jsgun

FWIW, some mid 70's to mid 80's Eldorados had air shocks on the rear, and a switch with an arm that connected to the rear axle. It allowed for automatic leveling. I think the compressor is mounted in one of the front fenders. I picked up one for $10 or so at the local pick-a-part.

Do you know what company made the airbag mounts? I'd like to bag my 64 at some point.

I had a Ford 302 that boiled gas in the carb. Combination of desert heat and CA gas. A 1/2" wood spacer almost completely resolved it. Worked even better than the plastic ones. I later put aluminum heads with no heat crossover. Even in the summer, it was a grumpy car. Lesson learned. I'm going to put a wood spacer on the Riv, because I suspect it'll boil gas too.

This is on my dream car list. I grew up around Dad's 69 Firebird, I have a weakness for Pontiacs. If i had crazy money, it would be interesting to play what-if with each brand's version of the car.

I got the Delco MC, so that adds up. I'll start looking for a Bendix. I got up close and personal with the frontend, while replacing that brake line at the crossmember. Looks like one of the PO's rebuilt the front suspension and brakes. Sitting for a decade dry rotted the rubber hoses a little, but the rest looks great. Rearend bushing need replaced, but i'm grateful about the front. Tom - I may take you up on the block, but i'm hoping I can get the fitting out of mine with some persuasion.

When I was shopping for a Riv, I was also looking for a 64 GP or Ventura, and the 61-63 Thunderbird. If I ever got money, i'd own all of them. In my opinion, the 60's was the best decade of auto design.

I'm replacing my brake lines, and converting my single master cylinder to a dual chamber. I bought a 67 Buick drum/drum MC, but the plunger is different. The 67 takes a short plunger, and my 64 booster has a very long plunger shaft. Easily 3" hanging out of the booster. Did I get the wrong MC? Do I cut this rod, and if so how much? Search function helped some, but i'm still not clear on it. Anyone know what the fitting sizes for the MC lines are? They're considerably larger than the 64's. Any junction blocks I should use? Maybe Impala? My original is kinda not usable, the rear line fitting is seized in it. Might as well replace it with something that works easily with the dual MC.

Considering that the AACA is about restoration, it makes sense. Another car forum I go to has a model year cut-off (64 and earlier), and are very aggressive about enforcing it. Previously, when they were lax about the rules it was getting over-run with off topic car post (late models). When I first got on the internet in the late 90's, car forums were few and far between. But now, you can find one catering to almost any subject. My 64 is slowly turning into a restomod. I come here for information about the stock aspects of it, and go to hot rod forums for the mod aspects.

Comes in a roll, and you glue it into the channel. I used 3M weatherstripping glue to hold it in. It was harder to clear the channel of old stuff, than to install the new.

I almost bought the aluminum batwing, but wasn't sure it would fit under the hood. It's my understanding a regular batwing doesn't fit without serious base mods. I went with a Cal Custom "Shaker Scoop" for mine. With a 2" tall 10" diameter air filter, it clears the hood by almost a inch. The filter is undersized by a couple cubic inches for the engine size, but I prefer the looks than full on performance. Inbeween the fins is going to be painted teal to match the motor. Matching valve covers eventually.

My Dad's 69 firebird has been apart for 30 years now. I come by it honestly

It's the perfectionism that stops me. That, and "for a dollar more". I bought my 64 thinking that it needed some dry hoses replaced and it would be a runner. Found that the starter and charging circuits were partially burned. So that turned into learning about wiring and loads and wire gauges. So then I had to find the right crimper, and wire type, and next thing I know i've rewired most of the frontend. Then I found other stuff that I might as well clean and upgrade. Three years down now. I definitely slaughtered a cow, when I just wanted a hamburger.

I noticed that about the annuals, they're pretty expensive. I sold a few others I had years ago, got a good trade out of them. I suspect the 65 is a modified 63-64 mold, so the 64 will probably never see the light of day again. I did find some nice resin castings a while back, but didn't jump on them. I'm trying to avoid getting back into the hobby. It's addictive! I'm kinda disappointed by how expensive the diecast got. It was reasonably priced when it came out. Too expensive now.

