RivNut

Here's a link that shows a couple of blues in the bedford pattern. See if this is the pattern that's in your car (if you headliner is still original, the patterns should match.) If it is the same pattern, you're likely to find some original color on the back sides of the sail panels. There's probably quite a bit folded over and glued into place. That shouldn't have been exposed to that many elements that would make is discolor. There are a ton of sources out there. Find the one you like. I looked a Clark's website and just now realized that a couple of their blues are actually dyed blue to get the color to look original. It's been my experience that when dyeing a large piece of vinyl that 1) isn't held in place by foam or something backing it, or 2) It's suspended, the vinyl has a tendency to get a little loose because of the chemicals in the dye. Keep looking. See if anyone on the forum has a picture of something original that they can post. Ed http://www.stockinteriors.com/HeadlinerColorsUp.asp?Select=1&TypeId=24

What you need to make sure of is that the headliner that came in the car hasn't been replaced at some time with something different than the original. The cotton threads in the casings are one of the first things to go on these cars. The original pattern is called Bedford. Original headliner colors were pretty basic. I'm betting that with all of the research that Calvin Clark has done on this, his colors are very close if not exact. Ed

Out of couriousity, what was it about the headliner material you didn't like.

Gentlemen; I just got off the phone with Glenn, the "G" in Mr. G's Enterprises. I told him that there was a package headed his way. Over the last couple of days, my step-son Adam, and I have gone through the '63 parts car that I acquired and pulled all of the "visible" interior screws. I taped one of each kind of screw to a 3" x 5" index card, wrote a description of it on the card, totaled how many were needed, and put the card with attached screw in a sandwich bag. In all I totaled 174 screws. I made an Excel spread sheet of everything. I requested screws for a 63/64/65 with the custom interior. If you order one of these kits and your car doesn't have air, or it has the standard interior, you might wind up with a couple of extra screws. There are some other things I've addressed as well. If you have a '65, you'll need four screws for the shifter cover; if you have a 63/64, you'll only need two. Those of you with the 63/64 cars will wind up with a couple of extra screws. Same with non a/c cars; you might wind up with a couple of extras as well. It would be too difficult to make a kit for each car exactly the way it's optioned. I'm hopeful that everyone will at least get the minimnum number of screws to replace everything that's visible. When Glenn tells me that the kit is ready, I'll let you know. When/if you order a kit and install it, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know what, if anything, I missed or that you'd like to see. Ed PS - if anyone would like to see the Excel spreadsheet, I'll email a copy to you.

Tom et al. It's off. Everyting in the joystick piece is soldered together. The guy doing the body work looked at it and said it's exactly like the 60's era Fords he's used to working on. He took a pair of needle nose pliers, got hold of one cable end, and pushed it forward so the bell on the end of the cable slipped out of the controller. The back of the controller is marked with an R, a G, and a Y for red, green, and yellow. There was no color left on the cables so we took a piece of masking tape and labled each corresponding cable. Now with the joystick off, the cables slide cleanly through the door. Wasn't hard at all. If you're doing the same, just make sure you don't put sideways pressure on the cable with your pliers , you could kink it. Once the first one is out, the other two are much easier. Reassembly should be just the opposite. Ed

I saw this in Ebay. Just saw it; don't know anything about it. At least he's not advertising it for all three years of the 1st generation. Seller says it's a 45 ohm unit with the return line. Ed Buick Riviera 1963 63 1964 64 gas fuel sending unit stainless steel reproduction | eBay

Tom, I took the outer escutcheon off and then removed the mount from the door panel. It's the escutheon and mount that are too big to go through the hole. Sorry I didn't make this more clear in the first place. Previously I looked on Ebay to see if anyone had one for sale and there's a NOS mirror for a '63 Pontiac listed. The seller has taken the parts out of the box and the mirror with cables is separated from the joy stick and escutcheon. That's what made me think that perhaps the cables needed to be removed from the joystick. Thanks Ed

When removing a remote mirror from a 1st generaton Riviera, do you have to remove each cable from the "joy stick" in order to get the mirror off the door? I've never run into this until today and that looks like the only way to do it. If so, are there any special tools involved? Thanks, Ed

When I visitied the Royal Gorge in '76, you could only walk across it at that time. My kids were young and didn't even think how high they were and had a great time - scaring my wife at that time almost to death. Have they rebuilt the bridge in recent years to allow autos to cross it? Ed

I only need the screws for the cruise, remote trunk release, and standard interior arm rest. I can't promise that they'll be returned because I need to send them to another person. The best way to do it would be to see if they match other screws somewhere in the interior. Just tell me what they match. Thanks, Ed

While I was leafing through my chassis and body manuals looking for interior screw placements, I came across pictures of the exhaust manifold that you're picturing. It sounds as if the counter balnce wheel on your heat riser is missing. Can you find a part number cast into your exhaust manifold? Perhaps someone with the same part number will be able to answer your question for you. The "pipe" you see in Steelco's picture is the heat riser tube. That tube provides clean hot air for the automatic choke. A steel line runs from the top part of the tube to the choke housing. A rubber hose runs from the lower part of the tube to a fresh air nipple on the neck of the carb. I've seen these tubes located in different places on exhaust manifolds with different casting numbers. Ed

