rodneybeauchamp

Once this is passed through our Regency Park inspection station, I will be on the lookout for any imported later modern vehicles that legally use a red flashing lamp. That is when I will approach them and try to gain an exemption.

Wow, did we have a win today! After a sleepless night I figured out how I would solve the puzzle. As several on this forum suggested 👍👍👍👍👍 I picked up the stop lamp feed solely from the high level brake light as that remains steady at all times. Wired that in and that worked well. I used the ground wire and the power feed as I understand these use a ‘floating ground system’. Regardless, by using the power and ground it all works as I need it ….. a steady brake light. OK, now for the turn signals. I adapted the same principle of using the yellow and dark green power feeds and the common black ground rather than the body ground and wired these to my amber lamps. Still no joy, just a steady amber light but no flashing. However when hazard warning lights were selected, both Amber lights flashed as they should and reds remained off! Given this Riviera runs 2 globes for each side I tried adding an extra globe in my circuit. You can see in the photo my makeshift testing with two bulb sockets. Ended up using 2 extra 21W globes per side and Lo and behold, we have flashing lights. Problem solved! All I need to do is fabricate some brackets and mount the lamps at a suitable height and our authorities should be happy. It will look awful for now but …. They might fall off one day 🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫 Last photo shows the LH Amber lamp working sans red brake lamps. And to enhance the colour, painted the bulbs a clear red using a water based Tamiya model paint. And many many thanks to those who racked their brains and responded here. Photos or it ain’t happened yet Rodney 😀😀😀😀

And my tip. Make sure the two surfaces to be bonded/joined/soldered are clean clean clean! Mechanically clean the surfaces with a small file so they are bright and shiny otherwise they will not join. And make sure the parts don’t move while soldering otherwise you may get a dry joint that will not work. Ask me how I know this ☹️☹️☹️☹️ Good luck, looking forward to your success! Rodney, just my two bobs worth down under 😀😀😀😀😀

Nice looking lines on that ‘64 which were used on a lot of the Buicks that year. The 300 HC should be a nice engine. Be aware they have a nylon coated timing gear which can deteriorate over time. I used an all steel gear set and chain on mine (and the Riviera) because mine failed on the ‘64 Skylark. An original shop manual will be a good friend to you both! Enjoy Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

And at last, the rear end is now complete! Kevin has added the finishing touches to the rear by adding those two elusive mouldings that I struggled to find under my ownership. Interestingly it was Roger, the new custodian of my ‘63 Riviera who located them and got them sent down under for a very economical sum. Caught up with Kevin and the Skylark convertible at our club’s small display in support of Coast FM, the local radio station who supports our major All American Day car show. The Skylark certainly garnered a lot of attention and he was a busy boy all morning answering questions and showing it off! Photos or it never happened! Rodney 😀😀😀😀

Thanks for that about the thread lock, it does make sense. And re the US specs not good enough, no that is not the case. I am told the issue is that GM in the US have not applied to have their seatbelts certified here to meet the Australian Standards, because of course they would meet or exceed the standards quite easily. But as GM vehicles were being made here (Holdens) there was no need for any of the US made belts to comply. And of course the SRS Airbag system is not an issue. Up until recently we had our own seatbelts companies making belts here. But not sure if they still do or have closed down because of our lack of automotive manufacturing. Just one more hurdle to jump over, one more hoop to jump through ….. the joys of importing LHD vehicles! ☹️☹️☹️ Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

AT LAST! THEY ARE ALL OUT! 😃😃😃😃😃 What a bear of a job. I am now NO LONGER A FAN of Torx head bolts. Three of the bolts fought me all the way, two located on the parcel shelf which was awkward to get to. Luckily borrowing a longer socket driver gave enough leverage to break the bond on one, the other I removed by using a small cold chisel and tapping it bit by bit to get it to turn. Eventually I was able to use the Torx drive bit to remove it the last few threads. Drilled out the one in the quarter panel, breaking a 3.5mm bit along the way. Then used the same cold chisel process to get it to turn. I think I will be putting good old fashion hex head bolts back it along with some never seize compound. Now these are all out I will send them out to be tested, re-webbed and certified for our standards to keep our authority happy. Time to celebrate this milestone! Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

I always filled the new filter with clean engine oil BEFORE installing it to get oil pressure quickly on initial start. Then as EmTee suggests check and top up as required. The longer you can leave it before checking, the more accurate the level will be. Just my two bobs worth Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

Totally agree, shipping charges to down under are outrageous! Often a supplier uses a “Standard Rate” put out by the carrier which has very little to do with actual size or weight. Perhaps there is better profit in shipping ☹️☹️☹️☹️

