RivNut

Sam, In your info, you don't say where you're from. If you're anywhere close to California, you might want to check out the annual meeting of the ROA for this year. We're going to be gathering in Monterey, CA the first week in June. Meet fellow ROA members, look at a bunch of cars, and ask a bunch of questions. You can find details on the website. The link is part of my signature. Ed

Jim, Good article, thanks for posting it. As I was reading the section "Dress for Success" it reaffirmed what I've been saying about using protectants i.e. Armoral that have silicone in them. Those dressings will cause the rubber/plastic/vinyl to dry out. Once the material dries out it loses it elasticity, it will crack. Ed

I'd suggest a complete community of xeriscaped* yards. *xe·ri·scape/ˈzi(ə)rəˌskāp <TABLE style="WIDTH: 511px; HEIGHT: 54px" class=ts><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); PADDING-TOP: 5px" vAlign=top width=80>Noun:</TD><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" vAlign=top><TABLE class=ts><TBODY><TR><TD>A style of landscape design requiring little or no irrigation or other maintenance, used in arid regions. In other words, lots of decorative rock and cactus - no grass at all. What you'd spend on a mower and gas could be spent on tools and parts. Time spent not mowing is time spent in the garage. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Just make sure that you keep the bows in the correct order. If I remember correctly from the last one I had installed, you'll have to staple the headlier at the front and the back right above each window; the rest of it just hangs on the bows. Clarks is a good source. Acme Auto Headlining in San Diego was where I got the last one I had installed. If I remember correctly, the name of the grain you want is called "Bedford." Ed

The acid in the cleaner does a good job. I just usually have to hose them off after they's sat for a while. However, after seeing the picture you posted, I see that you have a '64 with the painted inserts. The cleaner I was telling you about in my first post would eat that paint. Don't know what I'd do if mine were painted and not natural. Ed

Only on the 2nd question. They're called bumper fillers. There are lots of vendors offereing them for sale in the classified section of the ROA's Riview. You can also purchase them off eBay, but it's always nice to know with whom you're dealing. Ed

I use Westley's Bleach White on the tires. I keep repeating applications until no more brown (dirt) comes from the pores in the rubber. On the cast wheel covers, I use Eagle 1 or some other brand of cleaner for magnesium wheels. A cleaner that has hydrochloric acid in it. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection. (If the cleaner is for alloy or clear coated wheels, it's not the powerful stuff.) After that, I use an SOS pad on the shiny parts. Finish it off with some metal polish. Ed

Take the radiator out and take it to a shop that specializes on radiator repair. It will have to be an older established shop that has dealt with radiators for a long time - since before the advent of these new radiators with their plastic tanks. Before you talk to them about recoring your radiator, see if they can "rod" it out. They'll remove the tanks then literally push a rod down through each tube in the radiator removing the 40+ years of accumulated gunk. They'll then resolder the tanks back to the core (a nice new fresh seal.) You'll then want to ask them to "comb" the fins so that there's good airflow between them. Radiator shops use a special paint that's thin and allows heat to be dissapated more easily. Have the block flushed and you should be in good shape for the climate in which you live. Ed

I haven't tried them yet (they're on one of my shelves) but I'm going to try to adapt a pump from a '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee like I once had. The pump is a continuous pressure pump (not a pulse pump) that mounts on the bottom of the washer fluid reservoir. I'll have to enlarge the hole in the reservoir some so it will fit, then a nut from the inside holds it in place. It's the pick up for the fluid as well and there's a small electric pump built into it. As long as you apply 12 volts to it through a switch (the button on your wiper switch; the lever on the Jeep) the pump will push water through it. I don't know if the hoses are the same diameter where they connect to the reservoir, but an adapter could easily take care of that. I'll have to run the pump wire out to the reservoir, but that shouldn't be any problem either. Because the washer isn't mounted to the body, I'll also have to run a ground wire to it. If you're thinking about doing something similar, make sure that you get the pigtail from the donor car's wiring harness. It's a sealed connection and a simple terminal connector won't work. Ed

If the four blade fan doesn't cool efficiently, swapping a five blade fan with a thremal clutch can be done without any tear down of the engine. Reproduction shrouds are available as well. When installing a shroud, the tips of the fan should be even with the back of the shround - the leading edge of the blade should be inside the shroud, the trailing edge of the blade should be behind the shroud. A lot of cooling issue will depend on the climate where you live. You have a non a/c car so I'm assuming that you live in a climate where you don't need a/c. If that's true, the four blade fan should be sufficient for your needs. I don't know that I'd take a trip across Death Valley with it though. The good thing about non a/c cars is that they don't have the a/c condenser sitting in front of the radiator. Ed

