65 engine detailing

[jframe]

What is the best way to clean up this dusty, dinghy engine compartment of mine? Possibly even spray paint the engine?

[NC1968Riviera]

Wow, that's a big horn!

[RivNut]

9 minutes ago, NCRiviera said:

Wow, that's a big horn!

The two trumpets you see mounted on the bottom side of the hood are the two optional horns that were part of the four note horn option.  

 

Each year, 1963, 1964, and 1965 offered the option, but each year the horns were different lengths and we're tuned to different notes. Part numbers are stamped into the bases. In 63, the horns played Bb and C,  in 64 they played C and D, and in 65, they played B and D.

[jframe]

Factory 4 note horn option.

[JZRIV]

Yea - If I ever get a 1st gen, it must have 4 note horns.  That's just a killer option to have. Makes a statement both visually and audibly. I love the 2nd gen 4 note option too, Still a demanding presence with sound but a baby brother appearance wise.

[RivNut]

37 minutes ago, jframe said:

What is the best way to clean up this dusty, dinghy engine compartment of mine? Possibly even spray paint the engine?

Take some aluminum foil and wrap it around and seal anything you don't want to get wet - carb, distributor, relays, alternator, voltage regulator, etc.  Remove the battery.  Soak everything in something like Purple Power or Simple green, then wash it down using ahigh power nozzle on a garden hose ( or a power washer turned down low).  For the really tough places soak in some Brake Kleen before hosing it off.  I reach some places with Clorox wipes. 

 

Painting is about the same. Wrap in aluminum foil to protect parts you don't want painted. There are some exact color paints from which to choose - CARS, Hirsch, and I think, POR-15.  There are a couple of over-the-counter paints that are "close" - Detroit Diesel green, and a Ford green,  but not correct. Take your time and enjoy the process.

[KongaMan]

Start high, work low.

 

If you're going to paint anything, remember that the results are determined by the prep work.  In short, paint doesn't stick to dirt, grease, or rust.  That is, plan to spend more time with a toothbrush than with a paintbrush.

 

If you're painting the engine itself, you might consider removing anything that gets in the way: AC compressor, alternator, PS pump, intake manifold, distributor, radiator hoses, fan, etc.  For the things you may not want to disconnect completely (AC, PS, etc.), you might want to clean them before moving them.  No sense in having that goo drip down on something you just cleaned.

 

Same with the inner fenders: clean what you can, unbolt everything that comes off, then move it to the side or hang it from the hood before attacking the fender itself.

 

If you've got accumulated or caked on grease, it might pay to have everything steam cleaned first.  It won't be paint-ready when they're done, but you'll avoid having to deal with most of the worst of it.

[Seafoam65]

     I did this on my car......I used aerosol degreaser then spent a long time at the car wash with the wand getting everything free of dirt and grease.

I removed all the accessories and brackets from the front of the engine....fan, pulleys, p/s pump alternator, fuel pump and fan shroud. I was changing the

water pump so I painted the new one on the workbench. To do a good job on the brackets, air cleaner, accessories etc. it is best to use a  media blasting cabinet

to get all that stuff down to bare metal. On the fenderwells you will need to remove everything bolted to them or next to them like the voltage regulator, horn relay, vacuum reservoir etc., then wet sand the fenderwells and radiator support with 320 grit wet or dry sandpaper. be sure to use a tack rag on everything to get

off the lint before painting. Duplicolor Ford Black engine paint is an exact match to the original paint Flint used on the brackets , p/s pump air cleaner and fenderwells and it is very durable and sprays out smooth as glass if you are good with an aerosol can. If you are not experienced with aerosol painting I would

recommend practicing on something first till you figure it out. The best procedure with aerosols is one very light coat, wait 10 minutes and follow with a medium

heavy coat then wait ten minutes and apply a very wet coat but don't get carried away on the 3rd coat or you will get runs. When you are painting, keep plenty

of rags and B12 chemtool carburetor   cleaner on hand to quickly wipe off all the paint on anything where you get runs in the paint. I painted my radiator and condensor in the car with excellent results. I did my whole engine compartment in a couple of days of work...probably about 12-14 hours altogether total.

