64Rivvy

Hi, I'm replacing my heater core in my 64 and following the steps in the service bulletin from the roa tech tips section for an a/c car. I have the console, pass dash pieces, heater controls and everything disconnected. I've removed 7 of the 8 firewall side heater box nuts but I can't get the last one out. It's the one farthest towards the pass side fender on the bottom closest to the blower motor. It's at a strange angle and I can't seem to get a socket to hold onto it and I can't actually see it. Any tips or tricks on this? Maybe I need a thin wall socket? It doesn't seem like I can drop the evaporator and start pulling out the rest of the heater box until I get that last one out. Thanks.

Great thanks guys. Looks like I'm good either way. I'm just glad I dont have to hold up on tearing into it for the Condenser. Seems like they are not all that easy to find. I just pulled out all of my interior, seats and carpet. Figured since I'm already taking the console and all the dash apart to replace the heater core, I might as well do it all. Im going to scuff and paint the floors, then im putting in some stinger expert sound deadener, new carpet and padding, and redoing the seat cushions.

Yeah seriously. That stuff stinks, especially the firewall insulation. The dash insulation I cleaned lightly and hit with Lysol and it's fine but the firewall insulation is rank. It also falls off into the dash area and makes it stink back there. The next time I open up the dash I'm going to replace the firewall insulation even though the new pad is ridiculously expensive.

Do I need to pull the radiator to replace the condenser? I'm about to replace my entire cooling system but don't have a new condenser yet. I don't want to pull the radiator again later when I start working on the AC system. Thanks.

I'm looking for the ribbed glove box door for my 64 riviera. A previous owner drilled a screw through it to keep it shut due to a broken hinge. I've repaired the hinge so I would like to get one back on there. Thanks.

Just to circle back on this. All the research I did on this led me to the dash and firewall insulation being jute and fiberglass based. I still wore gloves and a respirator just as a precaution.

I bought it and shoukd be getting it soon.

I saw this car on ebay a few days ago also. Not sure if it's still on there.

I removed my dash to work on some electrical issues and noticed there is a lot of dust and dirt and would like to clean up and vacuum the dash and firewall insulation. Before I do I wanted to know what it's made of. Does it contain any asbestos? Thanks.

Got my switches back from gord today and put them on tonight. I have sail panel lights, map lights, console lights and they are much brighter as well! I highly recommend his switch rebuilding service and he got them back to me very quickly. Thanks gord! One electrical issue solved, now on to the dash lighting that doesn't want to work.

Thanks guys. I found the Monroe shocks,on rock auto. I'm going to try those out.

All, About to start rebuilding my 64 front end suspension soon and wanted some opinions on shocks. I've heard that people seem pretty happy with Bilstein's on the front and that they are stiffer and more responsive than stock, but still a nice soft OEM like ride. I don't want to lose that feeling like I'm driving on a marshmallow, which is what I love about these old big cars but a little improvement over stock would be good. Any opinions or things to look out for with the Bilstein shocks? I'm looking at getting them from PST. Thanks.

Here is the square remote stick. This looks to be in really good shape. http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=231740652635&globalID=EBAY-US

Here is a pic after cleaning up the lens. I'll see if I can find some pics before. Basically the plastic was completely clouded and all of the lettering had faded away. You couldn't see which gear the transmission is in. I used rubbing compound to polish the plastic lens which actually worked very well. It went from a cloudy milky color,you couldn't see through to perfectly clear. Then I used a fine tip white paint pen to put the letters back on. Unfortunately the outline of the letters on the plastic was very faint and didn't have enough of a ridge to guide the tip of the paint pen. The result is not the perfect straight lines and lettering I was hoping for. Good enough for now until I find a replacement. At least I can see which gear I'm in now. Just passing this along in case anyone finds it useful. The rubbing compound should also work really well on the gauge lenses. I will try it on there next when I start detailing the dash.

I checked with the eBay vendor and they guaranteed it would fit a 64 riviera with AC and that they said they have never had any issues in the past. They are willing to guarantee it and pay return shipping if there's any issue. I can barely find a decent muffler shop anywhere near me, so I know recoring locally will be a fruitless exercise. I did find a few places online that will recore it. If I try the one from eBay I'll report back on whether it fits. Thanks.

Yes the car does have factory air. The one from CARS would be great but not in stock and no ETA on when they will get more. The eBay listing says it will work for both air and non air rivieras, but a bit skeptical on that. Any other sources for heater cores? I'm about to replace my whole cooling system and really want to hook the heater back up. It's currently bypassed.

I definitely like it with the decal. Adds some nice contrast and color.

Hi all, Does anyone have any experience on whether this heater core will fit a 64 Riviera properly and if the quality is acceptable? The listing shows that it will fit 63-65 but hoping someone here has experience with one of these. I'm not able to find one in stock through the normal vendors (CARS, OPGI, etc) so I wanted to check b/c I need one quickly, but at the same time don't want to have to do this twice.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/63-64-65-BUICK-RIVIERA-Heater-core-NEW-/180836514666 Thanks, 64Rivvy

There are also a number of kits I've seen on eBay and from the vendors here that have the booster and mc ready to go and have the combo/prop valve and adapter all included.

60FlatTop, Do you know what is different about the frames? A gentleman on the forum here has a lower frame from a 65 with deluxe interior and they look the same at least from what I can tell in the pictures. If I can't repair mine may be my only option but just want to make sure they would fit. Thanks.

I found a picture out on eBay of a 64 that is supposed to be completely original. The 'R' on the shifter indicator is the same color as all the other letters. A previous owner must have changed it ion mine at some point to orange or red. When I opened it up I could tell it had been opened before. I will post some pics and a quick write up on it when I finish it.

I'm cleaning up and restoring my shifter plate and indicator while I wait for some parts to arrive. I will use a white paint pen to fill the PARK, N, D, and L letters back in, but the "R" looks like it was orange or red. Does anyone know the correct color it should be? I tried searching and looking it up on Google but couldn't find one. Thanks.

Thanks!

Thanks for the info and link. Definitely a lot of good info there. I have replaced some of the easily removable weatherstripping already and will be replacing all of it when the car is repainted. I'm leaning towards the stock system, just worried about chasing gremlins b/b there's so many more variables that can go wrong. I'll let you all know how it turns out. I'm going to start on this when my new radiator comes and just replace the radiator, condensor, drier, water pump, thermostat, and transmission cooling lines, all in one shot.

Can anyone confirm - are the rear seat frames all the same for 63-65? I know the actual seat covers/upholstery differ, but just wanting to confirm if the actual frames are all the same. Thanks.