This 1963 Buick Wildcat looks quite tatty and tired at first glance, but a closer look reveals that this car might be a bit better than first thought. You will find it listed for sale here on Craigslist. Located in Zanesville, Ohio, it is being offered for sale with a clean title. The owner has set the asking price for the Wildcat at $2,800.
Looking beyond the pretty ordinary paint on this Buick, the rust issues don’t actually look too bad. The owner states that the fenders, rockers, floors, and trunk are all in good shape. The lower quarter panels also look quite good. There is some minor rust in the bottom corners of the doors, and possibly a couple of small spots in the trunk lid, but anything else looks like it is merely surface corrosion. The one thing that I will say though, is that the rust appearing from under the strip on the driver’s side quarter is a bit of an unknown. The car will require some pretty major work to bring the paint back, and I would be very tempted to make a trip to a soda-blaster to get rid of the old paint. It saves a lot of time-consuming manual work and gives you a clean base to work from.
The interior of the Wildcat has both its good and bad points. It does appear to be complete, and the factory floor console with the tachometer is there and in good condition. The driver’s seat has a substantial tear and will require a new cover. The dash pad is also badly cracked, the armrests are badly deteriorated, but the dash is complete, and both it and the door trims look like they are quite good.
We get no photos of the engine, but we do know that it is the 401ci “nailhead” engine, which is backed by an automatic transmission. The owner states that the engine doesn’t run, so we’re definitely in the dark there. We don’t even know if the engine turns freely, or how long the car has been out of action. This may be a simple job to get it up and running again, or it could be quite complicated. Sadly, your guess is as good as mine on this one.
This Buick Wildcat doesn’t make a great first impression, but if you look beyond the ruined paint, what lies below is a relatively solid car. It is going to take some work to get it looking back to its best, but it may well be worth it. The owner is asking $2,800 for this car. Nice examples, when they come onto the market, are selling for upwards of $18,000. That leaves a fair bit of room for a financially viable restoration.
I have always liked this body style. Must be my conservative side.
There is no such thing as “surface rust” in a 60s automobile from Ohio.
Just look at those door panels.
This would be one nice looking car when finished.I love those 1962-64 full size GM two door hardtops.
Very cool cars, and this one has the optional RPM gauge and console. The driver could set a redline with a pointer on the RPM gauge face that’s connected to a dial. I also like the name “Wildcat”, lets the other person known what they are up against at a red light ! This is a rare Buick, and I really hope someone brings it back to its former glory. Good luck to the new owner.
This car would be a whole lot cooler if it had the 425ci w/ the dual quad option.
It is a worthy specimen for a restoration just the same.
The 425 dual quad option did not come along until 1964. Also, the transmission in this car would be a Dynaflow, as the TH 400 wasn’t available until 1964 as well. Even if, this Buick is certainly worthy of a restoration!!
With a 4 speed!! That would be nice.
I have a 1963 Buick Wildcat convertible, 425 engine, 4 speed trans, all original and perfect condition, Have all order and delivery sheets from factory, Never restored. All numbers match, And like i said Car is in perfect condition, How rare is my car ?
I learned to drive in my dad’s ’65 wildcat with the 425/ 2 four barrel carb engine. You could spin the tires for a block in drive starting at 30 MPH! Boy, did I get into tons of trouble with that car.
Saw one with a 4 speed a while back. Way cool .
My best friends Dad had a ’64 Wildcat that he ordered brand new from Nyack Buick with a
4 speed. What a nice car, light blue metallic with a white roof. Blue bucket seat interior. He used it to commute to N Y C daily to lower Manhattan meat markets.
better have mucho $$$$$$$
Having owned a ’64 ‘Cat for 42 years, I can confirm that the ’62-64 models are nice cars to drive…
Ran one of these in a demo derby. Bulletproof and gutsy eng. by the time I was done with it the rear bumper was in the back seat area. This would make a cool driver, cheap entry into the hobby! Good luck to the new owner!!
Cheers
GPC
If you could do all work needed to bring this one back to new, it might be worth it. Having the chrome redone would be expensive. Sadly it probably not worth it. Might be able to part it out & make some money .
I have a 1963 Buick Wildcat convertible, 425 engine, 4 speed trans, all original and perfect condition, Have all order and delivery sheets from factory, Never restored. All numbers match, And like i said Car is in perfect condition, How rare is my car ?