My parts car is equipped with the custom interior. I've gone through both my body and chassis manuals and I found illustrations for both the standard and custom arm rests. I imagine that both use the same screw in the arm rests. I'll make sure that I count the number needed for each type of interior and tell Glenn the larger number needed. For those with which ever car has the least number of screws needed, that person will wind up with a couple of extra screws. There are probably too many variables to create a kit for every opton. My manual shows a different arm rest end plate for power windows and manual windows. But it looks like only the plate is different, not the size, number, or placement of the screws. Hopefully what I come up with will suffice for 95% of what everyone will need. As I was going through the manuals, I came across a couple of options that are not on my parts car that will require some help from others on this forum. Those two items are 1) the screws that mount the cruise lever to the dash, and 2) the screws that mount the remote trunk release to the glove box. I also need to know 3) what size screw holds the arm rest to the door panel on a standard interior. Any help would be appreciated. All I need to know is if these screws match any other screws located anywhere else on the car. I'm doing what I can, but without a standard interior car, I can't do it alone. Anyone? Thanks again, Ed

Mr. Earl, It's a picture that I copied and pasted from the internet. You might contact Charlie at Vintage Speed in Florida and see what he might have for you. Ed

Fellow Riv Owners; As we speak, I'm in the process of disassembling a virgin '63 Riviera. I've talked with Glenn at Mr.G's and he's told be which screws he needs to make a kit for the 1st generation Rivieras. I should be completed with the cataloging and identifying of these screws by the end of the week. I'll be sending these screws with their ID to Glenn right after that. This will be everything you'll need for a '63 that you'll see if you open the door and look in all directions. I also have my '64 in the garage but it's already torn apart and some of the screws I removed are not OE, I'm sure of this because of some mods the previous owner did. I do not have access to a '65. That's where you guys come in. I know there are different screws (4) needed to attach the shifter cover to the console. If any of you have a '63/'64 AND a '65, I'd appreciate it if you would see if there are any other differences between the screws in those cars and let me know. If it's just the '65 shifter cover screws, I need to have an example, or an excellent description of the same, so I can include it and differentiate it for Glenn. Any help with this will be appreciated. I'll let you know what Glenn tells me after I've contacted him and advise him that the screws are on the way. Just so you know, the screw kits you get from Glenn are pretty simple. If the same sized screw is used to attach the coat hanger that is used to attach the glove box liner, you'll get a bag with all screws that same size and a list in the bag that tells how many of each of the screws are used in different locations. I'll also let you know after talking with Glenn if he can do a kit for each year, or if he'd rather do one kit for 63 - 65. If he prefers this way, depending on what year you have, you might have a couple of extra screws in your kit. I don't know if it would be cheaper to make one kit for all three years or if it will cost him the same to do a kit for each year. Any opinions on this? Let me hear from you. Someone let me know about the '65 shifter cover screws and any other differences that you might encounter. Ed PS - let me know if you need anything from this parts car. I'll see if it's any good. It's been sitting without an engine in the same place for 20+ years. If you'd like a lifetime warranty for a Midas OE style muffler, let me know; there's one in the glove box.

Steele, You can see fitted seats on Clark's website. I'm sure my buddy from Buckner will chime in on his experience with the OPGI stuff. I'd be willing to bet that CARS (OldBuickParts.com) is a distributor for Clarks. I'd have to see the ones on ebay to make a statement on them. Could it be some person just selling something they bought from one of these other vendors? From what I've seen, Clarks is the way to go if you want it to look absolutely authentic. Plus they have all of the original colors to choose from. You don't have to worry about trying to find something that hasn't been attacked by the sun or dirtied up in some other way so you can try to match it in color, weight, and texture. Ed

For a rattle can, go to your local Auto Paint and Body supply jobber. They can probably mix up the same paint they sell to the body shops adn put it into an aerosol for you. It will be much better than what you might find over the counter. Not knowing what you need it for, you can probably get it as a single stage, or as a base coat / clear coat. If the latter, you'll want to get some clear to go with it. Have you seen the ads on TV for Dr. Color Chip? Look at thier website and see what you think. There's one other one as well with the same product. If you watch the Speed Channel or Velocity, you'll see their ads. Ed

Is it a numbers matching block and VIN?

[quote name= Have already contacted Wheatbelt in Oklahoma. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 ???????

Adapters are available to adapt your 364 to a TH350 or 700-R4. That involves the adapter, a hub, and a torque plate. That's the easy part. The 350 and 700-R4 use an open drive shaft, your '58 uses the closed torque tube driveshaft. Your '58's torque tube driveshaft is intergal to locating the suspension. If you swap in a 350 or 700-R4, you'll have to fabricate a complete setup for locating the rear end. Upper and lower control arms, panhard bars, shock mounts, spring mounts. Probably not worth it. What makes you say the Dynaflow is not working properly?

