RIVNIK

Boy! Some things you just can't un-see,& that shot of Mitchell is one of 'em. Thanksalot! Bernie. How 'bout a spoiler alert next time!

No idea as to the cause of that, but ditto on the metal grinding! Not long ago I was mindlessly cutting through a piece of angle iron about ten feet from my showroom perfect '83 Turbo Thunderbird (I know,I know, but in my defense an absolutely awesome ride) and completely ruined the front & right side glass. Everywhere a spark touched glass or plastic melted a tiny pit into it without damaging the paint whatsoever.

I forgot to mention one thing. Damp-rid, while quite effective, is also heavily scented. The common variety found in every grocery or hardware store is called "fresh scent" & is very loud. I find it to be persistent & somewhat off-putting. I buy the "citrus scent" at HomeDepot, the only place Ive found it. It actually is quite pleasant. However, you can counteract them both w an odor remover, usually found as the same stores. The one I use is simply a bag of charcoal crystals I hang from the mirror. Works like a charm!

In addition to the kitty litter, I recommend Damp-rid & Kaboom dehumidifiers. They both are available in a tub, you simply remove the lid and keep it in the trunk at all times. I actually go a bit overboard w the Damp-rid, but with great results. Damp-rid also comes in hanging bag form for use in closets.When not using the Riv I hang two from my coathooks, one from the mirror, & one from the inside trunk lid. It is amazing how much moisture they gather from inside the car even in the garage. If you use enough of them they will also keep moisture from condensing on the inner surfaces of the doors, rear fenders, roof, & trunk. This may prevent or arrest any rust you may have forming from the inside out. Drew

greetings Moran, This is an easy fix. First you'll want to get the backside of the "decal" & the corresponding surface of the air cleaner as clean as possible either by scraping w a razorblade or w a solvent or both. Be care full not to damage the thin aluminum. Next make sure everything is clean & dry. (alcohol works great to remove greasy fingerprints, etc.) Then coat the underside of the decal w a spray adhesive(3M is the best) then carefully align the plate on the air cleaner & press it on firmly. With careful prep it should stay on for years ( did mine over 10 yrs ago & it shows no sign of coming loose) In my opinion, & considering the look of the rest of your engine bay, yours has gone a bit beyond the patina stage to decrepit. As an alternative you can acquire a new one, rub a little dirty grease on it if you like, and bring the rest of your engine bay up a few notches to match. With a little creativity you can improve the look of things & still retain that original look. Good luck, Drew

Amsoil Z-Rod

djrogga! Get an official shop manual & a body manual. They can be found on eBay

Greetings Sweden! It looks like "someone" may have installed the distributor improperly, failing to mark it's proper position before removing it. If you were off by only 1 gear tooth that would throw the timing way off, but the car may still run, or at least want to run. That would explain the backfiring, which is what I believe you are describing. You will not be able to achieve the proper timing by rotating the distributor if it was wrongly mounted as you say. Why the distributor will only turn in one direction is a mystery to me. Because of this, I should probably NOT be the one to instruct you on how to achieve the proper timing. Hopefully someone smarter than me (a very low bar to hurtle) can contribute. C'mon guys, reach out across the ocean & help a fellow Riviera owner out!...... Shmiddy! I know you're reading this! You're closer than we are, & probably know a little Swedish. A short train & ferry ride & you can school djrogga how to do it in person. Rivnik

Hey Fitzo! You will usually find some of those pieces on eBay. Search for 1963-1965 Riviera dash trim. Make sure you get a good description or photos. They may not be any better than yours. Also call Gene Guarnere. You will find his ad & contact info in the back pages of the Riview mag. I bought some nice dash trim pieces from him not long ago. Great source for hard to find Riv stuff. Drew

Thank you guys! One of the stores pegged on the map is the Interstate Co "flagship store". That's the one I had my experience with. I will start on the others tomorrow. Thanks again

Oh I remember YOU, alright. Who could forget a face like that, not to mention the flattop! Hopefully your knowledge of batteries has improved along with your complexion. C'mon, Bern, after all you've (apparently) been through surely you have some useful advice on the subject.

