bepnewt

Thanks for sharing. That's a gorgeous machine. -BEPNewt

Just saw this on eBay (not mine): Buick GS Nailhead 425 Super Wildcat Dual Quad INTAKE BUICK CARTER CARB 2X4 | eBay 5.5 days left on the auction and it's currently at $510.00. Adding the pics from the auction for history's sake.

I know it's been a while, but what did you end up doing on this, Nick? Did you sell your 2x4? -BEPNewt

Thanks, Jim. I had my wife sit in the car and depress the pedal and let off of it once. The choke never moved. If I move it with my finger, it goes back to its resting position. I recorded me moving it with my finger and letting it go a couple times. Then I opened the throttle and let it go. There is a little resistance on the choke when I move it with my finger, but not a lot. The engine hasn't been started in about a day and it's about 45* in my garage. Please let me know what you notice isn't working properly. Carb Choke - YouTube Thanks, as always... -BEPNewt

Posting again. The one I just posted got lost in the ether. I'm pretty sure my problem is the choke. Twice in a row now after the car has been sitting for an extended period, I was able to get it firing in under 2 seconds. I'm attaching a pic of the carb with a red arrow pointing at what I assume is the choke. The last 2 times I started it after resting a while, I first moved the throttle a little with my hand and pushed the choke so that it was held open by the throttle mechanism. I got in the car and started cranking and it pretty much immediately fired. I don't think the choke is getting set the way it's supposed to, but I'd like a quick explanation of how to correctly set the choke before starting the car. I though you depress the accelerator pedal to the floor and let it up and that should set it. Is this correct? If not, what is the correct way? Thanks. Almost there... -BEPNewt

I tried charging the battery one more time, and my charger told me that it couldn't take a charge. I really didn't believe this so I took it back to Auto Zone for them to charge and for me to get a 12-volt test light. It turns out that the new battery actually was bad. I'm not sure that the car didn't somehow mess it up, but the Auto Zone charger also said it was bad. So, new battery for me. And I forgot to get a test light while I was there. Oops. I do have a cheap-O multi-tester somewhere. I'll see if I can find it and do the test anyway. Also, on a good note, I figured out why my car takes so long to start. See the update here: http://forums.aaca.org/f177/what-correct-starting-procedure-401-nailhead-300520.html -BEPNewt

Great approach, Tom. I really appreciate the instructions. -BEP

When I first got my '64, I checked the whole thing out, flipping every lever and switch I could find. In that process, I left the light on the back of the center console on. This made my battery continually get drained after it sat for a few days. The battery that was in the car wasn't a good one to begin with and has now been replaced. It was fine for a some ( 3-4? ) weeks, cranking very well each time I would go out to start her up. My neighbor and I were working on the driver door striker to get the door to close a little tighter and the first time I went to start it after we finished and parked it, the battery was dead. I started it up just fine after messing with the striker when I pulled it back in the garage, so having the door open off-and-on for 20-30 minutes didn't drain the battery. And one of the things I checked before parking it was that the inside lights turned off still when the door was closed. I charged it from my charger and it took a full charge and started up just fine. 5 days later, I went to move the 'Riv, and the battery was dead again. I'm going on the assumption that the new battery really is a good one for now. If I can't find anything that I'm doing to drain it, I'll go have it tested or something. So, what I'm look for is ideas on what could be draining the battery. This is a preliminary list I came up with: 1) head / parking lights left on 2) ignition key being left in the ACC spot instead of where it belongs 3) interior lights being left on 4) the switch to a power item (window, seat, antenna, etc. ) is stuck "on" and constantly drawing power 5) trunk light stuck on ( I'll test this with my phone on video record mode ) What else can you guys think of that could be causing this? There's a chance that I turned something on and forgot about it, but I don't see anything that's on. Thanks. -BEPNewt

You _should_ be excited about that car - it's gorgeous. There's been some discussion here lately about vinyl tops and I definitely like yours "with". No major rules on the signatures, except may some unwritten ones like "no 10meg animated gifs" or something. You'll just end up getting people replying to your posts asking where you live, etc. so if you toss that in your sig or in the Location spot in the User Details you'll save yourself some time with replies. You'll also find other people near you willing to help out as much as they can. It's a great community here. You have a '65 Riv GS - I think that automagically qualifies you for having a good rapport here! The single-quad thing is interesting; people will want to hear the story on that and if you're looking to go back to duals, you'll find all the info you need here in the forum. Don't go anywhere, Eddie! =) You found the right place. To add stuff to your sig, click on the "User CP" link at the top left in the menu bar then on the left side of that page, click on "Edit Signature" and toss your name in there along with what your drive and anything else you want to share. Also on the left side where the "Edit Signature" link is, you will find an "Edit Your Details" link. Click that, scroll down, and there's a place where you can type in your location. No apologies for the Sooners needed here in this house. My wife wants me to paint my Riv Orange for a reason (OSU)! She can't stand that my T-Bird is "Merlot", but that may be a moot point since I wrecked it last weekend and it may be totaled. I think she was secretly happy... Oh, you'll also want to mention in your sig that you are a ROA member to cut down on suggestions that you join. Post some pics of the interior of that sweet Riv. Let us know what your plans are with the wood replacements - stock, custom, dark, light, etc. and you'll get some good suggestion in that area, too. And finally, you will want to get a good pic of your data plate and get it decoded if you haven't already. Someone on here keeps a registry of all the '65 Grand Sports and will want your car registered if it isn't already. Not much that I know of happens here in the Tulsa area with Buick Clubs so I intend to hit Texas some time with my Riv. I hope I see you there when I do. Hitting bed, catcha later. -BEPNewt

