Wayne R

Bob and his team right now have alot of Riviera, skylark and Electra , good parts for sale, i have purchased many parts from them in the past, reliable team, mostly on there ebay site .#bm455.

Just thought i would follow this on from---NTX5467 ---says and is correct ATF Dex 111 is what you use, you may remember a few months back i showed here on a forum , that i had just fitted new rear window and pads to my existing convertible top,--all went well , but a big job. well i also replaced one leaking top cylinder, so i flushed and replaced what ever fluid was in my 64 Electra convertible, as i have only had this buick 4 years now, and did not know what fluid was in it any way. Here is a photo for bleeding top when re filling and changing fluid . keep this because it helped me alot when bleeding mine. Incidently Hydro E Lectric i found very good , and fare prices.

Idle speed and especially mixture adjustment, iv have noticed over the years are way out, alot. When i lived in Sacramento i was adjusting Buick club friends carbs quite abit,. After you have car running as best you can, checking the idle mixture needles is critical and your car should be at normal operating temperature.---turn each slotted mixture screw clockwise one at a time until it just slightly drops in revs a fraction-- then go back turn anti clockwise slowly until it does the same drops a fraction .---now here is where its critical-instead of turning back to aprox the middle halfway of the lean and rich,---after it just drops in revs a fraction in the anticlockwise direction, turn very slowly to clockwise direction,---until it runs as smooth as possible--that usually is only about 1/8th to 1/4 inch of a turn.--this gives the carb the maximum fuel required .and allows for high and low speed operation at its best in all temperatures. i used to find alot other friends Buicks were adjusted a little lean ,some even adjusted them so the screw slots were even. Its easy to do, be patience . then just check your idle speed last. I have owned four nail heads all 401ci, and when tunned correctly they run as smooth as silk---Thank you. hope this helps a few.

Mike,, this may help, way back in 1992 i wrote a letter to Larry Gustin General Motors Buick. Here is a copy of a letter i received from him,- in his hand writing, it is now in the Sloane Musuem. so i know that Buick never did supply colour numbers,---unless they did in later years. This info was for a 53 skylark i restored---but he suppled trim colours and vinly top colours.

For about 30 years now, i have been cleaning my white walls with a product most of us know called , prepsol or wax and grease remover, for those that dont know, this is the product used just before you paint your car. Its available from any paint suppler,---but to use this properly on your tires, use 100%--- white--- cotton rags, when doing this ,rub really hard and keep turning the rag over to a clean area on rag while go around your white wall. I purchase my rags from kmart, as they sell 2 grades of towels here thick ones and thinner ones, and the thinner ones are excellent as i cut them up for rags, and they only cost $3.00 or $4.00. each. Here is a photo of a small strip i just did on my Buick at the bottom of tire, about 15 minutes ago---rest of tire did about 6 months ago.

The previous owner may have put up with this and drove it like that for years, This may help you as well, take a look a t these photos, also a can of carb cleaner can do wonders working on carbs. especially the inside of the choke housing where the piston adjustment is.

My take on this subject for 1953-4, is as Pete, Chris, and NTX5467 says, when i purchased my 53 skylark, 1989, Sacramento , it also had a continental kit fitted, and i purchased it from the second owner, and it was just like the rest of the car surface rust, bad condition just like the rest of the car, now the second owner purchased it from original first owner Sacramento and he was told that it came from the showroom with the kit fitted ,. But after my 2years restoring this car i believe like other 3 members in this forum , probably contracted out before delivery. Sorry i dont have a close up of my kit , because i did not have digital in those days, but it was a terrific continental kit, notice it had a big chrome handle and swings out when entering trunk. photos from 1992 Buick Bugle.

Items that will help you a lot---like in your photos a few old bed sheets ,also 1x2inch pine lumber, about 2 and 4 ft long. these are very handy when placing in position,-----pre fit and arrange all bolts and fittings before you start, then remove and have them ready when required,---fenders first of coarse, but dont tighten bolts completely ,until you fit hood ,then you will know as far as adjustments are required. Help with other persons is a big plus as well,----Looks wonderful----good luck.

Thankyou Tom.

These look l the same as from, approx 1980 to 1985 Riviera,\ im only going on memory when i lived in Sacramento, a friend with a mid eightys Riviera had these on his riviera,---perhaps im wrong.

Hello fellow Buick friends, some one in US will probably get better use than myself, for this nice Tshirt,---For sale.---. size XXL, but seems more like XL when wearing it. 100% cotton by Hanes Has on left arm,--Len Immke Buick Buicks are fine in 99 on main rear emblem with a With a Red 53 Skylark, july 21--25. Price Drop was $40.00, now $25.00 plus shipping is $10.00 shipping to US, reasonable offers accepted. First to say they will ,TAKE IT gets it. payment by paypal, thank you Wayne.

Fabulous find---be patient--.

How true that is Ed, i remember those days, in New Zealand when those minis would win every thing they entered.

