Riviera63
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Posts posted by Riviera63
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Hi,
I replaced the trunk cardboard in my 63 earlier this spring as I added a remote trunk release. My old cardboard is still usable. Obviously, not show quality but, I think still presentable for a daily driver. It could be painted or covered with vinyl. Free to anyone that wants it, just pay the price of shipping I would be happy to package it up. PM me if interested. Thanks.
Bill
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I ran across this while researching spark plugs. It was very helpful to me to make sense of the numbering system for the AC spark plugs and I thought it might be helpful to others. I do have one question about the AC spark plugs for my 63 401. Are there any other designations in the R44 series of plugs that will work adequately besides the R44S in the 401? For example, the R44SX is designated wide gap for H.E.I. Can one just simply regap these plugs to the correct gap and use them or is there something else fundamentally different that will make these unusable? Any input is appreciated. Thanks.
Bill
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Hi Bob,
Those are the wires I do have now and they are actually blue with the boots and hoods on the other end being black. It is tough to tell from the picture. I realize that I can find any number of sets by doing searches on various websites and purchase a set of wires. It seems to be that buying anything quality nowadays can be a crap shoot. With certain things I like to get a recommendation from people that have actually used the product. I realize that getting black wires is being picky and not a life or death situation. I like to get my car as stock looking as possible when I can. I appreciate you trying to help out. Thanks.
Bill
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11 minutes ago, telriv said:
I ALMOST always use the Taylor Spiro Pro universal wires I make up myself. I use 90* boots on both ends for a cleaner.neater appearance by running them behind the head & up to the dist. Gets rid of the wires over the valve covers & gets rid of the bracketry.
Tom,
Thanks for the tip. I don't know if I am ready to make that leap yet. I'm sure they must be a quality set and will write that product down for future reference.
I did return the wires to Lectric Limited. As Bob mentioned they were nice to deal with and the return was no problem. Hopefully, I will not get charged the restocking fee.
My wires as I previously mentioned are good ones. However, they are dark blue. They are not the electric blue like you see on some sets but, blue nonetheless. Can anyone give me the name of a quality wire set that is black and where to get them? I would at least like to make that transition. Thanks.
Bill
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Bob,
Thanks, for the input. I had planned on calling them. I know there must be many satisfied customers out there or they would not be in business. I had a couple of 63 Pontiacs that I put date coded wires on with no problem. I did not know at the time who made those but, from what you say it must have been Lectric Limited. I just wanted to get input from other people as to their experiences good or bad before I do call. Thanks.
Bill
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19 minutes ago, RivNut said:
It's not that I don't like the original antennas but they play heck on car covers.
I'm sure that I'm not the only one who might be interested in what mods are necessary to mount this antenna. I think it looks good; especially since you used the OE bezel.
Ed
Dale,
I second that. Thanks.
Bill
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Hi,
Buying this set of wires has taught me many new things. I never knew about the ohm/resistance concept but, when presented with it makes perfect sense. These are new things fr me so if I sound a little dense forgive me. I tested all of the new wires that I received. They all passed the ohm/resistance test at the very outer edges of the guidelines Tom set except one. This was a 30" wire that tested 20,000 ohms. I tested 5 of my old wires which I had picked up at a NAPA in Denver, CO when attending the 2014 ROA convention in Colorado Springs. If I remember correctly I asked for the best they had. The resistance shown by these wires was at least half (or more) less than the new wires. I did install the new wires just to see how they performed. The car seemed to run OK in the garage except when I would rev the engine up I would sometimes get a backfire. I figured this was the bad wire and put the old wire back and that went away. I guess what I can take away from this is that with spark plug wires the less resistance the better. I should put my old wires back on and be happy because they are good ones. I'd like to hear some more comments/advice before I call Lectric Limited back and say I would like a refund with high resistance/lack of performance being the reason. Why put on inferior wires? For the amount of money they charge you would think you could get a superior product. Thanks.
Bill
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This is not filling me with confidence about my purchase. Anyone else have experiences with these wires good or bad? Is there anyone else that makes an OEM style of wires? Thanks.
Bill
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8 hours ago, telriv said:
Test the ohm resistance of ALL the wires before installation. 500 ohms per foot. Many have come through bad. Not daming them just check BEFORE installation to avoid future problems or headaches.
Thanks for the tip. I will definitely check those before installing.
