Sportwagon Restoration Page

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

Sending out an inquiry to see if other Team Buick members would be interested in starting a thread dedicated to Sportwagon restoration, repairs, working on these cars?

I am restoring a 65, this winter doing suspension, exhaust, floors, work underneath, and getting the 300 v8 running better

As you know if you own one; these cars have a lot of unique features, and parts, so I was hoping to pick some brains out there, and contribute anything I might know that someone else doesn't

Let me know

Dave

 

[Dr. Frankenbuick]

Go ahead Dave. It sounds interesting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bob]

Yes, get started, and if you have regular posts, you will eventually get a following.

That is what the forum, Projects and Journals is for

 

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

OK here we go - start with some easy stuff:

Data I've found notes the Sportwagon (I'm gonna say "SW") rides on a 120 inch wheelbase while the skylark sedan uses a 115 inch
Where is the extra length?
Is it mainly in the rear doors as the eye test would suggest?
Bottom line, what if any doors off a regular Skylark sedan would fit the SW? Would the front fit?

 

[Dr. Frankenbuick]

Dave, measure the length and height of your doors. I can measure that against those on my 65 Gran Sport. I don’t have an interchange manual. The chassis service manuals in our reference area have a frame section with measurements for each frame.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

Looking for help decoding my body tag as well.
I have looked through the reference data on this site and other sources and still have questions:
- There is uncertainty as to whether this car is American or Canadian. I found one source that claims Sportwagons were only made in USA. Is thsi true?
- I find the following points odd regarding the body tag
----The 65-44255 part is clear
----Its the next letter which is odd; this is the Plant production, in most references this is one letter (ie H) however my plate clearly has a 3 attached to the F, I cannot find any reference to a Plant Production code of F3 let alone F -- so what does this mean?
----the remainder 73729 is only 5 characters; most references say the production sequence would be 6 characters?
----The JJ is clearly Verde Green upper and lower, and appears correct as most of my car is still original paint (patina..d)
----But what would the little star after the JJ possibly mean? I cannot find any reference to this
----Finally, any assistance in finding out what the last row means would be appreciated..."WG-2XP-3CWE-4N

 

[bob k. mando]

those plates used to be stamped manually, so i wouldn't be too worried about some of the spacing.

by which i mean that i suspect that the 3 in "F3" is the first digit of your body number.

i believe there was a Chevy plant in Flint ... which got the "F" designation. this is why Buick Flint got saddled with the "H". but i also wouldn't be entirely surprised if somebody stamped an "F" for Flint-Buick. there's also a Fremont plant. the Canadian plants had numbers ( 1 = Oshawa, 2 = St Therese ). you might misread the 1 as an "I".

is/was it a softtop? that might be what the star is for.

the bottom line are option codes and you'll have to get somebody with a body manual to chime in.

 

[TODD]

Looking for help decoding my body tag as well.
I have looked through the reference data on this site and other sources and still have questions:
- There is uncertainty as to whether this car is American or Canadian. I found one source that claims Sportwagons were only made in USA. Is thsi true?
- I find the following points odd regarding the body tag
----The 65-44255 part is clear
----Its the next letter which is odd; this is the Plant production, in most references this is one letter (ie H) however my plate clearly has a 3 attached to the F, I cannot find any reference to a Plant Production code of F3 let alone F -- so what does this mean?
----the remainder 73729 is only 5 characters; most references say the production sequence would be 6 characters?
----The JJ is clearly Verde Green upper and lower, and appears correct as most of my car is still original paint (patina..d)
----But what would the little star after the JJ possibly mean? I cannot find any reference to this
----Finally, any assistance in finding out what the last row means would be appreciated..."WG-2XP-3CWE-4N

Dave,
Here are the Fisher body plant option codes (most of them):

W = tinted glass (windshield only)
G = power tailgate window

2X = ST-300 automatic transmission
2P = backup lights

3C = padded dash
3W = floor carpet
3E = lower crash pad (instrument panel cover extension assembly)

4N = unknown

 

[TODD]

