Since its driving now I guess it can have its own thread here.
I bought this beasty back in 1998 or so, and its been an ongoing project ever since.
So what is it? Well the LeSabre was a full sized sedan/coupe/convertible range which was aimed at a middle class buyer. Posher than an Impala, cheaper than a Cadillac...
The LeSabre came with a 300" 2 barrel V8 as standard, optional was a 340" with 4 barrel and dual exhausts, high compression and a bunch of other goodies. This was called the "Wildcat 375" as the motor made 375 lb torque. It was offered as part of the "400" package, which also spec'd in a Super Turbine 400 transmission which featured a switch pitch (dual range) torque converter and altitude compensation. The top of the tree was the "Custom" edition which has metallic vinyl and mock-croc interior. Mine is a LeSabre Custom 400 with the Wildcat 375 motor.
As I have all the original paperowrk from when the car was new (in Winston Salem, North Carolina) I can see that the car was spec'd with the optional safety group, optional appearance package, white painted roof and a low ratio rear axle.
So its a well spec'd car. Convenience group is missing, comfort group is missing but all the doo-dads which make it quick and look flash are there. Original buyer was a man after my own heart I guess, hang the airconditioning and the electric windows lets have a Carter AFB and a good diff for burnouts....
It came over to the UK in 1991 having been in the same US family from new.
I bought it off its 4th or 5th UK owner, a youngish lass who was selling the Buick as she was pregnant and needed a more economical car while she was on maternity leave. She was buying a Mustang LOL.
So I ran the thing for a while, enjoying the power and all that.
Until one day in 1999 or 2000 I had an unfortunate incident on the M1 heading south. I looked int he rear view mirror and all I could see were two blue plumes of thick smoke. Oh dear.
Pulled over to the side of the motorway and then spent 3 hours in the blazing sun with no water and got sun stroke. I had two or three fire engines 3 or 4 police cars and 2 AA trucks in the end. I also caused a hazard and had the sounthbound down to a 50 mph limit because of the smoke.
If you are going to blow one, blow it good.
Well, the car got hauled back home and well, two pistons were holed and one looked like an icecream cone. Melty.
Turns out that the rad had a small split, had lost the cooland and then I'd basically got an oil cooled V8... That had boiled and burnt off and that was when it was going bye-bye. Amazingly it still ran...
Block was stripped, tanked, bored and honed and the crank was polished on the journals. Bores had to go like 30 thou but the mains were good. Just about everything bar the rods, cranck and block was new in the end. I just went a little crazy. The 340 was made for only 2 years so getting parts is a question of special order from the US only. Got some small tweaks in there like using a GS 340 Stage 1 plus cam from Postons and junking the EGR.
Anyway, the car gets use don and off, and I keep meaning to get the thing sorted properly.
I am forbidden by a couple of my mates from ever painting it. It has a lot of patina! However it also has a case of creeping death so it will end up getting some bodywork done and paint and hopefully fairly soon.
Occasioanlly it throws me a curve ball like last summer the thing ran like poo and the damn starter threw off centre and chewed hell out of the ring gear on the flex plate...
Stuff done so far...
rebuilt motor
new rad
new battery
all new wishbone bushes in front (all Moog)
refurbished centerlink
rebuilt starter
new flex plate
new brake master cylinder
new wheel cyl all round
new flexis
stainless exhaust
been through loads of tyres, mainly on the back for some reason...
collecting misc trim and parts for the "proper resto".
things still to do
body/paint/interior
fix whatever else goes wrong as it does so
rear suspension wants rebush and I'm going to get some new springs and shocks for it. Not sure whether to go for stock ones and cut them down or get "uprated" ones.
Here it is just out of hibernation...
here it is last time it was daily driver
I bought this beasty back in 1998 or so, and its been an ongoing project ever since.
So what is it? Well the LeSabre was a full sized sedan/coupe/convertible range which was aimed at a middle class buyer. Posher than an Impala, cheaper than a Cadillac...
The LeSabre came with a 300" 2 barrel V8 as standard, optional was a 340" with 4 barrel and dual exhausts, high compression and a bunch of other goodies. This was called the "Wildcat 375" as the motor made 375 lb torque. It was offered as part of the "400" package, which also spec'd in a Super Turbine 400 transmission which featured a switch pitch (dual range) torque converter and altitude compensation. The top of the tree was the "Custom" edition which has metallic vinyl and mock-croc interior. Mine is a LeSabre Custom 400 with the Wildcat 375 motor.
As I have all the original paperowrk from when the car was new (in Winston Salem, North Carolina) I can see that the car was spec'd with the optional safety group, optional appearance package, white painted roof and a low ratio rear axle.
So its a well spec'd car. Convenience group is missing, comfort group is missing but all the doo-dads which make it quick and look flash are there. Original buyer was a man after my own heart I guess, hang the airconditioning and the electric windows lets have a Carter AFB and a good diff for burnouts....
It came over to the UK in 1991 having been in the same US family from new.
I bought it off its 4th or 5th UK owner, a youngish lass who was selling the Buick as she was pregnant and needed a more economical car while she was on maternity leave. She was buying a Mustang LOL.
So I ran the thing for a while, enjoying the power and all that.
Until one day in 1999 or 2000 I had an unfortunate incident on the M1 heading south. I looked int he rear view mirror and all I could see were two blue plumes of thick smoke. Oh dear.
Pulled over to the side of the motorway and then spent 3 hours in the blazing sun with no water and got sun stroke. I had two or three fire engines 3 or 4 police cars and 2 AA trucks in the end. I also caused a hazard and had the sounthbound down to a 50 mph limit because of the smoke.
If you are going to blow one, blow it good.
Well, the car got hauled back home and well, two pistons were holed and one looked like an icecream cone. Melty.
Turns out that the rad had a small split, had lost the cooland and then I'd basically got an oil cooled V8... That had boiled and burnt off and that was when it was going bye-bye. Amazingly it still ran...
Block was stripped, tanked, bored and honed and the crank was polished on the journals. Bores had to go like 30 thou but the mains were good. Just about everything bar the rods, cranck and block was new in the end. I just went a little crazy. The 340 was made for only 2 years so getting parts is a question of special order from the US only. Got some small tweaks in there like using a GS 340 Stage 1 plus cam from Postons and junking the EGR.
Anyway, the car gets use don and off, and I keep meaning to get the thing sorted properly.
I am forbidden by a couple of my mates from ever painting it. It has a lot of patina! However it also has a case of creeping death so it will end up getting some bodywork done and paint and hopefully fairly soon.
Occasioanlly it throws me a curve ball like last summer the thing ran like poo and the damn starter threw off centre and chewed hell out of the ring gear on the flex plate...
Stuff done so far...
rebuilt motor
new rad
new battery
all new wishbone bushes in front (all Moog)
refurbished centerlink
rebuilt starter
new flex plate
new brake master cylinder
new wheel cyl all round
new flexis
stainless exhaust
been through loads of tyres, mainly on the back for some reason...
collecting misc trim and parts for the "proper resto".
things still to do
body/paint/interior
fix whatever else goes wrong as it does so
rear suspension wants rebush and I'm going to get some new springs and shocks for it. Not sure whether to go for stock ones and cut them down or get "uprated" ones.
Here it is just out of hibernation...
here it is last time it was daily driver
