Vehicle Sighting - mid-'80s Buick Le Sabre

[drtyler]

My 16 y/o saw a 1980s Delta 88, pivoted his head, and said "whoa, what is that?"

The rear wheel drive Delta 88's were some of the finest riding cars ever made by General Motors, complete with lush mouse fur upholstery and a terribly underpowered V8.

The later front wheel drive cars, like the LeSabre above, were just not as good.

Amazing how many were on the road not that long ago, and how few you see now.

 

[walterjay]

My FIL had one of those LaSabres. Was a POS.

 

[eljefino]

The later front wheel drive cars, like the LeSabre above, were just not as good.

Amazing how many were on the road not that long ago, and how few you see now.

They were a wonderful car to "use up"... give it to your kid who's off to college where it will be treated indifferently (yet perform admirably) then traded in for their first "real" car.

There aren't many middle class "ow my back" aged people who want to clatter around in a 20-30 year old slightly luxury vehicle when they can do better.

The Avalon fills this role now.

 

[RAR]

I had a 1990 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Brougham back in 1996. Gold color, and durable as h#ll. Boring old box that just worked.

My (late) older brother was commuting with me one hot August and was looking at the car computer info… told me we were overheating. Really?

Nope. It was at 227*F when stopped but cooled back down to 199*F when we got moving again. I told him newer cars than his 1978 Ford LTD II were designed to operate at those temperatures. He thought it was too hot.

I wanted a new sporty car so I listed it on Autotrader. An insurance company rep contacted me and said their customer would come look at it. Rep told me their company searches for replacement cars when an insured’s car is totaled. New to me, and I’ve not heard that since.

Guy bought it immediately after test driving. I had $300 extra after payoff.

 

[Number_35]

The rear wheel drive Delta 88's were some of the finest riding cars ever made by General Motors, complete with lush mouse fur upholstery and a terribly underpowered V8.

The later front wheel drive cars, like the LeSabre above, were just not as good.

Amazing how many were on the road not that long ago, and how few you see now.

GM's B-body was very good. When the '77 Chevys came out, they looked so trim and nimble compared to the '71 - '76 A-body cars.

A few decades later, people who don't remember the A-body see a downsized B-body and call it a whale or a boat.

What engine did the 88 of that era use? Was GM already installing the 305 in non-Chevys?

 

[MSCH]

GM's B-body was very good. When the '77 Chevys came out, they looked so trim and nimble compared to the '71 - '76 A-body cars.

A few decades later, people who don't remember the A-body see a downsized B-body and call it a whale or a boat.

What engine did the 88 of that era use? Was GM already installing the 305 in non-Chevys?

thats a good question when exactly GM started putting the SBC in all models.. but it's somewhere in the late 70's and varies by car label and model..
I had a 73 Delta 88, which still had the Rocket V8.
also had a 74 Pontiac GrandVille, which had the 455 Poncho engine in it..
so its somewhere later than that.

if my Dad was still alive, I could ask him as he worked at Chevy V8 in Flint until it closed in 2000 or thereabouts.
and the plant went from being under Chevrolet Motor Division control
to something Corporate designation.. it might have been BOCP or something aka Buick Olds Chevy Pontiac..

 

[Number_35]

thats a good question when exactly GM started putting the SBC in all models.. but it's somewhere in the late 70's and varies by car label and model..
I had a 73 Delta 88, which still had the Rocket V8.
also had a 74 Pontiac GrandVille, which had the 455 Poncho engine in it..
so its somewhere later than that.

if my Dad was still alive, I could ask him as he worked at Chevy V8 in Flint until it closed in 2000 or thereabouts.
and the plant went from being under Chevrolet Motor Division control
to something Corporate designation.. it might have been BOCP or something aka Buick Olds Chevy Pontiac..

I remember there being a big story on the national news about GM using SBC engines in Oldsmobiles. This one lady said she'd bought her Olds with the expectation of getting a car with a Rocket V8, and was not happy to discover it had a pedestrian Chevy 350. This around 1979.

As a big fan of the SBC at the time, I thought it was much ado about nothing.

 

[wag123]

thats a good question when exactly GM started putting the SBC in all models.. but it's somewhere in the late 70's and varies by car label and model..
I had a 73 Delta 88, which still had the Rocket V8.
also had a 74 Pontiac GrandVille, which had the 455 Poncho engine in it..
so its somewhere later than that.

if my Dad was still alive, I could ask him as he worked at Chevy V8 in Flint until it closed in 2000 or thereabouts.
and the plant went from being under Chevrolet Motor Division control
to something Corporate designation.. it might have been BOCP or something aka Buick Olds Chevy Pontiac..

The Oldsmobile 307 "Rocket" V/8 was was being used by all of the GM divisions in the full-size RWD cars and wagons in the 80s and was retired after 1990.

