Hi Just registered. I'm from Nottingham, UK and have a '66 LeSabre 400 Custom Sedan, I've had it a few years. Shes a 340 and apart from a Postons cam and a whole load of stereo equipment she's stock. She's had a full motor rebuild and some of the suspension and steering done, all the brakes are done with new. Gas over here is biting expensive, like $6 or more a gallon US prices and the Toyota Camry is a "big" car here, so buying gas and parking are both tricky (and the steering wheel is on the wrong side!). But you gotta do what you gotta do Next thing is to get the beast repainted and some bits of trim looked at. More pics when she's looking a little more healthy...
Looks pretty good, though:TU: That car must be pretty well known in your area. It always fascinates me when big old Yank cars are in Europe. I notice it's a left hand drive. Do you know how the car came to be over in the UK?
How often do you have to sweep off the mini coopers and MGs that you have collected in your grille during a country drive on those narrow roads?
hehehe! My Wife has a Mini Cooper (well, a Mini Sprite, same running gear as a Cooper but without the dial pack, extra gas tank and Minilite wheels) I can just about put it in the trunk. This car was imported to order from Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1991. She still has a '91 inspection sticker from NC in the windshield. She was a one-family car and I have all the original paperwork including the dealer invoice etc. which is nice. I bought her off a lady who was giving up work to have a baby and needed a more economical car (she was buying a Mustang IIRC). The "Bruiser" as its called has had about 3 or 4 owners over here before me. I always wanted a '66 Wildcat when I was a kid and this is about as close as I was going to find without importing myself. I just saw her in the "American and Import" section of the local trader and drove over and did the deal. Unfortunately I had a coolant leak on the motorway and loosing all the water at 80 mph isn't good for the motor so thats what prompted the motor rebuild. Owning "Yank" cars over here is regarded as a small sign of madness, on the grounds that they are too big, too thirsty and you can't get the parts. I can live with the mileage (just), handle a big car (small car drivers are wusses!) and the internet plus a few good specialists here makes parts easy, so long as you can wait for the shipping.
Hi alistair, Is this your name ore nickname? Nice loocking car, good luck with the car Greeting, :TU:
Winston-Salem is right down the road from me so to speak. Wildcats are pretty common here for old cars. Saw a 64 last week very close to me with factory 2x4 s and 4 speed. It was found behind the original owner's ( now departed ) house and bought from his estate.
its the name my parents gave me I use a few forums for various stuff, computer geekery, the Mini, car audio, local drag racing series, etc. and all that. I used to have nicknames that related to that forum/my stuff but my memory is useless so I now always sign up with my own name so I can remeber who I am (and my password!) Not very imaginative, I know... Next Buick I get will be a '68 Wildcat, with only the two doors this time. I've some saving up to do before then though. :gt:
426 CI wrote: That car must be pretty well known in your area. It always fascinates me when big old Yank cars are in Europe. I notice it's a left hand drive. Do you know how the car came to be over in the UK? Maybe you guys are not aware of the fact that Buicks were also built in Switzerland an Belgium during the 60's and early 70's? The cars from 68 en 69 modelyears built in Europe sometimes don't have the side-markerlights. Alistair, Maybe you should convert the car to run on LPG, it's getting populair in good ol' Blighty nowadays. Pop the Channel to the Netherlands and have it installed for around 1000 Euro's. Our petrolprices are even higher and you earn the instalationcost back in no-time.
Alistair, Almost forgot to tell you there's a very nice 1967 Wildcat coupe for sale in The Hague, the bloke selling is asking 8500,- Euro's for it. Have a look at this nice 'Cat at: http://home.planet.nl/~buickwildcat/index.htm This car also was on the calendar issued by the biggest American Car Club in the Netherlands, the Cruise Brothers. http://www.cruisebrothers.nl <img src="http://www.cruisebrothers.demon.nl/calen/2000/mnd10.jpg">
I didn't know that! I knew that Rambler built cars in France inthe 60s, as did Ford USA in the 40's & 50s, and Chrysler built cars here in 30s...
Yeah, LPG conversion.... A friend of mine has one on his '64 Riviera, its taken some effort getting it working properly.
Alistair, That's why you better have the work done in the Netherlands, I've seen some late British conversions, using tech from the 80's. We are the leaders in the world-market, the latest systems are as good as the factory petrol set-up. The system starts on petrol and switches to LPG in the next 5 seconds, OBD-II compatible and no loss of power. Did your mate with the 64 Riv do any work on his valve seats? LPG has the same effect as unleaded petrol has on the valveseats, no lubrication because it doesn't contain any lead. Question: I noticed British American car owners have to put silly amber indicators on the back of their cars. Is this age-restricted, like cars from a certain year up need to have this conversion? I think it's ruining the looks of the car.
The orange turn signals are a real tricky one. After 1st January 1965 all British registered cars were required to have a separate amber turn signal on each corner. If you import a '64 - you can go with the old regs and have white flashing parking lights up front and red flashing tail lights out back. If its a '65 or later you have to have the orange lights. A lot of people stick trailer lights on for the anual inspection and take them off again after. Some people screw orange side marker type lights to the bumpers (NOOOOOOOO!!!!! Don't do it!!!!) and some people do what I have with the Plymouth - the seal beam headlihgts are replaced with Halogen H$ (need to change the headlights for right hand drive pattern anyway) and use the ones with parking lights built into the headlight. Then re-wire the parking light to operate as a turn signal only, and fit an orange bulb. Out back the reversing (Back-up) lights get re-wired as signals with orange bulbs. This only works if the back-up lights are somewhere near the edge of the car, if they are down each side of the rear licence plate like on a lot of Cadillacs then its tricky. Hovever, my Buick is still wired just how the factory intended, the inspection station I take it too "forgets" the lights have to be orange and issue the certificate.
