1965 LeSabre - back in the family after 30 years

[duckpin]

Hi everyone,

Thought I would share this story, and maybe a plea for some help.

My grandparents owned a 1965 LeSabre (by clicking this link, you can see my grandmother driving it around that time in a film I digitized) from new until about 1991, when they were too old to drive it anymore. At the time it only had around 60K miles and was in good shape, but no one in the family wanted it (I was 15 and didn't have my license). So it was supposedly sold for $300, and then that person sold it again a few years later. I actually had tracked it down about 20 years ago (I still had the VIN), but couldn't take it on at the time and promptly lost the contact info of who had it.

For the last 15 or so years, I would look on FB Marketplace and Craigslist for a 1965 Buick every now and again just to see if it popped up. Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I log in to FB Marketplace and here is a 1965 LeSabre that is the same familiar seafoam green that I remembered. Long story short, after checking the VIN, it was the same car. I am restoring my '62 Special that I've owned since 1998, but my brother decided to not let the LeSabre get away a second time and he bought it. For the time being, it is being kept in my garage, so my Buick isn't lonely anymore. It is in remarkably good shape considering it spent most of the last who knows when outside to the elements. A little rot behind the rear wheels but the frame looks solid and even the doors close with no droops. The seats were removed and some of the dash is apart but all the parts are there (save the rear seats, see below). The original engine is still there but we were told it might have a bad head gasket. No matter; it's going to be rebuilt anyway.

I have a couple of questions.

1. We have the front seat but not the rear seat. Were the LeSabre rear seats the same size as Electra and/or Wildcat? Does anyone know if these were carried over a few years?
2. This has the base 300 engine. How common are parts? (I have the Fireball V-6 in my Special so I am well-versed in the challenge of finding engine parts.)

Thanks for any help you can give. There will be more questions, I'm sure.

Brian

 

[GL03]

Hi everyone,

Thought I would share this story, and maybe a plea for some help.

My grandparents owned a 1965 LeSabre (by clicking this link, you can see my grandmother driving it around that time in a film I digitized) from new until about 1991, when they were too old to drive it anymore. At the time it only had around 60K miles and was in good shape, but no one in the family wanted it (I was 15 and didn't have my license). So it was supposedly sold for $300, and then that person sold it again a few years later. I actually had tracked it down about 20 years ago (I still had the VIN), but couldn't take it on at the time and promptly lost the contact info of who had it.

For the last 15 or so years, I would look on FB Marketplace and Craigslist for a 1965 Buick every now and again just to see if it popped up. Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I log in to FB Marketplace and here is a 1965 LeSabre that is the same familiar seafoam green that I remembered. Long story short, after checking the VIN, it was the same car. I am restoring my '62 Special that I've owned since 1998, but my brother decided to not let the LeSabre get away a second time and he bought it. For the time being, it is being kept in my garage, so my Buick isn't lonely anymore. It is in remarkably good shape considering it spent most of the last who knows when outside to the elements. A little rot behind the rear wheels but the frame looks solid and even the doors close with no droops. The seats were removed and some of the dash is apart but all the parts are there (save the rear seats, see below). The original engine is still there but we were told it might have a bad head gasket. No matter; it's going to be rebuilt anyway.

I have a couple of questions.

1. We have the front seat but not the rear seat. Were the LeSabre rear seats the same size as Electra and/or Wildcat? Does anyone know if these were carried over a few years?
2. This has the base 300 engine. How common are parts? (I have the Fireball V-6 in my Special so I am well-versed in the challenge of finding engine parts.)

Thanks for any help you can give. There will be more questions, I'm sure.

Brian

there is a library here that you can browse in both service and body manuals for the years you are inquiring about. it just so happens that they have many pictures that you could inspect. the books identify the models as 4400,4700, 4600, 4800, Lesabre, Invicta, Wildcat, Riviera, Electra

the 300 engine parts are more available right now, but as the years go by sellers will cut off a batch of parts to make room for newer cars. the special just recently right before covid had more parts available, they have cut off substantial number of parts. I'm assuming the 64 is next of no uncertain date expected. you could browse: https://www.rockauto.com/ (this isn't the best place just one of many choices)

overall, the parts have always been a challenge but are attainable with a few exceptions that take longer, swapmeets, etc. Many of the big brand manufacturers and sellers will make available the wrong parts and let you figure it out afterwards or not they win. One example, common on ebay is sellers will claim a part is NOS, new old stock when in reality they aren't because some material will change in color with time and the parts they are selling look freshly made and quality us subpar. this seems like minor detail except that the newer parts are made in China, and the actual NOS would've been made USA. The price at which they are selling the chinese parts are at premium Bidenomics level when they should be much less.

in summary, you are taking on a hobby. nothing is this simple with the vintage cars. You can browse in this forum, there is one post with car owner getting their transmission back in boxes(haha!) from a shop that just couldn't complete the repair. All hope is not lost, if you aren't afraid to dive into the books, you will have alot of fun.