RIVNIK

Question: Is the interior trim on 1st gens (around the glass & pillars) made of stainless or is it chromed ? Mine was painted black either at the factory or by a previous owner. If it is stainless I will try to strip & polish it....If it is chrome then it was probably painted for a reason. Thanks RIVNIK

Success! Double nutting the studs as Ed suggested proved difficult in the tight confines, but I was able to unbolt the valance & tip it down enough to get the grille out with them in place. I put pieces of duct tape on the valance to prevent the studs from scratching it. It took a little prying and manipulating. Then I removed the studs from the new grille and it went in easily. Thanks for the advice! BTW.... the grille I recently purchased came bolted to a valance which had beed blasted & painted Riviera sea foam green. It is in absolutely NOS condition if anyone is interested get in touch....I promise you a terrific deal (.there are several on Ebay in terrible condition for ridiculous amounts) . RIVNIK

Thanks Gents! I'm on it! Drew

Somebody help me ! I'm replacing the grille on my '65. I vaguely remember having it off the car (20 years ago or so) & assumed it was a snap......must've been in a dream. After removing the bolts that attach it topside, & the nuts holding it to the bumper filler/valance, I see the grille will not tilt forward enough to clear the overhanging fenders on either side. Q. if I remove the bolts which attach the filler plate to the fenders & crossmember,will I be able to get enough clearance? Will it help to remove the bumper? (It doesn't look like it interferes in any way) Or.........If somebody could come over & do it for me just this first time while I look over your shoulder, then I wouldn't have to bother you about it anymore. Thanks, RIVNIK

Greetings! Good news! Bob from Scanlan Classic Auto Veneer will be back to reproducing interior wood kits for the 1st Gen Rivs soon. Send him some business if you can. RIVNIK

Eureka! Thought I had checked Cars Inc. but must have been having an old man moment. Proper dimensions, complete with the little tips, a little expensive, but what'cha gonna do? Thanks for the reply Ed RIVNIK

Sorry, don't know how that old message went through....That problem was properly addressed ..........Anyhoo, I can't seem to find front side glass run channels for my '65. Not listed at Steeles, Cars, Classic Buick, or OPGI. Anyone know a source? much appreciated RIVNIK

Greetings! We could be facing the end of an era of sorts for Riv owners. Most of us in the process of restoration have relied on Clark's over the years to supply us with quality repro parts. Whenever I need something I usually go to Clark's 1st, and have always been pleased with my dealings

Greetings Mike, there are several on Ebay, unfortunately they are part of trunk release system sets ( some complete & some incomplete) and are all overpriced. Contact Gene Guarnere at ABANDG@AOL.COM. You will find his ad in the Riview club mag. For years he has been my go-to for quality used Riv parts. Never been disappointed. RIVNIK

Thanks, Clark's! Glad you were watching. If those items ever come back I'll be placing an order immediately!

We could be facing the end of an era for Riv owners. Most of us in the process of restoration have relied on Clark's Corvair over the years to supply us with quality repro parts. Whenever I need something I usually go to Clark's 1st, and have always been pleased with the parts & service. My seat covers, carpet, trunk cardboard, & many other items all came from Clark's. However, after years of putting it off, I recently decided to break the piggy-bank and spring for a new set of interior wood paneling & a new shifter lens. I had always assumed they would be waiting for me whenever I got ready for them. WRONG!!....... As some of you may already know, Clark's has discontinued those items & probably some others. Hard to tell, as it looks like they won't be updating the Riv catalog either. This makes me very sad, not only because a company that specializes in Corvair parts but also supplies Riv owners was a gift from heaven, but also because I can't find those items anywhere else, & Clark's apparently doesn't want to reveal their sources. Their reply to my inquiry was polite but definitely not helpful. Does anyone have info on the source of these items? I realize I can make my own paneling, but Clark's carried full peel & stick sets with factory style pin striping, something which is not easy to duplicate. Someone was selling a similar item on Ebay for years, but that listing has also disappeared. Got info? RIVNIK

I had the same symptoms.......Rear axle bearings stopped the vibration

Success! Thanks ED! I removed the nuts holding the steering column and dropped it til the wheel rested on the seat. That gave me plenty of room to repair the damaged circuit & replace the bulb.....took all of 5 min. This after spending a crazy amount of time trying to work through the fusebox door. From now on the only thing I will ever fear is actual fear itself..... Hey! What a great saying! I think I'll write that one down! (Could use a slight rewording I guess.) Anyway, once feeble instrument lighting is now spectacular. This is one thing that has bugged me about the Riv since I bought it 25 yrs. ago. Problem solved!! Thanks to Roadmaster, Shmiddy, Ed , and everyone else who threw their $.02 in. Anyone considering switching to LEDs, I assure you will not be disappointed ! RIV(beat)NIK

Thanks ED! I got out my little mirror on a stick and spotted the offending circuit, on the lower right bulb position( adjacent to steering column). I could possibly repair it, (like I did two others, in place) by applying a dab of gel superglue with the tip of a long wooden skewer. However, in order to get to it I need a little more wiggle room. If I loosen the two bolts securing the steering column, will it drop down maybe an inch or two? Thats all I would need to have a straight shot at a it.

