alex bonino

"Collector Car Market Review" is a publication that tracks market trends and collects value data for various categories (eg., Early Muscle, Late Muscle, New Postwar, Personal Luxury, etc) from auctions, classifieds, ebay, etc. In their March, 2013 issue, amidst a pretty negative report in general, the following observation caught me eye: "One bright spot on the domestic front was in the Personal Luxury segment, especially 60's GM stuff. In particular, first generation Rivieras have been attracting interest of late." Whether this increased interest translates to valuations is another matter. But it certainly isnt bad news. alex roa #11550

I have a number of collector vehicles insured by Haggarty. All in all? I am satisfied. Barely. Looking to go elsewhere, just need to find the time to shop around.

Yeah, thats what I thought too. However, the 'E' bodies at GM seem to have had some pecularities - maybe to handle the weight of that massive door? I dunno. I will research and post what I find.

No one has procured door hinge pins & bushings lately?

Hello all. Slowly but surely making progress... Found a few more pesky rust spots hiding behind the front clip sheet metal <SIGH> Anyway, thinking about next steps and was wondering about a door hinge bushing/pin source. Called Florida Fasteners and all I got from them on first generation Rivs was "huh"?, so no luck there. Also, Id be interested what other members have done as far as body/paint sequencing as far as next steps goes (eg., remount all sheet metal and adjust gaps?, leave sheet metal on for stripping, repair, skim coating and priming?, remove sheet metal for paint? etc etc.) Not quite there yet though. thanks folks!

I've been down this road as well, as have several other members who already posted. If you like, send a PM and I can tell you more. Also, if memory serves I posted some pics of my trunk cut out before repair so search my previous posts and you may find it. As far as other places to look, you will also want to closely inspect the floor pans where bracing is located underneath for support. The brace channels trap water/moisture and I had problems there as well. And the rocker panels. Check behind the lower rear portion of each front fender (fender needs to come off). And yes, remove the window trim front & back as well, and scrape the gooky sealant out to see if the glass channel is ok.

Lets try this again. Virtually new dual exhaust set up that I removed earlier last year. I am going stock, so don't need this system. Came off a 1964. Since orginally posting, I have cut these in half, (so in 4 pieces) so bundling, packaging & shipping is easier (via Greyhound, most likely). When I checked last year it was going to run around $75. $235.00 for the entire exhaust system.

Interesting thread. As a member of a number of classic car forums, the range of opinions on this topic is always entertaining. I for one, believe metallic colors in particular compliment the first generation Riviera's crisp, elegant lines and advanced design concept. I happen to own a 64 in PP Teal Mist, which I slowly and painfully discovered had waaaaaaay more rust & bondo than I would have liked. Now that I can see the end of the tunnel - trunk pan, rear panel, floor pan sections, back lite sheet metal sections replaced - with just a few minor spots remaining, I'm glad I stuck with it. Had it been say, a white code car, I doubt I would have stuck with the necessary repairs and would have used it as a parts car instead. So, I guess I am one of those who insists that the color matches the body plate. It'll take longer, but why not narrow down your choice of acceptable original colors to a few (you named some already), and look for a solid car with a data plate that matches?

Rob - those clips are totally incorrect, and there is no way they should be on your engine. In fact, I'll take them off your hands, if you like. Just kidding of course. Be glad you have them, a majority of engines are missing them, because of mechanics doing work and then tossing them, or forgetting to remount them. I wouldnt mind finding a set. good luck on your project.

These were an extra bonus when I purchased my 64. Obviously incorrect, and I need to start making room for more parts storage as the 64 project progresses. Wanted to see if anyone on the board might want them before I throw them on ebay. I id'ed these from the hubcap website, so hopefully I have the correct applications. Please double check. These are actually are in quite good shape, and could be refurbished nicely with some cleaning and polishing. Good spares, or mix and match to updgrade what you currently have. See pic below. Have closeups also if desired. $50.00 plus $20.00 shipping for the (3) 71 - 76 covers $15.00 plus 10.00 shipping for the single 70 cover. I also still have available the almost new dual exhaust system with MagnaFlows posted earlier. We wound up carefully cutting them at a weld joint and decoupled them, which eliminates the shipping hassles of a full length exhaust system. thanks

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. John & Tim, I will follow up with Carman & Russ. gun guy - The camshaft bearing removal tool is an interesting idea, will pass this along to my guy. Riv 164 - sent a private email. Its not clear how you used the modified socket as a puller? And Ted, if you have a differential bearing puller in there, can I borrow it?! Will report back with results. alex

No one has run into this? Its starting to make me wonder about my axle/rear end guy. I was kinda hoping maybe one of you had torn apart a first gen rear end, and seen this problem before. :confused: Out of curiosity, and to see if a more common car might be similar, I checked a 61 Chevy manual. The rear end carrier for this is quite a bit different, so no help there either.

I hadn't heard in awhile from my rear axle/diff guy here in Denver, who is refurbishing a positraction rear for me, so I stopped by to see what was going on. Evidently, he ran into a problem removing the "differential bearing supports", in that he had no tool on hand to accomplish the task. I'm assuming he's correct that these need to come out to access other internals. I checked in the 1964 service manual, and this operation is described on pages 6-9 and 6-10 in the "Rear Axle" Service section. The procedure calls for using a tool contraption (J -09744-5 and J- 9744-2) which essentially is some sort of highly specialized puller gizmo consisting of an insert and bridge with bolt to do the pulling. I browsed through ebay, and most of the available rear end tools are for later model rear ends. Im worried that this puller is made of "unobtanium" Has anyone run into this in dissassembling the rear carrier? Is there an alternative means or substitute tool for removing the bearing sleeve/inserts (or differential bearing supports as GM refers to them?)

Hello. Sent a prviate message on these. thanks alex

Hi Guys. Sorry I didnt notice the responses earlier. (Was working on the Buick all weekend). jonly: I will email you privately. If still interested, I will get measurements for you today. Rex: I will follow up with you if jonly no longer wants to buy. thanks for the interest, fellows! alex