TKRIV

Hi All, When removing the door skins the front facing nuts are difficult to access due to the limited space where the door hinges are. Got myself a spanner with flex head & ratchetting ring which makes the task much easier. Cheers Tom K

Well with all this unexpected time on our hands its a great opportunity to work on our Rivs. As you can see Gene has lots of nice parts waiting for you. Just about the only positive to come out of this mess is cheap gas. I think this is going to continue for longer than we expect and heaven help us if there is COVID-22 Tom Kunek

In other words, why did the original carb designers go for a progressive linkage and not solid if many folks claim better performance and street drivability. There must have been a good reason(s) to go the progressive path. From the point of view of the engine designers, what is the advantage going progressive? Does anyone know? TomK

425 dual quad setup with solid linkage! 2 x 4 set ups with solid linkage makes sense to me as fuel density in the intake would have a more equal distribution. What other mods would be required (if any) to run solid linkage? Tom K

The Accessory face plate is not easy to find in good condition. I was looking for a good 12 months to find a really nice example. I have no idea how you would restore the escutcheon plate. In the end Dick Sweeney found me one. Cheers Tom K

Hi folks, Can anyone tell me what is the correct length of the bolt is which is supported by the trunnion and adjusted by the turnbuckle. I have seen so many different configurations. On my GS the bolt & turnbuckle are shorter then shown in the photo. The Service manual (Page 3-58) tells me that "when the accelerator pedal is depressed, the primary of the rear carburettor starts to open. When it is approximately half open, the primary of the front carb will start to open" Do Dual Quad owners confirm this description of operation via practical experience? Cheers Tom K

The only vendor I found that had the clips was James Kehr of best offer counts in Sellersville PA. Phone 215-767-0845 Not cheep, but he has the correct clips. All my dealing with James have been positive. I have been to his warehouse of parts and he has the most impressive inventory I have ever seen. Buicks 1959 - 1966. Cheers Tom K

Thank You Tom M & Tom T, The penny has dropped. I get it. Yes the air does flow to a small chamber and then comes out UNDER the butterflies via slots on the base of the carb shown with arrows. I now understand why the damage that is present would have little effect on this flow of air. I know that my problem is with the carb because my friend has a GS which runs nice and when I fitted his carb on my intake my nailhead also runs sweet. The carb technician who rebuilt my carbs is back from holidays next week so will ask him to review his rebuild. Cheers Tom Kunek

Hi Tom T, Thanks for getting back to me. I must admit that I am now confused which is easy to do! Yes, If I blow compressed air into the hole (with the brass idle screw removed) air does come out via 2 small ports just above the butterfly plate. You can see in the photo how I have pulled a length of string. My understanding of the 3925S carb's idle is set via how much air is allowed to pass through this circuit and is not set by the idle screw which is located on the linkage. What am I missing? Tom K

The idle adjustment on the rear carb is controlled by the large brass screw in the front of the rear carb. This is the idle air bypass adjustment. Normally the primary butterflies are slightly held open by a idle adjustment screw on the throttle linkage. This is not the case with 2 x 4 Carters. The big brass screw bypasses just enough air to give correct idle speed when properly adjusted along with the 2 mixture screws located on each side of the big brass Air Bypass Screw. There is a past post where Tom Mooney gives a great explanation on how to tune 2 x 4 setups. We should remember that whenever a past owner wanted more HP they would typically start to modify the carby. People who have no idea about the operation of a carb yet play with the accelerator pump, metering rods, jets... Nailhead does not have a smooth idle because of the damage in the air idle circuit as per damage identified. It's a bit like "Happy Wife, Happy Life" Still looking for a old 3925S Carter Carb. If not the complete carb, then just the Body Assembly. Cheers Tom K

Looks like PO or "Mechanic" thought that the idle/air metering port needed to be cleaned out with a screwdriver. Damage is consistent with flat screwdriver. It would not take a lot of pressure to damage casting, it's very thin at this location. Tom K

I would be really lucky to find a sad carb but with a good body assembly. Fingers crossed. Tom K

Yes Jon agree 100% will be cheaper to repair but it would take a specialist who has the skills to work in such a restrictive location. I would imagine that person would need fine welding stills also. Do you do this type of repair work? Tom K

I need the rear carb (3925S) for 1965GS. If not the whole carb just the body will do as it's been damaged in the idle circuit. I know this will not be easy to find as they are normally sold in pairs. Cheers Tom Kunek

Happy New Year everyone. Here we have a AMT model (Dick Sweeney collection) Can someone explain the relationship between a 1965 Riv and Che Guevara & airplanes? Look closely and you will also find a chicken! Tom K

