drhach

I'm kind of new to this stuff. Did Buick ever have more than one cam choice for this era? It seems that carburetion and compression ratio were the changes.

What's next?

I know, that's the difference. I looked for this kind of stuff on other forums and it was all based on opinion. Here it seems, people say, "I did this and here's what happened", versus "I had a friend who knew a guy who....."

Great discussion, thanks for the feedback. It sounds like the dual quad is at best a marginal improvement with the addition of a lot of labor to get it right. That coupled with the redheaded step child that the guy was selling, I passed on the sale. I think I'll pursue a 4 barrel for when the time comes to rebuild the engine. I appreciate all of the "real world" testimony. So often, you hear second or third hand opinions based on no experience. Regards, Dan

Thanks Carbking. There really is no "correct" appearance for a 1962 Dual Quad since they didn't exist from the factory. My main issue is up front cost compared to the follow on cost of getting it all to work properly. "Form follows function" and my primary concern is everything working properly. Time of course is another factor that extends greatly as you deviate from OEM. What I am gathering is that I probably wouldn't want to use either of these carbs. So, right there, I would be on the hook for two more. Additionally, there is the issue of kickdown for a dynaflow (which also didn't exist in 1962 for this setup). I suspect that his setup is not worth $2,500 and that probably another $1,000 (at least) would have to go in to it. Of course that still leaves the issue of the kickdown linkage. I think I just talked myself out if it.

Thanks again. Yes, the ultimate plan is to up the compression, port the heads, etc. I'm not looking for a maniac engine. Just something well built and fun. The engine has 136K on it now. It actually runs very well. But I know it's day is coming. So, I wanted to be a little preemptive and start gathering some of the longer lead time items. I'm not dead set on a dual setup. I know there are some perfectly good 4 barrel setups for a lot less time and money.

Thanks Rivnut. I'm starting to collect parts for the eventual rebuild of my 1962 401 Lesabre (I know, not a Riviera). The engine has a 2 barrel at the moment and I was thinking about some mild performance stuff. That was why "correct" didn't matter. I would also be hooking it up to my 62 Dynaflow. The guy is asking ~2,500 for the manifold, carbs and air cleaner. I'm gathering that I might spend close to that again to get it functional.

A couple of pictures

Hi guys, I have a line on a dual quad intake with mismatched (but present) carbs and the correct air cleaner. I'm curious what the going rate may be for these. I have no doubt that the carbs need to be gone through. He believes the rear carb is 62-63 and front one 67. He also has the linkage assembly. I've seen a couple on ebay. There's a bare manifold for $750, a manifold with carbs for $1,850, a refurbished unit with no air cleaner for $3,600. None of them are flying off the shelves. I'm not worried about "correctness", so that carbs aren't an issue for me. Any input would be appreciated. Regards, Dan

That's odd, it sold and he relisted it? Maybe the bidder wasn't serious. Or he was the high bidder :).

The second one should be a lot easier 😄

Greetings from Northern Illinois. Not much I can add other than to welcome you. That's a neat looking car.

There actually are two companies selling speedo cable drivers. Both of them are well over $300. I'm thinking I can make my own for much less than that. I just bought an Arduino controller board for $12, I need to get a DC motor and figure out some way to mount a sensor for a square wave output. I may have bought the wrong size gear. I checked my speed against a GPS and it was pretty good. The repair manual actually has a table telling you what size gear to use based on rear end ratio. I talked to the guy I bought the gear from (bestoffercounts). He suggested a few checks I could do. Mainly validating that the core spins freely and the bushing on the back of the speedo isn't sticking. So that and a bore scope are my next steps.

That's a great suggestion. I think harbor freight sells a pretty cheap model. I'm certainly driving it anyway. I just want to get all systems operational. I'm cheap enough and enough of a nerd that I'm looking in to making a speed sensor that would run the speedo cable.

Here are pictures. Obviously after the gear was destroyed. I believe it is the driven gear. Yes, it looked like the ones above. I would imagine the only way to get to the drive gear is to disassemble the transmission. I'm going to try to stick my finger in there and see if I can feel anything on the internal gear. Before I installed this, I turned the speedometer cable with a cordless drill. There was no noise and the needle moved smoothly for the 13 miles that the speedometer worked.

I'm wondering if anyone could provide some insight in to this. I got this 1962 Lesabre about 1-1/2 years ago. The speedometer didn't work. It wasn't high on the priority list so I didn't really bother with it until this Summer. There was no drive gear in the transmission. I ordered one and installed it. The speedometer worked perfectly for 13.2 miles and then quit. I pulled the gear to check it out and the teethe are almost completely gone. I'm sure not going to order another $100 gear until I can sort this out. The speedometer moved smoothly and I couldn't feely any resistance in the cable. I Also recently had the trans pan cleaned out. he said he didn't find any debris in there. Anyone?

Make sure to post back if you find a solution.

That doesn't mean they won't work or even be identical. Visual inspection is the best way to tell. Part numbers can change based on visual changes with no change to fit form or function. Also, Buick and Chevrolet were different divisions, I would expect different part numbers. Part numbers are usually only one variable in the equation and aren't always the deciding factor on fitment.

You may want to cross them with Chevy units. There's a bit of Impala stuff that is very similar if not identical.

It looks like for $550 you could get two front brake drums and a boat load of other parts. I wish it was closer I'd buy it and deal with the wrath of my wife later.

I've seen a few listing lately where people are calling these "Cascada". Shouldn't it be "Lesabre" or "Invicta".

Yes, that is the answer. I was able to find a Buick "Facts Book" for a (relatively) low price. The 9.0:1 2BBl 401 was optional. The published torque for that model was 375 ft-lbs. This is further borne out by the "2LI" stamped on the engine block (2 barrel, low compression). I'm not sure about export, but the manual specifies that the "L" represents a low compression model and the facts book substantiates that this was an option for people wanting "improved economy".

Thanks for your response. All casting numbers indicate 401. The width of the intake bolts is 9" (401). The VIN on the engine matches the VIN on the body. The engine code indicates 401 2 Barrel. So, it's the original engine. However, the air cleaner says "375", which I understand to be the torque. The 401 2 barrel was 385, right? I looked up that value (375) and it corresponds to the 1961 "364" engine. The car has been in my family since it was new. However, all of the previous owners are deceased. I can't ask if anyone has installed a different air cleaner. I doubt very much that they did. I know mistakes like that aren't uncommon in the automotive industry. The hard part is that I've been assuming all this time that I had a 364. Thankfully I haven't bought the 4 barrel manifold that I've been looking for.

That's it. The intake bolts are 9" apart and the block casting coincides to 401. I'm not sure how that air cleaner got on there. My brother had it appraised many years ago and the appraisal also said "364". My uncle bought the car new, I figured that maybe he cheaped out and selected a 364 versus 401. It seems not. I inherited this car from my brother last year and I'm stillteying to figure out everything he did or didnt do to it.

Does anyone have any idea why a 1962 Lesabre would have a 364 rather than a 401? I understood that in 1962, the 401 was standard. Yet my car has a 364; at least according to the aircleaner decal.