Greetings! For decades Ive depended on Interstate Batteries for my Rivs & other cars. Here in Orlando they've operated out of a small warehouse in the local industrial park. One of several old school guys always knew exactly what you needed. Recently the battery in my '65 went dead, & when I went to replace it, I found Interstate Batteries had moved to a chi-chi strip mall across town. They have a fancy showroom between FiveGuys Burgers & a dry cleaners. They now have a pimple-faced teenager running the store & sell other batteries of all types. This person had little or no knowledge of car batteries. They had changed their catalog & nomenclature, had no listing of older cars, & no longer carried any batteries of the same dimensions as the '65 Riv. Not to mention all their new products are bright neon green! This really sucks! If anyone has advice on what batteries they recommend it would be greatly appreciated. I do not want to spend big bucks on a classic car battery, just a normal black one that does not draw attention. Thanks, Rivnik

Wont hurt to try.........because after you break it I have a good used one to sell you cheap! (currently nothing on Ebay). PM me if needed. Drew

I don't think I can tell much difference in performance among the major brands. I prefer Lucas SlickMist. Works great..smells good..way cheaper..better bottle & spray head

Go on Ebay Motors & search for seat covers. You will probably find something that suits your needs. I went there looking for beaded seat covers like the one Ed showed but opted for something similar made from split bamboo. They are designed for coolness but are perfect for protecting my newly covered seats, and for windows-down cruising here in sunny(read that HOT) Fla.

hey Gary! What year do those fit?

Ship to home....none of the stores stock them. & can someone help George out? I am computer impaired, but the part# is 5471324.

Found one! At Autozone, thanks to advice from seafoam.

Gary! Sorry to hi-jack your post, but I have to thank Ed & Seafoam for their input on my booster prob. After a fruitless search I ask myself why I didn't start at Autozone. Booster is on the way! Better get one while they last (#5471324). Apparently all the parts stores get them from Cardones and they are out. BTW..... Nice project, Gary.

Hey Gary! Can you tell me where you got the booster rebuilt? There is no one here in Orlando who does this, & Ive been unable to locate a rebuild or new one through all the major outlets. Thanks, Drew

Greetings! Does anyone know where I can get an emergency brake booster for my '65? The usual outlets seem to be out of stock, and the current situation will make it difficult for me to remove the bad one & wait for a send off & rebuild. HELP! Drew

make sure you stay on the wrong side of the road

Boy when you guys get going it is a wonder to behold! Don't let me interrupt the debate, but I found Quick drying JBWeld which sets up in 6min. (the premixed JB paste was too thick)I will try it on one of the 4 cracks after cleaning it up w my Dremmel & drilling a few "rivet" holes as per the video Ed submitted. BTW, the only vid I found pertaining to the silver strip was one of restoring the rim-blow horn ring on a '68 Mustang. That may be the one you remembered, Ed. Thanks, and now, back to the epoxy kerfuffle! Keep talking because I will soon need advice on paint.

Thanks guys. At your suggestion, I looked at Eastwood & Alvin Lab-Metal products, Ed. They look like the ticket, but they are also very pricey. I've got the JB so it's in the lead at this time. However when mixed properly it might be a little runny for this type of job. Ive even let it harden a bit before use & come back to find gravity has caused it to run or sag. I found JBweld premixed paste which may be thicker, so that might be worth a try. Thanks again, Pete & Ed. Any more suggestions will be welcomed. Thanks , Drew

Greetings, Riv owners! Looking for steering wheel restoration tips. Just got an original wheel for my '65 from fellow forum user rivmaniac.(Thanks again,Paul). It is in nice shape with a few small expected cracks where the spokes meet the rim. And as usual the aluminum foil strip is beat & had to be removed. That of course left a deep groove around the wheel. There appears no be no great options to reproducing the original appearance of the embedded metal strip, but that doesn't bother me too much, it was a design flaw from the start. I'm pondering over the possibility of filling in the groove & painting over it. Anyone have any better ideas? Shmiddy? Anybody? And what product should I use to fill the groove & the cracks? Also any suggestions on paint (black) will be appreciated. My attempt to paint my current Grant wheel w Krylon gloss did not turn out well. I could not get an original looking gloss finish & it is now perpetually sticky! Think I might take this one to a paint shop. I like the look of my Grant Corvette-style three spoke wheel but want to try to capture the original skinny wheel feel for a while. Thanks, Drew