Who has the earliest Documented 63 with a 425?

[tim63riv]

HI everyone!

There has been some discussion recently about the availablity of the 425 in 1963 Riviera's. I was wondering about when the engine was actually installed in a production '63. Tom Moooney has some documentation that would seem to equate to a November/December 1962 time frame. So, let's see who has the earliest documented '63 Riviera with a 425! Let the games begin!

Thanks,

Tim McCluskey

[RivNut]

Tim,

I have the Oct. '62 Mechanics Illustrated in which Tom McCahil tested the 63 Riv. The car he drove for the test was equipped with a 425. Was it perhaps a test mule that belonged to the PR people? If not, it would appear that the 425 was available right off the bat. As your probably aware, the '63 Chassis manual has no reference to the 425 in it.

Ed

[tim63riv]

Ed,

Tom Mooney has a Buick Service Bulletin from December of 62 telling of the release of the 425 in the Riviera. I wouldn't think that it was available for ordering much before the December/January time frame. Still no replies from any 63 Riviera 425 owners yet!

Thanks,

Tim

[Jolly_John]

I have a 1963 Riviera with the 425 in it. If I post the VIN number here, will that give you guys the info you need to date my car? If not, tell me what number to look for. John in Wisconsin

[RivNut]

John in WI

The VIN won't tell you that information. The build date of your car is coded on the Fisher Body Trim plate which in on the firewall on the driver's side.

There will be a two number code followed by a letter. The two numbers represent the month, and the letter represents the week of the month. For example 03D would be the 4th week in March. 03 for March, D for the fourth week (A,B,C,D) The FB number for a 1964 will be the sequencial number out of 40,000 that were built that year.

Anxious to see what you have. If you have access to the members' only section of the ROA website, there's a complete breakdown of all the codes in the that section under the <span style="text-decoration: underline">Article</span> link and the <span style="text-decoration: underline">code/trim </span>button.

Ed

[Jim Cannon]

John-

I would also like to know what the engine code is on the deck of the engine block. 2 letters, beginning with J, and 3 numbers. Let me know if you need help finding it.

[Jolly_John]

Hi, Guys. Just back from my storage area. Here's what I discovered on my '63 Riv, with 425 engine.

First for Jim...on the engine #: the numbers stamped in the front deck of the block are JW478.

Ed, On the trim tag: I found the code OID at the upper left. I can check this code again, but I'm pretty sure that is an "I" in the middle, not a "1". The code I just gave you above is either three letters, or a number-letter-letter).

Any comments about this? John in Wisconsin

[Jim Cannon]

Thanks, John!

What is the FB number on the data plate above the brake booster? It should be somewhere between 18,000 and 19,500.

The numbers/letter in the upper left might look like the letter "I" to you, but it has to be the number one. You have 01D, which is 4th week in January 1963. You are now OFFICIALLY the earliest documented '63 Riviera with a 425 CI engine.

You are also the FIRST and ONLY '63 Riviera documented with a 425 CI engine! Until the next person comes along with an earlier date on their data plate.

Just to make sure that this engine is the one that the car left the factory with in 1963, can you also confirm that the VIN stamped on the engine block deck (driver's side of block, across from where you found the engine production code) exactly matches the VIN on the little stainless steel plate attached to the body?

Thanks!

[Jolly_John]

Hey Jim, you're making me feel special...at least until someone with an earlier build date checks in!!!

In answer to your most recent question, my FB number from the data plate is: FB18731. And yes, the other number/letter combination on the front deck of the engine across from the engine number does match the VIN. I never noticed that below. This is interesting and educational! Best, John

[tim63riv]

John,

Congratulations, you are in the lead! In fact, currently you are the only one in the race! Let's see how long your status holds up!

Thanks,

Tim

[Guest Gee_Rydes]

I think that is 1 in a row so far

[RivNut]

Hey Jolly John,

Your Riv and mine are almost exactly the same age. Your FB number is 18731, mine is 18733; yours must be all of 5 minutes older than mine. I looked at my Fisher Body Plate and it also has an O1D code on it - it is definitely a 1.

My car was sold to Pat Murphy Buick in Ponca City, OK and sold to K.E. Harwell of Tulsa, OK on Mar, 8, 1963. I bought it from him on Oct. 19, 1982. Never at that time did I ever think that I would own it longer than he did. But, I've only put 70K of the 197K miles on it. What are some of the other options that your car has.

My VIN is 7J1053639, what's yours? I'm curious as to whether there is any sequence to the VIN's.