RivNut

Is that what you call the Riviera Shuffle? I'd go for a repair. There's an article in the Tech Tips section of the ROA's website that suggests using "bondo" to fill in the cracks then recover with new vinyl. I've recovered pads before but I've found that the expanding insulation works better. It stays somewhat pliable and is easier to shape. Ed

Just feel under the lip of the dash and you'll find the screws; or lie on your back and look up. They'll be easy to find. Ed

When ever possible, use the vendors that support the ROA through their advertising. The more we give to them, the more they'll give us in return. Always be sure to let them know you're an ROA member and thank them for helping us maintain our hobby. Ed

Do a search. Sosuzguy has your fix.

Lasse, They're probably too rare to be listed. I made a couple of phone calls and found a place in Florida that has the converter you need. $189.95. USD Karen told me they don't ship internationally because of weight (39 lbs.) She told me that if you were willing to pay the shipping, she could probably do it though, you'll just need to contact her. She'll need your shipping info to calculate costs. I told her that I'd give you a link to their website and you could contact her. Email her. Torque Converters - Transmission Depot Ed

Loosen the alternator and adjust it for the shortest belt you'd want to run. Take a piece of twine, narrow rope, tubing, anything that will fit in the pulleys and loop it around the alt. pulley, crank pulley, water pump pulley and measure it. Take those dimensions to your local parts jobber and get a belt to match. When you take the slack out of your alternator, you should have a good fitting belt. You only need to run one belt, not two as when the a/c was installed. A single belt will touch enough of the alt. pulley so there won't be any slippage. Two belts were necessary when you were running the a/c compressor because a single belt did not "grab" enough pulley to prevent slippage. Ed

One thing you probably want to do before purchasing a converter (new or used) is to make sure that the previous owner didn't do a transmission swap. Look at the tag on the right side of the transmission to make sure that your trans is from a '67. If it's from a later model, it won't have the varible pitch torque converter in it. Chances are you won't find a "new" one; probably on ly a rebuild. There's no way to inspect the operation of a converter, so if I were you, I think that I'd opt for a rebuilt one. You'll be assured of getting one that's correct and it should come with a warranty. Ed

Lasse, You're asking about acquiring a new/used converter. What's wrong with the one you have? Converters can be rebuilt. If you already have the correct converter, consider having it rebuilt. Ed

For those of you who are always looking for ways to make your variable pitch ST400 equipped Rivieas, 65 - 67, here's one way to make it quicker without doing any modifications to the engine. The ST300 two speed transmissions also ran a variable pitch torque conveter. However, the ST300 uses a 12" converter rather than a 13" converter. What this means is that when used with an ST400 transmission, the 12" converter's high stall speed will occur at a higher rpm than the same engine / transmission using a 13" converter. Your car will come off the line at higher rpm's which translates to quicker 60 ft. times and ET's. It will make your transmission run a little hotter, but an inline trans cooler will take care of that. Ed

Carl, The rear package shelf in your Riviera is molded and pressed cardboard. If it has any water damage, it may be beyond repair. You might take a look for the ad in the Riview for the guy in NV who makes a fiberglass reproduction. This would be a better base from which to work, and it will be impervious to any kind of damage from the elements. Ed

Attached is a scanned page from an old Riview. It details all of the specs for nailhead cams. Perhaps this will help you some. As you can see, the number on the shaft doesn't necessarily tell you exactly what cam you have. But if you use a combination of shaft numbers and groove widths, you can perhaps figure out which cam you have. Hope this helps. Make sure you read Dennis Manners response as well as looking at the specs. Ed

The attached link shows the visual clues you look for when determining if your converter is a fixed or variable pitch converter. http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?143723-VP-converter-Trans-visual-ID-guide Ed

Check for a previous post on how to remove just the dash. Four screws are all that hold it in place. Ed

Look in the classifieds of your Riview. There's a company called Lares (or something similar) that rebuids steering boxes and/or exchanges them. While you're at it, you might want to consider exchanging for a faster ratio box. Ed

Vinyl roofs were available as an option in '65, but they were full roofs; no landaus or half roofs. This is definately something that has been added later. Ed

Quote: Sorry about the rant, more than you ever wanted to know about wood, right? Unquote. Perhaps we should call you the "woodwright" of the Riviera set.

In the Riview, there are quite a few vendors who advertise Dynaflow kits. There were differences from year to year. '63 was the last year so it will be the most updated version. You need to find a year specific kit for your overhaul. Ed

I found something very similar on a Jeep website one time. I think the guy used a socket close to the same size as the bushing as the "pusher" in his home made tool. He had a pipe the same size as the bushing's housing then used a long bolt and the socket to pull the bushing into the pipe. Lots of soaking in some rubber penetrant will help too. As you push, the bushing will compress and expand if you can't get it to slide. Expansion makes it that much harder to get out. One of the best rubber lubricants you can (could) get was Ru-Glyde. I think the only places that use it now are tire shops. They use it to lube the rubber when mounting tires. One thing that might help would be to driil a couple of holes through the rubber before trying to force it out; the rest of the bushing then might collapse against itself instead of pushing against the housing. Ed

Opps, I got them backwards. I was sitting in a classroom when I first responded. But, the info is there on the website. Good luck. Ed

As an ROA member, you have access to the Tech Tips link on the ROA's website. There's information in that link about both the front and rear seals. The rear seal is NOT from a V6, but rather from a BBB (if I remeber correctly;) only the front seal is from the V6. Ed

Check to see if any lumber yards (not Lowes or Home Depot) carry any exotic hardwoods. If so, they should have a selection of verneers you can work with. Look for quarter sawn American Walnut for the correct grain. Then choose your stain to make everything match. If there's no exotic lumber in your area, Google Constantines in Florida and look through their selections. Ed

I just looked at the Advance Auto Parts website. They show that the '69 sender does not fit the '68 430, however, they do show that they carry an application for each year. Ed

Jon at The Carburetor Shop in Eldon, MO has a 3646 listed on his "carbs for sale" list. THE CARBURETOR SHOP / Carburetors for sale Ed

Talk to the Calvin at Clark's Corvair. He got into Corvairs, and then into 1st generation Rivieras. He makes upholstery kits for both and sells seat buns and lean back cushions for both. He can probably tell you how all of the GM buckets from the era compare. I had a set of '64 SS seats for my '55 Chevy that I bolted into my '63 Riviera and drove it while the Riv seats were being reupholstered. I think the chrome trim across the backs is just decorative and hides seams. I'm thinking you could probably install any trim on any seat. Look at the Legendary Interiors website and see all fo the different patterns they make for these GM buckets. Ed

When I was collecting disk brake parts for my '64 I was making the change because the steel liners in so many of the existing drums were getting to the point where they were out of limits for safety. Since then, J&G http://www.jgrelining.com/about.html has started a company which can put new steel liners in your drums. Unless you're just looking for the look of the caliper through a set of aftermarket wheels, there's no reason for anyone to be getting rid of the OE aluminum drums. The only thing to consider with OE brakes is the addition of a dual reservoir master cylinder - that's just a safety factor. Ed