Riviera63
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Posts posted by Riviera63
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I was in a book store today and saw the current issue of Collectible Automobile. I noticed that one of the featured articles was a spread on the cars of 1963. I was excited as I knew that there had to be a 1963 Riviera or two pictured in there somewhere. There was and I purchased it on the spot for that reason. For those of you not familiar with it, Collectible Automobile is a fabulous magazine. It is expensive but, a quality publication. The article on the 63's of all manufacturers was very in depth with many pictures. As I paged through it I had a pleasant surprise. At the bottom of the table of contents page (page 2) and at the top of page 61 in the 63 models article were pictures of my 1963 Pontiac Tempest Custom Convertible. One of only 5012 produced in 1963. Collectible Automobile had done a feature on the 1961-1963 Pontiac Tempest in their December 2002 issue. They photographed my car and it was one of the cars featured in that article. Like the Riviera the 61-63 Pontiac Tempests were also an innovative design with a rear transaxle, independent rear suspension, a solid woven steel drive shaft, a 4-cylinder engine (1/2 of the Pontiac 389). It also had ties to Buick as the V-8 option for 1961-1962 model years was the Buick aluminum 215. I sold that car back in 2003. It was a great car and I sometimes still miss it. It was nice to see some of those old photos resurrected. Good memories.
Bill
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Rodney,
The Anco should work fine. Ed has tried these Here is what he said on another thread from the forum:
Update,
I bought a pair of the ACDELCO 87150 but returned them because they were only 15" long. Correct in every way (complete arm and blade) except for the length. But in today's "post" I received a pair of Anco U-18R wiper refills. They fit the OE arms perfectly.
And they were less than $10 for the pair. I assembled one and the profile of the refill is a great improvement over the original; it appears that they should work well.
Another choice, the Trico 33-150 shown in picture number 1. These are 15" but have the classic look.
Another option taken from another thread on the forum, picture number 2.
If you don't need the metal arm, order NAPA part #WIP 601847 (18") and just take out the METAL refill and insert it into your original silver metal wiper arm. They retail for $8 each. This way it looks original and you have real metal spine refills, not the cheap plastic ones I see on so many other early Rivieras.
Hope this helps.
Bill
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8 minutes ago, PWB said:
Mr. Bill,
If you are pleased with your re-chroming source please forward me the contact info.
Over the last couple years I have had estimates from at least 3 shops for similar pieces needing no reconditioning besides de, and re-chroming. = At extreme rates. Shipping costs excluded!
$400 dollars is one heck of a deal!
Thanks.
Paul,
I took my bumper to Keystone Automotive. The parent company is LKQ Corporation. Some of the stores go by LKQ. They are a chain of automotive stores that we have here in Wisconsin. I do not know how widespread they are around the country. I did a quick search and I saw stores as far west as Colorado and as far south as Florida. It is a very nice situation. You take your bumper in to their store and drop it off. They will give you an estimate for the rechroming according to what piece you bring in. My original quote was $459.00 which I thought was very reasonable. When I went in to pick it up and pay, they only charged me $367.20. The guy told me that they overquote in case the bumper is not in as good of shape as originally thought and they have to to some repair. He said my bumper was in very good shape so the cost of the rechrome was less because no extra work had to be done.They have trucks that come around once or twice a week to pick up rechroming items so you don't have to worry about transporting it or packaging it for shipping. Keystone has their own replating operation in Minnesota. This is one reason the price is so reasonable. With their own plant they control quality and can guarantee you get the same piece back that you brought in. Let me know if you need any more info.
Bill
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Rodney,
If you want to stick with the original length. The Anco U-18R is what you want. They are available several places, including e-bay.
Bill
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Rodney,
I have also done the bumper by myself. Not that hard to do. It is not the preferred method but, sometimes that's all you have. Definitely use the extra set(s) of hands if you have them. As stated in the previous post, make sure you have something on the ground to protect the bumper in case of a slip. I keep large pieces of cardboard around for situations like that. As stated make sure the fender is protected from being scratched and also protect the painted bumper filler as well. I just had a really nice rechrome done on my upper bumper done this spring for less than $400.00. Is the high price for a rechrome a regional thing?
Bill
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2 hours ago, rodneybeauchamp said:
And if that doesn't work, Gord does a great repair with new plunger contacts. I had one of mine repaired through his service and very happy. His member details are msdminc and sure he might chime in here too. I still used the extra earth wire as I did not want to take the paint away from the jamb area. ???????