Well, back to task. Had some time and courage to tackle the seatbelts and child restraint anchors over the last few days. The side trim appeared daunting but came out easier than I thought. Held in with two large 1/2” diameter plastic guide pins and a couple of clips, once the seat is out and the middle belt trim surrounds are removed it comes away toward the rear. Some of the sound deadening material has either come away or was never put in properly. It has gone hard and brittle so I will repair that with materials I had left over from the Skylark. Might add a touch more. One of the Torx bolts on the RH retractor has been butchered by ??? so that will need drilling out. And had a bit of a fright with the front retractor in the rear quarter getting very warm. It appears the solenoid which is part of the belt mechanism was heating up to a point where you could not hold your finger on it for any time. And it was happening with both belts. I thought it may have been an igniter for tensioning but a call to my go to seatbelt guys and a few photos assured me it was a solenoid. I disconnected the battery as a precaution and will need to find out what gremlins that will produce. Anyway, photos or it ain’t happening 😀 Rodney 😀😀😀😀

Yes our laws are strange. Vehicles up to 1967 red indicators are legal, anything after a no no! Frank, I think you might be onto something. I did find a schematic on another forum and figured that’s how it needs to be done. Looks easy on paper 😀😀😀😀

Super neat, way to go! Low mileage originals are better in my opinion that one that has been restored. Every scratch and dent tells a story. Nice colour. Look forward to your posts! Rodney 😀😀🙁😀😀😀

Hi Jon, thank you for your input. Am mounting the lights on metal brackets that mount using the bumper bolt underneath. Yes they will look Goddam awful but I can live with that until I figure something else. It is temporary so I can get it passed by our authorities. Lamps in the window would not be lawful here. Im thinking that by accessing the high level brake lamp wiring and tapping into there will take care of the stop lamps without flashing. But thinking I might have to access the switch wiring if tapping into the existing flasher wiring won’t work. Problem with the unit Digger 914 described is that the existing red lamps will still flash, which is not allowable. Am waiting on the shop manual with wiring diagram to arrive but trying to get something achievable done without it. Wont let it beat me but not fun! ☹️☹️☹️☹️

Hi Keith, thought that might be an issue but these are old school 18W festoon globes. So I tried both lamps on the one side, still no joy. And yes we have to disconnect the reds otherwise adding the ambers as extra would be easy. And that was my thought to pick up from the front only. It might be worth a try but again the reds will have to be disconnected. Thought about the clear reverse lamp locations but they sit just either side of the license plate, too far inboard to be legal. Will look at this tail light converter and see whether it might work. (But it won’t as it still retains the flashing and tail lamp in the one globe.) cheers Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

Yes, the stop light wiring is the most simple and the plan is to do that, tap into the centre high level brake lamp. But these indicators have got me stumped. Plan is to mount them up physically and sort out the wiring with more information. May have to dig into the steering column wires! and my plan is to make it 100% reversible 😀😀😀😀

Funny, I thought down the same path. UNFORTUNATELY the red lamps must be disabled as TURN SIGNALS hence my dilemma to get them to function as STOP LAMPS seperate to TURN SIGNALS. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

EmTee, Am certainly NOT going to cut up such a beautiful rear lens. That is one of the most distinguishing features of this Riviera! Have bought two small Amber lamps with festoon globes that I will fit to brackets attached under the bumper at the support bracket. Am currently trying to work out how to wire them in given the STOP/TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD WARNING scenario on these. Have a post up in Technical hoping for some ideas as I am still waiting on the shop manual to turn up and can’t find a wiring diagram on line. Hoping I can wire the STOP lamps to the centre eye level BRAKE lamp as that does not flash with turn signals. But the flashers are doing my head in a bit. I am usually OK with auto electrical but this one is interesting 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

Jim, You are right. Common sense would suggest that but ….. I won’t go there. My ‘64 Skylark (complied in 1990) had to have Amber rear indicators, clear front indicators and park lamps and high/low headlamps that dipped to the left. Put on some ugly orange trailer lamps on brackets (that got removed after inspection 😀) , removed the inner yellow lens on the front park lamps, and RHD sealed beams on the outer headlamps. Oh and because the US fitted front lap belts were not Australian compliant, I had to REMOVE THEM to comply! With the Riviera, (complied in 2015) the red indicator lamps were allowed, again all the seat belts were removed, RHD sealed beams fitted ….. all good to go! In our state (South Australia) we do not have annual inspections at all, but all LHD imports must be inspected for engine and chassis’s number identification and then a once only safety and compliance inspection. I and many others would agree that the standards should be made to suit that year’s requirement only. Given that we no longer manufacture vehicles here in Australia, there is no competition and these LHD import vehicles make up a tiny fraction of the Carpark. cheers Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

After a couple of weeks of mis-information, I now have a clear understanding of what I need to do. Item 1. Vehicles manufactured on or after January 1973 must be fitted with yellow front and REAR INDICATOR LAMPS So gingerly I started removing the one piece tail lamp from this pristine Buick, careful not to mark the trim or break any clips. After removing the to plastic cover (screws) and rear panel (push in clips) it exposes a number of plastic retainers that thread onto studs attached to the lamp. Removing the globe sockets and wiring harness frees the lamp and it can be moved out of the way, the globes and sockets resting on protective cloth on the bumper. The Twilight Sentinel works very well as the lights are on. Photos or it never happened! Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

