Jim Cannon

Yes, the D on the data plate is all Fisher Body needed to know at the body building stage, so that they would supply a body with an antenna hole in the fender. The actual radio and the manual or electric antenna was installed later, per the build sheet. Yes, those prices were high. That AM-FM radio cost the equivalent of $1712 in 2022 dollars. This was early in the days of fully transistorized radios in cars (instead of radios with vibrators and tubes). They charged a premium for them. Detroit's business model was to have a "low" base price and then run the proce up with options. A/C is pretty common now as standard equipment (at least in the USA) but in 1963 it added 10% ($430) to the base price of the Riviera, equal to $4,110 in 2022 money. The base price of the '63 Riv today would be $41,440. This car had no options. Add things we take for granted today in a "personal luxury car", like electric windows, A/C, power seat, seat belts, drivers side mirror, cruise control, tinted glass, etc. and you would quickly be looking at a car price of $55,000 or more. Plus "tax, title and license".

The radio choices and cost for 1963 were: FM Radio was new technology in 1963. Big cities would have 1 or 2 FM stations broadcasting, often playing classical music (because the sound was so much better than on AM radio). Not too many people would pay for that extra feature. But if you did, it included an electric antenna. I have a restored AM-FM radio in my car. I also have a AUX feed jack run into it to play from any source I want, like my phone or an MP3 player. Our radio here in the mountains is poor and drops out a lot. I mostly listen to an MP3 player with the top 100 hits of 1963 on it.

Carefully remove the dash pad and access the wires from above. You can convert the movement to a quartz clock movement that looks really good (and original). I have seen tachometers there and, if done right, they look good there.

These are still available, if you need one. They fit '63 Riviera and also '64 "other full size" but not Riviera. They control the heater temperature. Only a few left.

For people new to the Forum, and as a reminder to others, I still have a few of these new Temp control levers here. Once they are gone, I won't be making any more. My fabricator does not want to do them. PM or email me if you want one.

Something like these: https://a.co/d/iBh5tgE

With recent advances in LED headlight technology, I'd look at replacing the original sealed beams with LEDs. They have very low current draw, so relays and such are not needed.

Get another good AFB that is jetted for the '63 401 with Dynaflow. Don't get an Edelbrock.

Yes, a piece of angle, aluminum, 1/2"x1/2"x3'. It is a cradle for the vacuum hose so that you can get a nice straight line on the hose in one pass.

Yes, a piece of angle, aluminum, 1/2"x1/2"x3'. It is a cradle for the vacuum hose so that you can get a nice straight line on the hose in one pass.

My '63 Riv 401 JT has the AFB and it idles very smoothly at a nice, slow idle, especially with the A/C on. You may have a vacuum leak somewhere. Throttle shaft may be worn, giving erratic vacuum leak there (especially since you indicate idle mixture screw on one side affects idle more than other side). What do you know about the seal and gaskets at the base of the carb? Could have a vacuum leak there. Do you have the stainless steel plate in there? I use a gasket on both sides of the plate (even though Buick only called for one). Have you cleaned the PCV valve? Check the PCV hose for a good seal. There is a thermostatically controlled air bleed on the top of the carb that opens when it is hot. Make sure yours is sealing (press down gently with a pencil eraser). You may just need to get another carb.

@Bloo Thank you so much for that detailed explanation! I will have to read it a few times to digest it all. I switched to a fully electronic, solid state VR unit and it seems to work well. But it is sure nice to understand what all these wires and relays are doing.

That Amazon link takes you to Amazon Canada (which is great for our Canadian members). The equivalent item on Amazon in USA is: https://a.co/d/heRulE4 If you can get the colored stripe painted in one pass, that's when it looks the best.

This is also what I did. I made a tubing holder with a 3 foot long piece of thin aluminum L-bracket, 1/2"x1/2", to lay the tubing down in and hold it with some spring binder clips, then ran the paint pen down along the tubing in a straight line using the edge of the bracket as a finger guide.

I have a grease injector needle. It looks like something a doctor would use, but it has a grease fitting type ball on the end that snaps into the grease gun. I pierced the bearing seal with the needle and gently injected fresh grease into the bearing in a few places. https://www.amazon.com/LockNLube-Grease-Injector-Needle/dp/B0779J6HTX You have to take the drive shaft out of the car to do this, it is not something you do when you routinely grease the chassis.

No. The diameter of the vacuum actuator is too large. That's why Buick made the other set. Sorry.

This is click bait misinformation designed to get classic cars owners angry. Best to ignore it, or better yet, delete it.

They only play for about 3 seconds and then they stop, so you cannot see what you are trying to demonstrate with them.

It is quite unusual to have the engine overheat so badly just idling and sitting in the driveway, not out on the road driving. I suspect something (an animal nest?) has plugged up the engine cooling passages or the radiator or both. Try flushing the engine with a hose by pushing water in the upper engine hose (no thermostat) and let it run out the bottom hose (disconnected from radiator). Flush radiator from bottom inlet to upper end (opposite of normal engine running coolant flow direction).

Yes this is correct. it is good that you tested the thermostat in water in a sauce pan. Did you replace that o-ring at the place where you first saw the leak? is the engine getting so hot just sitting there in your driveway, not out driving on the road? in the work you did, did you put on new head gaskets?

First, with a new thermostat, you must confirm that it is installed in the correct position. The small brass cylinder must face "down" toward the hot water coming out of the engine. In the drawing below, the brass cylinder looks like it has a coiled spring around it. Your thermostat may not. The brass cylinder must feel the hot water to open the thermostat. Leaking at the hose coming out of the filler cap is just because the engine is overheating. Once you fix that, the water from the cap will also be fixed. The water level in the radiator sould be 3 cm below the filler opening. Coolant above this level will get pushed out of the cap and out through the small hose.

Ray- Do you have a copy of the full 150 MB file? There are ways to send large files around that are pretty easy. I'd like a copy.

I inflate mine to 2.2 bar.

Very nice, George. Take a tip from the people who photograph new cars for ads and literature... turn the parking lights on. Even during the day, they add a slight touch. Try it, you'll see what I mean.

Here is a photo of that sticker on an original unmolested '63 owned by Mark Uhlig, and also the battery polarity sticker, for reference. Sorry the radiator sticker is so hard to read.