Riviera63
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Posts posted by Riviera63
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4 hours ago, rodneybeauchamp said:
Many thanks Jim and to the other contributions. That is a major change to the decklid support panel so early in the build, and the reason is ..........????
I will do as Ed suggests and wait till I see one I like and wait for Bills photo too!
Rodney ?????
Rodney,
We are having another balmy spring day in central Wisconsin so I thought I would take advantage of that and get those pictures for you. (pictures attached) As I stated previously, my car is a late May 1963 build. The sticker location is very similar to the one in the pictures Jim posted.
Bill
P.S. We are supposed to receive 9-11 inches of "balmy" before it ends sometime tomorrow.
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17 minutes ago, rodneybeauchamp said:
Thanks Bill,
Would be keen to see a photo.
i think it would look much better in one of those areas. My excuse might be “ They had a new kid start today, and he thought he would stick em some place else, so he did! He soon found his way into GM management! ?????”
cheers
Rodney
Rodney,
I will get you a photo of the sticker as soon as I can.
Bill
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14 minutes ago, telriv said:
My original fillers were NOT painted & looked like old cut up tire tubes as well as the front splash shields around the upper control arms. I know this for a FACT as I am the original owner.
Tom,
I was not trying to imply that they should be or were ever painted originally. Mine also looked like old black tire tubes that were cut up. Except that they were 50+ year old cut up black tire tubes with 50+ years of grime, grease, etc. on them and frankly looked like crap. I CHOSE to clean them and paint them before reinstalling. No more no less.
Bill
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21 hours ago, slosteve said:
I bought a pair of these also and am wondering how to install them as my car didn't have them when I bought it.
Steve
Steve,
You will have to remove the rear bumper. Attached are some pictures of when I had my rear bumper off. My bumper fillers were all there. I cleaned them up and painted them, which of course you will not have to do. I think from the pictures you can make out the clips and the filler. My original clips were there and held the filler nice and tight. The rubber is contoured to fit the shape of the metal it attaches to and the contour of the bumper. My filler is not visible when the bumper is on. I hope this helps.
Bill
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1 hour ago, rodneybeauchamp said:
Thank you Jim, just curious, where did they place it in later builds, on one of the flat areas?
Rodney ???
Rodney,
My car is a later build, May 1963. Mine is in the flat area directly to the left of the sticker pictured above. Almost 100% certain my sticker is the original. Will try to wade through the snow (5-9 inches starting tomorrow, welcome spring) to get to the car to take a picture and post it for others that may have a later build with the same question.
Bill
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18 hours ago, bunchabuix said:
Telriv,
No I don't believe the seat frames for '63-'65 are the same.
There are NO attaching points for the arm rest on the '63. But I have not seen a seat frame for a '64-'65
Jerry
Jerry,
A couple of years ago I had purchased a center armrest and refurbished it with the intentions of installing it in my 63. I was under the impression that the seat frame was basically the same as a 64-65 and that you may only have to drill holes for the mounting bolts. After I got my car out of winter storage I was ready for the install. I removed the rear seat and found out as you did the seat frame is not the same as the 64-65. It also was not as simple as drilling holes to attach it. If my memory serves me correctly it would have taken some reworking of the center braces so that it would sit flush with the seat and the addition of tabs with holes for the attaching bolts. Probably not a huge deal for someone with welding skills. I could have hired someone to do it but, in the end I decided to leave it original and sold the armrest.
Bill
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13 hours ago, jframe said:
Bought a new glovebox liner for my 65, and it is too deep. Hits the a/c ductwork in the dash. Anybody run into this before? It came from CARS, and the sales guy checked several others for me, all the same. Measures just a tad over 7 inches at deepest point, and is quite a bit deeper than my original.
There is an AC and non AC version. The AC version is not as deep. Sounds like they sent the wrong one.
Bill
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2 hours ago, Red Riviera Bob said:
I’m certain the students were confused. I’m a student of English grammar and the study is not for the weak willed individual. I had to go to a prep school for my 13th year of high school to raise my SAT scores. All of our instructors were retired Naval Academy or West Point officers. The retired military instructors did a good job teaching what I needed to know to get my boards up and complete college.
i do not believe our newspaper writers of today took any writing classes.
Bob,
Persistence should be your middle name! Hanging in there for 13 years to get through high school is amazing. Most people would have quit after 5 or 6. How did college go? We Riv owners know that persistence is a good quality to have to get through the twists and turns of Riv ownership. Keep up the good work.
