NTX5467

Here's another layer of diagnosis, but you'll need a good digital meter to do it. With the engine stopped, check the voltage to various parts of the engine and body, from the battery. This is your reference value. Start the car as normal and re-check at the same places. This should be greater due to the alternator and voltage regulator action. When the no-start issue appears, get the meter and check the voltages again. If they are lower than the first "engine stopped" value, clean and re-connect all electrical connections in the normal ground circuits of the battery. Including the battery posts themselves. Recheck voltages with the engine not running. Then turn the ignition switch to "run" and re-check. Start the car and re-check. In all of these voltage checks, check the voltage from the battery to the end of the cables attached to it, too. I had a strange situation on my '77 Camaro (which I bought new). One night, while driving around, I came to a stop sign and stopped. I noticed the engine speed was dropping, so I blipped the throttle a few times to get the rpm back up. When the speed was dropping, the radio made a "motor boat" engine sound through the speakers. Once the rpm came back up, radio sounded normal. This was strange and "different". When similar conditions happened, a few blips of the throttle (in gear, against the brake) always fixed it. Then it got into a "hot soak no start" situation. I thought of a bad neutral safety switch first, but that did not change anything. Letting the car sit and cool down always fixed that. I was always on the watch for these things, choosing when to shut off the engine and park. One day, I drove the car to lunch at home. I noticed the a/c fan was not working. When I got home, I got out the meter and started to check voltages. The voltages were down about .3 volts from normal, with the engine running. As I had the hood up doing the checks, suddenly the blower motor came on and the voltages returned to normal. I saw no changes in what I had been looking at, although the voltages were now normal. I finally decided to start with the ground cable from the battery to the alternator bracket. It was OEM production and had nothing in its appearance to indicate a problem. BUT when I changed it, all of the issues vanished. Something internal to the cable, obviously, under the insulation. On my 2005 Impala, it got a starting issue, which was "normal with age" for those cars (and other GM cars which used the same ignition switch, in the instrument panel on this car). A new switch and "better" termination of the wires in it, was the GM TSB fix. On a non-GM car I have, it started to have an intermittent "no start" issue. I traced it down to the bulkhead connector for the wire going to the ignition switch. When a sudden no start issue happened, that was the place I learned to look first. Plugged it in more firmly and things happened as they should. Through all of your diagnostics, DO clean the battery terminals. Even a slight, insignificant-looking, thin layer of grunge between the posts and battery terminals can cause a no-start problems too. On a modern high-amp system, such things can result in the charging system check being less than spec by about 10%, as we discovered in the shop in the 1990s. Experiences and thoughts, NTX54677

After spending several hours going through the Automotive History Preservation Society website (of which I am a paid member), I finally found the Buick Parts Manual for front suspension illustrations. After going into RockAuto to first look around at their specs and illustrations. According to the Rock Auto "buyers guide list", it's not just Rivieras, but ALL '66-'70 Buick full-size cars on the fronts and similar on the rears. '65-'76 Cadillacs on the fronts, too. After looking at the front suspension parts illustrations, the real issue is the tube on the bottom of the shock, which the one bolt goes through the control arm. Compared to what the Gen I cars were, with the more normal flanged tube on the bottom side. To me, it looks like a less expensive way to do things, needing only the big bolt and nut, considering the tube on the end would cost the same as the prior flanged tube. Maybe some engineering-related side issues in the mix, too? Interesting that only Gabriel (in RA) still had both the front and rear shocks. As did Performance Ride Technologies, which has an interesting website. Also found some interesting Gen I Riviera ads, too. Take care, NTX5467

I discovered that Jax Wax is built in Columbus, OH from their website. Which also has a list of their retailers and such nationwide. NTX5467

If you buy an older car, no matter where, you can generally presume you'll have to spend some money on it as things progress. Upgrading the rear main oil seal can be one. If it's not too bad, get a big piece of cardboard to park over, if worse, a flat baking pan. In "high estimates", always ask what their labor rate might be. Then you can judge the time they expect to spend on the project, PLUS if they have done it before (which can go either way). They will usually mark up the parts price from what you find online, too. Enjoy! NTX5467

