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rodneybeauchamp

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About rodneybeauchamp

  • Birthday 10/09/1954

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  • Location
    Encounter Bay SOUTH AUSTRALIA
  • Other Clubs
    Riviera Owners Association Buick Australia Club American GM Drivers Club

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  1. Ah, the joys of motoring. New A/C compressor, orifice valve and accumulator fitted and air conditioning is cold, cold, cold. In fact as a seat of the pants judgement seems much colder than before. So much so, that needed to turn the fan speed down on the way home yet outside was showing 90 degrees F. At the same time got the guys to install a brand new set of AC Delco drive belts as I had no idea of when, if ever they were changed. Judging by the condition of the old belts, look as they might be the original belts fitted ex factory. Regardless, they are all new now! From the write up in the shop manual, it is not a straight forward task, with engine mountings and other bits needed to be removed to provide access. The shop said it was a cow of a job! πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€ And as another win today, managed to successfully program the new remote transponder that arrived. Was very apprehensive about jumping the OBDII port but followed the directions given in the shop manual (which were identical to those supplied with the paperwork in the car. As suggested, made up a fused jumper wire ans per the photo and to make access easier, removed the sound insulation panel under the drivers side of the dashboard. This panel has a socket where the port is housed so removing it gave much better access and visibility. Both key sets and remotes work as intended. So all in all, happy how things are progressing. Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  2. Great that it all worked out and you now have correct oil pressure. Can I ask the reason why you run it for a couple of minutes without coolant? Not heard this one before. Thanks Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  3. Well another Coffee N Cars event at Pier 28 CafΓ© in Clayton Bay. With just over 60 cars attending this morning, it was a great event. The cafe was alive with owners having breakfast or just coffee, live music from a duo outside and some great cars with a lovely view over the lake. Certainly a nice venue. And a milestone for my Buick when I got home with the odometer reading 12,915miles meaning that we have clocked just over 2,000 since it arrived in Australia. Gotta say, they have been very enjoyable miles too! This Riviera is a nice Buick and is the nicest car I have ever owned. Smooth, quiet and super comfy and will be a long term keeper in my book! Photos or it didn’t happen. Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  4. And as far as the best car in the show, I thought this jinker took the prize. Not sure how old the driver is but I am sure that they will be in their own hot rod once they reach legal driving age. While dad towed it around, mum kept up with the umbrella keeping the little tacker in the shade. Certainly kept us all amused. And some recent fuel economy figures from the trip showed 418.2 miles @ 25.256 USMPG and 386.3 miles @ 24.797 USMPG which I am pretty pleased with. These figures were with the A/C running most of that time and with country driving at around the 100km per hour (60-65mph). Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  5. Well, you can’t win them all. Noticed over our sojourn away that the A/C was not keeping up. In fact my side was blowing warmish air while Jo’s side was considerably cooler. Not freezing cold, just cooler. When we got back the technician at Southern Radiators showed me the problem with the aid of an ultraviolet light and special glasses. Around the front of the compressor and lightly splattered over the radiator hose was the telltale green sign of a leak. Should really be fixed under Buick’s warranty however I’m not sure whether they would wear it. Anyway we have a new compressor, orifice valve and system filter coming to be installed. Watch this space. In the meantime on the Sunday before was our American GM Drivers annual car show, β€œThe All American Day” which showcases American and Canadian built vehicles and their derivatives that were imported and had Australian bodies fitted. With over 300 entries turning up on a warmish day it was a successful event for our club. It is also our major fundraiser for the year as well. By pure coincidence I ended up alongside my old β€˜63 Riviera now under the care of good friend and fellow club member Roger. And a bit further down was my old β€˜63 Skylark under the custody of Kevin, who is slowly bringing it up to the next level. To my surprise the β€˜97 Riviera drew lots of attention as most people at the show would never ever have seen one before in the metal. Many don’t know what it is as the R symbol on the deck lid is the only feature apart from the Riviera script on the quarter panels. And as it looks nothing like a boat tail or first generation Riviera most are stumped. To help out I have a laminated copy of the original window sticker each side as well as a typed information sheet on the dash pad. Anyway pictures or it didn’t happen! Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  6. Totally disagree. If you or I had packaged it properly and taken it to the nearest post office, US airmail would be a fraction of the US$99.00. It smacks of I can’t be bothered to do that so whatever the FedEx online shipping calculator says, that’s it! Currently RockAuto are shipping two Buick radiator hoses to me for around AUD$55.00 which weigh far more and are physically much larger than this key fob. Go figure! Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  7. Hi Darryl, Welcome to the AACA forum and the world of Buick ownership. There are strong Buick clubs in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and West Australia that are worth joining, with many members owning prewar Buicks. There is also an Australian prewar Buick e-magazine that you can get sent to you as well. Please consider posting some photos of your β€˜23 and perhaps starting a blog under β€œMe and My Buick” cheers Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  8. If the switch can be dismantled you may be able to service it yourself. Often it is dirty or corroded contacts that just need to be cleaned with a Dremel, fine wet and dry rub or fine file. Usually it needs the plastic base unclipped from the metal case where they are crimped over by the factory. Got nothing to lose by giving it a try and everything to gain if you get it working as it should. And don’t forget to clean up the wire terminals where it attaches to the wiring harness as they can give problems too! Have done this process with a few ignition switches and light switches with great results. Just my two bobs worth Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  9. FWIW I bought my β€˜63 Buick Riviera through GR Auto in 2015 and had it shipped to Australia by a third party. Same style of advertisement with lots and lots of worthwhile photos which helps show up any issues or potential problems. What they advertised on their site was what I received in Australia, nothing more, nothing less. The only thing I would do differently is NOT get them to provide an inspection or roadworthy. I would get that done by an outside party. Or inspect it yourself, along with another unbiased observer who can look with their head and not their heart. Looks a lovely Oldsmobile! Hope it works out for you. Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  10. Those types of spanners are so much fun to use. Had my set for a while now and thinking I need a Metric set for the β€˜97 Buick Riviera. You will enjoy using them so much, you will probably want to go back and redo all the previous wrenching you have done so far using the new ones! Just kidding, really enjoying your work on this one. Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  11. And some interesting solutions to another problem. Ordering through their website came up with a transponder costing less than US$25.00 however the postage to Australia was going to be ….. wait for it …… US$99.00. Come on you gotta be kidding. However when I contacted NorthCoast Keyless about the exorbitant postage was told bluntly that the postage was correct. Perhaps realistically they could not be bothered to check for an item valued at US$25.00! ☹️☹️☹️ Not to be thwarted, I ordered through their website and had it posted to my US address which then redirects the item back to me in Australia. And the postage to my address in California was ….. ZERO. I think the total cost landed here will be less than half. Although Northcoast Keyless had the product I needed, certainly don’t rate them highly as a helpful supplier based on my recent experience! β˜ΉοΈβ˜ΉοΈβ˜ΉοΈβ˜ΉοΈβ˜ΉοΈβ˜ΉοΈπŸ‘ŽπŸ‘ŽπŸ‘ŽπŸ‘ŽπŸ‘ŽπŸ‘Ž Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  12. Well, this Buick doesn’t know what’s going on. Here it was leading a quiet life in Minnesota, hardly being used in a nice comfortable garage. Now this new owner has me out and about on a little road trip of 160miles one way to a little beach shack in Port Broughton in temperatures I have never, ever experienced. My temperature display hit triple digits at one point! And we bought the dog! Yup, sure was a warm one today, but we were comfy with the A/C working. Got a surprise when we saw this on the display. Temperatures are going to be warm all week so the Riviera HVAC will be getting a work out. Was a great trip with cruise control at 70mph for a fair part of the journey then down to 65mph for the rest. Sure getting to see some Australian countryside! Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  13. Well, a pleasant surprise. Had a nice day trip to Balhannah, a small country town for lunch with my older brother John and sister in-law Helen at the quaint local pub. Nearing home the fuel light came on so decided to fill up. Had already set the trip meter at last fill, so this time did the maths. Nearly 24mpg (US) over a distance of 382miles after putting in 16 gallons (US) which equates to 28.56 mpg (imperial) or 9.89litres/100kms. Tank holds 19.4US gallons so still had plenty of reserve. Thinking 400miles on a tank would be a safe bet, if not more. Figures below. Very happy with the results! Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  14. Yes, I have keep reminding some it is NOT a Holden Commodore V6 but A REAL BUICK. Holden did have the L67 Supercharged version as an option but not sure it was all that popular. It appears the L67 Riviera option was very popular up until 1998 when the Supercharged version was the only engine. Surprises many when they see the familiar coil packs and engine cover but then work out it runs East/West with FWD. Horrible Amber Indicators are still hanging on but are going to disappear as we head into winter. At the moment am having too much fun clocking the miles up. After all I was without a Buick for almost 6 months. And planning to take it on a short holiday soon, with our dog Billy too! Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
  15. Totally agree. Seller has put a lot of effort into presenting the Pontiac in the best possible way with nice clear photos, descriptions and the bonus video. Nice car and great advertisement. Rodney πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
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