Rare '62 lesabre ???

[race144]

I have a 62 Lesabre. I was told it is all original. It is an original 65000 mile car. It is in great condition. Here is the question. It is a radio delete car and it has a complete dual quad setup in the trunk.I was told it was removed about 10 years ago for economy reasons. The car has power steering and brakes along with power seat, nothing else. How can I tell if this car came with the quads and radio delete ?? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Centurion]

race144, the dual quad set-up was not available as a Buick factory option until the introduction of the 1964 Wildcat, Electra 225, and Riviera. The dual quad set-up was offered on the 425-cubic inch nailhead -- not on the 401-cubic inch nailhead.

LeSabre series cars were never built with a dual quad set-up, and, if I remember correctly, the 1962 LeSabres utilized a 2-bbl version of the 401-cubic inch nailhead. I believe that this engine was called the "Wildcat 410".

Regarding the radio, please look at the Fisher Body plate on your car's firewall. At the bottom of the data plate, you may find a series of letters and numbers after "ACC" (accessories). If you indicate the items listed on the data plate, someone here with the data for the 1962 model Buicks can determine whether a radio option is listed. The AM-Sonomatic radio would have remained optional equipment in 1962, so it is certainly possible that yours is an original "radio delete" car.

[NTX5467]

You can check the carb numbers to see what they might fit, whether Rochester or Carter, which should "nail down" where they were designed to be. IF they are the "Competition Series" Edelbrock AFBs, rather than the Carter Competition Series AFBs, that would be highly indicative that it's not a complete factory set-up per se. You might also need to check the casting number on the intake manifold and look for other items specific to an OEM 2x4bbl set-up on a Buick V-8.

Unlike in some other manufacturers, Buicks were usually highly "model-specific" as to where the engines went. LeSabres were the "entry level" larger Buick, so economy was a concern, but economy with smooooth power, hence the 401 2bbls. Wildcats were the "performance" Buick of that era and they got the larger engines than the LeSabres--including the 2x4bbl induction systems when available.

In the restoration area of the vehicle hobby, "radio delete" did not mean that a radio was standard equipment and then deleted on the order form, but that a radio was not ordered to start with. In that time frame, radios and (in some cases) heaters were options that could be ordered, but did not have to be. Only on the most expensive vehicles of that general era was a radio part of the vehicle's "factory standard equipment".

If possible, you might decode the data plates and search for a build sheet to verify how the vehicle was "factory built", which might clear up a few of the mysteries you've mentioned.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Pete Phillips]

Does it have a radio antenna??

[race144]

No antenna or hole for one and no speaker in dash either !!!

[race144]

Here is the info from the cowl Plate-

Style-62-4447

Body-BA 1493

Trim- 411

Paint -CC I know this means solid white-which it is.

ACC- Nothing here, just blank

VIN-4I(or 1)6019590

Carbs are Carter AFB type

Manifold casting # is B1257106L

Can anyone help with these #'s. Thanks, Mike

[NTX5467]

On the carburetors, most AFBs and AVS Carter carbs had a 4 digit number stamped on the front pad of one side of the housing flange where the manifold bolts go through it, possibly followed by the letter "S", "4732S", for example. That's the carb number that you can track in the carb kit books to see what the base application is--kind of going in through an alternate route as you can probably have better luck finding an old auto parts store that had carb kit listings, rather than carburetor listings as such.

Keep us posted, please.

NTX5467