Vintage Classic Collector Antique Rare Car 1960 Buick Bubble Top White Red Coupe

1960 Buick LeSabre Rare Bubble Top

1960 Buick Le Sabre Barn Find that's been in storage for the last 24 years with only 63,012 original miles per previous owner. Ran when parked, not running now. Originally sold by the Ken Pruitt Dealership in Garland Texas, see Original Dealer Tag still on left rear. It has been a Texas car all of it's life and has less rust than most of this era.Options: Bubble Top, Air Conditioning, Power Steering, Power Brakes, Leather Interior, Power Seat, "Mirro Magic" Instrument Panel, AM Radio, Henry Miller Style Dash Clock, Pedal Start, New Battery. Window stickers showed last registration and inspection date 1998 and 1999. Interior Dash lights work, radio works too. The only thing I've done to this car was free up the brakes, roll it out of the barn, then tow it home. It needs complete restoration. The seats are rough and covered with red blankets, door bottoms inside rough, package tray cover is gone. It has rust in floor pans, trunk, quarters, etc., from before it was parked in the barn in 1998-1999. Driver window needs repair it's worn out held up with shims. It has some leaks here or there as these old cars do. See here for 145 more pics from every possible anglehttps://www.flickr.com/gp/197745952/@N03/3g7i22b0y0This bubbletop had all it's extra options added at the factory. It is a rare roadster that is a one-year-only design with quad headlights paired up like the jet engines from a B-52 bomber. Fans of mid-century iron will be happy to hear that this Buick is powered by a 364 cubic-inch original numbers matching Nailhead engine with Automatic Transmission.There are not many of these 1960 Buick Bubble Tops left in 2 door or 4 door. They look so cool. Buick Le Sabre production numbers say about 54,000 four door sedans Model 4419 were produced in 1960 and about 36,000 four door coupes Model 4439 were produced. It does not say how many were bubbletops.It sat in the barn as pictured in the ad and protected from the elements for 24 years.A true Texas Barn Find!!! Please scroll down and read Disclaimer and Condition as well as Payment and Shipping. Scroll down below that to read a great previous owner history from the last owner and all that is known about this antique car.
Disclaimer and Condition:To be clear, this is a Barn Find that's been in storage for 24 years.Interior and Exterior needs complete restoration. For more detailed images from every possible anglecondition close ups at https://www.flickr.com/gp/197745952/@N03/3g7i22b0y0
Sold As Is, with Rust, Pitting, Chips, Dings, and Leaks. Not Running, No Brakes, Headliner falling down. Driver Window needs repair as is held up with shims. See 145 additional photos provided using link above.
Payment and Shipping:Buyer responsible for shipping from Dallas, Texas 75214.Payment upon local pickup in cash only. No International Sales, sold to continental U.S. only.All Sales Final, As-Is, No Refunds or Returns. Serious Buyers Only. Thank you. See all known history from previous owner below.

1960 Buick Bubbletop Le Sabre four door known history from Previous Owner:

Michael S. bought it on 07/19/83 per date on title. Mike owned it for 39 years. Prior history from 1960 to 1983 is unknown except as mentioned below. He said when I bought it from him that it needs new water pump, one in trunk, new master cylinder, one in trunk, and all four brakes fixed as locked up from sitting for so long which he loosened up for sale. He said he's siphoned old gas out of the tank before it's easy as gas in tank now is old. Gas tank doesn't have a leak. Old 2 barrel carb, nail head 364. I asked Mike why a 1960 Buick LeSabre?

He said in 1983 he was driving home one night in his 1960 Buick Invicta when he saw this cool car in a car lot on his way home from a gentleman's club. He pulled over and went onto the lot and was able to start the car with his Buick Invicta key. He said the air conditioning was so cold he just sat in it for a while enjoying the cold AC. There were no fences and security camera's back then and if you had the key to one Buick it was likely to start another. The reason he bought it was because his first car was a 1960 Buick Le Sabre and that's why it was so special to him.

He learned to drive on a 1970 Buick Le Sabre 4 door that his Dad owned. He kept going back to the row of old car dealerships in Garland where it sat and kept trying to buy it for less than the $1850 the dealer wanted. He went back one time and it was gone, sold out from under him to a guy named Keith K. of Dallas, TX who's name appears on the title he had as previous owner. I have photo of previous title if interested for winning buyer. A few months later, it was back on the same car lot for sale again. The guy who bought it and had title in his name had returned it for unknown reason.

Mike saw it back and negotiated harder so it didn't get away from him again. Mike said he thinks he paid $1550. I moved to a house directly behind Mike in 1998 and he had it in an old barn. The old single story barn was torn down because Mike built a new two story barn in 1998 mostly just to keep this 1960 Buick protected from the rain and sun, plus to have room to store all of his painting spray rigs, equipment, tools, and supplies.

This Buick has sat inside the new barn for 24 years with him starting it up once in a while. It turned over easy and no problem with new battery when I bought it but wouldn't start probably due to old gas because he didn't drain the tank he told me afterward. Mike has since moved away and both his house and barn were torn down. A new home is being built in it's place.