 

[dishdude]

The Oldsmobile 307 "Rocket" V/8 was was being used by all of the GM divisions in the full-size RWD cars and wagons in the 80s and was retired after 1990.

Still carb'd for the 1990 model year too. I think it was the last carb'd American car too. I think the last carb'd car sold here was the Tercel in 1992.

 

[RAR]

I remember there being a big story on the national news about GM using SBC engines in Oldsmobiles. This one lady said she'd bought her Olds with the expectation of getting a car with a Rocket V8, and was not happy to discover it had a pedestrian Chevy 350. This around 1979.

As a big fan of the SBC at the time, I thought it was much ado about nothing.

I remember that whole controversy too…

It was made out like a big scandal back then.

Routine stuff now.

 

[Delta]

Reminds me of my first car, an '87 Delta 88

 

[Kira]

how about one that says "Intermittent Wipers"?

Ha-ha.

 

[wag123]

Still carb'd for the 1990 model year too. I think it was the last carb'd American car too. I think the last carb'd car sold here was the Tercel in 1992.

The Olds 307 V/8 was the only V/8 engine in the GM stable that would meet emission standards with a carburetor (by virtue of the fact that it had very low valve angle heads).

 

[ChrisMU]

Was that the 90° 3.8 (a 305 with two cylinders lopped off)? I had no idea they had ever destroked that engine. Interesting!

Or was the 3.0 based on the 3800 (which I think was a 60° V6)?

Interesting about the Cavalier - I've thought of the variable-venturi carbs (with feedback from an O2 sensor) as being pretty similar to TBI. Would the difference be no MAF?

Also I guess the carbs would still run off an old-style low-pressure mechanical fuel pump.

The 3.0 available in cars like the fwd Buick Century/LeSabre was based on the 3.8L (231 cid) Buick V6. Despite the good reputation of the 3.8, the 3.0 didn’t have the same good reputation. The 3.0 engine was dropped from the fwd LeSabre at some point early on. There were a few improvements made before the 3.8 got the 3800 (series one) name for the 1988 model year. Some fwd A-bodies (Celebrity/Century, etc.), Electra, and baby Cadillacs of 1985 had a 4.3L Olds V6 diesel, based off the Olds 350 diesel. There was a Chevy V6 based off the 305. It was 229 cid. A family friend had an ‘81 Malibu wagon with that engine, and I remember checking out a Caprice for a family friend with that same 229. Oddly, I think California-bound Chevrolets got the 231 Buick instead of the Chevy 229 due to emissions.

 

[PF52]

There was a Chevy V6 based off the 305. It was 229 cid. A family friend had an ‘81 Malibu wagon with that engine, and I remember checking out a Caprice for a family friend with that same 229. Oddly, I think California-bound Chevrolets got the 231 Buick instead of the Chevy 229 due to emissions.

And the 229 eventually grew into the 4.3 Chevy V6 if I understand correctly, right? Or was the 4.3 derived from something else? It's been about forever since I've seen one of the early ones.

I remember my dad having a '79 Malibu company car which I think had a V6..... I got to drive it a couple times but only for practice. No license yet!

 

[JohnnyG]

Did that to every Chevy Cruze I owned with the 1.4T. Don't know why Chevy didn't put that emblem on from the factory.

View attachment 179693

I need one of these! my only question is which side?

 

[wag123]

And the 229 eventually grew into the 4.3 Chevy V6 if I understand correctly, right? Or was the 4.3 derived from something else? It's been about forever since I've seen one of the early ones.

I remember my dad having a '79 Malibu company car which I think had a V6..... I got to drive it a couple times but only for practice. No license yet!

The Chevy 4.3L V/6 was derived from the SBC 5.7L V/8 (two cylinders lopped off).

 

[PF52]

The Chevy 4.3L V/6 was derived from the SBC 5.7L V/8 (two cylinders lopped off).

Isn't the same true of the 229 (other than the different displacement)?

 

[ChrisMU]

Isn't the same true of the 229 (other than the different displacement)?

Yes, I believe the 229 was the 305 minus two cylinders as the 4.3 was a Chevy 350 minus two cylinders.

 

[Number_35]

And the 229 eventually grew into the 4.3 Chevy V6 if I understand correctly, right? Or was the 4.3 derived from something else? It's been about forever since I've seen one of the early ones.

The 3.8/229 was a SBC 5.0/305 with two cylinders lopped off - same bore (3.736") and stroke (3.48").

The 4.3/262 was a SBC 5.7/350, also with two cylinders cut off, with the same bore (4.00") and stroke (3.48").

The 305 was an underbored 350. I think the 350 debuted for 1969, and the 305 for 1976.

I remember hearing of colonade-style Oldses and/or Buicks around 1976, so I think the SBC-based 3.8 came before the 4.3. (I first remember the 4.3 from Astro vans c. 1983 or '84.)