Bill
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Hi,
I just purchased a set of date-coded plug wires for my 1963 Riviera. I did not realize until I saw it on this forum that the OEM style plug wires were a different style than the plug wires one normally sees for other cars. I am very satisfied with these wires and how they look. I am also happy to be able to add one more item to my car that will give it an even more original look. I do have a question about these wires though. With the wires they send along dielectric grease to apply to the ceramic portion of the spark plug and the inner rubber surface of the boot. They indicate that this will keep the ignition coil's spark from arching through, or around, the spark plug wire boot, help maintain a dry environment at the terminal connection, and keep the boots from bonding to the spark plug insulator thereby making installation and reinstallation of the plug wires easier. Is there anyone out there that does do this? It seems to make sense. Is this a legitimate concern and therefore worth doing or something one really need not worry about. Any thoughts or tips appreciated. Thanks.
Bill
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I just walked in to my local NAPA and they had the right battery in stock. I have noticed sites will say an item is not correct for a 1963 Riviera when I know it is correct. One example that I can think of is oil filters. I am thinking some of these sites don't have items referenced back as far as 1963.
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The idiot lights, bezel and lens are spoken for. The speedometer, lens and bezel are still available individually or as a whole. Thanks.
Bill
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The lower dash trim, ignition switch, ignition switch bezel and ignition switch light are gone. Thanks.
Bill
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The bare instrument panel has been taken. Thanks.
Bill
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Here are some more parts from my dash purchase. Please PM me with any questions. Thanks.
Bill
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Here are some more parts from my dash purchase. Please PM me with any questions. Thanks.
Bill
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Hi,
This last weekend I attended a very large car show/swap meet near my home. I'm sure as many of you have found out finding Buick parts let alone Riviera parts can be a challenge at swap meets. I was very surprised when one of the vendors had an early 1963 Riviera dashboard for sale. It is from a non-AC car and has the 120 MPH speedometer. It was just the portion that held the speedometer and gauges. I bought it not because I necessarily needed anything but, just to preserve it in case anyone else may have a use for the parts. Someone previously had scavenged some parts but, I think there are some things that can be of use to someone. I have taken off various components and cleaned them up. I will attach pictures of some of the things I have done. I am just posting a few pictures. I have more pictures of the individual components if you need to see them. I will post more pictures of parts as I take them off and get them cleaned up. The chrome bezels are pitted but, still shine up nicely. The clear lenses on both gauge clusters in my opinion are very nice, no cracks and are clear with very little scratching. The gauge faces are also nice with good color. I have no idea of the working condition of the gauges or switches etc. Everything appears clean and undamaged. I can pull things apart if you need an individual piece like the gauge face or just the chrome bezel. If you see anything that you can use PM me. I just want these things to go to someone that can use them. Make an offer plus shipping. Thanks.
Bill
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Here are a couple of pictures of the 65 trunk material and spare tire cover from CARS with a trunk mat. While maybe not exactly "correct" the trunk liner kit is a very good value and a lot cheaper than the liner from Clark's. I don't think you can still get the trunk mats. Jeff from CARS told me at the ROA meet in Colorado Springs they were not going to make them anymore because they were having trouble with the manufacturing process. They do have some "blems" for sale yet at about 1/2 the price of what they used to be. My mat in the pictures was one of these blems. It took some work with various vinyl products like Armor All to get in shape. It turned out pretty well. I do see mats for sale from time to time through private parties.
Bill
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Hi,
In a couple of weeks I am taking my Riv in for a check up and having a couple of repairs taken care of pending my August trip to Buicks On the Bricks in Flint. After reading the latest Buick Bugle I am going to have the driveshaft center bearing and its rubber mount checked out. Does the drive shaft need to be removed to inspect the rubber mount or can it be viewed through the frame? Has anyone had experience with checking/replacing the mount and/or bearing? The car is 50+ years old, would replacing the mount and or bearing just be a good preventive thing to do or has it been people's experience that this is generally not a problem? I see that Classic Buick sells the mount and bearing together as a kit. Has anyone used their product? This would seem preferable to do rather than have to send the mount in to be revulcanized as you do with CARS or Steele Rubber. Any input, advice, tips etc. are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Bill
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2 hours ago, RIVNIK said:
Greetings, One of the best things I ever did for my '65 was to mount Firestone FR380s. They are designated as pickup truck tires and are big, but not enough to seriously effect turning radius. They have a 3/4" whitewall which to me looks perfect on 1st gens. In fact they look just like the ones on Jan's Riv(earlier post). But the best thing about them is the ride, especially out on the freeway. The Riv tracks like it's on rails and handles like a new car. And just like me they were cheap (on sale under $100( 6 yrs. ago.) which is icing on the cake. Drew
I too, went to my local Firestone dealer 2 years ago and got five 225/75 steel belted radials for $79.00 each. The total bill for tires, mounting, balancing, etc. was less than $500.00 which I am sure is less than buying 2 tires from Coker et al. These tires will die of old age before they wear out. As Drew mentioned the car drives fantastic. I personally like the whitewalls on this era car and mine also have the 3/4 inch whitewall which I like as well.