I wound up taking hundreds of photos the moment it left barn for the first time and of it being towed. Three of us pushed while Mike sat inside and steered. We pushed it down the driveway beside the house for the flatbed tow truck I hired. I took plenty of pics of this car in the barn it's been in for decades to use in the online for sale ad later to prove it's a true barn find.

Other things Mike said were that a guy tried to buy just the original steel wiper blade heads for $200 bucks from him and he refused. The guy said he's been trying to find those original parts for years and they are impossible to find, most people threw them away. Mike also said that the car has Ken Pruitt Buick Dealership logo on the back. He met one of the Pruitt's in Dallas one time, Ken Pruitt's grandson, while driving this car once when it was parked somewhere. The grandson walked up and asked who's car it was, Mike said mine. The Pruitt said that is so cool because my Grandpa sold that car in 1960 when it was new.

From Online Source: All of the Buick V8s from 1953 to 1966 were known as nailheads. The reason for this is that the intake and exhaust valves are very small (like nails, although not really). The small size was necessitated by the physical size of the head. The entire engine is narrow, and there simply was not enough room for the larger valves. Buick was not concerned, because they wanted low-end torque to move their big, heavy cars. To make up for it, the nailheads had radical cams straight from the factory. You can hear a bit of a lumpy idle if you listen to the exhaust.

By 1966 the design did not produce enough power for the times and was replaced by the 350/400/430/455. History has shown that the nailheads were far stronger that the engines that replaced them. One very cool fact. Two of the engines were joined together and used as the starter for the legendary SR-71 jet. These engines were chosen because of the torque they produced, exactly as Buick intended.

Mike later told me that the Wonder Bar Speedometer is orange bar that goes across and you adjust it for your height in the mirror because it's in reverse. The speedo is in dashboard facing up and mirror is adjustable. The other side there is another little plastic wheel in dashboard and you turn that up or down which is a buzzer for the speed limit. Can set it for 30-40 mph and it will buzz when you go over.

Water Jacket cover is epoxied with jb weld on top to stop leak with piece of steel underneath. Near fuel bowl. Water Jacket cover is not the right name but that's what he called it. It is the part that the fuel pump connects to and the water pump connects to in front of engine block.

It was dripping anti-freeze or water way in back firewall behind engine when he added anti-freeze. Because the lines go all the way back in this model year to transmission.

It's behind the water pump the water jacket cover it's not the pump. Little square cup or bowl that the water pump hooks into is what is jb welded with steel and it covers over where water circulates thru engine, located right underneath the gas bowl. I made sure to take a picture of Mike's finger pointing to any known leaks or issues under the hood when I bought it. See these pictures in additional photos provided. The headliner was up when I bought it but has since fallen, see 2nd page of photos to the very end there are some close up dash pictures too.

Generator light goes on when idling and then you give it a little gas and the light goes off with increased rpms. If you put a bigger pulley on it this stops this. Mike had the generator rebuilt, windings, plates, brushes, took it to American Armiture who rebuilt generator around 1995. It was last driven in 1999.

Parts in Trunk; Many Voltage Regulators for the generator, new Napa auto parts master cylinder which has since rusted and looks used not new, used removed water pump, spare tire and tie down, old distributor cap, belts, battery tie down metal clamp, gaskets, etc.

Mike said to make sure you cover the vent system on the hood where the wipers are because something is plugged up there and when it rains or the rain gets inside passenger floorboard and floods it. Says you need to remove the part with wipers and vent and clean out all the leaves so it can drain.

The AC worked very well and blew cold when he bought it and said you could try to get it going again. It needs fan belt back to compressor. New this car cost 2200 list price and to add Factory Air was extra 700 that's what makes this car very rare it has the AC option and original compressor.

The trick to start this old pedal start car is to first ensure battery is fully charged. Second, turn the dash knob off of lock to on so the radio and dash lights up. Third don't adjust the radio just wait for the old tubes to warm up and you will start to hear sound, or you would if you were in Dallas, you may just hear static if not in this city. It takes a while to hear anything. It will not pedal start until radio is warmed up I was told. The pedal start will be ready as soon as the radio is ready and you hear it. This is the point you should tune it until you hear something on your local AM station if not in Dallas. Then you just step on the peddle and it starts, if it was in running condition, which it is not. I heard it crank when he stepped on the pedal so I thought it was going to start right up and was surprised. He said he didn't drain the old gas, didn't clean the plugs and put mystery oil in the plug cylinders and let soak for a few days. Usually this is all you have to do to get these old rides running. He just wanted it gone fast as he was closing on the house soon so I bought it as is. I haven't gotten around to doing anything to it yet either and I bought it about a year ago.

He said don't run wiper blades without replacing the inserts it will scratch the bubble front windshield. Try to get the actual correct inserts to keep the wiper blades original not take them off, or throw them away for the new plastic cheap ones.

That, my friends and fellow classic car enthusiasts, is all I know about the history of this cool old car. I like to document the history or back story as much as I can when I buy a vintage vehicle. I hope you enjoy this info. My price is negotiable so make me a good offer and we can close this deal quickly, easily, and hassle free. Thank you.