Buick



	^^^^^^^^^^^^^ MY FTP!

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I bought this 1980 Buick LeSabre ‘Limited’ on a whim after travelling to London to visit someone who didn’t appear. I got it for a ridiculous price considering the real estate it covers, and at the time I worked out that even if it turned out to be a no-go, I would very likely sell it for much more than I bought it for. It has a 350cu (5.7l) Buick built V8 engine, with three speed automatic gearbox, cruise control, air conditioning and such a comfortable ride I could drive hundreds of miles without break without any physical problems. It has 160hp but has very interesting torque that counteracts the weight. It can still shift very quickly, with ease and comfort. I have got as high as 25 UK MPG on the motorway (at 55mph), but as low as 11 MPG in average town driving.




		Parked by the seaside!

The insurance was very cheap initially at less than £400 with no no claims discount loaded on it. The cars costs £240 to tax and in four more years it should be tax free (as it will be 40 years old by then).

It had original tyres on it, one of which blew out on the motorway on the journey back, and various other problems that would go hand in hand with a car that has basically been in storage since 1990. The spare wheel was good however (it is a space-saver as standard).

Foremost: The car was not charging the battery!! I still find it amazing to this day that I managed the journey home without issue. It wasn’t until after I got home and drove it to a supermarket that it refused to start after parking. I would later take apart the distributor and replace the voltage regulator which had completely rusty contacts.

One day after much congested traffic coming back from work it was overheating. The coolant was gone, most likely boiled away. It was apparent that the viscous fan was not working and not clutching on the shaft when up to temperature. The water pump and clutch fan was replaced.

The original radio doesn’t work! The cassette capability did, but I later installed a cheap AM/FM, CD radio in parallel with the original stereo. Now I have the ability to play Cassettes, CD’s, USB, AM/FM or anything through Line-In!

Tyres were all replaced with cheap brand new type. Unfortunately they are winter tyres and are actually very grippy. Unfortunately it’s not easy to do wheel spins on this car now! I installed the tyres myself.

The off idle stutter and ‘miss’ was caused by some vacuum lines being perished. The engine now runs very smoothly. Of course the whole machine has had total service including the 8x spark plugs, engine oil and filter, transmission oil and filter, power steering fluid, new belts etc. A new rear bumper filler was purchased and imported and paint matched with the rest of the car. This is a typical problem of this era of American GM motoring where the plastic/rubber gets old and perishes and then disappears entirely in little bits on the road! Bonnet and boot rams were also required as they didn’t stay up on their own. Modifications include the second radio, and all headlamp illumination when low beam is on.


	There is only one thing missing on the car which is a little piece of door trim on the passenger (right hand side) rear door which I cannot find anywhere! If I had this piece it would be aesthetically complete.


	Replacing the tyres with irons and the ‘icelandinc’ method of tyre installation

One last point I must stress which probably is evident. This car gets a lot of attention where ever I go. I constantly hear conversation of pedestrians whilst driving by, and have even had notes on my car asking for rides. Part of this is fun, but unlike most this vehicle is just ‘another car’ in my eyes. I understand it is special but I use it to commute to work and generally get most enjoyment through being comfortable in my seat not through the reactions of others.


		Website online since: 18/04/2015