What to Look for When Buying a 1966 Special

S

Skylark4367

Member
I spotted a 1966 Special Sedan on-line that caught my eye. Before I get too interested and excited, I'd like to know what, if any weak points these cars have and what to watch out for when looking one over. The one I'm interested in has the 300 V8, automatic transmission and power steering. Thanks in advance for your input.
 
I would start with a talk to the owner and get an impression. Impressions can be misleading:( How long have they owned it, what condition was it in when they got it etc.
Pretty much anything has had a repaint, and paint can cover anything, especially recent paint. A good looking 20+ year old paint job is probably covering good quality repairs, if there are any.
If the car is more than 2 or 3 hours away, I have been known to hire an appraiser to look at it. I have also asked an owner to take it into a GM dealership for inspection. Two different approaches.
I figure if I am driving far enough that it is an overnight or longer trip, even if the car is not up to what I understood it was, I am probably going to buy it and bring it home.
You can't expect a "good deal" when you are buying remotely. You just pay the going price! If it was a good deal a local would already own it.
'66 is a nice year, I hope it is a solid car and makes you happy.
 
I’d look at the floor pan and supports from under the car. The early A-bodies tended to rot under the front seat and the crossmember supports. The floors tend to go bad in the area behind the firewall. The trunk in the area of the body mounts beside the wheel well and the wheel wells themselves tend to rust. I would look at these areas from the trunk and also on the underside. The sail panels behind the rear window tend to rot or leak at the bottom of the window into the trunk. Look for that. The rear of the quarter panels get clogged with dirt and don’t evacuate water from the inside. Check the quarters underneath where they connect to the panel going back upwards on the inside. The frame tends to rot through in the front under the cowl where it turns to make the straight run to the back. Check these areas.

The 66 and 67 Specials had either a 2 barrel 300 standard or an optional 340 4 barrel. The 300 will be green if original or red if an original 340. The 340 will have higher compression and will require high test. You may be able to get away with regular in the 300. It should have a smooth idle at 550 RPM.

Either engine will have a ST300 transmission behind it. It is a two speed trans with a variable pitch converter. Listen for a werring noise from the converter at idle. It is a sign the converter needs to be rebuilt. Also make sure it doesn’t creep or lug in gear at a standstill with the brake depressed. It means the variable pitch converter, linkage or electronics are not working if it does. You will also feel it jump up in RPM if you are going along in gear and step on the gas part way if the variable pitch is working.

The rear will have a rectangular tag attached to one of the cover bolts if it has a limited slip differential. That would be nice.

Look at the suspension bushings and linkage and look for wear or degradation. See how much input it takes to to change the direction while driving. A lot of slop in the wheel indicates worn suspension components.

That’s all I can think of for now - HTH

Steve


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