Not a Centurion, but the next best thing

[72tunaboat]

Hi all, Adam suggested that i post a little bit of info on my Lesabre. I have owned it for about a year. I got it from the original owner and it has about 135,00 miles. It is in need of a few things, but is a decent driver.
Gold w/ white interior
power windows
tilt
350/4 barrel
dealer installed a/c
remore trunk realease

It has an unusual option .. fender mounted light monitors. i dont know if this is rare or not. Maybe someone here can shed some light on that subject. I think it has some sort of appearance group trim option also.
It is original with the exception of the 18" wheels and tires and a slight lowering of the suspension.
I was looking for a big convertible before i bought this. I was pretty set on buying a mid 60s cadillac, but when i spotted this, i was really attracted to the styling.. much smoother and sleeker than the caddy.
Anyhow, thanks for letting me into your forum here.

Roger

[Centurion]

Roger, thanks for sharing your story and photos. Not only is your LeSabre sleeker and better-looking than the Cadillacs -- it is also, quite frankly, a superior car. (Most Cadillac fans would not agree with my statement!;)

I saw a very similar car about seven years ago in Mountlake Terrace. Could this be the same car?

Roger, we need to get you out to the Puyallup All Buick Open on June 9 and the Buick Club of America National Meet in Bellevue on July 25 - 28. I'll have my Centurion at both events. This is the first time the Buick Nationals have been in the Pacific Northwest, and you will not want to miss it!

E-mail me at brianL@americanconstco.com, and I'll send you the details!

[Robroy]

I agree with Brian, your car is far better looking than any Cadillac.
It looks great!:xyxthumbs:
Enjoy

[centurion 455 ragtop]

Ditto! Nice ride!!

[72tunaboat]

I just bought a 72 lesabre custom coupe off of craigslist for a reasonable sum, to use as a parts rig for my convertible. it wasnt much to look at but had some key parts that i need. after giving it a bath and swapping out the steel wheels w/ hubcaps for the original ralley wheels that came from my gold car, it came out looking better than expected. it has some body damage on the hood and on the right side from sideswiping a garage door, but it is salvageable. Anyhow, here are some before and after pics.

[72tunaboat]

I am having second thoughts on parting this out. it is a solid car with supposedly 75,000 original miles. After driving it, using all of the controls and window cranks and doors... i would believe this to be true. It only needs some body and paint work, and a little repair to the front cloth seat, as well as an "Adam spec" detail, to make this a real good driver

[MichelHaak]

I'm searching for those ralley wheels... If you will part that beauty out, I want them! :D

[Boscoe]

You've got a couple of pretty cars there, Roger. I think you ought to fix them both up. If you do part out the coupe, and it has a tilt steering column, I'd be interested in that. If, by any chance, it has an original AM/FM radio or the right hand side view mirror on the passenger's door, I'd be interested in those, too. Thanks, and welcome to the site.

By the way, how far do you live from the Sammamish/Issaquah area? I have relatives around there, including a cousin who is into old Mustangs. He has at least one rare one, a 428CJ coupe, not fastback, if memory serves.

[72tunaboat]

I havent decided on whether to part it or not yet, but i have driven it some in the last couple of days. It is a solid car and drives very well. i almost hate the thought of taking parts from it, as it might make an easy restoration project for someone. i dont really want to dump any money into it myself. I may just fix some of the small issues (exhaust leak, burned out marker lights and trunk light, etc) and do a light detail on it and then resale it.

[dewbers]

Nice looking Convertible Roger! Almost can't tell the difference between your LeSabre and our Centurions! Really nice....... :xyxthumbs:

Your "parts" car has a bunch of potential! If you do part it, there are plenty of guys on here looking for parts, but I am with you...... not sure that ride deserves to be parted out. Someone may want to take their time and put her back in shape.......

Good luck,
Steve

[Boscoe]

It does look too nice to part out, even though I'm sitting here, vulture-like, hoping to snag some parts off of it if you do.

[72tunaboat]

Boscoe,
I live about 30 minutes north of Issaqua in a small town called Clearview. The mustang you mentioned is a very rare beast, especially being a coupe instead of a fastback. what year? 1969 or 1970 i would guess?

[Boscoe]

Boscoe,
I live about 30 minutes north of Issaqua in a small town called Clearview. The mustang you mentioned is a very rare beast, especially being a coupe instead of a fastback. what year? 1969 or 1970 i would guess?

It's a 1968. Here's a link to a story about it.
http://www.mustangmonthly.com/featuredvehicles/1968_ford_cobra_jet_mustang_hartop_review/

[72tunaboat]

Awesome story, Boscoe! I have seen pics of 69 and 70 CJ coupes, but never heard of a 68. THat is definitely a high dollar car. Thanks for sharing that story.

[Boscoe]

He's had it for a good while, like ten years or more, so I'd guess it's been a great investment as well as a lot of fun. Before he bought this car he restored a `67 or `68 convertible.

[72tunaboat]

I have decided to use the 72 coupe as a donor car but will replace the parts i take off with the parts i remove from the convertible, so to keep it as a driver for now. It does drive better than the convertible... for several reasons. It being a hardtop, is much quieter inside. It has fewer miles and doesnt have the 'looseness that i feel in the gold car. The suspension is stock, compared to 2 1/2" lower on the convertible, so it has a much smoother ride over 'less than perfect' roadways.
For now, I'm just going to take some of the stainless trim and rear bumper for the Convertible. I'll keep the vultures here posted if i decide to scrap it.

[EEE]

How did you lower the gold car?

[72tunaboat]

Kimson
When i decided to lower it, i did some searching on the interenet for shorter springs, but i had no luck finding anything for the 71-76 b-body chassis, so I pulled the front springs out and used an air tool with a cutoff wheel to take one and a quarter coils out of each spring. The rear springs taper in at the ends, so i couldnt cut them. I just but some cheap spring compressors and bolted them on the rear springs. I know this isnt the right way to lower a car, but it was my only option, other that airbags, which is more money than i want to spend and not really what i want.
I hadnt planned on lowering the car, but when i put those 18" wheels on it it didnt look right at all. so now, it sits about 2 1/2" lower in front and 2" in the back. It looks much better now, but i did sacrifice some in the ride department. However, it does go thru corners pretty good now.
I recently found a company online that sells springs for 71-85 Impalas that are 2" shorter. I'm assuming that these would fit our cars, but you might want to check with the manufacturer first. i will probably be buying them soon , if they do fit. I hope this answers your question.