For more information please check out https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/d/1963-buick-special-wagon/6548742635.html Thanks for looking
It was mentioned here, not that long ago, http://www.stationwagonforums.com/f...-buick-special-or-oldsmobile-f85-wagon.47427/ that that particular year Buick Special had the least parts interchangability possibilities between it and older vehicles of this type. It's still desirable, though
Having owned a '63 Olds F-85 Cutlass post coupe as my very first car, I can attest to the parts interchangability issues with these. Good thing is that most of the mechanical / suspension bits will interchange between the Olds F-85/Cutlass and Buick Special/Skylark models for the 3 production years - '61 - '63. As to the bodies, in the 1963 model year, both the Olds and the Buick were given new lower bodies on the same platform. The glass / windows / roofs were all the same, though. The '61 and '62 versions of each make were pretty much identical, just with some minor trim differences. They even shared some body parts like doors across both makes, and even shared some of those parts with the Pontiac Tempest as well. The Tempest was a bit of an odd duck though, as it had a rear transaxle, and some other different parts.
I was a little curious as to their overall size, compared to a Chevy II wagon of the same age, so I checked out some specifications. To sum it up, they are both very similar in size, with the Buick Special wagon having a 2.0" longer wheelbase (112 vs. 110); and a 4.7" longer overall length (192.1" vs. 187.4") The Chevy II wagon is actually shown as being a bit wider, 70.8" vs. 70.2". Other dimensions like track and overall height are very close.
That's one of the reasons why the Buick is more stable on the road. It even looks like one sits lower in it. I would much rather have that series car than a Chevy II. Regarding the latter, I would never bother with one older than a '66 model
Never had any issues with parts interchanging with my 63 F-85. S-10 front end - parts everywhere. Small block Chevy, parts grow on trees. Ford 9” rear, common as rat poop. OK, so changing the rear tires was tough cause those tubbed 15” wheels required me to lift the chassis and the body off the chassis, but all in all the 63 Olds F-85 was a nice car. And fast.
................................................................................................ THAT was my very first car. Not the same color, but the very same year, make, model and body style. I purchased it from the local Ford dealer's used car lot, in the summer of 1969. My memory of the car is somewhat fading. I've got no pics. I can't remember whether it was this beige.... or this bronze color: I do remember it did have the bronze / tan - colored vinyl bucket-seat interior (column shift, no console...) I was quite impressed with the power of the 215 cubic-inch aluminum V8. That year, the Cutlass coupe with the Hydra-Matic got an even higher compression (10.75:1) engine than the 'manual' Cutlass, getting an extra 10 horses (total of 195) under the hood. I'm kinda guessing yours Eddie doesn't have the 215 anymore........
No 215. About double! A lot of people asked me if I had the original block still. A lot of interest in people buying them. I understand they often melted down.