If you're mounting Buick rally wheels on a '63 or '64, you'll need to knock the register ring out of the wheels. '65 and later have a smaller hub and the register ring will fit those hubs. When looking for wheels, try to find a complete set. Besides what's mentioned above, there are wheels that are made for disk brake applications. Theses wheels will work fine, but there is a slight difference in the contour so they'll work with the disk brakes. Sean Keegan wrote a really good article on these wheels that tells about all the slight differences - diameter of the valve for example. That article has been archived and can be found in the Tech Tips section on the ROA's website. www.rivowners.org. Ed

Hopefully your wipers are working okay. The easiest way to get to the motor is with the driver's side fender removed. :eek: Ed

If your car has a/c, you should be running a 5 blade fan connected to a thermal clutch mechanism. The water pump should have a five blade impeller on it and you should have a shroud surrounding your fan. You have two matched belts running the alternator and a/c compressor. For non a/c cars (never had one myself,) I think a four blade fan connected to a spacer is correct. The non a/c cars have three blade impellers and do not run a shroud, but just have a protective shield that keeps your fingers or neck tie out of the fan blades. These cars have only one belt turning the alternator. Ed

How about this? Star Trek Movie 2009 Spock Ears - Costumes, 61879 Ed

Once the skin is off, you can loosen the adjustment nuts and lower the window more. That will make access to the fuzzies easy. Ed

Snake, Scroll down to the bottom of the Buick forums and let the Riviera Owners know what you have. They're always anxious to hear from a new Riv owner - just be warned, they're gonna' wanna' see some pictures.

I just turned '65. I went to a rural grade school and started driving a '50 Special to school in last half of my 8th grade year (1961). After that, the '50 was replaced with a '55 Special, then a '57 Century, then a '63 LeSabre. In college I drove our '63 Wildcat and bought a '64 Wildcat of my own my Jr. year. After some time in the service, I got out and bought a '66 Riviera to use as a daily driver while my wife drove a '73 Regal. We then bought a '78 LeSabre. I then started tinkering with old Rivieras while my wife drove whatever econbox she liked best. I started out with a '63 Riviera in '82 - which I still have stored. Then (all Rivieras) another '63, then a '64, a '66, a '67, another '64 - in the garage. I then moved up a couple of generations. Two '83 XX anniversary editions, an '84 convertible, an '84 coupe, an '85 coupe, and then my wife got involved. She (or so she thinks) now owns a '93 Riviera. My dad was a Buick mechanic for a long time and every once in a while he'd come home with a skinned knuckle or a scratch and state "Buicks just run in my blood." I think he passed that gene to me.

Our friends over at Team Buick have you covered. Their reference section is truly worthy of a shortcut icon on your desktop. Here's a link to their '66 Chassis manual. 1966 Buick Chassis Manual, All Series Another site worth a shortcut icon is www.v8buick.com Their forum on the nailhead is very good. Just information on the engine in the "Da' Nailhead" sub-link. They also have sub forums for other engines, transmissions, rear ends, paint, chassis, you name it. Both forums also have a rather large classified sectioin. Yahoo Groups also has a forum dedicated to the engine only.

Here's a picture of Jason's frame that I took at Hershey in 2010. If the rest of the car is as nice as this, it will be better than it was when it rolled off the assembly line at Flint in '66. Ed Jason, Jaosn, I did this without your permission. If you'd prefer I pull this, let me know.

No recovery tank, just an overflow tube. You can install something, but be sure to get the correct style cap if you do. Ed

It's a bolt on skin. Removal of that skin is the only way to access the adjustment nuts for the window rails if that needs to be done. Some are easier to get at than others, and if the nuts are corroded to the T-bolts, you'll have some fun getting them loose. Ed

You can decode those letters using the link on the ROA's website. The '50" is probably not a five and a zero; more likely something from Group 5 followed by a letter. There are just a few Group 5 options listed. Good luck. Ed

I listed it in my thread about my plate.

I don't know first hand, but I can say that I've seen 64/65 wood wheels on '63's so I would assume they're the same. I'd almost go as far to say that probably all GM splines are the same. I did put a T-type wheel on my '84 convertible that came from a non-Riviera, it was a Buick wheel that had leather wrapped rim and spokes that I was told came from a later Regal GS. Steering wheels are easy to get off; just give it a try. According to the seller, what other GM products does the adapter fit?

Kansas is like Missouri. I pay $17.00 per year to re-register the plate on the car. Any 35 year old car can run a plate from the same year as is on the title as long as the plate number is not in use on any other plate in the state. No yearly stickers either. My '64 will live in a time capsule with the plate I now have. Ed