fatbuick

Hi guys, Just wondering if it's possible to remove these badges while the fender is on the car. I can't see a way of getting to the backs of them. Do they attach with speed nuts on the back or do they just pull off like the trunk badge with no nuts? Thanks

Fantastic, I'm glad you're going Jim. It's a been a long time, 2006 in Flagstaff AZ remember? It would be great to have you as a guest downunder. ROA Member, Paul Meltzer from Boston visited us recently. You and other ROA members should consider coming for our Buick Nationals in Aug-Sept 2014 in Perth Western Australia. New Page 1 We're planning on taking the 71 Riv across.

Hi Guys, I wish we could make it this year and hope you have a great meet. Friends of mine Greg and Geraldine Massey are attending the ROA meet this year and I told them they'll have a great time. They will have a hire car so hopefully they can get a ride in some of your nice Rivs. Please make sure you introduce yourselves to them. Greg has a 68 Riviera and is currently President of the Buick Car Club Australia - NSW.

Thanks very much for your prompt help John. If I find a supplier for these I'll post it here so others may also buy them.

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has the part # for this item and if it's the same as 71. I'll need both numbers if anyone can help please. Thanks

Beautiful work Rob. Keep it up Are those rallye wheels new or did you have them re-chromed?

Just a quick update. Got my new radiator last week from US Radiator and thoroughly recommend these guys. It fitted perfectly and well packed. The good news is I cannot get it to go over 190deg with a 180deg thermostat now so it has made the difference I needed. There is still a gap between the shroud and core at the top of about 3/8" but I will fix that by modifying the top bracket.

58 for another 39 days

Straight and rust-free, that's all you want. Well done finding her. ENJOY!

Does anyone know why the original engine exhausts pipes have the big kink going out to the side about where the front floorpans are? Do these deviations serve any purpose other than warming your feet perhaps or slowing the gases? I notice replacement systems mostly don't have these extra curves.

Last week the car had to go back to the painters for some touch ups and we corrected the the vents near the wipers by painting them and I had the antenna deleted.

Ed's right Kevin, there's no bushing or bearing in the bottom of the column but once you connect the shaft up it's fine and I also recommend the donut insulator. I used a hi-density foam to make one and no more fumes in the cabin. The Jan/Feb 2013 Issue has the details for making one.

Many thanks for your reply Tom

Took a Family Photo today

I have a spare 66 3.07 diff centre and a guy with a 64 Riv wants to put it in his. Will this exchange work? Thanks

Update on the running hot issue. I put a spring in the lower hose and nothing has made any difference. It's only a 2 core radiator which is 2" thick and is simply not coping with the summer heat. Not worth having the radiator pulled apart and cleaned or recored here. They want $1,500 so I have ordered a new 4 core one from US Radiators for just $560 By the way it's 2-5/8" thick and will fill the gap between the shroud and core. Maybe that's why the shround is designed like that - will fit with any size core. This car lived 41 years in Maine before I bought it so it probably never overheated there.

I have 15:1 ratio Steering Gear, a heavier front sway bar in 26mm (just over 1") and a 22mm Rear Sway Bar kit. The last thing I've added are the Bilstein shocks all round which I would highly recommend. The floating at high speeds has gone and the body roll is very minimal without any harsh ride. I have not seen the need to change the coil springs yet. I would love to take a video of mine against a standard around some witches hats to show the difference one day.

Hi Jim, Is a 4 core physically thicker than a 2 or 3 core or does it just have more tubes within the same thickness? There's not much space around the engine in the 1st generation Rivs which probably doesn't help. I've never felt such heat on my hand coming from the fan blades at around 200deg.

Just a quick update which confirms it's probably the radiator core. Put a new heavy duty fan clutch (with spring) and went for a 30 minute test drive today. It idles and runs in traffic slightly cooler but still heated up to almost 220 deg at 45 mph with a few hills. I forgot to check the bottom radiator hose again. I'll sort the radiator out next week.

Hi All, Just a brief update. I have ordered a new fan clutch because the existing one is spinning too freely when compared to my 66 Wildcat. Also, the shroud doesn't look right at the top with far too big a gap compared to the bottom. If I modify the top mounting point to bring it forward it would fix it. If anyone has a top radiator mounting piece I would be interested in buying it rather than cutting mine. Here's some pictures:

Hi Bernie and thanks for everyone's reply. I will work through your good suggestions and will of course post what I find for future reference. As to my 65 Riv project, try this thread 65 Riv Project Downunder

Hi Jason, Thanks for your reply. It's a 5 bladed pump, total timing is about 30-35deg. I don't know the history of the radiator or the engine block. Both mechanical and vacuum advance are working. Will double check with timing light. I tried lighter springs on the mechanic advance but it started pinging so reverted. I'll get the radiator checked out when the workshops are back from holidays. Not so much in Sydney but generally in other states we're in the middle of a heat wave. 111deg F in Adelaide for example and for about a week. They would like 8 degrees I suppose.

I agree so have replaced the thermostat this afternoon with a new one. (correction, it was 180deg and so is the new one) Test drove it and it hasn't made any difference. I don't see how it can be the fan clutch because it can sit idling for ages and it stays on about 190deg max. plus it would be getting heaps of air at 50mph even without a fan. Again it's not a difficult change to make so I'll swap the fan from my 66 Wildcat which runs a constant 190deg in all conditions and eliminate one more thing.

I installed a water temp gauge and now that I have tracked the temparatures I was wondering if anyone can throw some light my way. The engine is 425 GS LX Code and I have the original fan shroud, 5 bladed fan with clutch, 190 deg thermostat (not replaced yet) new water pump for AC. Weather is not hot, maybe 80deg. At idle and around 35mph it stays around 190deg no problem which seems normal. When I increase speed and sit at 45-55mph the temp goes up to 210-220deg. Reduce the speed and temp comes down again. My Questions are: Do these symptoms indicate, poor water flow, blocked radiator, bad thermostat or what? At high speeds I don't suspect the fan makes much difference because air flow should be good, right? I'm thinking maybe the thermostat is not opening fully and restricting water flow? Thanks in advance.

That is one beautiful GS