1965 Skylark convertible will it work ?

[esetony]

i have a 65 Skylark convertible needs floors and frame, its very rough i've always wanted to build one from the ground up, my question is will the floor board from a 70 skylark work or will it be too much trouble to make it fit, also would the frame from a 70 convertible work, seems to be about the same but would like ideas before i buy the parts since they are kinda far,i would hate to buy parts i cant use, any help on the subject would be awesome

[Bob]

'64 and '65 convertibles, Buick Special, Olds f85, and Tempest.

Sounds like you want to bite off a pretty big chunk for a first rebuild.

[esetony]

ive done a couple just nothing this involved this one is a basket case, but i think thats the fun of it, any input would be helpful though

[Bob]

The most likely car to be worth what you put in to it is a convertible, so there you are on the right track. Basically the biggest reason you should use a convertible frame is that they are boxed to give them more strength. You could use other frames if you are willing to strengthen them or live with door gaps that open and close with road conditions.

[BigRivy]

Parts for the '70 Skylark will NOT fit the '65. The floors and frame MIGHT be compatible from '64 thru '66 but later ones will not work. Yes you need a boxed frame for a convertible. Finding one will be very difficult. If you did find it you would probably be taking it from a car that is in better shape than the one that you have. Your best bet would be to find a regular frame and box it. That is still going to be tough, but doable. Some of the racing chassis builders are making aftermarket frames for just about any car. Get a copy of Street Rodder magazine and look through the adds. I think Morrison is making chassis to fit just about anything. Might be easier than trying to find and refurbish an original. You will get more options on suspension components too. Which may or may not be an advantage depending on what you are trying to accomplish. I can tell you from experience that no matter how fun it is you will always save time, money, and frustration by starting any resto project with the best car you can find. Basket cases are money pits you rarely ever climb out of. Some cars truly are not worth fixing. Just because you have one or like it alot is no reason to get lost in it, no matter how much fun it may be at the time. Decent '65 Skylark convertibles are not that tough to find, if you have some coin to spend, a frame for one will be. And buying that nice one will be way cheaper in the long run. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

[4speed]

the frame will not fit. the 65 has a 115" wheel base, the 68 thru 72 has a wheel base of 112"..

save your $$

Al

[WildKitty]

there's 11 acres of old Buicks in Oklahoma - Wheatbelt Buicks
they can probably fix you up. Ken & Sue are great to work with
Butch

[kcombs]

You can use a 64 to 67 El Camino frame, with the 65 El Camino frame looking the closest. The 67 has different rear springs than a 65. I am not certain, but my guess is the parts used to box a 65 El Camino frame are the same as the Skylark GS frame's equivalent parts. I have both frames, so if you get to the point that you need the question answered I could compare them. The floor pan out of any 65 A-body will work, including the El Camino. I mention the Elky parts because they seem to have survived pretty well. I have seen complete El Camino floors for sale in California that were rust free. In fact, I purchased a 65 Elky body shell about a month ago and it has zero rust in it. I paid $150 for it. The only floor pan that won't fit is the Sportwagon with the windows in the roor, it is five inches longer in the rear doors which would mean the pans would be longer ( somebody correct me if I am wrong on this). Likewise the frame from a Sportwagon would be too long and a Chevelle convertible would be too short.

[esetony]

thanks for the info wildkitty i emailed but still no response

[Anomaly]

If you are still hung on finding parts for this car, Year One and I believe Goodmark now offer reproduction parts for Skylarks and GS....