lrlforfun

OK V-10: I have had lots of experience with cars that come out of deep hibernation. Here are a few of the most important things I have encountered. Brakes. Make sure all soft parts are new including fresh fluid, new master, new wheel cylinders and the three brake lines. Make sure the E-brake works perfectly. These are heavy Mamas and if the e-brake is happy you'll at least stop. Gas tank. Make sure the sending unit is clean as well as the tank. I asked my proctologist if I could use his instrument with the camera to see inside and he agreed, adding that if there was a blockage I could be in serious trouble. Points: Sure fresh points set correctly is a plus. Don't forget to check the wire that goes from the points to the coil. For some reason the rodents really like that particular wire. I have replaced at least 10 already. Oil: Fresh oil, filter and a quart of Marvels Mystery Oil is happy. Cooling: Pressure test and coolant test. Make sure the timing case cover doesn't have a hole in the front of it otherwise you won't need to go to a Burger joint for a chocolate milk shake. Tranny: Top it off, run it, putting at least a couple of tanks under your belt than change it with the filter. You gotta stop, go and that's it. Mitch

OK V-10: Here's my suggestion. When you really know a 65 Riviera (which sounds like you are learning about at this time) and you REALLY dial one in that you would like to have....and are close to on the price....hop on the jet and have an in the flesh look. That way you know what your buying. Mitch

OK Rob: No power brakes could mean a bad vacuum booster which could produce a ..........vacuum leak. Mitch

OK Riviera people: I usually get what Wal-Mart has, a 10-40 or so. I ALWAYS add a quart of Marvel's Mystery Oil and a fresh filter as part of each oil change. This being said now............. HERE'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO CONSIDER, because these cars are old and they sit for long periods of time with out being started. They have carburetors and in order to start most of these cars you have to pump the living daylights out of the gas. Result? A crankcase that has lots of gasoline which can easily kill the engine. The solution? Start your car as often as possible, let it warm up to operating temperature and always always always check the oil and make sure it's clean clean. For some reason the 425's are lousy and the 364 and 401's seem to hold up much better especially now that they are so old, have been out of daily service for a long time and are laying dormant. This is just my experience. Mitch

OK Riviera People: Today I pulled a lower driver's door hinge off a 63 door and proceeded to put it on a 64. Surprise to me....they don't fit. Is there something I am missing or did Buick change things around for the 64? Mitch

OK Dino: I think Tri Shield might have a copy. Mitch

OK Brian: My wife said that the next car I drag home I'll be sleeping in. I guess it's better than getting killed. Mitch

OK Seattle: I apologize for stating incorrect info. I looked at that number and all it said was 4747*** and we all know what that means. I didn't have my glasses on. Geezers......go figure? Mitch

OK Seattle: I also have a 63 Riv without a vin tag. It was there when I inspected the vehicle and after I got it home I noticed it was attached with bogus fasteners. It also doesn't match the engine number (both numbers are 63 Riviera). Because of the low dollar amount and the fact that I am reasonably sure I can eventually get a "State of California" vin tag issued I wasn't worried about it too much. While working on another 63 Riv I have I noticed that the vin# is actually embossed on the firewall. I don't know if all 63 Rivieras have this but it is something to look for. Of course the vin# on the engine along with some kind of paper documentation that matches is of great help. 60 Electra has responded with the data tag info but to make things clear here it is the VIN tag on the cowl by the driver's side windshield wiper that I am referring to. In a post by 70Electra (different person) a while back he mentioned that it very well might be against the law to swap vin tags in all states. I would think that info is accurate. In California the DMV has high prices and lousy service. Any transaction or business other than a routine registration or transfer can get very complicated. Ask 10 DMV employees the same question and you might get more than 10 different answers. Good luck with your lost vin. I think the most important item you will need to straighten things out is tenacity! Mitch

OK Kinmann: I have space for a parts car so in that respect I'm fortunate. I dismantled a 65 Riviera several years ago and it was a serious mistake. It's much less work keeping the parts on the vehicle instead of warehousing them. I can also keep a mental ( yes I could be considered a mental case by some) inventory of what's still on the parts car. Other perks, if you can keep the car, are.... you might have a road map as how things go together, there are tons of fasteners that could be used, scrap seems to be increasing in value, you could swap parts out with others who are doing their projects and the list goes on..........if you can keep/store the vehicle. Mitch

OK WW: Try tracking a 65 Riv on the Site Mash. It is the ultimate. Mitch site mash : buick 1960s : combined classified and auction listings

OK WW: At 24K that black 65 Riv is a bargain in perhaps 35-40 years from now. With out even microscopically examining the pictures I can see all the a/c stuff is missing as well as the fact that it has 63 Riv seats. The carb and wheels have been replaced, antenna is not present (gotta have tunes, right?) and that's enough for now. I wonder if this car's owner is in financial trouble with his Shy??? Mitch

OK Kieth: A question on this Wildcat sedan. I had a 66 Buick from new and it had thinner whitewalls. The tires on this car are 65 style yet the car has the WILDCAT letters rather than the earlier Wildcat script badges. I wonder if indeed the tires are the original why they are that size? Mitch

