rivolution

thanks Dundee I guess we'd need someone with a museum-quality Riv (or a really well-preserved survivor) to shed light on this.

Hello friends, When I bought my '64 twenty years ago, one of the first things I did was remove and recondition all of the power window mechanisms, which ranged from "weak" to "non-functioning". Unfortunately, I didn't pay close attention to how the quarter windows behaved in factory form before I took things apart. So I did my best to put them back together and adjust them using the body service manual. They've worked okay for the past few decades, but I've always wondered whether I did things right. In the 'up' position they mate nicely with the door glass and the roofline. In the down position, though, the glass edge weatherstrip gets crunched up against the rubber seal in the body opening (see pic1). When I see them mashed together like this I get the feeling this isn't working as intended, but maybe it is? Is the window not supposed to go so far down that it ends up flush with the chrome trim? Thanks for any advice. The windows are slowing down again so I'm going to clean them up, and thought I'd see if I should do things differently.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. The car always starts fine after lengthy drives, and the amp light never comes on, so I think the charging system is healthy. I followed EmTee's recommendation -- I turned the lights on for 10 minutes and then cranked, and the lights dimmed HEAVILY. So it seems the battery is the weak spot, not the connections to the starter. Thanks EmTee! I'm just surprised that a battery in this condition doesn't flag something on the testing device at NAPA. It can hold voltage and deliver amps, just not for very long. I guess there's no test that exposes that problem. Off to buy a new battery!

Hey friends, The battery in my '64 has been temperamental. With engine off and light use of accessories, it doesn't take long before the battery will barely turn the motor. It's a good quality NAPA battery, about 4+ years old. I've tried to take care of it, connecting my Battery Tender whenever I don't plan to drive it and doing my best to avoid deep discharge/recharge cycles, but it's had a few occasions of significant drainage that required a jump. As a load test, I charged it full, turned on the headlights for 10 minutes, then cranked it. It gave one weak turn and then wouldn't crank anymore. This seems like far less reserve capacity than it should have, so I took it to NAPA and they hooked it up to their tester. It tested fine in all ways (volts, CCA, load) What's your take? Is this all normal, and the 425 just has heavy cranking requirements that are easy for a battery to fall below? Or is this abnormal, and NAPA's testing device is just not able to detect the bad cell or whatever is causing the low reserve? Side note: I measured the current draw of different accessories, lights, stereo, etc. Simply turning the key to the ACC position draws about 3 amps, which is the same as when all interior lights are on from opening the door. I still can't figure out where this current is going. The only thing I can see that's using electricity is the AMP lamp in the dash... maybe the gas gauge? I can't figure it out. thanks for any advice, -Jeff

Hi Friends, recently I put some rebuilt heads on my 425, and during the first drive heard a pronounced ticking from the right (passenger) side of the engine. It's there whether running cold or hot, and seems to be coming from under the valve cover. I installed adjustable pushrods to get proper lifter preload, but that side still seems noisier. In trying to troubleshoot it, I realized my rocker shaft bolts may not be correct. One side (the Right/noisy side) has four identical bolts that seem stock-ish, with a long threadless portion of the shaft. The other side has standard grade 8 bolts like you'd get at a hardware store. I thought I read somewhere that the front-most bolts for the rockers are special to allow oil to flow up easily around them, but my shop manual doesn't say anything about this. In the attached photos you can see one of the left/driver side grade 8 bolts, and then a few photos of the right/passenger front bolt removed and seated fully in the hole. Are these the correct bolts? I was hoping that the noise could be explained by an improper bolt that's not allowing enough oil to the rockers. But strangely, the hardware-store-looking bolt is on the quiet side, not the noisy one. Anyway, I welcome any thoughts and advice. Thanks -Jeff

thanks Tom, there wasn't any noticeable white smoke, and no major coolant loss. It has run fairly strong, but lately as I drove it, it was getting smellier -- not really exhaust smell, more like burned-oil smell (like when you spill oil on your exhuast manifold), as well as some antifreeze odor. This is what led me to inspect it more closely, and I noticed a few spots where coolant was leaking (the rear freeze plug of the head and the water manifold collar) as well as oil leakage from the valve covers and, in at least one spot, down the block from the head gasket seam. So I decided to take off the heads and seal up all of these leaky junctions, and it was only then that I noticed this one cylinder that appears to have corrosion not visible in the other three. I guess I'll take it to the nearby engine shop and see what they can find out. ..

