ericw Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 I have a 64 Riviera, the short story is that the engine is shot, hole through one of the pistons. I have a friend who has offered me a 64 engine out of an Electra. Will this bolt up to my tranny?Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim63riv Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 Eric,Short answer is the engine will fit. Your Riviera came with a 425, the Electra engine could be a 401 or a 425 if that is a concern to you. Nailheads are getting rare out in the world, and even with a hole in piston, your engine should be looked at as a candidate for a rebuild. The crankshaft, timing cover, cylinder heads and even the block if it is repairable all have some value.Good luck with the engine swap and get the Riv back on the road where it belongs!Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericw Posted July 8, 2007 Author Share Posted July 8, 2007 Tim, my car actually died on the hiway. At first I thought it was just the water pump which failed so badly that the fan , shaft and all came out and went into the radiator. By chance I had met a guy who lived 10 miles away who had said he knew something about Buicks. He towed it to his shop. It ends up that he has a building full of Buick NOS items. He is almost done with a 64 Riviera. He has a yard with 20 or more parts Rivvys. I got the Radiator from him and the water pump. It is his opinion that the 401 is a better engine because there is more "block" left. Ther cost of rebuilding the 425 I have in the car would be too much money for my car. It has a decent interior but not a show car. I was amazed how well the car did drive. Fast and powerful,smooth. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim63riv Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Eric,Some of the Nailhead guys like the 401 for that reason, others like the 425 just because of the larger displacement. I would like to hear more about the parts Rivvy's as I'm just north of you in Minnesota and have 2 63's I'm keeping on the road!Welcome to the list!Tim McCluskey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericw Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 I sent you private mail about the parts. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Interesting that the car just died. What led to the diagnosis of a hole in a piston? And what is the mileage on the engine? If the engin is in the 90-110 milage range, go for a new timing chain and gears before yanking it. You may find that's all she needs. It's happened to more Buicks I've owned than I care to think about. The good news is it is not that hard a job, and everyone of them came back to life. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericw Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 I was driving along and I heard a clicking noise, then a pile of steam coming from the hood. I pulled over and the fan had imbedded itself into the radiator. The whole water pump broke. The replacement pump was so much better built. It had 4 blades and was heavier. I had it towed the next day and after replacing the water pump, radiator, belts and hoses we tried to fire it up. It backfired. We pulled the plugs and the coil wire and turned it over to see if there was compression. One cylinder had none. Used a metal wire to check for piston and no top. The pan below the intake manifold was badly warped. It looked like the gas had gone past the pston and ignited elsewhere. The engine was supposeably rebuilt but it seemed to lope a lot at lower speed. I only had the car for 650 miles. I don't know who to trust. I am no great mechanic. The person who sold me the car was dishonest. The guy helping me is probably more interested in getting the car for parts. I am half tempted to junk it and chalk it up to a valuable lesson. The free engine I have been told is good. I have to weigh all of this. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 So, If you can replace the water pump and radiator, you can pull the heads to see what is really wrong with the car. That is where I would start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim63riv Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Eric,I won't bail on the Riviera just yet. You have a known good 401 sourced for it already. Without getting up close and personal with the engine code, no one will ever know the 425 has left the building, so to speak! If you want to know more about the status of the 425, it would be very simple to pull the intake manifold and valley cover to see what caused the dent. Also, look at the spark plug that you pulled from the cylinder with the broken piston. If the electrode is damamged, then chances are good that the cylinder walls are scored and that cylinder would have to be bored out or sleeved to make it serviceable again. It may be hard for you to believe, but that possibly blown up Nailhead still has some value!Good Luck and keep me posted!Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericw Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Tim, well I think I will drag it the 40 more miles home and pull the engine. At this point I don't have much to lose!!. Here I can get some shade atleast. Thanks for the support. I am sure I will be posting more as I tear into this thing. What blue is your 63? I have looked at a lot of Rivvys but have yet to see one like my Grandmother's, Dark Blue with white leather interior. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim63riv Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Eric,My Blue 63 was originally Teal Mist, paint code "P". It was given a used car paint job somewhere along the line in a color very close to Marlin Blue, paint code "F". It is now very faded, but is still fun to drive! It does have an immaculate White leather interior. My other 63 is Black with black leather. I can give you some pointers on swapping out the engine if you would like, let me know!Thanks,Tim McCluskey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericw Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Tim, Thanks. I am sure I will be needing a lot of help. EricYour cars sound great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericw Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 Tim , I sent you a pm on the parts. Eric(not sure if I did that correctly) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim63riv Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Eric,Worked fine!Thanks,Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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