Suspension

[65 rivi]

I have just purchased a 65 Riviera and was curious as to the best approach to create better handling. I am sure it is in need of springs bushings shocks ect. Just wanted to know the best route as I prefer not to do things twice.  Thanks for any suggestions 

[DualQuadDave]

PM me, I do conversions for QA1/Viking adjustable shocks(rears drop in, front lower arms require substantial clearancing), have custom adjustable rear panhard bars made and do my higher rate custom springs w/ 1/2/3in drop available.  

[telriv]

It would take me hours of one finger typing to give you ALL the things I've done to my '64 Riv. Do a search & I'm sure you'll find everything you need to know.

[RivNut]

On 12/12/2017 at 12:28 PM, 65 rivi said:

I have just purchased a 65 Riviera and was curious as to the best approach to create better handling. I am sure it is in need of springs bushings shocks ect. Just wanted to know the best route as I prefer not to do things twice.  Thanks for any suggestions 

What is it lacking?  What are you trying to accomplish?  Are you going to engage in a cross country rally in it?  If it's just old and worn, bringing back to factory specs might be sufficient.  No need to fix it unless it's broken.

[65 rivi]

The goes down the road like a boat on the waves leans on one side and just corners terrible.  Looking to tighten everything up as well as make the steering not so easy to turn,  no feel for the road at all. Any suggestions are welcome 

[RivNut]

I think that I'd start by replacing the shocks, taking a good look at all of to the suspension links, and getting an alignment, having the tech put as much positive caster into the front end as it will take.  2 degrees to 4 degrees positive would work wonders.  Those original specs were for bias ply tires.  

 

From there, you can add stiffer springs or install lowering springs, a stiffer front sway bar, and add a rear sway bar. 

 

As Tom T. says above, search the archives.  If 27 guys comment on what they've done to improve their rides, you'll probably get 27 different solutions.

 

Curious - how many turns lock to lock in your steering wheel?

[KongaMan]

From your other, identical thread:

 

On 12/12/2017 at 10:31 AM, KongaMan said:

HD springs (~500 lb/in), shocks (KYB or Bilstein; Monroes are soft), bushings (front and rear control arms, track bar, and brake reaction rod), heavier sway bar (Addco makes one), quick ratio steering box (15:1),

an overhaul of all steering components, and revised alignment specs if you're running radials (~4° positive caster). 

 

Depending on the current condition you might be lucky to get out of this for $1500 -- but it will be like driving a new car.

[jsgun]

It's important to keep in mind that it's 52 years old. Have you owned any other older cars? The suggestions posted will make it the best it can be, but it's never going to drive like a modern car.

 

I spent about $3k on a 67 Mustang, trying to get it to handle as good as my girlfriend's RAV4. It's almost there, other than the steering. That was with relocating the upper control arm position, and replacing all the rubber in the frontend with bearings, which in turned makes it incredibly noisy and harsh.

 

A lot has changed in design in the past 50 years, and it's going to be difficult and expensive to get a modern feel from a old design.

[65 rivi]

I agree that everything is probably dry rotted and in need of replacement do you have pros or cons in regards to an airbag system.  I am not sure of the original ride height and was hoping that along with improving the handling I would also be able to kick it up if having passengers in the car not to mention being able to drop it when at a show 

[RivNut]

It's been done.  I'd bet a search of the archives would yield a plethora of information.

[telriv]

When I was at a couple ROA meets a couple diff. people drove my '64 Riv. & couldn't believe how it rode & handled. One mentioned it felt darn close to rack & pinion. Of course I've had the Riv. for more than 50+ yrs. & I do ALL my own work being that was the profession I was in. Back in the early 60's there WERE NO parts available & most/many times had to modify/make my own.

[TexRiv_63]

The first decision you have to make is whether you want the car to ride and handle as it did when it was new or if you want to modify it. The first gen Riv handled well for a 1965 car but if you compare it to almost any modern vehicle it will seem deficient. 1965 luxury cars soaked up the bumps with a floaty comfortable ride and leaned in the turns because that is what customers wanted. You can restore the factory ride easily with new bushings, joints and shocks and maybe upgrade to radial tires. You can also try to make it handle like a modern car but with 1965 design that will be very difficult. It will most likely stiffen the ride excessively and take away any luxury feel. I've done cars both ways and prefer leaving it original but you have to decide which way you want to go. Good luck.

[60FlatTop]

Take a look around the house at other rubber items you use that were made 50 years ago. They might not be as resilient as you would like either. I renewed all my body mounts and suspension bushings and I bet, if I went back in time, I could get $5,000 for a new Riviera from a successful banker. And they are tighter than the suspension could ever be.

 

The two outstanding differences I feel driving my '64 Riviera is the smaller diameter steering wheel and the responsiveness due to the lack of overdrive. I do have gas shocks. But 7.10 X 15 biased tires. Suits me fine and I have been driving legally since 1965.

 

If you are a car hobbyist you probably have more than one car. I enjoy maintaining a car, but not inclined to re-engineer one. For the last 6 months I have been looking at Cadillac CTS coupes, 2014's and '15's. To me, they are the first generation Rivieras of today. One sitting in my garage would embody all of those potential modifications and, beside the Riviera, will have some striking design relationships.

 

Maintain and go for two, it is better in the long run. But don't test a CTS until you fix the Riviera, it could screw up the schedule of repairing the Riviera.

Bernie

[jsgun]

7 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

 

... Maintain and go for two, it is better in the long run.

 

This is what I did. Bought a very low mileage 92 Corvette for that reason. It was relatively cheap to buy, and to maintain. My mustang was my only car while I fixed it up, and it was very expensive to do so. Would have been much cheaper to buy a second car to drive while the first was down.

[Paul K.]

All good points  

 

Early Rivieras handle well compared to other vehicles their size so I would just rebuild the suspension stock. I have found most mods people do cause a big loss in ride quality. Then it’s not a Riviera anymore. I remember when I replaced the rear coil springs in my 64 how much less the car swayed in a turn. 

An approach I have used is to replace all the rubber suspension bushings or at least the ones that are cracked or not centered. Also replace the 4 coil springs and shocks. A little stiffer shock like a KYB might be a good idea  for your goal. If still too floaty, maybe install a thicker front sway bar. Not sure if there is a larger version of the rear sway/panhard bar in back available. Also, be sure to have the wheels aligned correctly. There are preferred/revised caster settings for radial   tires. A slightly lower profile tire can also help but the l lower you go means less rubber between the wheel and the road so a harder ride. 

[65 rivi]

Thank you for the recommendations that sounds like the path I am going to follow.