MikeJS

Good day. Couldn't agree more. Somewhat of a purist when it comes to things like this and actually Buick touted the wire wheel covers in their 1963 Brochure... For apperance's sake we strongly recommend wire wheel covers. Very dashing! Although I prefer the turbines, to me the rubber is as important as the wheel covers in the artistic look of the car and it's intended design, and in particular, the whitewalls. For me, the Riviera in blackwalls or wide whitewalls just goes against what the look of the car should be, same with aftermarket covers. Buick even dedicated a full page photo in the brochure to highlight the wheels, but to each their own. The problem we are faced with in Canada is sourcing the right wide ww, but that topic has been beaten to death in other threads...(aargh) Source: https://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1963_Buick/1963 Buick_Riviera_Brochure/dirindex.html Later,

Good day. I have a couple of these and one does appear to be the same tan colour. Although I don’t know much about em, but the blue one does have a different contact setup as Tom mentioned… Pretty cool little cars, wish I had the track to run em on instead of just collecting dust on a shelf. EDIT; Neither have any manufactures' markings, the blue one has the number 5 embossed behind the rear axle. Later

Ed, good day. They appear to be checking the dipstick at about 10:50 of the video (and probably every other 2-hr pitstop), but no way of knowing if the car is turned off. I've never checked the oil while the car is running, and something I've never even thought about, but would it be possible (in theory) to calculate how much of the engine's oil capacity would be in circulation while the car is running and how much would be in the pan at any particular moment. Thus giving the 'engineers' some level of oil use. Sometimes, engineers have (or like to believe they have) an answer for everything... Later,

Good day. Not sure whatever happened to this 2013 concept, wonder if it had anything to do with an American classic being designed by the Chinese... https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15115847/buick-riviera-concept-photos-and-info-news/ Woulda been kinda cool if it ever came to fruition... Later.

Good day. Weekly article link I get from Hagerty, this week it’s about “5 cars defying a cooling market”. Included are the ‘86-‘93 Rivieras… ”Whether you agree or not that these Buicks deserve a seat at the table with the other collector cars, it’s clear they’re no longer cheap used fare.” Source: https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/hagerty-insider/5-cars-posting-big-gains-despite-a-slow-market/?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=MED_UN_NA_EML_UN_UN_WeekendRoadTrip&hashed_email=f472103ce9c29545ae77fe867876dcc74dd2d592f381f4083b4b20ffe9144d61&dtm_em=f472103ce9c29545ae77fe867876dcc74dd2d592f381f4083b4b20ffe9144d61 Later

Another option might be to look at an automotive wrap film. Lots of colour options, but no idea how easy it is for a DIY, and with a small ‘difficult’ area to cover, but a potential option nonetheless…?? Later,

Find a friend with a relatively new vehicle, get them to drive and set their cruise control at various speeds (30-60-90-whatever), and have them drive at that speed for a couple miles. Then simply pace behind them as steady as possible and you should get a pretty close reading +/-...

Good day. As a last resort, maybe just stay on smooth roads…😀 Seriously, I feel your pain, chasing the sounds that haunt us can be a drag. Good luck. later,

Not to mention it simply being in the (ahem) capable hand of both United States Postal Storage and Canada Post and Storage... But lo and behold, July/August Riview was released today from their storage holding facilities here in Edmonton, AB... woot woot!

John, good day. Although a little early to say late June has come and gone, but have you heard anything on these new skins? And while I'm here, Happy Canada Day, stoke one on me... Later,

John, what's in a number. This guy has quite a few Riv's too...🫣 Seriously, I have no idea if Irlforfun's 12 Riv's are pristine, parts or combinations thereof, but either way 12 is a lot of Rivieras....

Tom good day. Ya I was probably being conservative, I kinda figured a good shop would be less than my WAG... I simply thought how long it would take me to do it and divided by two then subtracted the two-three hours I would spend overthinking things plus the couple hours it would take me to clean up the mess I most likely would make... 😄 Later,

Not sure if the number Rafz66riv was quoted was for a full replacement (bring the car in, and then you'll drive it home in a few hours good as new) or quoted just to get the new radiator into his hands and install himself. But if the shop was doing the full replacement, add the labour cost of a shop doing the installation in a round WAG (Wild Assed Guess); 4 hours at $100/hr. +++ and the shop quotes of $1K probably appear in line... ?? Should be a relatively easy DIY tho' with a replacement in hand... Later,

Good day. Sorry, no idea specifically, just trying to help when I get a little time, but hopefully someone else more knowledgeable will chime in, but for what it's worth, have a look at the Rock Auto site. They appear to have a pretty complete parts listing many with some photos. Not sure if it'll help or not, but it could be a good resource. Service manuals appear to be available there on CD or on a USB stick. Good luck. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/buick,1980,riviera,3.8l+231cid+v6+turbocharged,1021622

Good day. Not sure if this is what you're after, found on the ROA website. Hope this helps... https://rivowners.org/features/evolution/evpt80.html You may want to consider joining the Riviera Owners Association (ROA), there are a ton of resources available...

