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1967 - 1997 Riviera

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  1. Now that is an interesting solution for getting the ethyl alcohol out of gasoline, at least for small batches. And since alcohols, whether ethanol or methanol, are hygroscopic - meaning they absorb and are miscible with water - they also corrode ferrous-based fuel line components by carrying water into and through the fuel system. This is why, for small engines used in lawn & garden equipment, one should always run them until they are completely out of fuel before putting them away for the winter.
  2. Not normal. Didn't come from the factory that way. My concern would be a fire starting and ruining all your hard work and less about oil dilution, although, make no mistake, that is also important. I'm with Mr. MCHinson on this because my first thought was the old & original gaskets that are not compatible with modern gas containing ethyl alcohol. I thought you said you had this carb checked out by Mr. CarbKing who installed modern gaskets in it for you? Float level may also need attention, as others have stated. Please take care of this gremlin before driving any further - for your own safety if nothing else.
  3. On the subject of top color, there is a plus to keeping it the original black, as far and $value$ goes to a collector down the road. But...here is just my two cents. A convertible is meant for summer driving, whether the top is up or down. Therefore, I believe all convertibles should be a light color: white, cream yellow, light green, champagne beige or, in your case, the best color for 53 Skylarks, reef blue. (I never understood why someone would own a black convertible. Would be like a rolling frying pan.) The top should then be WHITE, not black, for the reason already mentioned of the heat absorption on sunny days. The original buyer may have regretted choosing black after driving it awhile. Plus, I doubt you will be neglecting regular cleaning of the top after you spend dearly for a new one properly installed. Plus, I think the inner wheel wells on your car should correctly be painted white. If you want to see what a 53 Skylark looks like finished in reef blue, with a white top, white wheel wells and a blue & white interior, you can find one posted on YouTube. Just type in "1953 Buick Skylark" to view one that was later auctioned off for north of $100,000.00.
  4. Mr. Moran- I can't provide you with a picture, but if you go to the website GMPartsonline.com and enter the part number, 16637393, it will take you to an exploded doagram of the fender showing the moulding as well as the mounting clips.
  5. I need a wheel opening molding for the front, driver's side fender of a 1999 Riviera. That is the aluminum and black rubber trim piece that goes all the way around the perimeter of the fender wheel opening. The original GM part number is 16637393. Although long discontinued and unavailable from a Buick parts department as new, somewhere "out there" someone must have one that they are willing to part with for the right price. Heck, I even have a few brand new trim pieces that I'm still sitting on. Also, I could use the front passenger side molding if anyone has that too. The GM part number is 16637392. Thanks!
  6. I think you hit the nail on top of the head, as shown in the seventh picture of post #1327, where you have the original spring on the left and the replacement on the right. The diameter of the coils in the new spring look like they are greater than the original. That alone will affect the spring constant (or the spring "k' factor in physics.) Also, notice how the coils of the original spring get closer together as you move down the spring to the bottom and the replacement spring's coils are all equidistant, top to bottom? The Buick Engineer's designed them that way on purpose to provide greater support as the applied load increases. You can see the very same characteristic in the springs that are used in your valve train. I would get a dial caliper and measure the diameter if the coils on both your original and the replacement springs. If the new ones are greater, I would contact your supplier and ask them for a refund of your payment for sending you the improper replacement spring set. An experienced, knowledgeable and careful coil spring manufacturer, would not have done that.
  7. Now that you've received the last major elements for completion of the interior and, thereby, your restoration, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to mention that now is not the time to rush things in an attempt to just finish the job in a hurried fashion. Your documention of the restoration project shows a careful and deliberative effort in every aspect, big and small. A rushed job now just to get it done may be very tempting, but you've waited patiently this long to surmount the last hurdle, and a continued careful and "attention to detail" method will pay off in a top notch interior job. After all, you've missed the entire summer season of touring and a chance to enjoy the hard won fruits of your labor. Nothing left now except a chance to enjoy driving your beautiful 37 Buick through the exposive fall colors before being put away for next year.
  8. v.milke- Did you decide to re-do the color back to the original Century blue and Empire blue?...with the grey whipcord interior? I think that would be a very sharp looking car. Even sharper than what it is now.
