TampaRiv
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Posts posted by TampaRiv
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These were the Americans who, rather than getting some bogus deferment, enlisted and served to vanquish murderous evil dictators, rather than "falling in love" with them.
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Well, Tom, I did take the bezels off, and even removed the speedometer. And the illumination bulbs are easy to see, so they are easy to remove from the front with some needle-nosed pliers. BUT, when you try to insert the new bulb in the socket, the required pressure can break the socket and it falls down in behind the dash somewhere. After doing that twice, I started to apply a little bit of Vaseline to the bulb, which worked well.
However, replacing any of the "idiot" lights (RH bezel) from the front is not possible. If you remove the RH bezel you will see what I mean. So, with respect to the "idiot" lights, the answer is to reach up through the access panels and twist out the socket, replace the bulbs, and reach the socket back in and twist them back into their respective holes. Easier said than done if, like me, you are well-endowed in the hand department if you know what I mean. But, as usual, I got 'er done!
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I just searched Amazon for 194 LED bulbs. A number of options came up, and some had the LEDs oriented left and right. Those don't work as well in the dash. SO, I then repeated that search, and bought some that have what I would describe as a white "nose" on them. Those were much brighter. A 12 pack cost $9.99. I chose WHITE, but they offer different colors.
ALSO, I dropped two of the sockets as I was removing them to do the replacement. SO, I had to order a set of sockets from a donor Riv that I found on ebay. I even dropped one of those, so luckily I was covered. Now there are three of those things just sitting under the dash somewhere....
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I just finished putting LED 194 bulbs in the dash of the Riv. It really makes a world of difference. Looks very crisp.
It wasn't easy, it wasn't hard. There are two removable panels under the dash on either side of the steering column. This gives access to the backside of the two round gauge clusters. There are small removable sockets that the bulbs plug in to, and the socket twist into the back of the dash. Being a contorsionist helps.
Also, the LED bulbs are polarity sensitive, so it may be necessary to install and then re-install.
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Hello from Tampa. I made my own door veneers from some very nice Wilsonart laminate. I templated the originals and router-cut the Wilsonart, resulting in a very nice set of veneers. I had enough material to make 4 sets, and I have one set remaining for sale. Two other members have bought my sets, and I saw a member's car last weekend after he installed the set, and it looked fantastic. $75 includes shipping to your location in the lower 48.
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I can't speak to the Communists gifting this virus to the world, but the Pearl Harbor attack was the result of a dictator trying to grab power, and his followers willing to go along with the madness. Sound familiar?
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Well, sure, if I were still 35 years old, I'd slither under that car and pull that gear right out of there. Now at 62, not so much! My neck is still recovering from the headliner installation 18 months ago! I'll just pay the guy with the lift to remove the gear for me. I do plenty of other stuff.😌
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Thanks Tom, that makes perfect sense. Question: will the transmission leak fluid with the cable removed? I need to take the car to a shop to have them remove the gear...I just can't reach it.
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Hello again Gents,
I need some more speedo advice. My speedo was working well after I recomissioned the car, but after a couple of months it stopped working. Long story short, I have removed and tested the speedometer head in the dash, and it seems to work just fine; today I removed the speedometer cable, and while it's old and gnarly, it actually turns OK. It's 50" long.
So, after visiting this topic a time or two, remind me about the nylon drive gear in the tranny, which I now assume to be the problem. I recall that the gears vary with respect to the type of differential, so how do you know which gear is correct? I've heard tell that there are numbers on the differential, but I just could not see any numbers, and my car is clean underneath.
SO... how do I figure out which gear I need, and where do I buy that gear?
Rich
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Ahhh, the old "loose wire" problem. the next time this comes up on the forum, I'm just gonna reply "loose wire"!
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As I look at my wiring diagram in the chassis manual, it appears the black wire off the ignition switch runs directly to the + side of the coil, with no stop-off at the fuse box.
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Well, this is the problem PWB. The speedo head works fine. But the cable, when disconnected at the transmission and spun with a drill, does not turn and cause the speedo to register. Then, as I mentioned, I disconnected the speedo head, jacked up the back end of the car, and ran the car in gear as I observed the speedo cable in front of me, and it didn't turn. This is telling me the cable is broken internally.
