Don McClair

1966 Skylark Gran Sport in the original color of dark blue poly. Frame off restoration completed in 2008. This car earned 389 points at last years National. It is located at Streetside Classics, and on their website they have a lot of pictures and a very nice writeup on it. http://www.streetsideclassics.com/showcar.php/atl/1372/1966-Buick--Skylark--GS-

When you replaced the wires, did you pull them all off and then install the new wires? It is very easy to get the placement of the wires one position off on the distributor cap. Check the wire going to the front spark plug on the passenger side and make sure it is going to the position on the distributor cap that is the first one clockwise above the point adjustment window on the cap. This is number one. Thru 1966 Buick engines had the number one plug on the passenger side of the engine. One position off could make an engine run really bad if it would run at all.

I believe the only way they would work is if you could use the 66 seats with your original tracks and there is no guarantee that the tracks would interchange. The 66 Riv was longer and wider and the floor pan was more flat to my recollection. The tracks on the 63 thru 65 are taller on the inside next to the console. I have a 66 Wildcat with the bucket seats and while i have not taken the time to look I believe the tracks are the same height on both sides of the seat.

If you are in need of the Riviera Gran Sport glove box door emblem check this out on eBay. The seller claims it is of good quality and reproduced in the U.S. It looks good and the price is right. 65 Buick Riviera Gran Sport GS Dash Emblem New 1965 Plate Ornament | eBay

A short while back someone else was looking for the compressor bracket that went over the taller aluminum valve covers and I suggested Clarks Corvair parts but they later posted that Clarks is no longer supplying that product.

David the rear of the alternator bracket bolts down on top of one of the head bolts or, you might have to removed that head bolt and reinstall it through the alternator bracket putting the bracket directly on top of the head. That would explain the bottom mounting hole on the dog bone being off I think. I would check my Riviera but unfortunately it is waiting its turn in the paint booth. That will also require that bolt being re-torqued.

I looked at this car earlier on eBay while the pictures look pretty nice I noticed the left front fender did not align with the front edge of the hood. Also noticed that the door bumpers on the passenger door were missing as was one of the nuts that hold the door skin in place and the door is dragging on the door latch and has also worn the edge of the door upholstery. Looks like one of the door skin nuts is very loose. Maybe it was in an accident the the whole left side is moved back a bit. Again, the car does look very nice in the pictures.

I had to repair a couple of cracks in my console and used fiber glass cloth and resin which is available at your local auto parts store or even Home Depot. Apply the resin on the back side of the console and then work the cloth into it. You might want to make the piece of cloth at least an inch larger all the way around the crack. It wouldn't hurt to let it cure and then add a second layer. I used a little body filler on the outside of the console to cover the crack and then painted the whole console. I have used the same process to repair cracked fan shrouds. I am not sure where you are referring the slight vertical dip in the console but let me know a more precise area and I will look at mine again.

Thanks guys, I will check out Acme and now can verify the dimensions.

My 65 Riv will be heading into the paint booth soon and I am looking for some information regarding the vinyl top. I know it is to be black and I believe the Levant grain but since there is not one on the car presently I am looking for some guidance. Has anyone ever gotten a pre-made top for their Riviera and if so from whom? Also, any advice on who offers the better one, Kee Auto Top or SMS? Kee Auto Top and SMS do not list one but can make it up but they need to know the dimension between the two seams that run the length of the roof. If someone could provide the dimensions I would greatly appreciate it.

Russ, if you are still looking for a roof for your Riviera, check out this one on ebay. 1963 64 65 Riviera Roof | eBay It looks to be in good shape but it is located in California. If the link does not work just do a search on 1965 Buick Riviera.

On the rebuilding of motor mounts, Steele Rubber also offers this service. I don't know who CARS has rebuilds theirs but from personal experience Steele's service has a pretty quick turn around time.

There was a 63 or 64 Riv at the 2003 National that looked really good. I prefer the restored cars but this one was really nice. The top was chopped but not much and pay attention to the front edge of the hood and the tail lights in the edge of the rear quarter. With the color of the car the tail lights are difficult to see in the picture.

Rob, sorry for my mistake thinking the interior pieces were stainless steel. However here is a link to some spray on chrome that is done at Jay Leno's garage. They do a hood emblem that is badly pitted. They don't show the sanding, body filler and applying primer to that piece but the end result is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-1cTpSZ1l8 If the link does not work go on You Tube and search for "Jay Leno's Garage Spray on Chrome." The process does not require any special mask or area.

