Riviera63

I am not saying that. What I said is that my exhaust is new front to back and that they used the 65 GS pattern to route the pipes. What are the differences between the GS exhaust system and the regular Riviera system? Is it just a larger diameter pipe? I will have to check back with my exhaust guys as to what they actually did. I just assumed they used the 65 GS routing pattern and then used the the regular Riviera diameter pipes and muffler. I don't know if the muffler they used was a regular Riviera muffler or a GS muffler. Since they do their own bending they would have been able to incorporate the muffler no matter which one they had. They may be able to use either one when they do the replacement. I will check and get back. Bill

Thanks for the input from everyone so far. When I got the car back in 2014, I had the whole exhaust replaced front to back by the local shop that works on my car. I remember the owner being so excited that he finally got to use that Riviera muffler that had been with the stock when he purchased the business and had been saving for the past 25 years. Tom, at that time you had already suggested to me to use the 65 GS exhaust pattern. They bend all of their own pipes so that's what I told them to do. We did not go with resonators at that time because the new muffler really did do the job and besides that I love the rumble of a V8. The whole system is like new except for the muffler which is starting to show some rot on the bottom. I will be keeping the car so the idea of replacing the muffler with a stainless steel one from Waldron's has its appeal. However, if I find an OEM muffler at a reasonable price and use the preventive measures suggested on the forum to boost its longevity that would be OK too. I think I will be fine for this year and maybe into next year but, I know it's coming so I want to get things in place now so I am not scrambling later. Bill

Unfortunately, I did not learn/heed the warnings about the problems with the water in the muffler soon enough. I have drilled a drainage hole but, I see there is some rot on the bottom and I am figuring that it's not going to last too much longer. I know this is a long shot but, thought I would ask anyway. Does anyone out there have a muffler that they would be willing to sell or know someone that has one that they are willing to sell? I would prefer OEM. If I am unable to find an OEM muffler I would turn to other sources such as Waldrons. Does anyone have any experience with their mufflers? Are they constructed the same way internally and function as OEM? Any advice or help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Bill

For sale is a hat for the Pontiac Oakland Club International. This hat was purchased at the 2001 Pontiac Oakland Club International Convention in Red Wing Minnesota.The hat has never been worn and is in excellent condition. Size large. $10.00 plus shipping Please PM me if interested. Thanks. Bill

For sale is a tested, working glove box light switch typical of the type used on General Motors cars and trucks in the 40's, 50,s and 60's. The switch is in good used condition. The switch also has the retaining nut. This particular switch was taken from a 1963 Pontiac Tempest. $5.00 plus shipping. Please PM me if interested. Thanks. Bill

For sale is an ad for the Oakland Eight from the May, 1930 Ladies Home Journal. The ad is contained in a very nice looking antique frame. The size of the framed ad is 10 5/8" X 7 3/4. $10.00 plus shipping. Please PM me if interested. Thanks. Bill

For sale is a 1946 Pontiac 16" wheel, hub cap and trim ring. All of the pieces appear to be in reasonably good shape. This was hanging in the garage when my parents purchased our house in 1967. I had Pontiac collector cars and this hung proudly in my garage/shop for many years. I now have a 1963 Buick Riviera. Rather than hang on to it I would like it to go to someone who can use it. A kind member of the forum identified the year of the wheel for me and suggested a fair selling price. $50.00 OBO plus shipping. Please PM me if interested. Thanks. Bill

Thank you for all of your help.

Thank you for that. Any idea if this would be of use to anyone? If so, what would be a fair price? Any input appreciated. Thanks. Bill

Hi, I am asking for a bit of help identifying the year of a Pontiac wheel, trim ring and hub cap. This wheel was hanging in the garage of my parents home when we moved in in 1967. It is a 16" wheel and was originally painted a different color with a white pinstripe. I had Pontiac collector cars for years and this hung proudly in my garage or shop for many years. The Pontiacs are gone and I now own a Buick. All the pieces appear to be in good shape. Rather than hang on to it I would like to see it go to someone with a Pontiac that can put it to good use. I appreciate any help identifying this that anyone can give me. Thanks. Bill

Seat project done. Turned out great. Thanks to KongaMan and Tom for your help. Bill

I finally did this and am amazed at how much water drains out. I normally try to take the car out for a drive when I do start it up. However, I have times where I am working on it or just have to move the car to access something else in the garage where I can't run it or get it hot enough to burn the moisture off. This is a great tip to help preserve your muffler in these situations. Both of the Nissan Frontiers I have owned had a hole at the back of the muffler where water drains out for this very reason I am sure. Bill

Scott, These are usually pretty much trash when one goes to redo a headliner. I was fortunate enough to be able to salvage enough of them to work when I redid my headliner. Later on I thought of an idea that might work as a substitute. One could cut up the plastic binder that comes with the clear page/report protectors. I have attached a couple of pictures of one. Bill

