1965rivgs

The replacement idler arms with the bearing were marketed in the aftermarket as "heavy duty" replacements Tom Mooney

As I recall there is a felt like washer there whose purpose is to attempt to reduce water infiltration into the ball/socket. Tom Mooney

I agree with Tom that most AFB tags did not have stamped numbers but were/are color coded. The color seems to fade with time/wear and tear. One exception to the above would be the very rare rear carb on the '66 MZ dual quad engine. The same part number which appears in the "up to 1970" Buick parts book is stamped into the triangular aluminum tag which is affixed to the driver's side rear corner of the carb. Tom Mooney

The original size 845 is in between a 215 and 225...your call. The 225 looks meaty, the 215 looks "'60's skinny". Tom Mooney

Cars has a reproduction. Get the one with the dimples...think we discussed same at MCACN? Tom

Install an open breather on the driver's side valve cover. The PCV cannot ventilate the crankcase without a source of fresh air. Tom Mooney

The term "all" is always dangerous! Lol.... Tom

Lol...I've had the pics on my phone since late Fall! Tom

These door panels need to be cleaned but are in very good condition and would show well in a nice car. (* IN THE PICS THE VINYL APPEARS MOTTLED/SPECKLED BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE. IN PERSON THE VINYL APPEARS JUST AS IT LOOKS IN THE PIC SURROUNDING THE CENTER CHROME TRI-SHIELD PANEL *) There is some light water staining along the bottoms but the cardboard door card is still in good shape. Most used door panels I see for sale are falling apart but these can be immediately installed and look good. With a light cleaning the chrome would show to be in exceptional and unpitted condition. $200 plus shipping. If interested please send a PM Thanks, Tom

Hi Bob, Hope you`re doing well. It appears you neglected to list the purchase price for your air cleaner? Tom

I believe this to be a `63- `64 Eldorado trumpet horn # 1999945. Cosmetic condition is excellent with the exception of a small area where the paint has flaked off; easily touched up. The horn has been tested and sounds LOUD and STRONG. Due to the cosmetic and functional condition of the horn I expect it has been professionally restored at some time in the recent past. With a small touchup the horn is ready to be installed. More pictures available upon request. $400 plus shipping. If interested please send a PM Thanks, Tom

Left and right `65 rear bumper guards in poor condition. In spite of the obvious issues neither one of these bumper guards is cracked in the corners which is a flaw that is very, very common anytime these get bumped. Therefore, these would be good for cores. I can supply more pics if needed. $40 plus shipping. If interested please send me a PM Thanks, Tom

Dean, your car is maroon. Bob`s car is red...two different colors entirely. Tom

Sometimes our cars are not as "original" as we would like to think. 60 years is a long time ... Tom Mooney

Good eye Ed Tom Mooney

Evansville is a good place to buy a car from, the weather is mild. I have a Riv which came out of Evansville and it is very clean. Did you buy the car from John Moore? Tom Mooney

All the rear axle housings have the "70" stamping which is very pronounced, even the 3:42 versions. If they are stamped, and I qualify by stating "if" because some, apparently like yours, are not stamped with the ratio. The ratio is a much lighter stamp and smaller characters, usually stacked and not in a straight line, ie, a 3 over 07. I've never seen the painted stencil characters on the axle housing but there is typically much more corrosion, undercoating, etc compared to your axle housing...but I have seen similar, smaller stenciled characters in yellow on the axles themselves used for the folks on the assembly line to install the correct axles. Tom Mooney

Setup an alternative fuel source and eliminate the tank and lines up to the fuel pump. It's not hard, just be careful; you are playing with gasoline. Everything needs to be secured and best not to have a container of fuel in the cabin. Tom Mooney

The return line was engineered into AC equipped cars as a method to prevent "vapor lock". By recirculating fresh fuel back to the tank via the fuel filter it helps to keep the fuel, which is momentarily stationary, in the fuel line from boiling when the inlet needle in the carb is closed; ie, in stop and go traffic on a very warm day with the AC blasting. If the fuel filter allowed a drop in fuel supply to the carb that could explain your symptoms but I would think this would not be a problem that would develop with time and after storage but would present itself immediately after installing a defective fuel filter. Perhaps cutting off the return is allowing just enough extra fuel to overcome the symptoms but I suspect you still have an overall issue with fuel supply and eliminating the fuel return is a temporary band-aid. The good news is now you are getting somewhere instead of just changing parts. You've just eliminated 50% of the troubleshooting chart. Tom Mooney

Get new gaskets, don't reuse the old. No need for a sealer, they install dry Be sure to install them correctly, it's easy to install them backward. When installed properly the gasket openings will appear correctly centered relative to the ports. Don't install block off gaskets on a dual quad manifold. The heat passage in a dual quad manifold is not drilled through to the exhaust crossover passage so there is no direct contact of exhaust gas with the base of the carb or heat shield. Your dual quad car will be a real cold blooded pooch if the manifold doesn't warm up quickly. Tom Mooney

Yes, you should be able to get at the fasteners by removing the radio. Be forewarned, the wiring is permanently attached to the eye and if complete removal is necessary will need to be unplugged at the amplifier. Tom

If you leave the eye installed and attempt to pull the dash rearward it is likely the fasteners/wiring associated with the eye will interfere with the upper metal crossbar of the dash framework Tom Mooney

There`s no doubt this is an original `65 Gran Sport and I am very impressed by what`s RIGHT on this car....but I am INCREDIBLY impressed with what is wrong! At this point in time, after obsessing over these cars for decades, I get excited to find factory mistakes....and this one is a fantastic example that I`m dedicating a file to! Tom Mooney

Dean, Can you post a link to the BAT auction so we can see the car? Tom Mooney

Hi Ed, Finally got around to checking my seat belt stash. Here are pics of what I have which satisfies your request. As you can see it is barely driver quality as I stated. Looks like the same color as yours?! You can have this if you like. Just pm me your shipping address. I do have a set of tan '64 Hamill belts a friend and I will be taking to our annual swap meet next week. We are selling off his inventory. They are the upper end of driver qualty with no corrosion on the hardware, somewhat of a dulled appearance from fine scratches/wear, but are very nice; I'm sure he'd like to see $200 for them. They come with correct original retractors also. Tom