Very Nice 66 LeSabre

I am surprised at all the posts saying what people would do to it. Wow I wouldn't do squat to it.

 

2 texts and I got nuthin'....anybody else want to try?

 

I’m out of the country for work until the 1st. If he has it when I get back, I will take a look in person and report back here. My plate is full right now between work, a full garage and a 6 month old. Lucas, if you like it and need me to snag it/store it for you, I’d be willing to do that for you of course.

 

I know you would, Oliver, and I appreciate it. I try to take things like the guy not getting back to me as a sign I'm not supposed to have something hahaha.....I definitely don't need another car, but if I saw this one sitting on the corner for sale here, I'm sure it'd be in my driveway.

 

The ad states that although the engine is a "Wildcat 340", it also has the TH400 transmission ...

1966 Buick LeSabre

New grilles and four-segmented taillights highlighted the facelifted 1966 LeSabre models. Also new was a revised instrument panel with a horizontal sweep speedometer replacing the round pod instruments and new interior door handles. Both base and Custom level series were continued. New standard safety features included a padded instrument panel, outside driver-side rear view mirror and backup lights.

Under the hood, the 300-cubic-inch V8 was replaced by a larger 340-cubic-inch V8 rated at 220 horsepower with two-barrel carburetor and available with either a standard three-speed manual transmission or optional two-speed automatic, but the four-speed manual was dropped from the option list. Ordering the LeSabre 400 option upgraded the buyer to a 260-horsepower 340 with four-barrel carburetor and higher 10.25 to 1 compression ratio along with the three-speed Super Turbine 400 automatic found in the larger engine Wildcat, Electra 225 and Riviera.

So, does this car have the higher horsepower engine? A 4bbl and 40 more horses should help.

 

If it's got the 400, then it has the 4 barrel. It was part of what they called the "400" package. And yes, that's a well guarded secret, these big cars don't weigh all that much more than a well equipped A-body does. Tricked out right, this car could be a nice "sleeper".

 

OK Mark: I'm gonna have to dis-agree on that 400 package being something better. It's a 340 4 barrel with a short tail switch pitch BOP Turbo 400. It's a dog. How do I make this statement? I had a new 66 Le Sabre 400. I have 2 today, one which is klunked out. I'm in the process of building a 350 to replace the 340. Mitch

 

Mitch, I wasn't aware of that. Well, now I'm going to have to find one and test that hypothesis. You're implying that the 340 doesn't have the torque to pull over the TH400. I haven't got the numbers in front of me, but it's probably got more horsepower and torque than a 75 or 76 455; I'm sure someone more familiar with those things will either chime in if I'm wrong. My point is the bigger mid-seventies boats were pulled along adequately by weaker or downrated motors, the 340 should be able to.
My recent experience with the 340 is this; I had a fairly solid one in a 67 LeSabre that I was using as a winter beater. It cost me the grand total of $300, and I got it running and drove it off the widow's property. It had the 340 with the TH300 and a 2 bbl. It wasn't bad; it easily kept up with anything built in the 80s and early 90s, and had enough pep to pass on the highway. It would cruise happily at 85-90 mph. (It was a b--ch to hang onto at those speeds, but highways are flat and straight in this part of the world). I put a 4 bbl manifold on it and it woke the engine up; it was a lot peppier. It was nothing like my 67 Wildcat; but it wasn't bad, it would easily give late 80s Camaros, Mustangs and anything like that a good run for their money. So while these things aren't racers, they weren't bad; they'd clobber any 66-67 Chevy Impala with a 283, and any low-line Ford. In their class, they were "respectable"; if you wanted performance, buy a Wildcat or a Skylark GS.

Now at the time, there wasn't much available here in Canada for 340 performance parts, and of course, I never knew anyone else who'd hopped one up, there just weren't any around here. So I never explored what the 340 could do. I thought it was a nice little engine, and probably had a lot of potential with the right combination of parts. I've seen what people can do with SBC; and a SBB is in my estimation better engineered, so why can't these engines be tricked out?

 

Mitch, just because the one you own had issues and gave you trouble doesn't mean all 340/4 engines are dogs. I have owned several 340/4 cars with st300 and st400 transmissions behind them and they were very fun cars to drive. they weren't rated at 375 lb ft of torque for no reason

 

I agree, something like this would look really nice.

 

OK GSS: I had one from new. A dog going up the hills of my home town. A/C on? really stodgy. I have 3 now. I handled several when I was in the used car business....including 67 Le Sabres and a few Skylarks. The Skylarks were much zippier with the 2 barrel and the 300 trans. Were your 340'z in a Skylark, Special, Sport Wagon or Le Sabre? Mitch