1967 - 1997 Riviera

Jolly_John: I know that this is 7+ years after the fact, but do you still have this part?

If you want to really experience a foul-smelling lubricant, find someone who owns a last generation (1996-99) Riviera who is in the process of changing-out the supercharger lubricating oil after some extended running time without a change. It smells so bad, like rotting hog flesh, that I wonder if it is also lard or tallow based, and turns rancid over time. You wouldn't want to get it on you under any circumstance. I know from experience.

"Is it the lighting or are the Bellville washers installed cup side out? If so, they should be flipped." Correct. Looks like the Belleville washers on the manifold are on backwards. They are supposed to act like a disc spring under compression when the bolts are tightened.

Whatever you do, please do not scrap the engine that is in the car now.

Yeah, that is a really cute buggy you have there! The contrasting colors of the white tires & wheels against the "Bluebird" blue body and black fenders is very eye catching. Is that a picnic basket on the running board? Imagine going on a summer picnic in 1910 with that, and with your wife wearing a typical long, white cotton dress and big white hat that women wore back then.

"... I'm also curious about your conclusion that old low octane fuel is less volatile than modern higher octane fuel when I know for a fact the higher the octane rating the higher the flash point temperature of the fuel and the slower the flame propagation. High octane fuels were developed to prevent detonation or preignition in high compression engines. The 31 Buick engines were all around 4-5 to 1 compression ratios and today's gas lawnmowers have higher compression than that. A bigger concern for modern higher octane fuels in our low compression engines is completing the combustion cycle before the exhaust valve opens to avoid burned exhaust valves and high exhaust temperatures due to fuel still burning after the exhaust valve opens. I try to run only ethanol free fuel and as far as I can tell the ethanol free stuff is only available in 84 or 85 octane which is if anything, too high octane for our low compression engines, the flame propagation rate is low and it is clearly aimed at higher compression engines ..." What puzzles me is, given what you state above, why you are using 94 octane gas? Why not use just 87 octane ethanol-free?

Wow...That is SHARP!...SHARP!!...SHARP!!!

"Then painted with durable tractor implement paint and applied some graphite paste lubricant before re-assembling." I have read others on here mention that you should not apply any kind of lubricant between the individual leaf spring elements because the surface friction that exists between adjacent leafs as they flex helps them do their work. Just saying.

Have you checked your return springs to see if they are binding or have lost tension?

To make a long story short, in 1994, two PhDs at the Battelle Institute, doing Tribology research for, and funded by, an engine manufacturer, determined that break-in is still essential for long, trouble-free engine life, despite modern manufacturing methods. The manufacturer wanted to build an engine they envisioned could operate continuously for 1,000 hours under full load, at wide open throttle, without failure. They determined that proper break-in required: 1) Initially using a lighter weight or viscosity oil than would be used in normal operation, say 30 weight instead of 40 or 20 weight instead of 30; 2) Running the engine under light to moderate load at lower RPMs, avoiding higher speed operation; 3) Draining-out the first fill of the lighter weight oil at about 25 miles of continuous operation, that is, 12 miles out and 12 miles back, observing point #2 (plus the filter being changed) and while still oil is still hot; 4) Refill with the light weight oil, plus install new filter, and then running for about 50-100 miles of operation, observing point #2. Then drain and refill plus another new filter, as in point #3, and drive an additional 250 miles; 5) Then drain the lighter weight oil, while still hot, change filter, and put in the oil that the engine will us in normal operation. Then drive normally. The idea was to allow the microscopic asperities that remain on the main and rod bearing journals, left over from the manufacturing operation even after grinding, to gradually break free, and for the bearing material and journals to “mate” or burnish themselves to each other before normal operation began. Until they followed this break-in procedure, the researchers never reached 1,000 hours of severe duty operation. I would also agree with others not to use Marvel Mystery Oil in the crankcase at all, only in the fuel system – and only if you need it down the road. Also, do not “drive it like you stole it” like some wise guys tell you to do.

The last time I had to repair something made of wood back together again (a trash bin), I used a Super Glue variation that was supposed to have some flex in the joint after it cured yet still remain tightly bonded together. I injected the glue into the pre-drilled holes, put in the brass screws and used a clamp to hold it all together overnight. After more than a year of rough usage, it is holding tight. So there must be some modern glues one can use that will solve both problems of the wood framing remaining bonded tight, yet not so rigidly that they won't flex a little bit.

I don’t own a nailhead Buick. Since that engine design was last made in 1966, I’d like to ask a novice question. Just where is a new timing chain sourced from these days? A few years ago, we bought square drive chain for our scheduled machinery overhaul from a vendor who sourced the chain from China (which we were not aware of.) In a very short time after installation, we were experiencing drive failures and jams because the chain had stretched like salt water taffy. We took the links to a lab and found that, while they were the correct steel analysis we specified, they were not heat treated. Just formed and left in the fully annealed condition. Testing of our spares in inventory was the same. Evidently, China does not heat treat much of what they make. After that, we added a hardness specification and yield & tensile test results documentation to our specs. Then we had no more problems.

