JZRIV

Welcome to the forum. Careful not to complicate your life. Replacing lifters will probably fix it but you'd be replacing them all for one culprit. It would have been good if you could have isolated the tapping lifter and focus on that one only. Maybe its just gummed up inside. They can be disassembled and cleaned. I'd be inclined to do that first. You can replace lifters without the cam but why do them all if only one is ticking. The more you can leave things alone and not start the snowball effect, the better off you will be until you decide to do a full rebuild. These engines can tolerate quite a bit of wear in the valve train. If needed you can buy a good name brand lifter through Rock Auto or local NAPA. Leave everything else as is. Put it back together and run it. Maybe Telriv or Tom M will chime in with better advice.

Correct Tim I went through same disappointing process years ago - CARS is the only place I ever found correct gasket. But yea if using "The Right Stuff" in place of gasket, it will never leak!

Tim, 66 yes but in 67 the trans is no different on a GS vs base model so code is same No not for 67. The Sloan Museum Automotive Research can research Buick VINs 1970, and 1972 to 1976

Any name brand, Valvoline, Lucas, etc 80-90W gear lube is fine. I'd stick with conventional. Synthetic not necessary

I have my doubts at this point as a legit GS but that's my nature because I've seen so many fakes and buyer remorse after the fact. Buying this car as a GS without more investigation is a mistake. 2 things - Must check stamp on bottom of left rear axle tube about 3-4" inches over from differential housing. Must be PY and a circle with an X inside. Also ask them for a pic of Fisher tag. A/C compressor looks original but is incorrect for a 3.42 rear axle ratio equipped GS which 3.42 was standard. Non-GS had a 3.07 ratio standard and that's what this compressor matches. Either the hold down nut for Starwars is not tightened down fully, or the stud is too long and won't let it tighten down. If too long to tighten down, I've seen this on other cars where a Starwars air cleaner was added by a previous owner but installer was too incompetent to adjust the stud length. Importantly, there is no insulation retainer on the underside center section of hood. This steel band about an inch wide came only on Starwars equipped cars (GS) from factory. It kept insulation from rubbing paint off air cleaner at front. See they have a rag glued there now. Disgraceful for a $49k car. Unrelated to GS question, but the parking brake foot lever has been bent to the right to clear the large kick panel speakers. Also holes drilled in rear package deck L&R side for speakers. All in all though it looks like a fairly rust free well cared for car.

Yes fairly easy and inexpensive to replace the input, and output seals. There is an oring behind the domed end cap that can also be replaced. You'll need to remove the box and get it on the bench. Sometimes the pitman arm can be a real bear to get off the output shaft. Usually need puller and heat

These cars rarely ever had the build sheets left in the car on the assembly line. There is no historical establishment that has build information by VIN like other makes and models of time period. I've probably seen photos of maybe 2 or 3 67 build sheets in 40 years of dealing with these cars. But there are ways to validate within a reasonable accuracy. Do you have pics of the car? Maybe I already know the car. Can you get a photo of the Fisher Body data plate? Does the owner of car have the original Protecto plate?

Sounds like a great car Ken. Rust free!!! Great color too. Buckets, DQ's. Very desirable package you have. Good Luck with sell!

Looks pretty Nice. too bad it doesn't list the mileage. Or at least I did not see it. Looking at driver seat condition, mileage may be on the lower side.

Unless you live across the ocean, 401 blocks aren't that hard to find in rebuildable condition. So unless you are wanting to maintain the original matching number block for a specific car, there will be no meat left on the bone if you pay for the sleeve service and then sell. Along with what Tom said, if I had a block that needed sleeved, I'd want to be the one who has the work done as I couldn't trust an unknown shop. It has to be done right. |so you might have a difficult time selling it. Would you sleeve it to factory spec? Or sleeve it to the spec of the other bores once they are cleaned up? Thats a decision whoever buys it should make. Just my thoughts

