RivNut

There's a small clip on the bottom of the arm that needs to be released. If I remember correctly, you pull up on the clip to get it out from under the knurled part of the shaft. The spring in the arm will cause the arm to sit on the shaft at an angle. You'll need to release that pressure at the same time you release the clip. If you're an octopus, it's easy. Ed

You might not like the aestetics of it, but you'll definitely not like the feedback you'll get from a prospective buyer if he thinks that you're trying to sell him a clone. The informed buyer will know exactly what to look for. Those future extra bucks might make you like it a little better by putting the original size in the original place. If you'll look at previous threads on this forum that discuss the value and originality of Gran Sport Rivieras, you'll find the the littlest thing will really bring down someone's preception of the car. Each little thing chases away prospective buyers. Ed

Pete, I didn't forget about you. I can see two of them on a shelf in the front of the garage. Problem is I can't move the car right now to get to them. I need to see what kind of shape they're in and if they have all of the studs. Hopefully this weekend I can get to them. Ed

If you have a rattle, it's probably the bracket. If you don't snug the cover to the bracket, you'll hear a rattle. Or you'll also hear a rattle if there's no bracket and the stud is loose inside the cover. These covers fit tight, no way they're going to fall off. Ed

Check the build date on the Fisher Body data plate then find out what is correct for that date.

Perhaps someone on the forum has and "L" key they no longer need. Check with your local dealer to see if one's available somewhere. Take your time and don't do anything drastic.

The last 79 - 85 Riviera that I bought also came without a key. That was probably five years ago. At that time my local Buick dealer could still order one for me. I'm guessing that's an "L" take a look at all four of them and make sure of which key you actually need before contacting your dealer. If you're not worried about someone stealing the covers, take the bolt out and get rid of the bracket that's bolted to the wheel. The lock isn't to keep them on, it's a theft deterent. I've driven a few of these cars and have removed the locks/brackets on all of them - never lost a cover. Ed

Lots of the things mentioned, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, door bushings, etc. can be changed out. I bought my '63 in 1982 from the original owner. Part of what I got was a complete maintenance log that he'd kept for nineteen years. As parts got worn, they'd get replaced by him or me. I finally retired the '63 as a daily driver in '1996 when the odometer reached 197K. Since then it's been garaged waiting for me to win the lottery. That engine was never overhauled - one valve job at 100K and was still running strong when I garaged it. I think that I could easily sell the car as a 97K car because it was so well maintained. I quit driving it because I knew it wouldn't last forever and I wanted to keep it that long. Rust has it now, though. One of the only things that I can think of that would be a give away on this car are the linkage bushings I installed to get rid of slop in the shifter. The holes in the frame where the linkage fit were worn as were the linkage rods themselves. It would be really difficult to fix worn holes in the frame. Other than that, you'd have to check some hard parts to see if there was any indicator on them that they were aftermarket replacements. I just parted out a car that had about 65K showing on it. It would have been no problem to switch speedometers with the 197K presently on the '63, that would gain me 35K back - not ethical but since KS doesn't require mileage statements on cars this old, I could try to get away with anything. I'd say that if you're in doubt and the seller can't provide any kinds of records that go back a long ways, you'd better look for something that you can substantiate. If the owner claims that everything is original, you should be able to find tags on carpeting, seat belts, etc. that show that they're original equipment. But, if the car has been totally restored and everything has been replaced or refurbished, what difference does it make? Probably best to follow that "gut feeling" you get when you first look at it. Ed

All that I know is the car from which I pulled the radio, dash facia, and all six speakers, had four 4 x 6 speakers and two 4 x 10's. Different years could have had different parts. Jayson, which car are you trying to put the sound system in? What was in there when you pulled the panels? Ed

1963 and prior nailhead distributors are already set up for the same timing, 12* BDTC, as the dual quad unit. Ed

Tom, Per chance did the quarter window speaker size change as well. I pulled the entire "system" from a parts car once and the quarter window speakers were in insulated pods and they were 4 x 6 units. The only way I could tell them from the door speakers was by the part number painted on the magnet. I got sold that entire system a few years ago, when I found the the body on my car wouldn't take the quarter window speakers. Ed

Jason, The rear quarter window speakers are the same size as the door speakers, 4" x 6" If I remember correctly, the front speakers in a 4 speaker car are more or less all purpose speakers. In a concert sound car, the fronts are a high range speaker, the quarter window speakers are mid range, and the 4 x 10's in the package tray are the same as those in a 4 speaker system. I do know that you can't add concert sound quarter window speakers to a car that didn't come from the factory equipped for them. The hole for the quarter speakers isn't cut into the body. Ed

I think I pulled that piece off one of my parts cars. I'll look when I get home tonight and see what kind of condition it's in. Ed

Pin to pin? I measured a couple of ones that I have in my basement and they're both 21" but the 21" is measuring the longest part of the vinyl part of the visor, no hardware involved. Ed

If your Invicta Custom was one of the "bubble tops," I personally think that was one of the coolest cars of its time. I'd love to have one as a Kruzer! Ed