Funny this post came up. I used to build model cars, at one time I had 300+. I was thinking about picking up some 64 Riv models on ebay, to try out some ideas. I have the 65 around here somewhere. I also have the 1/18 diecast, I really like it. Great model.

I never finish anyth

The 2" drop looks great. I want to do that on my 64. It's basically at that height now, the stock springs are sagging badly. I ran KYB gas-a-just on a 67 mustang, they were great but they seem to last for about 6 months of daily use before going soft. You can get Viking fully adjustable (both up and down) shocks for $700-ish. They could be tuned to preference. Seems like a much better deal that the bilsteins. I have the factory adjustable shock package on my vette, it's pretty slick. Turn a knob on the console and they go from reasonable to firm to stupid hard. The hard setting is pretty useless unless you want the fillings rattled out of your teeth. There's kits on the market now for coilovers with a small hydraulic ram on them. Lets you lift the car a few inches without affecting spring or shock rates. About $5k and some fab work.

The door window rubber didn't make sense to me either. I had to drill out the screws that hold the outer quarter window chrome trim. I found brass screws the same size at home depot. I replaced every piece on the sides, it was quite the PIA.

man, those look killer. I consider going wire on my 64 someday, but they seem like it would be hard to keep them clean.

What ones?

Rock Auto is great for cross referencing part numbers. I then use those numbers to find other brands. They sell a SKF 88128R bearing and retainer kit, and is a very common bearing from a bunch of GM big cars, and big fords. Looks to be a common 9" Ford bearing. Inner Diameter (in)1.5312 Outer Diameter (in)3.1496 Width (in)1.083 Alternate/OEM Part Number(s): 12336103, 208HLKK, 391740, 391745, 8M1225B3, 907380, 954848, 954855, 954948, C1SZ1225A, C1SZ1225B, C6AW1225B, C6AW1225C, C7QT1225B, C9AZ1225A, CC5MW1225A

There was a 63 Riv for sale locally with fender skirts. Not a good look. When I was a teenager, I knew a guy who somehow got ahold of a 64 lesabre convertible (I think about that year). It was a fairly nice car, just some rust and the top fell apart. He would drive through the woods and hit trees with it, until it was junked. Pulled the motor and trans out, and chained them down in a late 60's chevy truck. Drove that pile around for a while until the cops finally took it from him. That motor would move all over the place. I wanted to beat him for what he did to that buick.

I think chained engines used to be common on performance cars to stop engine mounts from breaking. The chain would limit the amount of rotational force. It was a redneck repair/bragging point. The best solution was solid engine mounts.

Mine were barely working when I got my 64. I used a small screwdriver to scrape the grease from the tracks, it was easy. I'm going to use superlube silicone grease with ptfe. I've read silicone grease works great because it doesn't run or drip in the summer and is very water resistant in winter. One important thing to know, is that the rollers barely roll by design. I spent way too much time trying to get mine to loosen up. Even to the point I was going to replace them. I found out on a Chevelle forum, that when they're in good shape, they're actually sliders not rollers. They're not supposed to roll. I also found that my motors and gearboxes were way too stiff because of dried grease. Once cleaned, they're much better. If you need to replace your weather stripping and felt guides, Steel Rubber has everything. I think I used a dodge glass channel at the vent window though, because it was closer to the original size. I also replaced my vent window rubber. It was a real chore, and the driver's side took some trimming, but it was worth it. I'm trying to remember the steps to get everything apart, but your best bet is to refer to the repair manual.

I've always seen the first gen as a Grace Kelly type of car. Classic timeless beauty, a 100% knockout.

The thickness is definitely a concern. I thought i'd try it, see what happens. The old carpet was from a impala I believe, and had 1" thick jute under it. It seemed to do ok thickness wise. The denim seems to work well for the firewall insulation. Edit: I measured the denim insulation, it's only 1/2" thick with mylar on one side.