toomuchvinyl

I've never taken the bumper(s) off of my 64 but with other cars I have owned and worked on I have always attached the the brackets to the bumper first. Mainly due to the difficulty of reaching the nuts once the bumper was in place. Also, there was no adjustment relating to the bracket to bumper attaching points, that's a fixed location. All adjustment for alignment and clearance was at the frame attaching point. It just seems to be easier to have the bracket attached to the bumper. Looking at the size of that thing though, it would be a good idea to have a helper too.

I orderd a complete system for my '64 (I'd prefer not to mention which of the dealers named above I got it from). I took it to a local shop to be installed which they were kind enough to do for about $150.00. I observe what Jason mentions, the pipes from the Exhaust Manifolds hang too low. Also, the pipes from the resonators that go over the top of the axle are very visible just in front of the rear wheels. The guys at the shop say they've tucked them up the best they can and I beleive them. If I were to do this again, I'd order the resonators and muffler from from one of these dealers as they are very OEM in look and sound and leave the connecting pipe work to my local shop.

Do they ever! I had a young lady drifting slowly into my lane (going the same direction on a 4-lane street) so I let loose with the horn. She threw the cell phone she was using into the back seat and jerked her car back into her own lane. At the stop light I looked over at her and she was even crying and looking at me like it was all my fault. God, I wish I'd had these a long time ago.

I agree with the observation that Buick has put itself at risk by offering so few models and most of them SUV's. My wife's daily driver is a '98 Regal GS that we bought new. She still says it's the best car we ever had and is certainly not looking forward to the day we have to replace it. I'm afraid that the LaCrosse/Lucerne sedans are downright dowdy, even with the tempting V-8. If the division is to go forward I really hope to see a return to more conventional coupes and sedans and fewer SUV's.

Thanks Ed and Bill, Mine isn't really bad yet but it seems to weep a bit from the open/close lever. Caught this on eBay this evening(item# 160222044592), not sure if it would be the correct one, but check the price it brought. It sure makes checking with Mr. Tucker worth looking into.

Hi Everyone! I am posting this to see if anyone knows of an individual or company who can rebuild my non-AC heater control valve. I thought I had seen an advertisement in the Riview but after looking through the volumes I have gotten since joining, I haven't seen anything like that. Maybe just wishful thinking? Keith Dawson

Hi! I usually hang out at the Buick Riviera Owners Forum. I saw this Forum and thought I'd post this and see if anyone had experience with this brand of lift. I admit it's a little late to be looking for reviews as I have already bought their AP10SAC but if any of the folks who participate in this Forum have thoughts, observations, warnings, etc., about these lifts I'd still be grateful to hear them. I have not set it up yet but when I do, I'll post my opinions about that and also update with anything noteworthy as I use it. Thanks in advance for any replies. Keith Dawson

Hi Edlo, I have a 4-way power seat in my '64 and I can honestly say that the legroom with it is probably no better than what you have. My wife and I are both 6'1" neither the driver or passenger seats go back far enough to suit us. I've been watching this post since you created it to see if anyone had relocated their front seats and how they did it. It's definitely a modification I want to do. Jim's reply earlier sounds reasonable to me. The only other reference I have seen about this was a profile of a custom Riv in a past issue of the Riview. I have considered trying to contact the owner and ask how he did his. Maybe there's someone on the Forum who hasn't seen this yet that might reply with more suggestions.

I agree with Tom. I had the same problem with my 64. Thnking it must be the battery, I put it on the charger. The meter didn't indicate that the battery was in need of a charge but I left it on for 24 hours anyway. I throughly cleaned the battery posts and clamps, reinstalled, and still got very sluggish cranking. As with yours Bob, my lights seemd to be good, radio played, etc. I was convinced that I needed a new battery so $90 later I put in a brand new Delco and guess what? Same problem. I got a piece of 80 grit sandpaper and went after the ground connection and the cable ends at the junction. Once I had brightened up the cable ends and spade terminals at the junction box the starter spun normally. I'd still like to get to the starter itself but am saving that for some winter maintenance. Hope your problem can be solved this easily and without buying unnecessary items like I did.