Looking for help decoding my body tag as well.
I have looked through the reference data on this site and other sources and still have questions:
- There is uncertainty as to whether this car is American or Canadian. I found one source that claims Sportwagons were only made in USA. Is thsi true?
- I find the following points odd regarding the body tag
----The 65-44255 part is clear
----Its the next letter which is odd; this is the Plant production, in most references this is one letter (ie H) however my plate clearly has a 3 attached to the F, I cannot find any reference to a Plant Production code of F3 let alone F -- so what does this mean?
----the remainder 73729 is only 5 characters; most references say the production sequence would be 6 characters?
----The JJ is clearly Verde Green upper and lower, and appears correct as most of my car is still original paint (patina..d)
----But what would the little star after the JJ possibly mean? I cannot find any reference to this
----Finally, any assistance in finding out what the last row means would be appreciated..."WG-2XP-3CWE-4N

Here is a page from the GM Canadian Parts Catalogue No. 704A Covering the 1964-70 Buick Special. It confirms the ‘65 Sportwagons were imported from the US. As per standard Buick practice at the time, the body styles with lower production were imported from the US out of the Flint plant.

 

[TODD]

Looking for help decoding my body tag as well.
I have looked through the reference data on this site and other sources and still have questions:
- There is uncertainty as to whether this car is American or Canadian. I found one source that claims Sportwagons were only made in USA. Is thsi true?
- I find the following points odd regarding the body tag
----The 65-44255 part is clear
----Its the next letter which is odd; this is the Plant production, in most references this is one letter (ie H) however my plate clearly has a 3 attached to the F, I cannot find any reference to a Plant Production code of F3 let alone F -- so what does this mean?
----the remainder 73729 is only 5 characters; most references say the production sequence would be 6 characters?
----The JJ is clearly Verde Green upper and lower, and appears correct as most of my car is still original paint (patina..d)
----But what would the little star after the JJ possibly mean? I cannot find any reference to this
----Finally, any assistance in finding out what the last row means would be appreciated..."WG-2XP-3CWE-4N

The H plant code and 6-digit serial number shown on the VIN page of the Chassis Service Manual are for the assembly plant where the car was built. The Fisher body Plants used their own plant codes and serial numbers. It would be good to recheck the F3 plant code to see if it is FB. Fisher Body serial numbers back then did not start off numbering with 6 digits.

FB is the body plant code for Flint, MI. Here is a list of the body plant codes from the 1972 Buick Master Parts Book for the body. The ‘64 codes carried over into ‘65.

 

[TODD]

OK here we go - start with some easy stuff:

Data I've found notes the Sportwagon (I'm gonna say "SW") rides on a 120 inch wheelbase while the skylark sedan uses a 115 inch
Where is the extra length?
Is it mainly in the rear doors as the eye test would suggest?
Bottom line, what if any doors off a regular Skylark sedan would fit the SW? Would the front fit?

Attached are the ‘64 A-body frame drawings from a dealer service bulletin. The ‘65s are the same. The Sportwagon frame length and overall car length increase by 5 inches like the wheelbase does. A little more than half the increase is added between the cowl and the bracket for the rear suspension lower control arm. The rest of the increase is added behind the control arm bracket.

Dimensions given in the dealer brochure show the 2-seat Sportwagon gains about 3 inches in rear seat legroom over the Special wagon and 4-dr sedans. The 3-seat Sportwagon has the same rear legroom as the Special wagon/4-dr sedans.

The Master Parts Book shows the doors consist of dozens of parts. The key front door parts (door skin, door frame, glass, outer lower door molding) show no differences for the 64-65 Sportwagons vs. other 4-dr cars. So that would indicate the front doors (except for trim) interchange between Sportwagons and other 4-door cars.

On the rear doors, nearly everything has different part numbers for the Sportwagons so chances of interchange don’t look good.

Also attached is a chart showing the chassis changes made on the Sportwagons vs. other A-bodies. This came from the ‘64 mid-year Body Manual supplement.

 

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

Thank you very much guys -- really appreciate your help in answering some "mysteries" on the 65 Sportwagon body tag

Todd - your hunch was 100% correct. I was out in the shop tonight installing a new water pump on the ol 300, and I took some time to clean the body tag on the firewall again, and double check the characters following the "65-44255".