  9. So was it that filters were standard equipment on the higher grade models of Buicks, and optional (or just not available) on the lesser grades, or what?...
  10. The front floorpans in my Grandfather's 1950 Pontiac "torpedo back" two-door rusted out. The car had the flathead six cylinder and manual transmission. Being a bricklayer, and without any sheetmetal or welding skills, he naturally repaired them with concrete. After that, and depending on how many passengers were in it, the car couldn't go faster than about 55 miles per hour at W.O.T.
  11. My only comments are that: 1) I assume you've posted more pictures than these in your listing to show it off best, and 2) You have a great looking car. But then, I've always loved the 1967 model year.
  12. Now that you are "marking time" until the arrival of the interior beautification materials, I wanted to revisit a subject I think you mentioned about one year ago. And that is the matter of an engine oil filter. Others can correct me if I'm wrong, but I suspect that in 1937 a canister type, engine oil, bypass filter was still an option, and not a standard feature. I think it was used to filter oil initially headed to the rocker arms and shaft. Some restorers have chosen to add such a filter if their Buick didn't come with one. What have you decided to do?
  13. Concerning your engine cleaning, this is required after the block is returned from the machine shop to make sure there is no tramp oil, metal particles or grinding debris remaining anywhere inside. But I would have thought that both the oil passages and coolant jackets would have been cleaned thoroughly before the machine work was done. The last thing I'd want would be for any residual sludge being blasted out of the oil galleries and onto a bearing surface or a nicely honed cylinder bore.
  14. I assume you kept everything original on them, so how good are the mechanical brakes on your two Model As?
  15. I really enjoy seeing pictures of your "crew" helping you with things like this, properly hanging the door. But I'm curious as to who is taking the pictures?
  16. I don't know if you mentioned it or not, but are you using a conventional lead-acid battery or are you using one of the dry cell, OPTIMA batteries? A 6-volt system is all about current, or amps. And I think the OPTIMA dry cell battery has something like 40-50% more amperage than a 6-volt lead acid design.
  17. Details...details...details. But the end result makes it all worth it. Looks great! I have a question about something showing in your photo #19, the one with the caption below it that states "Tested the operation of the hinges, the alignment, the locking mechanism..." Inside the trunk, and on the shelf, are those two period-correct traveling suitcases that you were able to find and restore? Or did they come with the car originally? If they are restored who did the work?
  18. Mr. Schramm- Being a retired career GM Engineer, did you attend the General Motors Institute or perhaps the University of Michigan?
  19. Some comments: 1) Glad to see you are using Simichrome to polish the six stainless steel aerodynamic trim pieces. That is great stuff, and the least abrasive polish I've found. 2) The completed assembly shown in your last two pictures looks like the Martian's space ship in the 1950s sci-fi movie "The War of the Worlds." 3) I notice in one of your pictures that there are two filaments in the bulb. Could the extra filament be meant for additional light when you back-up? Or is it to provide additional illumination for the red lens when you apply the brake? If so, then that could solve your desire to have something akin a third brake light for additional safety. Would hate to see you rear-ended one day by someone who is distracted because they are texting while driving!
  20. Please post a picture of your car with the headlights on, both regular and high beam. Add-in the Trippe lights too if you can. With all the prior discussions about obtaining maximum illumination from original headlights, this would be very instructive.
  21. Yes, when you turn on either the heater fan or the Trippe lights, the charge meter should dip momentarily to the discharge side. Can't help you with the rest because I'm all confused!
  22. Regarding your fourth question concerning the rubber gearshift boot, I am no expert, but all the gearshift boots I've encountered sat on top of the carpeting. Also, I have a hunch that you are going to have to remove the gearshift lever before placing the carpet down and then re-attach it afterwards.
  23. Building upon what MCHinson alluded to, is it possible that the glass pane is the culprit? Was the cracked glass you replaced, and which you followed closely to duplicate, not the original pane that came with the car? Maybe the original was broken somewhere in the car's prior history and was replaced with one that was not cut correctly. That might also help explain some of the rust you found in the bottom section of the body, because the bogus replacement glass did not seal tight.
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