The decal on the fan shroud, radiator, and side of the air cleaner are all reproduced, as is the  aluminum pie pan on the air cleaner lid. There is only one source on the decal to replace the original white silk screening on the side of the air cleaner, and it is not CARS. I can't remember the name of the source off the top of my head but I can find it for you if you can't find it on the internet. Do not remove the intake manifold! Just remove the carburetor and plug wires and hoses and you can paint the engine just fine. Here are my before and after pics of my engine compartment......

 

Edited October 13, 2017 by Seafoam65 (see edit history)

[telriv]

IF you have ANYTHING bare aluminum DO NOT use purple power or simple green. It will end up making them white.

[60FlatTop]

Be really careful about what you remove once you get that hood open. Well, just one more piece.....

[1965rivgs]

I would highly recommend retaining the original underhood decals and cleaning/painting around them, even if somewhat deteriorated and ESPECIALLY the radiator decal. It is very unusual to find an original rad in a 50 year old car and the original decal is a sure indication the rad is an original. Is there a 2 letter alpha code stamped in white on the top tank, probably drivers side toward the engine? If so, that is the code which appeared on the build sheet and referenced by the assembly line workers when choosing the correct radiator.

  Tom Mooney

[jframe]

2 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

I would highly recommend retaining the original underhood decals and cleaning/painting around them, even if somewhat deteriorated and ESPECIALLY the radiator decal. It is very unusual to find an original rad in a 50 year old car and the original decal is a sure indication the rad is an original. Is there a 2 letter alpha code stamped in white on the top tank, probably drivers side toward the engine? If so, that is the code which appeared on the build sheet and referenced by the assembly line workers when choosing the correct radiator.

  Tom Mooney

Tom, I haven't noticed a code, but I will look for it. Pretty sure all the decals are original, only has 64,000 miles. The air cleaner decals are pretty rough, especially the Wildcat aluminum plate on the lid. Like to at least redo the air cleaner and just need to clean the inner fenders and so forth. Maybe hit the engine with some green after I clean the dust. No real visible leaks up top; has a little oil at the back of the valley pan by the distributor, but it appears to be old, maybe from a previous leak. 

[Bbopper65]

Great looking detail.  I'm in the process now ...but  I do need the  the silk screen on the cleaner cover. I have looked everywhere.  Any help would be appreciate

[RivNut]

Have you looked at CARS yet?  They have the silk screen for other years.

[Bbopper65]

I have checked all the usual spots...CARS, OPIG and Mr Mooney.  Didn't find anything.  Any other thoughts?

[MikeJS]

On 10/14/2017 at 8:15 PM, 1965rivgs said:

I would highly recommend retaining the original underhood decals and cleaning/painting around them, even if somewhat deteriorated

 

Good day.

 

Sometimes easier said than done... My '64's air cleaner decal was totally painted over but I was able to remove it from the air cleaner...

 

 

To my surprise, I was able to clean it up somewhat but I didn't think it was nice enough (even without the scratches I added...?)  to re-use on a new rebuild engine and re-finished air cleaner...(fwiw, the shop used POR15 Buick Green on the rebuild) 

 

 

 

I tried my hand at recreating it simply using Microsoft Excel, but same result, I knew it just wouldn't look right...

 

 

In the end I ordered the after market decals from...

 

https://classicbuicks.com/shop/decals-labels-tags/

 

Although my centre decal is still in reasonable shape, I did pick up one of the replacements...

 

 

 

The original will hang in the "Wo-Man" cave...(long story..."yes, dear, that's YOUR half"...)

 

The air cleaner has been refinished, and the centre decal was a very nice fit. (A second set of hands helped during the placement.)

 

Once the car's out of the shop, I'll post some final pictures of the engine bay...

 

 

Later,

 

Mike

[1965rivgs]

9 hours ago, Bbopper65 said:

I have checked all the usual spots...CARS, OPIG and Mr Mooney.  Didn't find anything.  Any other thoughts?

Do you need the decal on the air cleaner lid/cover or on the side of the air cleaner body? The pic I sent you was from the air cleaner body.

