When I was 16 I was given a 65 LeSabre. Given, woo hoo! The only problem, being 16, and the fact that the car was 200 mi from where I lived, it made giving attention to it a little difficult. I did try to clean it up and get it running to bring it back home. Needless to say, after attempting to drive it and ending up trailering it almost home, it sat at a family friend's place for, oooh, about 18 years now. I went and visited it last year and its really no worse off than it was when I parked it. The exterior is in ok shape, but it is going to need new trunk & floor pans, a whole new interior, and of course the drivetrain will need to be rebuilt. I really want to restore it if possible if for nothing other than nostalgic reasons. My biggest issue is finding the right parts for it. I dont want to really get into it and realize that nothing is available, and have wasted time and money that i didnt have to begin with. It has come to the forefront of my time as the owner of the location that it is currently resting is trying to clean up his place and would like it moved. So, I need to find out whether it is worth the time and effort to try it or should I cut my losses and either part it out or try and sell it whole. The funny thing I noticed is that in looking through this forum, it seems that the LeSabre is the red-headed step-child of the Buick family. The really funny thing is in searching the forum, I came across a post entitled just that. ( cant post link, I'm too new, just search, you'll find it) So, I ask you fine people: do you think its worth it? TIA, Darren
Get 10 posts under your belt, then you can post tons of pictures...each one is worth 1000 words. Without details it's pretty much o No: . Devon
Well, how about in more general terms. Is it possible to get parts even if I want to try it? I guess thats what it boils down to really. If I cant get parts there's no point in even trying anything else.
There are some sources for repro parts, as well as used ( www.buick-parts.com for example). You won't have as much luck as a Chevelle owner, though. The "parts wanted" section here is a big help. I rely on daily ebay searches for parts, too. Devon
If it's a two-door hardtop, I say it's worth it. But then, I'm biased, since I own one. You can still get most mechanical parts at good ol' Napa, but stuff like headlight switches, wiper switches, and the like, are only found on ebay, or places like this board. If there is a local Buick club nearby you, join up. They can be an invaluable source of knowledge, parts, and help.
As a matter of fact it is a 2dr hard-top. Also a 300 4bbl with a ST-400. And speaking of the 400, do some people call these a TH400? I didnt think the TH series came out til later, like 68 or something. The reason I ask is I have seen a couple of listings that say ST300 and TH400, what gives?
You're correct, GM called them "Super Turbine" until 1969, when the name changed to Turbo Hydramatic. From '65 up they are all very close in design between ST400 & TH400. Devon
I have also read about the 'switch-pitch' converters. Is there a way to tell if mine may have it? Or is that a specifice model only thing?
2 door or converts are the only things worth putting the money into . They are ALL money pits . But , it's just a simple fact that 2 doors and converts are LESS of a money pit if you ever had to sell it. My 2 cents.
The nice thing about the '65 is its a perimeter frame vs the old X frame so thats an improvement and the 300 shares mounts and just about all the really important stuff with a 340 and 350 so you can do that swap if you so choose however I loved my '67 300-2 and with the 4bbl (which by the way is a relatively rare item since its 1 year only and you don't see a lot floating around) I'm sure it'd be even better. I'm pretty sure Classic Fab does the sheetmetal you need but the interior is going to be a challenge since I don't think anything besides the headliner and minor bits are reproduced though the LeSabre was the most numerous of fullsized Buicks so parts wouldn't be unheard of in the salvage yards.
As far as I know everything is original on the car, so woo hoo! Funny thing about that article you linked, it states 64-67 TH300s and 400s, like I asked earlier it should be ST.
The trans design is pretty much the same for all ST400, SP400, TH400, and THM400. There are minor differences like the filter design in the early ones, the SP400's having the switch pitch function, and the THM400's being the later units but its all the Turbohydromatic 400 design at its core and with the exception of the deletion of some of the fluid passages associated with the Switch Pitch functionality in the early 70's the whole trans is roughly interchangeable and the cases exist in BOP-C (Buick Olds Pontiac Caddilac), Chevy and though I've never seen one, maybe a universal pattern unit with both. The ST300 is pretty much a Buick Olds trans with 2 spds and switch pitch functionality, its more related to the TH350 than the Powerglide but it gets called the Buick Powerglide none the less. Good unit though the TH350 is a bit smoother and easier to build and the TH400 family is more beefy.
Numerous, perhaps. Popular, not so much. The interior isnt too bad, I'm sure if taken to the right place it could be cleaned up. I tried when I first got it, but after so many years its back to where it was when i started. I took out the front bench and put in a couple miss-matched buckets, now I'm trying to remember if I still have the bench somewhere...
Correct. And don't get confused by prefix terminology...regarding the 400 transmissions, there's only a Super Turbine and a Turbo Hydra-matic. You'll see "SP400" and "VP400" becuase of the switch pitch/variable pitch moniker/nicknames often used, but it's not an accurate designation. Likewise, the "THM" is just "TH"...same thing. Another note, keep the '64 ST400 to the side; it's a bastard version that has less in common with its '65 & later bretheren. Devon
Is it worth it? I guess that depends on your "it". As stated earlier, restoration is something of a money pit. If you want a nice car to drive, buy one. Since you have some sentimental reasons to keep this car and seem willing to get your hands dirty, I'd suggest that you go for it. You will run the range of emotions in a restoration from sadness to frustration to despair to pride to elation. As stated earlier, mechanical parts can generally be found. Body parts can be fabricated from scratch by a good body man. Really, it comes down to things like emblems, plastic pieces and the like. If they are all there and can be restored, then you are in good shape. Good luck.
Yeah, I'm kinda antsy right now thinking about it, but I know it'll be quite the undertaking. I'm going tomorrow to measure and take some pictures, so I'll post a few when I get my 10 posts. (I'm measuring because I'm not sure if it'll fit in my garage [lenghtwise] :-0 ; wouldnt that be the icing on the cake if it doesnt fit in my garage!) Speaking of which, does anyone happen to know the overall length of this beast? I have the chassis manual around here somewhere, but I'll be darned if I can find it right now.
Sounds like a keeper to me. They are big boys, at just over 17' long. I know this well, since my attached garage is 18' deep, so it's a bit of a squeeze. Let me know if you need any parts. I've been collecting extras for awhile.