If you are willing to take the time on the stainless trim they can be brought back to new condition. Dents can be removed by using a trim hammer and anvil available from Eastwood. They also sell a book on how to restore stainless steel trim. Great care must be taken when hammering out a dent and take that process very gently. If necessary you then can file out the imperfections using a relatively fine file. Then comes the sanding process. If you have to file you should start with 320 grit sandpaper and always sand in the direction of the length of the piece of trim. To remove minor scratches ,and if you have had to use the 320 grit sandpaper, start wet sanding with 400 wet and dry sand paper. Then comes 600 grit, followed by 800 grit and then 1000 grit all wet sanded. I like to go a step further by using 1200 and then 1500 grit paper and wet sanding. Then comes the buffing utilizing several different compounds on the buffing wheel and a minimum of two different wheels. If you notice a scratch after getting to the finer paper then you need to back up and work on that scratch. This whole process is very time consuming and you can expect to spend a couple of hours or more on a single piece, but you can make each piece look as good as new. There are a number of video's on You Tube on how to do this by searching on Polishing Stainless Steel Trim. Good luck,

The 1963 Riviera had the 401 engine and four barrel carburetor and is a high compression engine which requires high octane/93 octane fuel. Many people have tried to run them on the lesser octane and have caused a lot of damage with burned valves etc. Use the 93 Octane fuel and enjoy the ride. I am not sure on the 1963 Riv but I know the 1965 Riv with the light blue interior had a dark blue dash pad. Gear Vendors is just one of the manufacturers that make overdrive and underdrive units that can be bolted on the back of your transmission and they work very well. The problem that you could run into with the Riviera is the "X" frame of the car. If I remember correctly you unbolt the tail shaft from the transmission and bolt on the overdrive unit. I don't know if there is enough room regarding the "X" frame and secondly will those overdrive units bolt on to the Dynaflow transmission? Here's hoping one of our more technical guru's will jump in here with their expertise. I have thought many times about swapping the two speed trans in the 66 Skylark for a 200 4R transmission. People who have done this change have been very pleased with the results and it should cost a lot less cost than adding an overdrive unit. Best of luck!

The rear A/C bracket is the same as any 401 (to my knowledge but will not clear the finned aluminum valve covers. Clark's Corvair parts sells a new one specifically for the finned aluminum valve covers and their part number R277 for $38.50. Clark's Corvair Parts, Inc. - Corvair Parts Catalog - Over 12,000 parts Clark's has a good reputation among the Riviera owners.

Sailor, linkage to the second/front carburetor is currently on ebay. Buick Dual Quad Carburetor Linkage GS Riviera 1964 1965 Hot Rod 401 425 Nailhead | eBay There are other people selling these and the usual asking price is about $125.00 Good luck

Found on ebay NOS rocker panel molding for a 1965 Riv with no reserve. Sellers description is all four pieces for the left passenger side. That is a little confusing but he has listed all of the part numbers. If you need this it could be a great find. 1965 Buick Riviera Rocker Panel Molding | eBay

The retainers that come with most aftermarket insulation pads are almost impossible to get into the holes in the firewall. After experiencing that with a 1966 Skylark GS I purchased just the retainers from Year One which were nylon and worked a lot easier to install. Their part number is HR122. Once installed they look original. Sorry that I can't help you with the proper location.

I have seen a couple of first gen Riviera's that have had the Vintage Air systems installed. What most people do on the 64 and 65's is remove the factory heat and air controls from the console and make a block off plate for one area and adapt the Vintage Air A/C controls to the other area. Since the Vintage Air controls are all electrically controlled from a small control panel, you could adapt those controls to the storage compartment in the console and leave all of the factory control's in place. Something to think about once you have the dash pieces you need. V/A does not make a specific kit for your Riv but a generic hot rod kit should work just fine.

Using a putty knife very carefully you can pry from the top or bottom and the nylon pieces pop right out. The best source for these is probably Restoration Specialties located in Windber PA. Restoration Specialties & Supply, Inc. | Windber, PA 15963 The moulding clips you want should be their part number 8429 & $1.50 each. Also, if you need the clips that hold the trim that runs from the rear quarter window to the back of the rear roof line is their part number 5862 @ $1.00 each. Those come with the sealer.

Nice car but to spend that kind of money one would expect the correct color gray on the rocker moldings, headlamp covers and wheels. Also the trunk lining was incorrect. I wish they had showed some under carriage shots.

Thanks Jim.

I would like to replace the outside rear view mirror gasket on my 65 Riv and found on CARS website that they carry the gasket for the full size Buick but do not list it for the first generation Riviera. Did the 1963 thru 1965 Riv with remote mirror use the same mirror or same foot print as the full size Buick's? CARS lists that gasket for 1961 thru 1967 full size Buick's. Thanks