Hello from Alabama - New LeSabre Convertible Owner

Hey guys, I just joined the forum and wanted to introduce myself and what I have just acquired. I'm from Wilcox County Alabama and work in the Montgomery area. My grandfather has just "given" me his 1975 Buick LeSabre Convertible that has been sitting in his basement for about 6-7 years (unfortunately with the top down). He is not able to work on it, keep it running, etc. so he wants to see me enjoy it. I remember as a kid taking it to the beach with the family. My goal is to get it running and driving (legally) again and take my grandfather to the beach condo in it like he used to with us.

ANY kind of help, suggestions, tips, feedback, etc. are greatly appreciated as I know a little bit about cars but not a whole lot. I've done basic repairs such as changing water pump on a Ford, working on older Gas Tractors, etc. I don't know alot about this car or the 350-4 that is in it, so I know I will need some guidance. I will start a thread outlining what I have done to it to try and get it running and such. For now, here are some pictures!

 

Welcome from near Atlanta. Looks like a great start!
Patrick

 

Welcome from NY.

 

Welcome, looks like a pretty straightforward resto.... Change out the fluids check the hoses and get it running.
interior parts are very tough to find! Good Luck!

 

Thanks guys. Yeah the car looks to be MINT on the outside and the interior is "nice" but is very dirty from sitting with the top down. I did notice that the dashboard and steering wheel (which are red) have a black looking crud on them and they are very sticky. Worried about getting all of that clean. The carpet is faded and could use replacing as well. Aside from that all she needs is a good cleaning.

Mechanicals.....well that is another issue. The car was put away running "fine" and was parked just because of the back glass being gone. I haven't dug too deep into it yet aside from trying to see if it turned over and would start. Hooked a battery to her and right away the horn was blasting so I had to unplug the wires at the horn to stop it. I then turned on the key and hit the starter and she turned over. Noticed that the key switch was VERY HARD to turn. I was told it had fuel in the tank (although probably old), I then got some ether to help it out and pressed the gas pedal to the floor and started it. After a couple tries it started right off and died. Knocked on the gas tank and found out it was empty so we dumped 5 gallons of fresh fuel into the tank and tried it again. Nothing. I poured about 4 oz of fuel into the top of the carburetor and she fired right up as long as you held the gas pedal all the way to the floor. But would only run until that fuel was burnt up. Basically.....I decided that the fuel pump might not be working. That is where I stand now. I tried to crack the metal fuel line going into the carburetor, but it was so tight that the line itself started twisting and I didn't want to break anything. I ordered a new fuel pump and just need to install it and see what happens.

Edit: We used Carburetor Cleaner and not ether. Sorry just realized this as I prefer ether but the carb cleaner is all we had.

 

Welcome. Before you install a new fuel pump, unhook the line from the tank to the pump. Run a hose from the pump to a full gas can. That will tell you if the pump is working, and if your problem is in the tank or line from the tank. If there is a filter in the carb, remove and replace it first. You can get the lines loose by using the correct size wrench on both fittings. Lubricate the line near the fitting as well as the fitting's threads. Slowly work the fitting back and forth until it beaks free. Have patience or you'll be replacing the line. It should come apart without twisting.

 

Welcome aboard, from Australia! You'll find answers to all questions Buick here. If someone doesn't know, they'll know someone who does.

From the pics you have a great start point. I'd suggest going over the brakes carefully too. No fun in getting the engine going & finding out she won't stop.

And don't ask me how I know!

Cheers,

Chris

 

Can you elaborate on where I should disconnect that line? At the fuel pump? Assuming this line is metal, how would I hook a line up to a gas can? Would I need a short 2 inch peice of metal line to act as a barb to hook a rubber hose to that? Also, I ordered the 2 different fuel filters that RockAuto.com showed for my car. They were super cheap, so whether they are correct or not doesn't matter. At least I have both just in case. Where would a fuel filter be in the carburetor??? I didn't know the filter was actually in the carburetor. I still have to locate the fuel pump too. Looking for this stuff online has been a challenge.

 

Here's likely what your fuel pump looks like




There are 3 lines that attach
The screw in one goes to the carb
The small one is a return back to the gas tank
The big one is the supply, here is where you disconnect

Attach a piece of fuel line to this larger slip on port and clamp it.
Put the other end in fuel container

Try to start


You can also take off the air cleaner, look down into the front two barrels on the carb and pump the throttle... do you see squirts of fuel?

 

Welcome from N Florida!

 

probably woould be wise to prime the oil pump & oil system before cranking it over.

 

The first time we tried to start the car about a month ago, I had it running off of carb cleaner for about 25 seconds, and it had good oil pressure. We also blew a bunch of pecans and other stuff out of the exhaust from where rodents had been going in the exhaust pipe and packing it up over the years. haha. After we ran it for a while, I "goosed" it and she blew nuts about 40 feet and sprayed them everywhere like buckshot.

We are gonna go back down there where it is stored and work on it next week sometime. I will look for fuel squirting in the carb and also check the pump before replacing it with the one I ordered.

 

/\/\/\ Exactly this. If your carb is a Quadrajet, there is a filter behind where the fuel line enters. Remove the line, then the large 1" nut on that it went into. You may need to hold the nut with a wrench to get the line loose. The filter is in there, unless someone removed and never replaced it. Do not lose the spring behind it.

 

To clean the black gunk off the steering wheel and dash try WD-40 see if that works before trying something stronger...
For mechanical parts you can always try rockauto.

 

Gotcha, thanks!

Question, what is wrong/what do I do if I don't see fuel squirting into the carb when I pump the pedal?

 

Ideas? Suggestions?

 

Likely the accelerator pump. Its under the lever that is actuated by the throttle movement.
Time for a rebuild.

Mark (aka Carmantx) can build it for you. Good price, good service. He did mine, and it was bolt on and go

 

Ok....gotcha. Is that typically done with a Carburetor Rebuild? Will it still run ok if that part doesn't work?

I still need to get down there and check it out. Maybe it still works. I'll be going next week I think.

 

Yes its done with a rebuild. A quality rebuild kit has a acc pump that is resistant to ethanol
It may run, but wont drive nice at all

 

well guys......headed down in the morning (since it's a holiday) and gonna put that fuel pump on the Buick and see what happens. Hopefully we can get her running under her own power.