Lesabre T-type Chris

Hello, I own a 1977 Buick Riviera. The 1977 and 1978 Rivieras were the last RWD Rivieras and they were built on a version of the GM B-body platform. LeSabres and Electras are also on this platform from 1977-84 (through '85 for the Lesabre...). I researched tire sizes quite a bit a few years back so I can give you some insight on your question. When I bought my Riviera back in 2017, the previous owner had been running P205/70R-15 Blackwall tires on it. In my opinion, they were way too small. The car sat too low to the ground so it didn't look right from the side and I had to be careful about frequently 'bottoming out' when going over bumps, hills, driveway approaches, etc... Also, when looking at the car from both the front and rear the proportions looked way off to my eye. It looked like she was on ice skates because the tires were so skinny! I did a bunch of research on the original factory options for tires for my car. What complicated things was that for a few years in the 70's a metric tire size was used in the US--something along the lines of GR-15, HR-15, etc... Anyway, I found that the HR designation (which was an optional size) was an equivalent to P225/75R-15. Interestingly, I also found that a white-letter tire option was available from the factory! I wanted my Riviera to have a little more sporty look to it so I went with white letter BF Goodrich Radial T/A's. I could not find P225/75's but I was able to find P235/70's. They fit perfectly and filled out the wheel wells much nicer. When you look at her from the front and back the proportions also look much better. A little muscular but not over the top! I have 15x6 Buick Road wheels (5x5 bolt pattern) and love the look. I will see if I can find a photo and post it (she is still in winter storage right now). I have not had any rubbing issues. Chris

Misterbuickguy--can you tell me if your wheels are rim code 011 wheels? abandg--thank-you for posting your 895's. I am looking for 15x7 wheels. JohnD1956--PM sent. Thanks, Chris