Mine arrived here in Idaho just this afternoon.

Thanks again John! I'm a little tardy in replying, but the stamped code was just where you said on the base of the carb, and it was the 3665S. I do have a Chassis and body manual, the chassis came with my Riv and the Body was a Christmas gift. I ordered the kit and am just waiting for my mechanic to have time to do the rebuild. I really appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share it.

Thanks for the info John! I was hoping that there was some other way determine what I needed, but having no previous experience with GM cars I didn't have the slightest idea where to start. I'll check it out after work this afternoon.

Hi All, I'm moving forward with the refurb chores I want to do to the '64 that I bought last fall. One of the first things I want to do is rebuild the carburetor. I went to look at the tag attached to it yesterday to order a rebuild kit and found that the tag has no numbers stamped on it. All there is are three vertical lines the look like this - I I I. So now I'm stumped. I am sure it's a Carter as the choke housing has the name on it, but I don't know how to proceed without any code on the tag. is there any other marking on the carb body that would help me determine what kit I should order? Any information or advise would be greatly appreciated

Thanks for weighing in everybody. Your replys have given me some things to think about, some things to watch out for and some sources of components. The mentions of tire rubbing are of particular interest. Now I'm really curious as to whether there is a steering limiter or if this would occur with stock steel wheels and "close-as-you-can-get" radial tire sizing. Another upgrade I'd like to install is front disk brakes. The adapter brackets I've seen do come with a warning that the toe-in adjustment is changed but implies that stock adjustment can still be obtained. I'd just like to be sure that everything would work together correctly.

Spring is on the way and I'm getting geared up to do some work on my '64. The front end needs attention so my thought was - As long as I'm having the work done, why not upgrade to GS spec steering box and spring rates? I see that the box is available on eBay and lord knows a quicker ratio would sure go a long way toward giving the car a more confidant feel. Has anyone else done this upgrade and if so, any words of wisdom to offer?

Thanks Stevo and Al. I'll try to retain that info until the next time I try to post a picture!

OK, I think I may finally have figurred out how to do this(post a picture).... Here's my 64 which I purchased from the third owner in October of 2006. It has 73,000 miles on it and still has it's original 63 Washington State license plates. The second owner who had the car from 1968 until 2006 was an early member of ROA. A few copies of the Riview from the mid 80's were in the trunk along with the manuals, protect-o-plate, various brochures, bill of sale, etc.. The car appears to be an early production 64 as it has the 63 wire wheel covers and leather upholstery which was not offered in 64. Options include wood steering wheel, tilt, power driver's seat, power windows and vent windows, AM/FM radio, cruise control, rear defroster and 4-note horn. I'd like to refresh the front-end components and have the carb rebuilt and by this time the original paint is getting kind of thin but I sure like it and plan to keep it for a long time to come. Evidently not..... <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Wow, I was unable to check this thread since my last post. I have to say I'm very pleased to get this information. My remark about the Centers being "faded" has been answered by Dick and Ed who pointed out that the shields are silver. I just figured that they'd be red, white and blue and the sun had faded the colors. Man I'm glad I joined ROA and this Forum! Anyway thanks to all of you who have weighed in on this question and as I said, I've got a good deal more to learn.

Thanks for the info Steve. I am feeling more certain that the wheel covers are original to the car. Even though the car is a '64 there is at least one other anomaly that seems to indicate it's an early production car. I've seen information that says leather upholstry was not offered in '64 but this car has Saddle colored leather interior. Oh, and the name refers to my other hobby which is vintage stereo. My wife walks past my record rack shaking her head and muttering "Too much vinyl".

Hi All! I'm new to Riviera ownership having purchased my '64 in October. It's a very nice and very original car with just 73,000 miles on it. My question (probably only the first of many to come) is in regard to the wire wheel covers on my car. I cannot claim that they are original to the vehicle since I have no way of knowing but mine have Tri-Shield centers in the spinners instead of Riviera logo's. I think I'd like to continue with these as it is how the car came to me. They are all faded so I would like to replace them. Does anyone know what applications these were used on or where I might find replacements? Thanks!