TKRIV

I enjoy the banter when I hear mechanics talk about diagnostic/problem solving. But I have NEVER heard a discussion that concludes the Degreeing was off therefore rebuild required. Always learning. Yes, agree that Cam-Cards can be inconsistent and/or confusing.

Does anyone know what are the tell tail signs that an after market cam has not been properly degreed or not dialed in at all? I have been told that degreeing a cam serves as a second check for assembly errors, even in a stock replacement cam.

The three Australians first sold the bushings to mostly fellow Australians as we found it difficult to sell to the USA. So we approached all the major vendors in the USA selling bushings if they would be interested to take our entire stock, but not one vendor was interested in this product except James! We did not enter this project to make money over our costs. We were very disappointed on what the after market vendors were offering. We just wanted to replace like for like (we all own 1965 Rivs) and cover our costs so that other Riv owners had the option to purchase a quality exact reproduction part. James has the correct bushings in stock.

Thank you men for your reply. It really does puzzle me that there is no-one supporting our differentials. I want to find the shop that has all the parts before I pull the diff. Could be worn ring/pinion gears or carrier bearings but I do not want to pull it until I know for sure that I can get the correct replacement parts that are available. Whining noise is light and only appears when under load. In fact when I replaced my exhausts system for a quiet system it was only then that I could hear the whine noise! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Hi All, Does anyone know of a vendor that deals with rear Differential Parts for 1965 Riv ideally on the west coast? Ratio 3:42 LSD TomK

Every time I look at the classifieds in the ROA RIVIEW there are many more 1963 & 1964 Rivs for sale than 1965. In the Sept/Oct issue there are only two 1965 Rivs for sale. Four 1964's for sale Eight 1963's for sale. There have been issues where only one 1965 is for sale. Any plausible suggestions on why this is so?

Thanks gungeey for your tip what sounds plausible. Will open the AFB and see what I find. As for 60FlatTop suggestion: The inclinometer I think its would be most suited on the dash, if it fits. Next option is the bonnet!

Hi Folks I have a 425 with an AFB on top. Works great except when taking hard right turns like doing a U-Turn that the engine RPM drops away and sometimes stops. Will start back up no problems. Sometimes the RPM will drop on hard left turns but not shutdown. i have checked the float levels on both sides which are at factory specs. Any suggestions? Tom K

This is a mild cam. Not lopey. I selected this cam and not the TA-20 as I did not want any vacuum headaches.

I am running my 425 on TA-112-401 on Dual Quads and am happy with it's drivability and performance. Made a minor change on metering rods and it drives sweet. No problems with vacuum. Tom K

Sometimes I see on 1st Gen Rivs seat belt holders located on the sides of the Centre console. Are they a factory or dealer option or after market? I am guessing they are after market. TomK

Is the code on the inside of the rim or only visible when no rubber fitted.

Rims are 7" Taken reference points as per sketch. Bead seat to bead seat. I have some other rims from standard wheels (from another Riv) and they are 6" The rims currently on the car are defiantly 1" wider than standard wheels. I like the 245 as they are fat so as to protect the red line when I touch a curb. And 235 would look more in keeping with factory look. No rubbing problems during normal driving but had rubbing pulling into tight parking spots or pulling into or out of driveways that are not level with the road.

Hi Ed, Rims came with the car when I bought it. Like you I have only seen 6" rims. Here is an example of how important stance is. Photo of 1965 Wildcat as per the marketing folks at Buick. I don't think this is the height that the car came out of the factory. Please correct me if I am wrong. Question: How did that young lady get to sit on top of that fence?

Black 65GS Rims are 7" Redline Tyres are 245 but my next set will be 235 Redline really suits Black but that will cost you.

On large cars like our Rivs it is so importance to get the ride height stance right. I try to aim for the stance that the designer had in his mind. Ground to wheel trim Front is 23 1/2" ground to wheel trim Rear is 23" TomK

I have to agree with Ed, A sudden red light will catch your eye for sure.

Faria look nice and are in keeping with the 60's style. I love being able to see that my engine is happy. Cheers Tom K

Not sure if the comments below should be placed here so please delete if inappropriate. One day we will no longer be walking this earth. We are all going to die in the end. No one gets away with that. What arrangements have you made for your “stuff”? We should be planning what will happen to our collections when you die. Who will you choose to be in charge of disposing of what’s left? Who will advise them on values, specialists, dealers, buyers? You probably know all the experts relevant to your stuff, but have you written their details down to help your family when you’re not here to ask? Owners of big collections of bowsers, signs, cars & car parts… need to do a stocktake and spare a thought for whoever will be dispersing their treasures. Often, no immediate family are interested in taking over, so the day you die, the treasures in the sheds (and in the yard) instantly turn into rusty scrap. We should all have a Will, so as to where we want our goodies to go after we pass. But in addition to a regular Will, consider including a set of special instructions (known as a "Memorandum of Wishes") for the best disposal of your cherished automotive belongings, big or small. The stuff we collect is obscure to the general public, so include suggestions of how to dispose of it, and the phone numbers of people who may have expressed an interest in it or be able to help. Use your old-car network to set up a path that a non-enthusiast person can follow. The Memorandum of Wishes can be kept with your Will. Cheers Tom K

I stand corrected, Larry did attend a ROA meet. Larry would state that over the years he owned over 100 Rivs as drivers or parts cars. Does anybody top that? Cheers Tom K

Yes, Larry was a real character with a good scene of humor. Whenever I made a trip to the USA I would always call in to see Larry and Dick Sweeney. Lots of Australians gave Larry a visit and bought parts from him. It was easy to visit him when he was living in Sth Cal. but when he moved to Yacca Arizona in the desert, in the middle of nowhere not so easy to visit. The roads are unmade and very dusty there so he could not even store his prize Rivs on his property only parts and bodies. But he loved the isolation. Larry was a prominent first generation vendor but I don't think he attended any ROA national meet. Because Yacca is so remote I hope that all or most of the parts and bodies find a new home and not end up in land fill. RIP Larry. Just another reminder folks: Your Health is your Wealth.

SuperBritght LED codes posted on the Australian RIVIEW newsletter some time ago. Very happy with the result. Tom K

My friend's nailhead is sooo smooth. When the engine is warm on idle, take one small step away from the car, if it were not for the noise of the engine you would bet your life it was no running. TomK

Reply to R8R5: My motor is a 65 425 and it had 50k miles and it had vibration at various RPM's. Just like you had. I had the motor completely rebuilt and vibration was still there. Grrr. We replaced the flexplate, harmonic balancer and just about everything that could possibly be, even the engine mounts. Still it vibrated, and yes, the new flexplate was bolted in the correct spot. The engine was pulled apart again everything was checked again. All OK but we did noticed that pot#5 was cleaner compered to the other pots. Then the builder pressure tested the intake manifold. There was a internal leak. He then blocked off the 4 heat ports and the vibration was gone. As I write this I just can't believe what we had to do to get rid of this vibration. I know this is hard to believe but that is the basic story. I know of one other mechanic had the same problem many years ago. My take away message is to pressure test the intake manifold if you are doing a complete rebuild and if you do not live in very cold weather block off the 4 heat ports. Cheers TomK