 Tom

[Bbopper65]

Hi Tom, I need the long one on the side...on the right hand  side it says  'front" going vertical {as above).  I did get the correct pics  

Edited May 28, 2018 by Bbopper65 (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

OK, that is my understanding...the decal is offered for models which are MUCH less popular as compared to the first gen Rivs. I cant imagine the Decal Barons have not done the same item for a `65 Riv. Here is an example. I would check with this seller to see if the decal you need is available.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Buick-Electra-225-Air-Cleaner-Service-Decal/400398799578?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

Hope this helps,

Tom

[Bbopper65]

Thank you Tom for your help... it's on the way now.. I will post pics when the engine compartment is finished.  This forum is outstanding and my Riviera is the beneficiary of your expertise.  Thanks all  

[RivNut]

4 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

OK, that is my understanding...the decal is offered for models which are MUCH less popular as compared to the first gen Rivs. I cant imagine the Decal Barons have not done the same item for a `65 Riv. Here is an example. I would check with this seller to see if the decal you need is available.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Buick-Electra-225-Air-Cleaner-Service-Decal/400398799578?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

Hope this helps,

Tom

 

Open the link that Tom provided. Once the eBay link is open, find the link to his "visit store" and click on it.  Once you're in thr store click the following links: Buick - decals, scroll to the bottom and go to page 4.  The decal you want is called a "1964 - 1965 Wildcat 465 air cleaner service decal." It's $6.92 plus shipping.  Or type "1964 1965 Wildcat 465 air cleaner decal" in the Google search window and you will see it and you can click on it and be taken to the eBay listing. 

Edited May 28, 2018 by RivNut (see edit history)

[Bbopper65]

Thanks ED... Everybody has been a big help...decal on it's way .:)

 

[TexRiv_63]

All good advice above, it is much harder detailing with everything left in place. Remove as much from the engine as you can, I combined my detail with a Vintage Air A/C install.

[1965rivgs]

10 hours ago, RivNut said:

 

Open the link that Tom provided. Once the eBay link is open, find the link to his "visit store" and click on it.  Once you're in thr store click the following links: Buick - decals, scroll to the bottom and go to page 4.  The decal you want is called a "1964 - 1965 Wildcat 465 air cleaner service decal." It's $6.92 plus shipping.  Or type "1964 1965 Wildcat 465 air cleaner decal" in the Google search window and you will see it and you can click on it and be taken to the eBay listing. 

This is the correct service decal for a `65 air cleaner

 

https://www.ebay.com/i/391707901894?chn=ps

 

Tom

[RivNut]

4 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

This is the correct service decal for a `65 air cleaner

 

https://www.ebay.com/i/391707901894?chn=ps

 

Tom

Good to know.  I was just matching the decal in post #16.

[Turbinator]

On 10/13/2017 at 3:56 PM, jframe said:

What is the best way to clean up this dusty, dinghy engine compartment of mine? Possibly even spray paint the engine?

Sir, To get the engine is good as you are going to get I suggest you go to You Tube.

A young man, ChrisFixit, has a million subscribers. The young man goes to far reaching lengths to get it right. I was going to paint my engine bay and engine, but decided to have a paint shop paint it. NEVER, let them take the engine out of the bay. I could go for two weeks how they could have very well ruined the engine when they reinstalled the engine. The air conditioner was working BEFORE they took it out the engine. After the shop renistalled the engine the AC did not work. I’m just now getting the AC working working on the vacuum hoses and vacuum switches MYSELF.

By the way IF, you are paint the engine maybe an air brush will give you greater accuracy.

Red Riviera Bob

[Turbinator]

On 10/13/2017 at 9:25 PM, telriv said:

IF you have ANYTHING bare aluminum DO NOT use purple power or simple green. It will end up making them white.

Tom, you have that right. Before you clean those cast aluminum wheel covers check the label on your cleaner to make sure it is ok to use on aluminum. Ask me how I know. Tom thanks for the painful reminder.

Red Riviera Bob

[1965rivgs]

8 hours ago, RivNut said:

Good to know.  I was just matching the decal in post #16.

Ed,

  I believe the original marking is painted/stenciled and is not actually a decal

 Tom

[RivNut]

56 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

Ed,

  I believe the original marking is painted/stenciled and is not actually a decal

 Tom

That I would believe.  They never seem to peel off, they just get worn or scuffed.  I doubt if anyone will ever go to the expense of making a stencil.  The only stencil that I'm aware of is one for stamping a compressor for your a/c.  

 

My daughter has a stencil cutter for her printer.  She's done some bicycle stuff for me but never anything with small type like the air cleaner.  Probably doable but really labor intensive to remove letters, etc.