Guest ZombyWoof Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Came across this listing on eBay. Scroll down about 2/3, and there a picture of the inside of the glovebox. There's a lens covering the light. Never seen one before..is it stock?(I'd borrow the picture from the listing to make things easier, but it probably violates something...)http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Buick-Riv...sspagenameZWDVW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 I don't think it is a lens, I think it is just a metal ring bezel around the hole.I think I have seen it on other cars, but not on my '63. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 I just did a recon mission on my '63 and it does have the chrome bezel AND a lens on the glove box light. This car is equipped just like mine but I also have the twilight sentinel on mine. However, mine is a negative of this one, black with white leather.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 OK, Ed, so I went out and did the same. Mine just has a hole cut in the top of the liner. Kind of rectangular but round on one end.It puts out a good bit of light.Looks like another mid-model year detail change in the '63 Riv (like the ribbed dash and a few other things we have noticed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Jim,Probably so. Too bad there's nothing from Buick that lists all these things, and the dates they were implemented. So far, you're the authority on mid-year changes and when they occured. I did an "ebay question for the seller" on this car and asked for the date code and FB number. If I get an answer, I'll let you know. Did you read it closely enough to notice he claims it has a 425, but the JT 499 number he posted and the 445 Wildcat aircleaner surely give this one up as a 401.I'll try to take a picture of my glove box light tomorrow and post it. No battery to make the light shine, but that way you'll be able to better see what the trim ring and lens look like. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Ed-Date and Fisher Body number were added to the listing (with typo in the FB number -- it should only have 5 digits, should be 20193), then it was ended early.My car is an 11A and has no lens.Yours is a 01D and it has the lens. I will start narrowing it down between those dates to see when the switch over occurred.My Buick Master Chassis Parts book lists the lens as a separate part on a page dated March 1963. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Jim,I got the email from the seller and he added the extra 1 to the FB number too.His car was built one or two weeks after mine. I say one or two weeks based on the following info. With a build date of 02A his was built in the first week of Feb. My car is a 01D, built in the fourth week of Jan. My question is based on the 1963 calendar. Jan 1 was on a Tuesday. Jan 31, was on a Thursday. There would have been almost 5 full weeks in Jan so I'm assuming that there would have been an 01E for 1963. My first question is this.... If Feb 1 was on a Friday in 1963, did Feb have a 1 day week for 02A or was Friday, Feb 1, the last day of week 01E?The number FB20193 is 1,460 units after mine (FB18733); second question; how many Rivieras were being built per week at that time?I'll try to get a picture of my glove box light to you - no light on so you can see the acutal lens; not the light coming through the lens.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ZombyWoof Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 By the way, I'm a 12A...my car never had this lens, or it was lost before I got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ZombyWoof</div><div class="ubbcode-body">By the way, I'm a 12A...my car never had this lens, or it was lost before I got it. </div></div>ZW-You saw the photo of the top of my glove compartment, with the rectangular hole rounded at one end. Is that what you have? If so, we have narrowed it down a bit further as to when this particular change over started.Ed-Yes, there was a 01E; I have one in my database.By my estimate, they were building about 235 Riviera bodies a day during January. I am refining that number as I collect more data.I have not yet seen a 02A car. As you point out, that week contains only 1 work day, so I would only expect about 200-250 cars were made that day (that week). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Jim,The car that was posted with the picture of the glove box light is a 02A. You have all the data on it, can you use this as part of your data base or do you limit it to individuals in the club and/or cars for which you have personal knowledge?With Feb 1 falling on a Friday, that makes Feb of 63 a five week month as well. Do you have an 02E cars on your registry?Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest low'n slow Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 I just replaced my liner. I have the light and the lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: low'n slow</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just replaced my liner. I have the light and the lens. </div></div>Cool! Do you have A/C? How well did the replacement liner fit? I assume you had to move the lens over from old liner to new... how did that go?Do you know the build date of your body and the Fisher Body number? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oakland Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 My 63 Riviera has Air Conditioning, and the origional glove box liner looked just like the picture shown with the round light with a chrome bezel and lens. The liner was bad and I ordered a replacement for it. The replacement came with a rectangle hole in it. I inquired and the seller told me that AC cars had different liners than non-AC cars. AC cars had shallower liners with round lights and non-AC cars had deeper liners with rectangle lights. I sent the liner back and he sent one with the round hole. I bought the liner on Ebay not knowing the difference, but if you check you will see that liners are advertized as with AC and without AC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: oakland</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My 63 Riviera has Air Conditioning, and the origional glove box liner looked just like the picture shown with the round light with a chrome bezel and lens. The liner was bad and I ordered a replacement for it. The replacement came with a rectangle hole in it. I inquired and the seller told me that AC cars had different liners than non-AC cars. AC cars had shallower liners with round lights and non-AC cars had deeper liners with rectangle lights. I sent the liner back and he sent one with the round hole. I bought the liner on Ebay not knowing the difference, but if you check you will see that liners are advertized as with AC and without AC. </div></div>Interesting! Not true, but interesting. The 1963 Buick Master Parts Book does not list 2 different numbers for glove compartment liners for A/C and non-A/C cars. They just list one part number. My car has A/C and it has the rectangular hole. It is a fairly early build date, which is why it has the rectangular hole. Check out the attached picture of a later build date (3rd week of May 1963) non-A/C car with round hole... This is from an original unmolested car (19,000 miles on the odometer). It is like a time capsule.Since you never had the 2 liners in your hand at the same time, you never could compare their relative sizes, could you? I suspect that their "different sizes" story is bull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest low'n slow Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jim_Cannon</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: low'n slow</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just replaced my liner. I have the light and the lens. </div></div>Cool! Do you have A/C? How well did the replacement liner fit? I assume you had to move the lens over from old liner to new... how did that go? </div></div>I do have A/C. The liner fit great. The only difference was the new one didn't have the vinyl strip stitched around the edge. The hole for the light was exactly as the original. Round with a square "keyway".Mine is a 04B FB 29093. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go Poly Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 I have a '63 a/c car built in March '63 and it has the ribbed dash, spare tire on right rear of trunk and round lensed glove box light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gee_Rydes Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Sounds like someone needs to have some info verified. You have come to the right place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Go Poly</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a '63 a/c car built in March '63 and it has the ribbed dash, spare tire on right rear of trunk and round lensed glove box light. </div></div>Confirming my explanation.Do you know the build date (week/month) of your body and the Fisher Body number? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go Poly Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jim_Cannon</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Go Poly</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a '63 a/c car built in March '63 and it has the ribbed dash, spare tire on right rear of trunk and round lensed glove box light. </div></div>Confirming my explanation.Do you know the build date (week/month) of your body and the Fisher Body number? </div></div>No, but I will make the effort to look it up and post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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