Don McClair

It sold yesterday and (bragging) I bought it. I am cloning my 65 Riv into a Gran Sport and the only pieces left to obtain is the dual quad air cleaner and the aluminum valve covers. Sure wish I had bought the dual quad air cleaner that the inside vendor had in Charlotte. Thanks to Dick Sweeney I have been also able to add the power vent windows and even better he helped me make the final decision on the color which will be Verde green. The interior is dark green and it was too good to change out. Right now she is almost ready to head for body and paint work at Then and Now in Woodstock GA. The body is bare metal and the interior is gutted. If it comes back in time I might be able to reassemble her and take her to the next National in South Bend. One last note, thanks to everyone on this forum for tips, idea's and just general information. You guys are what makes this hobby great!

Randy, I believe you are correct. I went back and looked at the sellers other items and there were a bunch of these identical flash lights that had logo's for a number of other vehicles. While it is a neat item I believe it is not authentic and pricey to boot.

I found a vintage steering column flashlight on ebay and it appears to be the same bracket as what Frank has on his Riviera but the logo on the flashlight appears to be from the 1920's or into the 30's. Buick Automobiles Steering Dash Vintage Part ClassicEmergencyLight | eBay If the link doesn't work do an ebay search on 1965 Buick Riviera.

Two people and the sawing motion is best but I also would squire Windex or any window cleaner as I moved along. This will stop the old gasket from sticking back to the glass. The rear window is the easiest because it is smaller and less chance of breakage.

Adam, putting a bottle of water wetter in your cooling system can help too. Most of the manufacturers say it works best when there is only one gallon of anti-freeze in the system but in Michigan if you don't have a warm garage that could be a problem. I have used this in a couple of cars and it has dropped the operating temperature by about 10 degrees.

An ROA member here in the Atlanta area has a 65 Riv that has been gone through and the A/C works really well and, it does not have the muffler. Good Luck,

That appears to very well made and something from the time period of your Riv or earlier. I am not aware of a factory flashlight but hopefully someone can set the record straight. Good luck with your restoration.

Frank, is there a ribbed chrome cover on the bottom side of your steering column? This would be very similar in appearance to the top side of the steering column. If there is you just may have something that someone added to your car at some point.

The difference between the cars is the vent tube and the sending unit wiring. The vent tube on the Riv is in the rear and loops over the fill neck while the Skylark is on the front passenger side and normally loops up through the trunk area over the rear axle. That whole process should not be big deal to swap. The sending unit wire bolts to sending unit on the Riv and you would need to cut that connector off and crimp on a spade connector and you would probably need to add a ground wire to the new sending unit. The only downside to this conversion is that most of the replacement sending units are not matched to the fuel gauge. From personal experience with an aftermarket sending unit it would read less than 3/4 with a full tank in my 1966 Skylark GS. I had the original sending unit rebuilt and the gauge worked perfect. Some people after purchasing an aftermarket sending unit will send the fuel gauge and sending unit to of the re-builders and have them calibrated together. This sounds like a lot of trouble but the upside is if the dimensions are correct and you have a bad tank this would probably be the cheapest way to get a tank for your car. If you do this please post back on this forum and let everyone know the pros and cons to the whole process.

I would check the manifold vacuum behind the carburetor on top of the intake manifold with a vacuum gauge and see what you are supplying to everything. It should be something above 14 inches and if it is low it could mean a carburetor rebuild is in order or something disconnected from the carburetor. This could account for increased fuel consumption and poor performance. Also, check all of your vacuum lines especially those that run to and from the little black vacuum canister that is probably located on the passenger inner fender. If you remove the canister shake it and see if it rattles. If it doesn't rattle it should be ok. The tube sticking out of the passenger side exhaust manifold goes up to the choke on the side of the carburetor. If there isn't a metal tube connected to choke, use a golf tee to block off the hole going into the side of the choke to see your vacuum increases a little. Also many people would tighten that tubing fitting on the choke too tight and strip the threads as that metal is very soft. If you find that to be the case, you can file down a few threads and then pick up the filings with your shop vac. These are just some things that I have learned fooling around with these old Buick's. Looks like a pretty nice "beat up old car."