Turbinator, Thank-you for the reply. Message sent. Chris

Hello Jeff, I read your original post along with the follow-ups and thought I would chime in. This will be long but I believe it will be helpful for you... Back in the 90's through the early 2000's I owned an '85 LeSabre Limited Collector's Edition 4-door (GM B-body, RWD, Olds 307 V-8). It was my daily driver and I really loved her. My dad had a 1977 LeSabre 4-door (GM B-body, RWD, Pontiac 301 V-8 ) that I grew up with so you could say that I have an affinity for Buick B-bodies from my childhood. The '85 LeSabre was loaded with almost every option for that model year--in many ways like an Electra or Park Avenue during that time period. Without question she was very reliable, smooth, quiet, and comfortable. If I wasn't hard on her, on long trips I could get MPG's in the low 20's @ 70/75 mph and ride in extreme comfort with little wind/road noise. If I could have changed anything about her, I really wished she would have been a coupe with the Buick Rally/Road wheels and that she would have had more 'get-up-and-go.' I finally parted with her around 2002 because the Wisconsin winters and road salt had taken their toll on her underbody and it was just too much to keep her up. I really loved that car and miss her terribly to this day. I always wanted another car like her although my preference would be to get a 2-door if I could find one. Low and behold, around fall 2016 I stumbled upon a 1977 Buick Riviera (GM B-Body, RWD, Olds 403 V-8) and was hooked as they are on the same platform and share a lot of traits. With the kids almost grown up the time was right to get back into the car game/hobby and I bought her! Do you want to talk about nostalgia? Holy cow! And, I have to say, while the Olds 403 in my '77 Riviera is not a dragster in stock form, the driving difference between the 307 that was in my '85 LeSabre and the 403 in my '77 Riviera is quite noticeable. I know that the comparison to your FWD E-body Riviera is a little bit apples-to-oranges but I am in 100% agreement with Ed (RivNut) that if you are going to be making a decision about the future of your 307 you should really consider your options. I have been conducting a LOT of research on the Olds 'Rocket' V-8's and Buick V-6/V-8 over the last year or so because I am planning the future for my '77 Riviera. She's almost all original and has just under 70,000 miles so she is in good enough shape to do some things with but not a 'sought after collector' that must stay original (unless I would desire to 'stay original'). I can go in whatever direction I want to with her. Here are some thoughts I can share with you.... Take Ed's suggestion before you do anything to your current car. With some detective work, find a 1979 or 1980 Riviera in good running condition that came equipped from the factory with the Olds 350 V-8 and take it for a test drive. Thoroughly drive your '83 with the 307 beforehand. You should be able to feel the performance difference when driving them back-to-back. The 350 equipped Riviera still won't be a hot rod but you should notice it is going to get-up-and go/cruise better than your 307 powered Riviera. With my '77 Riviera and her 403 I remember thinking to myself on the test drive, 'Wow, THIS is how GM intended these downsized B-bodies to be powered when they designed them back in '77! The 403 gets off the line better, pulls better when going down the highway, and cruises super quiet. That is low-end torque at work which the 307 just has less of! The 403 is rated at 320 ft-lb. (net) from the factory and the 307 (depending on year) is between 240-255 ft-lb. from the factory. The difference in the acceleration and performance you 'feel' is (partially) in the cubic inches of the motor and (partially) in the gearing of the transmission/differential. My instincts say you will drive the 350 powered Riviera and say something similar. This will make your decision on what to do a lot easier! If you stay with an Olds 307 in your '83 and are happy that is great and I mean that when I say it as it is your car! I'd have the original motor removed, rebuilt, and reinstalled and keep it all original if you go that route. Know, though, that the 307 is pretty much what it is. If you ever would want to put some performance into it, or just get a little more exciting driving experience, you will face a large uphill battle to overcome it's inherent limitations, lack of aftermarket support, and the cost involved in getting more power out of it (ANY motor can be made to make more power but $$$$ will likely cause you to either not do it or get really frustrated--that would be reflected in a rebuild situation too). Not good, not bad, just what it is! Chevy guys run into this with the old small-block Chevy 305/350 all the time. The Chevy 305 can be made to make some power but it costs a lot of $$$$ and you can flat out do more for less $ with a Chevy 350! If you go with an Olds 350/403 upgrade in your '83, know that even in a stock-type upgrade, you will see performance/driving gains although you will likely lose a little fuel economy. If you want to do something a little more fun and/or performance oriented (either up-front or later down the road) you will have LOTS of options with the Olds 350 and some with the Olds 403. The Olds 350 has quite a bit of aftermarket support and options for increasing performance while still being reliable. The Olds 403 is similar but it does have some limitations (kind of like the 307, the 403 has some inherent design aspects that make it tricky and more costly to increase performance) so $$$$ to wake up the 403 can actually be higher than getting more performance from the Olds 350. The small-block Olds 'Rocket' V-8's include the 260, 307, 330, 350, and 403 so the external dimensions of the block and the exterior appearance are the same (or very similar) for all of those engines. The same is true for the transmission bolt pattern and engine accessories (i.e. water pump, power steering, alternator brackets, cruise control, etc...) as they will almost all bolt up directly to any of those engines without any (or with only little) modification. This really simplifies things because you (or your builder) will be able to pull out your existing 307 and re-use a lot of the brackets, components, and other accessories on either an Olds 350 or 403 and they will line right up. A very 'stock-looking appearance' with upgraded internals and performance is very possible if you so desire. Again, as Ed said, the biggest challenge will be that some of the FWD E-Body stuff on your '83 Riv. is unique in comparison to the RWD set-ups that your donor engine will likely come from (oil pan, exhaust manifolds, etc...) so a number of pieces will need to be transplanted. As long as you don't do anything too radical, your transmission and any related drivetrain components will likely be able to handle a minor engine upgrade like this unless you deliberately and repeatedly release your inner teenage-male self that is buried deep inside you (anything can be destroyed if abused, right?) so be smart about that. To my knowledge, the transmission/axle set-up in your Riviera is basically a longitudinal front wheel drive set-up that Olds developed all the way back in the 60's and it was used with the Olds 455 into the 70's as well as the Turbo 3.8 V6 in the 80's so it can be made to handle power (someone correct me if I am wrong on that). If you get real performance oriented, know that you'll have to take a look at that part of the drivetrain too at some point to be safe in the long-run. I hope that helps you. From my end, I am 95% set on first upgrading the transmission and rear-end gears on my '77 Riviera--adding an overdrive transmission and ditching the highway gears (going from a 2.41 rear end to a 3.73 rear end with posi-traction will help acceleration off the line although the overdrive gear will still make her a great highway cruiser). We'll see what that does first before I make a final engine decision. I can tell you that I took the plunge last year when the exhaust system was nearing it's end--I upgraded to a later B-body true dual exhaust after the exhaust manifolds all the way back to the tail pipes and that woke up the 403 a bit (she sounds better too)! Whether you stay with the 307 or upgrade to a 350/403, do research on upgrading the exhaust. You can keep it quiet if you want although some gains in power can be made if it is a more free-flowing system. -Chris

Hello All, I was able to locate 3 of these wheels. I am still in the market for one additional wheel for sure, although I would also be willing to consider a pair (so one could be used with the spare in the trunk). If anyone has any available please let me know. Since this post has been out there for a while, to be clear, I am looking for 5x5 bolt spacing, 15x7. Code is 011. As has been pointed out by some folks on this and other threads, these are the 'Buick Road Wheels' although it is common to lump them in with the 'Buick Rally Wheel' description. These 'Road Wheels' are a one-piece wheel with a detachable center cap. The 'Rally Wheels' are technically a 2 piece wheel (you can see a seam where the 5-spoke section meets the wheel section) along with a removeable center cap. Sincerely, Chris

Ed, Thank you for thr point about the backspacing. I will certainly double check this on my end. A great point to consider! -Chris

Sent a reply.

