Buick fans know the “Nailhead” V-8 was introduced for 1953 and lasted through 1966 — a short run compared to other engines in the era. So, let’s test your Buick trivia: Which model year was the final for the Nailhead in the LeSabre?
The answer may depend on the body style, but certainly the Nailhead’s availability in the LeSabre didn’t last through 1966. Here’s how it went down.
1964 Buick LeSabre Estate Wagon
When the A-body Special and Skylark were introduced for 1964, Buick updated the aluminum 215 V-8 by using an iron block while retaining the aluminum heads and intake. With an increase of bore and stroke, the new V-8 measured 300ci and was called the “Wildcat 310” or “Wildcat 355” depending on carburetion and compression.
It was this engine that replaced the “Wildcat 445” 401 Nailhead in the 1964 LeSabre. The exception was the LeSabre Estate Wagon, which continued to be powered by the 401, with the “Wildcat 465” 425 V-8 and “Super Wildcat” with dual-quads as options.
Buick’s 1964 engines
For 1965, the LeSabre wagon was discontinued, leaving the 300 V-8 as the only engine available until 1966, when the 300 was upgraded to 340ci. Not until 1970 would a LeSabre be available with a big-block, in this case, a 370-horsepower 455.
So, the TL;DR version is: 1963 was the final model year for the Nailhead LeSabre except for the LeSabre Estate Wagon, which was 1964.