The observed problem with such Google searches is that they lack actual proof of performance, rather than otherwise. Usually based on some algorithm's take on how many inquiries are made or similar. Or an elaborate and expanded version of a product's sales literature. Same with "the best" motor oils of 2023 or similar. A big question remains . . . "Whom are the people making these claims and what are their verified credentials to do so?" There are many YouTube videos of durability tests made on several products at one time, on the same vehicle hood. I'm not really sure of their validity, but the Meguiar's product usually wins those competitions easily. Sometimes by narrower margins than other times, it seems. Have to look at the date on the video to determine if there might have been some product improvements since they were made, too. How these results might translate into actual, real world durability has not been determined, from what I have seen. The initial videos were promoting the ease and look of the Torque-brand product. Usually on a black F-150 that is shining in the bright sunlight. Yet the other testing of Torque indicated its shine is not as bright as some other brands. Then there are videos of "professionals, in the detail business" who advocate for it, too. BTAIM. Back in the 1980s, I had had good results with the old Meguiars "red bottle" cleaner wax on my cars. Good durability, or at least at least as good as the old "Classic Wax" of the middle 1960s. Then, I determined that darker colors seemed to "cook off" the wax's petroleum parts sooner than a white car color would. Decreasing the longevity by up to 1/3 or more. The first ceramics were all "spray on, rinse off" spray-on products. No wiping involved! It was claimed that the water "set" the product, at that time. Then I saw other YouTubers wiping it after spraying it on . . . no "final rinse" happened. Then the later Meguiar's product was a pure wipe-on application. Progress in the formulations? End result is that there are many products being advocated for based on their printed advertising rather than scientific facts (and video evidence of such). A different way of being "An Internet Influencer"? In some of the YouTube videos, the presenter will openly state that they have no marketing relationship with the product they are talking about, which is good. In many cases, just relaying their own experiences with a product (usually a flaky experience or one which required more products or finesse to install it on a particular "build" vehicle). A product they have used and will continue to use in the future, just that they had one big hiccup on one vehicle. Until GM Accessories picked-up the Adams brand of products, I had never heard of them in the 60+ years I've been following waxes and such. Their heritage is more "up north and east" from TX, so that would explain that. The old Classic Wax was based in Arlington, TX and touted many high-end products in their formulation. It worked well, but had too much abrasives in it, which took more paint off with each application after the first few. So I looked for other alternatives, which led me to the ORIGINAL Meguiar's products, before they got popular and available "everywhere". I say "original" as Barry sold the company to 3M a while back, as I understand it. Are ceramic coatings better than "wax"? No doubt. Just make sure the paint they are going on is shiny and prepared "to be sealed", rather than expecting it to work miracles of restoring a faded paint back to "showroom brilliance", as some products claim to do. So, seek out the YouTube videos on ceramic coating durability and shine tests. Then look for user comments of trusted, actual vehicle owners. Then make the determination of if they are worth the money, if desired (one reason I have not ventured off into Griot's Garage). What might be "the best" for one person could yield sub-optimal results for another person, by observation. I always tend to approach such things with a bit of skepticism and curiosity, for better or for worse. Which also makes me question any of "The Best . . . " or "The Worst . . ." lists I see online. End result is that paint "coatings" can have variable durability based on several factors. The color of the paint. How much "in the sun" time the vehicle regularly sees. The vehicle's location as to normal sun angle each day. The type of paint it is (base coat clear coat seems to be better than acrylic lacquer (single stage) or even acrylic enamel, for example. Even how many automatic car washs the vehicle endures. What is experienced by a medium silver vehicle in MA could be different than the same vehicle color in TX or Yuma, AZ, for example. Sorry for the length. NO intent to besmirch what others have experienced in using these products at all! Just my experiences and observations over the years. Take care, NTX5467

There are many videos on YouTube of people using ceramic coatings on their newer vehicles. Even some which test several brands and types, plus in some durability tests. I think ONE key thing is to have a smooth and good paint on the vehicle before you start. They are "coatings" and not like "cleaner wax" or "polishes" in the least. ALSO, you can also put it on interior swithces and surfaces for protection. As in cruise control switches and such which might get worn with use. Enjoy! NTX5467

