65VerdeGS

Great result, despite the tribulations. I hope you'll enjoy your newly minted Gran Sport for many years and miles to come!

Hi Ken, You're GS looks great! Excellent bodywork and paint. What color did you paint it? You said "4 years, two crooks later..." I'm sure there's a story there! Mind relating it for us to learn from? Congratulations on seeing the project throught - the results are outstanding!

I can confirm Jon's assertion about the "bang for the buck" improvement of swapping a 2-speed for a TH-350 can make. I did this swap in my '67 Corvette coupe with Powerglide. What a difference! The TH-350 is dimensionally almost identical to the Powerglide, so it fit right in without any cutting or modification to the cross member. The 2.52 first gear of the TH-350 really improves launch from a dead stop, and having an intermediate gear (1.52) helps with climbing hills and with kickdown for passing. I added a shift kit, and slightly higher stall speed torque converter to the TH-350,. This swap transformed the car's character into a much more sporting machine.

Well, all this A/C talk is a bit academic to me, as my Riv doesn't have it. Here in the Pacific Northwest, having A/C isn't critical. We rarely get so hot and humid that it's needed. But of course it would be nice to have! I find the ventilation system on the non-A/C early Rivieras to be excellent. Just slide the ventilation levers all the way and in comes a generous blast of fresh outside air. For more flow, open the vent windows all the way!

Thanks for the info on Redirad. Sounds like a neat solution! I had my stock AM/FM radio rebuilt last year by Precision Radio, in Ithaca NY. They added an iPod input (mini-jack), so I can connect my phone or MP3 player and play tunes through the radio. The cabling/jack is hidden in the console. All I do is open the console lid and plug the phone in. As soon as I plug it in the radio switches automatically to the source connected; no selecting a specific FM station or anything like that. The nice thing is that the connection is hidden so nothing is visible on the face of the radio. Works good too!

My '65 Gran Sport won "Best Buick" at the Tsawwassen Mills all-make show last weekend. Here's a judge inspecting my car:

Hi Arnulfo, I've never heard a radio with Reverb, so can't comment. But, what is the READIRAV setup you refer to?

I've driven my '65 from Vancouver, BC to California three times. Twice to Los Angeles, and once to Monterey, CA, for the 2012 ROA Annual Meet. No poblems. The Riv would easily pass anything but a gas station (joke!). The only time I had trouble was when the brake line over the rear axle sprung a leak during a trip to Portland, Oregon. I was cruising fine on I-5 and hit the brakes - NOTHING! Pedal went straight to the floor. I managed to use the transmission to brake the car sufficiently to get off at the next exit, then cruise to the nearest gas station, stopping the car with the parking brake. I got all the way back home by topping up the master cylinder a few times. Other than once running over a very large German Shepherd during a night drive on a narrow canyon road, the no-brakes epoise was my most 'white knuckle' moment behind the wheel of the Riviera.

The front left (driver's) turn signal on my '65 won't blink when I push the lever down. All other bulbs flash properly when I active them via the turn signal switch. I replaced the 1157A bulb in the front left hosing, but it didn't make any difference. To confirm if the flashing (brighter) filament was working, I put the bulb in backwards temporarily. The bright singalling filament light up, so I know it isn't a bad bulb that's causing the problem. I reinstalled the bulb correctly and tried giggling the wiring to the socket (from behind), and also tried same with wiring at the base of the steering column. No difference - the bulb won't flash with the turn signal engaged. I noticed that the green dashboard arrow lights up and flashes as it should, even thought the front right bulb does not flash. I thought if there was a burned bulb the dash arrow would either flash rapidly, or stay light and not flash, as an indication of malfunction. What is the normal behaviour supposed to be in this case? The bulb socket looks to be in good condition with no corrosion or other apparent issues. Is my problem related to wiring, or the turn signal switch? Any ideas appreciated. Thanks,

I'll pipe in with an update on my windshield replacement. I had mine replaced a few weeks ago, and it turned out great. I bought the windshield through Summit. It was a screaming deal: only $133 delivered to CANADA, all duties and taxes in! That's an unbelievable deal. The windshield I got had the LOF logo in the lower right corner, just as it should. The tint and shade band are perfect. Luckily my windshield arrived in perfect condition as I was fearful it would arrive broken. Although it took about 8 weeks to get here it was worth the wait! I had a glass installer put it in. Although I do admire those of you who have taken on this job yourself, I figured it was worth paying a pro to do it right. The cost for the install was only $125. My installer did NOT use the 3M butyl tape. He used urethane. He asserted that urethane is superior because it can be added as needed to fill gaps and won't distort and create leaks over time. So far there are no water leaks, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Here's the view through my old pitted windshield. Note the multitude of freckles and wiper rash: Now here's the view through the new windshield. Nice and crystal clear! From outside the car: Anyone considering a new windshield for their '63-'65 Riviera should act fast and seize the Summit Racing deal. You won't be disappointed!

