I have a 1964 buick lesabre convertible and it does not have the original engine. I want to know what original engine it had. I have researched this question and think I may have a unique situation. This is because my buick lesabre has wild cat emblems on the interior of the car and that seems to be unheard of. There are now wildcat emblems on exterior of car. Also, my lesabre has reinforced rear end (similar to what wildcat would have). I have concluded that this lesabre may have been ordered with a wildcat package, which means the original engine may have been a 425. ---------- Post added at 12:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 PM ---------- Correction to my original post - There are NO wildcat emblems on exterior of car
the original engine should be the buick 300 with aluminum heads and intake on the breather it should have wildcat 310 or wildcat 355 these were the torque ratings for the engines the 310 is a low compression 2 bbl the 355 is a high compression 4bbl scott
i belive the lasabre wagon had an optional 401 but not the convertible..... but I have been mistaken before scott
"dezy1964": Please put your name in your signature, we are all here on a friendly first name base :TU: Several sources are saying different things about this, but the Buick bible "The BUICK, a complete history" (5th edition) says that the 401 was only available for the wagons. Other books, like the "Standard catalog of Buick 1903-2004", "Encyclopedia of American cars from 1930" and the "Catalog of American car ID numbers 1960-1969" are saying that you could order the model year 1964 LeSabre with the 300 or the 401 (or, in one case, even with the 425 engine). I think it's time to dig up my 1964 Buick brochure :TU: From the internet: Hemmings Motor News about the model year 1964 LeSabre: Click here to read the full version :Comp:
For what it's worth, the 1964 brochure says the Wildcat 310 was standard and the Wildcat 355 was optional. On wagons, the Wildcat 445 was standard and the Wildcat 465 and Super Wildcat were options. I'm curious about the Wildcat emblems on the interior. What emblems and where? I'm guessing they were added later by someone who wanted to dress up the car, but you never know.
That's good info Chris, now I don't have to search for my 1964 Buick brochure :TU: Not to confuse "dezy1964": The numbers behind the Wildcat name are the (gross) torque ratings for those engines: The Wildcat 310 is the 300 CI engine with a two barrel carburettor. The Wildcat 355 is the 300 CI engine with a four barrel carburettor. The Wildcat 445 is the 401 CI engine with a four barrel carburettor. The Wildcat 465 is the 425 CI engine with a four barrel carburtettor. The Super Wildcat is the 425 CI engine with 2 x four barrel carburettors, also nick-named "Dual Quads".
Thank you all for helping on this. The engine in it now is a 300 CI, 2 barrel. Maybe it was replaced with same it had ... As far as the wildcat emblems on the interior, maybe your right - someone put them on there to spice it up? What about transmission, the one in there now is a two speed automatic - does this seem right for that engine. Also what about the rear end, this car has a three bar link which is associated with a wildcat this isn't normal is it? ---------- Post added at 04:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:00 PM ---------- Sorry Bad Boattail forgot my name it is Harold Desautel from Albany, MN.
Hello Harold Greetings from Sioux Falls. I have a 1963 Le Sabre 4 door hardtop and it came out of the factory with a 401 cubic inch engine and it also has the original wildcat logo on the air cleaner intake pipe which says 410 foot pound torque. This car had a 2 barrel Rochester carb and single pipe exhaust, was supposed to run on low octane gas and the car produced 280 HP. That year there was also a "power pack" option available for this car and it involved fitting a 4 barrel Carter or a Rochester carb and a dual exhaust system. The HP increased to 325 and the Wildcat logo on the air cleaner intake was changed to read Wildcat 445. This is a cheap and quick way to make your car go much better and perhaps you could find these parts to change out your engine? Do you belong to any of the Buick groups in Minnesota? Thanks John
The 1964 chassis service manuals shows the LeSabre/Wildcat/Electra with the same rear suspension setup and that the optional automatic transmission for the LeSabre was the 2-speed ST300 (except wagons could have the ST400).
Thanks John and Sean. John, your right on track with what I want to do. I want to put a bigger engine in my 1964 Lesabre. Changing to a 401 CI sounds straight forward. Do you think a 425 CI is possible with this car? And where would I go to buy the engine and possibly sell my 300 CI? Thanks, Harold - Albany, MN
There are no dimension changes between the 401 and the 425. In fact, unless you know what you are looking for (casting codes) it can be real easy to not know the difference. You are lucky you have a '64 because you don't have to worry about a torque tube. 1964 had the very first TH400 trans but it is also different than any other year. (I have 2 available but you are likely too far away to be economical). A 401 with a TH400 and the correct driveshaft should be a a fairly easy bolt in. The exhaust will have to be changed however they are easily found on ebay for approx $350 for a new dual system. You may need a different rad for 2 reasons 1) outlet locations and 2) extra cooling capacity. You will also need the proper brackets for the P/s and the Alternator. If you could find a wrecked '64 wildcat or Electra with a good driveline it would make it real easy. Good luck.... It will be worth it. Cheers, Larry
I am confused on the transmission. Some online checks I did indicate it could be a ST300 transmission. Sean, how do I verify what transmission I have in my lesabre? The only I thing I know right now is it is a two speed automatic. Harold - Albany, MN ---------- Post added at 04:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:04 PM ---------- Sorry, I mean Larry ... How do I verify the transmission?
Harold is there an electrical switch on the carb linkage? You should have 1 on the linkage elbow closest to the firewall and 1 on the intake connecting to the carb. Or do you have an electrical plug on your transmission on the drivers side. I have seen cars where someone has removed all the outward signs of a super-turbine trans. So look for the plug if no extra linkage is present. Welcome to the group
You likely do have a ST300 trans with that engine but it won't fit a 401/425. There will be a aluminium tag on the right side Just so you know, even though my '64 Electra came with a TH400 it only shows D and L on the gear selector (it is a 3 spd trans) Here are some pics of a ST300
Hello Harold You have been well advised by Larry and the other guys as to what is the best course of action. Tracking down the parts will take time and could be expensive. 401 Nailheads were once very popular engines for dirt track racing and this put a price on them and took out a lot of engines which would otherwise be around. I suggest you start looking around the junkyards in your area, place ads on here and in other publications. It can become expensive as any "old core" engine which you buy will most probably need rebuilding or reconditioning. My 1963 was the last year for the dynaflow transmission, however it did have the open drive shaft. There are lots of parts available to rebuild the transmissions and drive shafts and you will find out what interchanges. Recently I brought parts for the 1963 Le Sabre drive shaft and found that these were the same for Cadillacs of the same vintage and available off the shelf at a spare parts store. The most expensive issues which I have had with restoring my 63 Le Sabre is finding "sheet metal" parts and all of these are from old cars. There are lots of second hand parts people who specialise in just Buicks and I have used; 1. James Kehr, does early to mid 1960's Buicks; jamesjkehr@gmail.com 2. Wheatbelt Auto Antiques, Ken and Sue Reeves; wheatbeltbuick@att.net 3. Buick Bonery; Mike Hogan; buickbonery@hotmail.com 4. The Buick Farm; Frank Lyle; buickranch58@msn.com and the list goes on. You will be suprised what your local parts store still has, which can be used. I recently brought new Raybestos brake parts for my 1963 Le Sabre and my local spare parts store, (Dakota Autoparts) had them in stock, as they fit many other GM vehicles. Take care Regards John
