Vehicle Description
1964 Buick LeSabre Sport Coupe Buick's stylish Sport Coupe that was
all the rage back in 1964 For some, it's a symphony for the senses:
The whisper of eight pistons moving with each muted explosion;
passing air whipped into a frenzied turbulence as it hurriedly
surges into the open side window. The 1964 Buick Le Sabre Sport
Coupe was Buick's best-seller in its full-size lineup, the Le Sabre
was approaching its sixth year of production when engineers
introduced several refinements. One of the most notable was the
deletion of the big 401-cu.in. V-8, which was standard equipment in
1963, in favor of the new 300-cu.in. V-8. This smaller engine
helped reduce front-end weight by some 195 pounds (add to that
changes to the suspension, steering, frame and wheels, and total
weight was reduced by 300 pounds). Just how the 300-cu.in. V-8 came
into existence can be explained (albeit in somewhat simplified
form) by saying that Buick needed a replacement for its
discontinued all-aluminum 215-cu.in. V-8. The existing 225-cu.in.
V-6 was slated to fill the void--however, a tremendous gap would
then exist between the 225 and the monstrous 401. Rather than leave
that gap intact, engineers opted to take the 225 and add on two
more cylinders. The resulting 300-cu.in. V-8--dubbed Wildcat, in
401 fashion--was cast using not only the same V-6 bore spacing, but
also the same 3.75 x 3.40-inch bore and stroke. Part of the
aforementioned 195-pound weight loss was due to the engine's
compact size. That reduction was enhanced by the somewhat extensive
use of aluminum in the new engine; aluminum parts included the
water pump housing, timing chain cover, rocker arms, pistons,
intake manifold and the one-year-only wedge-shaped aluminum
cylinder heads. Along the way, the 300-cu.in. block became the
lightest Buick V-8 engine in regular mass production. When topped
with the standard two-barrel carb and 9.0:1 compression ratio, the
engine was able to produce 210hp and 310-lbs.ft. of torque.
