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Thread: Hi Fellow Buick Fans

  1. #1
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    Hi Fellow Buick Fans

    Hi all,
    Just purchased a 1963 Wildcat from Calif. that has been off the road for about 20 yrs so she needs lots of TLC.
    Hoping to get some good advice and tips from you all as I get my car back in running condition.
    Thanks
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  2. #2

    Hello back and nice '63 Wildcat

    Nice car. I have a '66 Electra. 1963 was the debut year for the Wildcat, wasn't it? And it came with the 401, which is a sweet engine. This is a good site for asking questions. The Buick Club of America (BCA) is worth joining, you'll meet people who have your year and model and know a lot about them. BCA also offers free tech help in the form of members who are willing to help in their listed area of expertise / experience. Buick Nailhead (Centreville Auto) in CA is dedicated to 401's, very knowledgable.

    The two things that worked out best on my 401 were installing electronic ignition (Pertronix, but there are others) and replacing the carburetor (Rochester AGC, rebuilt it twice, bought a second one, it's just not a good carburetor) with a Edelbrock #1406 600 CFM. Totally changed the performance, shift points of the trans, night and day, a different car after the swap. Don't know if you live somewhere where you can buy "pure" gasoline without ethanol. If you can, you should, ethanol is not kind to older engines.

    I've been told that the 401 is one of those engines that likes bigger carburetors, my 600 is probably mid-range in terms of what you could do if you wanted more power (and even lower mpg). Requires premium.

    Parts are getting harder to find, a lot of the people that used to have great NOS parts are no longer on the scene, e.g., Richard Kramer and his Buick Farm (sold, I think, but inventory is much smaller). eBay is ok for generic replacement parts, and you occasionally find some nice stuff at reasonable prices. There's a pair of Delco Pleasurizers there now for $30, they're great shock absorbers for the big Buicks. Springs are not hard to find and will make your car sit up straight again.

    If you can find a a NOS set of motor mounts, you will need them sooner or later. Exhaust manifolds are hard to find. Same with (Harrison) AC compressors if you have AC. When there were guys that stocked and sold NOS floor mats and trunk mats, I bought them; they're hard to find now and NOS sets are expensive.

    If you can get to any of the annual Carlisle or Hershey shows, they would be the best places to find parts, just because there are so many vendors who sell GM parts, not just Buick, but they have Buick parts.

    Good luck to you. FWIW, my '66 Electra is also a 4 door white sedan.

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the info 66electra225.
    I've already got the HEI distributor and I've got to do some research on the carb i know its not original because its got an electric choke, Its a Rochester 4Jet I know that much.
    Have to see how it runs but I will definitely consider the Edelbrock #1406.
    Unfortunately I'm in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin and don't have a heated garage so I wont be doing much work on it until spring.
    I've been looking for some rear springs, but haven't had much luck, The previous owner actually cut several inches out of the original springs that's why she sits so low.
    Thanks again

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