rodneybeauchamp

Hi EmTee, it is a very smooth engine that feels strong. A bit cautious about putting my foot into it too much given it is a new to me Buick that I am still getting used to. It is very quiet and ride is soft but stable on our undulating and winding country roads. Had it up on a freeway at 110kmh (70mph) and it gets there easily then loafs along on the flat. Certainly lacks some of the torque of the 401 but that’s not a problem. Many years ago I had a ‘94 Holden Commodore station wagon with similar derived 3.8litre naturally aspirated engine with rear wheel drive, 4speed overdrive auto and there are some similarities. Doesn't feel like a front wheel drive car at all. Very pleased so far with the ride and super super comfortable seats. Even Jo thinks she might drive it (once) Looking forward to sorting out a few gremlins (A/C not cold, CD and cassette not playing) and getting rid of those horrible rear indicators. Looking forward to adding a lot more miles on this one. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

And another trip out today with Jo and another couple to a recently renovated cafe for breakfast. And a nice drive as well, with an opportunity for some photo shots on a type of road this Riviera would never have seen before, let alone travelled upon. A short distance down this well maintained dirt road was a stall advertising fresh sourdough bread and other homemade buns. Unfortunately it is only available on weekends, so another time! Anyway, photos or it didn’t happen. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

Hooray hooray hooray! We now have a legally registered Buick Riviera. All that hard work finally paid dividends. Inspection day was the 28th December. Left early as it had to have a police identity check first to make sure it was not stolen and the engine/VIN matched the Import Approval. All good there so then on to the next inspection place for a full roadworthy check. Had to show all lights were working including the new rear amber ones, headlamps and park lights, brake and reverse lamps, wipers washers and horn. Then on to a hoist where front suspension and steering was checked as well as under body. Back down again onto a brake testing roller to determine both service brake and park brake efficiency. Inspector found a small fluid leak at the LHR calliper which I was able to get repaired locally and back for re-inspection on that same day. Weep was from a loose banjo bolt, nothing major but glad they found it. Inspector passed the vehicle and provided an interim authority for registration. After more paperwork at Services SA ( who were very helpful ) was able to register the Riviera for three years on Historic Registration with unrestricted 90 days per year. And have secured the rights to display an older plate that pertains to this Riviera. No photos here as both facilities displayed signs prohibiting any photography. But out and about today, Sunday 31st December for the first time in the Riviera with breakfast with some fellow car enthusiasts. And could not resist this opportunity with my old ‘63 Riviera, my old ‘63 Skylark and my new ‘97 Riviera. If you look closely, in the background is Grant Z green ‘41 Buick. Nice to be back into a nice Buick again, they are meant to be driven. Some photos otherwise it never happened. Happy happy Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

Often I find when writing a new post or answering another, I need to save what I have written before posting. This could be because I want to find something in a resource, such as a photo or go and take a new photo. I find I always don’t have 100% of the information at hand. Is there a way I can start a topic and save it as I go BEFORE I post it? At the moment I find I have to do several edits to achieve this which is not always ideal. Many thanks Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

Watching with interest. Would make a hit (and some $$’S too) at a local Coffee n Cars event! Amazing what a small group can accomplish. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

Spent a relaxed hour or more reading this post. Amazing skills and talent shown here. Looking forward to seeing it at the finish line. cheers Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

Jim, not sure if I mentioned it here but there are some great factory resources put out by Rochester on the rebuild and setting up of their series of carburettors. If you search Rochester 2GV guides ( may come up through Mikes Carburettor Service) you will find genuine manuals for rebuild and setup that are invaluable. Once you can identify the tag numbers the rest is straight forward. I found them useful on my ‘63 Skylark with the 4GC and printed off the relevant pages. There are some great original resources out there but. cheers Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

Sebastian, that coupe has your name all over it. Would be an exciting restoration or refurbish under your care. And a perfect stable mate for your current Buick. Besides, once completed, what will do? It’s only money and you can only spend it once! Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

Bob, for what it is worth, my ‘63 which was built in October/November ‘62 came with the Star Wars style compass when I bought it. It was a high end build with lots of options including leather. No doubt the original owner had it installed when he had it delivered. At the time I didn’t like the look from day one and removed it and eventually sold it for a fraction of what I now realise they are valued at! In Australia we didn’t need a compass so much as in the US with your dedicated numbered highways as 101North or 235West. But if you can find one they certainly are the go. BTW were probably used across the ‘63 range too! Just my two bobs worth Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

And while you are in there you may want to do a clean up and refurbishment of the lens using some very very fine wet and dry with lots of water and detergent followed up with some polish. And clean up the globes and maybe a splash of paint on the inside of the housings. Just my two bobs worth Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

