Anyone here driven a 1985 buick lesabre?? any thoughts?

[83turbomon]

I have someone who maybe wants to trade for my lincoln viiI and i have never driven one. I see alot of them at the junkyard so i assumed finding part for them shouldnt be a problem, but all of the one i see are hoopties. (trust me i should know) they look like big boats that are massivley underpowerd for all the a$$ they gotta haul, but would look nice with a new paint job and some rims.

any thoughts or comments?

 

[86GranNash]

A friend of mine had an 85 Lesabre coupe back in the day...I think it was the collector series or something like that. It rode smooth like a tank and floated down the highway. Plus it had these super-comfy plush seats, too bad they don't make interiors like that anymore. Nice ride but it had the 307 smogger.

 

[counterman]

Great cars in general. They are GM B bodies, and very similar to our G body Regals, just a little larger. LeSabre, Impala, Delta 88, Parisienne, Caddy Brougham are all members of the same group. Any of these would make a great Turbo 6, Buick 455, or LSX home. Plenty of room under the hood, and will accept any motor combo you can think of. At first glance, you would think that they are WAY heavier than a Regal. You'd be surprised to know that a typical v8 G body is 3400-3500 lbs, and a similar B coupe will tip the scales at around 3800 or so. That is about the same weight as an earlier A body like a 68-72 GS, or a brand new Camaro SS, and some 400-600 lbs less than a v8 Challenger. No light weight, but not unmanageble, either. I'd like to see a LeSabre or Electra coupe done up with hot Buick power. Also, the added wheelbase and rear overhang of these cars will allow them to hook in fresh dog crap, without having to resort to extensive suspension mods. I say go for the swap. That Lincoln is a fine car, but way more of a pain to own with all of its electronic dodads and air suspension. Thanks, Rudy.

 

[Dreamn4GN]

There fun to drive threw puddles and run over small tree's , rides great on the dirt and sand!! Dunno bout the asphalt!!

 

[83turbomon]

Great cars in general. They are GM B bodies, and very similar to our G body Regals, just a little larger. LeSabre, Impala, Delta 88, Parisienne, Caddy Brougham are all members of the same group. Any of these would make a great Turbo 6, Buick 455, or LSX home. Plenty of room under the hood, and will accept any motor combo you can think of. At first glance, you would think that they are WAY heavier than a Regal. You'd be surprised to know that a typical v8 G body is 3400-3500 lbs, and a similar B coupe will tip the scales at around 3800 or so. That is about the same weight as an earlier A body like a 68-72 GS, or a brand new Camaro SS, and some 400-600 lbs less than a v8 Challenger. No light weight, but not unmanageble, either. I'd like to see a LeSabre or Electra coupe done up with hot Buick power. Also, the added wheelbase and rear overhang of these cars will allow them to hook in fresh dog crap, without having to resort to extensive suspension mods. I say go for the swap. That Lincoln is a fine car, but way more of a pain to own with all of its electronic dodads and air suspension. Thanks, Rudy.

there was a turbo lesabre sport coupe in the late 70's early 80s. it was a dog at the time though. it had a carb turbo v6 that the sport coupes and turbo centurys had at the time.

 

[forcefed3.8's]

I had an 84 Lesabre as a winter beater in high school. I blew up the 307 and replaced it with a 76 350 Olds with an Edlebrock intake and cam. Painted the intake black and installed all of the 307 stuff. It ran high 14's with the factory 2.56's and a D5 out of my GN, and looked like a stock 307. The 2.56's made the converter sluggish around town though. The car was dark green, grey landau top, green pillow top seats. The GM 77-96 B body cars are the last of the run forever/ low up keep cars. I love the full size GM cars. BIG PIMPIN! I was a B body junkie, 79 Lesabre, 84 Lesabre, 96 Impala SS, 84 Coupe DeVille, 95 Roadmaster.

 

[counterman]

Yeah, there was a cream colored LeSabre Turbo that I knew of around here. One of my classmates used to drive it to school, but that was back in 82 to 84. Nothing had any power in the late 70's to early 80's. The carbed Turbo cars were on par with everything else in their time period. None of the B cars was a real performer, except for the Impala SS. I know of a late 70's Electra 4 door running a ProCharged 455. It runs in the 11's, and is usually at the GS Nats. These cars are cheap, somewhat available still, and do make good platforms for a sleeper street ride. Most of the 307 cars run the THM 200 4r as the factory trans with both sbc and bop bolt patterns, and plenty of them also have the 8.5 inch 10 bolt rear, too. Good components to start with.

 

[83turbomon]

a quick pic

 

[Brad Zeidler]

Yeah the carb turbo wasn't a good idea for the big car and most of them if they survived either yanked the turbo setup off when it quit running right or got a V8 swap. Mine however languished for 11 years with a hole in 1 piston sitting under a tree before I picked it up in 1997. The carb setup is gone but is still the original short block (with a new set of pistons, remachined rods) and the other parts necessary to put the EFI setup on it. I've been trying to sell it or trade for a paint job on my Shelby Charger(if you live close enough). The original Firestone raised white letter 721 radial spare is still unused. It rides very nice and has a few other upgrades. Factory Sport Coupe has quick ratio steering, HD brakes(upgraded with cross drilled/slotted/zinc washed rotors). 200-4R od auto, 373 posi. FYI, the 8.5 10 bolt in this car also has non c clip style axles. Check out my am/fm/cass/CB radio.

 

[chopped39]

a quick pic

Thats a nice road car. I used to have one for a company car. It had a v6 in it I loved that car.