Yep - Been there done that a couple times! Finding a donor with a rust free section will be challenging and when you do, getting someone willing to cut out exactly what you need will be equally challenging and if you do, the cost will likely be significant. But its always worth a try, never know. Problem is there are 2 or 3 layers of metal sandwiched together in that area with some sort of foam (which holds moisture) in between. Probably there to eliminate vibration rattles. If you happen to find a willing donor, probably easiest to have them cut through all layers and you can separate them as needed. Yes it can be repaired by cutting out all the bad and welding in with new metal fabricated by hand. The raised section is more difficult to make but it can be done in sections due to the gradual curve. If there is any positive, most of that area is hidden. Just need to make sure the proper contour is maintained so the windshield seals. Easy enough with the help of filler. For someone who knows what they are doing, its not as terrible as it looks. I didn't know what I was doing and managed to complete it without any noticeable evidence.

Harold Messenger is still listed on the ROA member roster as current.

Converting to dual MC is a personal choice. We can't dispute the increased safety that a dual system provides. I chose to stay with the single on the 66 restoration and the main reason was originality so I don't see a problem maintaining the single reservoir MC provided the following: The entire brake system has been rebuilt with quality parts and the single MC has been sent out to a specialty shop for brass sleeving and rebuild to improve longevity. The quality of over-the-counter MC's today can't be trusted in my opinion hence the suggestion to send our for professional sleeving/rebuild. Lastly, make sure the emergency/parking brake is working properly. Your rear brakes should not be locking up. Incorrect assembly issues are the primary reason for drum brake performance problems. Have you replaced the rubber flex hoses? 2 in front 1 in rear? Have you had the drums trued/machined?

Not sure - Here is a pic of an original 66 Bendix Booster. If you want to convert to a dual master then a combo booster and master from a 67-70 should work.

Youtube University - This video has a lot of good info. One thing I will add. A day ahead, soak the drip rail down from top and bottom side with penetrating oil like Free-All or your favorite. This will greatly aid in getting it off without damage.

66 being 1 year only makes it difficult to find an original in good shape, although they do show up infrequently. The 67 pad is a direct fit but appears a little different in the form of having thicker padding front facing. Only seasoned 66/67 Riv enthusiasts might notice this variation. This place has a great reputation but is costly....but what isn't these days. https://www.justdashes.com/

This is a great question I have never seen addressed or if it was I can't remember. The retention point in the frame is a real SOB to remove if it has to be reused. Lucky for you that's not the case. Bolt cutters won't work because you need to cut it nearly flush with the frame hole. Use a small cutoff wheel to get close. One cut, you can pull cable through. For the area inside the car use a small mini hose clamp to squeeze the spring tangs but keep the hose camp up about 3/16 so once they are compressed, you can pull down on the cable and the tangs will start though hole, then release hose clamp and pull rest of way through. When I removed mine during the 66 resto, as Tim said, I made a special tool out of correct size tubing to slide in and compress tangs. It was a REAL SOB. Buick engineers did not plan on these ever having to be changed in the cars expected life!

The E50 Element is a superior product made in Italy. All I'll say to anyone not familiar with them is do the research. They are certified in Europe by CE but not UL listed in US because UL does not recognize them as a fire extinguisher in the traditional sense (because they don't look like one). For this reason they aren't being recognized in the US where UL certified fire extinguishers are required. Typical bureaucratic BS. I have researched them extensively and they are a revolutionary product that's going to gain in popularity and likely eventually once pressure is put on UL to approve them, they will cut into the traditional extinguisher sales, and into OSHA monthly and annual inspection requirements as well as mandatory replacement every 12 years for businesses. The bigger E100 is for industrial use. Weighing all the benefits the E50 is a no brainer for personal use. I have 2 of them for antique motorcycles and plan to get more more for vehicles, garage, tractors, etc. They are rapidly gaining awareness in the motorcycle world. I was at a national road run event back in Sept and one of the Directors brought 3 cases (36) to the banquet, did a little promotion using an example of a member who's bike caught fire and rider had severe burns as well as the bike being a total loss. No one riding with him had an extinguisher. He sold all 36 at cost as fast as people could get in line and $65 cash out of their wallet. The cheapest way to buy is on ebay in quantity. If you buy 6 the cost is around $64 each including shipping. the less you buy the price goes up.