Nailed it! Literally. when I was digging into the front turn signals on the LHS it seemed to dislodge the wheel arch moulding. I tried to push it back over the clips but no matter what I tried it did not clip back in. Thought what I needed to do was remove the moulding completely then slide the clips into the grooves. What I found was that all bar two clips were broken, no way were they going to slide in and hold. The clips are available from the US however the freight would be horrendous so pondered whether there might be another solution. If you check out the first photo you can see how the tags either side slide into the moulding to hold it in. These clips then push up into the fender and are held in along with the plastic liner by large head removable push-in clips that are used extensively on the body. My original thought was to use a staple but chose instead to use small brads. Using a number drill and pin-vise was able to drill two holes in the centre of the plastic clip and slide them through to protrude either side. They were a snug fit. Found it best to remove the plastic part from the clip to drill the hole so it was vertical. They needed a small amount of encouragement with the plastic hammer and some soap but once in the moulding they were firm but could be moved. What resulted was a firmly held clip that I was able to slide along to the correct positions that I had already marked with tape and marking pen on both the moulding and the fender. I think the pictures will explain the story. Super happy with the result. The two beers after the job was complete tasted sooooo good! Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

Think these are known as Torx drive. There are special drive bits required to undo them. Ensure the drive bit is square to the head otherwise they can easily be damaged by rounding off the points. Ask me how I know this 😳😳😳😳 Rodney. 😀😀😀😀😀

Hi Erik, there are a couple of Facebook groups 1995-1999 Buick Riviera as well as the Riviera Owners Association group that are worth reaching out to. And there is a forum called Riv Performance that might be worth joining. Have had some help with all of those groups with my ‘97. Good luck Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

Jim, just re-reading you post and I totally agree. If those standards were acceptable in 1997, then that’s how it should remain. Having to ‘upgrade’ to later standards is hypocritical and a double standard, given that all other ‘97 models on the road only have to meet that years standard. We do not have yearly inspections here (although some would like to see it happen because of the revenue dollars) however this must be inspected at time of compliance, which I don’t have a problem with. And as to the rear turn signal lamps being red, these cars account for 0.00001% of our National Carpark. interesting to look back at the comments, they are all appreciated. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

Just a thought. Would it be possible to make the front curtains on both sides with a good size window for safety. Then have a set of insert pieces that could be held in with Velcro on both sides to bring the window size and shape back to the original for the show field. The inserts would be made to blend in with the curtain sides and the Velcro would be hidden, yet be strong enough to hold when driving. Just a thought from down under Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

EmTee, the hoop with the ‘20s -> ‘60s era car is the asbestos issue raising its ugly head. Our Government states that we cannot import any product which contains asbestos. My understanding is that a large overseas country provided building products, crayons and children’s toys manufactured with asbestos. since then as an absolute overkill, authorities started to look at EVERY IMPORTED ITEM, including older vehicles. You guessed it, they went over the top, demanded all the asbestos be removed at the owners expense. It has set up a couple of firms in the US that remove old brake shoes, clutches and gaskets that contain asbestos. There was a blog with pictures some years back where a pristine high value early Mustang was butchered by the authorities searching for asbestos. It has certainly slowed down the imports. And luckily for me GM stopped using it many years before my 1997 was built. Even so, I had to sign a declaration that there was none. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

EmTee you are soooo right. This is a very modern car with all the bells and whistles. Apart from Apple car play … thank goodness! The thought of having to pull off door trim panels, remove seat belts, rear quarter trims, rear seats and parcel shelf from a pristine vehicle mortified me at first. Breaking all the plastic clips. Let alone cutting into the wiring for the brake lights and turn signals. And then tapping into the front turn signal wiring as well. Cutting a new parcel shelf. What also concerned me was jumping into to wiring circuit knowing there were airbag systems and OBDII systems lurking. Sure it made me more careful, but still very very wary. What irked me the most was four things. A 1995 Riviera in Victoria (state next to ours) was passed for registration with the existing tail lamp/turn signal lamp wiring as per factory. No alteration required. When I mentioned this to our authorities they chose to ignore it, forcing me to go the route of seperate lamps. One other was that the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 214 for side intrusion bars already meets the requirements of our Australian Design Rule 29/00, yet the authorities ignore this and demand an engineer physically inspect and report what is mandatory on Buick Riviera the US. At a cost to me of AUD$495 by the way 😢😢😢😢 Having to replace all the seatbelts with ones that carry our Australian compliance tag is ludicrous. Given the FMVSS, no doubt Buick seat belts would not be a problem. Again a AUD$900 cost. 😳😳😳😳 And the last thing, to locate the child seat anchorages in totally different locations is just bizarre. Buick and GM engineers crash tested these bodies and built them to a high structural strength standard, 25hertz which was higher than anything on the market in 1995. If it sounds like I am having a rant, you are probably right. I have spent many many shed hours and quite a few dollars sorting these changes to make it comply, which to me …… I could have been driving it! You are absolutely correct in that it makes zero difference to how it will be in the end. Good thing is, we are almost to the finish line. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