Gordon did both of my door jamb switches. They have performed flawlessly. He charges a minimal amount to redo these switches. Cheap and dependable fix with a quick turnaround to solve a big headache. Highly recommended.
Bill
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19 minutes ago, carbking said:
With all due respect: What do you ship overseas on a regular basis? Stamps?
If original, the carb is going to be either a Rochester 4-G or Carter AFB. Either kit with no packaging weighs approximate 6 1/2 ounces on a digital postal scale (so much for your 4 oz. package). Both have airhorn gaskets which would not survive the trip in an envelope. Adding the smallest box which will accept either kit brings the weight to 14 oz. And I believe the OP also wanted a choke (another 1 1/2 oz.) As the post office rounds up, now our MINIMUM weight is 16 oz. or 1 pound.
And why would anyone ship approximately $100. worth of parts anywhere with no insurance?
Jon.
I think that what KongaMan is trying to say is that shipping overseas is not as difficult or as expensive as one might imagine. I have also shipped many Riv parts overseas to several locations. I have shipped to Germany, France, Sweden, Australia (to Rodney the starter of this thread) and Switzerland. The package to Switzerland was sent to our friend Scmiddy from this forum. He is also the one that has done several articles great articles for the Riview. He bought a set of 4 wire wheel covers which I am guessing weighed around 25 pounds. Many of the things I sent were over 1 pound. First class International has broader weight and size limitations than Domestic First Class. While shipping overseas is not as cost effective as domestic shipping, in most cases it is reasonable enough for the overseas person to obtain parts this way. In many cases getting things from the US is their only option. The buyer is paying the postage so there is no extra cost for the seller.The only thing that makes it slightly more difficult is that you have to go to the post office as opposed to mailing from home and you have to sign a customs declaration which is provided at the post office. If you sell to overseas buyers on e-bay it is a snap. You can print everything from your computer at home, slap it on the package and give it to the postman.
Bill
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46 minutes ago, Seafoam65 said:
This pic of the Chevelle was taken a couple of months after I had polished out the whole car with the Mother's Billet Polish. By the way, the best wax
out there is the Next Generation liquid wax by McGuier's in the purple bottle. In this pic the Chevelle was polished with the Mother's and waxed with the Next Generation wax. It's showtime!
Winston,
Looks fantastic. I did order the billet polish. I will check out the wax as well. Thanks.
Bill
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1 hour ago, Red Riviera Bob said:
Rodney, I was wondering how the turn signal bulbs in the front get changed. Thank you very much for the information. I can use this.
Red Riviera Bob
Bob,
There are 6 screws you remove to get the chrome turn signal/parking light bezel off. That will expose the plastic lens. I believe there are 4 screws that you remove to get the lens out. Be careful with the lens it is in 2 pieces, the curved front and a flat back panel. Removal of the lens will reveal the bulbs. Handle the lens with care as the plastic is very brittle after all of these years. Be especially careful with the tabs that the screws go into. Reproduction lenses are very expensive and very good used ones are hard to find.
Bill
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28 minutes ago, Seafoam65 said:
The best stuff for getting scratches out of paint or polishing paint is Mother's Billet Metal Polish. It comes
in a 4 oz. tub and I buy it from Amazon because most parts stores don't sell it. It removes scratches like a rubbing compound but leaves
a streak free scratch free brilliant shine like a fine finishing polish, all in one 15 second step. A custom painter that painted my GTO told me about the
stuff and the first time I used it I was flabbergasted. Just rub it into the paint with a damp microtowel and buff it off with a dry towel. The stuff
is amazing, and it isn't even made for polishing paint, in fact it says do not use on paint right on the container. When I first tried it, I polished out my enitre
70 Chevelle SS 396's paint by hand with the stuff, waxed the car and won a Best Of Show Paint Award at a show with 300 cars in it the first time out. If you ever use it you will NEVER use anything else. I usually buy it from Amazon 4 or 5 tubs at a time as I use it a lot on my customer's cars at my car repair shop..
Winston,
That's the personal product endorsement I was looking for. If you trust using it on your collector cars and probably more importantly if you trust using it on other people's cars that's good enough proof for me. I will give that a try. Thanks for your tip and thanks to all of you that responded.
