72electra

I have parted out most of the 72 Sedan Deville. It had some unseen major rust issues under the vinyl top and I just couldn't justify the time and expense in restoring the car. I like to think the parts have helped keep other Cadillacs from the same fate. The 72 Riviera in Bristol was pretty rough upon closer inspection so I passed. My 72 Riviera is still pretty much as I bought it. I have done a little work on it but I have been spending my time and money on a remodeling project. The 62 Ranch Wagon is about ready to paint and the 302 and C6 installed. I hope to get back on both cars later this year.

I thought I would attach a picture of how I hope my 72 Riviera will look when it is complete. My intention is to duplicate this Riv. which was built by a custom rod shop in Arizona.

I Bought a 72 Riviera about a yr ago and it has the rear "deffoger" I think it would be called. It actually has a blower and vents in the large rear package tray instead of the heated glass with the wires in it. I have a 72 Sedan Deville with the same setup. I suspect it is not nearly as effective as the heated glass type. My Riviera also has power windows, locks, tilt wheel, road wheels, electric trunk release, cruise control and AC. It is a pretty typically optioned Riviera. I like the climate control when it works. The unit on my 72 Electra worked great, the one on my 65 Eldorado didn't work at all and they are very difficult and expensive to diagnose and repair Speaking of options. I recently bought a 2003 Impala LS with heated seats. I can honestly say it is one of the most valuable options on a car I have seen since power windows. It will heat up your tush well before the car starts blowing heat out the vents. I LOVE IT!

That is a nice 72 Electra (The blue one) I have been thinking about replacing my 72 Electra 4 door I sold recently with a 2 door. I may bid on this car. I love the "Royal Blue" color with the black vinyl top. That is the same color combo as my old 4 door. I would like to know why some of these cars had the short armrest AND power windows? I speculated early in this post that they came from the factory without power windows and they were installed at the dealership and the window cranks replaced with with switches. Tony: to your question on who decided on the options, in the case where it was not ordered by a customer it would have been the dealership that ordered the car and specified options that they thought would be popular with buyers and or keep the cost at a certain level. Dealerships today do this with almost all of the cars they sell. I suspect that few cars today are ordered by the customer. I agree that the days when you could "custom order" your car just the way you want it sounds much more fun than picking one off the lot that someone else ordered. I always wanted to "order" my own new car but I just don't think the attraction would be as fun now.

I just purchased a 2003 Impala LS and wondered if anybody could help me. I am interested in "blacking out" the rear tailights to just expose the round part of the lights. I found a vinyl kit on Ebay but it looks like it might look cheap and tacky. Did any of these year Implalas have the tailights blacked out from the factory? I have seen several on the road. Can you get quality fiberglass or plastic pieces aftermarket? Also what is the widest tire I can put on this car without modifications. Thanks: Marty

MGSPC did you get my email? I am interested in your interior parts. Thanks: Marty

I have contacted you in a private message with more details. I am located in TN near Bristol. Please respond off forum if you wish to martyanderson10@hotmail.com

Does anybody have any parts for a 72 Riviera. I need some interior parts, trim, etc. Let me know and I will be more specific as to parts needed. Thanks: Marty

That sounds like a fair to good price. For perspective I just sold my 72 Electra 4 door with 37K miles in excellent condition for $2,000. I thought it was a little low but thats what it brought on Ebay and I wanted to get it out of my garage to make room for my latest project, a 72 Riviera. If you like the car buy it, its certainly worth $2,800 if it as described.

Thanks for the info. I am more interested in performance than gas mileage. I tend to agree that these are great carbs and I will probably just keep the Rochester. I have replaced the plugs and I will check the timing soon. I do know that the choke is not working but that is another issue. Marty

I just bought a 72 Riviera and the carb. needs rebuilt I think. I am interested in opinions on wether or not i should rebuild the stock carb. or buy a new Holley or Edelbrock, etc. Can anybody tell me what the CFM on the stock carb is and what kind it is (Rochester, Carter, etc.) I do plan on putting an aluminum intake, headers, bigger cam, etc. on the motor. Will I need a higher CFM carb. with these mods? Thanks for the advice. Marty

I believe My first ride in a car was in a 1958 Chevy Delray 4 dr. This was in 1961. My parents kept that car until about 66-67 when they bought what I thought was a much cooler car, a 64 Olds Jetstar 88 2 dr hdtp. Their choice of cars went downhill from there, 64 dodge 340 4 dr., 73 Pontiac Catalina 4 dr. My dad had a lot of cool cars before he got married. 30 something Plymouth convertible, 47 Chevy sedan delivery, 49 ford 2 dr. My son should have a lot of good memories about old cars when he was young, since I have had several since he was born.

I agree this price is pretty optimistic. there is an even more outrageous example I found on the same site that is linked (12K). I just sold a car as good or better than both of these for $2000.00, a 37K car with correct and perfect interior and a fresh repaint in perfect mechanical condition. I thought it was worth a lot more but I guess nobody bidding on it on Ebay agreed. It's like they say its worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Someone got a lot of car for $2000.00!

What is the bolt pattern on my 72 Riviera road wheels? Does anybody know if these repros. are high qaulity? Does that price include the center caps? Thanks: Marty

Where did you find a dual 4bbl intake for a 455? I am building one up also and am interested in this setup. Thanks: Marty