Thanks Wayne. I might try to reach out to a sympathetic Buick Dealer/Parts Department with my VIN as they should be able to trace the part number for the correct frequency. Contacting GM Overseas in Canada was very unhelpful, so this will be my next step. See what transpires. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

Check out the short YouTube video. It does all of those things. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

Yes, that is the driving force! I want to drive it. And it’s how they collect the tax dollars. AUD$313.00 for the inspection and a further AUD$46.00 to obtain a one day permit to drive to the inspection station. Still, it’s only money and I would have spent it elsewhere! Lee, I congratulate our Government for their lateral thinking. We don’t make a cracker here any more since our manufacturing industries went to China, no longer have an Automotive Manufacturing Industry. Tax dollars have got to appear from somewhere, otherwise how do we pay our politicians. Problem with our Government Departments, is one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing. What is acceptable in one state regarding lighting is not acceptable in another. Don’t get me started. In the end it will all work out, it is just how many hoops needed to jump through. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

And good news, received the engineers report on the door intrusion bars, child restraint anchors and a comment on the seat belts. This report now allows me to have the Riviera inspected for roadworthiness knowing that it also complies with the rules our authority demands. Interesting that the report states the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS-214) for side intrusion bars meets the requirements of our Australian Design Rules (ADR 29/00. Yet they still require an engineer to physically sight them on the vehicle and write up a report. Hmm, don’t want to comment on this, after all I do want to register and drive this Riviera legally. And the not so good news is I can’t get it inspected until 28th December ….. so wait, wait, wait! Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

OK a brief update! We now have 3 top tether child seat restraints fitted in appropriate places. Apparently Mr Buicks locations were not suitable as our code wants them no more than 40mm offset from the centre of the seat positions. So drill three holes in the rectangular metal tube that locates the rear seat cushion, pop rivet in the threaded plate and install the approved anchors. Sounds easy enough until you go to put back the parcel shelf trim. Buick designed the trim to follow the contours of the rear seat headrests which makes sense and looks good. But installing the new anchors meant not being able to use the OEM trim panel. (4” gap from the anchor to the top of the trim 😢😢😢) So make up an interim parcel shelf from thin medium density fibreboard (MDF) to accommodate the anchors. Right! But what about the centre brake light, the authorities will want that. So cut the board to fit the brake light. All done, it looks average but may only be temporary 🤫🤫🤫🤫. That done, was still struggling with the rear turn signal lamps as they would come on and remain steady when the brakes were applied. Think, think, think, study the wiring, think, think, think. Delving up underneath the dashboard, you need to be an elf with arms an inch in diameter and seven feet long with 360 degrees of rotation. Nope, not going in there again. Let’s tap into the front turn signal lamps as they remain flashing regardless of the brake lamps. Checking the 1997 shop manual suggests to remove the front wheel to gain access to the lamp and wiring. You must be kidding. Well, they were right, much easier to do it with the wheel off and through the wheel house area. No wonder they don’t talk about changing a front turn signal globe in the Owners Manual. In hindsight Buick engineers should have put in a removable access panel to access the globe ….. seems a bit silly to me the way it is. Good news is that I could access the LH light blue wires then feed a long wire all the way to the rear lamp. Then doing the same on the RHS accessing the dark blue wires. Now both rear turn signals remain flashing when the brakes are applied. They also flash with the hazard switch, so all is working as the authorities require. Pictures otherwise it didn’t happen 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

thanks for that. My transponder has zero markings inside or outside of the case giving no clues to the correct number. Possibly it is a replacement from NorthCoast Keyless as one of their leaflets was in the paperwork I received with the car. The photo in my previous post was from their webpage showing three possibilities they list. However their response to my questions has been unsatisfactory, asking me to contact my nearest Buick dealer and provide them with my VIN. Given I am in Australia not an easy task. My shop manual sheds no light on this either and was hoping a parts book listing would help. Rodney 😀😀😀😀

It’s my standard response to all the posts and photos that I like. Doesn’t it just send a smiley face or does it say something I was not aware of? It was sent as a compliment. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

Hi all, my 1997 Buick Riviera only came with one set of keys and one remote locking transponder, which all work well. Am looking for the correct part number for the transponder so I can order a spare one. There is nothing inside mine to identify it. Can someone advise the part number of the part? It looks exactly like ones in the picture below. Thanks in advance Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