Jim Cannon

No, Dan. Don't adjust anything. Don't change anything. The carb and engine are performing exactly as designed. Once the engine starts, don't touch the gas pedal. Let it run on the fast idle to let the plugs get hot. Then when you touch the gas, it will fall off of the fast idle. Your fast idle RPM may be set too high, but I doubt it. It is easy to check. With the engine at normal operating temperature (after driving around for 20 minutes or more) you put it in park, with the engine running, you set the fast idle cam up to the V that is stamped on the side of the cam, and in Park, you adjust the engine RPM to the fast idle RPM in the shop manual. I don't remember the exact number and I'm not at my shop today to look it up. There is a separate fast idle RPM screw that is different from the regular idle RPM adjust screw. Starting an engine with a carb and an automatic choke is a bit of a learned experience. My daughter could never get my pickup truck to start cold. I would go out and it would start instantly when I turned the key. She insisted she was doing what I did, but obviously she was not. My wife wants a 1972 Ford Mustang. If I get her one, it will have EFI added because she has forgotten how to start a car with an automatic choke, after driving. cars with EFI for the past 30+ years. Once you get the technique down, it will not be a problem.

Dan- I have seen this before. It is very subtle and easy to miss. The way the fast idle cam is setup, the choke pulling open is not supposed to pull the fast idle cam down. I have circled in your photo where the problem is. I suspect it has been assembled incorrectly, or you have some parts that are binding. The two need to rotate freely from each other. When you step on the throttle with the engine not running, the choke snaps shut and the fast idle cam moves up. After you start the engine, as the choke opens and the linkage down to the fast idle cam moves, it is not supposed to be able to pull on the idle cam hard enough to move it. The linkage is connected to one piece that turns, which is connected to the fast idle cam by a hair spring that should absorb all of the movement. This is what you need to look at. It is supposed to be that when you tap the gas pedal (engine running) the carb fast idle cam falls away, but not before. I hope this makes sense. Let us know what you find. Oh, and when you start the cold engine, do not stab the throttle all the way to the floor. Go down slowly only about 1/2 way down, 2 or 3 times. Then turn key to start. When you floor the gas pedal, you actuate the "choke unloader" linkage that is designed to start a flooded engine. It pushes the choke open.

Factory Interiors sells the ACC carpet kit at a good price. https://www.factoryinteriors.com/wn-product/1966-1970-buick-riviera-carpet-replacement-loop-complete-fits-2dr-8229/ Get the "standard pile" and the "standard backing".

Order the ACC carpet kit from Factory Interiors and don't use the back carpet piece. Toss it. https://www.factoryinteriors.com/wn-product/1963-1965-buick-riviera-carpet-replacement-loop-complete-fits-2dr-auto-8244/ These guys always have the ACC carpet at a good price.

That part number make sense. The part was used on Riviera plus other full-size Buicks without A/C. Below is a screenshot from my '63 Buick Master Chassis Parts Book showing all of the controls and covers for the A/C and non-A/C vehicles. The part number that you quoted for the upper half of the cover was replaced by another number in the book, but the lower cover has the next part number in the sequence. You will also find the part number for the little flat spring clip that holds the covers together, 1195609.

That's very cool, John! Do they have any GM part numbers embossed on them? Jim

That is a MUCH better shape than a straight 90 degree elbow. RockAuto.com has it for $15. https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/gates,21515,coolant+hose+/+pipe,11564 Their description says 3/4" one end and 5/8" the other end. Your hand written notes say to cut the 3/4" end off? Will that work?

This is what I did also. It is not really a generic hose. It had a number on it for some application. We just walked up and down the shelves with the old one, looking for a 90 degree hose. I "think" the hose I used is a Dayco 80403. (That's the photo I took of a hose with a sticker on it.) The GM Buick part number for the formed hose is 1357600. Keep an eye out for one...

I have a few NOS, NORS and used parts for this car. Let me know if you need anything.

IDK if they will work for the Track Bar on a Riv. You need to confirm the dimensions. I found this: https://www.goodrubberthailand.com/product/48702-22010/

A reminder to any new 1st generation Riviera owners. PM me.

Postage is now $10 per order shipped to the anywhere in the USA.

I am almost sold out now. If you have a '63 full size Buick or a '64 (except for Riviera) you can replace your broken Temp Control lever with a new steel one. PM me. Thanks!

