hello im going to be a new riviera owner

[Guest redhotpipe]

hello if all goes well im going to have a 73 riviera tonight. jus thought id sign up here because im sure ill have a lot of questions. what im not sure about is if it will be stock or a hotrod.

[Guest Ranger]

Welcome to the world of the Riviera, hope you get what you want tonight, (re: your car). Make sure to stop back and let us know what you have. You'll find a lot of help on this forum and you might want to check into joining the Riviera Owners Association for more help and activities. This coming year will be our celebration of the 50th year of the introduction of the Riviera.

Good Luck,

Jim Wright

[JZRIV]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the 73. don't be afraid to post at least your first name and where region of the country you are from. This is a friendly place.

Best money spent after the purchase is a 73 Buick chassis service manual and membership in ROA.

We look forward to hearing more abour car.

[Guest Steeleco]

Hello R.H.P.,

Can you post some pictures of your new Riv?

Thanks

[Guest redhotpipe]

weeel i have to make the descision by morning. i picked it up today and the bottom and frame solid. the things im having a hard time dealing with is the bottom of rear quartes and interior. the quarters were fixed once and not that well. the chrome wheell trim doesnt even follow the body or vs/vs. the interior is a mess. seat covers and carpet no problem changing. but door panels not so bad but color not good. top of dash brown, lower dash tan, seats and door panels beige i think. if i could find parts i wouldnt be shy but the cost of a guy trying to make quarter panel pieces scares me, oh ya i think there is a 1/2" of gooy zbart on it. talk me into it if you can. tell me where to ger parts.:confused:

[JZRIV]

ROA has many member dealers and other sources of parts new and used. Post some pics of the car. You need to proceed with caution. Evaluate what your plans are for the car and how much each phase is going to cost. it is very easy to get exponentially upside down in investment vs market value. I don't want to sound discouraging but Boat tails are not the best model to buy if the car needs alot of parts. While parts can be located, it requires patience and persistence to find them at a reasonable price.

Get under the car and check the floors and trunk by poking around with a sharp object to see if you can poke through. Hopefully the floors are all soild.

Edited November 16, 2012 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[RivNut]

To kind of go along with Jason's words of wisdom, get the car running well and drive it. If you fall in love with it, then plan your restoration. Are you wanting a 400 point show car or do you want a 20/20* car to have fun driving. Then go from there. If you're not already a member of the ROA, it's a top dollar restoration investment. Check the classifieds for the salvage yards in AZ that sell rust free parts.

Ed

*20/20 car - Looks good from twenty feet at twenty miles per hour.

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

hello if all goes well i'm going to have a 73 riviera tonight. just thought id sign up here because i'm sure ill have a lot of questions. what i'm not sure about is if it will be stock or a hotrod.

You will be in a group of some famous Riv owners...

Good luck with the Buick.