'81 Buick Lesabre

[MC Sics]

I present to GBF, before and after.

Here is what I believe to be my 1981 B-Body Buick Lesabre.
I bought this in Dec. 2010 and the lowest 2 photos were taken today.

I'm not finished. I have engine work photos. I will publish them later in this thread after I get some sleep. I've done 90% of the mechanical work myself For the things way out of my league I thank that last 10% of mechanical work to my family, friends and The Tire Factory in Coolidge, AZ. As for the paint job thanks to the guys down in La Palma, AZ south of Coolidge. EZ Cruzer Autobody + Paint thank you.

If I haven't made a complete fool of myself yet, I thank G-Body forum for not banning my account after you knew that my car was a B-Body before I did.

So basically thanks all. :shock:

 

[MeanBuicks]

Good job. That's a fairly uncommon car these days. I can't say the last time I've seen one. We'll consider it an overgrown G-body.

 

[MARS2878]

looks good.
more pics please.
sometimes I miss my 1st car, a 77 electra sedan.
i'd buy another though.
keep up the good work.

 

[MC Sics]

Here are some photos from my introductory topic as well as some other randoms I found.

I am the third owner. A little history.
1st. Owner bought as base model equipped with:
3.8 V6
THM350C 3 Speed Auto w/TC Lockup.
No power features.
Front Bench Seat.

2nd. Owner got to see the poor Buick V6 clock itself out on the freeway (Long story)
Replaced the 3.8 V6 with a VIN Y 1984 Olds 307 V8.

The rest of the car was on it's way out of life mode when I got a hold of it.
So I did what I do best.

I've nearly done everything to that car short of lifting the body off the frame and swapping the rear axle. This includes but is not limited to:

Tore the entire front end of motor apart, replaced the (I'm assuming) original nylon coated timing gears and the chain with brand new metal ones.
Replaced fuel pump.
Replaced water pump
Replaced PS-Pump, reservoir and fluid lines.
Replaced alternator.

Deleted A.I.R. Pump system.
Got rid of ECM
Replaced CCC Q-Jet with older non-electronic Q-Jet model
Replaced CCC spark advance HEI-Distributor with older style ported vacuum controlled HEI Dist.
Basically "remapped" the engine's former CCC electronic emissions controls with a vacuum layout with improvisation.
For some reason I feel as if it is a futile attempt but I have this Mad Max survivalist mentality when it comes to the mechanical aspect of my car because the idea behind everything is, I wanted my drivetrain to be as electronic free as possible.

Replaced the perfectly fine THM-350C with a THM-200-4R that only needs a single wire for the TCC.
Gutted the old run down red interior and removed EVERY LAST WIRE that ran up and down that car from bumper to bumper.
Redid climate control from scratch by replacing ductwork, vacuum solenoids, control panel, vacuum lines, evaporator, condenser, accumulator, heater core and compressor (got a faulty one and I'm gonna replace it with a new one that I already have sometime soon :|

Refurbished brass multi-core radiator, have a thermostat collection for different climates I go to, new overflow new coolant lines.

Installed royal blue velour interior and installed every power option I could find and made some of my own. New audio system, new steering wheel column, new dash gauges, new wires and harness, basically an almost new dash (taken from a donor car)

Cut out floorboard sections that had rusted pretty bad and welded in "new" ones that myself and a neighbor pounded into shape out of sheet metal. (Still work in progress because I want to reinforce them.)

Made a new exhaust system, got rid of the stock (I think) 1-1/3" single pipe and went to a 2.5" from the exh. head to the converter, 2.5" back to the muffler, splitting into a dual 2" system.

I changed the original back light/panel design from the stock '81 design to an '85 design. I just like the way it looks more.
Replaced the hood, bumpers and what was left of the bumper fillers.
Tinted the windows.
Got some 16" true 100 spoke rims.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I know I've done more.
I bought the car for 900$ and must have dumped thousands more into it.

I need to hunt down all the work in progress photos but I'll post them as I find them. I might make a quick youtube video to compare now to a vid I took a few days after I got the car.

If you've read this all then I appreciate. And if you appreciate then I appreciate even more.

sometimes I miss my 1st car, a 77 electra sedan.

-MARS2878


So many people tell me I should sell my car now and get my money back + more. Sadly I don't think anyone is willing to buy it for that price and at that I tell them how I always hear stories or comments like yours and makes me think how much I would probably regret 30 years down the road. Hopefully I don't get in a wreck!

We'll consider it an overgrown G-body.

-MeanBuicks

Overgrown G-Body. I like that. Feeds my already big ego.

 

[MC Sics]

Ugh... how can I forgot. The accelerated human aging process of replacing all the ball joints and control arm bushings on the front end. Replaced all shock absorbers. Replaced the braking drum shoes, springs, wheel cylinders, replaced the front rotor pads and had the rotors and drums turned.

It's ALMOST like a new car.
I still want to replace the tie rod ends and some other steering components.

 

[King_V]

Would definitely love to see the work-in-progress pics when you can find them!

 

[MC Sics]

For what it's worth here is one. This is looking at the backside of the Olds 307 from inside the passenger compartment. This was when I tore out the climate control box with the ducts and all the goodies that go with it.

 

[MC Sics]

 

[MC Sics]

Yes, I know the clock's panel has seen better days. I'm going to finish the job and give it a unique paint job and put something personal. However, I'm planning on leaving that clock in there for the LONG term. (See if it can stand "The Test of Time"!)

 

[pencero]

That's about the shade of paint I'd like to get on my olds, perhaps just a few shades lighter. It's time to ditch the liability policy and get some real insurance so you don't have to worry about 'getting into a wreck' and losing everything!