Sounds good. Thank-you, Chuck! -Chris

Here is a weblink for the Buick wheel chart I spotted as a part of my research.... This may be helpful for others looking for wheels... https://www.teambuick.com/reference/rallye_wheels.php -Chris

Thank-you to all so far for the replies. Per RivNut's comments, I have done a lot of research on the rally wheels and both buyers and sellers do need to be careful as Buick had a number of variations of the rally wheels over the years. I was able to find a chart that listed the various versions. It looks like the wheels I am looking for are stamped with the rim code '011.' I believe they will also have '15x7' and 'JJ' stamped on them. RedSky, I appreciate you noting that your wheels are the 15x6's. I can't quite make out the rim code but the 15x6's with the 5x5 bolt pattern are commonly codes 802, 853, or 895. I currently have 15x6's on my Riviera (I don't recall their codes off of the top of my head) and want to upgrade the size (width) of the tires I have on the car. That's the reason I am looking to find a set of 15x7's. My research also indicates that RivNut is 100% on par with the thought that the 011 code rims were originally only offered from the factory on the wagons. -Chris

Hello, I am looking to purchase a full set (4) of 15X7 Buick Rally wheels with the 5x5 bolt pattern for use on my 1977 Buick Riviera. These wheels were typically originally found on the 80's Buick full-size (b-body) wagons. The wheels don't have to be 'mint' but definitely good driver quality or better (i.e., not looking for wheels that need to be completely refurbished!). I live in the Milwaukee, WI area.... If anyone has a set, please let me know. Thank-you! -Chris

I have been the proud owner of a 1977 Buick Riviera with the Olds 403 for the last 3 years. Growing up, my parents had several Buicks including a 1977 Buick LeSabre 4-door that I was really fond of as a kid. As a teenager I drove it until getting a 1985 Buick LeSabre 4-door Limited Collector's Edition. The '77 LeSabre had the Pontiac 301 V-8 and the '85 had the Olds 307 V-8. I always wanted a 2-door version of those Lesabres with the Buick ralleye wheels and a bigger V-8--I finally found it in my Riviera as it is based on the GM B-body. At first I was disappointed to have the 403 because I really wanted a Buick motor. Over time, though, I have grown to appreciate the 403 a lot. It really is smooth and quiet. The 403 in stock form isn't a drag racer but it can get up and go much better than the 301 and 307 motors. From my experience it is because of the higher torque that the 403 has vs. those other engines. GM should never have put an engine smaller than 350 ci. in the B-bodies in the 70's and 80's because of their weight. I, too, have been doing a lot of research on the 403 and have found that it has a lot of potential. I am in the process of making plans to add some performance capabilities to it. Recently, I took the plunge and had a true dual exhaust installed. That has made a difference in performance for sure. The engine can definitely breath better and is more 'eager' to squeal the tires. These cars came with 2.41 gears in the rear standard (highway gears) and that hurts them off the line. The next project for my Riviera will be to change the gears and add positraction to the rear end. Likely 3.23 or so. Long-term, I am planning to have the 403 rebuilt with smaller chamber heads to increase the compression ratio as well as a cam that is a little more aggressive (but not too wild). From the factory, the 403's have some deficiencies with windowed main webs and siamesed cylinders as well as some other small flaws. That is all corrected pretty easily if you have an experienced Olds engine shop/builder as corrections to rectify these issues are readily known. I'll post a couple pics of her... Chris

Hello, Does anyone know where the RPO tag was placed on the 1977-78 Rivieras? I have a 1977. I have already checked the glove box and inside the trunk lid--no luck. Any leads are appreciated! Chris

Hello, i would like like to learn more about this car. I may have an interest in purchasing it. Can you please private message me? Chris

I was almost in shock, NOT at seeing the Lacrosse Super. Read the entire ad closely..."I'd say it's just about as fast as a Grand National." This is probably the first time in about 15 years that I saw a public ad in which Buick actually ACKNOWLEDGES that they built the Grand National. I almost couldn't believe I read that. Is it really as fast as a GN though? I'm not so sure. T-type Chris

I recently did a coolant flush on my '99 Regal GS (also changed the hoses and thermostat). Now the "low coolant" light comes on although it will eventuallly go off after driving for a while. I have checked the radiator and coolant tank and they are filled to the proper level. Can anyone help me with this problem?