1961 Buick Skylark

Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

Gasoline

1961 Buick (Special) Skylark. Was to have been my daughters first car but due to an unscrupulous seller we are starting over. We have had the car a couple of weeks, I will describe it as accurately as possible and provide any additional pictures as needed. Previous seller did not accurately describe condition of body and because it needs bodywork to be roadworthy we are reselling at a probable loss. Condition of drivetrain: Car starts immediately and does not smoke or make unusual noises. I was told the original miles are around 86,000 and the engine condition leads me to believe this is true. I have driven the car on and off the trailer and on my street, it accelerates nicely and shifts normally, reverse works fine too. Charging system works fine, I put a newer battery in it and repaired the cables/ clamps. It has a slight oil leak which you expect with a car of this vintage, stain about the size of an orange after 2 weeks. The belts and hoses are old. The cooling system does not seem to leak. The power steering works well, pump has a slight whine which is typical, no power steering leaks. Carb is a 4 barrel as this engine is the Hi-po version of the 215 cubic inch all aluminum V-8. Tires have very few miles, nibs are still on them, they have been on the car awhile. Manual brakes need work, the pedal is hard and braking action weak/ grabby. Condition of interior: Car has that "old car" smell. Interior is complete but stained. Seats are all there but need complete reapholstery. Dash pad has 3 cracks. Headliner is intact but stained. Carpet worn and stained. Previous owner put carpet remnants over the originals, I have not peeled them back but imagine it is pretty earthy underneath. Package shelf is damaged but present. Door panels present but stained. Condition of body: Lower rear quarter panels have previous rust repair. Lower outer rocker panels rusted through. Front fender doglegs have previous rust repair. Top of passenger front fender has small rust through. Pinholes in front lower door skins. Both front floor pans weak, rears seem solid. Trunk pan seems solid, I have not removed the glued-in liner to poke around though. Front inner fenders look OK, hole on drivers side where it meets floor. Rear outer and inner wheelhouses look OK, are haevily undercoated. Lower rear quarters have been foamed, you may be able to see it peeking out at very bottom of quarters. All potmetal trim is present but pitted. All stainless trim is nice driver quality except for rocker moldings which were screwed on. Car originally had a vinyl roof which the previous owner removed and roof was painted a creamy enamel with a brush. Slight surface rust at A and B pillars as well as at edges of trim. The rear roll pan is rusted through as is the rear license plate panel, the previous owner pulled the old "tape over the holes and paint it brown" trick. Base of windshield and back glass look rust free. I removed the vintage JC Whitney beltline molding which was falling off in places, discoloration at body line is glue remnants. Original turbine wheel covers are present and nice driver quality. I compounded and waxed the trunk lid, the original paint came back kinda nice. Any odd reflections are due to the car not being completely dry, body is straight and does not look like it was ever wrecked. Glass is all intact, small star chip in windshield. You must trailer the car, it is currently unregistered and uninsured. Pickup must occur within a week. You may prepay with a personal check but it must clear before car is picked up. I will provide a bill of sale only, car came from New York which is a non-title state. More pictures here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102768191842240864615/albums/5723938916027025553?hl=en If you are local I would be happy to show you the car in person. On Apr-11-12 at 13:19:28 PDT, seller added the following information: Reserve and BIN have been cut to the bone, the car WILL sell, lets go guys...