One other thing to consider - $45000 CAD = $45283.50 USD

The point that Bleach is making is a very good one. Digest it for a while. As I said, I wanted to use the o/d trans so I could use the 3.91 rear end. The o/d was onyl being considered to compensate for the higher numerical gear ratio and increased engine rpms. The o/d would save on wear and tear. If you figure that the adapter is going to cost in the neighborhood of $500 - 600, the transmission plus upgrades so it will handle 445 lb. ft. of torque is probably going to run somewhere in the neighborhood of another $1500. The cost to have the driveshaft rebuilt $???. Then you have to figure out how to get it to shift, neutral safety switches, Throttle Valve cable, and carb mods to mount it. Let's say you could conservatively do it for $2400 (that's really conservative, too.) For $2400 you could buy 685 gallons of gas @ $3.50 / gallon (it's about $3.50 for 93 octane here now). At 15 miles per gallon, 685 gallons will get you 10,275 miles down the road. How long will it take you to put that many miles on your car? Is it worth it? That's up to you. Ed

The only thing I'm sure of is that the engine would be turning about 2/3 of the rpms with the overdrive. At the ROA meet in Eureka Springs, AR in 2005 one ROA member drove his 1st generation Riviera from N or S Carolina to Northernn Arkansas and said that he was getting between 20 and 22 mpgs. He had the 700R4 transmission. His only other comment was that it was a tight fit to get the 700R4 into the X frame. When I originally was contemplating the swap, it was as much for performance as for mpg's. I have a 3.91 gear set for the 1st generation 'pumpkin' and with that rear end and the 2.74 first gear in the 200R4, I was hoping to have a really quick car that might also get some decent mpg's 67% of 3.91 would give me a road gear of 2.62. B&M makes an inline unit that limits the lock up to o/d and lets you set the mph at which the o/d works. Around town you'd have a neat street machine and on the highway you'd only be turning about 2100 rpm's at 70 mph. The bigger problem for most guys is finding one of those 3.91 units. The only other one I know of is a posi owned by Tom T. in Connecticutt. Ed

Adapters are available to mount nailheads to Chevy tranmissions. The easier ones to do are the 700-R4 and the 200-4R, both work without need of a computer to control them. The 2004R is the better choice because of size. What you need to be aware of is that the o/d units will really change your final drive ratio. If you have the normal 3.07 rear gears, and you multiply it by the .67 overdrive, you come up with a 2.05 final drive. That may run the engine too slowly for any efficiency. I wrote and article for the Riview a couple of years ago covering this. If you look back you can probably find it. Sorry, I don't know in which issues it was published. It goes into lots of details about the swap and other things to keep in mind when doing one. Ed

According to "Doc" on the V8Buick forum, there is a plug on each side of the block. That would be the lowest point on the block and you'd be assured that the block would be completely drained. What are your plans for descaling the crud that's built up in the water jacket? I'd like an answer to that one as well. drain plugs nailhead 401 1960 Ed

I have a problem with the nose of my hood as well. Not rusty but really smacked. Someone thought they could drill into it and take a slide hammer and pull it out not realizing there was an inner part of the hood; the threaded end on the slide hammer went into the second layer of hood. On one of the two cars I just got rid of, the leading edge of the hood was good. I cut out all of the spot welds and separated the two halves of the hood. Then took a cut-off wheel and took out a good sized piece of the nose of the hood. It can be welded in on the original hood. It was strange, but the nose of the hood was good but the sides looked like yours. Perhaps you can find someone who has a hood that was in a fire and the nose section is still good. Ed PS - Where were you two weeks ago before I sent the cars off to the yard?

While browsing "rivieras" I came across this ad. 1971 Buick Riviera Boatail 4bbl 455V8 Great Condition Not mine. Ed

Glad to help. What would help all of us to better help you is to let us know in which city/state/ or part of the country you live. It's easy to edit your personal profile to include info such as that. Ed

If you're not going for "stock" take a look at this one from Eelco. It has about the same flow features as a stock Buick manifold. EELCO Manufacturing If/when you contact them, take every precautioinn you can that 1) They actually have it 2) pay for it in a way that you can get a refund if they fall through. There has been some bad press about Marty Lackner. If he's still involved, proceed with caution. This is a link to Russ Martin's website and Tech Info. Russ is regarded to be one of the two most knowledgeable nailhead gurus out there (the other being Tom Telesco.) Read tips number seven and eight before buying an Offy manifold. If you're looking for a real performance 2x4 intake keep an eye open for an Edelbrock B262 for a nailhead - search Google Images for a picture of one. If you find one, it will be worth it but be prepared to dig very deeply into your wallet. 15 Most Common Mistakes | Ed

Writing in the third person consists of writing without the use of personal pronouns just as I, me, we or us. You are looking at what ever it is you're writing about but you're not part of the process. Instead of saying that "when I weld aluminum...." you'd say something like "When welding aluminum the welder.... he (she, him, her) ....." Writing in the third person is not personal. You're referring to another person, never yourself. It implies the information as a fact, not a personal opinion. You might try doing a Bing or Google search to learn more and you can find examples of third person writing.