65VerdeGS

What inspired you to buy your Riviera? I recently came across the book that inspired me to buy a first-gen Riviera. Back in late 1982 I was looking for a more interesting car to replace my '72 Chevy Nova when I came across a copy of the "Complete Book of Collectible Cars" by Richard Langworth, published the year before. This book included capsule reviews of all domestic and foreign cars deemed to be "collectible". The entry for each model included specifications, history, points in favor and against the particular car. Here's the cover of this book: Here's the write-up on the 1963-65 Buick Riviera: On the strength of this review, I decided to acquire a first-Gen Riviera. In retrospect, Langworth's review turned out to be uncannily accurate, especially with regards to the "For" and "Against" ratings of the car. The prices listed 40 years ago are laughably low, but were accurate at the time, as I paid $2,200 for my Gran Sport in Feb 1983. "Bill Mitchell's magnificent anti-Thunderbird" - I still love that line! So, what inspired you to buy your Riviera?

Hi Ed: If the trunk lip was that badly rusted, I can only imagine what the underside of that car looks like. You were wise to run from that deal!

Hi Mark, I would check whether your alternator is charging properly. I'm no electrical expert, but found this inexpensive Harbor Freight battery tester to be a useful tool for diagnosing battery condition, and charging system operation. Just hook it up to your battery terminals and watch the needle with the engine idling. It will show the output voltage of the alternator (should be between 13 and 14.5 volts), giving you an idea of whether it is under or over-charging the battery. Another mode allows you to use a switch to load test the battery with the engine off.

Thanks everyone for your input on the grille, and what to look for. I'm hoping to get out to see the grille this week. All will depend on the condition of the chrome - if it's pitted, then no deal. I'll update you once I've seen the item.

Yes, that gold Riv took a nasty hit! Anyone riding in that car is unlikely to have survived the impact. Notice the venetian blinds in the back window. Hadn't seen that in a long time! A number of years ago a friend had a head-on collision driving his Flame Red '65 Gran Sport. He punched the gas to pass a slower vehicle as he entered the highway. The throttle stuck wide open, and the surge of power overwhelmed the brakes and he careened across the grass median, striking an oncoming Suzuki Trooper with his left front fender. Not good. Both cars were totaled (the other driver survived.) My friend suffered 3 broken ribs and other injuries from his chest striking the steering wheel on impact, as he was only wearing a lap belt. He was lucky to have survived the crash. He rebuilt the car, replacing the front clip and left fender. The impact buckled the roof slightly near the C-pillar. He had the frame pulled, replaced all the damaged parts and got the car repainted and back on the road! To this day he regrets not having had the presence of mind to turn the engine off with the key when the throttle stuck open. The bigger heavier cars may have had an edge in safety against smaller ones in a crash back in the day, but modern cars are clearly much safer.

My '65 with dark green interior has black gas and brake pedal pads. I'm pretty sure these are original. Were all pedal rubbers black in 1965? If not, which interior colors had pedals matched to the interior color?

How much would an intact front grille for a '65 Riviera be worth? Someone locally has one listed on Craiglist for $150. It has all the brackets and tabs, and appears intact. It looks dusty and dirty, like it's been stored in a barn for a long time. Before I head out to look at it, just wanting your feedback on what kind of offer I should make for it. I don't need it, but it's one of those "just in case" parts to have in case of disaster. I'm thinking if the day came when I needed a grille then it might be hard to find one this cheap, for shipping an item this big and heavy would be expensive. Your thoughts?

Hi Jim - you're right, they were different cars. Both are black, curiously, and wearing red-line tires. But, looking closer, they are not the same car. Thanks for pointing this out. Alex

That same '65 Gran Sport was sold on Bring a Trailer in October for $121k. The buyer flipped it at Mecum for a tidy profit of almost $30k. Nice return on his money for only holding the car for 3 months! If this is indicative of the market for these cars then it looks like the speculators are crowding into what was formerly the preserve of the hobbyist car collector.

Was the Cadillac Automatic Temperature Control system of '67-'70 the same as was used in Buicks of the day? I had a '68 Eldorado with this system, controlled by a knurled temperature wheel. The A/C on my Eldo stopped working soon after I bought the car in 1996, but I could still get heat using the dial. That Caddy system was pretty complicated and I never got around to fixing it.

HI Jon, Can you elaborate on your statement above? Many guys dump the original points/condenser setup for an electronic replacement, assuming this is superior to the old setup. But your statement seems to contradict this? One downside of going with Pertronix or similar is that when it fails, you're dead, unless you have spare parts with you. Your thoughts?

Hi Pilk, I also think red with white interior is very attractive combination. But, it's your ride, so you're the boss! I would steer away from black as you know it shows every bit of dirt, dust and defect in the paint. Getting a black car 'flat' (ripple free) entails more bodywork and sanding ($$) when compared to other lighter colors. As far as the side mirror goes, if you want to install a mirror then easiest would be to get a door skin from another '65 Riviera that already has a side mirror fitted. This would be an option if you're going to repaint the car anyway. Did you know the '63-65 Riviera is the only car that has removable door skins? Open the door and see the acorn nuts around the perimeter. Its easy to remove/replace the skin. This means you don't need to buy the entire door assembly.