The next two characters I thought were "F3" are indeed "FB".
I really wasn't aware of this "plant" designation, nor was I aware that the body number production sequence could be 5 characters ( I thought this was always six characters, and is on all my other Buicks). This data is not given on the reference section on this site for 1965 cars, and appears to maybe be unique to the "odd" cars, as you say, the low production models. Thank you also for the option codes.

So to recap; here is what I have learned on the body tag research:
- The car was manufactured in Flint Michigan (whether it was sold in USA originally or imported to Canada and sold I will further research)
- FB stands for Fisher body, made at Flint, Michigan, and the body sequence number is 5 digits: 73729
- Sportwagon is a Skylark-based (not Special-based) model
- Regarding the option codes, they all check out as the car does have tinted windshield, power tailgate glass, ST 300 automatic, backup lights, padded dash,

And of course still a few things remaining to decipher; so if anyone else reading this has knowledge of these things please let me know:
- What does the little star after the paint code JJ mean?
- What do the option codes 3W and 4N indicate?
- What the heck is the "lower crash pad - 3E"?

 

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

Todd - it appears we were both typing at the same time! I'm not the world's fastest typist. I see the information you added regarding the doors.

One of the reasons for asking about where the body length differences are, was that I need new floors. It appears the floor may be 2-3 inches longer "somewhere" (my guess more to the rear foot area). So last evening I ordered left and right floors for Skylark from Jegs. I will let you know when I start fitting them in however it appears the new plasma cutter Santa dropped off at Christmas will be getting some more action!

Another reason for asking is that the RR door got some body damage in the past and will be difficult to work straight. I had thought of trying to find a junkyard sedan RR door, however that may prove hard to find a good one anyway, and you have confirmed my hunch that it would not fit the Sportwagon. So - more body work it is (unless I happen to get REAL lucky and find a junkyard RR Sportwagon door -- really, I'm not that lucky...!!!)

 

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

The body change chart you attached also served to answer another mystery - I could not find 7/8 inch stabilizer bar bushings anywhere on line to replace the old cracked ones. I have the bar off, cleaned up and painted, and new end links, but all the bushing parts offered online are 3/4 inch...

The change chart indicates "larger bar" - so there we have it - the Sportwagons used a 7/8 inch which is "odd" for these cars.

 

[GL03]

Sending out an inquiry to see if other Team Buick members would be interested in starting a thread dedicated to Sportwagon restoration, repairs, working on these cars?

I am restoring a 65, this winter doing suspension, exhaust, floors, work underneath, and getting the 300 v8 running better

As you know if you own one; these cars have a lot of unique features, and parts, so I was hoping to pick some brains out there, and contribute anything I might know that someone else doesn't

Let me know

Dave,

How about an inclusive forum for wagons? I don't have one, but I'd like to see the wagons.

 

[TODD]

Thank you very much guys -- really appreciate your help in answering some "mysteries" on the 65 Sportwagon body tag

Todd - your hunch was 100% correct. I was out in the shop tonight installing a new water pump on the ol 300, and I took some time to clean the body tag on the firewall again, and double check the characters following the "65-44255".

The next two characters I thought were "F3" are indeed "FB".
I really wasn't aware of this "plant" designation, nor was I aware that the body number production sequence could be 5 characters ( I thought this was always six characters, and is on all my other Buicks). This data is not given on the reference section on this site for 1965 cars, and appears to maybe be unique to the "odd" cars, as you say, the low production models. Thank you also for the option codes.

So to recap; here is what I have learned on the body tag research:
- The car was manufactured in Flint Michigan (whether it was sold in USA originally or imported to Canada and sold I will further research)
- FB stands for Fisher body, made at Flint, Michigan, and the body sequence number is 5 digits: 73729
- Sportwagon is a Skylark-based (not Special-based) model
- Regarding the option codes, they all check out as the car does have tinted windshield, power tailgate glass, ST 300 automatic, backup lights, padded dash,

And of course still a few things remaining to decipher; so if anyone else reading this has knowledge of these things please let me know:
- What does the little star after the paint code JJ mean?
- What do the option codes 3W and 4N indicate?
- What the heck is the "lower crash pad - 3E"?

I later found 3W is Floor Carpet.

