1967 Buick Wildcat convertible in memory of Jack Wilson

1967 Buick Wildcat convertible
This is the car my Dad owned before we moved to England in 1971. It is one of my earliest recollections or maybe it's just because these photos have been in my memory for over half a century. Sadly, we didn't take the car to England although once there he bought a Daimler Sovreign Series One, MPD701L, which was also a lovely car, albeit nowhere near as reliable as the Buick! Whilst my fondness for Jaguar cars is still very strong - Dad's last Jaguar, a 1996 X300 has proved to be just as, if not more problematic than the Daimler all those years ago and I think I am over it since I have two XK8's myself that have seldom given me trouble despite being far from concours! Thus, I want to broaden my classic car horizons into the 1960s and 1970s American car scene as both Dad and myself adopted the USA as our country later in life. Dad passed in 2023 and it is to honour his memory that I have purchased a Buick Wildcat. If I can sell my 1996 X300, then I am also on the hunt for a 1978 or 1979 Ford Thunderbird as I recall his friend and business associate Don Graham of Toronto had at the time. A funny story that Mom tells to this day about the Wildcat is that it was too long for the garage in Toronto! Dad therefore had to have the garage extended by several inches at the front to accomdate the car! At 220 inches long, it is certainly much longer than the X300 at 198 inches (or XK8 at 188). History repeated itself in the summer of 2025 when my own F150 at a whopping 232 inches necessitated a carpentry project to gain a mere few inches to fit in my garage!
Acquisiton / Restoration Progress:
A car has been found! Same year, bodystyle and exterior colour! Condition is rough - could be a frame off restoration.

The car was full of rubbish when received. At least, it appeared to be - nothing will be thrown away until certain. It has been sorted & emptied out. I also started to wipe some of the dirt off the right door and it came up rather nice. Unfortunately, one likely will not be so lucky with the rest of the panels. Overall, the car appears to be quite solid. I'll know better once it's on the lift, but so far the only chassis frame corrosion apparent is the extreme left rear rail under the boot. The bodywork looks straight with no evidence of significant accident damage. Definitely some corrosion in lower front wings, lower windscreen surround, rear wheel arches and lip of boot lid. The sills appear decent as do the doors. She's worth saving I reckon? The seller stated the engine is locked so an Android borescope has been ordered and we'll have a look in the cylinders. He tried ATF, I shall use Kroil. Other than the interior, the car is mostly complete. I highly doubt those seats are from this car so the search is on for an interior! The wheels are also mis-matched. Not sure what is correct there. I found a nice link to the service manual online (although I shall likely order the paper copy too). Need to find a parts book (fiche?). I wonder how many parts are still available from Buick?
Team Buick
The Buick Owners Group (Wildcat Forum)
V8 Buick.com (Wildcat)
Service Manual (Team Buick)

email Brad: trijagparts@mindspring.com