Welcome to the forum. GS coil springs had a slightly larger diameter wire size giving them a "slightly" stiffer rate, and it was only a few thousandths of an inch. There was no difference in ride height between GS (heavy duty) and non GS (standard). Only the spring rate changed. The 67 GS also had heavy duty shocks vs standard. Shock technology has changed a lot so trying to find something that mimicked the original heavy duty hydraulic shock is difficult. Keep in mind the seat-of-the-pants feel between GS and non GS was minimal as this was still considered a luxury car to Buick and its buyer demographic. Soft and floaty was in and making it too rigid would scare away customers. Monroe made super duty shocks in the 70s into early 90s for these cars and I always felt these were superior to the standard gas shock that is available today. They had bigger bores and larger diameter rods which I felt was needed for the heavy car. Sometimes these show up NORS on ebay but not too often. Then complicating the aftermarket shock decisions for decades was it seemed the descriptive term "Heavy Duty" was used loosely by seemingly every aftermarket shock manufacturer to boost sales. Slapping that label on a shock didn't really mean much IMO Use caution when replacing coil springs as many aftermarket springs will make the car sit too high. There are curb height specs in the shop manual. I'd check the height of your car and compare to spec before spending money on springs. Likely there are better places to spend money initially. There were no other differences in the GS vs non-GS suspension. Money well spent is replacing front upper and lower control arm bushings, Front brake reaction rod bushings and stabilizer bar end links, Lower rear control arm bushings, and of course inspect ball joints. Of course this is dependent on a competent pre-inspection. Don't replace parts just to replace. Its possible the work has been done. Its not relative to your question but the brake system should get top priority when preparing an old car for regular use.

Those certainly would work. Having said that, personally speaking I'm not a fan of polyurethane bushings on these cars. Rubber has more flex absorbing capability as was originally designed. Maybe it would make no difference in feel but I like to stay with original type bushings. Polyurethane has very little flex. Modern cars still use rubber in suspension components.

Chris is right on - Riviera Fawn Thanks Chris - This color was difficult to explain verbally to people. I never warmed up to it Mileage is Legit. Other than being painted, vinyl top removed, and the antenna being moved to rear quarter, the car was very original. I had the auto A/C working probably as good as it did when new and in part credited the low mileage and limited use of all the vacuum and electrical controls. Car was indeed rust free. It has factory front disc brakes. Very strong running fast car. Mileage was around 51 or 52k when I sold it in 2005/2006 for I think 9 or 10k. There was evidence of past repair from front end damage though not bad. Probably why it was painted.

I used to own this car and prior to owning it I did a lot of work on it for the owner.

No courtesy lights or respective wiring on 66/67s. In 40 years of owning them that's something I never missed, or even though of why none there. But easy enough to install if you want them.

Great to hear from you Jayson and glad to see you back here.

All excellent suggestions above but as you see there is no smoking gun solution. The factory compression ratio "spec" was 10.25:1. Since the shop didn't care to calculate the ratio with their build, Telriv is probably on the money with his assessment. Most shops don't care about the finer details of a build unless you make them care and pay more for the additional labor to get it right. Many shops that haven't built tried and true Buick engines cannot be trusted to make key decisions in a build. Without direction from an owner, they build an engine that runs but there are so many variables to that, some of which is based on the goal of the owner....but I digress. The cam card says it is normally installed 2-6 degrees advanced, if installed straight up that "could" be a contributor. You probably have more than one root cause going on. Compression ratio, Cam timing, and fuel delivery. You could always call TA on phone and see if they have any suggestions. Published GS road test data listed the 0-60 at 7.8 seconds with 3.42 axle. Someone might have a better idea what the gain of 3.42s would be over 3.7. I'd guess no more than 2 seconds. If you were around a 9 or 10 second 0-60 and wanted more, I'd say find a 3.42 and certainly a 3.42 would provide improvement all things as they are, but it may be masking the real root cause. Also keep in mind If you plan to drive the car on high speed open highway trips the 3.07s are a dream whereas the 3.42s not so much. All in what you want. Solving this problem can start a roller coaster of expenditures and some more expensive, some less expensive, and some may be fruitless so choose wisely and good luck!