Welcome to the forum MrILO, As Tom T. states, it's not so simple to determine whether a Riviera was born as a Gran Sport. You've hit on the obvious indicators, such as an LX 'Super Wildcat' engine with aluminum valve covers and dual four barrel carburetors, BS coded transmission, and of course those Gran Sport badges on the front fenders, trunk, and glove box. There are many other things that distinguish a true GS from a regular Riviera and you'd be wise to become as educated as you can on these differences. Among these are: different suspension, exhaust system, etc., etc. Beware these cars have been cloned - this has become more prevalent with the increase in their value that has occured in recent years. For example, a presumably genuine Seafoam green Gran Sport recently sold on the Bring-a-Trailer website for almost $80,000 USD. Such prices are not uncommon for good quality cars. However, I would want to know that the car is genuine in order to pay anywhere near that amount, as they seem to bring anywhere upwards of $50,000 USD in very good (restored or original) condition. Of course, you are in Italy. The market there for this type of car would be limited. There are precious few Rivieras, little own Gran Sport Rivieras in your country, and likely the seller's door isn't being knocked down by many prosepective buyers. For that reason alone you may be able to get the car for a good price. But, be clear on exactly what you are buying! I suggest you post many photos of the car as you can to this forum. As the seller to send you photos of everything - inside, engine, trunk, undercarriage, etc. Knowledgeable members here will be happy to give you opinions on whether the car may is genuine, or counterfeit. There are some misconceptions out there about the Gran Sport and you'd be wise to learn them. For example, the chromed 'Formula V' wheels were available as an option on all Rivieras, as was the deluxe interior with full length wood panels on the doors which included the ribbed outside rocker mouldings along the bottom of the car. Same goes for the wood wheel. It was a separate option. Many options could be ordered 'a la carte', which means that it's rare for two Rivieras to be exactly the same, and don't imply the car is necessarily a Gran Sport. For example, one could order the. Super Wilcat dual four barrel engine on its own, separate from the Gran Sport option (however, the engine, unless faked, would have a different coding). Those cars are actually rarer than the Gran Sport as only 454 were made vs. 3544 Gran sports. Despite being rarer, these don't command the same price on the market as a Gran Sport. As mentioned, those GS emblems are not indicative of anything, as they are about the easiest thing to graft onto a car in hopes of fooling a buyer. In fact, the placement of the emblems can be a tip-off to a counterfeit car when they are not positioned correctly. I've owned my '65 Gran Sport for 35 years, so would be happy to comment on your prospective purchase, as can others on this forum. Good luck on your research and on verifying the true identity of the Burgundy Mist Riviera!

Good on you for exposing the young lad to the glories of the Riviera!

Hi Scott, Who did you buy the glass from? Search this forum for info on the change made sometime in '63 from pressed-in (glued) door glass to the bolt-in method. As mentioned, the '64/5 cars have the bolted in glass. Your car was made in the third week of February (date code 02C) so perhaps the change-up happened after your car was built. The glass seller should honor a return, or send you replacement glass that matches the hardware in your doors. Note also that all 63/64/65 have the pressed-in glass for the rear quarters. This glass does not bolt in. I recently replaced mine with glass from a parted out '64 and it came with the chromed pot metal frames. I wouldn't know how to remove the pressed-in glass, but I suppose it can be done. Hope this helps,

Hi Tony, Good luck with the replacement of your water pump. Once you get the new pump installed make sure you don't over-tighten the belt. The first time the water pump went on my '65 Gran Sport I replaced it myself. It lasted about a year before failing. So, I replaced it again. And again. It wasn't until the 4th time that I learned I had been over-tightening the belt, causing the water pump bearing to fail prematurely. BTW - do you have any photos of your Gran Sport to post? We'd all love to see your car! Cheers,

Check out this cool clip from the movie "Point Blank" (1967). This scene occurs at 1:45 into the clip: Lots of cool '60's cars to be seen in the clip, including C1 and C2 Corvettes, and a '65 Riviera. The dark green Riv might even be a Gran Sport! Imagine coming across a used car lot today loaded with treasures such as these??!! The green Riviera is first visible 10 seconds into the clip, in the distance, on the right side of the frame. Same angle is shown again with a blonde looking over a '63 Corvette roadster. Then we see what appears to be the same green Riviera again at 1:45. Perhaps they moved the Riv to fill out this scene. Click here to view the entire clip (3:51 long): http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/262418/Point-Blank-Movie-Clip-Most-Accidents-Happen-.html How often do you get a cute blonde, a Corvette, and a Riviera in the same movie scene? Enjoy 😋

Engine compartment looks liberally sprayed with Satin Black to cover all sins. Including the body plate on the firewall. Also the A/C compressor seems to be missing....

