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jsgun

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Posts posted by jsgun

  1. I'm not that impressed with waldron's. I had the '66 mustang arvinode system on my 67 coupe, and the mufflers lasted about a year before they started to rattle. One, then the other. The internal baffles welds broke or something. Sounded great before that.

     

    My Riv came with a pair of short glasspacks, sounds like a nascar. I'm looking to put the largest "turbo" mufflers I can at the tail to get it quieter.

  2. I think slamming is usually too high line pressure. Maybe he dropped a regulator spring or a ball bearing out of the valve body? The old backyard trick was to remove selected ones to get a "firm" 1-2 shift (that cut the trans life in half).

  3. 19 hours ago, RivNut said:

    Not quite.  In Kansas, license plates were issued by county.  Kansas has an Edwards county, abbreviated ED.  The 64 is self explanatory.  The number 4747 is on the data plate of every 1964 Riviera, the model number as assigned by Buick.  When put together in the proper sequence, you get ED's 1964 RIVIERA. 😎

    Ah ok, I didn't see the "Ed" on it. Is it an original plate, or custom made? I tried getting "R 4747" for mine, like on the factory photo, but it was taken. Same with "64-4747". Did manage to get a CA black plate of "Riv4747". with the Irv White plate frame, should look good.

  4. 3 hours ago, Turbinator said:

    Double T, what the world is unsprung weight?

    Turbinator

    Everything past the end of the spring. So the whole rear axle, wheels, brakes, the front control arms, brakes, wheels. Racecars take it to the extreme... inboard brakes, magnesium wheels.

     

    The lighter the unsprung weight, the more responsive the suspension is. That, and full articulation. I've always disagreed with manufacturer's desire for suspension that binds to increase the spring rate. When I rebuilt my ponycar's front suspension, I went to full bearings instead of bushings. It allowed full articulation of the control arms, and made for a much smoother, responsive ride. Noisy as all hell though.

  5. I'm thinking it's wiring too. Whenever i've had slow starting or dead starters, it was usually the cables. Hidden corrosion under the insulation, or inside the lugs. It was the worst here in the desert, the chinese garbage cables would last for about a year, maybe two, then not carry enough amps to crank. My riv had an issue with the solenoid not pushing hard enough to engage the motor. Turned out the primary power wire had been burned, and had no insulation. I suspect the heat changed it's ability to carry amperage. 

  6. 5 hours ago, RivNut said:

    Too bad that parking (emergency) brakes aren't the hand operated kind.  A thumb button for a release.  Hold the thumb button down and pump away.  The World Rally Class guys figured this out some time ago.  They probably use their hand brakes more than the foot brake.

     

    When I was younger, a friend of mine liked to use his hand brake to get his VW Rabbit to go sideways. Fun, but I wouldn't want to do it anymore.

     

  7. I had a 76 Eldorado that had an emergency brake pedal that worked like a mechanical brake when the car was in gear. In that it didn't lock or ratchet unless the car was in park. I really liked that, I thought it was very clever.

     

    I didn't know about Dot5 fluid, i'm going with that when I do my brakes.

  8. Looks like HPS has 3mm silicone hose with a 1.5mm wall thickness (HTSVH3TW-BLK5), i'm going to measure and see if that would work for the heater control hoses. Maybe some type of vinyl tape to mark them. Although those marked rubber hoses might be good, because it's not near high heat.

  9. If anyone is looking for a cheap one that'll do well, I can recommend Leader's waterproof one, number 10301009. 228" fits reasonably well, slightly on the small side. It seems waterproof, and my cat doesn't like clawing it up.

  10. My uncle had a 390 in a AMX years ago that was build by a professional racer he knew. Massively ported heads and the biggest valves possible, 12:1 compression (or higher?), single plane intake, Holley 850 double pumper, solid lifter cam, blown out header mounted glass packs. It only made around 500HP. It was barely drivable, it was so ragged. 

     

    Backyard builders are getting 700+ without blowers from GM's LS motors with the right parts. Maybe that's where he got the number from? I think he'd have to go blower or turbo and put some real money into the bottom end to make a big buick live at that level. 

     

     

    • Like 2
  11. I've been using 3M Clear Silicone Paste. My car is in progress, so I don't have real world time on it to see how it holds up. I read somewhere (here?) that it was good stuff for tracks because it doesn't melt and drip. I used what lithium grease on another car, it was slick enough but would drip.

     

    My window motors were slow and not much power, and it was because of the original 50yr old grease in the motor's gearbox. Once cleaned out and regreased, they were fast and strong. The grease had turned into something like clay. I'd also clean out the channels from old grease with a narrow flat blade screwdriver, and then a paper towel soaked in 90% rubbing alcohol. You'll want to wear gloves for it.

     

    I'm curious to know if your window rollers are stiff but will turn with some force.

    • Like 2
  12. I forgot about the tiny screws. Mine were such a PIA to remove, I must have forced the memory out of my head. Was it the T nuts that are brass? I haven't been able to work on the car in months, i'm starting to forget stuff.

  13. I've used a floor jack to hold it, and pieces of 2x4 to make a cradle for it. Worked ok. I like using a piece of pipe on a breaker bar to make it easier to get the bolts loose. I've only done it about 3 or 4 times, every time was wrestling a bear.

  14. On 5/2/2019 at 8:04 AM, telriv said:

    jsgun,

     

       Where did you source the silicone hoses from???

     

    Tom T.

    I got my regular sized hoses on amazon, bought an assortment of sizes. I haven't found a source for the thin wall heater control hoses yet.

  15. If you need to remove the skins to adjust the doors, it's super easy. There's a series of brass nuts around the perimeter of the inside door attached to captured T-bolts. I've found that if the bolts try to spin, you can wedge a screw driver in between the skin and the door frame and put tension on the bolt enough to get the nut loose. 

     

    The removable skin is an awesome feature. You'll find there's a lot to like about the Riv.

  16. I live in the desert, and prefer silicone hoses because they last many times longer than rubber. I had serious problems with rubber vacuum hoses hardening and leaking after just a couple of months. Switched to silicone, and never had to trim or replace but one. I'm replacing all the heater/ac control hoses too, but I understand that they need to be thinner wall than normal, otherwise it's an extremely tight fit in some places.

  17. 6 hours ago, Barney Eaton said:

    I don't see any manual antenna.......but from the length and top mount it would be around a '68 - '70's  model.    The '63-65 Riviers had a very short body....about 7"

    The picture with all the mast gives you an idea of all the different lengths they used.....the bottom one is a 63-65 Riviera

    The picture of the top mount is like yours and it was used for several years on Buicks...it clamped on the bottom of the chrome fender trim.

    I could probably make it into a power antenna if you are interested.

     

    Not to hijack this post, but is there a way to modify a 64 Riv antenna to fully retract into the fender? Or is there a preferred donor to get an antenna from that does?

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