I finally got a 65 and I'm new to the club.

Hi Everyone.

I've been a car guy all my adult life and have dabbled in many cars. About 10 years ago while researching Buick history " I love reading car stuff " I came across a boattail and thought what a beautiful car. It was further reading that I discovered the 65 and knew then it was the one I had to have. Everything about it ,the look, the engine, and the whole story around it was amazing.

As most, work life, family life, finances all seemed to get in the way. My son and I are also building a 76 Camaro for his 16th birthday this September so money was flowing for that. Last August I found a highly optioned 63 Riv and although it didn't run and had a bad rookie body job I jumped on it for a price I couldn't refuse. New Carb, and tune up fixed the running but body was tough. As luck would have it a 65 came up for sale a week later but price was high. I watched it for 6 weeks and decided to call despite the price. The guy was very eager and I got it for half of asking price.

To me, she's absolutely beautiful. Before winter hit I was able to have the Carb rebuilt and get it running perfect. In spring I'll give it a once over but shouldn't need too much with this forums help like headlights and exhaust.

Sorry for the long post.

Bill. Btw, sold the 63 and made a good profit.

Welcome to the forum. Nice find.

You'll find a lot of helpful info here, and a lot of folks to answer your questions pertaining

to headlights/headlight motor and exhaust, plus a lot more.....

Buddy

Welcome! I love your screen name......wish I had thought of that one myself.

good luck with getting it in shape and we'll try to help when we can......Winston

Welcome, from the frozen north, and congratulations on your score, sometimes it pays to procrastinate.

. . . enjoy the wonderful world of Riviera !!

Same here, dabbled in cars and bikes most of my immature adult life , or "Manchild" as my daughter says and was up in the air about a classic car, well after long discusions and research it has to be the 1965 Buick Riviera. Excellent choice and welcome lots of good stuff here, there is another site V8 Buick that has a section on Nailhead engines, but this site is dedicated to the Riviera clan. Welcome again

Hi Everyone.

I've been a car guy all my adult life and have dabbled in many cars. About 10 years ago while researching Buick history " I love reading car stuff " I came across a boattail and thought what a beautiful car. It was further reading that I discovered the 65 and knew then it was the one I had to have. Everything about it ,the look, the engine, and the whole story around it was amazing.

As most, work life, family life, finances all seemed to get in the way. My son and I are also building a 76 Camaro for his 16th birthday this September so money was flowing for that. Last August I found a highly optioned 63 Riv and although it didn't run and had a bad rookie body job I jumped on it for a price I couldn't refuse. New Carb, and tune up fixed the running but body was tough. As luck would have it a 65 came up for sale a week later but price was high. I watched it for 6 weeks and decided to call despite the price. The guy was very eager and I got it for half of asking price.

To me, she's absolutely beautiful. Before winter hit I was able to have the Carb rebuilt and get it running perfect. In spring I'll give it a once over but shouldn't need too much with this forums help like headlights and exhaust.

Sorry for the long post.

Bill. Btw, sold the 63 and made a good profit.

Once the Riviera bug bites, you are infected for a lifetime! You should join the Riviera Owners Association as soon as you can. They produce a great bi-monthly publication that will open up a whole new Riviera world to you. Good luck with your car!

Welcome aboard from SoCal. You will enjoy the helpful guidance along your Rivi journey from the gentlemen here.

I will prob start a war here but I think u made the right choice in buying 65 & ditching the 63 lol (just my bias opinion)

Damn it! I like your username too

Thanks everybody. If I had the room I would have kept the 63 just because of the rarity of options but for me the clamshells are the cats @+'=/.

Hey Randy. I am actually in Ottawa this weekend for my daughters Ringette tournament. Frozen north is correct. Brrrrrrrr! . Thanks Pat. I've sent my money and hope to here back soon from ROA!

Cheers. Bill

Bill,

Welcome to the forum and ROA. We're glad you're here. Sounds like you did well on your purchase. Ha yea, sometimes it takes awhile to learn to appreciate the timeless styling of the Riviera as well as the quality that was built and engineered into these cars. They can be very reliable with a little focus in the right areas. Parts can be a little more costly than the average mainstream classic but if you start with a good example its not too bad. Looks like your car has the original interior.

I have to ask - are you keeping those big whitewalls?

Hi Jason, I'm not sure what protocol is whether to pm or email you or just post a reply here. As for the tires, I've been flip flopping on the tires but because they are bias ply I will definitely be replacing them. Going with big whites again? Probably not. As far as I can tell, this car is pretty much original (paint aside)so thin whites as close to original for replacements.

Bill

Bill, in case you didn't know, Legendary Auto interiors reproduces the factory Buick floor mats

in 17 different colors, if you'd like to get some blue ones that are correct. The driver's mat is made to fit a Skylark but there is an indentation on the back of the mat that shows where to put a notch in it to go around

the gas pedal and fit the Riviera floorboard. Here are my Legendary mats in dark green........

Hi Jason, I'm not sure what protocol is whether to pm or email you or just post a reply here. As for the tires, I've been flip flopping on the tires but because they are bias ply I will definitely be replacing them. Going with big whites again? Probably not. As far as I can tell, this car is pretty much original (paint aside)so thin whites as close to original for replacements.

Bill

Bill,

Normal protocol is to post reply here unless you or someone specifically requests a private message (PM); or if a response contains info you don't feel is beneficial or suitable for the public forum you can PM.

