Buick waited until 1965 to face down the 1964 Pontiac GTO and Oldsmobile 4-4-2 but made up for the delay by giving buyers an extra cubic inch of V8 goodness. Watch as Steve lifts the veil on how the Buick GS400 wasn’t really a 400.
"Hey hung up old Mr. Normal, don't try to gain my trust". Not YOU Jim Fratt, just responding in Who-kind! Funny thing, I have a cassette tape player in my kitchen with Tommy in it at all times. Every morning I make breakfast to what ever happens to be cued up on the tape. My favorite track? "Underture" without a doubt! Thanks for writing. -Steve Magnante
My friend has a '67 GS 400 4 speed (bench seat) convertible which his older brother bought in the 1970s. His older brother, also my friend, told me that one night in the early '80s he was hanging out with friends and had a few beers and Mother Nature's unfiltereds. When he was leaving, he passed a cop car on their neighborhood street. That cop pulled into a driveway and turned around, so my buddy did the same thing and passed him again. I think they both did the turnaround thing one more time, and then my friend nailed the throttle and said he was already doing 60 MPH when he passed that cop for the last time, and he was able to get out onto the main road and escape the city limits, and get home, free. And now that car leads a pampered life in a different color.
Steve, thank you so much for your daily contributions to automobilia, and all things related. I love your sense of humor, especially when you do your automotive CSI. Please keep doing what you do, and I will keep tuning in.
Hey Steve, let us not forget the boxed frame found on the early GS Buicks. It was shared with the convertibles and helped stiffen what was otherwise a pretty flexible frame.
I love my GS400. It is a 1967 that had been off the road since the 80s and changed hands a few times through ebay and craigslist sales. I bought it in 2017 with a seized motor and a few missing (expensive!) trim pieces. Swapped in a 1972 455, refreshed the interior, and tracked down all those missing pieces and it now runs and drives like a dream. Still original paint and mostly original interior. I look forward to restoring it one day.
Going fast with class!! Great way to wrap up "Buick" week Steve! I'll bet that was a real looker back in its day! Your videos are great. The information you provide is also spectacular! Keep up the great work and keep on crawling!!!
"Whiskey bottles and brand-new cars, oak tree you're in my way", which was the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "That Smell", based on a real event. On Labor Day weekend 1976, Gary Rossington was high on a combination of alcohol and Quaaludes and passed out at the wheel of his 1976 Ford Gran Torino which he had just purchased. He crashed into a VW, pushing it several feet, hit an oak tree on Mandarin Road in Jacksonville, FL and then came to rest after hitting a house, doing about $8,000 worth of the damage to the house. Mr. Rossington (who is still alive today and married Dale Krantz, who was the lead singer of the Rossington-Collins Band) also knocked out all of his teeth. Ronnie Van Zant, the band's leader was extremely angry at him for this incident and fined him $5,000 due to the band having to cancel shows. As a result, the song "That Smell" was written (Allen Collins also wrecked a Jeep that same weekend while drunk, but wasn't severely injured) and earned Mr. Rossington the moniker, "Prince Charming" in the song's lyrics. The reference to the "Oak tree, you're in my way" was specifically aimed at Mr. Rossington. Mr. Van Zant died in the 1977 plane crash. The band was enroute to Baton Rouge Airport when they ran out of fuel. I fly to Louisiana for work somewhat often and every time I fly there, that plane crash is in the back of my mind. We got the tag, we can brag: 03C for the third week of March 1966 production, 66 for 1966 model year, 44617 for Buick (4) Skylark GS (46) hardtop sport coupe (17), BAL for Baltimore, MD assembly, 198 for Black interior trim, W for Silver Mist lower exterior paint, 2 for Black vinyl top, ZB potentially has some ties to the two-speed automatic transmission. The Baltimore, MD plant operated from 1935 to 2005 and last assembled the Astro and Safari vans. If the car was without a vinyl top and was the same upper and lower paint color, it would have "W-W" on the tag to signify Silver Mist upper and lower exterior paint. Since it has the 2, we know it had a black vinyl top when it left Baltimore GMAD. No VIN, can't win, but easy to figure out, no doubt: 4 for Buick, 46 for Skylark GS, 17 for hardtop sport coupe, 6 for 1966 model year, B for Baltimore, MD assembly and the rest is the production sequence. The bigger question is: Did Johnny really hate jazz? Yes, Johnny Hates Jazz band member Mike Nocito's brother-in-law (who was named Johnny) did in fact hate jazz music.
Hi , G P , great reporting as always . I love getting ALL the facts . I ran a 66 Skylark in the Barberville Raceway figure 8 demolition derby in the early eighties until I T- Boned a Caddy . Those were great years for me !
A friend of mine had one in high school in 1981. I had a 1968 Torino GT with a 4bbl 390. We had some good battles. Lol. If I got good traction at launch, I would beat him. If not, he would win. That GS would hook up everytime.
