Some of you will remember when I first joined the board in December 2002 trying to sell my 71 LeSabre sedan... This is just after I had painted and buffed it in the Winter of 2001. To this day, I regret selling it. (story of a lifetime, heard it 100 times) Last week, this car came up on eBay, and I just couldn't resisto No: 71 LeSabre Custom 455! (Copied from the Centurion forums) This'll buff out, right? A couple more dings from the garage that the little old lady used to park in.. Standard manual rear view mirror....I think I've got a remote in the basement. I cannot believe how close this car looks to my old one (in this particular photo). This car does not have the door window stainless surrounds like my old car did. I may have to find a set of those. They really make a difference. The good ol' hubcaps are very modest. Recent fender bender required this quarter be replaced. I see the color doesn't quite matchou: Front seat cover...Auto Zone special? The steering wheel looks worse than the one that was on my tan car...nicely splintered. Looks like a pretty lowly optioned car. It has a 6 way power seat and floor mats...o No: Untouched back seat. I bet the doors close nicely. Engine shots. Looks like the AC compressor was changed at some point. Looks like it is still R12 refrigerant. Random fuel filter stuck on. Engine bay needs a power wash, and possibly a quickie resto...not like my last 3 escapades:laugh: I'll have to give up another clean overflow tank to replace this one. Some surface rust on the trunk floor, but the car is SOLID. Lifetime San Antonio car, with a limited time in Austin. No rust.:beer This is where I sighed a little bit. 72 bumper and a broken taillight bezel. It appears that the lower metal shield for hte taillight is missing as well. This is all a result of the side swipe while the car was parked on the street a couple years ago. Good thing I have a nice 71 bumper sitting in the basement Spires Buick - San Antonio! Apparently, the AC works...I won't believe it until I get it into some St. Louis Summer heat. Still wearing all four original T3's!!!
Too cool Adam, that will make a great driver. Just wake the 455 up with a tune-up and cleaning. Hey, isn't that booster supposed to be plated? :Brow:
That booster looks like one I've never seen on one of these cars. It might be a bendix unit or something. I have no real idea what I'm going to do with the car, other than tinker with it.o No: I do know that I'll be buffing some paint real soon.
Adam... this thing is screaming "sleeper." 4 doors, a big block, and mismatched paint. Could it be anymore obvious? :laugh: Throw a cam and converter at it, I'll do the same to my heap, and then we can have a "Blue/Green, 4 door, Sleeper" class at this year's BPG Nats, eh? Either way, it's a nice catch, man. :TU: I hope it serves ya well!
Who you trying to BS here?I'll give you two weeks after you get it home and you'll be posting another engine bay restoration thread.
nahhhh....I doubt I'll be doing anything in-depth with this car. At least for the time being.:laugh: Not sure what's gonna happen with this car...guess I'll just wing it!ou:
Thanks Jarrod! I got back around 4:30 this afternoon... It was a very, very testing drive home. Constant coolant leak from the radiator made it prone to overheating, and a set of point magically went so far out of adjustment last night at 9:30 that the car would NOT run. Thankfully, I knew a BCA member in Sherman that came and rescued me. Here she is in all her leaking glory:
Too cool! :bglasses: :TU: Done with the shipping thing? I bet its a little cheaper to drive back but also more fun. I hope I can find the right car in the next month, I want to be ready for the Easter show down by you.:beer I'm having a hard time deciding which Buick. From top to bottom is 72 Riv, 71 Riv, 71-73 Centurion two or four door and 73 Electra two or four door.
It was convenient for me to fly down and get the car this time. I had some free miles on Southwest Airlines, so I got the ticket free. And it probably cost me $200 in gas to get back. Easter show, eh?? We'd love to have you. Do you have any prospect cars lined up?
Well, you made it back in pretty good time, considering the car is older than you are! Did you replace the points or just set and clean them? So it was leaking coolant? Details, please!
Every time I stopped for fuel, it would puke coolant out the hole in the radiator....as the trip went, the hole got bigger, and the coolant puked faster. When I got home this afternoon, HALF of the coolant was gone. And I had just topped it off 20 miles prior. Radiator is JUNK. We just reset the current points, but they still need to be replaced, as with every other ignition and cooling component on the car. UGH! I'm surprised it made it. I started having ignition problems as I got close to home again...was praying I made it to the driveway.
That's what I'm hoping for. A couple more plows and salt spreaders might make it more than possible if it is the right car. There is a '72 Riv in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee that is a "barn find", but its black. A nice blue '72 Riv with a factory sunroof in Iowa. Another in Raleigh North Carolina and a '72 Centurion 4-door in CA. Sounds like it was a fun trip. :laugh:
Actually, I think it's a testament to the toughness of the car that you did in fact get it home... all those parts, if you do it yourself, are less than $300.00...as you know! Glad you made it!