Erik, I took a first gen Riv fan shroud to the National in Charlotte as one of the parts I wanted to sell a few weeks ago. It came off of my 65 Riv and was broken. I repaired it with some fiberglass cloth and resin that I had bought at Home Depot. I applied it to both sides and after sanding I painted it with some black Duplicolor bumper coating. It is for bumpers on the newer cars and works very well and the shroud and it comes out looking like new. Remember to use some anti-seize compound on the stainless steel bolts and your block drain plugs are just above the oil pan between the middle two cylinders. While you are at it get a new "O" ring to replace the one where the dog bone goes into the timing chain cover. Good luck

Erik, the engine compartment in the first gen Riviera is very tight and having been there, done that, I found the easiest way is to install the pump, pulley's, fan, and then place the shroud (assuming factory air) around the water pump and then install the radiator. Something that I have found that works great for sealing is some stuff called Ultra Black from Permatex and is available from your local auto parts stores. I have used this to seal water pumps, thermostat housing, rear end covers, timing chain covers etc and have never had the first leak. Always use the supplied gasket on the thermostat housing and water pump. On the transmission pan, sealant on the pan, then put the gasket on the pan and then sealant on the gasket and reinstall the pan. As far as the coolant lines I will look at my car and get back to you but it may be tomorrow.

The boot in the above appears to have a rectangular hole for the shifter rod. I replaced the one on my 65 but I believe I used a late 60's Camaro shifter boot but the hole was too large and I installed a piece of rubber tubing around the shifter rod and held it in place with a couple of zip ties. It's not correct but it did seal up that area.

Rob, that tank looks like a Skylark or other "A" Body tank because the vent hole is to the left of the sending unit hole. The vent hole on your tank is close to the filler neck. The sending unit from a First Gen Riviera would not fit because it requires a sending unit that is bolted in place and is a larger diameter while the "A" Body tank uses a sending unit that is a smaller diameter and held in place with a gasket and a lock ring. Those items may not be that big of an issue to work around but with all that being said, would the curvature of the filler neck be correct and of the correct length? Often times companies will use a picture of something else as an illustration but I seriously doubt this tank would work IMHO.

On my 65 Riv, the first difficulty in dropping the tank was removing the fuel lines from the tank. Since the sending unit is on top of the tank getting to them is a bear and disconnecting the rubber line from the metal line that runs along the bottom of the body is also a bear because the muffler is in the way. Then getting to the bolts that hold the tank straps to the bottom of the body are hard to get to because of the muffler. I am thinking that if you held the tank in place with a floor jack you might be able to remove the straps and lower it down but the filler neck goes above the frame cross member and you have to slide the tank towards the front of the car as you lower it. Also keep in mind the piece of rubber and the overflow hose that goes around the filler neck. Removing the bolts that hold that in place will make the tank removal easier and you won't tear anything up. One more point is Northern Tool sells a siphon hose for about $10.00 that has a check ball in one end. You stick that end in the tank and jiggle it and gas starts siphoning out which is much better than getting a mouth full of gas. Removing the muffler from my car was easy because the exhaust system only had a couple thousand miles on it. When I dropped the muffler I left the tail pipes connected to the muffler and just removed the hangers that held them up. Working on the first generation Riviera is difficult but the results are worth it. I have joked that to replace the power window wiring harness in the dash or getting the heater core out you first start by removing the rear bumper. If anyone has removed their tank without removing the muffler or if I have overlooked something please let this forum know so that it might be easier for someone else.

If you plan on removing your gas tank, plan on dropping the transverse muffler. That seems like a lot of work and, just maybe you can get the tank out without dropping the muffler, but it probably takes less time overall to drop everything. Also, there are a few experienced sending unit re-builders that do an excellent job. The re-builders calibrate the sending unit back to factory specs so it will work properly with your fuel gauge but ask them if they do. Lastly consider using a can of Tank Tone from Eastwood to repaint your tank. While close to argent in color this paint gives it a new look.

