64Rivvy

Is this something that a radiator shop or a typical mechanic shop can do?

After soaking my original cable operated inline heater valve from my 64 with PB blaster for a few days, I finally got the valve to free up. It's operating pretty well, but is there a way to check it for leaks with it out of the car? Is pouring water in it and seeing if it leaks sufficient, or does it need to be under some pressure for a true test? Would rather catch it now versus once it's in the car. Thanks.

It's a new ornament.

Cstang50, What brand wheels and tires are you running there and did you have to use spacers to get them to clear? Any rubbing issues inner or outer? I'm thinking about something similar in gun metal gray or a boss 338 wheel like these below.

same here. with mine I'm afraid to fully engage bc I'm worried it won't release. I'm not sure there is a spring. My hypothesis is that the cable has loosened so much that there is no longer enough resistance to engage the gears. I haven't looked at it really closely yet, but that appears to be how it works. Essentially, the resistance on the lever that causes the teeth to engage actually comes from the tension of the ebrake cable when it is pushed down and stretched. Then upon release, the tension is enough to fully disengage. My fear is that there's just enough tension to engage it slightly, but not enough to disengage which is why I haven't played with it yet. Maybe someone can enlighten us on how it works.

Hi - I'm looking for the mounting hardware to mount my 64 Riviera hood ornament to the center trim on the hood. I believe there is a spring and clip or nut of some type, but haven't had much luck finding it after searching a number of places. Thanks, Raul

Ok thanks guys and thanks for the links. Will be helpful as I do this. Clarks it is then. Not totally decided on the leather versus vinyl yet, but with 2 kids that will be jumping around back there I'm leaning towards the vinyl.

Thanks for the input guys. I bought the full front end rebuild kit from PST, the Monroe shocks from RockAuto, and the rear track arm bushings from nailhead buick.

Thanks. That's an interesting point about the SUV tires. I never would have thought about that. I have also seen a lot of people do 18" on the front and 20" on the rear. Not sure what the reason is for that but it seems to be common for many people with Electras, Wildcats, caddys and impalas going with larger wheels.

I am thinking about going from the 16" wheels on my 64 now to 19 or 20" wheels. I am currently rebuilding the suspension with all new rubber bushings, new monroe shocks, and replacing all of the body mounts with original style rubber as well. I'm hoping that might balance out the harshness of larger wheels. Has anyone gone from 15 or 16" wheels up to 19 o r 20" and can give me their real world opinion of the difference in ride between the two? I just really like the lowered hot rodded look of the larger wheels on these cars, but at the same time don't want it to ride like crap either. I've heard 18" wheels are the best of both worlds with performance and still relatively soft ride but not sure they are big enough to make that much of a difference from 16" wheels on a car this big. I understand that many people just don't like the bigger wheels, but I'm more interested in real world performance feedback versus debate on big versus stock wheels Would appreciate any experience anyone has on this. Thanks.

What is the best source for replacement front and rear seat upholstery for my 64? I've gotten leather and vinyl samples from Clark's Corvair and see that OPGI also sells them as well. I was planning to get the leather from Clark's, but oddly the vinyl actually seems nicer and softer, though I suppose it's hard to tell from such small samples. I also like that the ones from OPGI already have the buttons fastened and I don't have to spend more time doing that. Just hoping someone has some firsthand experience with different sources and can steer me in the right direction. I already have the replacement foam and need to start re-upholstering soon so they will be ready to put in after the new carpet. Thanks.

Let us know how it comes out and how it sounds.

I'm cleaning and painting my floors and am about to move on to my trunk next. What is the correct finish in the trunk? My 69 Camaro has the spatter paint in the trunk and I really like the look of it. Also great for hiding imperfections but trying to extort things to stock as much as possible. Not sure if this was an option or could be considered correct in any way. Thanks.

That hydramat looks like a great idea and I love that it mounts to the bottom the tank using magnets. I would be worried the holes in the matt would clog over time though. Great to know that is an option and also good to know about the b body tank. How much "mashing" of the front tank corners is required to get it to fit and then does the filler neck have to be cut and welded to size, or it fits as is"

Mozzie, I just saw your note about soda blasting and acid bath. In case you're not aware there are many issues with both soda blasting and acid baths/etching. With the acid, it has a tendency to leach out of crevices over time and destroys the primer and paint. With soda blasting, a lot of the issues have to do with not properly neutralizing the metal after blasting. I personally would try to find someone that does media blasting with a safe media like dupont starblast or something similar. Even then I would remove paint from the larger panels like hood, deck lid, quarters and doors with stripper and a da before taking it. Then just have them lightly blast over this areas making sure not to warp the panels. Either way make sure the person doing the blasting has experience blasting classic cars and knows how to make sure panels are not warped by excess pressure and heat by not moving constantly. I personally always talk to the specific person who will be blasting to make sure I get a good feeling from them they know what they're doing. Good luck.

