Silver Arrow I

[steelman]

Just came across some great pictures of Silver Arrow I. I have not seen these posted here, so I thought I would add them. Lots of discussion about this car, but not many pictures. From the Sloan Museum in Flint MI. Enjoy. I did.

Buick Automotive Gallery

[J3Studio]

Great pictures - dig the real (or at least more real) rear brake vents!

[RivNut]

Okay all of you Riviphiles, start listing all of the changes that Bill Mitchell made to the stock Riviera to come up with the Silver Arrow I. Odin Loe and I spent about almost two hours pouring over SAI when it was displayed at the ROA meet in Eureka Springs, AR in 2005. We came up with quite a list. I'm wondering if any of you came up with something we didn't?

Ed

[steelman]

Okay all of you Riviphiles, start listing all of the changes that Bill Mitchell made to the stock Riviera to come up with the Silver Arrow I. Odin Loe and I spent about almost two hours pouring over SAI when it was displayed at the ROA meet in Eureka Springs, AR in 2005. We came up with quite a list. I'm wondering if any of you came up with something we didn't?

Ed

Harder to do from pictures than in person, and I don't want to go first. As an ISCA official, I am pretty good at this, so I don't want to spoil the fun. I will tell you my initial number is 28.

[CheezeMan]

Actually this was well covered in the Riview. Bill Mitchell had this car modified in several phases over many months, so the car as it is now is the last iteration of these changes. I have a complete transcript of this 3-series article. Also, oodles of pictures.

[Bleach]

Actually this was well covered in the Riview. Bill Mitchell had this car modified in several phases over many months, so the car as it is now is the last iteration of these changes. I have a complete transcript of this 3-series article. Also, oodles of pictures.

Any chance of posting any of this or at least the transcipt?

A lot of us "Riviphiles" would like to know.

[RivNut]

It wouldn't be any fun to give all the answers in one post.

[CheezeMan]

Yeah, that is what I was thinking.

However, I can post more pictures!

[steelman]

OK, added eight more to my list. I will give you one of the less obvious ones. The electrical connections for the wires going to the doors is now the more modern buttons, rather than the contiouous wires in the rubber sleeves from the door jamb to the door. Thanks, Chuck.

[NCBRIJEN]

Steelman:

AWESOME!!! Thanks for posting these... makes me jealous....:-)

[RivNut]

I finally got my old computer to boot and found the document that Odin and I made up. We came up with 41 modifications to a stock '63 Riviera. It wasn't that hard to do when we had SAI sitting right next to a stock Riv. The only difficult part we had when dealing with SAI on a daily basis in Eureka Springs was pushing it off and back on the transport every day. It doesn't run any longer and I've heard that GM has no intetions of bringing it back to life.

Ed

[1965rivgs]

Too bad. When I last heard it run it was obvious all it needed was a fresh set of plugs. I offered to install them but no dice. My argument was that it would have been much easier than pushing it.

Also a shame the turbo Mitchell had installed by the engine shop was not still in place as well as the earlier wire wheels. Oh well, it`s still a beautiful concept,

Tom Mooney

[mt65riv]

Thanks for posting this. Amazing car! It must have been driven some looking at the floors. Weird to see surface rust on the A pillar. And why are there two door switches? Been a long time since I had my 63's (both in the '80s) and never paid attention to that.

That interior is my favorite! I'd almost buy a '63 just for that.

[George Buick Riviera]

Weird to see surface rust on the A pillar.

Also noted it ..... very strange

[Yellowriv]

Might be easier to list what hasn't been changed.....

Bill Mitchell loved wide whitewalls, I've seen a late model Eldo of his with these on.

It strikes me that late in their designing lives some great designers who grew up or started their careers in the classic (pre war) went back there, the Silver Arrow clearly harks back to this period. Virgil Exner did also in the sixties, with his Duesenberg revival concept. Gordon Buehrig worked on a 30s revival concept in the 70s, Brooks Stevens with the Excalibur and so on...

[Guest Kahuna28]

Love this car!! I do have a couple of questions that I've not been able to find the answers to...

Is that a clock in the center console? I had thought it was a tach, but it sure looks like a clock and a fuel gauge? where the clock is on the production Riv.

And I'd live to know how the grill works... It looks like there are doors in the grill that open for air, Is that true?? If so, how did they work, do they manually open with a lever or some other means?? I love the clean look, I'm just really curious... maybe a clamshell type mechanism??

I've got to see this in person.. Is it at the heritage center??

