For Sale

50th Anniversary Edition

1953 Buick Skylark

Body #902
Located in Louisville, KY

Note (2009): This collectors item has been sold,
but click here for my "Frame Off" restoration
of another 1953 Buick Skylark!

http://www.hostky.com/53skylark2

2004-2006 Restoration

Current Pictures:

Exterior

Interior

Engine

Convertible Rooftop

History

In early May, 1953, at the Buick Motor Division Plant in Flint, Michigan, a Matador Red Skylark with a red and white interior was assigned body number 902, and was moved to the assembly area at the final assembly line to await production. This particular car was ordered by Bell Aircraft in Buffalo, NY. Shortly after being assigned a broadcast or VIN number A16967314, the body was moved with its dolly to the body assembly to await wiring, dash parts and other body parts prior to body drop. We know these dates because we have copies of the original Buick production records and confirmation on the car itself: the Clock Date is April 30, 1953 and the Seat Trim date is January 7, 1953.

After the body drop, this beautiful car was beginning to take shape. Within hours, it was in engine and chassis test and final inspection. After passing inspection, it was taken to the Buick Flint assembly transportation center to be trucked to Millian Buick Co., Inc. at 363 Delaware St in Buffalo, NY. Today, this dealership is known as Keyser Buick, at the same address.

When this spectacular Buick arrived in Buffalo, I am sure all of the dealership employees circled around and admired a very special 50th anniversary Buick. After careful dealer preparation, including road tests, clean up, mechanical and accessory tests, it was ready for the installation of the dealer installed Continental Kit. That was not an inexpensive addition and I would bet the Bell Aircraft executive, Mr. Novick, wanted a Buick that looked over the top! We know that it was built for Earl Novick as his name is engraved on the horn button.

Finally the big day arrived and on May 29, 1953 the delivery records show it was handed over to Bell Aircraft on Niagara Falls Blvd in Niagara Falls, NY. From that day on memories become dim; however, I have been told by one of the previous owners that this Buick stayed at Bell Aircraft as a plant touring and executive car for guests for many years.

Jump forward 50 years to 2003 and due to personal circumstances, the owner who had it for 15 years decided to part with his Buick. He even had a personalized plate that read “BUICKNUT”. Following are some pictures from 2003:

Original Condition prior to Restoration

Interior

Engine/VIN

I fell in love with this Skylark for several reasons:

First, it was in running condition and came with many service records describing normal and routine maintenance.

Second, it was complete and showed only 47000 miles on the odometer…and it was working. I believe the miles are original and were confirmed during restoration. Imagine being driven less than 1000 per year.

Third, it had never been in an accident and had been repainted only once. All of the body panels showed original with no repair evident.

Fourth, the interior was original except for the front seat cushion that had been trimmed in vinyl.

Restoration

I had in mind just to drive it and enjoy it after performing some minor reconditioning. However, I began to feel that it could fail and cause an accident. So I decided to do a frame on complete restoration.

In 2004 I sent the car to Tom Shalda in Traverse City Michigan. Tommy completely disassembled the car and stripped the paint. As the photos of the original car show, the floor pans and trunk were solid with only surface rust. All exterior panels were solid and did not require any patch repair. All original paint was mechanically removed, primed and refinished in a base clear. Tommy also removed the entire front end, all fenders and quarter panels, hood and deck lid, and rebuilt the engine compartment, brake system and front and rear suspension. He then carefully painted the entire car and reassembled the body using new glass and rechromed window frames. All of the body rubber was replaced with new pieces.

In 2005, the car was moved back here to Louisville, and the engine and transmission were removed and rebuilt. The entire wiring harnesses were replaced with the YNZ Buick custom fabricated as original. The fuel tank and fuel lines were replaced along with an electric supplemental fuel pump.

The top assembly was removed and completely disassembled for cleaning and painting. When this Skylark was wired and mechanically reassembled, I sent it to the Fitzsimmons Upholstery Shop in Louisville where they did an amazing job in recreating the original interior. I have done work with John Fitzsimmons for almost 30 years and had a lot of confidence in his shop’s ability. When we were deciding whether to purchase one of the commercially available interiors we asked for leather samples. Because we had the original trim behind the seats we were confident we had a better match if we did it ourselves. That is what we did. John also did the trunk trim and installed a new convertible top.

All of the accessories were replaced or cleaned, and rebuilt, including the power antenna, hydraulic system, radio, clock, switches and carburetor. Bumpers and grille parts have been rechromed. There are six wheels, of which 5 are original Kelsey-Hayes, rebuilt with new Coker Radial tires. Following are pictures of the interior restoration:

I do not claim that this Buick is an “as new” restoration. I drive it and it runs well. I clean it and show it and it does not disappoint all who see it. I encourage you to come look at this car before committing to buy. I am selling this car as I have another 1953 Skylark that I have completed a frame off full restoration.

More Information

Introduced to mark Buick's 50th anniversary, the Buick Skylark (first use of the name for a production vehicle) was one of three specialty convertibles produced in 1953 by GM; the other two were the Oldsmobile Fiesta and the Cadillac Eldorado. All three were limited production vehicles promoting General Motors' design leadership. Of the three, the Skylark had the most successful production run with 1,690 produced. This was considered quite an amazing sales feat, for the car had a list price in 1953 of slightly in excess of $5,000. In 1953, the model designation for the Skylark was 76X, while the model designation for the Roadmaster convertible was 76R. The few options available to the Roadmaster convertible buyer were standard equipment to the Skylark buyer, albeit the base price for the well-equipped Roadmaster convertible was only about $3200.00

All 1,690 regular-production Skylarks built in 1953 were Convertibles. The 1953s were based on the 2-door Roadmaster convertible, having identical dimensions (except height), almost identical convenience and appearance equipment, and a Roadmaster drive train. Fisher Body division of General Motors rebuilt the Roadmaster body in an “off-line” area at the Fisher Body Plant. The 1953 Buick Skylark was a handmade car in many respects. The stampings for the hood, trunk lid and a portion of the convertible tub were the same as the 1953 Roadmaster convertible (and Super convertible, model 56R). The stampings for the front fenders, rear fenders, the outer doors, and a portion of the convertible tub were unique to the Skylark. All Skylark convertible tubs were finished with various amounts of lead filler. It is not unusual to find a substantial amount of lead filler just behind the doors near the bottom of the window line. The inner doors of the Skylark were made from the inner doors of the 2-door Roadmaster and Super by cutting the stamping in half approximately parallel with the ground and then welding the two pieces back together in a jig at an angle that produced the necessary door dip. Although there were many unique design features of the 1953 Skylark, one that goes almost unnoticed today is that the top and seating of the car were lowered a few inches below the Roadmaster and Super convertibles. This was achieved not by changing the frame, body or suspension, but by cutting the windshield almost three inches shorter and lowering the side windows and convertible top frame. To accommodate people without bumping their heads with the top up, the seat frames and steering column were lowered. The wheels of the 1953 Skylark were true wire wheels, produced by Kelsey-Hayes, with everything chromed save for the plated and painted "Skylark" center emblem. This was high style in 1953.

The 1953 Skylark featured V8 power and a 12-volt electrical system, both a first for Buick, as well as full-cutout wheel openings. A significant Skylark styling cue was the cut-down door at the base of the side window line that bounced back up to trace around the rear window (or convertible top). This styling clue stayed with Buick for many years and can be found on any number of automobile brands to this day.

For more information, contact:

Tom Payette
tpayetteky@aol.com
(502) 727-9945