ok, here is the story. i just bought this car from a salvage yard. i think it is a 69 skylark custom only because it has square side marker lights. don't all 68s have the round buick emblem rear side marker lights? but it has a 68 grill, 68 rear bumper, wing windows, 68 dash, no headrests on the bench seat, just about everything to be a 68. so do i have a weird 68 or a mixed up 69? the vin is 435378Z112009. by the way. this car is really messed up and should be added to the old neglected buicks home. but i am determined to fix her up and get her going, so i am going to need a bunch of stuff. i may wish i kept my 67, but i sold her to a guy in kalispell who wanted a project to work on with his son, so i think she went to a good cause. i took a bunch of pics today of the 68[?!]. you gotta see the engine compartment. under the rats nest is a 350/4bbl that i know isnt siezed, but that is about it. wish me luck! ou:
Looking at the VIN, it's a 1968 modelyear Skylark. Also the 3 horizontal bars on the fender are 1968, 1969 Skylarks had vertical bars. But that rear markerlight is a mystery.......... 4 35 37 8 Z 112009 4 = Buick 35 = Skylark 37 = 2 drs HT coupe 8 = modelyear 1968 Z = Fremont, Ohio plant 112009 = production number
somebody put 1/4's on it ? since we can only get 69's that would explain the marker light.. just a thought!o No:
Yep, it's 68. Doug has probably answered the question about the rear marker lights. Repros only are available 69 style, so the easy way out is to just install them as-is, instead of doing the rework to make it a 68 style.
By the Vin, as stated its a '68. Front ends, fenders, shiney parts can all be changed......'69 post cars even had the vent windows. The Headrests on a bench seat are a good telltale too - who would replace a bench seat with anothe bench seat without headrests ??? Good luck fixin' it up
it is amazing the amount of info one can find on just one series of car! i knew about all the details of what makes a 68/69 except for the quarter panel replacement. that would explain the lack of rust. now i wonder how hard it will be to "fix" the side marker lights. i still have the two markers i saved off the 68 skylark i had back in 85 [long story involving a 280Z under the rear bumper :ball: ]. thanks to erik for the deciphering.:TU: now, if you have any 68 parts you want to get rid of, i am going to post a wish list in "parts wanted". thanks alot. rob
What's strange to me it appears to have a 69 style vinyl roof. The 68 style kicks back under the rear side windows. Why would somebody go to the trouble to change that on a 68? Mark
you mean like this? i haven't looked close enough at the outside of the car to tell if that has been altered. i have tried to locate a previous owner without much luck so far. this could go like with my 67 [with the 66 front end] and be a previous wreck repair. i seem to run into pieced together cars a lot around here. but what are the chances of this being a 69 originally and altered to appear to be a 68? seems to be a lot of trouble to go to but then i dont know how long ago this transformation may have taken place. i would tend to go with the vin number as that is the legal discription of the car and how the state of montana will identify it. but that can be altered, too
i thought this was a done deal until the vinyl top issue. who would go trough that much pain for so little. of course who was more suprised at the 68 GS emblem added to the 69 deck lid and trim than i after the car was painted and i installed the trim. car was trim preremoved when i bought it.
on a GS, i could see doing a little doctoring. the prices of any premium vintage car is worth the effort. but this is a skylark custom, and the difference in value is neglegible between 68s and 69s depending on who you talk to. how do i ID the engine to tell if it is original? maybe i can get a clue there. is there any other place on the car i can check to verify? now you got me worrieduzzled: maybe this car was stolen and chopped [30 years ago, when it was still new] maybe it was a secret mock up of a 69 in the spring of 68 when they were trying out new ideas at the buick testing grounds. maybe it was the prototype of a car some CIA operative drove and it has some hidden lazer or jet powered drink mixer on board!
well....we're assuming '69 quarters have been hung its prolly been painted / restored in other areas too. its not a far stretch to imagine the original vinyl roof was toast - including its trim - and in the resto process used available '69 trim and just installed the new top that way o No: Then again, CIA operatives and some hidden lazer or jet powered drink mixer would have been wayyyy cooler than dicking with vinyl top choices
good point, and a reasonable explanation for many of the "oddly" clean aspects of this car. i think the last person to have possesion of this car worked very hard to undo somebody else's hard work restoring this car, by the looks of it now. too bad, and kinda sad. it had been repainted, had some obviously newer suspension work done, somebody invested in a set of nice wheels and tires, it even still has a decent stereo in it. tomorrow is supposed to be nice, maybe i can dive into it and see what else is up with it. thanks!:TU:
Is it possible that this is one of the last 68's to roll off the assembly line, and could therefore have a mix of 68 and 69 parts as the factory was switching over to new parts, and using up the old parts inventory????? BTW, if you tear into the engine anytime soon, I would really appreciate a picture of the alternator bracket with the alt removed... Buick 350's without A/C are pretty rare, and I'd love to see the assembly... Thanks:grin:
productionnumber is 112009 , started at 100001 for V8 cars so this is car # 12009, not a late modelyear number The Body Number Plate on the car will tell the week of the month it was produced.
It's not a Skylark Custom but a Skylark, according to the VIN 4 35 37 8 Z 112009 Skylark Custom should be 4 44 in the beginning of the VIN Does the title say Skylark Custom, or are there any Custom emblems on the car ?