Bill
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6 minutes ago, bodayguy said:
I've used Dr ColorChip, including on my Riviera, and it's good and very easy to use.
Thanks for responding. That looks like a good system for chips where the paint is gone down to the metal. I was looking for something that one could rub on to remove or blend in more superficial scratches. The paint is still basically intact but discolored or marred.
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I am looking for a recommendation for a good scratch remover. Thankfully, it is not for my Riviera but, for my wife's car. My head swims with the number of different products available for whatever application you happen to be shopping for. They all of course claim to be "the best". If someone could recommend a product that they have used with good success I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
Bill
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5 hours ago, jsgun said:
I'm installing the weather stripping around the side windows, at the belt line. I thought I had it figured out, but I think I'm wrong. There's a felt strip, and a rubber strip with a half-circle profile. To confirm, does the rubber strip go on the outside of the windows, and the felt on the inside (top edge of the interior panels)? Does the rubber strip have the open part of the profile facing upwards? There's a chrome edge along that side, but it seems like the strip would just collect water and debris. Is this correct? I can't find anything in any of the manuals, and search and google are no help.
The felt strip goes on the outside. It runs along the chrome strip that sits on top of the outer door skin. The rubber strip (mine had a V configuration) with the chrome edge goes on top of the interior door panel, open side up. You may have to do some modifying along the front edge by the vent window to make it fit. The rubber strip configuration actually is not like the original, which was felt also. I have been in contact with Repops, a company that makes these to reproduce them correctly. I sent my originals to them to use as a pattern and I should be getting the new product any day now. I have attached some pictures showing the rubber strip installed on the inner door panel, the rubber strip alongside the original(you can see the bottom leading edge of the replacement is deeper than the original, I had to trim so that it would fit down snug, the opening by the vent window is not as deep as the rest of the door) , the original felt strip and the new version that we got. I hope this helps.
Bill
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15 minutes ago, pyntre said:
Is there any way the pictures from the eBay add could be reposted here on this forum so we can have them for posterity ? I think the pictures disappear shortly after an item is sold on eBay ,,,,,, GREAT PICTURES !!!
Is the upholstery from Clarks on that armrest ??
thanks guys !!!!!
I have some pictures from when I refurbished a rear center armrest from beginning to end. I can post them for you if you would like. The upholstery I used was from Clark's. Let me know and I can dig them out and post.
Bill
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On 9/28/2017 at 11:09 PM, Red Riviera Bob said:
Bill, thank you for the written answer. Now I have the complete picture of what to do. Your installation looks great. The use of the rubber sheeting is an excellent idea to keep the bad stuff out. The Arctic White is impressive.
i really appreciate you taking the time to help out.
Red Riviera Bob
PS. When I finish I'll be sure to send you a picture of how my job went. I must admit I am having someone do the installation for me. I genuinely cannot work with shapes that have to be folded and formed to fit in another space. Square and rectangle shapes are not a problem for me, but the odd shaped stuff is truly a puzzle I cannot solve.
Bob,
Thanks for the compliments. You are fortunate as your trunk looks very solid and rust free. Your trunk prep looks great. I can't wait to see how it turns out, so please do send a picture.
Bill
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1 hour ago, Red Riviera Bob said:
Gents, I have removed the original trunk lining and gray cardboard from my 63 Riv trunk. I want to know if someone can indicate what level of surface prep of the trunkmetal surface is required so the new trunk kit adhesive will stick. Does the trunk floor and other trunk surfaces need to be cleaned to near bare metal?
I know the surface has to be clean of loose debris, soil, grease, oil, and gasoline. Does every spec of tar, foam, and glue be removed from the surface of the trunk? So far I've scraped and used a surface grinder with wire cup brush to remove the debris. Additionally, I used Berkible 2+2 gum cutter to clean the surface.
Suggestions regarding the level of surface prep needed to get the best adhesion for the trunk kit is appreciated.
Thank You,
Red Riviera Bob
Bob,
The only place I needed to put adhesive was on the wheel wells. I scraped, cleaned and degreased as much as I could on the wheel wells and put on the adhesive. They have stayed in place just fine. You don't have to get every last bit off and certainly don't need to get down to bare metal. The rest is held in place by the cardboard, the spare and gravity. The other areas I scraped and cleaned again as much as I could and laid the material down. I did put a very thin rubber sheet under these areas to prevent any possible leaching of any contaminants I happened to miss. I think the rubber sheet helps keep things in place as well. So far everything is intact and in place.