Corgi Riv in Superb condition Tom K

One thing I forgot to mention is that when my nailhead was rebuilt 30 years ago the passage was blocked under the Carb. Vibration stop when the inlet was blocked at the heads. Again I know that my story is way out in left field but my nailhead stopped vibrating only after being blocked off at the heads. So somewhere deep in the inlet there must be a passage letting small amount exhaust gases into the manifold. Can't see any other explanation. Now my nailhead runs nice and sweet. Tom K

Hi All, Here is my absolutely frustrating story of a very mild vibration my Riv had. First off my 401 was rebuild to 425 by a Buick trained Canadian mechanic 30 years ago just before I bought it. The mechanic was a well respected (he died 10 years ago) Yes, he once told me about the problems you can have going from 401 to 425 but after checking the block and heads he proceeded. Nailhead worked fine until about 6 years ago I got a very mild vibration but progressively got worse. Vibration was almost non-existent when starting from cold. But after 60 to 90 secs it would appear. Here is the story: Rebalanced the drive shaft, new carrier bering and joints. No Change Disconnected Trans from Motor. No Change New Engine mounts: No Change Replaced entire ignition system. No Change Swapped over to a known good carburettor: No Change Removed all belts. No change. Pulled and inspected Harm Balancer. No Change. Now we had to go inside the nailhead. (motor only did 40K miles from rebuild) Full rebuild -New Pistons, Rings... but nothing seen to suggestion vibration issue. Everything was double checked and balanced. Motor back in Riv and still the vibration was there just like before !!! The engine builder (old school) told me that there is nothing wrong with the engine but the owner of the firm said that he stands by his customers and pulled the engine again and it was all good! Now the engine builder remembered a job (many years ago) where the intake manifold was producing a rough idle and thorough the revs. He pulled the intake manifold and blocked the holes for the exhaust cross-over passages that heat the carby. Result - VIBRATION GONE. Somehow exhaust gases where getting into the intake path. Yes I know you all think I am crazy. I still can't believe this story myself, everything stated here is true. Photos of the engine builder and the plates that block the exhaust gases. Love to see any comments about my vibration nightmare. Tom Kunek

If car is mechanically and body, as shown in photos, it's worth every cent. If known history with documentation it's a steel. Tom K

When I fitted new weather strips from Rubber the Right Way I really had to slam the door for it to close. I bought a can of Rubber Magic and after a few applications and some time for it to work the doors now close with much less effort. This product is available in Australian but there must be an equivalent in the USA that does the same job. Cheers Tom K

Options installed at the Fisher Body plant appear on this data plate. I assume that the GRAN SPORT emblem on the glove box is fitted at the Fisher Body plant. How come this option is not listed on the data plate? Or was it fitted at the Buick assembly plant? Tom Kunek 2 x 65

Hi Tom, If you are shipping to Melbourne you can direct your part(s) to California Shipping. (714) 590-1999 sales@calship.com Shipping address is: Pete Smith / Joe Blow California Shipping 11121 Dale Street Stanton, CA 90680 Parts will be shipped to: Pete Smith East Coast Mustangs 6/46 Industrial Park Drive Lilydale VIC Australia Joe Blow (the person who will pick up and pay for the LA to Australia shipping) needs to contact Pete Smith and inform him of the parts to expect. Any item sent to California shipping with Pete Smith's name on it goes straight into his container which gets filled every month or so. I have used Pete Smith many times and have found his pricing fair for large and heavy items reasonable. If you are shipping to Sydney then Tony Gentilcore will chime in and give you the details. A diff will not prove to be a problem in regard to asbestos. If you are importing a car, motor or brake parts then asbestos paperwork is needed. Cheers Tom Kunek

I am 6' 7" (I am long in the torso) and I do find head room a problem with my hair touching the headlining. The seat has to have a little sag in it to be comfortable. No problem with leg room. American cars of the 50, 60, 70... are large but I am surprised how some have so little head room. If Bill Mitchel chopped 2" of the 1st Gen Riv there is no way I could drive it in comfort. Happy just the way it is 🙂 I think Darwin Falk is a little taller that me, I wounder how he sits in a 2nd Gen Riv. Tom Kunek ROA3845

Hi Everyone, I converted over to LEDs and am very happy with the improvement. The list is from the Nov 2017 Australian RIVIEW which I think Rodney Beauchamp was the primary author. All LED codes are from Super Bright LEDs. One correction needed to the list, otherwise every LED fitted nice. I know that LEDs are not OEM but the original bulbs just are not bright enough for safe driving at night. Also I don't like all that heat on the PC board and you will never change lamps again (Hopefully) I am sure George Moon would approve! (GM interior designer of 1st Gen Rivs) Cheers Tom Kunek ROA BCA

Hi Eric, Thanks for your suggestion. Simple solution that worked 😊 Many Thanks. Tom K