OK Brian: I have a friend who scraps cars here in Oakland, CA. He's a very short distance from Schnitzer Steel. When he told me of some of the prices he has gotten for big 70's cars my jaw dropped. Because he has the credentials he can scrap cars. He drops the tank, takes off the tires and does a few other small things and brings the vehicles to the yard. They take them off his flat bed and he gets a check. Between old timers leaving the junk yard business, their families not wanting to deal with everything related to operating that type of business and the fact that scrap is incredibly high it's no wonder that all these cars will be gone. We have discussed several examples of yards going bye-bye in the rust belt. The really hard thing to swallow are the yards going away in the dry parts of the country. I visited Pierson's Wrecking Yard in Mariposa, CA several years ago. It was a time warp to say the least. To see a 55 Plymouth with beautiful chrome and no rust anywhere was a sight for sore eyes and now it's all gone. Oh well, we do what we can. I happen to appreciate your efforts. Mitch

OK Both Brians: Yeah it sounds good until the "T" word comes into play and that is what would knock this thing out of the box for me. A non-operational vehicle like this would cost about $1300-$1400 for Transportation. You have no idea how many cars I have passed because of this. Mitch

OK Riviera People: I am terribly disappointed about the OPG. I tore the package tray out of the 64 Riv I'm building and I thought it would be great getting one from OPG for $50. Now that I find that their product isn't that happy lots of bells and whistles go off. I got an upholstery kit from Clark's and the only problem I had with them is that his ol' lady isn't that knowledgeable and I didn't feel like arguing with her. The products were actually better than oem. As some know oem vinyl in a standard 64 and 65 Riv is pretty cheezy and Clark's is excellent! I just wish they would post a price in the catalog by the description rather than on a separate sheet. Mitch

OK Riviera People: I saw it and I don't know what to top think. At today's Jackson-Barret Palm Beach auction...... a dark blue with white custom interior 65 Riv GS, nicely equiped and looking, at least on TV, magnificent. The sale price? 49K plus auction fees, tax & license fees and possibly transportation fees. The buyer of that car will have spent almost 60K after the dust settles. Are these things worth that much? Any comments about current market values of all the first-gen Rivs? Mitch

OK Riviera People: Yes, this is common. Don't forget to make sure the oil in the crankcase isn't diluted with gas. They gotta be driven. Mitch

OK Denzer: Any 59-60 2 door or 4 door hardtop vent window will work. The convert vents were gobbled up by the Impala guys years ago. The difference to the best of my knowledge is that the top of the frame has a flange looking thing where the convert top is smooth. Grind it down and plate it. Problem solved, I hope. Mitch

OK Ray: $2500 is too rich for me. My suggestion for selling this car is to clean it up, vacuum it, clean the glass, coat of wax, etc, get it running and put it on the local Craig's List with some nice pictures. I'd ask under 2K and if it's running OK it should go pretty quick. Parting this car out in my judgment isn't necessary. Good luck, Mitch

OK Ray: I'm confused. Parting out a car takes 10X more time and energy than selling it. Could you quote us an asking price and give us the car's location. Running last summer? How about now and how well does it run? Could you post an interior picture? If the stars align correctly I might make a play for it! Mitch

OK Ed: My 63 is a lo-option. The only options are (like I said before) Music, heat, custom red leather. I put on the ww tires and wire caps like Silverarrow which really improve the appearance. As for white walls when the car came out of the shoot....I'm guessing it had them. Back in the day when I was 12 or so the "pipesmoker" types liked the black walls if I can remember. I think the 1963 Riviera buyers that ordered their cars really dressed them up....or down according to their personality in most cases. Sure there was a certain aspect of practicality like a/c for the hot weather areas and maybe posi in the snow belt but if someone could afford a new Riv I don't think they'd be trippin' on the affordability of the options. Hi option Rivs...........decadence? Medium option Rivs..."that's what they had and I liked it"? lo-option Rivs...........price leader or "we don't need all of that"? Isn't is fun to theorize? Mitch

OK Rob: I think that your parts car might have possibilities for many reasons......... 1 It's a 65 Riv 2 It doesn't look all that bad in the picture 3 If you are going to do a number on the primered car the gold car doesn't really seem that far gone. A set of aired up clean whitewall tires and hubcaps would be a radical improvement of it's appearance. Could you post some pictures of the gold car. I'm very curious as to it's condition. Actually I hate to see any 65 Riv with potential get pieced out, but that's me. Thanks, Mitch

OK DD: Here's a suggestion. If you can find a better wheel the same color get it. If it is reasonably OK try that steering wheel epoxy that Clark's Corvair parts sells. It might save you a hassle. Mitch

OK Macc: I tracked that one for some time. First it was $2500 next $2000 and finally $1800. It seemed like it might have lots of possibilities and I was really surprised that it didn't sell sooner. I'm in the East Bay, the car was in Willits, up the coast. I might have taken a look at it but timing was far from good. Glad you got it and post some pictures! Mitch