Bill
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1 hour ago, Red Riviera Bob said:
Gents, I have removed the original trunk lining and gray cardboard from my 63 Riv trunk. I want to know if someone can indicate what level of surface prep of the trunkmetal surface is required so the new trunk kit adhesive will stick. Does the trunk floor and other trunk surfaces need to be cleaned to near bare metal?
I know the surface has to be clean of loose debris, soil, grease, oil, and gasoline. Does every spec of tar, foam, and glue be removed from the surface of the trunk? So far I've scraped and used a surface grinder with wire cup brush to remove the debris. Additionally, I used Berkible 2+2 gum cutter to clean the surface.
Suggestions regarding the level of surface prep needed to get the best adhesion for the trunk kit is appreciated.
Thank You,
Red Riviera Bob
Bob,
I only have one experience with a trunk liner of the cloth type that the Rivs have. When I replaced mine the only place I needed to put any adhesive was on the wheel wells. I scraped as much adhesive, grime dirt, etc. as I could off of the wheel wells, cleaned with degreaser and wiped it down with a parts cleaner solution. I sprayed on adhesive and laid those pieces down. The rest of the trunk I scraped and cleaned as much as I could and just put the other pieces in place. They are held in place by the cardboard, the spare and gravity. I did put a very thin rubber sheet down underneath to prevent any possible leaching of contaminants missed by my cleaning. I also think that the rubber helps keep everything in place.
Bill
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3 hours ago, Red Riviera Bob said:
Bill, no leaks. I'm getting the drip pan because there are drips from the engine.
RRB
Bob,
Good idea. Remember to use it under the transmission if you store your car for an extended period. Even a transmission that is not leaking under normal driven conditions can burp out the fluid when sitting for an extended period.This is not an indication that the transmission is leaky or bad. It is normal and just something that these transmissions do when sitting for awhile.
Bill
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2 hours ago, RivNut said:
The tire I had in mind, the title of my thread, was for a 225/70R15. I've run this size on my '63 for quite some time with no ill effects.
Ed,
When I purchased my Riv I went to my local Firestone dealer where I had been getting tires for my collector cars for years. The last set I purchased before this set was in 2003 and they were Firestones. I had no idea in that time span how hard it had become to find whitewall tires. The only tires he could find in his network of vendors was a tire from China. They are SUNTEK 225/75R15's. I was not going to pay the outrageous prices that Coker and some of the other vendors want for their tires. These were very affordable and so far I am very happy with them. I have been on several long trips with these tires including a 2200 mile jaunt to the ROA Convention in Colorado. I currently have 8000 miles on this set. My car rides very smoothly and handles well on these tires. From the experience I have had with these Chinese tires I would not have any qualms about trying out those that are in question.
Bill
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1 hour ago, RivNut said:
Pat,
Is that Samoan Bronze? (That's the closest I could come to by looking at a 1965 color chart on line - knowing what monitors will do to colors) Both cars in the Cadillac colors makes me wonder why Buick chose not to use those colors as standard colors. What else did Cadillac have that would have looked good on a Riviera?
Ed
Ed,
You are correct. This was on display at the BCA National Convention. It is a beautiful car. One of the first things we noticed though was that the positive battery cable was on the wrong side. We didn't have the heart to tell them. On Sunday we were parking at the entrance to the hotel to go in and check out as they were trying to load this car to be trailered home. They were having a heck of a time as they could not keep it running long enough to get it on the trailer. Let this be a lesson: Riviera are meant to be driven!
Bill
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7 minutes ago, jframe said:
Great info, got the jack in place today! Tom, you always come up with great documentation! One more question; will a reproduction tire cover from Clark's fit a 215/75-15 or 225/75-15 tire? My spare is an old 205/75-15 dated 1986, so it's due for replacement. Thinking about one of the American Classic whitewall radials in either the 215 or 225/75 sizes, with the 1.3" whitewall. Just don't see any sense in ordering a cover if it won't stretch around it.