Might be an unsuspected resource for sales brochures, but www.eatondetroitspring.com has the sales brochure for cars, including the 1961 Buicks. Just fill out the vehicle information menu on the front page, then click to get the next page which has the springs and related parts on it. In the Upper Toolbar, at the right hand end, is a "Links" icon with the manufacturer's logo there, click there to get the sales brochure. In this case, the brochure lists the marketing name of the fabric and vinyl. No mention of the color names, just the fabric and vinyl names. The Dealer Order and/or Color and Trim Guides, plus maybe the parts book, should go deeper into the names and such, I suspect . . . as @Rocketraider mentioned. Nice looking car. NTX5467

Looks like a "fancy" aftermarket seat belt. FWIW, NTX5467

The common 3" tall filter, as above, is a 14x3 filter, originally in Chevy HP cars of the later 1960s to earlier 1970s. Think Z/28s and Corvette LT-1 and L82 cars. The factory air filter bases were stamped of thicker metal and go 1" lower down over the carb than the pictured aftermarket versions (pictured above). Fitted specifically for the Holley 3310 (with "race bowls") and a divorced choke. In reality, the aftermarket knock-offs probably put more air into the carburetors as that additional inch higher is also space between the top of the air cleaner and the choke housing. Underhood styling was important, in the later 1950s. Air cleaners were an important part of that, too. Bigger engines needed more air, so larger air filter housings resulted, to replace the earlier oil bath air cleaners. Fords did this well, but also had a small diameter air filter in the middle of that big air cleaner housing. The big air cleaner housing for which an air filter element is now being sought was a part of this deal, too, but with a specific air filter which the lower car lines did not use, by observation. The OTHER side of this deal is not to unnecessarily throw out a used air filter for these vehicles! Do what we used to do back then, by blowing out the accumulated dirt with an air hose from the inside out, after tapping them on a workbench. Re-use rather than not. All things considered, if there are some new ones to be found, find and stash them for future use. Use sparingly, too. Enjoy! NTX5467

From another forum, "Dewey" has retired and another of his former employees has taken things over. No changes in operation, they noted. For now, at least, same as it always has been. NTX5467

I found a WIX webpage which has the filters by size listings. in the "3 inches tall" listing, it came up with 46941 R and Q part number listings. From their specs, .06" smaller ID than the 42092 filter. BUT 3.76" tall. I could not get the page to work past the 2nd page, for some reason. The WIX listing also mentioned " '65-'66 GS and '65-'67 Skylark" as applications. Plus the '59-'50 Cadillacs and '59 Oldsmobiles. FWIW, NTX5467

Other than not having "the flap", what other filters will fit that housing? Just curious. NTX5467

Unfortunately, that "reality" has been around for ages, just that NOW it is affecting many in the old car market. We all might think "They need to build some more of them for us", as we each might know 5-10 people who need that part. Then multiply that by several times, and it all seems to make sense to US. Only thing is that at the producer level, that 100 pieces that we might know could be needed or desired takes a bunch of time and money to orchestrate. Of course, many of the set-ups on the line would take about the same time and effort as if they were changing to another filter product already in production. Hopefully, all they'd have to do is to input information into a computer and it just happens. Then there is the printing of the boxes, which could be another set of data to input into another computer. So, theoretically, they could have the desired items up and running in minutes. For little real difference from what was already going on in production. To me, the real issue might be that "flange" on the top of the filter. Might it be better to design and 3D-print a "spacer" of the correct outer diameter, the correct inner diameter, and thickness to use a normal filter with? Where the normal filter was of the correct diameter, but just a bit shorter, to allow for the thickness of the flange to be placed on top of it, to look like a correct OEM filter? Perhaps there might be a smaller filter entity which could produce the filters other than WIX? But we might still end up with the "sales volume over how many years" issue. Just some thoughts, NTX5467

I saw that on MSN yesterday. Seems like I read that they used digital animation to put the car "on the road" for the video to present to GM management? Did you also read about the refreshed Buick Regal sedan for the Chinese market? They still sell sedans over there. NTX5467