Hi gang, Thanks again for the help several of you offered on my thread from a few days ago (forums.aaca.org/topic/343198-gunk-on-rear-valves/) I finally removed the right head this morning, and found that one chamber looks.. dodgy. The valves, especially the exhaust, are more reddish than in the others and there appears to be traces of corrosion scattered about. See pics below My amateur guess is that the hardened seats installed by the rebuilder (rrrRRRrgghhGHGHHG 😡) ran too close to the water jacket, and are now leaking some coolant into the chamber. (Tom T, I think you alluded to this as a possibility). But I don't have a valve compressor to open the valve and inspect anything. Is there another explanation for this? Or if it IS water getting past the seat, what can be done about it? Is there some home-hack for opening valves without the tool? thanks again for any help, Jeff

to clarify -- the AC compressor is detached from its bracket, but not removed from the engine bay -- it's still connected to hoses, etc

One more thing Tom (or anyone), Is it possible to remove the head with the AC compressor still connected? I've been pushing it around and resting it here and there while working. It's not ideal, but the system isn't empty, and at this point I'd have to bolt a lot of stuff back on to drive it someplace and have it discharged. Am I in for a world of disappointment? also, regarding the freeze plug -- I was thinking of putting a brass one in only because this one steel one appears to have corroded in a small area enough to leak. All other freeze plugs appear in mint condition. I'm all for putting another steel one in, but I'm puzzled at why this one at the back of the head didn't hold up.

Thanks for the detailed info, Tom. This is exactly the stuff I needed to know

Thanks very much for your help, all of you. I'm actually planning on removing the heads anyway, because the freeze plug at the rear of the right head is leaking coolant, and there is some signs of oil leaking down the block from the head gaskets. I've got a pair of new BEST head gaskets which won't leak oil (I'm told). The engine isn't old or tired -- it was professionally rebuilt about 15 years ago and has less than 3K miles since then. I don't know why this one freeze plug is corroded, all the others look fine. They are steel, though, instead of brass. I had it built by a shop in Fresno because Ed Mosler was there, one of the few people around who knew how to port nailheads. But the builder was not a nailhead specialist, so some of the build doesn't follow what we'd consider the best practices (hardened valve seats, for example). Even though I've had this riv for 20 years, this will be the deepest dive I've taken into my engine, so any advice is welcome. I've drained the coolant from the radiator, got the accessories off... Any pitfalls I should watch out for? What do you all favor for lubing the head bolts during re-assembly?

sorry -- I forgot to mention, 1964 with 425

Hi friends I took my intake manifold off yesterday, and noticed some gunk built up on the back/top of some of the intake valves -- on both sides, but ONLY in the four rearmost cylinders. Here's an image with a look down each of the intake ports on the passenger side (sorry, I wish it was sharper). The drivers side is the same, with build-up on only the rear two. any thoughts on causes? or solutions? thanks, Jeff

Hi friends, I'm trying to finally put an end to a few pesky leaks, and wondered if any of you have suggestions. (1964, 425) I have a leak at my oil pressure sending unit. I've removed the sender, cleaned the threads, and wrapped generous teflon tape before re-install, but I'm still getting some oil coming out. And.. my power steering pump is letting some fluid out from beneath the cap. I /could/ buy a new cap, but has anybody had luck just cutting out their own gasket out of some fuel/oil-proof rubber? And... Both of my valve cover gaskets are letting oil creep slowly out along the seam. Any way to achieve a seal that will hold up better? thanks for any help, Jeff

R E S O L V E D ! ==================== I finally managed to remove these trim pieces! Here's how I did it, in case it's useful to others: I tried the fishing line trick you suggested, Pat -- but it was tricky to route it through in a way that gave good leverage to cut thru the goo. When I finally had it in a good place, it broke while I pulled on it. Then I tried a thin steel guitar string, which did better, but I still was making very little progress cutting thru. Finally, I cut a short section of pipe strap, and used a vice to bend about 1/4" on one end into an "L". With this, I could reach around through the inside of the windshield and press and slide along the groove of the trim, cutting into the old goo a little at a time as well as applying some prying force. (cutting the metal strap through a hole gave it some "teeth" that was even more effective for digging in). I also slid a screwdriver through the top gap of the trim to gently pry away the top front corner of the trim, which further helped me work the "cutter" a little deeper. here are a few photos. Once I had this technique, Each trim piece came off in about 5-10 minutes. Here are some photos. thanks again for all your help, jeff

