Lapham3

I think I saw an indoor show pic of this car somewhere in the past. It takes me back almost 50 years as I had a '65 Pont Grand Prix, that was the same body as the Catalina which had the 2+2 option. My car was Fontaine Blue optioned with the base 2+2 421 with Carter AFB rather than the GP base 389. With 2.73 gears that car beat up a bit on my dad's '67 Wildcat 3.07 geared 430. Unfortunately my wife tried to take down a telephone pole with that car.

The comment regarding tire quality reminds that as a young pup I worked for a while in a busy Goodyear tire shop. Some may remember that in the 60's the OE tires were 2 ply and the 4 ply were optional-and quality of many tires was iffy. Tires with defects and being out-of -round (and wheels) were every day. It wasn't rare on a road trip to have flats, cord separations or road hazard events. Spare tire use was always part of the picture. (as bent 'decorative' Riv bumpers from the OE jack can attest!)Tires are much better today, but there are still many, IMO, that are not round enough. We used a spinning 'hop' of more than 0.030" as a guide and trued many tires over this amount. Today, about nobody but racers know about this and the term is now 'shaved'. 'Road force' balancing 'manages' sins today. As always, monitor tire condition and pressure. (and bring along a small floor jack!) Rivs, do love the open road. Dan Mpls. Mn.

With a nailhead, I would tend to change the rear end gear set before giving up the 400 transmission. I wouldn't even attempt the purchase/installation of a Gear Vendors on my '66 Riv. I have the complete banjo off a '70 Electra with a 2.56 ratio that I was going to do a swap with one my Wildcats 'one of these days', but that day hasn't happened yet! My old hauler El Camino has a 2.41 ratio and the early fuel injected 3.8 Buick with the 4spd overdrive in our '85 Olds Ciera wagon ended up at 2.29 =both did very well on the road. Dan Mpls. Mn.

I like the lower cost and simplicity of the ceiling hung Modine forced air. I'm well insulated and keep the garage at about 45 with minimal cost for the winter and can crank it up a bit more very quickly when needed. Good luck with your project

My '66 Riv is in winter sleep, but I recall that the scripts were different on that car between the 2 fenders and trunk lid. The '66-7 Rivs have a more slanted dash than the same year B/C cars and so the faceplates and 'cups' are different to deal with that.

OH-oh now the clone boys will know how to do a better job with placement of those GS emblems!

From my experience, that's pretty normal and I've seen even a bit more 'slop' without issue. I've got a '66 225 where you can hear the clunk on a quick tail wag-no problem in 20 years. Tony, is that the Rivboat you had at Flagstaff in '06?-looks a lot nicer now! Dan Mpls. Mn.

I remember my dad 50 years ago talking about how the two largest areas of consumer expense- the ' home and auto' and with those businesses being 'rife with those who seek advantage' and to be careful. He was also a guy who would say, 'if you want it done right, do it yourself'. I have found truth to both over the years.

Yes-a couple of us stopped in to visit Terry some years ago. The building had been a very old Buick dealership and most of the cars were at his house nearby.

Classic Motorbooks=boy that brings back old memories. I recall that the original guy was a Brit who started out at his south Minneapolis house/garage not far from me. He later moved to a couple locations on either side of the St. Croix river on the Mn/Wisc border and it has spawned others to do similar 'transportation' publishing in the area. I remember years ago he'd mentioned that he'd bought a new Cobra back in the 60's and had still had it-an interesting guy. Dan Mpls. Mn.

Ed-If his house was still as I'd last seen it, there would have been a huge job for somebody to go through all his stuff=the rooms were floor to ceiling of boxes.

Yes-as usual Tom is correct. Years ago I sourced both the Buick and identical aftermarket kits and added them to my '65-67 B and C body cars. I couldn't find room on my '66 E body Riv and used a smaller one from a Mazda B2000 pickup. I don't recall what year these became a standard production item, but my '73 Pontiac had a similar design as OE. Dan Mpls. Mn.

The basic ring and pinion was the same, but the carrier, axle size and spline count changed I believe from '62-'63. There are also a fair amount of 3.23 gears around as it was OE more with the '63 Dynaflow -where 3.07 was found more with the '64-5 400 trans. Dan Mpls. Mn.

Sale pending with this local Buick guy. Nice that it wasn't dumped on Craigs and instead offered where it's appreciated.

Tom-you'd be the one to know best, but I recall that for the '66 the 425 was a $59 option from the 401. My 225 has it and my dad was one who always ordered cars to his wants and would check the largest engine option! I've not seen a crack involving the oiling system either. Dan Mpls. Mn.