Man, what a tough crowd. But "ask and ye shall receive." UNDERHOOD DETAILS<O:p></O:p> § engine – color by year, make, and model<O:p</O:p § firewall – body color or semigloss black depending on year § under hood – body color or semigloss black depending on year § frame and upper/lower control arms and upper shafts-semigloss black § front coil springs-gloss black or natural(better detail contrast § inner fenders, radiator support-semigloss black § radiator and fan-gloss black (use special radiator paint) § fan clutch-natural aluminum <O:p</O:p § radiator shroud-natural black plastic or gloss black § steering box-natural cast iron gray § steering linkage-natural steel § front sway bar-natural cast iron gray <O:p</O:p § heater or AC housing-semigloss black <O:p</O:p § hood hinges, latch, catch and springs- gray phosphate plated <O:p</O:p brackets – engine color or gloss black (engine color if bracket is held in place by torques bolt and was in place for initial test run (front a/c, power steering) <O:p</O:p § steel pulleys-semi gloss or gloss black(gloss gives more detail contrast) <O:p</O:p § cast iron pulleys- natural cast iron master cylinder- natural cast iron § brake booster-gold cadmium plated (master cylinder lid also) § windshield wiper motor-gloss black § alternator- natural aluminum § power steering pump-gloss black § AC compressor-semigloss black § steering column shaft-natural steel § horns- gloss black § coil- gloss black § coil bracket – natural steel § voltage regulator-gloss black § distributor- natural aluminum with gloss black cap § fuel and brake lines-natural steel (it doesn’t hurt to paint natural steel or aluminum with clear coat to prevent corrosion / rust) UNDER CARRIAGE DETAILS § bell housing-natural aluminum § transmission – natural cast or aluminum § transmission support- semigloss black § driveshaft- natural steel § rear axle- semigloss black § rear swaybar -semigloss black § rear coil springs-gloss black § rear control arms- semigloss black § gas tank-natural steel(shiny) § gas tank straps-gloss black § parking brake cables-natural steel

I looked at the picture and from what I can see that would be easy to do that would make a real difference would be to: Remove the battery. I use Simple Green spray and low water pressure and try to remove as much dust and dirt as possible. Blow other dust and dirt loose as you can using an air compressor and blow nozzle and use the air to dry any places that might still be wet from washing it down. Unbolt all of the items from the inner fenders and mask and paint the inner fenders a satin black after going over the surface with a scotch-brite pad to give the surface some tooth. Just loosen them and move the accessories (horn relay, voltage regualtor, vacuum tank, etc.) out of the way, don't disconnect them from anything. Take some lacquer thinner and remove the overspray from the wiring harness (from the looks of the inner fenders and the wiring harness, it looks as if the car was repainted and oversprays got into the engine compartment) and other items. Use the same lacquer thinner to remove dirt and grime to restore the original color to exposed wire insulation. Repaint the air cleaner and install one of CARS, Inc. silk screened air cleaner decals - I notice the 465 on the air cleaner; you have one of the low production 425's from '63. Get a couple of pieces of cardboard and some masking tape and repaint as much Silver as you can on the engine. One nice thing about cast iron - you don't have to worry about a mirror like finish. Use a foam brush and tab paint where it's needed. You can mask some places to get a fine line where needed. Use a brush applied exhaust manifold dressing on those. Get some black heater hoses and reroute them to make them as inconspicuous as possible. Use a small brush with Simple Green on it and get into all the corners. As Bernie says, remove anything that's easy and repaint it after cleaning and some light sanding. Becareful what you leave on the engine in the way of chemicals. They may look dry, but they'll gather dust. Reinstall the battery. This time with the POS terminal next to the radiator. (If $$ permit get a black #0 gauge negative battery cable. Originally Buick used two black cables, but I like the looks of a red POS cable. There's a clip on the inner fender to hold the POS cable down and against the inner fender. You won't find #0 gauge wire at your corner jobber. I had some made at a local NAPA regional shop. As you get started, things will become easier and you'll start getting more and more ideas as to what you can do to spiff things up. Having a nice large glossy picture of a restored engine compartment will help you see what else you can do. Good luck and let us see some "after" pictures. Ed

When Jon says get a good kit, he's being modest. Get one of his. They're not the typical "zip kit" that's made to fit a bunch of different carbs. His are custom made to fit your carb. Look at his website for more info. THE CARBURETOR SHOP Ed

Perhaps this would be a solution. Two barrels for your daily needs, then a little bling for some ommmpph!

Buick made generic floor mats for its big cars - LeSabre, Wildcat, Riviera, and Electra. There was nothing model specific. What you have is what was available.

Mr. Earl, In your signature line, you list that you own a Riviera. Are you a member of the ROA? If so, open the ROA's website, go down to the Member's Only section and open the Membership Roster in the Exce format. I did this, highlighted the zip code column, and from the tool bar sorted the zips from smallest to largest. I then scrolled down until I found some zips close to the zip for Anna, IL. There are a couple of ROA members who live close. Their phone numbers are listed as well as their email addresses. Perhaps if you contacted one of them, they could look at the engine for you. Does the BCA have an online roster available to its members? Ed