[CheezeMan]

Yes, that's a clock. I think that grill opens. Not sure if it is manual switch or some auto-temp controlled, though.

The car is at the Buick Research Gallery, in Flint. If you come this summer during Sloan Auto Show (June 23-24), your admission ticket gets you into the Research Gallery also.

Edited March 13, 2012 by CheezeMan (see edit history)

[Guest Kahuna28]

The Sloan museum auto fair? That would be cool to see the research gallery, I've never been. That happens to be my birthday, I may have to treat myself!!

I'm really curious about the grill, I've never seen it "open"...

[steelman]

OK, time to see if I qualify for what Ed calls a “Riviphile”. Have to keep in mind that I have a slight advantage being a 63 owner. (Even if it is 1200 miles away right now.) This is my list of changes to Silver Arrow I when compared to a stock '63 Riviera.

1. This one is a “gimme”. Says so right on the placard, top chopped 2” or more. But did you also notice…

2. The wind wings were eliminated at the same time?

3. Hood front is cut off and molded to the front fenders. ISCA would count this as 2, one for the hood itself and another for molding the removed piece to the fenders.

4. Grille louvers.

5. Grille emblem. Looks like a ’65 trunk emblem.

6. Lower bumper ends molded to the front fenders. Props if you caught this, as it is hard to see.

7. Front bumper guards removed.

8. Hood emblem changed.

9. Hood release moved to under the upper front bumper.

10. Hidden headlights. Look close and you can see that the upper 2/3 retracts like a 65 revealing the headlight.

11. Where did the front turn signals go? May be in place of the cornering lights below the headlights, but not where they were. Headlights are there now. Wish they were all that way.

12. Driver’s side mirror changed. Looks like a later GM sport mirror.

13. Side mirror added to the passenger side. Matches the driver’s side. As a stock ’63 didn’t have one here at all, I am counting it.

14. 65 rocker trim added.

15. The obvious rear brake vents.

16. Riviera script emblem removed from the front lower fenders.

17. Emblems added to each fender just below the belt line. I assume these say “Silver Arrow” like the trunk. Oops, haven’t got that far yet.

18. Molding removed from under the rear window and vents added here. (Count as one or two?)

19. There is also an emblem of some kind between these.

20. Lower half of the rear bumper is painted lower body color.

21. Which brings up the two tone paint.

22. Tail lights look like they have 65 lenses and grilles. I like them.

23. B-U-I-C-K lettering removed from the trunk. As these are all separate letters, can I count this as 5 changes?

24. “Silver Arrow” emblem custom made and added to the lower right trunk.

25. Hubcaps. I agree that wires, or even the stock ’63 turbine wheel caps would look better.

26. Moving to the interior, the first thing you see is that great steering wheel.

27. Clock added to the console.

28. Wood grain added to the console.

29. Tach added to the dash right of the column.

30. Fuel gauge where clock was between the speedo and tach.

31. Turn indicator stalk and end changed.

32. Column cover is now polished, rather than the factory ribbed unit.

33. Shift ball is now wood.

34. Shift pattern on console changed. This probably had to do with swapping to a Turbo trans.

35. Not sure if I see an upholstered floor mat or that is part of the carpet, but the driver’s floor is different.

36. The seats have several changes. Start with raised backs.

37. Front seat buns look like ’68 Corvette or maybe ’71 Camaro. But not stock ’63 Riviera.

38. Backs of rear seats also raised.

39. Rear power window switches moved to the rear center armrest.

40. Wait, ‘63’s didn’t have a rear center armrest?

41. Rubber wiring sleeves were removed from the door jambs and replaced by two contact buttons. Does that mean the windows won’t work with the doors open?

42. Not a lot to see in the engine compartment, but we have a few that are puzzling. Valve covers painted black. 65 GS covers would have looked better here.

43. Air cleaner changed. Why, oh why would you replace the HUGE and beautiful ’63 air cleaner with something so utilitarian?

44. Looks like a high output alternator where the stock power steering pump was. Have to assume the power steering pump was moved lower below it this like a later model GM.<O:p</O:p

Edited March 14, 2012 by steelman (see edit history)

[lrlforfun]

OK Riviera People: Has anyone tried to clone this car? After looking at the entire car and reading the thread I really don't know if I like this car that much. Some of the changes are kind of creepy, especially those hub caps. Mitch

[Bleach]

In the transcript that describes the modifications of the Silver Arrow, there is a mention that the original 401 was replaced with a 425 in one of the early phases.

This would mean that the information regarding the engine on the sign about the car in the Sloan museum is incorrect.