Bill
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1 hour ago, Healeybob said:
I have a 63 Riv. How do you remove the headlight switch knob? Putting wood grain on the center dash.
Open the ashtray/lighter door in the console.There are 3 screws holding the assembly in, remove the screws. That whole assembly will remove and the headlight switch is right there. There is a pushpin on the switch. Push in on that and you can pull the shaft out. You then remove the switch escutcheon. I did not have the switch tool so I used a putty knife to turn it. Once the switch is released from the escutcheon the switch drops down for easy access through the opening left by the ashtray assembly. I hope this helps. Bill
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On 2/28/2018 at 2:14 PM, KongaMan said:
Is that so? I tried to fit a 215/75 on the shelf; it was a no-go. I laid the tire and wheel on the ground to measure the height and compared it to an old bias ply tire (which does fit; H78(?)), but in typical fashion I can't find the numbers now. My idea was to get a thinner tire on the stock wheel; something about 90% of the way to a full-size spare. (It would be a full-size, just not the same size.) I figure that the car isn't driven enough to need 5 tires in a regular rotation, so what ever I get would be good enough to get back to where I can fix the problem tire, and a lot better than a temporary spare. In a perfect world, some local tire shop would have a used one that I could get for cheap.
That is what I did to get rid of that headache. The local shop that works on my car gave me a good used tire, I don't remember what size it is, 195 or 205. Slid right in. No more climbing into the trunk and wrestling with a tire that is too big. Problem solved. Chances are it will never get used. As you said, it only has to get you to the nearest tire shop.
Bill
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I found steel tubular rivets at my local hardware store. The head looks the same. They were 2 piece and the backside screwed into the tube rivet so you did not need a special tool to fasten. I think the ones I found were a tad too long so I had to cut them a little shorter. Look good, no one would know they were not original. They are nice because if you have to, you can remove them without ruining anything. If you want I can take a picture of mine.
Bill
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1 hour ago, NC68Riviera said:
Who is recommended for steering wheel reconditioning?
I have a friend that used Quality Restorations, Inc. in San Diego CA. He was very happy with their work. It is pricey but, They recast your wheel to the color you want. From what I have heard this is the only way to solve the cracking for good. If I ever get my wheel done this is the route I will go. You can repair/get it repaired but, the cracks will come back. He has a nice website that shows examples of his work. Here is an excerpt from his website.
Bill
The Process:
I remove all the old plastic, bead blast the frame and paint it in the original color as the plastic. Through my proprietary process, I cast on a specially formulated thermoset UV stable proprietary plastic in the original configuration without loss of the original detail. The plastic does not shrink, crack, turn yellow or change colors. The steering wheel frame is placed into the appropriate mold. The clear liquid plastic is tinted to the desired color and added to the mold. Upon completion of the curing process, the plastic is heat treated, sanded and polished. The color is uniform throughout the plastic and the finished product is polished plastic, not a painted wheel. The molded plastic is one complete casting, there are no joints.
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1 hour ago, SwedeDownUnderR63 said:
Some feedback:
- Russ Martin confirmed that the sprockets should be set as in this picture for "0" thus should be fine for stock.
- Russ doesn't have the longer special head bolt in stock. I still think that my 4 1/2 inch bolt is the correct one (I can't find any length reference anywhere in the manual or the master parts book although I guess this is part no 1354035). There is a picture that looks familiar in the following (search for the number) but it isn't for the Riviera: http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/members/AardvarkPublisherAttachments/9990416849383/1940-1972_Buick_Parts_Illustrations_-_Group_9.00_AC_Inst_Cluster_Heater-AC_Controls.pdf I have ordered one from bestoffercounts ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/63-64-65-66-Buick-Nailhead-Extra-Long-Head-Bolt-for-Alternator-Bracket-401-425/232438558405?hash=item361e6aeec5:g:ew8AAOSwGtRXx7sJ ) but if I look at the attached picture from Ebay then the bolt (circled in red) looks exactly the same as the one that I have but there are no proper measurements... It is the most expensive bolt that I have ever ordered. BTW I did find one reference in an installation instruction for a 1st gen special mounting bracket for alternator and the Sanden 508 compressors where it say: Removal of front 7/16 x 4½” head bolt is required to install bracket. Search for Alan Grove 315R (http://www.alangrovecomponents.com/images/Instructions/315.pdf) and you should find it.
This has been interesting although somewhat time consuming. Time to put the parts back. Thanks for all feedback.
