TampaRiv

Thanks to all who replied to this thread. All opinions were helpful as usual. I am going to start on the replacement of the brake lines tomorrow (which coincides with probably the worst head cold I've ever had in 61 years!). Can't wait for that gunk to start running down the back of my throat as I'm on my back on the creeper. But sorry for that unpleasant aside. I may have more questions, and again I appreciate the help. I may take photos if I remember. Rich

Thanks Gary, I appreciate the compliment. Shout out to Tom Telesco and Jim Cannon for their vast knowledge and patient advice! I finally got the car started this afternoon, and it runs really well. I am stoked!

Thanks to all who replied to this thread, all the information was helpful. I tend to like taller and narrower tires, which I feel gives a more vintage look to most old cars. I think I'm gonna go with 225 75 15s. Now it's just a matter of which tire to pick based on the look of the sidewall. Here's a look at the engine bay and the back seat area. I've been working like a dog on this!

Hello gents. I searched the site for this topic, but the search didn't work. Sorry to post a topic that has already been discussed, but I couldn't find it. I'm getting ready to put tires on my '63, so I'd like some recommendations from you guys. I want something that looks as close to the original stock tire as possible, but I'm not taking the car to Pebble Beach, so perfection isn't required. I just want a nice tire with a white wall that's near to the original, with an aspect ratio that's similar to the stock tires from the era. Let me know which brands and sizes you like, and which vendors you like to buy from. Thanks for the help! Rich

Hi Jim, I need to send you a photo of my data plate, I'll get a photo tomorrow. SO..............of the 40K '63 Rivs sold, is there any estimate of how many 63s survive? Is there any kind of algorithm that predicts such a thing? I would think that certainly half of those original 40,000 cars are gone, either scrapped or crashed or rusting in any number of fields all over America.

After 30+ years in the trades, I tell my guys: "Everyone makes mistakes; be the guy that fixes his, and nobody will know".

Thanks guys, I've gotten some great advice for everyone, and now have a replacement balancer ready to install. I will torque to spec so hopefully the damn thing won't come flying through the hood or the floor board!

Hello gents, it's Rich here in Tampa, still working on my '63 Teal Mist. Many thanks to all who have provided help and guidance over the last couple of months, especially Tom T. and Jim C. My "resurrection" of the car is progressing pretty well. Did I post my headliner photos? It turned out really well, but it kicked my ass. I can cross that off my bucket list! I have removed all of the "bolt-on" items from the engine that will be replaced, so now I am thinking about the brake system. I know that there is much discussion about dual-circuit systems, and I surely understand the advantage, but.....let's assume I just re-build the system as it came from the factory. I have both front wheels done with new cylinders/shoes/hardware/hoses. So what's the best option for the master cylinder and booster? I see that the guys in NJ have a rebuild exchange deal for $250 for the Master and booster. Seems pretty good to me. Next question would be about the brake lines.....this car is a Florida car, so the underside isn't rusty at all. AND, I am looking at the routing of the brake lines, and it don't look easy, especially without a lift here. As always, thanks for the friendly advice, Rich

Hello from Tampa, I have a nice set of wire spinner hubcaps for sale if anyone is interested. I'm going with hubcaps, so this set of 4 is available. No road rash, no scrapes. $125 plus shipping. Thanks, Rich

Wow, two German guys with Rivieras. I love it. And here I have a Riv and a '75 2002. I would love to be passed by these guys on the Autobahn in those Rivs, as I only had the balls to cruise 115mph as I drove from Munich up to Hamburg. Germany is a beautiful country.

OK guys, so if I understand this correctly, each balancer is custom balanced to each crankshaft? And how on earth would it be possible to know if any replacement balancer would be compatible with any given crankshaft, until you install it and put everything back together and start the engine? I see that the CARS guys (oldbuickparts.com) will rebuild my old balancer for $154. That seems like a decent price. But, given that I don't think my current balancer is original to the car, then what? Sorry to be a PITA, I just don't quite understand all of this.

Thanks Tom. So, where do I buy another unit? Any special considerations in picking one out?

Thank you Tom. I will clean up the unit tomorrow and get some good photos of the keyway. I really appreciate your help. My email is richardreau@hotmail.com. Rich

Thank you Pete for the input, it's most helpful. Here are a few photos of the unit I removed.