Yea too much white with those big whitewalls. Car will transform to a whole new personality when those come off.

Hi all. With temps hovering around 0 F I've had lots of time checking out the forums and already found lots of info on getting ready for spring. I do have a few questions if anyone can help.

1- my car has no seatbelts. Being a delete option, is it noted anywhere like the vintage plate?

2- the wire hubcaps are all chrome but all others I've seen have black centre's. Could they have been stripped?

3-I have a 63 aircleaner. Would this fit the Rochester 4jet? I've set it in but seems to hit the linkages.-Is a Carb spacer an option.

4- the cloth interior is stained( don't want to know how). Any tips on cleaning without ruining them. They are in very good shape.

Thanks in advance.!

Bill

Hi all. With temps hovering around 0 F I've had lots of time checking out the forums and already found lots of info on getting ready for spring. I do have a few questions if anyone can help.

1- my car has no seatbelts. Being a delete option, is it noted anywhere like the vintage plate?

2- the wire hubcaps are all chrome but all others I've seen have black centre's. Could they have been stripped?

3-I have a 63 aircleaner. Would this fit the Rochester 4jet? I've set it in but seems to hit the linkages.-Is a Carb spacer an option.

4- the cloth interior is stained( don't want to know how). Any tips on cleaning without ruining them. They are in very good shape.

Thanks in advance.!

Bill

Billy,

1) Don't know but I'll bet that Tom Mooney can tell you.

2) The area on the cover between the center cone and the rim should be black. These covers are easy to disassemble, clean, and put back together. Repainting the centers should be a no brainer.

3) The '63 air cleaner should fit the Rochester 4GC carb; the '65 carb is the same carb that came on some '63's and '64's other than the fact that the linkage is different for the switch-pitch converter. Have you looked up the carb number to make sure it's original? The '65 air cleaner is more boxy than the pancaked '63/'64 unit. There are alignment tabs inside the base of the air cleaner that, when properly aligned, keep the base from turning; make sure those tabs and the small posts on the carb neck are aligned correctly.

4) Good luck. Start under the seat back where you can't see the fabric and try out different products. I think that I'd start with a a clean white cloth, wet it and just try to blot it out. If nothing there, then go to a foaming upholstery cleaner that isn't so wet it would soak the fabric but might loosen the stain and wick it up into the foam.

hey NailedIt! Welcome to the Forum. Lucky find!! You need to become a member of the Riviera Owners Association if you haven't yet. You will get a very nice bi-monthly club magazine, the Riview, that features technical advice from experts (some of whom frequent this forum), cars & personal stories of club members, a great classified section with Rivs, parts (used, NOS, and repro), and ads from several vendors of repro Riv stuff that you will want catalogs from. Clarks Corvair, Classic Buicks, Cars Inc, OPGI, & others have a large selection of Riv stuff. It is of varying quality, so inquire in the forum before spending large. I've found that my good working knowledge of sixties iron doesn't always prepare me for some bugaboos that seem to inhabit all 65 Rivs. At times you need a factory shop manual and body manual. And when you run into problems, someone here has experience with every aspect of Rivdom you could think of. BTW, IMO those gangsta walls have got to go! I've gotten a lot of tire advice and have tried several types in the 23 yrs I've had my 65, The ones I have now are the best I've found....Firestone FR380 P225/75R15s are recommended for pickups but the Riv drives like a dream on them, and they have the 3/4" whitewall that looks perfect on the 65. They're big, but I haven't had any problems with clearance. That's the best first thing you could do for your car, visually and for drivability. Keep posting! Rivnik

RIVNIK,

Thanks for all the info. I'm looking forward to my ROA sticker and all those mags. I have quite an appetite for reading (especially with the temps this winter and an unheated garage) about anything Buick. I 6never was one to follow the crowd and mostly driven cars/trucks most wouldn't have thought of. My sons Camaro aside , I also have a 76 Buick Skyhawk in the garage which is now on the back burner for the

Riviera. When the temps start to rise , I'll be doing a full tune-up with the Petronix upgrade and order up tires. I'll definelty look into the FR380.

Cheers, Bill.

Hey Bill. I have the same hubcaps on my 63', and the same whitewalls. I took them apart and it does not seem like the paint was removed. Just more shine.

Good luck,

Brian

Hey Bill -

Easy question - where is little Britain ???

Hi Randy. It's about 15min drive southwest of Lindsay Ontario. I'm actually in a small hamlet outside of Little Britain but that is our mailing address.

I should add that I'm. 1.5 hours north east of Toronto, Ontario.

Btw. Thanks Brian. I'll leave my hubcaps as is after seeing yours. Mine also came off of a 63.

Bill

Hi again all. Today is a good day because I have received my ROA package with member card and window sticker. Any recommendations on where to locate the sticker on the car? Low on the rear glass and centre or front lower right hand side or?????????

Bill

Low centre in the rear window is where mine was placed Bill, as per ROA instructions.

It's a little awkward to get access on the sloped surface, but that's where it should go.

It's 'static-cling', so apply it with a little soapy water, (... like a vinyl decal), and you can position, or reposition it correctly, without damaging the decal. You might also want to wait for warmer climes to apply it ?

Bill, here's what it looks like in the rear window.......my car had one there when

I bought it.