JanZverina

For a novice to the vintage car world, the best advice I can offer is this: BRING ALONG A GOOD MECHANIC AND MAKE IT WORTH HIS TIME & EFFORT. Have him also check for rust and corrosion. If you pay him $100-$200 for his time but he says look at another car, consider that a great investment. You just saved yourself thousands, if not more!

Let me throw out one more question to all of you gents. Since I lowered my tire pressure to 24 psi from ~32 with good results in rise, would that drop affect the front end alignment? My alignment guy offers a no-charge follow-up so that's not an issue. As JohnRex suggests, should I also have him add some positive caster with the radials now set at 24 psi? I apologize for not being fully up to snuff on this subject.

Hi jframe, I'll leave it to the members who are more knowledgeable than myself to respond, but as far as I know, lower than recommended PSIs on radials will shorten tire life. But with most vintage cars, it's not miles but time that dictates the life of a tire.

Thanks everyone for your input - all very interesting and full of useful tips. This weekend I lowered the TPs to 24 PSI front/ 26 rear. It made a pretty substantial difference in both ride smoothness and whatever steering feel large cars had half a century ago. I guess I always thought radial tires should be run at higher PSIs. Rodney, I can believe that new seat cushions definitely factor into the rise/comfort equation. That's on my list. The next big project is door skins off to chase some window rattles and make sure everything is good before I install a full rubber kit for the front and rear side glass including vent window seals, fuzzies, and everything else. Got them from Rubber the Right Way which is only a couple miles for me, but as mentioned elsewhere on this forum they also source from Steele and SoffSeal. Will take some pix when that project gets underway. Thanks again - the participation on this forum is outstanding!

All good advice - thanks! Will report back after the weekend. Winston, thorough warm-ups are routine for me with both the Riv and my E-type. That's been the key to the exhaust systems lasting a long time on both cars - and protecting my wallet from a severe fiscal shock!

Winston: Drill the hole at the lowest point near an end flange, right? Are we talking a tiny hole? Tom: Re lower PSI - a Post-it is already on my console before a test drive this weekend. Should I take down the rear tires to the same level as well? I have air shocks in the rear just to get a 3/8 to 1/2 inch of lift. Of course I have to add air every two weeks or so but that's no problem given the checklist we go through for any vintage car. Many thanks to all of you!

"The jarring on potholes, tars strips, and almost any road imperfection may be due to the new springs." Thanks for your response, Bernie - lots of good info (and wisdom) to be sure. But I did not have new springs installed. The steering assist feels just like it did before so no dramatic change there. My first step will be to lower the PSI in the tires. I normally keep them about 34-35 so I'll dial them back and see how things feel from there.

Thanks KongaMan and JZ Riv, I didn't mean to imply that all the other front end parts were original. The odo shows about 90,000 miles and maybe it's 190K for all I know. When I bought the car in 2013, it was from the daughter of the original owner, and the service history file she provided was not that complete except for one thing: annual receipts from Midas Muffler that showed various muffler system components being replaced every spring, most likely at the insistence of her father having them honor their lifetime warranty. My mechanic really inspected the ball joints carefully leveraging them for any signs of play (I assisted him with the full inspection) but you both have a good point with the control arm bushings. That may be for another day.

This week I picked up my ’63 Riviera from a trusted alignment specialist in the San Diego area after having several front end items replaced after a thorough inspection in which I participated: my original center link was rebuilt by Rare Parts -- sorry Kongaman, no old parts were returned despite my mechanic saying he did ask.) Also replaced were the front strut bushings and idler arm (new or NOS Moog parts); and new Monroe shocks (nothing fancy) were installed. Other than repacking the wheel bearings/replacing the WB seals, and snugging up the steering box, all other front suspension/steering components were declared in good health, as were the body bushings. The front end was of course aligned. I also replaced the four track bar bushings in the rear, which were not in that bad shape to begin with. Every mechanic who sees this car is amazed at its rust-free condition underneath and throughout. Does the car ride and steer better? Yes, there’s a noticeable improvement but hitting a pothole (yes, we have one or two out here) or an uneven manhole cover is still more of a jarring experience than I would think. I’m sure a few of you have owned your ‘63s since new, and I know that like most cars of that era, steering and overall handling was always pretty vague at best for a car of this size. Which leads me to my question in the caption. What I’m not asking is for ways to firm up the ride handling or steering response -- I’m aware of the numerous discussions on better shocks, springs, and steering boxes but I want my car to ride like it did back in the day, even though I do have radials on it. My question simply has to do with isolation from harsher road surfaces. I also realize that body insulation/road isolation have come a long way in 55 years. But was the Riv known for a “magic carpet ride” when it first came out? Thanks in advance!

Hi Adrian, Jason is right, IMO, and not only because we JZs stick together. I did a forum post a week or so ago about replacing the centerlink on my '63. My mechanic had me in the car up on the lift moving the steering wheel side to side as fast and sharply as I could while he was down there inspecting things. He also had me do the same routine with the engine on (brave soul!). Rare Parts was recommended by a few regulars on this forum -- but RP first needs your core or a usable one to rebuild if you decide to do so. I should be getting my CL back later this week or early next (fingers crossed) so I'll keep any interested forum members posted. Idler arm and front strut bushings are also being replaced so I think I got off easy, all things considered.