Thanks Tom

Thanks for that tip. I will do that. Bill

Tom, I have a question. Were there retainers on the outboard side PLUS the chrome cap or did the chrome cap act as the retainer? That Firebird sounds like it was a lot of fun. My uncle had a 1969 Firebird convertible with a 400 4-speed that he bought when he got back from Vietnam. That was a nice car. I fell in love with Pontiacs when I was in high school (which was a long time ago) and GTO's long before they were fashionable. My dream car was 1 65 GTO convertible. I had a 69 GTO when I was in college. One of the most reliable cars I ever owned. The last ones being a 63 Grand Prix, a 1963 Tempest Custom convertible with the 4 cylinder and lastly a 1963 Tempest Lemans convertible with the 326 HO. I sold that car with the intentions of finally getting my 65 GTO. We had a couple of bummer trips looking at GTOs and I just happened to see the Arctic White Riv we ended up buying on e-bay. I fell in love with it and just couldn't get it out of my mind. The clincher was that my wife's grandma had an Arctic White 63 Riviera that her dad originally had. Grandma would take her out driving in the Riv when she had her temporary license. She was excited about getting the Riv. I have found that it is always good to have the woman of the house invested in some way in the old car habit. We bought the Riv and it has been a fun and interesting ride. It took a couple of years to get rid of all my Pontiac memorabilia and signs and am now fully stocked with Buick items in my workshop. I have attached a picture of Grandma Radcliffe next to her 63 Riv. I display this picture when we go to car shows. We paid homage to Grandma Radcliffe and had 1963 Wisconsin license plates made up with the same month and numbers as hers. In the background you can see my brother-in-laws 57 Olds (that dad gave him) and my father-in-laws 62 Lincoln. He was not a car guy but, he always had cool cars. Bill

KongaMan, Thanks for that heads up. Menards is one of my favorite places to shop. I will get there this afternoon. Bill

Tom, I am relatively new to the Buick Riviera after spending many years with Pontiacs. I have learned a lot since I first got my Riv and continue to learn everyday, much of it from this forum. People like you that have lived with these cars for all of these years are an invaluable resource that everyone should take advantage of. It is a great thing that you are so willing to share what you know. Not all people are like that. I have great respect for the knowledge and the wisdom that many of the people on this forum and in the various clubs have attained. When I had my Pontiacs I was fortunate to find someone that had a great body of knowledge that he was willing to share with me. Speaking of supplemental income. Do you have 4 of these washers that you would be willing to sell? If you have 4 of the C shaped retainer rings I would buy these as well. The guy that owns the Ace Hardware here has enough money. I have a go to guy for my parts and so far he has come up empty. I am also looking for a nice driver's side outboard curved chrome piece. Mine is pretty good but, has some scratches in the brushed area and a ding at the bottom. Let me know. Thanks. Bill P.S. Yes! Fun is the name of the game!

Tom, I was not saying definitive or with authority. I was just reporting what I found being sold there and that is why I asked if a certain one was used on the Rivs. You just answered that question and now I know that any of the ones pictured will work. I will probably opt for the C shaped retainer as it seems it will be the easiest to remove. As far as the washers go I looked at many different sources and the ones I had pictured above seemed to be the style shown and sold for many GM makes and other Manufacturers as well. There I was using the reasoning that if they used these on other GM makes they most likely were used on the Buicks as well. That is why I asked for a picture and/or description so that I knew what they looked like. Now I know they are white plastic. White is perfect for me as my seats are white. The search goes on. I know that most people will never see or notice many of the things we do to our cars.That's OK, as I know what I have done and if I am going to do something I want to do it as closely to what was done originally as possible. That's just me. I appreciate all of your input and help in getting this sorted out. I learned some new things that were helpful and I'm sure this will help others as well. Bill

Thanks for the pictures Tom. Thanks for the retainer source Ed. I have the chrome caps which were on the outboard side. I did some research and found that the type that is directly above the chrome cap was used on the Camaro and Firebird. The C shaped retainer that is 2 above the chrome cap was used on full-sized Chevys. I know this is being super picky but, does anyone know which type was used for the inboard side on the Rivs? I did find the hinge washers being supplied by some of the various repro parts vendors. I bought a set on e-bay. Picture attached. Bill

Tom, I had that part figured out. I was just looking for other things like color, type of material, etc. Thanks. Bill

Tom, Could you also include one of the washers in the picture also please? Thanks. I appreciate the help. Bill

Tom, I would appreciate that. Do you by chance have any extras that you would be willing to sell? I would need 4 washers and the 2 inboard hinge pin retainers. Thanks. Bill

Thanks Tom. Would they be similar to the washers that go behind interior door handles and window cranks? Any idea what the inboard hinge pin retainer looks like? Bill

Here is the page from the body manual showing what I was describing. Bill