New member from portugal-1965 wildcat

[Diogo Soares]

Hello!

i recently bought a 1965 wildcat with the famous 401 nailhead.
The car needs total restoration (body).
the engine runs and hás only 50.000 kms.
it,s a 2 door hardtop coupe, and that's the major reason because i bought the car. It is in really bad shape.
pictures soon.
In Portugal american cars are very rare and this coupe wildcat is probably the unique unit here.
I hope i can get here all the help i Will need to give the car the proper restoration work.
thanks,

Diogo

[bob k. mando]

we don't have the 1965 chassis manual but that version of the Wildcat ran from 1965 to 1970, so pretty much everything from the 1966 manual should apply.

https://www.teambuick.com/reference/...ssis/index.php


you say "50,000 kms", does that mean you have a metric instrument cluster in the car?

[Diogo Soares]

Thanks for your attention.
The metric odometer in kms is one of the misterys of the car.
This car was bought to Portugal by a american guy that had a farm near to lisbon, in 1970.
in portugal the american cars that were sold new by dealers have straight six engines and manual gear boxes.
almost chevy impalas, dodge darts and ford mustangs...
All american cars here with v8 and auto trans came by the embassys or by imigrants or by americans that lived here.
So it is strange this car hás the odometer in the metric system....

[bob k. mando]

So it is strange this car hás the odometer in the metric system..


one would suspect that it's a Canada manufactured car if it's an OEM metric cluster and exported.

[Diogo Soares]

So it is strange this car hás the odometer in the metric system..


one would suspect that it's a Canada manufactured car if it's an OEM metric cluster and exported.

The VIN of the car is 466375Y123734. I think it was manufactured in Wilmington Delaware.
i don't have the car ter with me. I' m waiting the transporte agente to the end of the month because my home is the north of Portugal and the car near to Lisbon. I want to check the engine number also.
in

[shoprat]

In 1965 there is no reason to associate a metric speedometer with Canada. Canada did its metric thing in the late '70s. Until then it was inches, feet, miles, gallons (be it imperial gallons). Like the US, most of the population did not want the metric system, but Trudeau's bunch and a few others had the power to change everything. The US started putting Kms on the speedometers at the same time as Canada did its thing.

It would be nice to see a close up picture of the speedometer.

[Diogo Soares]

Soon i get the car, i Will put a complete foto report!
But it's not the first time i see metric odometers in american cars here, with large v8's and from the 50 and 60's...
the mercury cougar 67 i had was a true gt with a 390 and auto trans and the car was in kms...
i know a 58 Chrysler Windsor with a 350 (aprox) v8 and the car is in kms also...

the mercury came from the Venezuelan embassy and the chrysler was from another american embassy too...

[sabrerattler7]

I have a Le Sabre 2dr hardtop I'm poking at.
Trying to make a "wildcat tribute". A 9in dif is being made because we couldn't find any suitable posi unit that could be cheaply stuffed in. There was some rot at the rear window that let water to the bodu mount pocket.
I have a ragged 1965 Chassis Manual. I don't want to let go of it but if there is something specific I can help with contact me.
If I know something is coming I'll try to be more attentive to the forum.
I found out one interesting piece of info that may help as you deal with rust out spots. The glass in the 2 dr hard tops is the same as the Chevy Impala Super Sport 2dr hard top; so all the trim and clips and stuff can be found for Chevys.
Also as has been pointed out in several of the forums the Wild cat 2 dr is the same body as the LeSabre from the firewall to the rear end but it was put on the 225 Electra chassis to get length in the engine compartment for the big block and to get the heavy duty drive train for the power and brakes.

[Diogo Soares]

I have a Le Sabre 2dr hardtop I'm poking at.
Trying to make a "wildcat tribute". A 9in dif is being made because we couldn't find any suitable posi unit that could be cheaply stuffed in. There was some rot at the rear window that let water to the bodu mount pocket.
I have a ragged 1965 Chassis Manual. I don't want to let go of it but if there is something specific I can help with contact me.
If I know something is coming I'll try to be more attentive to the forum.
I found out one interesting piece of info that may help as you deal with rust out spots. The glass in the 2 dr hard tops is the same as the Chevy Impala Super Sport 2dr hard top; so all the trim and clips and stuff can be found for Chevys.
Also as has been pointed out in several of the forums the Wild cat 2 dr is the same body as the LeSabre from the firewall to the rear end but it was put on the 225 Electra chassis to get length in the engine compartment for the big block and to get the heavy duty drive train for the power and brakes.

Thanks for all the help!
Fantastic people in this forum!
The literature is essential to perform a restauration project like this.

[Diogo Soares]

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Ok, here two photos of the car still in the previous owner.
Complete photo report when the car comes to my home.

Yes.... the body needs a loooottttt of work....
It will be a labour of love. The car is something unique around here.