Pictured with it's near twin
MODEL:
-46639
WILDCAT
CUSTOM
4 DOOR
HARDTOP
TRIM:
-980 BLUE CLOTH
PAINT CODE:
-A (black)
ENGINE:
-401 4V
TRANS:
-Super Turbine 400 with variable pitch torque converter
ACCESSORIES:
-REMOTE OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR
-DAY NIGHT INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR
-BACK UP LIGHTS
-COURTESY LIGHTS
-CLOCK
-PADDED GLOVE BOX DOOR
-TILT STEERING
-DUAL LIGHTERS
-AM-FM RADIO WITH FRONT AND REAR SPEAKERS
-POWER WINDOWS
-POWER VENT WINDOWS
-POWER ANTENNA
-6 WAY POWER SEAT
-TRANSISTORIZED CRUISE CONTROL
-REAR DEFROSTER
-VACUUM TRUNK RELEASE
-FORMULA V CHROME PLATED WHEELS
A friend of mine bought it in December 2003 to use as a winter beater but it was in bad condition so we had to make a few repairs and we repainted it quickly so it wouldn't look too bad.
When he went to look at it... Note the fuel filler door and the chrome trim above the rear doors that were reversed!
Came back home (about 25 miles) with a leaking heater core, no flashers, no wiper blades! I had to drive with all the windows open, no radiator cap and towels above the defroster outlets to avoid too much fogging!
The interior was trashed, there was no headliner, the dash pad was cracked
We repaired the horn, flashers, replaced the heater core and blower motor (a pain in Wildcats without A/C), repaired the clock, removed the ugly antenna on the front fender and found a correct rear-mounted 65 Wildcat power antenna and switch in a junkyard. I added a rear window defroster from a '65 Electra, an important feature for winter driving. I also removed the incorrect outside mirror and replaced it with a correct Buick remote controlled mirror.
Then we did some body work and I repainted the car back to it's original color.
Just painted.
Back on the road
When spring came, my friend who owned the Wildcat got tired of it and gave it to me as it still needed many repairs!
When I got it, I needed to replace the brakes, the radiator, the water pump, the ball joints and tie rod ends that were loose.
Then I had the seats recovered with the original material and had an headliner made for it. I replaced the dashpad and added power windows, I replaced the AM radio that didn't work with an AM-FM radio with a rear speaker.
I also added Electro-Cruise (Buick's first cruise control system), a day-night mirror, vacuum trunk release, tilt steering and a 6 way power seat.
While the car's body was repainted green and it should have been black, the engine was painted black but it should have been green... I temporarily fixed this with a spray can... As you can see, I didn't take too much care doing this and the paint I used was "Detroit Diesel Green" not the correct "Buick Green" but relatively close to it. Next time, I'll do it better!
I also replaced the rusted aftermarket open element chrome air filter with a correct one. In fact, I bought the 1965 air cleaner base and repainted the lid from a 67 430 (which was exactly the same as the 65 lid) and bought the red WILDCAT 445 aluminium trim that goes on it for 2$ on eBay.
I replaced the hubcaps with 65 Buick Police caps as the original ones didn't like the way I drive and were often falling in curves.
I did some research on 1965 Buick Wildcats that were made in Canada and found that they are different from the US models. The two door models have standard Custom bucket seats, a self-winding clock, console and tachmeter as well as a standard automatic transmission while these things were options on US models.
While some 4 door hardtops have the same vinyl interior as the US Wildcat Custom model, other 4 door hardtops (like mine) and all 4 door sedan models have a completely different interior from the US models. These interiors looked more like the interior of the Electra 225/Electra 225 Custom 4 door models with cloth trim. The bench seats have center armrests and are covered with the same material as in the Electra 225 Custom but are sewn in a different pattern. The door panels look like those of the standard Electra 225 but they have more bright trim, different cloth and an additional hinged door pull. The armrests in the door panels are made of metal like those in Electras while the US-built Wildcats have plastic armrests.
The Electro-Cruise is working!
With it's standard 3.07 axle ratio, it's powerful enough to burn tires and it also goes much faster than the 120MPH mark on the speedo. I tried it twice!
I tried it again for the third time, 120 MPH with very strong face wind and was still accelerating... I didn't go faster as I was approching traffic.
In my opinion, the 3.07 gears are the best compromise for decent performance and highway cruising without an overdrive
Click on these links for small videos.
I included a few pictures of a canadian parts and trim books which shows the power window switches used in canadian models as well as the VIN information I got from GM Canada
When I added power windows, I wasn't aware that power vents came standard when power windows were ordered on the 1965-66 Wildcats made in Canada. They were useful anyway but since the car couldn't have left the factory that way, I was decided to correct the situation!
So I also added power vent windows. I had the door panels redone using the same cloth as the original to block the vent window crank holes. So now my car looks correct again!
click on this link to see the passenger side power vent window being opened and closed!
I dyed the black dashpad to the correct dark blue color with SEM vinyl dye. I should have done it before, it was very easy to do and the result is great! I kept a piece of the original dashpad to compare and it's a very close match.
Next things I'll do: replace the front bumper with a very nice rechromed one I have on my 1965 Electra parts car and the rear bumper with a decent used one I got on eBay. Then, I should replace the passenger side fender with a NOS one I also have and maybe at the same time, install "factory" A/C! I'd be very happy to find 1965 Buick chrome rims for it but they aren't easy to find in decent shape at a price I can afford...
Update 08-02-2008: I found chrome rims!
Here are pics of the first car I had when I was 15. It's another Buick Wildcat, a 1968 with Custom interior trim. I paid 650 $ for it in 1992 and I kept it until 2000. I don't have good pictures of it however, I didn't have a digital camera then. It ended it's life in a high speed accident but it saved mine. And my insurance company gave me 5700$ for it after the accident!
It also lacked air conditioning, speed alert and front disc brakes but had most other options available incliding the cruise control and power locks. It also had the 3.42 posi performance axle, a very rare option on 4 doors!
Amasingly, back in October 1992, I bought the 1968 from a used car delaer a week after I went to look at a metallic gray 1965 Wildcat 4 door hardtop that was for sale in the local newsparers. The 1965 was my favourite model but was in too bad shape and too expensive (the 1965 owner wanted 1000$ for a pile of junk that didn't run and sat on blocks!). It's a good thing I passed on the 1965 as the 1968 was in much better shape then.
A few years after, I saw that 1965 for sale again. Someone had repainted it metallic green with the top left unpainted to install a vinyl roof, a few things had been repaired, it was running again and it had passed the required mechanical inspection but there was still many things needing repairs like the interior. The next time it was for sale, it's a friend of mine who saw the ad and thought it would make a nice winter beater for him (he also owns a '67 Riviera) when the winter ended, he decided to give it to me... It's a good thing I didn't buy it in october of 1992 as other owners did major repairs of myself and I finally got the 1965 for free twelve years later!
(See my other cars)
Interesting Buick sites
http://v8buick.com
"Boatload of fun" section of V8Buick.com (full size Buicks)
Buick Club of America
Riviera Owners Association