BTW does anyone have a two groove pulley for the alternator to sell?
I have a couple of 2 groove pulleys, I would be willing to sell one. Let me know if interested.
Bill
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15 minutes ago, 39mm said:
1963 Riviera w/dynaflow . I searched for this but couldn't find it. Would someone remind me of why a pool of trans fluid will get burped out onto the floor from a car that hasn't been run in a while?
Thanks, Tim
Tim,
From what I understand the fluid drains from the converter and fills/overfills the pan and it will leak out. Below is what I sent to another forum member about this.
The drip pan is a good thing to have and they are very inexpensive. You should be able to pick one up at your local parts store. I picked mine up at O'Reilly's. Even if you get all of your leaks taken care of it would be a good idea to get one to put under the car when you store it for the winter or any length of time. The Dynaflow when not used for an extended period can burp out up to a quart of transmission fluid. The drip pan will save you a lot of clean up. I did not know about this phenomenon when I stored my car for its first winter. I was more than a little panicked when I went out in the spring to start it up for the first time and saw this huge puddle of transmission fluid on the floor. I was very relieved to find out this was normal and all you need to do is top of the fluid and drive.
Bill
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8 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:
I`m wondering if the switch on your car was changed at some point to a switch with the cornering light terminals/contacts? I would think Buick would have installed a switch without the terminals/contacts if the original customer did not order cornering lights...but I never made a point of checking the `63 and `64`s I`ve encountered over the years. Can anyone chime in on this?
Do all `64`s and/or `63`s have the cornering light switch with the 3 extra terminals?
Tom
I added the cornering lights to my 63. It was a later build so the wiring for the cornering lights and the 3 prong plug were already there but, I still had to get a 9 terminal switch as mine only had the 6 terminal switch.
Bill
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2 hours ago, DualQuadDave said:
Not trying to hi-jack the post, but does anyone have a source for rebuilding the 4 note horns? I have a customer who has them and the small one, does not work. I have taken it apart and cleaned the contacts, checked everything, etc and still does not work. When testing the coil inside, I am not getting continuity through it. No obvious breaks, but no juice. Any info/ideas are appreciated.
Steve Lorenzen does them. I purchased a refurbished set from him last year. He advertises in the Riview. His e-mail is fostermom1962@yahoo.com. Steve is a good guy and charges fair prices on his work and/or parts.
Bill
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13 hours ago, KongaMan said:
63- 65 use the same bushing, except for the 65 GS.
For some reason various catalogs do not show the bushings fitting the 63's. When my brother-in-law and I went to buy them from a local parts store when we were in Colorado for the ROA convention we ran into the same thing. Their catalogs showed them listed for other model years but, not the 63. We ordered them anyway and put them in. They fit perfectly and we had a much nicer ride back home.
Bill
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4 hours ago, Pat Curran said:
The vinyl roof debate has been going on for years. I think the color combinations can make or break any car, including those with vinyl roofs. I have attached a couple of pictures of my old 69 that I bought back in 2000 and sold a couple of years ago. This was a special order car in burgundy mist (2.2% of 69 Riv's came in this color) with a black vinyl roof. Most would have come with a black interior but the original owner wanted the sandalwood interior. The sandalwood interior came only as a 2 tone offering which gave this particular car a total of 4 colors. Some think it makes it a bit busy but I liked it this way. I would sure like to know how many were built in this combination. I have never seen another.
Pat,
That is one sharp car. For me, that would have been a tough sell. If I saw that car for sale right now, I would be seriously thinking of selling my car.
Bill
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13 hours ago, KongaMan said:
There are two bushings on each rear control arm (two lower arms, one upper arm), and isolators on the springs. The 6 control arm bushings are identical -- but quite expensive if you buy them pre-made (~$80 each from Rare Parts, and they are the only source). It's much more economical to buy Cadillac bushings and add a shim (~$60 total for the bushings, shims are DIY; specifics are posted elsewhere). The Cadillac bushings are ACDelco part #45G11006. You get two bushings in each package.
BTW, this is what my track bar bushings looked like when I replaced them:
That's what 50 years of hard living will do to you.
Replacing the track bar bushings makes a huge difference in handling. It is an easy fix and they are readily available. When I first got my car my brother-in-law and I drove my 63 Riviera to the ROA Convention in Colorado Springs. On the way out he was concerned about the handling of my car. At that time he knew the Riv much better than I did and replacing the track bar bushings is the first thing he mentioned. We were staying with a friend of his outside of Denver. We found new bushings at a local NAPA parts store and changed them in his buddies garage. It was a much better ride on the way back to Wisconsin.