Bill
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33 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:
Bill,
Chrome piece is the same. Basically, the chrome bezel is affixed to the fender with the appropriate hardware and the power antenna, as a unit, is inserted thru the bezel from underneath. That switch on Ebay is GROSSLY overpriced!! The mast, etc is different from manual to power units.
Tom
Tom,
I thought that was a lot to pay for a switch. What would be a reasonable price to pay for a switch? Would you have a ballpark figure of what one would pay for a decent power antenna unit? Thanks for the info on the chrome bezel.
Bill
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On 7/1/2016 at 7:44 PM, RivNut said:
Find an old switch that works and screw a new looking or NOS thumb button to it. No one else will be able to tell unless you give them a screwdriver and tell them to take apart your switch panel.
Ed,
I have no problem with a used switch. There is a used one on e-bay which the seller seems to want an ungodly amount of money for-$149.99. Is this what I am looking at or is this just one of those typical situations where a vendor is trying to get their retirement income on every sale? Are there any parts of a manual mast set up that can be used on the power set up? I know Tom thought the antenna lead is the same. One piece that I am concerned about is the chrome mast base that mounts on the outer fender. Is this the same for both units? If not, is it same shape and dimensions? Thanks.
Bill
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16 minutes ago, RivNut said:
The switch has to be held in the position you want, forward for down and back for up (I think; it could be the opposite though) so as soon as you release the switch, the antenna will stay right where it was when you released the switch. The switch is spring loaded so it always returns to the neutral position when you release pressure. The other switches will stay in the position they're in when you relieve the pressure. The antenna switch is unique under the dash. The switch is interchangeable 63 - 65.
Ed,
Thanks, that's what I was looking for. I did a search for switches today and didn't have much luck. What I did find out is that the switch is the same for some Buick station wagon tailgate windows. I assume that unless I get lucky that a used switch will have to do, which is fine.
Bill
Brakes just failed on '64
in Buick Riviera
Posted
I did this last summer and followed Jim Cannon's procedure in a previous post which I have copied below. Simple, straightforward, looks clean and original. I kept and used my stock booster and have had no problems.
Here is what I recommend: (Jim's words)
Keep the factory distribution block on the frame. Remove the line going to the rear axle and plug it. Connect the port on the block that goes to the stock MC up to the FRONT port of the dual MC. You need to fabricate a line to do this, with double-flared ends at both ends. Put some slack in the line by making a Z-shaped portion or a coil The tube nut size on the front MC port is different from stock MC, but is easily obtained. That takes care of the front wheels.
For the rear axle, you want to fabricate a new line that goes from the REAR port of the dual MC down to the frame in the vicinity of the distribution block. Include a coil or a Z for slack. Use a T-fitting style union made for brake light switch to connect the end of your new rear line to the existing rear line that come off of the original distribution block. The 2 union-type ends will be tube fittings. You connect the line to the rear axle to one of them and the line up to the dual MC to the other. It is equivalent to a straight-through union. The T-part of the fitting is 1/8" NPT, not flared tubing. The stock brake light switch screws right into it. The wires on the stock wiring harness are long enough to reach down to the frame by the distribution block. You do not need to splice any electric or cut anything.
To keep the lines from vibrating against each other, I tied the lines to each other with a couple of small zip ties.
I got the 3/16" tubing, the master fittings STN-7 and STN-5, the T-fitting BS-01 and everything from Inline Tube. I might have gotten the plug from them, I don't remember. Call them.
You do not need a proportioning valve for the drum-drum system. Crude proportioning is already included in the wheel cylinder cup/piston diameter difference between front and rear. Connecting lines as I describe will maintain the factory proportioning, for better or for worse. (I used to design brake systems.)
The brake light switch is hard to bleed air out of. Fill it with fluid before screwing into the T-fitting. Try to keep it contacts down until you bleed the system, then invert it.
Regarding which dual MC to use:
You need to remove your stock MC from the car and look at the end of the piston that the booster pin presses against. It will be either a (roughly) 1" deep hole or a 1/4" deep dimple. The new dual MC that you install needs to have that same depth "hole". It will be either one or the other. Trying to put the wrong one in will not work.
If you are keeping your STOCK booster, you need to put an o-ring on the neck of the new MC where it inserts into the booster, or else you will have no boost (due to vacuum leak at the neck). Either move the original o-ring over to the booster or get a new o-ring. The only guy I know that sells this special o-ring is Booster Dewey out in Oregon. You might try NAPA or other places and find it. If you were to "cut" the o-ring and look at the cut surface, it would not be a circle. It would be a small square. So it is not really a conventional o-ring. It is specific to this application.
HTH.