Paul K.

If you reuse your drain plug washer and you feel it may leak, a thin layer or RTV on the sealing surface will get you by until the next oil change.

Have an Alma on my 78 Bentley. It’s the recommended replacement in the Rolls & Bentley arena. Good unit.

72 Riviera, the console shifter will operate the transmission from Park through all the gears down to Low, however, it will not upshift or move the transmission at all or back up to Park. I have to manually move shift bracket/handle on the side of the trans to shift the trans back to park. I have use of a rack but by myself so I can't operate the shifter to see what is happening underneath. Everything looks connected and not loose from the cable to the linkage at the shift selector to its other end on top of the steering column. Something came disconnected as it feels normal from Park through Low but light feeling with little resistance upshifting. ????

FWIW I bought a 72 Rivy In 1987 Advertised with 75K miles. It looked and drove like the miles were original. The seller (a flipper) had a file with all the service records but he never studied them And was bummed when they showed 175k mikes. Great car, got it for $500. Drove it for a summer and sold it to a guy and it rolled off a cliff (literally) and was totaled. Without service records low mileage claims are just stories. I actually came across a 72 skylark that I used to own advertised with less miles then when I owned it. Buyer Beware.

Just my opinion but Absolutely ridiculous this rule. 8 point deduction for tires? I recently attended a Concours judging training seminar for the Rolls-Royce and Bentley Owners’ Club. One would think they’re very fussy about certain items And they are but not to this degree. Rules like this take a lot of the fun out of the hobby and aid in making it a rich man’s game. With a point deduction so large for tires a lesser car condition wise (paint, underhood, etc. ) could beat a car in better condition if the owner spent the big bucks and installed correct tires.

One should always check the front toe. It can be out causing Tire wear but the car won’t pull. Springs sag over time causing camber changes. However in the big picture, the best indicator of whether a suspension needs an alignment is tire wear patterns or if the car pulls to one side.

Yes. A change of 8 psi will change alignment.

I would get the windows right as planned but unless there are large gaps a good car cover will keep things out.

Sounds like parts car condition and not worth investing money into. $500 if the drivetrain is good.

Good buy these days if the chrome is good. To think I used to get all the Buick rally wheels I wanted for $15 each at the local pick a part. Oh but that was 25 years ago?. Time flies.

I saw this Riviera last week in person. The owner is selling a few of his cars but the Rivy as far as I know is not for sale ... yet. Nice car.

I’ll sum things up by saying most people are stupid and don’t “get” old Cars unless you speak of one that is high in value. Then all of a sudden they’re interested.

I like Monroe shocks but do not like the OE Spectre line. I installed 4 of these on my 66 Cadillac and they were terrible. The shocks they replaced were at least 20 years old and 2 were leaking. I noticed virtually no difference with the new Monroes and they were real floaty feeling especially in the rear. A bounce test with the new Monroes went over 2 to 3 cycles. One of my students owns a repair shop and won’t install the Monroe OE Spectre shocks after experiencing similar results as me.

Glad to see these too. I hope they the plating is better than the set of repros I bought back in 1989. I can't remember exactly who the vendor was that sold them so I won;t mention any names, but they only lasted a few years before the pitting started. BODAYGUY, please post your results after you install them in regard to fit.

All good points Early Rivieras handle well compared to other vehicles their size so I would just rebuild the suspension stock. I have found most mods people do cause a big loss in ride quality. Then it’s not a Riviera anymore. I remember when I replaced the rear coil springs in my 64 how much less the car swayed in a turn. An approach I have used is to replace all the rubber suspension bushings or at least the ones that are cracked or not centered. Also replace the 4 coil springs and shocks. A little stiffer shock like a KYB might be a good idea for your goal. If still too floaty, maybe install a thicker front sway bar. Not sure if there is a larger version of the rear sway/panhard bar in back available. Also, be sure to have the wheels aligned correctly. There are preferred/revised caster settings for radial tires. A slightly lower profile tire can also help but the l lower you go means less rubber between the wheel and the road so a harder ride.

Mine was leaking from the pump housing but otherwise was fine. I removed the square cut O-ring housing seal and matched one up at a heavy equipment repair shop. I think it was $5 and that was over 10 years ago. Still holding.

This is the stuff, and can never go wrong with anything 3M. https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Strip-Calk?N=5002385+3293194020&rt=rud

Nice car and so much car for the money when one considers what some pay for JUNK Camaros, Mustangs and the like. Can't beat a Rivy. As a friendly forum member, I will say to not give it away unless you are pressed for cash. Classic car sales are pretty slow now during the holidays and many just can't buy right now. HOWEVER, after the first of the year, with Spring coming, people getting the car show fever, tax refund checks on the way, the market picks up a lot. Solid Black Plate Cali car? There is a guy in the rust-belt mid-west right now drooling over your car but can't buy til March.

BUMP If anyone has a set of Road Wheels and you don't want to be bothered with packing and shipping I can have them picked up by a UShip carrier. THX. Anywhere on West Coast is OK to keep shipping costs reasonable.

IMO, Ebay has really gone downhill. Low bids and lots of Kooks. I listed my 81 Corniche and pulled it after a few days. Its on Hemmings now and getting a good response. I know, you're buying and not selling. Ebay might be good for buying as sellers may appreciate and deal with a serious educated buyer who actually has money to buy a car. Might find a good car for a good price. Fuzzy logic but this arena seems to be in constant flux.

Need a set of 15" Road Wheels . Ones from the 70s and 80s are OK. Need not be perfect but suitable for a driver. If you have flat center caps thats a bonus. I'm in San Diego so if in SoCal, I can pick up Paul

I used to think yes, but now no. I recently used some on a nearly scratch free stainless radiator shell to clean the metal. Unfortunately, it instilled some fine scratches. Mother's has a metal polish which I THINK is less abrasive

$400 is a fair price. Maybe it was worth a little more like $500 but not much IMO. For $900, Quality Restorations will rebuild your old wheel from the metal frame up so the materials are new. An original wheel is 50+ years old and it would be a bummer to pay $800 for one that is crack free only to have it inevitably crack. Then you have a $100 wheel. Personally, I'm getting the JB Weld out and fixing my cracks.

Seafoam. Thank You , Thank You, Thank You.

Hi All, I am looking at a 72 Pontiac Grand Prix. Does anyone know if GM stamped a VIN on the frame of their cars that matches the tag on the dash at the base of the windshield? If so, where on the frame? I posted this in the Pontiac site but thought I would also ask my Riviera Brothers too. Thanks!