Bill
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3 hours ago, Loren@65GS.com said:
I see that the CARS description says '66 - '70. Looks like the one in the picture from Clarks Corvair , Inc.
Loren
I purchased the reset knob from CARS several years ago. It is rubber, fits great and makes using the odometer reset very easy to use.
Bill
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2 hours ago, rodneybeauchamp said:
Bob,
I used one of those rubber grip pads you find in the kitchen to help removing screw top jars. It helped having both chrome surrounds off on the speedo and fuel/oil/amp/temp gauges too. It is only a 1/12th turn anticlockwise, but it can be tough the first time.
good luck.
Rodney
I second that. That's what did the trick for me when I removed the clock in my car. Then other fun begins once you get the clock loose. Getting the bulb and the wire connector removed and reconnected can be challenging. Buick must have been in a cost saving mode when they ran the wires for the clock. They used the bare minimum. An extra 2-3 inches of wire would have been very helpful.
Bill
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2 hours ago, Red Riviera Bob said:
Ed, so if I wanted to send my dash to “Just Dashes” it would be to take four screws out and give a little tug. Wow. Taking off and putting back on those little set screws in the back of those 12 little chrome knobs on the panel now seems masochistic. The forum is here to help and it certainly has been an immense resource. Thank you
Bob,
Read this thread: http://forums.aaca.org/topic/294399-wanted-power-antenna-install-and-dash-pad-removal-tips/?tab=comments#comment-1613917
I had to remove my dash pad to do my power antenna install. I was worried about the removal as well. It is as simple as Ed says. Tom Mooney gives some additional description that was useful. I also posted pictures of the underside of the dash pad that could help. Once you have done this it will all fall into place and you will say: " I was worried about this? It was a piece of cake".
Bill
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26 minutes ago, NCRiviera said:
I had purchased a glove box from Ekler's for my 69 Caprice that was made by Repop's. It was no where near a match for the original gb in my car. My new unit was marked with a Repop's sticker so I contacted them about the problems I was having. I was contacted by Brian House, Production Manager/Purchasing Agent for Repop's, who suggested I send them my original glove box and they would try to create a new unit from it. I sent them the original and a few weeks later they sent me the new unit and my old one. The new unit was an almost exact replica of the original with the exception of one of the screw anchor points was a little out of place.
Like Bill stated above, I don't know if Repop's will use the version they made for me to replace the incorrect versions they are selling for non-AC 69 Big Chevrolet's but they were very kind, considerate and very professional working with me to get me what I wanted.
I have also used several of their under hood insulation kits and I have found them to be accurately produced. The kit for my 68 even had the circular section cut out above the air cleaner.
I have replaced the glovebox in my 63 and it was made by Repops. It looks great and fits well.
Bill
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I just received my "revised" inner door window felts from Mark Cotter at Repops made up from the original I sent them. The revised ones have the straight chrome and the flat fuzzy strip as my original ones had as opposed to the bend in the chrome and the "V" rubber that I had received in my original set. They still contend the one I sent in is a replacement and not the original. If you have ever changed these in a 60's era car you know what 50 years of accumulated dust and original OEM staples look like. There was only one set of staple holes in any of pieces I changed. Just for curiosities sake I would like to hear from those of you that have 63-65 Rivieras what configuration is/was your original inner door felt? Straight fuzzy or V rubber? That being said Repops was gracious enough to listen to me and follow through on what I was telling them. I find that very refreshing. It seems today too few companies care about what their customers think let alone care enough to listen AND follow through. They originally said they would use this new configuration for further Riviera sets. Whether they will do this remains to be seen. If you go to their website they have a contact page with e-mail. They are very prompt in getting back to you.
I had reached out to Glenn at CARS about who made their window felt sets and what the configuration of their inner door felt was. I never heard back from him. Have any of you purchased the window felt set from CARS? If so, what were their inner door felts like?
Pictures 1 & 2 show my original inner door felt compared to the V inner door felt that came with my new window felt set. Pictures 3-5 show my original inner door felt (the one on top) compared to the revised felts I just received.
Bill
Correct location for trunk tyre sticker on ‘63
in Buick Riviera
Posted
Rodney,
It's one of those things that no one will know unless you tell them (mums the word) or you have read this thread. What they don't know won't hurt them. Stick it on, pat yourself on the back for a job well done and let people comment on how nice that trunk sticker looks.
Bill