Hey again, i still haven't really got to drive this car yet,, but i do tinker with it alot a few things puzzle me like the 300 2bbl engine in it, noone seems to make any parts for it, is it a completely different engine from the 350 buick? what about engine mounts on the frame of this car, are they unique to the car for the engine? could i swap in a 455 or 350? how similar is the chassis of this car to a impala of the same year? i found out the hard way that impala steering parts dont work, but what about springs, shocks, brakes etc.? what about the floors? are the floorboards the same as an impala? the interior floors are perfect, but the trunk has been poorly patched nobody really seems to list anything for the lesabre specifically, just anything you guys know would be helpful
I own a 65 Lesabre, and you are not going to find much interchangeable with a 65 Impala. Very different beast. There are similarities between the 300 and the sbb 350 but I would wait for more informed people to chime in about that. Something you might not know, is that transmission you have, (I'm assuming it still has the original st300 trans) is a switch pitch, meaning it has both low and high stall. Anyway, welcome to V8Buick, and have fun with your Lesabre.
There's next to nothing in common with the Impala. They're built on totally different frames and have completely different guts. The 300 engine wasn't a bad one, maybe a little underpowered for that boat, but it wasn't too bad. If you want to swap up to something peppier, then I would get the 340 or the later Buick 350, which has nothing in common with the Chevrolet unit. Both of these Small Block Buicks are more than adequate, in fact, you might actually find them more fun to drive than the SBC. The 2 speed automatic you have is a Super Turbine 300 and in a sense it's one of the precursors to the Turbo 350. It's biggest disadvantage is the tall steps between 1st and 2nd, but here again, the SB Buick has more than enough torque to pull it along very nicely. Suspension and ride quality are just a step or two better than the Impala; - however, the downside is that they're tougher to find parts for. If you want to retromod the car with modern parts, it'll be a lot of work. You'd better be sure you really love the car and hate money.
I have a 65 LeSabre convertible with a 4bbl 300, TH 400 trans and posi rear. Owned it now for 15 years. A pleasure to drive and while not a power house it is more than adequate. You will find that you can get anything mechanically for the car at your local NAPA, they usually don't have it in stock but get it in a couple days ordered. Forget it when it comes to body parts and interior pieces, nothing out there repopped really. You have to rely on used or NOS. I upgraded with a set of 15 in Buick rally wheels (using a really small spacer) changed the changed the whole look. Your 300 is durable, not bad on gas and smooth. If you are looking for parts I have some extra here and there. You can bet that at the local cruise events yours will be the only one of it's kind. Mine always is.
The leasbre are nice cars.i have two 1966 cars,one conv the other a 4 dr ht. I got the 4 dr as a parts car but after i got it home and looked at it i decided not to part it.both cars are 340 4bl with 400 trans. The motor is bad but am putting one together for it. I still have to decide if to sell it or not. The car is not prefect but with a little work it would be a nice driver. The floors are solid and trunk is real nice. I think the car was is a garage alot.your 65 looks alot like a 66 but the trim is not the same.i wish i would have found this car when i put a trunk floor in my conv. There are not alot of parts for these cars out there. Hope you have alot of fun with your car
Thanks guys, i only really drove it around the block a couple times and i love it! im not crazy about it being a 4 door to be honest, but i kinda prefer the roof over the 2 door. the body is pretty solid and im pretty good at welding and fabricating small patches so im not worried there. but i do need a steering centre link, and i've bee searching Napa's (i know a few of the managers) as well as various other places, no one seems to have one which sucks, its really the only setback, i already repaired a rusted out framerail, redid the front bearings. the reason i asked about the engine swap is primarily because of the oil pan sump location, i figured i might be able to use steering parts from another b-body if i did, But if the frame is unique then i guess its pointless.