This is very possible. To me, the filler neck issue can be a minor "something" to deal with. Either chop one and the old filler neck, then reattach with fuel-rated rubber (as the '72 and back Chevy pickups used) or get a radiator shop to unsolder the old one and install the orig neck on the replacement tank. OR . . . adapt a filler neck grommet (as Chryslers tended to use) into the mix. Another thing might be to get an Impala tank and adapt it to the car. Using the Impala sending unit in the process. Just match the fuel line hose size on the Chevy unit to the existing Buick fuel lines. As you have the tank out, measure it for height, width, and front-to-rear length. Plus the fuel line sizes (which might be stamped on the rubber, under the accumulated grime). Once the measurements are known, then you can go into the Spectra Premium website of Rock Auto to look for an Impala tank size. I'm thinking you might loose a few gallons of capacity, but nothing major? You can also look at the differences in the filler neck shape, too. Enjoy! NTX5467

The trick might be to see what the differences might be between an Electra fuel tank and a LeSabre fuel tank of the same model year, and then see how much different a tank for a similar Olds, Pontiac, of Chevy might be. Most were the same capacity, as I recall. NTX5467

Purge system of ALL R-12 and R-12 oil. Get a rebuilt POA calibrated for R-134a, not the flaky "POA Eliminator Kit". Start at 80% of the charge of R-12 gas, then work up to the charge level with the lowest vent temps, which is usually about 90% of the R-12 charge. Use R-134a oil only. A R-134a system is more sensitive to "too much gas" than an R-12 system. These are general guidelines, NTX5467

You observation about NOS is very accurate. Changing all three fluid flex lines might be "insurance", just make sure the ones you get "are fresh" and not "aged", which might be a trick. In general, though, as long as they are not leaking, just inspect them at the start of each show/driving season. Might watch that wheel cyl to see if it might get worse, too. In any event, "name brands" from a local vendor might be an asset. Just clue them in on the "age situation" first. Hopefully they can check their supplier warehouses for stock before you might purchase it. Just some thoughts, NTX5467

By this time, GM had or was transitioning into an Internet-based Service Information (SI) platform which was available to the authorized dealers, from the earlier paper publications. I believe that Helm, Inc. was still doing some paper manuals, though, for consumption by owners and such for a while after the GM transition? During this period, GM also started to have these electronic filts available via the ACDelco portal, for private shops and other interested individuals. For a fee. At the current time, there are about three levels of this. Temporary (3 days or so), Monthly, and Yearly (about $1200.00 USD for 12 months, I believe). Check the ACDelco website for details. As to the referenced items, IF they were printed by Helm, Inc., they are the real deal. IF not, not official GM publications, I suspect. Much better to get them direct from Helm, Inc. than a re-seller somewhere else, to me. Regards, NTX5467

Many of the striker bolts come with captive flat washers, but not all of them will spin off, IIRC.

When I was selling those gray plastic "silencers", I always thought one could go to Lowes and buy some pvc pipe and cut your own silencers, but I never did investigate past that. The GM items were softer than pvc, though. On some of the striker bolt assys, you can spin the large washer off and have direct access to the bolt itself. Enjoy! NTX5467

There used to be an ACDelco hvac catalog on control devices, including water valves and such. Vehicle listings in the front and a buyers guide in the rear. Each part illustrated, what cars and years it fit, and other information related to its operation (as to open and close issues). I imagine that Murray or a similar aftermarket company has something similar. Possibly something online, but that might be accurate, which leaves the illustrations and such at www.rockauto.com as the possibly best source for browsing the listings. Some were pretty neat (or so I thought at the time) with a simple piece of plastic tube with a vac-operated flap in them. Nice and incognito, but less than great durability, from what I could see. NTX5467

Check the vac lines going to the vac reservoir for the hvac system. With no vac to the reservoir, the default mode is air from the heater floor vent and the defroster vents. NTX5467

If the failure was because a roll pin deteriorated, then can a new roll pin of the correct size be located and installed? No specs in the Buick parts book for those things, either. Match and try. NTX5467

No "VENT" on the a/c control panel? Letting air come in via the a/c vents without the a/c compressor running? Just some thoughts, NTX5467