I picked up a solid 65 Skylark wagon. The previous owner bought it, painted it HotRod flat black, and flipped it to me. It's got a stout Chevy 350/350 combo in it. My plan is to strip my 67 skylark of all it's suspension and drivetrain and put it in the wagon. The engine pulls pretty hard and sounds great, so I"ll probably leave it in for the time being. I've got a 700R4 in the 67 that I'll swap over to get better mileage and performance. -Josh
I looked for a 65 flat top for awhile then buddy sold me his 67 sport wagon . 65's are the best in my book !
just noticed this - yep , real nice lookin . ok - back on , at work . 1970 - my first car - 64 special wagon , 300 2bbl , 3 speed . added holley 500 and a hurst comp plus and of course some wheels . oh , and some real wood paneling to replace the beat up original inside door panels . nothing but first class all the way ! good first car - great "drive in" car . then i got drafted !
I swapped rear ends, had to cut the top pigtails off the lowering springs, but I have air shocks, so I can level out the back after I swap the front springs and disc brakes. -Josh
I started pulling the front clip to swap the sbc for a 5.3 LS motor with 4l60e. The plan is also to swap the 65 front clip for a 67 front clip. Well, it seems the 67 fenders are wider than the 65. My dad and I talked about splicing the front of the 67 fender onto the 65 fenders. -Josh
LS in the specialwagon=awesome! If i didn't have so much Buick loyalty that would be my choice. Are you axing the ventiports?
I'm keeping the Ports, but with a twist. I bought rectangular LED lights with chrome Bezels to replace the factory trim. It's the same with as h the body molding, so i hope they blend in nicely. They're amber LED's, and they'll flash with the turn signals. -Josh
Finally got around to pulling the SBC. Found a buyer, so the money I get from the engine will help fund the build. -Josh
I got around to installing the steering column from the Silverado into the Wagon. First, I cut the mounting tabs off the column. Then I took the splined end from the rag joint and welded it to the end of the steering shaft. I welded the gaps inline to keep from breaking the weld when tightening the pinch bolt to the steering gear box.
Here's the steering shaft connected to the gear box. And I had to trim the dash to make the column fit in the strap bracket. Here's with the tilt down, and another with the tilt up. -Josh
I decided to modernize the front turn signals with some clear oval "Halo" LED turn signals. I removed the the brackets from the back of the bumper and cut out the centers to place the lights and grommets inside the recessed brackets. I still have to remove the brackets for paint, and to beat some of the dents out of the bumper. I just wanted a picture of how they look mounted. -Josh
I had 3 broken exhaust manifold bolts in the heads, and the back 2 didn't come out. There's an extractor tip in one, and a drill bit tip in the other. MY dad fabbed up a pair of brackets to fasten the headers from the outside. They're 1/4 inch steel angle iron. The fastening bolts press just inside of the mount bolt holes of the headers to make a better gasket seal. -Josh
That's a good idea. I'd like to meet yer ol man. I bet we got a lot in common. Now after looking at your project, I think I might pull my 64 wagon outta the weeds.....You gotta cool car going on...Good Luck...
Well, after weeks of struggling to get the engine and trans mounted, I finally bit the bullet and bought a kit from ebay that comes with the motor mounts, plates, cross member and trans mount, plus all the hardware. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-67-Che...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cb982f817 I got everything bolted on and I could be happier. -Josh
Here's the engine installed. I got the accessory brackets put on. A side note. I took the fitting out of the old buick power steering pump and put it in the one on the serpentine set up from the Silverado. That way, I don't have to go make a hybrid hose for the LS Swap. -Josh
I bought the Stainless Steel "Doug headers" for the LS swap. I left one outside, and as you can see, it's not rust-proof. So, I got some high temp exhaust paint and blacked them out. I got the driver's side mounted and had to ding one of the tube for clearance for the steering shaft. I know I'm going to have to relocate the proportioning valve for the brakes to keep it away from the header heat, but I was planning on replacing the lines anyways. I can't get the oil level dipstick out of the engine block, so I'll have to figure that out in order to mount the passenger side header. -Josh
Here's the LED's that I bought to replace the portholes on te front fenders. I scuffed the lenses, painted them with lens tint, and then scuffed them again so they blend in with the rest of the car. I'll wire them up to the turn signals. - Josh