Thanks all for your advice and input, I'm going with Rare Parts - sent my worn center link this week for rebuild. I managed to easily source other parts needed: front strut bushings, idler arm, wheel bearing seals, and rear track bar bushings. Will keep you posted on the progress.

Hello ROA members, I'm (finally) tackling the front end on my '63 Riv and am in need of a center link. Being a good member I searched the forum and see that they are available as rebuilds/refurbished only. Can anyone recommend a good source? I see Rare Parts Inc. does this as well as Summit. Any recommendations? Does anyone have a known good one to part with for a fair price? Thanks in advance for any and all responses!

Yes, that was the first thing I noticed, which set off some caution signals. The paint was also a bit thick but looked OK otherwise. There also was a black '73 with a fairly nice under hood presentation and it sounded very snarly as it was being parked, but the rear window surrounds and fits were really off big-time.

Hi folks, Some pix and links to two first-gen Rivs at last weekend's McCormick Auction in Palm Springs CA. A bronze 1963, which failed to sell at $19K (although the card looks as if someone changed it from $17K or even $11K, while the Reserve looks as if it was changed from $30K to $20K. Just reporting what is backed up by the pix.) The car had lots of bondo but the A/C system looked to be all there. The large vacuum tank on the driver's inner fender was absent, maybe because there was a newish brake booster and dual master cylinder installed. That white square on the driver's side inner fender is actually a jacking instructions sticker. First time I've ever seen one there. Sorry, no more info is available online even though it had a lot number of 065. Maybe when the final results are posted... The Desert Beige 1964 was considerably nicer except for a very overstuffed dash pad covering and rectangular exhaust tips. This one has more pix online at http://www.classic-carauction.com/auction-cars?auctionid=9578. For those interested in other Buicks, there also was a very nice white 1960 Electra convertible but no online description that I can find. McCormick usually posts final results within a week or so. Some pix of the 63 and 63 Rivs below.

Thanks, Konga Man. Just one set for the track bar, right? Can you or someone else also tell me if the other rear suspension bushings are still available or what is getting rare for a '63? Thanks!

Do those bushings fit a '63 as well or is there some subtle difference we need to be aware of?

I'll second that on Gordon. I ordered mine from him quite some time ago and they've been flawless. Gordon might also tell you they're even good for RHD models Down Under, if you've read about his recent adventures there. Rock on, Gordon! -Jan

Thanks Kongaman. Have you had success with the aerosol for this particular application? Maybe 3m "super" adhesive will do the trick here in warmer San Diego. I'll keep your recommendation in mind. Kind regards --

Thanks, Scott. I'll try the Stay-Put before it's banned here as well.

Thanks all. I just checked into 3M 90 adhesive and naturally, it's no longer available in CA. Lacquer thinner is not far behind. I better stock up.

Can anyone tell me what is the best adhesive to use for gluing the black vinyl inserts on the center stack/console of a '63? I've tried a few, mostly 3M products, the latest being the 3M 77 adhesive, and after a few weeks the edges start to lift. I've been careful to prep the surface with a prep solvent or mineral spirits, and nothing seems to help. I'm not sure if its the adhesive or the prep that's to blame. Or me, of course. Thanks!

Thanks for the tutorial, jsgun. I've been looking for a 'Chapman' lock for some time for my '63, so this was the clue I needed. Unfortunately the first lock they sent me was defective - one could not push in the lock plunger even when the cable was perfectly straight. But they made good on it and sent me another one. And yes, drilling the firewall hole was lots of fun, especially make sure not to drill into the back of the brake booster. So a punch came in handy to mark the spot and confirm from the engine compartment side before drilling began. Here are some pix - I painted the bracket semi-gloss black to blend in a bit. Thanks again! (Sorry that the first one is sideways - is there a way to rotate them after they are posted?)

I bought five new Mastercraft P235R/75R15 whitewall radial tires from Summit Racing for about $70 each, a LOT less than the new breed of "vintage" tire companies. They're quiet and track well, even with my semi-worn front end that's on my to-do list. The whitewall band is a bit thinner than what was stock for '63, but I like the look a lot better as my Riv originally came with the base-level wheel covers, which to me are a perfect match for Teal Mist w/white leather interior. Yes, the whitewalls look a bit yellow in the pix but one shot of Westley's 'Bleche White' and they're snow white again. I drive this Riv pretty often!

Hi Kaber, One of the first things I did when I bought my '63 was to have the core replaced with the high-efficiency kind, which has smaller but more fins, with as fat a core as the original upper and lower tanks would take. I had it done at a radiator rebuilding shop here in San Diego for about $400 all in, IIRC. Looks stock for the most part but I also want reliability in warmer SoCal weather and any traffic congestion.

Outstanding. If I only had the extra garage space, a Sport Wagon like that would be there.