When I got my car I bought 5 new 225/75-15 for my car. I regretted getting that size for the spare. In my 63 it was a bear to get to fit on the shelf. I finally followed the advice of a fellow forum member and let the air out of the spare and carried a small electric portable compressor. That helped but, it was still pain to get in. I finally went out and got a good used tire of a smaller size. It slid in very easily and I didn't have to climb into the trunk to get it to it as I did before with the larger size. I figured the tire would not stay on that long if I did get a flat so a used, smaller tire won't matter. With the cover on you can't tell. I had the half cover from CARS and it fit the larger size but, with a struggle and looked OK. With the smaller spare the cover also goes on much easier and has a better fit and look.
Bill
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1 hour ago, jframe said:
How in the world does that crazy hook and spring secure the jack in the car? No guide ANYWHERE showing orientation. I have tried several spots for the hook after finally wiggling the jack itself back into its mounts, but nothing seems to secure or tight. Also, does the lug wrench just lay in the floor?
Here is a picture showing the spring hook and jack. I hold my lug wrench with velcro straps. Others have used rubber bands cut from a bicycle inner tube. Don't feel bad. I struggled with the same thing when I got my car. Looking at the pieces, how hard can it be? I had to ask one of the Riv gurus on how to get mine installed. Hope this helps.
Bill
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2 hours ago, RivNut said:
How can you differentiate a 66 from a 67 Impala. As far as I know, Chevrolet only did the 'year to year" mandatory changes in grills and tail lights between the two. Kind of like differentiating between a 66 and 67 Riviera (except for the new engine in the 67 Buicks)
In each of the pairs of years 59 &60, 61 & 62, 63 & 64, 65 & 66 they followed that pattern. The "tell" is the same dash in each of those pairs is the same. As mentioned the 67 was a redesign year. I owned a 67 Impala fastback when I was in college. It was a great, reliable car. My step-dad was the service manager at the local Chevrolet-Buick garage. Back in those days we got to order a new car every year for our family to use. The only hitch was that if someone wanted to buy it we had to let it go. If that happened we got to choose any car off of the lot. The 67 Impala we ordered was a nice car and it got snapped up pretty quickly. We replaced it with a Buick station wagon which was cool because they had the panoramic windows in the roof. Another good memory of car ordering was in 1970. That was the year the 454 came out. We ordered a 4 door Impala with the 454, 4 bbl. set up. Probably a pretty rare combo.
Bill
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17 hours ago, Red Riviera Bob said:
Gents, Would someone suggest a supplier that can provide a gasket and filter for a twin turbine transmission in the 1963 Buick Riviera.
is there a front and rear transmission seal for the 63 Riviera transmission? I have an oil leak some place. I need to have the transmission fluid drained and replaced. I figured might a's well get ALL the oil seals, including the engine, so when the car is on the lift the seals, gaskets, and filter are available to replace what needs to be replaced. In summary, what are the seals on the engine that interfaces with the transmission. I know what an oil pan gasket is, but I'm not sure about engine seals that might leak around the transmission.
thank you
Red Riviera Bob
Bob,
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
Wiper blades for '63
in Buick Riviera
Posted · Edited by Riviera63
revise text (see edit history)
Hi Rodney,
I guess I am confused as to what you are looking for. There are only 2 pieces, the removable Trico metal portion of the wiper blade arm(it has a brushed finish as opposed to a shiny finish) which holds the rubber insert and the rubber wiper blade insert. I have posted pictures of the wiper blade arm and insert taken off of my 1963. This metal arm looks the same as what was on all of my 63 GM cars that I have had in the past, so I am assuming that the metal wiper blade arm is the original Trico. (Maybe others can confirm or deny) The wiper blade rubber insert I am sure is a replacement but, is the correct length. I have tried to recreate your original shots with my blade and have added others as well. When measured on the arm the wiper blade rubber insert measures about 17 7/8" which translates to 454 mm, almost the same as what you measured. the removable metal portion of the assembly measures 17 1/2 inches which is roughly 445 mm. The rubber insert measures 18" or roughly 457 mm when straight. Unless I am missing something, to me it looks like what you have on your car is correct.
Bill
P.S. I think understanding dawned on me while I was putting the rubber insert back into the arm. You are saying that the original rubber blade had a metal spine with the metal retaining clip with a removable rubber blade and this set up allowed you to replace just the rubber portion of the blade with a new rubber blade and retain the original metal spine and clip? If this is so I have learned something new. My apologies for being obtuse.