You can see the scallop, but you can't see the small hole in the side of the throttle bore that is the vacuum port. That's because it is above the throttle plate, where it is not seeing engine vacuum, hence "ported vacuum". As that throttle plate opens, the scalloped area passes over to the other side of the port and exposes the port to engine vacuum. The scalloped area produces a thin edge on the throttle plate to pass smoothly and quickly to the other side of the vacuum port opening to provide a calibrated and predictable build of vacuum on the ported nipple. Hope that helps.

You need to read the shop manuals carefully. One '63 401 difference is the use of ported vacuum for the vacuum advance and a fairly large initial advance (compared to later years). IDK what Buick called for on the Super engines. Having less initial advance on later years might imply more centrifugal advance built in; IDK. You need to compare the timing curves from the various years' shop manuals for the various engines to decide what you need to do.

See the shop manual for the curves produced by Buick engineers for your engine. If you measure what you have using my approach and it falls within the bands they provide, you are good.

PLEASE NOTE: The specs given by Tom Telesco, and posted here by Bill, are for 1963 Rivieras only. Not for '64 or '65. There is a timing curve provided by Buick engineers in the shop manual for our cars. It indicates a range of acceptable advance for various engine RPM, with and without the vacuum advance added. Keep in mind that distributor degrees are half of the crankshaft degrees you will see. For example, 18 degrees at the distributor will equate to 36 degrees at the crankshaft. I use a timing light and a tachometer to roughly reproduce the centrifugal advance portion of the curve in the shop manual with no vacuum advance. Then I use a hand vacuum pump to apply full vacuum to the vacuum advance unit and repeat the measurements. If curves fall within the bands provided by Buick, you are good. It is possible to purchase performance vacuum advance units that allow you to adjust the spring tension (requires more or less vacuum to get a certain amount of advance) and allows you to set an advance stop, to limit the maximum advance. This can help you dial in the vacuum advance portion of the timing curve to be exactly what you want.

Even though I don't live or work in Australia, apparently their government wants to give me money. All I have to do is logon and file a return at the MyGov website. 🤪 This notice was sent to my 63Rivvy email address, so the scammers picked it up from one of our Aussie members. No worries. I'm not dumb enough to fall for this.

Lots of time and effort to produce that car, and yet they could not do the research to know to PAINT the cowl vents, except for the U-shaped part across the back? Any idea what color that is?

Yes, the booster shown is for a '63 Riviera. What is your question? Are you trying to find a new one? I recommend you get the old one rebuilt. Booster Dewey out in Portland OR can do it. https://www.powerbrakebooster.com/ Can you please email me a picture of your data plate above the power brake booster? Send it to 63Rivvy (at) gmail (dot) com Thanks!

I am kicking this back to the top because, if you look in the most recent March-April issue of The Riview, you will see an article about this replacement lever on Page 5. That has kicked up some interest. I sold 3 yesterday, based on this article in The Riview. I have 12 left. When these are gone, we are finished. If you need one, get it now, before they are all gone. Send a check or use PayPal "send money to a friend" to 63Rivvy (at) gmail (dot) com and I will mail it right out. Thanks.

This J-2 manifold, with three 2-barrel carbs on it, came off of a running 1958 Olds. $900. Located in Orlando, FL. Local pick-up preferred. This thing is heavy! Shipping will be expensive. Reply to me with personal message or email. Thanks!

Do NOT remove the distributor. Replace the points and condenser in the car. Get a dwell meter to set the point gap right. Get a timing light to confirm ignition timing with hose to vacuum advance disconnected and plugged, may need to adjust a bit. Do it at low RPM. Confirm that the vacuum advance unit is holding vacuum and replace of not; having a bad diaphragm will give poor performance and hesitation. Double check spark plug wire firing order. Use a timing light to confirm that you have the #1 spark plug in the right hole of the distributor cap. (You can do this with just the starter turning engine over, if it will not run.) Make sure all plug wires are pressed firmly into the cap, and that the coil wire is firmly into coil and cap. If you can easily pull the end out it is not in far enough and making good contact. The most common cause of what you describe is forgetting to put the rotor back in.

The manuals are for all the full-size Buicks, not specific to Riviera. I have seen books labeled to be for Riviera priced higher than the same book listed for full-size Buick.

Wow! Finally. That was 4 weeks from the day I sent them out. Good luck with the move. 😁