In the operating room...

The car is in now with my GM boys where the AC and electrical wiring is being installed. I'm eager to hear the engine fire and get moving on installing the front end sheet metal and the clamshells.

Looks like it's going to be a brand new car. How long has the build been going on?

Steve

Looks like it's going to be a brand new car. How long has the build been going on?

Steve

Well...i think it started in late 2011 or early 2012. Its all a blur now.

The car is receiving a lot of original and NOS parts and is looking good. The engine was evaluated before the rebuild as the previous owner had the motor freshened up a year before i bought it and my local mechanic said he couldnt justify a rebuild. THe car ran well before the resto, especially after the same mechanic went through the carbs, so the motor has been the only thing that hasnt come apart. I did have the original BS transmission and the 3.42 posi rebuilt along with a the drive shaft.

There was no rust on the car when we started but i still managed to put $12K into the body work largely due to the hood and front fender that looked like it was hit with a 12ga shotgun. The body filler did a great job of covering the BILLIONS of little dents in the sheet metal...the guy that helped me strip and sand the car now has a right arm the size of a 55 gal drum.

I did some investigating on the history of the car and found a PO that stated "I never owned a green Riviera...but i did have a white one with green interior". The car started life as a Verde Green/Verde Green car, was converted to a white/green car and is now being restored as a Silver Cloud/Black car. THe previous owner also claimed 47K miles on the car in 1993. Odometer said 79K on it when i bought it but the speedo and Odo wasnt working at the time. My GM mechanic rebuilt the speedo, odo and clock resetting the ODO back to zero for the resto.

By far the biggest PIA is the A/C system as there are so many parts and items that deteriorated from moisture and heat.

The car used 3 dashes to create one good one. My GM mechanic says he never has seen so many parts go into one car...he obviously hadnt worked on too many Buicks or Cadillacs.

Lots of work left to do.

Looking really good Carl, but I'm a tad partial to silver grey cars !!

Those little dents could have been the result of a hail storm?

Hail can do a lot of damage to metal panels in a very short period of time.

Beautiful car. I'm a big fan of that color, really nice. Look forward to seeing it completed and congrats for what has been done so far.

Looking really good Carl, but I'm a tad partial to silver grey cars !!

Those little dents could have been the result of a hail storm?

Hail can do a lot of damage to metal panels in a very short period of time.

thank you!

the micro dents in the front of the fender and on the hood were confined to an area of 2'x2' and the little dents look like they were made with a knitting needle and a hammer. Maybe a pissed off ex-wife and/or girlfriend (?). The sheet metal guys spent 2 days with a dolly and hammer...no bondo.

I like it...great job.

Is that "Silver Cloud" color you used a metallic?

Sorry eyes are getting bad but is your firewall body color or satin black like the inner fenders?

I like it...great job.

Is that "Silver Cloud" color you used a metallic?

Sorry eyes are getting bad but is your firewall body color or satin black like the inner fenders?

Yes, Silver Cloud (buick) or Palladium Silver (Pontiac) AKA Cortez Silver (Chev i think). No other adders, just the factory paint code mix. PPG brand primers and paint.

Take a look at the photo below. this is the car after the paint was stripped and before any sanding or primer. you can see where the paint ends at the body seam and the satin black starts in the middle...same think on the driver side, of course.