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I like the lobe sensing Pertronix kits. I put one on my Riv, and all was fine from the start. Same story with my '67 Newport with 383. Glad to hear you're making progress, I know how vexing these electrical problems can be.
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I like CROWVET's idea. If you aren't getting voltage at the + side of the coil, a temporary wire from the battery to the + side of the coil should remedy this condition, allowing the car to start. This is the same issue I had with my 67 Chrysler when the ammeter died, and the same wire got the car started. Same principle. If the car does start, then the timing isn't the issue, and there's no reason to think timing is the problem in my opinion.
And, as has been already mentioned, get the voltmeter on the + side of the coil, and have someone operate the key "on" and off (not cranking). When the key is "on", the meter should read out close to 12V. If no readout with the key in the "on" position, then 2 possibilities: one, the ignition switch is faulty, or two, the wire from the ignition switch to the + side of the coil is faulty and may be grounding out somewhere under the dash.
On my Riv, the wire from the points out of the distributor to the (-) side of the coil was faulty. The small wire was broken internally somewhere, and I couldn't get a consistent readout from the coil to the points. My eureka moment occurred when I thought of putting a pertronix lobe sensing kit in the car, and when I did, the car proceeded to start up after not running for 22 years with the previous owner. But that's not your issue, I only mention this to advocate for the Pertronix kit, with which I've never had any issues in 4 different cars. And I mention this to suggest that the wiring is old and could possibly be faulty from the ignition switch to the coil.
Finally, the starter seems like an unlikely culprit, since the car died while you were driving it. I wonder if the "miss" you heard/felt was the engine dieseling a bit after the juice died.
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Ed, what about the cable that CARS in NJ sells? I see that OPG does not vend a cable (surprisingly), but I don't know where else to buy one. I'd call Jim Kehr, but he always seems so busy. I guess the simple answer is to remove the old cable and see how long it is.
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Thank you kindly Bob. That's exactly the info I needed.
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Hi gents. I need to replace my speedo cable, but I see there are varying lengths available. Can anyone tell me the length of the cable that is for my '63 Riviera?
I had the car in the shop for a brake bleed a while back, so I asked the mechanic if he could test the speedometer. He disconnected the cable at the transmission, and spun the cable with a drill, but there was no readout at the speedometer head. I subsequently removed the head, and spun it with drill, and it works just fine.
SO, I am assuming that the cable has broken somewhere between the tranny and the speedometer head. But I don't know which cable is correct and how long it should be. ALSO, are there any special tricks to removing/re-installing the cable, besides being young and agile and having cartilege? I call this kind of operation "car yoga" because of all the weird positions you need to assume to do it!
Thanks guys,
Rich in Tampa
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Personally, given the state of music these days, I'd have to pass on a car that actually had a working radio!!😉
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Not sure what that part is, but you made me want to crack a cold Point Beer!!
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Yes, jdj5000, I bought my Riv in Largo, pretty close to the Gulf. Are you in Florida? BTW, I used the SEM product "Sailcloth" vinyl paint to re-do my seats and door panels, it works great and looks good. Here's a shot of my back door card, painted with the SEM vinyl paint, and with fresh Wilsonart laminate veneer I just posted about a few days ago. Fell free to email me at richardreau@hotmail.com with any questions. You are doing exactly what I started doing almost 2 years ago.
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I have 2 sets of Wilsonart laminate door veneers for the 63-65 Riviera. I replaced the veneers in my car, and had enough material left over to make a couple of extra sets. 4 pieces, two front, two back seat. $75, shipping included within the lower 48.
Thanks, Rich in Tampa
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Great stories fellas, I never knew of Ternstedt until I removed that trim panel. It's just funny that I bought the car in Tampa after moving from Columbus.
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Thanks J3. I wanted something maintenance-free, and I have a lot of experience working with laminate. I continued on with the console because I thought the color wasn't too over-the-top. I realize the '63s didn't use veneer on the console, but the black vinyl wasn't too exciting, especially for a "personal luxury" car.
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New LED Dash Light!
in Buick Riviera
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Yes, they are dimmable. Oddly, for me, having some ambient light helps me see at night. This is the same reason I don't like to watch TV in the dark.
But, I have yet to take the car out and drive it at night. I'll post the results when I do. Thanks Ed.