my name ist Alex and unfortunately my english is not the best. Sorry for that.
I'm dreaming of un US-car since more then ten years and last week I did it. I know it's a little bit "weak-minded", but i had do by it. A lot of work, some parts missing, bad interior, rust… Think I was a bit "blinded for love". So what!
But: The car looks great!
In the moment I am trying to get to know the car a little bit. How does everything work, what is missing. Find out which engine, 401 cui? How to get the admission for germany. And so on.
all variants of the Le Sabre should have had a 401ci in 1963.
we don't have a Chassis Manual for 63, but we do have them for 1960 and 66. you should be able to figure out pretty much everything about your engine between the two books.
unfortunately, there is a body style generation in between these two books ( 1961-64 ) so the rest of either of these books will be of minimal utility.
thanks for the links to the books, I will "study" them soon.
Concerning the engine I was just puzzled because on the airfilter housing is written wildcat 445. I've learnt in the meantime this ist not cui but the torque in ftlbs. So far so good, but I thought (maybe hoped) the wildcat engine differs from the normal engine. Maybe stronger, more cubic capacity. Don't know.
Engine number is 1849046 and in some distance a 5. I've heard there should be somewhere an engine code like JT or JR. Where can I find this code?
Number on cylinder head: B11 969 14 J
Alex, The 1963 4 barrel carburetor 401 (JT) was advertised at 325 hp. The 1963 2 barrel carburetor 401 (JR) was advertised as 280 hp. It will have more grunt than you think.
The engine code should be on the right hand side (passenger) of the front valley cover rail.
that looks like a casting number of some part, whether the block or intake or something. you usually have to pull the valve cover off to find the head casting numbers.
this is another casting number. ignore the letter at each end and you'll find this casting number in the list, fourth from the bottom of the "Head Cast #" numbers.
the ID numbers that you are looking for are all stamped and typically stamped on the Block on the production line.
Ok, then it seems that I have a 401 cui nailhead engine. Horsepower depends on the carburetor (2bbl: 280hp, 4bbl: 325hp). I will check which one I have. Does that mean I can get 45hp more, only by changing the carburetor?
Concerning the engine number I made a mistake. It’s not 1849046 but 1349046. Sorry for that. Now I can also find the number in your list (8th from the bottom).
Slowly things are getting more clear
The inscription “wildcat” on the airfilter-housing has no meaning?
Alex, for 1963, Buick called the engines in the full-size cars (all nailhead V8s) Wildcats. Attached are the pages from the '63 sales brochure explaining the name.
How can I remove the "glas" from the tail lights? I want to replace a bulb, but cannot find any screw! I hope that I don't have to remove the whole lamp. This would be a nightmare.
Is the glass panel only clamped? Can I remove it carefully with a screwdriver?
According to the shop manual, the rear lamp socket is removed from inside the car to replace the bulb. Hopefully this will be easy to see on the right side by removing the spare tire cover.
Attached is a page from the '64 shop manual showing rear wiring on an Estate Wagon (same tail light as on '63). Also attached is an exploded view of the '64 tail light assembly. The lens shows to be attached by three screws. These screws may not be visible when the housing is mounted in the bezel.
Last edited by TODD; 02-03-2019 at 01:21 AM.
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