new to this site and new to buicks! just bought a 1965 buick lesabre last night as a project for me and my dad. i have one question that i can't find the answer for... i was reading online about this car and the guy i bought it from had told me that it had the wildcat 355 engine. i read online that the wildcat 355 on the air cleaner actually meant the torque rating off the engine and that it was not the cubic inch of the engine so i had asked what the cubic inch the engine is. he said it is a 401 big block with a 4 barrel and the transmission is a 2 speed power glide. the guy i had bought the car off of was actually the original owner of this car and it is all original so i never second guess if it was actually a 401 or if it was a wildcat 355 but i read online that the 401 was a wildcat 455 not a 355. anybody know the answer? was the 401 actually a wildcat 355? if not how do i check the cubic inch of the engine?. looking forward to fixing this car up. thank you
Wildcat 355 = 300 C.I. (small block) Wildcat 445 = 401 C.I. (nailhead) Wildcat 465 = 425 C.I. (nailhead) In 1964 the Wildcat 355 was rated 355 lbs-ft of torque and 250 HP. In 1965 the Wildcat 355 was rated 335 lbs-ft of torque and 250 HP, but it was still called the Wildcat 355. In 1964 the compression ratio was 11:1 and in 1965 it was 10.25:1. In 1964 the heads were aluminum and in 1965 the heads were cast iron. To identify the engine you will need to find the production code, see these links: http://www.teambuick.com/reference/years/65.php http://www.teambuick.com/reference/years/65/65_engine_number.php http://www.teambuick.com/forums/view.php?pg=indent_engine_where http://www.teambuick.com/forums/view.php?pg=indent_engine_63-75
