Hi Folks! My Dad recently pulled his 1973 LeSabre custom out from the barn he was keeping it in (owners of the barn moved) only to find the car in pretty rough shape (needed brakes and brake lines, so it was parked there in the 1990's under plastic). It needs quarters, door skins, fenders, bumper rubber, weather stripping and some other odds and ends (like brakes and brake lines ). Is any of this stuff still available out there? Otherwise, does anyone have a complete body? We're trying to weigh cost vs value. This was the first brand new car my Dad ever bought. Burgundy with black interior, 350-4, PS, PB, A/C. I have fond memories of this car, drove it from northern WI to southern FL and back on our first family vacation back in 1988. What a great cruiser. Would like to save this car, but there weren't many made, parts seem to be unobtanium
I'm not sure if any of this is still available... http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?277397 -Bob C.
I understand being attached to it, but if it needs all that sheetmetal it'll cost more in labor (and paint) than it'll ever be worth. That said, a complete car, possibly from the south or southwest, will be the cheapest way by far to get the metal. Keep in mind I'm taking its needs at face value; post pics and get opinions about whether or not they need replacing--unless it's obvious like a rust belt car that flaps. Good luck- Patrick
Andrew, stuff like weather striping is available new, same goes for brake lines and brake hardware. Board member "garyd" (Gary) from Goldsboro NC has a lot of early 70's to mid 70's big Buick parts from derby cars. Click here to contact Gary :Comp:
Thanks for the info guys, it unfortunately was a "Ziebart Special" shortly after its birth, and when Ziebart undercoated it they plugged most of the underside drain holes. Being a daily driver in Wisconsin for its first 12 years I'm sure hasn't helped. The bottoms of the door skins are gone, quarters/fenders are a bit holey, etc. With what the cost is adding up to, it may be easier to just buy a complete finished car. Erik, thanks for the link, I will try to contact Gary sometime this next week. I can do body work and my cousin is a good painter, it's just a big car with a lot of metal. Not sure if we want to spend mucho dinero/time on this.
I can see you have a lot of sentimental value for the car and I can appreciate that. But truth is these 70s big Buicks are still not that expensive. I would think you could find a car in decent shape for what it would cost you to fix up the old car. They are getting a little hard to find, especially if you want a specific year or whatnot, but they are still out there. Just my 2 cents.