Thanks Steve! The proportions of those cars were just so ‘clean’, for lack of a better word. And all that v8 torque-even the most sedate cars from that era had a coolness built in!
@@SteveMagnante I have a new appreciation for these Buicks along with Olds and Pontiac that I didn't have when growing up. Growing up I was more focused on the Chevies, Dodges, and Fords. The 60s was just a great era for GM and 65 and 66 were GM at its pinnacle.
Hi Steve, great video lineup this week Buick. The Tuned Car. “Styling, performance, ride, and handling, all tuned to work together, Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?”... if it's a Gran Sport, yep! Namaste 🙏🏼
The damage on the car looks just like one a childhood friend of mine did when he bought a 1965 Ford Galaxy. He was doing bootleg turns in the new snow about 4 hours after he bought the car and slid sideways into a telephone pole about a block from his house at about 35 mph.
Cool Steve ! My aunt drove a 67 GS... my brother still talks of the fun him and my cousin had in that car while on summer vacation.. they were a few years older than me so i was never there , but i remember the car for sure... my aunt had a 65 impala then the GS... my uncle totalled them both racing around... he was a hot rodder from the 50s and 60s and had some cool 57 chevies and more... problem was he liked to drink way too much.. my aunt is the only one still here from that generation... what a fun time being a kid in the 60s and 70s
Hi Steve, good video. You mentioned the small diameter front drum brakes on this vehicle. Lack of stopping power was an issue on the early GM "A" Body (mid-size) cars, unless the buying customer opted for power brakes. On some early early GM "A" Body cars, the customer could order larger front finned aluminum drum brakes with a steel insert with factory steel impregnated brake shoes along with power brakes that had enough stopping power to lock all four up at 100 mph, before power front disc brakes where an option. I agree with what you said about power steering and power brakes go hand in hand, but for some reason power steering was a more popular option over power brakes back in the 1960s. You also mentioned the difference in drivability with a 2 speed automatic Vs. a 3 speed automatic, this is very true to a certain extent. With a 2 speed automatic, second gear is absent from the transmission, just low and high, or "1st and 3rd" you might say. The nickname for 2 speed automatics is a "slushbox". But on the other hand, the Chevrolet Powerglide 2 speed automatic is popular for off road drag racing, due to the fact that the transmission only has one shift, this results in more consistent ETs or "elapsed time" in the 1/4 mile stretch. Good street drivability can be accomplished with a 2 speed automatic, with a decent power engine and a low rear end gear ratio, I.e. 3.90 to 1 or 4.11 to 1 because the engine "thinks" that high gear is second gear, but not so good for fuel economy. Please reply. Dave...
Had a 64 Lemans (first car) whose rear coils had lost their height. Easiest and cheapest fix for a 16 yr old was jack it up with the bumper jack like you're gonna change the tire. Once you got the wheel off the ground and the axle was just hanging there the coils became separated from the body enough that you could easily crawl under that bumper jacked car (the stupid things we did as kids) and slip a piece of 2x4 between the body and coils. Jackpot! Whole new profile. Cured the problem of the drive shaft scraping shaft tunnel when you hit a cross street with a crown to it.
I believe they had a variable vein torque converter which help make up for the lack of a third speed but a direct torque converter 3 speed obviously was the popular choice over time.
Though a few years later, shortly before Opec and State Farm had their way with Detroit Muscle, such artifacts of mechanical diversity left their mark. As a Texaco pump jockey, I recall a patron that had a 68/70-ish GS. The guy was nuts and used to come by the station early evenings and pull donuts around the tiny pump islands. The car was an absolute beast. Cant help but have visions of Bud Lindleman's TV show putting these relics through the pylons and panic stops. The last of an era......
I had a 67 Skylark 300 2 speed in 92 it was my passion. I went on to hundreds of more cars . I wish I would have stuck with her and built it. I loved how that car made me feel
I had a 1974 Buick Regal,drove that car from1985 to about 1990,,pulled that motor out transmission out and I had bought a 1976 and drove it until I had put motor flush in it and blew it up.i was sick to my stomach because I drove it for almost 9 years.R.I.P.Buick Regal.✝️
I don't know how I missed one, but I didn't catch this the first time around. Looking forward to you being back and healthy again sir. Until then, still pulling and praying for you. ~ Chuck
Steve Magnante..... SWEET!!!!!! Yesterday, in response to someone else's comment, you said that you would have a special "muscle" Skylark today. And I responded to your comment, with my guess of what it would be. I was almost correct!! I was only off by a model year...I guessed it would be a 1965 GS with the 401. 😎😎
You crack me up with your fantasy scenario of prom night, Skynyrd and Miller brewskis. You left out the Trojans though, although this ride did have front buckets so that would have meant a trip to the back seats. It's not surprising that Pontiac outsold Buick. Pontiac was known as the sportier division while Buick and Olds were the old folks rides. Every guy over 70 that I knew back in the 60s and 70s drove some giant Electra or Humongous Delta 88 or 98. Don't forget to feed the dog and thanks for the trip down memory lane. Oh yeah, one tip, the locks from that era can easily be raked open in a snap. It requires very little skill to do.
