Foxlovescars

[1965 Riviera w/o power seats] I see in my Riviera Body Manual that the factory offered "Front Deluxe Seatbelts with Retractors." This is not the cylinder-shaped, spring-loaded type that clips onto the outboard belt hook. Rather, this retractor is similar to the type found on later GM cars like the 68-72 Cutlass and Chevelle. The belt is encased in a hard vinyl "shell" with an opening at the top for the belt to retract into, and a special attachment at the bottom for the bolt to fit the slant of the Riviera floor. Does anyone know a current supplier that sells this exact replacement for a '65 or does someone have an extra pair in good condition that they are willing to sell? Thanks, Frank

Jim: Thank you for the providing the correct answer that I needed. I took Tom's advice and disconnected the wiring harness, but I still wanted to replace one of the two plastic lenses as it was yellowed. I followed your instructions and the lens popped right out. Frank

Hi Guys: 1965 Riviera--Still waiting for my assembly manual to arrive. Am replacing the dreaded heater core and removing the console between the seats. To remove the console, I have to unhook the round console floor lights mounted on either side. From the inside of the console, I tried to separate the bulb socket from out of the back of the assembly, but they don't seem to move. Does the round chrome circle come off the front somehow? Everything is very old and brittle and I don't want to crack anything. Can someone please tell me how I can remove these? Thanks, Frank from Virginia

I have been contacted a number of times for the dimensions so I will post them here. The bar is 4 inch square steel, 1/8 inch thick Length: 51 1/2 inches long Center hole to center hole is 45 inches End of bar to center of hole (both sides) 3 1/2 inches I gave the welder two of the 5" extensions that came with my lift to put through the holes he drilled in the bar The extensions are welded on the top and the bottom in the bar The extensions project through the top of the bar 1 3/4 inch I still have to use a rolling jack to position each side of the front of the car under the bar before using the lift. If you have any other questions, just let me know. Frank O'Donnell

Just turned 60 and have a '65 single family Riviera that I bought in 2012.

Iflforfun: Are you saying that the wheels in my first picture are from 1956, and the wheels in the second picture are from 1960? If so, is there a date code stamped into the wheels somewhere that I could look for? Frank

Pyntre: There are a couple of Keystone websites for different companies with the same name. Can you give me the correct e-mail address for them? Thanks, Frank

RivNut: I ordered the Trico 33-150 wiper blades you suggested. They arrived and they are 15" blades. In this thread, I was advised the original blades that came with the car from the factory were 18". I actually installed the 15" blades to start with and they have a slight overlap, but nothing like the original 18" blades that I took off. The most current correct wiper blade available would be the Trico 33-180 (180 desigates 18" by the way) but only one company stocks them and they sell directly to distributors (shows 900 in stock). Two national chains, Advance Auto and NAPA Online "list" the 33-180 wiper blades on their website but neither company stocks them, even for special order. So here's the solution: if you don't need the metal arm, order NAPA part #WIP 601847 (18") and just take out the METAL refill and insert it into your original silver metal wiper arm. They retail for $8 each. This way it looks original and you have real metal spine refills, not the cheap plastic ones I see on so many other early Rivieras. "I'm Frank O'Donnell and I approved this message."

Can someone please tell me the correct size wiper blades for the 1965 Riviera? I have 18" trico blades on the car now and when I ordered trico replacement blades from Advance Auto, they sent me 15" blades. Thanks, Frank O'Donnell Charlottesville, VA

EASY QUESTION: Just got back from vacation and opened the box from Advance Auto parts. Both wiper arms are 15". Can someone tell me positively what the correct blade size was when the Riviera left the factory? Frank

The first picture is my '65's front wheel. It has the slots you mentioned. The second picture is my '65's rear wheel. It has the same slots PLUS large "vents" around the inner section of the wheel. The third picture is a close-up of the "vents" on the rear wheels. Does anyone else have the same wheels on their base Riviera? The original owner says he never switched out or had a reason to purchase new wheels for the car. Frank

Were they Trico refills? Of the three different adjustable #'s from Trico, the 6mm (#22-600) was too small and the 8mm (#22-800) was too wide. No one had the #22-700 in stock. Do you remember the stock number you purchased or still have the old package? Thanks, Frank

Thanks for the tip. I ordered two from Advance online last night and will just use the refills and toss the arms. Frank

I have the original Trico wiper blade arms on my '65. Trying to find replacement trico refill blades (2x18"). Any suggestions on where you have found these for sale? Frank O'Donnell Charlottesville, VA

Noticed today when I was removing the wheel covers for restoration that the construction of the front wheels differ from the construction of the rears. My wheels are hand labeled with paint "front" and "rear" and I thought, "Why? There's no difference." But there IS. The wheels on the front do not have the same four "slots" cut into the inner circle edge that the rear wheels have. Can anybody enlighten me on why this is? Frank O'Donnell Charlottesville, VA

You only need the one bar for the front. With the lift arms fully extended in the rear, they fit perfectly under the frame where the rear suspension attaches to the frame. In the front, you use the 1 1/4" pin extensions under the cross bar (to clear the indentions in the lift arms) and the 5" extensions under the lift pads in the rear to level the car out.

Thanks everyone. I had that funny feeling when I was talking with the rep at the booth, that's why I asked. I'll take your suggestion and go with a company in-state. Frank

1965 Riviera--Would like to ask if anyone has dealt with Bumper Boyz out of Los Angeles for re-chroming their Riviera bumpers. Was at Corvettes at Carlisle last week and they offer re-chromed front bumpers for: Front Upper $350 with exchange Front Lower $320 with exchange Rear $530 with exchange Your thoughts please on their service and their pricing. Cannot find a source for the purchase of new bumpers Thank you, Frank O'Donnell

The first picture is the bar from the previous post in use on my two-post lift, under my Riviera. The next two pictures are of a bar commissioned by a local restoration shop for use on x-frames when you want to remove the engine and transmission together. That's where I got the idea and dimensions for the single bar. The multi-bar set-up is very heavy and quite difficult to position on the lift arms. The car must be jacked up very high at the front end. If anyone wants to have one of these single bars made, contact me via e-mail and I will send you the dimensions. Frank (Fox loves cars)

Here are photos of the finished product. A local welder used 4" square steel for safety and it cost me $160. Weighs about 55 lbs. See the next post for more pics. Frank

Don: Yes, there is a chrome ribbed cover on the steering column as you can see high up in the attached photo. There are holders and reproduction "Buick" logo flashlights available on Ebay. I guess what I am really asking is if anyone who purchased one of these cars when new, saw this in the new cars at the dealership. If GM offered this as a factory option and it came with the car, I would leave it in. If not, I would just take it out; as I like to restore my cars back to factory whenever possible. Thanks, Frank

1965 Riviera I have a metal retaining bracket that apparently holds a "Buick" flashlight to the underside of the steering column. How rare is this option and can a new "Buick" flashlight be purchased somewhere and for how much? Is this something that I want to have under there? And for someone who has one in place, does it get in the way? Thanks, Frank