Ed, When i read that about tire pressures, i am a member of a local classic car club here near where i live, about 120 members, and about trice a year i organize a thing we call here a Gymkhana its a short small run of a few miles ,or can be in a about one acre paddock, and the car members in there cars go around and partake in about 10 items, some examples are , drive up to a stick of wood vertical in ground and get as close to it as possible without hitting the stick, if you touch stick no points, same in reverse, and so on. on with other tests. But one i do is, as driver comes to a judge, you ask the driver the actual tire pressure in his right rear tire, and out of about 40 to 50 entrants last time i put this on only about 3 got the tire pressure correct, and remember pressure can differ alot if its hot and depends on temperature on that day, 10 points per test ,maximum for whole Gymkhana 100 points.

Hello Jim, it may be Surf Green poly

You mentioned new Cokers new---, many years ago when i restored a 53 Skylark, some owners and my self had a few problems with coker.---and they replaced alot for owners,,, probably ok now though, Now i realize its not good to have to low a pressure,---but try your tire pressure at about 29--30 may be alot better.---even it means more wear on tires,.

Thanks Rodney-------take a look at this----PM sent.

Hello Rodney, --may be a good idea to contact, Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure, transport,,Regional and communications, then your state govt, re registration. This is for left hand drive cars.----the newest car i have ever imported was a 1984 Porsche 911 Carrara. about seven years ago---no problems, but fot a Riv 1998-1999 may be a problem, Has always had to be thirty years old, but may be ok for a 1998 Riv that being 25 years old. Regards Wayne.

Sorry re late answer here, just came back from a 3 day vacation to a local beach are up north, About the Caddy heater core, it was about 26 years ago , it was copper ,and the only thing i had to do was heat and bend one of the outflows about 1/2 an inch--can not remember which one, and of course check it for leaks, when i fitted it ---was very easy because of slightly smaller size. insulate around it with , purchased from home dept . Now im faily sure it was a Cadillac Deville 76--79 if im a bit wrong may be year may be later to 1982--3---4, big series. reason is while living in Sacramento i was only a couple of miles from a really great pick in pull wreakers in Rancho Cordova on sunrise blvd, and i visit it alot.

Yes i seem to remember that Tom , as i do remember , i think i placed that sticker on there after i replaced the heater core, i went in through from the motor side , when did that , then probably realized later on that i placed it it the wrong place,---incase others ever change out heater core, I used a Cadillac---1976--to about 79 coupe devile heater core fits in better than original Buick one, as Buick one is very tight fit, and the Cadillac one is about 1\2 inch smaller all round, and very easy to fit from engine side.

Seafoam 65 sorry late reply---yes crazy rules with importing, is the ID plate on left is with i first shipped Riv to New Zealand,, then the blue one on Right is when i decided to move to Australia, thats there ID plate, but in the last few years, like with my present 1964 Electra convertible no plates are fitted . Notice the chinese A/C compressor that i fitted--i realize it does not look good but it worked great, as although this car was nice , i used it in California as a real driver and did about 20.000miles in it there.---i still have original compressor. O the sticker on evaporator case is A/C sticker ----Harrrison---forgot. i could write a book on the day i drove to Pheonix from Sacramento to purchase the Riviera, from the original 74 year old owner. , on inspection when i arrived , the front fan water pump had a bout 1/4 inch movement, but did not leak fluid, slightly noisy bearing its original cast iron pump, took of on a 2 lane road --93--straight road to vegas, it was 108 degress, and i never went over 50 mph, wife behind me in a 90s park avenue,---well made it to vegas, thought i would be smart in vegas and change out the waterpump as i always had good tools when i drove in US. Started with the first bolt top left ---snap---came right off, then i tried another on other side---snap. same thing broken 2 bolts , so i drove all the way to Sacramento, and made it,----but the next morning i drove the Riviera out of the garage to prep it and turn it around so i could change water pump properly, And snap bag underneath the car----yes you guest it the main center drive shaft bearing in the middle broke,----after driving the whole day before. But after doing all those smaller items on that Riv, it turned out to be a fabulous car, purchase at 118000 miles, sold it 150000 miles engine had never been touched, used 1 pint of oil every 2000miles and i used Penzoil 10/30 oil winter---15/40 summer. and was completely factory stock and could still pull 114 mph on speedo.

Thank you Tom----i could not remember ---actuator name as well.

Thank you Ed---your a champion.

Sorry to sound a little bit dumb here, my email is because, i have forgot what this item is called on 65 Riviera. I sold mine years back,---and the reason is i remember it was for i think changing the temp or flow for A/C heater and was vacuum operation,---here is a photo just before i sold my riv. It is the item top left by A/C hose about 4 inches in diameter just to the left of air cleaner. But here is the debate----every time i see a restored 65 Riviera today , that item is black, and i know that it has been replaced, because it came from the factory white,--i know this because i broke my original one, and had to purchase a new one, and i could only get black, so i painted mine white. from Cars inc for memory. Could any of the experts on the forum confirm this for me.----many thanks Wayne. Yes i know about all other items on engine that not correct. thank you.

Thank you Smartin for puttting me right,---yes i wondered about that ,as all the models i have done are later years.