Loving all the Buicks Steve, Great car, always loved my Buicks of which I’ve had a few. Back in day had a 67 Skylark convertible w/300 and 2 speed. I bought a 67 California GS 340 for $100.00 because it had those gorgeous rally rims. Car was shot but swapped those road wheels to my convertible. Miss those days.
For all these years l had a 68 Skylark with a 350 4 barrel and l thought a powerglide transmission but it was a super turbine 300 so you always can learn something even if you are old like me 😼
I grew up being a Chevy guy but I've always liked the Buick and Oldsmobile on these early muscle years. Body lines and make up of the "muscle" was cool to me. Thanks for finding this gem.
These Buick chrome wheels look similar to the Kelsey Hayes chrome wheels shared by Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Plymouth and AMC in the late 60’s - early 70’s muscle cars.
Yes. A guy from Texas contacted the yard and bought the Silent Malibu. His channel is NeshPro. He's done a series on picking it up and even has it starting.
My swim coach bought a new '66 red GS400 conv with the autobox. It was more power than he could handle and wound up totaling it. Not sure if there was drinking involved.
I had the model of that car (the one that was really a dealer promo no engine).I always liked the styling of the 66 67 skylark 2 door hard top.I’ll never understand what happened in 68.
As I recall, the '65 and '66 were never referred to as a GS 400. They were simply Gran Sport or GS. The first GS 400 name was in '67 when it came with an actual 400 cubic engine in place of the 401.
Banged on the trunk and woke the cat LOL the frame looks almost square the wheel wells look symmetrical, it’s the top rail part and radiator support is swayed over but you could pull that on a frame machine, drill out the spot welds and weld in donor parts. Man I’d buy it.
I don't know if the spring extenders and overload shocks were meant to cure sagging springs , or if they were there to jack it up for L60-15 ProTracs on 10" slots ! That was "THE LOOK" for A-bodies back on the day !
Depending on how much filler is in the body, it might make a nice candidate for a resto-mod. Grandma had a mid 60s Wildcat when I was a toddler and I've had a soft spot for them ever since.
My brother has a Plain Jane 67 2 door Impala 283 2sp and it is fun to drive around town. Lunges away from a stop if you want and then burbles along city driving nice and calm and good mileage. Less is more sometimes.
"Gen X" youngin's will NEVER understand and respect what the "Big 3" automakers designing and manufacturing during the muscle-car era...this is why they're CLASSICS!
I'm a pretty hardcore FoMoCo guy, but I really feel like Buick made some of the most forgotten and overlooked capable muscle cars of the 1960s and 70s. B-O-P always made the nicer looking GM cars in my opinion, but often got overshadowed by Chevrolet products.
Mr. B. ! Good morning to all ! So sad to see this vehicle in the bone many of GM a body’s were smart looking vehicle & they had class. Thanks Steve great pick ! Have a good day .
Loving the Buicks. My first job was at a Buick dealership. I used to wash those cars in the used car lot. They had lots of stainless trim which would rip open your hands.
I wish it t-shirt weather where I am today. Overcast and 35 degrees, at 11:30am (central time). It sure doesn't make this senior citizen want to get outside and do anything.😁
The standard (manual ) three speed mentioned was a Ford top-loader. GM called it the Dearborn transmission. Also, the manual floor shift would have been Hurst.
Love your videos and the information within. I don't understand GM'S thinking with the crappy brakes they used back in the day. the best you could do was get optional metallic shoes for their little drums. Weird
Very interesting Buick videos this week Steve. It's too bad the Buick GS400 couldn't be ordered with dual quads, bringing the HP rating to 340 or 345. I have a question. Were Pontiac TriPower emblems the only example of GM badging to signify multiple carburetors?
I had a 1966 Gran Sport, it said Skylark GS on the rear quarters, mine was a 4 speed with a posi rear end, bucket seats, no ps no pb but had a console with the tack in it, the car was really fast would keep up with or beat the muscle cars of it's time. It was blue with black interior, it was a repro car and was sitting in the back of a Buick dealer, I got it for $600 in 1971.
Steve, can you do a feature on that big cabover semi tractor, sitting off to the passenger side front of the Buick? It looks to be a Kenworth or Peterbilt, but it also possible that it's a GMC Astro 95 or a Chevrolet Titan 90, the best looking cabover trucks ever made - with all of their perfectly rounded corners and edges.
Took the day off and slept in until 10:30 CST so I’m a late arriver here today! It’s amazing how much sleep a guy can get when the wife and kid aren’t around to get in your business……😂 LOVE these mid-60’s Buick intermediates - especially the interiors, which I think are so well done compared to their “O-P-C” counterparts……!!!!!
