just want to go home and keep working all day and all night on my own car. Otherwise I just don't even want to look at my car, the next day, thinking how much I have left on it, instead of how far I've gotten with it!o No: I think YOU'LL really like it, Chris, and you'll appreciate it, as a Buick, too, with all Buick parts, and then some! :Brow: :eek2: :bglasses:
