I am going to look at a local '63 Electra 4 door. Supposedly a mostly rot free car with failing paint, leaky carb gasket, and in need of brake work for $1500. Looks decent in pics. I searched this part of the forum for info and pics of these cars, but could not find much at all. Any sources I should look at to learn about this year.model before I go and look at it? Anyone here own one and be able to speak about parts availability, "fun factor" etc.? Thanks in advance. Dave
I have a '62 Invicta, and the cars are pretty comparable. It's definitely a fun cruiser. The Nailhead has a lot of power and the Dynaflow is usually bullet proof. They will burn rubber from a stop, be rock steady at 100mph, and be smooth as silk at 60mph. As far as parts availability, there isn't much. You can get replacment parts for the Nailhead but that's about it. You can't really get any sheet metal (although I did just find someone repoping floors) or interior pieces. I usually find myself looking on eBay for whatever I need - uncommon items seem to pop up. $1500 might be a little high. There's a local guy that's been trying to sell a '62 LeSabre in similar condition for $1250, and he's been trying to get rid of it since January. Try and talk him down. Ask any other questions you might have. Good luck!
The info you gave is just what I am looking for, especially how this particular year/model handles. The oldest GM product I have owned thus far was a '67 Lemans, so to me '63 feels like a whole different animal. It's pre-muscle-era, which I am essentially ignorant about. What about basic repair parts for the suspension, brakes, all the things you might need to give attention to to keep the car inspected and on the road? I'm basically just looking for a summer cruiser for ice cream runs, maybe the occasional longer trip up the windy roads of VT and New Hampshire. The guy has the car listed for about $1700. He said he received an offer for $1350, which he turned down. Said a figure somewhere in between the two would probably work. Is the Dynaflow a 2 or 3 speed auto? Do you have any pics of your car posted on this site?
I've got a 63 Wildcat 4 Dr. HT. The handling and driveability is really smooth. I've enjoyed driving it not only on long distances, but around town as well. I've had it well over 100 mph (115) and it just seems to float. The engines in these "Boats" are great. Most of the parts you'll find on ebay or online. There is a few online places that you can get parts. Eventually I'm going to start seriously looking for a 63 Electra. Well once I get my Cat where I want it...
Technically the Dynaflow is a 2 speed auto, although there aren't any gears. If you search Google or Wikipedia, you might get some more info. Basically it uses turbines to achieve what gears in a normal automotic do. It's pretty neat stuff especially for the 60's. I don't think I have any pics uploaded on the site or Photobucket, however I could snap some if you'd like. I just recently finished putting in an aluminum radiator to replace the factory unit. It fits perfect, and is an excellent example of how you have to get creative with some projects on these cars. Suspension parts are available. You can easily get new shocks, and even springs. I'm sure there are sources for bushings as well. You can easily get parts for the brakes too. 99% of the "maintenance" items are readily available. It's when you want to start going with aftermarket parts that it becomes a challenge. Like I said, any questions just ask. Also, where are you located? And do you have any pics of the '63?
Pictures look good, but has it been hit on the passenger side front fender? Looks like a replacement/repaint. I'm in Southeastern Mass. We need more Ma$$hole Buick Boaters out there!
It's neat to see another MA guy on here. Mass. must not be a hotspot for classics, because on most of the forums I belong to, it is rare for me to find other Massholes, and almost none are from the western part of the state. At any rate, that is a good question about the fender being a different color. In person, I'll have to check it out and see if I can discern any evidence of a previous accident. I had initially just assumed that that part of the car's paint faded differently, but I guess that is not very logical.
The '63 was a nice car. I know of one restored convertible Electra225 around here, and the guy started with a solid car that didn't need any steel work done. He did the motor and tranny himself, and farmed out the upholstery. Last time I saw it it was gorgeous. How does it handle? Compared to a 67 LeMans it's a boat. The steering is like a water wheel, - no road feel at all. It's softly sprung, and likes cruising at about 60-70 mph. Anything faster and it gets a bit hairy and tends to wallow. However Buick did a fairly credible job with the suspensions on those things, and it out-handles a comparable Chrysler or Ford of the same year. The 401 has lots of torque, and the Dynaflow will take some getting used to if you've never driven a car with it. If it's working fine, it'll take you from 0 to 120 in the same gear, no downshifts, no gear changes, just a nice steady pull. You;ll find it kind of weird at first, the engine revs up to about 1500 and just starts pulling and there's no banging into higher gears or neck-jerking downshifts. It is responsive too; - as long as everything is tuned right. A big heavy boat like that will put a scare into many a ricer or badly hopped up Mustang, especially at highway speeds. I used to win quite a few races with a clapped out 60 Invicta with the same power train but with a 3.42 axle. That Electra would probably have a 3.07 or a 2.73 in it, so it'll have long legs, and really come into it's own on the highway. Fuel economy would be about 17-20 at best. In town, it'll be like flushing a toilet. Don't expect more than 8. Mechanical parts are all available now. Body parts are still scarce. That car would be all Electra only, the Wildcat and LeSabre were built on smaller wheelbases. The dash shares commonality with the other two, but the seats and upholstery are again unique to only the Electra. If you buy it, you'll have a very unique car that should povide lots of enjoyment in half decent comfort; - but then again, I'm pretty biased to Electras...
GREAT info, thanks. If I buy it, play with it, then decide to sell it, is there ANY market for these things, or will it be like trying to sell lemonade in an ice storm?
I like that; - neat quote. Unfortunately it might be like getting into a bad marriage, easy to get into, hard to get out of. The market for big boats never did recover from the 70s oil crisis,which is probably why you're getting it cheap. Check out what a comparable Impala or Bonnyville is worth, and you'll find they sell for a lot more even thought they're less of a car than the Buick. If you decide to restore one of these things, you'll find that the costs can exceed the restored value of the car very quickly. Even though it's a hardtop, it's still a four-door and just now beginning to be appreciated by the collector market. Recently the prices of collector cars has taken a hit, and it's usually reflected in these four-door boats first. So what was a $10,000 car a year ago is now worth half that. That's the downside. The upside is once you've driven an old Buick you'll never want to even own one of those "cheaper" GM cars again. The car is just so much better engineered than the Chev or the Pontiac of the same year. You will find that there are a lot of Buick fanatics on this site who wouldn't think of owning anything else, and they feel that the Buick is the most under-rated secret that GM had. I tend to agree with this sentiment. I've owned 25 old 60s-vintage Buicks and found them better than anything else from the same period in time, including Corvette. (Okay, the Corvette does handle better, but it's saddled with that crappy Chevy engine) But here again, I'm biased. At that price, buy it, have fun with it, and then who knows? You might be the next one contemplating a restoration on an old Buick; - or dump it off at a local museum for a tax credit. It looks like it would be an easy and cheap resto, and it deserves to be preserved.
my father bought a basic '63 'sabre new and it was a great car . very well made , pretty lookin , ran great . pretty fast too . kid that worked for him had a chopped merc that he THOUGHT was fast ---- toast ! anyway , a while ago my brother bought a '63 225 2 door to fix up and stored it at my place for awhile , it was pretty rough and too much for him to get into and i did not have time so he ended up trading the body/frame/motor to somebody but not before we stripped off some trim stuff - door glass and regulators , arm rests , door panels , outside trim etc . nothin real cherry but probably either usable or fixable . some rough , some good . the rear qtr's on that were about battleship size i think . that thing musta weighed about 2 tons+ easy . i probably should have snagged that , don't see too many 2 door versions . i'm fairly close ( south central ny state about 50 miles n.e. of binghamton ) , some of the 2 door parts may be the same as yours so if ya get the car and need something let me know and i can look - we can swap parts or make a deal . good luck with that . del
I love my boat, haven't spent alot of money on it either. Stuff to keep it running well is readily available. Fun to drive, and haven't seen many like it around here. It's only worth alot to me
It can difficult to find classics in this state. This time of year, most come out of hibernation. Wishful thinking, but are there any good salvage yards out your way? Regarding the fender, I just noticed it. Maybe a bit of overspray on the windshield weather stripping or inside the fender would be a clue.
The owner was only available for a short window today, and during that time I was still at work. Hopefully, I can check the car out next week. On the Dynaflow: does anyone even know how to work on them anymore, if I end up having trouble with it and needing service?
I've ran into the exact same problem with the Dynaflow. After talking with tons of shops and getting a couple different names, I was finally able to find someone I was willing to let touch my Dynaflow. I've actually started to just try and find a trans. I keep going back and forth on weather to swap in a ST400 (later 3 speed style trans, similar to a TH400) or keep the Dynaflow. Since I need to get this thing back on the road for the summer and do it on the cheap, I think I'm going to just throw another Dynaflow in it. Plus I found once cheap a few hours north of me. I just hope he still has it!
