A Sad Story

[Brian Riviera]

Check out just got a 65 Riviera. So I got this car for my brother, seemed like a good idea at the time. A nice clean 65 with 85K miles on it. He lives 4 hours away and the car was purchased in my home town. It had multiple minor issues which I was to work out before he came down for a weekend to spend some time working on it. It has spent the last two weeks in the shop replacing every concievable seal and gasket known to mankind, timing chain, engine and trans mounts, water pump, all hoses etc....The big day comes and with great excitment I picked this thing up, she's running like a dream. Until disaster happens, 3rd gear goes on the highway. Of course my wife and two young daughters are with me, I fielding questions like "Daddy, are we all gonna die" and " Is the car gonna explode" With a cool head I limp this thing into the nearest gas station where we all got out of the car least it start on fire or something and my youngest daughter quickly informs me that Uncle Paul's car is bleeding. A very large pool of ATF is spreading under the tranny. A quick trip into store to aquire 3 liters of ATF which basically pours out of the tranny as fast as I can get it in, then load everybody back in and have a wild ride to the shop hoping thee whole way that we can make it before we lose all tranny pressure and start looking for a tow truck. With a great deal of luck and some fancy driving we made it. So the Riv is now in the tranny shop, I think I'm getting used to seeing this thing on the hoist more than anywhere else. Hopefully this will be the last major item as most almost everything else is new or rebuilt. So here is the big question the 401 Nailhead, it's the only item left to be done. Can you guys help me out with budgets for a long block rebuild including heads. We will pull the motor and reinstall.

The tranny comes out on Monday, and I will know what were up against. It's a T400 with the funky torque converter. Any tips in regards to the tranny rebuild or things I should watch for would be appreciated. I am also thinking of a mild shift kit, any reccomendations?

Someday were actually going to drive this car.....

Brian

[Guest REX STALLION]

Yup, that sucks. 40+ yr old cars are like that. Just when you think you have it all worked out... Remember, there is no automotive problem that cannot be solved with throwing copious amounts of cash at it!! I don`t own a boat and I don`t belong to a golf club that way I can rationalize spending all my disposable income and free time on automotive silliness . Much more fun than chasing that goofy white ball

[tim63riv]

Brian,

"Running like a dream" and looking to do a complete overhaul of the 401 are on opposite ends of the spectrum! These are not cheap engines to overhaul and there are some issues with machine shops not knowing what to do and causing more damage than good. I would get the transmission sorted out and then drive it. Those old Nailheads are pretty good at letting you know what they need. If it doesn't use oil or coolant and doesn't leak any fluids, there is precious little to gained by an overhaul. It sounds like you already resealed it and replaced the timing chain, you may be good to go for a long time. Just my 2 cents!

Tim

[TexRiv_63]

Brian,

I agree with Tim, don't rebuild anything unless you have a problem. As you have already experienced, plenty of challenges will pop up anyway. Nailheads are known to be strong reliable engines that can take a lot of miles as long as they are maintained. Good Luck!

[RivNut]

Brian,

I'm with Tim and Don on the engine rebuild; there are things that are different than your basic small block. If a rebuilder says "I've done a bunch of Chevies before, I don't think a Buick could be that much different," RUN don't walk away. When it's time to sort out the engine issues, then be specific on what you're wanting to do and contact the list again. One thing I know for sure - DON NOT, REPEAT NOT, LET ANYONE CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU NEED TO INSTALL HARDENED VALVE SEATS IN THE HEADS. There is enough nickle in the block that hardened seats are not required. There is an article on rebuilding nailheads that was published a number of years ago. When it's time, I'll tell you where to find it. Since the time of the article, the builder has regretted installing hardened seats. To do it, you are way too close to a water jacket; more than half the time you'll get into one of them. Old heads are not that easy to find, so why take a chance on doing something you don't really need anyway.

The ST400 in your '65 is a pretty basic GM TH400 other than the switch pitch feature. A mild shift kit is okay it that's what you want; you can alter shift points to a higher RPM (as was done on the 65 GS Riviera) or alter the firmness of the shifts (chirping the tires going into 2nd gear is always impressive.) If I were you, I'd consider a couple of other things before putting the trans back together. 1) installing some kind of auxillary trans cooler, and 2) getting a pan with a drain plug in it (or putting a drain plug in the pan you have.) Makes changing fluids (when needed) a much simpler job.

Ed

[Brian Riviera]

Thanks for your input guys. The old 401 runs pretty well. Highest compression cylinder is @ 150 and lowest @ 120, the rest are all around 125. It seems to have a little more valve train noise compared to the small block chevs that I am used to, is this normal for a 401? Your right, it has been all resealed and is running very well, what is the standard "red line" RPM for a 401, the old tranny wanted to shift at fairly low RPM and I'm wondering if it would be prudent to stretch it out a bit. The old oil and coolant taken out during the reseal showed no signs of cross contamination, and it isn't burning blue or white so I am hoping that the 401 won't cause any further troubles. Probably will do a new carb and electronic distributor in the next while, any recommendations? Thanks again.

How can I post some pictures without having them on the web?

Maybe I can talk my brother into coming out for the Fathers day weekend to turn some wrenches.

Brian