I saw this car several years ago at the Buick only show sponsored by Frysinger Buick GMC in Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania and the pictures do not do this car justice. It really is a beautiful car and Mike is one lucky individual.

I too was disappointed by the recent election but I hope that Brian keeps his dedication to the BCA strong. For those of you who did not make the 2012 National it was a great meet except for the heat. I knew well before this National that Brian had accomplished a lot but was not aware of all that he had done and was glad that he listed them on this thread. I also knew that his communication skills were great because of a very quick response to a few emails to him. My personal opinion is that the older we get the more we dislike change but change is what is needed to keep an organization such as ours strong and alive. I believe that as we go forward you will see more modified cars because the only way you will attract the younger generation, that is mostly building the "Tuner" cars, is to allow more of the modified cars and no I am not talking about something like a Ford with a Cadillac engine like one who wanted to attend a recent BOPC show here in Atlanta. I appreciated Joe's (The Old Guy) comments about how these classics looked when they came off the assembly line. I had ordered a 1967 442 Olds and the factory pin stripping looked like it had been painted on by a 5 year old. And, the lump under the carpet turned out to be a paper "Zero Defects" coffee cup. The bottom line is that we all need to be involved with the direction of this club. I wish Rick Young the best in the year to come but if you are not happy with the election then let the BOD know.

The original thread was asking if you received your Bugle yet and for some reason here in Georgia (yea I live reasonably close to Mr. Earl) our mailman reminds me of the mailman in the Chevy Chase movie Funny Farm. We are always at least two weeks behind in receiving the Bugle. As far as the judging at the Nationals, I believe that points should not be taken off for having radial tires, halogen headlights and dual master cylinders. These items make the cars safer and better to drive. Doesn't the Buick Club promote the preservation of Buick's? I realize that if you did make these changes, then someone might be fighting for improved radio's, tinted windows etc. I do appreciate what the folks on the Board go through in trying to run this club efficiently and trying to cater to everyone's wants and needs. Also, since I am an Old Guy but not as old as "The Old Guy" I would like to say that how refreshing it is to have some young blood at the helm this past year. I have really enjoyed reading Brian's messages every month in the Bugle. Brian has made it a personal goal to come up with new idea's for the club. Thanks Brian!

Bob, Eastwood makes a product called Tank Tone and it basically is a little different from the Argent that was used on the Chevrolet Rally wheels and others. If your tank is discolored and won't clean up this could be a good way to go. Good luck with your Riviera.

A faulty head gasket can cause very high pressure in the cooling system and cause the radiator to rupture. It might be a good idea to have a radiator shop put a pressure gauge on your radiator and then crank the engine and see if the pressure goes real high.

I too have used Lares for both steering box and power steering pump rebuilds. Good people to deal with and Paul Lares the owner is a classic car enthusiast.

Mark, the windshield washer pump did not work on my 65 Riviera and I wanted the added coolant in the engine. I ran a longer washer bottle hose back behind the hood hinge and brought it out beside the battery. That hose with a little coaxing will slide into the overflow hose from the radiator. I installed a 15 lb cap from a 75 Riviera which has the overflow bottle from the factory and topped off the cooling system and added a little coolant into the washer bottle. The cooling system works great I feel more comfortable knowing the system is full.

Doug, just some ideas on your fuel gauge problem. Check the ground wire from the fuel sending unit. It may be difficult to get to, but loosen the screw holding it to the body and move it around and tighten the screw. If you can get to it easily, clean the area around the screw hole and also the lug on the end of the wire. If that doesn't help, you may need to remove the fuel sending unit. There are companies (Year One) that rebuild them and they are then calibrated back to factory specs and should give our fuel gauge a proper reading. I have used Year One's rebuild service and was very pleased.

I had a the same problem with another car and installed an electric fuel pump just outside the tank. I ran a wire to a switch under the dash and wired it so it would only work when the key was on or in the accessory position. This is a flush mount push button type of switch and only runs the pump as long as you hold it. Turn the key on and hold the switch for about 5 seconds and then start the engine. The regular fuel pump then does the job and just draws the fuel through the electric pump. If the car has been sitting for several months I would hold the button longer.