I may go this route at some point also. The biggest issue I see is the lack of available fuel tank options because the in line fuel pumps are loud and generally just suck compared to an in tank setup. I know that edelbrock supposedly now has an in tank sump setup that is supposed to work in the riviera tank but I don't know what's involved with it or if anyone has gotten the setup to work. Most people seem to like the edelbrock estreet,fast, and msd atomic setups. I like that you can keep everything looking pretty stock with these setups but still have the drivabilit of efi and a closed fuel system that doesn't smell the garage up constantly. Normally I would just drop an ls or ly6 in there, but imo the first gens just have to have a nailhead in there, as nice as an ls motor would be. Definitely interested to hear if anyone has gotten any of these setups to work in the first Gen with minimal pain.

Great job on that brace btw. Looks identical to the original piece. I'm sure you already know/are doing this, but be sure to prime the inside of it, preferably with an epoxy primer, before welding it back in place. Then it will never rust again I'm planning to rebuild my suspension this coming week, so as soon as I get it up in the air I'll take some pics and upload here if someone doesn't beat me to it. Good luck and keep us updated on how it goes.

I had to go through the outer rings of hell to get it out, but finally got the heater core out. I also removed the evaporator. I'm going to go ahead and replace and clean/re-spray everything for the heating and cooling system while I have it all out. I also found the pass floor was hiding some rot under the rug so I'm replacing the pan. This is the domino effect in action. I started with just replacing the heater core but decided hey, I might as well replace the insulation, all A/C and heating system parts, paint the floors and put in dynamat throughout, do the carpeting, re-upholster the seats/replace the seat foam, and restore the console and passenger side of the dash while it's all out. It will be great to get it all done but now my weekend project has gotten a whole lot bigger.. Here are some pics of everything removed. Definitely going to need a new inner heater core box and mounting straps or will have to do some fabrication to repair it. Luckily it seems like all my vent doors and springs are in good shape and working well.

I'm in urgent need of the inner box and mounting straps/tabs for the heater core on my 64 Riviera. I pulled the heater core to replace it and found that the box and mounting straps are rusted beyond saving. Hoping someone has one and/or the mounting straps available. I included pictures below of what I'm referring to. Thanks, Raul

Tony, Thanks I was just coming to post that I found a great article last night from a gentleman in Australia explaining that the heater box needs to come off to access that last bolt. Looks like it was your article! To take the heater box off the firewall do I just need to remove the few bolts around the flange and unhook the two cables that are attached to the box? It all seems pretty brittle from age so I'm trying to be very careful to make sure I remove all the bolts/fasteners before I start yanking on it. Thanks, Raul

I just bought one from Rock Auto also. Mine is not working at all so I'm hoping it's either the cable is bad or the speedo gear on the transmission side. I really, really, really hope it's not the speedo itself. do not want to have to tear into that and pull the instrument panel out.

I am using the tower tops and Corbin clamps that Ed mentions above. While i'm not doing my car 100% correct, this is one of those throwback details I really like. Hopefully they won't fail on me. I researched it a bit and it seemed they were pretty reliable but I'm sure they are not as reliable as more modern band style clamps.

I'm in the process of doing this now as I replace all the components in the cooling system. I ended up getting all the clamps from opgi when I ordered some other stuff. Not the cheapest, but I couldn't really find them cheap anywhere and opgi had them in stock. I dont know how many total across all systems in the car, but for cooling I believe you have 4 total for the upper and lower radiator hoses, then 6 clamps for the heater lines. There are an extra 2 clamps on the heater lines due to the inline heater shutoff valve.

Don't those bolts hold the whole assembly to the cowl/firewall though? It seems like it's being held on right at the spot where that Last nut won't come off so I don't want to pull on it too hard and break it.

I bought the Monroe shocks all around, full front end rebuild kit from PST, and track bar bushing kit from nailhead buicks. Plan to install it all soon so I'll let you know how it works out. In the meantime, I've heard references to new/better alignment specs for radial tires. Anyone have those or can point me to them? I can take those with me when I get the alignment after rebuilding the front end. Thanks.