What a beauty. Welcome to Riv ownership! First, you will want to make a signature and put your real name and general location in there. This tends to be a first-name basis forum and having your location on all your posts will help out when people are lending a virtual hand. As for wheels and tires, start here: http://forums.aaca.org/f177/64-riv-need-wheel-spec-advice-307754.html Follow links in that thread, too. There's a ton of information about wheel and tires sizes that will fit on the Rivs on the forums, here. If you're wanting to emulate what it rolled off the line with, you'll be able to find that info or if you're wanting to see how fat you can go, you'll find that info. I don't know much about wheels except that my '64 had a random set of rallys from years that really didn't fit my car. People here set me straight and I got them off as quickly as I could. Again, welcome. I think there's a contingent of Riv owners down there in Texas ( How ABOUT that Baylor game tonight!! Woo-Hoo! ) that may just be local to you - including Jim Cannon, who just may know a thing or two ( or 5,390 ) to help you out! -BEPNewt

Perhaps this will see some action on the weekend. Do you mind posting a pic of each of your wheels in their current condition? -BEPNewt

Mission Accomplished. -BEPNewt

Good deal. How did you find it and where is it coming from? -BEPNewt

Do I get a do-over? Stick with Green, then, is my vote. I do like the Arctic White with Black interior, though. I do not like white cars as a general rule because they look more "grandpa" then "sporty". Between the black interior and the Cragar Starwires sportifying my '64, I've accepted the white exterior. The attached pics aren't very good, but give an idea of what White over Black looks like. -BEPNewt

As always, a wealth of information. Thanks. -BEPNewt

Will a Posi from a '66 swap onto my '64? -BEPNewt

Thanks, everyone. I'm going through with the purchase on the one I linked. It's not a part I need right now, but I will eventually. I haven't even looked to see if I need the other container - I just knew I didn't have this bracket or the glass bottle. No need for pics, but I appreciate the offer. -BEPNewt

Keeping in mind the rules about opinions... Green is one of my favorite colors. I'd love for my '64 to be green. But, that green interior is ugly to me. It looks slightly aqua and I can not stand aqua in any form. If it's more green without the blue tinge in real life, then my opinion would be different. I was mainly looking at the driver's side rear seat when forming this opinion. The front driver's side seat looks darker and more green, less blue. So does the rear passenger side seat. If those are more representative of the actual color, then the green is fine. I have Arctic White on Black and the black looks sharp to me - hence my vote for the color change to black. -BEPNewt

R-12 is not selling for that much $$$ any more. I think you nailed (yuk yuk) it, Jim. "Selling" is probably the key word. I've seen a lot for sale at big prices for the last 6 months, but that doesn't mean people are actually buying it, eh? I've never seen it reasonable semi-locally (Tulsa, OKC, Stillwater, Fayettenam) since I've been looking. Even the other people selling large quantities are selling 20# for $300. I was already on the path of switching to 134a when I finally found this. I'm just hoping that getting the actual mechanical parts all working isn't a huge money sink. I'm not going resto at all with this 'Riv so even if I get cold air with no control I'll be happy. The chance of us making it to Monterey aren't high. Making it in the 'Riv are even lower, with that percent chance being ZERO if I don't have A/C and a working stereo. Kit, my wife, doesn't mind going if we can, but those are 2 lines already drawn in the sand. Luckily, her company is worth every penny it will take to get the car up to par! -BEPNewt

I had the same reservations you mentioned, Jason. It seemed too low, for sure. I took it to the local auto A/C place and they put it on a tester. Both canisters tested out as R-12. It seems like I scored. Now, I just need to leverage what I don't need for stuff I do! My STV rebuild kit ( O-Rings and Diaphragm ) arrived yesterday so I'm going to try to find time to do it this weekend. I plan on following the instructions here: STV It looks like the process will be the same for mine. I don't plan on doing it ON the car, though. The A/C guys today double-warned me about the spring so I won't be careless when I disassemble it. -BEPNewt

Thanks, Ed. I'll grab that one from him. Luckily, I'm not doing a restoration so I am not concerned about labels, etc. I believe I've seen the bottles for about $30 on CARS or one of those place. I'm not sure if it had the label or not. I'd look right now, but I'm heading over to the local Auto AC place who said they can test these R-12 canisters to see if they really are R-12. -BEPNewt

My apologies. Here it is.

My A/C currently is empty - the previous owner evacuated it. I believe the Rivs take 3.5lbs of R-12 ( as opposed to the other big Buicks at 4lbs ). Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I read that in the Chassis Service Manual. The average sale price around here for a 12oz can of R-12 is between $15 and $25. I've been watching the prices for a while and no one is selling any lower. I'd need to get 4.6 cans, or 5 cans rounded up at a minimum total price of $75. If I can find 14oz cans at the same price, then I'd just need 4. But, I'm getting about 40# for $100 from this guy. I'm sure I'll be able to trade what I don't use for my A/C to my mechanic for labor. I know that he wants some so it should work out in the end. -BEPNewt

Should this fit a '64 Riv? 60's Washer Bottle Bracket - V8Buick.com -BEPNewt

A guy wants to sell me a 30# canister of R-12, and another 30# canister that is about 2/3 empty. When I pick up the full 30# canister, it sloshes around. The other one does, too, just not as much. I believe Freon should be a liquid under pressure. [pause] Ok, I just checked and freon is liquid under pressure at room temp. Before I buy it, I just want to make sure that it should feel like there's water or some other liquid in there. Can you guys confirm, please? That's my first inquiry. The second is "How do I check if it's really freon and not filled with something else?" Thanks, folks. -BEPNewt