Hello Gents, As you know I got my '63 Teal Mist started a couple of weeks ago. There was a gawd-awful noise coming from below, and I realized that the crank pulley/harmonic balancer was as loose as a goose down there. As I went to take the thing off, I found the crank bolt was tight, but the pulley wasn't tight against the crankshaft. It was weird. Then as I sift through the exhaustive receipts from the previous owners, there seem to be at least 2 or 3 receipts for....you guessed it...harmonic balancers. So, here are my questions of the day..... *Why harmonic balancer instead of just a simple crank pulley like every other car I've owned? *Is the 401 somehow out of balance by design, and therefore needs a balancer? *My pulley/balancer looks OK, it just appears that there's a washer missing, allowing the damn thing to spin in a clanking wobbly orbit. Thanks guys for your help, I appreciate it.

Thanks gents, the cars look great, I aspire to such a nice looking engine bay. Anybody ever do their own headliner? I am planning to replace mine this weekend. Compared to other cars I've owned, the headliner in the Riv doesn't look all that difficult (but I've never done one on any car). Any hints or tips would be appreciated. RE: correctness....the metal pieces that surround the headliner, on my car, are painted an off white...turns out it's Heirloom White from Home Depot. Then would the attaching screws also be painted white, or would they be chrome? Somehow I feel like white would look better.

I certainly do see a lot of photos of the 401 in the teal/mint green. I see vintage stuff showing the engine in that color. Did they use both colors, silver and mint? Also, what is under the flat cover tray that is underneath the intake manifold? Is the camshaft under that cover? Is that cover tray easily removed (for painting), and is there a gasket available for re-assembly? Thanks again from Tampa, where the weather was just beautiful today (as most days), and the traffic was awful (as most days). Perfect for a guy working on a '63 Riviera who only has to go to the corner store for beverages.🍺

Hmmm, thanks RivNut. My engine block is stamped with the number 7J1092186, and that's the same number that appears on the body tag located on the cowl on the driver's side. However, after closer examination, I can see that the red was painted over silver on the valve covers. So, the Buick green was never used on the Riviera? Thanks for the info, I'm really enjoying working on the Riv and getting to know the Riviera community. Here's another question....do you guys like this oldbuickparts place out of New Jersey? They seem to have a good selection and prices seem tolerable. Besides OPG, are there any other good suppliers for old Riv parts?

Great photos kreed, thanks for the reply. My engine is numbers-matching, but I wonder why there isn't a speck of silver to be seen? 😕

Hi again from Tampa. I was wondering what the correct color or colors for the 401 would be. My '63 has red valve covers, and a red air cleaner. Somehow I thought that the Buick green was correct, but the red on my 401 looks original. Maybe I'm wrong. Anybody? ALSO....What can anybody tell me about the AC system in my '63 Riv? It hasn't operated in 20 years, and I have no experience or knowledge in automotive AC systems. Anything you can tell me will be appreciated. Rich

Hello gents, Many thanks for all your input on my spark-less '63 Riv. As you all know, the thing hadn't started in 20 years. I brought it home and prepped it for starting, but the first problem was slow cranking. Many thanks to Jim Cannon for his help as I tried to track down the reason for the lack of spark. But despite many hours testing and re-testing, I just could not figure out why there wasn't any (negative) juice coming out of the distributor. Then this morning, I had this crazy idea of putting a Pertronix ignition kit in the thing. Dumb luck had me passing a speed shop here in Tampa, and they actually had the right kit (at $5 cheaper than the CARS outfit in NJ). So I bought the kit and put it in, and a couple of sprays of starting fluid later the thing kicked off! It runs if I put gas in the carb, but the fuel pump is shot so it doesn't run for long. OH, and the slow cranking? Well, I'm embarrassed to say that the water pump is seized. After the thing ran a few seconds, I could see the belts smoking, so I knew what was up. I cut the old belts off and the thing cranked great. I am stoked now! Two issues: one is that the crank pulley/harmonic balancer was loose down there and clanking around like a banshee. The crank bolt was tight, but the pulley was not. Issue 2 is that there is some valve train noise, but I suppose that is to be expected until the thing warms up and some oil gets flowing. So, thanks again for the help and encouragement. Next job is to replace or rebuild all the bolt-on stuff under the hood and get the thing humming like a clean machine. Rich in Tampa

Thanks Demon, I have a mechanic who's in the BMW 2002 club coming over to help with some diagnostics. I appreciate all the help here.

Hey Jeff, judging from the date signature on your photos, you may have set your clock too far ahead!😉

Hi again Gary. No luck yet. I'm starting to think that my engine is suffering from the same problem yours did...just gummed up and need rebuilt. And I'd be OK with that, but I gotta find a shop here in Tampa. Anyone know of a shop down here?

Hello from Tampa, is here a tutorial on headliner installation on this forum. I searched "headliner" but only this thread popped up. I do see some videos on youtube. Some of those videos kinda scared me, but looking at my 63 Riv headliner, it looks pretty straightforward. Any advice? Rich