Congratulations Brandon on your new '65 Riviera. Looks real sharp! The car looks very clean and un-molested - a great base to start from. Welcome to the forum. Lots of great advice to be found here. Use the search function, and of course you can always post your questions. Consider joining the Riviera Owners Association. This will be another great resource for you. See here: https://www.rivowners.org/ Cheers,

Looks like somebody got a hell of a deal on a '65 Gran Sport for $35,000, with A/C, Deluxe interior, recently restored, etc. The auction ended on Dec 7th: https://www.ebay.com/itm/234312360668 The seller is listed as being from Bellingham, WA. Did anyone on this forum sell, or buy this car?

The Max Balchowsky Gran Sport on BaT 'only' got bid up to $65,000 and didn't meet reserve. That car looked like the real deal, with documentation, but brought far less money than the red-line tired black Gran Sport that was sold not long ago, also on BaT. I'm curious why the Balcholwky car didn't go higher, and can see why the seller wouldn't let it go at the bid price. Did the added sunroof affect it's value? Otherwise it looked like a very good car. The black GS that sold for $121,000 had minor issues, like incorrect redline tires, etc. Seems that black cars can command a healthy premium, and maybe the Balchowsky car in Seafoam green just didn't attract as many potential buyers. I'm sure with rising values there is more incentive for the nefarious to clone a '65 Gran Sport. Like with other higher value cars (e.g. big-block Corvettes), it sure pays to do your due diligence by hiring an expert to verify the fact that the car is a Gran Sport. I can only think of a few people in our hobby that know enough to inspect and authenticate a genuine Gran Sport (Tom Mooney is one). Tom, do you provide such a service to potential Riviera buyers?

Hi Craig, Here, from Vol. 9 #2, pg 13 is the info I used to find a replacement steering box to replace the broken one in my '65. I went to a local wrecking yard and found a GM car containing a suitable donor box to replace mine. It's still working fine: More info on steering boxes here: https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/saginaw-steering-boxes Hope this helps,

Jason - Here's the mic I used to measure the cam lobes, showing what I measured:

Hi Jason, Here are some pics of the ends of the cam I have: I'm probably measuring wrong, but it seems each lobe is 1-11/32" in height. That's the height of each lobe, top to bottom. If that isn't the correct way to measure, let me know. Does this help you confirm this to be is a nailhead cam, and if so, which one? Thanks,

HI Craig, The price you're being quoted for the steering box is crazy. I would look to replace your broken box with a GM variable-ratio box with a good one from a junkyard, or have one of these rebuilt. They bolt right up. I believe the VR boxes were used in GM full size from mid-70's on up. That's what I did when my box went south. I can check further for the application you need. These VR boxes were used in millions of GM cars back in the day and are NOT rare by any means. An added bonus of these is they are quick ratio, so giving you less than 3 turns, lock to lock. Keep your old original steering box. If your Gran Sport had the H2 ride and handling package then it would have a quick ratio (2.75 turns) steering box. The standard boxes were 3.25 or so turns lock to lock. Your original box can be rebuilt, but certainly for far less than $1,600! Hope this helps,

Congratulations Eric, Wow - she's a beauty! And a GS too! Don't see them often in silver... Striking!

Hi Jason, Well, looks like no holy grail cam for me. Here's what mine looks like: Same 1362241 casting number as in your photo, but no groove. My cam has the letters "CWC" cast between two lobes to the left of the casting number - see photo. What does "CWC" mean? Still wondering what cam I have... Is it a nailhead cam? Or did they use the same numbered blank to make cams for other engines? Any other ideas on how to find out what cam I have? Thanks,

Hi Eric, Off topic perhaps, but glad to hear you found a 65 Gran Sport! Pictures, pictures please! Can you share the story of how you found your silver beauty? Has it lived up to your hopes and expectations? Thanks,

Hi Robert, Instead of paying big bucks to a third party, why not restore the steering wheel yourself? Recently another forum member posted about repairing the cracks on his wood grained wheel. I provided some ideas on how he could restore his steering wheel. As you'll see, he was able to do it and you can too! See here: The only tricky part may be getting an accurate match to the red color of your interior. Remove your original steering wheel - it has to come off to be restored anyway, and that's not difficult to do - to a body shop supply house that sells car paint. They'll have a gizmo that can 'read' the color of your steering wheel to generate a paint formula that matches. They'll put this into a spray can which you can use to repaint your repaired wheel. Last time I did this (here in Canada) I paid about $35 for a can of paint to match the plastic green trim inside my car. The match was perfect and allowed me to refinish some scuffed panels easily. Hope this helps!

I saw something I've never seen before when examining the pictures posted by the dealer of this Gran Sport clone. This is a nice looking car, BTW, even if it's not the 'real deal'! Why would someone fill the space inside the rear springs with tennis balls??? 🤨 If they wanted to help raise the car, air shocks or rubber spacers could have been used. Tom - you mentioned knowing the fellow who built this car. Might you know why the restorer put tennis balls inside the rear springs? clone G

Hi Matthew, I enjoyed your video! Thanks for sharing your experience with the two quarter window seal brands you evaluated. I need to replace the original seals on my '65 as they long ago split at the bottom and have been held together with black fabric tape - not ideal. Based on your review, I'll order the CARS quarter window seals and give them a go! Question - are the original steel-cored seals glued into the chromed window channels? Are these hard to get out? Do I just yank with pliers, or will they slide out easily with a bit of persuation? Thanks again,