Thanks ED Ive had mostly good luck with OPGI over the years mainly because I know their reputation and choose what I buy from them carefully. A decent used part is always better than a repo that doesn't fit. Not sure if I would trust their circuit board. Actually the circuit wasn't broken on mine....the end of one of the circuit's "fingers" that feed the bulb receptacle was loosened & scrunched up by one of the contacts, more than likely through repeated use. It was the most accessible socket and I was using it to test polarity on the LED bulbs&recepticles before installing them in the other sockets. I would test the bulb-recepticle in the easy-to-reach spot, then move it to the hard spot, & it wouldn't work. It took quite a while of pure dumbfoundedness before I realized that the receptacles themselves were reversible( Ill say it for you, "DUUUH") . What an idget! As most of us know when working on an old car sometimes you only have about three chances to mess with something before it finally breaks. Exactly my concern with the dashpad. I removed the screws and it didn't want to budge with moderate effort. Guess I have no choice but to go out & give it a harder tug. Im not sure how durable the clips are which hold it in place. I suppose they're anchored in 50 year old foam like others Ive seen. Any advice? Will keep you informed of my progress Drew

HELP!! Im having a real time with my instrument lighting.....I know Shmiddy & Roadmaster have recent experience in this area, but Im open to suggestions from everyone. I am trying to install LEDs in the inst. cluster. The easy ones were a snap, but there are two that I just can't reach around the speedo. The top receptacle is totally out of reach so Ill probably have to remove the dash pad for that one( something I am dreading, considering it already has a small crack) I got the one closest to the middle out, but am struggling to get it back in. I was able to get it back in only once (after many tries) but it would not illuminate. I finally got it back out & tested it in one of the easier to reach positions and it worked fine. Then I realized I had one of two problems. 1: The LEDs have to be properly polarized, so apparently the receptical has to be revolved 180 to work. However it is so difficult to change and I can't tell if I have it reversed or not. On the right cluster I can remove the bezel & faceplate and simply reverse the bulbs from the front side, leaving the receptacles in place. Not so on the left. The speedo faceplate doesn't pop right out like the one on the right. Problem 2: On one of the easily accessible positions I discovered that the copper circuitboard material that delivers power to the receptacle had come away from the backplate where it makes contact & had peeled up, apparently from my repeated bulb changing. Fortunately I could reach that one and was able to apply a tiny drop of superglue to it and reattach it. That may also be the problem on the hole that won't light up... unfortunately I can't see that one clearly. Is it possible to unbolt the speedo unit from the housing & pull it out enough to reach the bulbs from the front? If not, how do I go about removing the instrument panel, & can it be pulled loose enough to view the circuit board & change those recepticals without disconnecting the power, (so I can test it without reinstalling it). And finally, can the panel be removed without removing the dashpad? I know thats a lot, I appreciate any help you can give. Thanks again, Drew

Thanks! Now I know what that gizmo is that's been in the back of the closet for years ! LOL Will give it a go tonight. Drew

Anyone got any suggestions on how to properly adjust the headlamps on my 65? Drew

Well, that turned out to be a snap! Just had to pull a little harder and off they came. I polished the outer surfaces to the best of my abilities, sanded down the corroded inners & hit them w Krylon satin black, the Maguires plastic lens polish returned the scratched lenses to absolute perfection (thanks Pat), and it all went back together without the usual leftover pieces. Looks great but I still hope to find some unpitted bezels ..BTW.... the hard to reach upper bulb in the right hand inst.cluster is easy to get out with the lens off... not so on the speedo side. Guess Ill have to break down & pull the dashpad to get to that one. Roadmaster warned me it was a tough one & he wasn't kidding. My short fat fingers just won't get it. Drew

Thanks everyone! Great advice. & thanks for looking, Ed. Let me know what you come up with. Drew

Thanks! Will let you know how my bezel renovation turns out. Chrome outers are badly pitted, but hopefully I can repaint the inner surfaces & polish the lenses & draw attention away from them. Any hints on cleaning & clarifying the lenses would be appreciated Drew

BTW: Thanks for all the help I've gotten from everyone recently..... I'm still working on it! New problem: can I remove the instrument cluster escutcheons without disassembling the panel or removing the dashpad? The rings each have a set screw at the bottom but I can't see any on top. I removed one set screw and the ring came free at the bottom but something seems to be holding the top. Don't want to mess around with it too much until I know whether it is doable and if I can replace it easily. Any voices of experience out there? Thanks , Drew

BTW: Thanks for all the help I've gotten from everyone recently..... I'm still working on it! New problem: can I remove the instrument cluster escutcheons without disassembling the panel or removing the dashpad? The rings each have a set screw at the bottom but I can't see any on top. I removed one set screw and the ring came free at the bottom but something seems to be holding the top. Don't want to mess around with it too much until I know whether it is doable and if I can replace it easily. Any voices of experience out there? Thanks , Drew

BTW: Thanks for all the help I've gotten from everyone recently..... I'm still working on it! New problem: can I remove the instrument cluster escutcheons without disassembling the panel or removing the dashpad? The rings each have a set screw at the bottom but I can't see any on top. I removed one set screw and the ring came free at the bottom but something seems to be holding the top. Don't want to mess around with it too much until I know whether it is doable and if I can replace it easily. Any voices of experience out there? Thanks , Drew

Hey Roadmaster, were you talking about LEDs or brighter than stock incandescent bulbs. I want to stay as original & inexpensive as possible, but my dash lights have always been very dim, & the HVAC & shifter lights are barely visible.