Usually the one you don’t ask…

Good day. Looks good, well done. I’ve always thought the cardboard was kinda cheesy in a luxury vehicle, so I did something similar in my ‘64, but I covered all the new cardboard templates (made from existing) with fabric and used the same fabric for the rest of the trunk. No mat yet. Later,

Good day For what it's worth, my vintage '90's whitewalls are Kelly Springfield 225-75-R15 tires, I've never had any issues with browning, and when I do clean them, I usually also use a SOS pad. Always worked great. Something I don't do often is read my tires. Interestingly enough, and I'm not sure how common this is but embossed on the tires is the following warning... "SAFETY WARNING - Serious injury may result from... Explosion of Tire/Rim assembly due to improper mounting... Only specially trained persons should mount tires" Something I may have read years ago, but again, how often does one read their tires... *goes out to read the rubber on the wife's Honda* Later,

Doesn’t look like it would be much different in height, but how about backing it in? If it fits you’ll have access to opening the hood. Later,

John, good day. Communication breakdown, somewhere. When I went in on Saturday near noon, Dimetri was with another customer, but he knew right away that it was you he was talking to, and said ya, they have a least four of the size you called about, but the 225-75-15 that I was looking for would be in by May. That's when I texted you. Did they say that they just sold em? If so, it wasn't me that bought em', most likely it was simply too many different sizes being talked about (has my head spinning...) and as mentioned maybe just a communication breakdown. Good news I guess, they seemed pretty confident that they will have the stock when it arrives in May/June. Not sure if I'm real crazy about the wider whitewalls these have, but I'd rather have something relatively new (and cost effective) than having to go to black walls... Later,

Bill, good day. Sounds like an option, but I would want to confirm that a reputable shop here would install and balance used tires. I'd be surprised. With my luck, I'd end up with four newish tire swings in the backyard... Since I've budgeted for them, I'd still prefer to find new whitewall skins but it isn't looking great at this point. I'll certainly chat with a couple shops and keep your offer in mind, thank you. Later,

Pat, good day. Found this online, sounds rational but I can’t confirm… —— The equivalent size to the GR70-15 would be P225/70R15 - almost identical in O.D. but slightly wider O.W. than the 'G'(0.3"). The best match in 60 series would be the P265/60R15 - approx. 0.1" taller in O.D., but about 1.7" wider. You may want to check your wheels, though, the minimum width for the P265 is 7.5". The minimum for the P225 is 6.0". While you are at it, make sure the wheels are radial approved - some early cars with bias tires at OE are not ——

John, good day. Once again, thanks for your efforts on this topic. I too am running low mileage whitewalls from the mid '90s. The car was stored on jacks for a number of years inside but rubber does deteriorate over time. Whether or not the older compounds have a better longevity than newer tires, who knows, but we are both taking a risk. My fears started a few years ago after reading this thread... Nonetheless, taking risks is inherent in the world we live in, and if you want to put four more new WW tires into your trunk to bring back from Spokane, I'd be more than willing to take them off your hands. These cars do have a lot of trunk space, and just tell the border crossing guards that you don't trust the new tire compounds so you are simply carrying a few extra spares just in case...😊 Seriously, take care, keep us posted. Later,

Not sure if it'll help, but a 1995 Riviera brochure can be found here... https://www.auto-brochures.com/buick.html Later,

John, good day. Thanks for the efforts and info to date, much appreciated. I actually called Nexen, and they confirmed that the only distributor that have ordered the 150407NXK (225-75-R15) in Canada recently was the wholesaler Tire Discounter Group (TDG) in Ontario. I called them and talked to a gentlemen that searched his dealers and found two tires left in a dealer in Orangeville, ON (sorry, didn't get the name) . He indicated that by going through a dealer, the tire can be ordered from Nexen, but Nexen only accepts orders by the container full that can be mixed and matched, so the wholesaler such as TDG would need to order a container of tires and these whitewalls would be part of the order. Current delivery time is 3-6 months from the time the wholesaler can complete a full container order. Going through a dealer of The Tire Discounter Group might be the best option if indeed these are the only reasonable options we have at getting whitewalls cost effectively in Canada. (MSRP per Tire Discounter Group was CDN$224/tire, but may vary dealer to dealer) And the search continues... Later,