Buick letters

[GL03]

I purchased a letter "I" on ebay with excellent chrome. I was too lazy to measure my old letter on my 63 skylark because it looked so alike. I receive it and the mounting studs are 1/2 " seperation center to center. My "I" on the hood of the skylark are 5/8" separation center to center. Another thing i noticed is that it has no numbers or letters of identification like the OEM letter. Is this letter i got on ebay a reproduction or did the 64 or later years not have identifiable marks. Also, the studs have cast reinforcement, as if it was improved due to studs breaking off.

 

[dmva.parts]

Buick made umpteen gazillion different ones of these letters. There are a small handful that fit more than one year, one model, or both hood and trunk, but that is the vast minority, not majority. Most of these were specific to year AND model AND hood or trunk. You cannot just buy an "I" and expect it to fit. Buick probably made better than 20-30 different sizes and styles of "I" letters over the years (I've never counted).

I have a number of these letters (both NOS and used), but not at hand today to check to see if I have that one.

 

[My68BuickGS400]

Cautionary tale. I bought all the Buick letters for the hood of my 1968 GS and replacement door mirrors from OPGI thinking that when the time came to install everything would fit as they were advertised to fit. 18 months later when the time came to actually put them on the car, the letters did not fit and one of the mirrors did not fit properly. The restoration shop cleaned up my original letters to reuse and they had to drill new holes in the door to get the mirror in the right position. Of course, too late to return the letters. Buyer beware!

 

[dmva.parts]

Cautionary tale. I bought all the Buick letters for the hood of my 1968 GS and replacement door mirrors from OPGI thinking that when the time came to install everything would fit as they were advertised to fit. 18 months later when the time came to actually put them on the car, the letters did not fit and one of the mirrors did not fit properly. The restoration shop cleaned up my original letters to reuse and they had to drill new holes in the door to get the mirror in the right position. Of course, too late to return the letters. Buyer beware!

Yep, all depends on whether they got the "right" letters to make the repro's from, in the first place.

 

[GL03]

I've been browsing around and it looks like I have a late reproduction letter. The indicator is that there is no numbers or letters to identify and that at the base of the studs it becomes a square in respect to my letter that does not. But, aside from that it absolutely will not work on my vehicle, currently considering triming the studs and relocate them with that risk we all know about, unless someone can use it on their car.