The parts book shows the Crash Pad to also be the Instrument Panel Cover Extension Assembly. It is Item 3 in the attached exploded parts view.

The previous message on these items has been updated.

 

[TODD]

Todd - it appears we were both typing at the same time! I'm not the world's fastest typist. I see the information you added regarding the doors.

One of the reasons for asking about where the body length differences are, was that I need new floors. It appears the floor may be 2-3 inches longer "somewhere" (my guess more to the rear foot area). So last evening I ordered left and right floors for Skylark from Jegs. I will let you know when I start fitting them in however it appears the new plasma cutter Santa dropped off at Christmas will be getting some more action!

Another reason for asking is that the RR door got some body damage in the past and will be difficult to work straight. I had thought of trying to find a junkyard sedan RR door, however that may prove hard to find a good one anyway, and you have confirmed my hunch that it would not fit the Sportwagon. So - more body work it is (unless I happen to get REAL lucky and find a junkyard RR Sportwagon door -- really, I'm not that lucky...!!!)

Here’s an exploded parts view of the typical wagon body that shows how it was built.

 

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

Interesting - on the "lower crash pad" being the plastic surround for the dash display ......
If you can avoid the ol steering column harpooning your sternum upon crash impact the plastic around the dash will save you!!!

 

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

Hi Guys - This next bit isn't specific to Sportwagon, but throwing it in for interest as it's a water pump replacement on the original 300 engine.

This engine is in good shape however from my knowledge has sat unused several different times in her life. I bought the car in 2008, and only had it running a few times in the following 15 years. Sitting high and dry in the Buick Barn, but unused. The last inspection sticker on the car is 1993 and it's from the State of Maine. This is not ideal for any engine, and brings with it a few common issues. One of them is water pump.

We ran the engine in the shop with exhaust ducted outdoors for a good half hour dialing in the idle and tuning. The engine was sounding a lot better with no parts replaced yet, however when we shut it down, after getting nice and hot, we noticed a coolant drip on the floor in the center of the engine. Sure enough, water pump seal.

So we pulled the pump, cleaned up the alt bracket, and installed a new pump from Rock Auto that was around 35 bucks. We will take the opportunity to sandblast the pulleys, fan, spacer, and hardware, and repaint semi-gloss black.

The brass plug on top is not the one that came with the new water pump, it is the one out of the removed pump, just cleaned up and teflon pasted. I am not sure its original as I almost think I may have just installed the cars 3rd water pump (removed had a sticker that didnt look GMish) - so if anyone out there knows if the brass plug is original equipment please let me know.

Fairly straight forward job, if you have not changed a Buick water pump, just remember to give the smaller bolts a good tap with a hammer to loosen first - not too hard now its an aluminum front cover - just a few taps! This should let them back out without breaking. Mine were actually quite loose. Tighten back to specs, no more. The 4 longer bolts (black) are through bolts which means they probably wont break but will need sealant on the threads as they go into oil side. Finally, the largest bolt, the one missing in photo (now installed) is also the alternator bracket bolt. This one will probably give you trouble on removal. I suggest putting some "softer" heat carefully to not damage the bypass hose, and tapping, more heat, more tapping, it should finally come out for you.

 

[Canadian Buick Mogul]

Hi, Guys - I've replaced the exhaust from the muffler back. The original crossover pipe for single exhaust on the 300 was in great shape. The original Buick style clamps were there. The intermediate pipe and muffler were serviceable, so I focused on the over axle and tailpipes.

I didn't like the way Buick routed the tailpipe on the left side. Buick has the fuel filler neck from the "top fuel" inlet (gas door) high on the quarterpanel down to the fuel tank in this space between frame and inner fender on the left side. The fuel filler neck is steel but connects with rubber flexible connections at top and bottom. The bottom connection is "flooded" as it is halfway up the sidewall of the fuel tank.

Therefore if you ever have a drip of gas here it lands right on the hot exhaust tailpipe. Not safe in my view, so we re-routed to the right hand side. It's a straighter shot up over the axle, lots of room for 2.25 or 2.5 inch pipe ( I used 2.25), some minor fabrication, a couple of hangers constructed, and presto - we have a safer exhaust that exits further from the driver.

A few pictures attached - let me know what you think -- Dave