I normally don’t like dark colored convertibles because, to me at least, the dark color defeats the car’s purpose of keeping cool on sunny days. But I’d have made an exception for this car. Just look at the mirror shine of the navy blue paint in the video. With all the fires happening, I hope it left California just to avoid being burned-up one day.

The 1941 is my favorite pre-war model for many reasons. Just my two cents, but I believe all 1941s should have fender skirts. To my eye at least, and with those spears added, they give the finishing touch to an already sleek design and make it even sleeker.

Since you stated that the vibration is an "...intermittent shimmy...at all speeds, usually lasting 10 to 30 seconds before smoothing out again", and you've performed an inspection of tires, suspension and steering without pinpointing the problem, you might have what is known as a natural frequency or "beat frequency" vibration that is emanating from the drive line.

My 1999 Silver Arrow came from the factory with Michelin tires. So I'm not so sure that they were a 1998 model year option only, unless they were just using-up leftover 1998 Michelin tires for the last, 1999 model year. They were very good tires and I think the wear rating on the sidewall was the same as the Goodyear Eagle LS tires that were factory installed on my 1997.

Some questions for you: 1) You had to expect this one sooner or later. What kind of oil are you using in your engine? 2) Have you decided whether or not you will add an oil bypass filter to the engine? 3) You mention in your post that your car is "All waxed and polished from the show!" What kind of wax are you using? The black sheet metal is lustrous, like I remember cars being when I was a kid. 4) After driving it for 700 miles, do you have any second thoughts about not putting radial tires, instead of bias tires, on it?

I find the good old fashioned Victor mousetraps, baited with a small chunk of smelly cheese and a dab of peanut butter, does the job. Mice can't resist the peanut butter and they are DRT - dead right there. Use to use D-Con years ago until one time a mouse ate some and then went behind a couch to die instead of going outdoors. The growing odor of his corpse led me to him. A retired exterminator told me that when mice get inside your house you can’t just clean-up the turds you find. You now have to wash down & disinfect all the surfaces the mice came into contact with. The reason why is because every 10-12 feet that they travel…they urinate. You can’t see the dried urine. But he would freak people out by turning off all the lights in their kitchen and then shine an ultraviolet black light on the floor. There would be streaks of dried mice urine all over the place. And don’t forget that their feces contain pathogens that are a danger to humans, like the Hanta virus. I saw an episode of Forensic Files that told the story of an outbreak of the Hanta virus on an Indian reservation in New Mexico. Fourteen people died, and it was traced to a wet spring & summer that then provided abundant food for an explosion in the mice population. No wonder the ancient Egyptians worshipped cats.

I wonder where he got the R-12 refrigerant to recharge the AC?

Yes, it seems that there has been a continuing discussion of just what owners of these great cars, who want to DRIVE and enjoy them, can do to deal with reducing engine RPMs while attempting to keep up with todays interstate speeds. A recurring idea is to either swap-out the ring and pinion set to alter the axle ratio or swap a rear differential pumpkin entirely. Doing so will reduce the low end grunt needed to pull away from stops or easily climb grades. Not the best way to make use of the straight eight's available torque. Forget all that. Overdrive is the answer, if you can afford it and can get a quality installation done by someone who is knowledgeable and really knows the proper way to do a retrofit. You can have the best of both worlds by maintaining the around town driveability - which is still where you spend most of your driving time anyway - and the desire to keep up with todays vehicles while reducing engine stress on long trips. Plus better fuel mileage, lower oil consumption, less engine noise and longer life between engine rebuilds. A look at new cars being made today and the manufacturers' wide adoption of overdrive should tell you something.

SHARP!...SHARP!!...SHARP!!!

I also really like that two-tone paint scheme of Lancaster Gray over Monterey Blue. With whitewall tires added, I would describe that color combination as "Blue Jay."

I own the "James Bond" 1999 Silver Arrow: number 007 out of 200. It was one of the six sold in New York state, but was not sold to any Buick executive and it has the power sunroof. The car was sold in March of 1999. This all would lend credence to the observation that they were not made in any kind of chronological or VIN number order. When I get a chance, I will have to get back to you with my car's VIN number as well as the name of the original dealer that sold it in New York. I have all the original "stuff" that came with it - key ring and special floor mats already mentioned - and including the original exterior cover that is still it its box, never used. I was a $38,000.00+ car when sold new. Oh, one more thing. I have special vanity license plates for it. They read "LASTRIV."

Nice...Nice...Nice. Please keep the whitewalls when time comes to replace tires. They would be appropriate for an M.D.'s car.

Since I don't know how to send a personal e-mail, I will just post my parts wish here. I need both the passenger and driver's side front fender trim moulding that goes around the perimeter of the fender wheel opening for a last generation Riviera (1999 model). They look like satin finished aluminum with a thin, attached, black rubber welt. The original GM part number is #16637393 for the front driver's side and #16637392 for the front passenger side fender. Ideally, new condition is what I need. I live in Illinois. If you just learn of someone who has these trim pieces and didn't bring them to the meet, but is willing to provide you their phone number so that I can contact them, that would work just as well. Thanks!