I can't remember all of them that I've seen, but off the top of my head, certain years of Cadillac CTS, and some chevy tahoe (and 4-door trucks?) have the built-in shoulder harnesses. for example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1999-2006-GM-Chevy-Tahoe-Suburban-Yukon-Silverado-oem-front-leather-seats-/262083498379 http://www.ebay.com/itm/1999-2006-Chevy-Silverado-GMC-Tahoe-Yukon-Sierra-Suburban-Front-Cloth-Seats-Tan-/321861950684?hash=item4af0779cdc&vxp=mtr http://www.ebay.com/itm/2003-07-Cadillac-CTS-Front-Seats-Black-Leather-/151667206872?hash=item235011ead8&vxp=mtr http://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-CADILLAC-CTS-SEATS-LEATHER-FRONT-AND-REAR-OEM-ALL-ELECTRIC-TAN-/181865850404?hash=item2a580ca624&vxp=mtr also, some late 90's and early-mid 2000's mercedes SL models, mid 2000's BMW 3-series convertibles, and a few others. But the american ones are easier to find and cheaper. For what it's worth, I have some clearance issues with my seats as well. I had brackets fabricated that lift the seats high enough for the motor to clear the floor, but they're a little too high. It's okay for me because I'm not tall, but I've always thought about revisiting it, making a new shallower motor bracket on the bottom or even cutting into the floor. -jeff

yes, to clarify, I'm talking about the interior ones thanks guys, I'll try that out.

Hi gang, I've got a couple of interior pillar trim moldings (the ones on either side of the windshield) that have better chrome than the ones in my car. last weekend I thought, "I'll finally switch those out for the nicer ones". I was wrong. all the headliner trim elements come off easily, but not these A-pillar pieces. I've pulled hard every way I can, but there's no good way to get a grip on them or pry them -- the rearward edge is free, but the front (contacting the inside of the windshield) goes NOWHERE. I think they are stuck on from 60-year old sealer-putty-stuff. is there a trick to getting these things off? thanks for any advice, Jeff

hi gang, I'm Jeff, that's my riv. I was amazed to see this thread -- it's been years since I've been on this board, and just happened to visit today because I've got a question for the crew (on a different post). thanks for the kind words about the seats. The intention was definitely to make it safer, but to try to stay as close as possible to the spirit and sensibility of the original design. Like, if Bill Mitchell and co were told in 1964, "you have to have shoulder belts and a headrest", how might it look? At the time I did this there were really only two or three cars that had built-in seatbelts like this -- the chrysler sebring convertible was another, but the square shape of the BMW seats just matched the interior style better. Since then I've seen other options I could have used, but these seats have served me well so far. The "floating headrest" design is unique. the speaker pods on the doors are these: http://www.smart-parts.ca/product_detail.php?id=16 -jeff

thanks Ed, I know my kickdown switch works because it properly downshifts to 2nd on the freeway below 70mph or so. It didn't do this before I installed the switch. That's why I'm so puzzled that it doesn't downshift to 1st at lower speeds. I have not found a way of manually getting it down into 1st after it's gone to 2nd or 3rd. If I shift to "L" and slow down below ~10mph, it will go to 1st. Ed, does your '64 go down to 1st, either manually or via the kickdown switch? jeff

Hi gang, My '64 has an aftermarket carb (Edelbrock 750). I had no kickdown for a while, so I recently fabricated a simple bracket and hooked up one of these "pull-type" B&M downshift switches: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bmm-20297 It now works well on the freeway, downshifting to 2nd (and staying in 2nd!) until about 70mph. But for some reason, it won't kick down to 1st. If I'm cruising casually around town, around 30 mph, and then step on it, it will kick down to 2nd but not down to 1st. 1st gear is good up until about 40mph, so I have no idea why it's not kicking all the way down. Any thoughts? Is this an oddity of the ST400 tranny? thanks for any info, jeff