Not sure if this has any direct correlation with the similar option on the Riviera, but I owned a 68 Cadillac Eldorado which had the 4-note horn option. It was a fully optioned car and I knew the two previous owners going back to 1968. I'm almost positive the car came with the 4-note horns from the factory. The long horn was METAL, not plastic.

Good eye!

The FWD setup introduced with the dramatic new Olds Toronado body in 1966 was rather over-engineered and extensively tested in advance of production. It worked very well, overcoming most of the vices of FWD such as torque-steer. The same FWD driveline setup was then used for the '67 Eldorado, and was shared by both models for 20+ years. This FWD setup continued until 1978 with only minor modifications starting in 1969 using different front wheel bearings and spindles adapted for disc brakes. That attests to the overall soundness of the FWD design that GM came up with. I read that Buick was offered the option to go FWD in 1966 on the newly styled Riviera, as this was to share the same cowl as the Eldo and Toro (I think these cars all share the same windshield too). That was I believe the start of body design homologation between GM divisions, using a standard cowl structure for multiple car models. The cowl I understand is the most expensive part of the car to design and engineer (don't ask me why). However, Buick elected to stay with rear wheel drive and the stable cruciform frame that they'd used on the Riviera since 1963. I owned a '68 Eldorado for 20 years. Under most normal driving conditions you'd never know it was a FWD car, with its soporific floaty ride and excellent AM/FM Stereo radio. This car probably had the longest hood in the industry, and its doors were huge too. One plus of FWD was its excellent grip in the snow! However, handing could be ponderous , although its 472 cu. in. engine with 500 ft. lb. of torque was more than up to spinning the front tires on command. But, in now way would you call this car sporty or nimble. At almost 5,000 lbs, it could be downright scary trying to stop and maneuver this car in a panic! Despite having front disc brakes it had a disconcerting tendency to lock up the rear drums and for the rear to try to come around during a panic stop. That quickly taught me to keep a good safe distance from the car ahead, especially at speed, and to not expect it to handle like.... a RIVERA! The overall experience driving this car was once described by a magazine writer (this time writing about a '70 Toro) as "The irresistible force meeting the immovable object." Oddly apt, I thought. By comparison, our Rivs are much more of a driver's car. Yes, big, but not too big. The brakes are better, instilling considerably more confidence when driving fast on occasion. Better acceleration, better cornering, while providing improved overall feedback to the driver. Not to say the Eldo/Toro were bad cars - they had their mystique for a time as the only FWD luxury vehicles produced in America in the late '60's. I think Buick's decision to retain RWD in the Riviera was the correct one. It allowed them to differentiate their personal luxury offering from those of Olds and Cadillac, while retaining the proven handling, driveability, and reliability Buick was known for in those days.

Yes, Gene is a good Riviera guy. He goes way back with these cars. A pleasure to deal with too.

Ouch! Ouch! I hope you're able to get another windshield from Summit without issue.

Well, I guess those idiot lights aren't so dumb after all! Most of us will notice right away if a red light comes on the dash. Seeing a gauge needle dropping low, not so much...

Good shot Bernie! Now that's a CAR!! Gotta love that late '30's Cadillac grille! Reminiscent of the front pods on our early Rivieras, no? After all, the '63 design was originally dubbed "LaSalle II", for Cadillac's by then defunct sister marque. Lucky for us Buick picked up the design IMO.

Wow - it would be great to see this special '65 Gran Sport Sales Center binder! Please post for our enjoyment - I'm sure many forum members will be keen to see these rare pieces of promotional literature. Cheers,

This thread is a bit old, but here's the method I use to get the clock out: Wrap a wide rubber band around the chrome bezel of the clock, like those blue ones the produce stores use to bind broccoli stalks together. The rubber band gives a good tight gripping surface. This obviates the need to remove the speedo and idiot light chrome bezels - there's enough room to twist the clock out. The clock will pop right out with a good grip on the rubber banded bezel. Use the same technique to put the clock back in. Try it a couple of times and you'll be getting the clock in and out in seconds!