Now the fun begins. First thing I did was add a fixed charging wire loom for my battery tender as this is critical for keeping a healthy battery in a vehicle that sees occasional use. This battery is located under the rear seat but Buick supply a POSITIVE battery post on the RHS of the fender. Using this and a nearby ground was perfect. The quick connect plug makes it easy to hook up or disconnect as needed. The bonnet (Err hood) can be partially closed by using a cloth over the catch, reminding me to disconnect! After several hours all the lights indicated a fully charged battery. Pictures below. 😀😀😀😀 Our Australian authorities are an interesting bunch when it come to LHD vehicles. I have dealt with them twice, once in 1990 for my ‘64 Skylark sport coupe and again in 2015 with my ‘63 Riviera. However my ‘new to me ‘97 is a much tougher ask. What I will explain in this blog are the things I need to do and items that I need to change so it complies for conditional historic registration. ( You can find a full list at MR629 South Australia Left Hand Drive Vehicles fact sheet.) Luckily this Buick already complies in several areas without change such as having two external mirrors, yellow front indicator lamps that remain on when headlamps are on, head restraints for all front outboard seating positions and an effective catalytic converter in the exhaust system. All good so far. Now here is where it gets interesting. 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 Vehicles manufactured after January 1973 must be fitted with YELLOW front and REAR INDICATOR LAMPS Seat belts for all seating positions complying with our Australian Standards ADR 4D. Child restraint anchorages for at least three seating positions. An ENGINEERING REPORT supplied that verifies that the vehicle complies with the requirements of ADR 29 - Side Door Strength. No point arguing, it has to meet these standards! Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

Hi all, am trying to wire in two seperate Amber turn signal lamps to the REAR of my 1997 Buick Riviera. These lamps have 18W festoon bulbs fitted. Our Australian authorities require ALL cars manufactured after 1967 to have Amber rear turn signal lamps to comply for LHD conditional historic registration. Am struggling at the moment to figure out how I can achieve this. (But I will as I don’t give in easily 😀) The original set up seen in the photo is ONE RED lamp stretching the full width of the rear end containing bulbs and sockets for TURN SIGNALS AND STOP LAMPS, TAIL LAMPS, REVERSE LAMPS and LICENSE PLATE. The BULBS in the photo are labeled T3057 and work correctly when plugged in either way. Each of the FOUR TURN SIGNAL/BRAKE GLOBE SOCKETS (two per side) has THREE WIRE INPUTS - turn signal/stop - tail lamp - ground as seen in the photo. Have located the YELLOW left hand and DARK GREEN right hand feeds for the turn signal bulbs. (Two per side) Connecting these to each new amber lamp with a separate ground turns the lamp ON BUT DOES NOT FLASH. It is only when I hook it back to original does the new AMBER LAMP FLASH. The original one piece tail lamp is ALL PLASTIC and each bulb socket is connected with A COMMON BLACK GROUND WIRE plus the TURN SIGNAL FEED plus the TAIL LAMP FEED. My original plan was to wire these AMBER LAMPS in separately and pick up the STOP LAMP WIRING from the centre EYE LEVEL BRAKE LAMP. This is to prevent the EXISTING STOP LAMP BULBS from flashing with the TURN SIGNALS. Have a shop manual coming but currently don’t have a wiring diagram so using a test lamp to figure it out. Am usually OK with auto electrics but this one is INTERESTING to say the least. Am I able to wire it correctly from here or do I need to dig further into the switch wiring in the column? Any help to get these working correctly will be much appreciated. Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

EmTee, happening as we speak. Had been searching a while and even put out a post here and finally pulled the trigger on a set last week. It was well tested in a shop with some genuine Buick Riviera grease and stains to boot. The shipping to Australia cost more than the books! Rodney 😀😀😀😀

Some great diagnosis happening here, with perseverance too! Interested in what code reader you are using (gather it is OBD11) as I am considering getting one for the ‘97 Riviera. Must admit you are accumulating lots of Brownie points here, or is it EmTee who really likes the Allante? Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

Wheels look sweet especially with the red centre caps, but I also am a fan of the wire wheel hub caps! So next thing you will be wanting to swap out that RH fixed door mirror for the cable operated remote to match the drivers side. Rotating the head allows it to be used either side. BTW any full size Buick including Riviera from 63-65 had these mirrors but the knob escutcheon should be square not oval as in ‘63. They can be swapped over. Not sayings you have to but …… Just creating mischief 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

Wheels look sweet especially with the red centre caps, but I also am a fan of the wire wheel hub caps! So next thing you will be wanting to swap out that RH fixed door mirror for the cable operated remote to match the drivers side. Rotating the head allows it to be used either side. BTW any full size Buick including Riviera from 63-65 had these mirrors but the knob escutcheon should be square not oval as in ‘63. They can be swapped over. Not sayings you have to but …… Just creating mischief 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