Who's got a 71 LeSabre??

[Smartin]

It seems to me that the 71 LeSabre is quite a rare find now days...I know the car isn't a popular one with the masses, but why have most of them disappeared? What was the production for this year?

I am having so much trouble finding parts for my car. If anyone has any specific leads or knows of any 71's for sale, send them my way!

Thanks

Adam

smrtin17@aol.com

[rocketraider]

Why don't you see them?

1) rust and quality problems- they didn't last

2) gas mileage- abysmal in the days of high-dollar fuel

3) scrap weight- crushers love 'em

4) demolition derbys- they have tough drivetrains and are heavy

Total 1971 LeSabre & Custom/Custom 455 production from Standard Catalog of American Cars-

Four door sedans: 26348 LeSabre, 26970 Custom

Four door hardtop: 41098 Le Sabre, 41098 (?) Custom

Two door hardtop: 13385 LeSabre, 29944 Custom

Convertible: 1856 all Custom

Early 70s GM big car popularity waxes and wanes almost like the moon. Some years they're hot, other years you can't give one away. Even the convertibles aren't immune from that cycle, though Caprices seem to hold their value a little better than the BOP offerings. Eldorados are a different market entirely, and there sure seem to be a lot of them for sale. Sometimes I think every Bicentennial Eldorado built is on the market at the same time...

Years ago when I was in high school working in a country store, a local bought an early 70s LeSabre, few years old and good looking dark green car. He put gas in it and then came in to pay for it. When he went out his just-licensed daughter wanted to drive the "new" Buick. He let her and the first thing she did was go hauling ass backwards right into the "Gulf" sign and crunched the trunk and bumper. It still had the temporary tags on it... I heard later the girl's backside was hurting about as bad as the Buick's!

[Smartin]

Thanks rocketraider...It's a shame these cars didn't hold up as well as they might have. I've noticed a lot of could be/current problems with my car that I know must have killed off quite a few of the others...

Such as The Rear Window leaking and rusting out the trunk floor

This also makes for a pool in the rear wheel wells in the trunk rusting out the quarters from the inside out.

When I was doing the body work on my car, I filled the window gutter with silicone so water couldn't get back into it. I had a lot of problems with water getting into the trunk and it ended up rusting the quarters and part of the trunk out..dammit.

I need a GS...anyone have one for sale? Preferrably not in horrible shape

Adam

smrtin17@aol.com

[Guest Skyking]

Adam, it's funny you mentioned the leaks with your Buick. I don't think I've ever owned a GM car that didn't leak. I've owned Fords & Chryslers that never leaked. My daily driver now is a 87 ElCamino and sure enough, it leaks.

[Smartin]

From what I hear it's a common thing especially in the particular body styles where the rear window had a channel that held water. Hence, rusting through to the trunk, etc. I see that as a major flaw in those styles. On some of those chrome pieces surrounding the windows, they would put little plastic sleeve diverters under the chrome (maybe to channel the water out when it hit the window?)...

Maybe we should install drain holes and hoses to divert the water under the car instead of letting water sit in the channels!

Adam

[Guest Shaffer]

Right about the windows. My old 1972 Electra was garage-kept for many, many years. The car was 100% rust free, except some rust bubbles had started around the rear window. When the owner got it out of the garage- sprayed the dust, the inside of the trunk was soaking wet. Needless to say, I soon thereafter took the car to a auto glass shop, had the rear glass removed, any rust removed and resealed. Fixed the problem. The seal had obviously just went bad, as there was not even one spot of surface rust in the trunk. I did not want the trunk to rust. About a month later, my from windshield started leaking on the top right corner when it would come a very heavy rain. I had temporarily stopped it the cheap way- with silicone. The rear window on my old 71 Caprice also leaked. Even back in the 1980s, we had some late 60s GM cars, with window leaks. My grandmothers old 1974 Pontiac Catalina we had in the mid 80s had no leaks, but then it was only 10 years old. About your car- I think the 71 LeSabres are very nice cars. I like the 71s and 72s.

[rocketraider]

As long as GM was using vulcanised rubber window gaskets, they didn't have water leak problems. In 1965 when they started using the butyl rubber tape seal, that's when they started leaking. My folks had a 69 Impala that leaked from the day it was bought new and driven home in a rainstorm. It went back several times for waterleak correction and finally just before the 24k mile warranty went out, the old man told the Chevy dealer enough was enough- pull the windows and reseal them, and replace the ruined carpet under warranty while they were at it. Turns out that neither the windshield nor back glass had ever sealed properly at the body plant- someone had forgot to put the butyl seal primer chemical on the glasses, and the butyl tape never stuck to the glass! But they messed around for two years gobbing black sealer in there trying to stop the leaks.