Guest RiVRAT 63 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 hey guys!so im new to this whole forum thing but i have been told they can be really help full.im a 18 year old kid in the process of build a custom 63 buick riviera iv been kind of learning as a go with some things but for the most part iv been doing good. i am looking to upgrade the rear end from the 3:23 open to something that is posi? im not sure what to do. swap the rear end, change the gears..... i dont wanna do something that will bite me in the ass later down the road. any ideas will helpthanks dante Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Welcome to the Forum and to the world of Rivieras, Dante!My advice is to leave the rear axle as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Your riv has a unique rear end with a 9 3/8 inch ring gear. Just finding original parts for it can be a challenge! Finding a posi is possible but it must come from a 63, 64, or. 65 Riviera. Expensive, heavy and the best upgrade is to a 3.42.... Not exactly a big % gain. Personally, my 65 has 3.23 open rear in it and it is my favorite balance between giddy up and highway compatibility. Keep your eyes peeled for a 3.42 but rest assured your 3.23's will serve you well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 As you'll read if past and future threads, these posi units are made of 'unobtainium.' Very expensive when and if you ever find one. In your post you don't elaborate on what you intend to do with your car - keep it stock, personalize it, or go with an all out custom of some sort. If you're going to go all out, one possiblility would be to swap in a complete 9" Ford rear end. Some of the pick-up units are 59" wide, just like your Riivera. Posi units, lockers, different gear ratios, axles, etc. are easlily found for these. You'd need to fabricate all of the brackets for hanging it and modify your driveshaft for a differen U-joint at the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Ted and Ed speak the truth.Take my advice, leave it like it is. There are many other things to better spend you money on than this.Oh, and let me save you a lot of grief down the road: Do not put the Dynaflow transmission in that car into the Low range to start, run it up to 30 or 40 MPH, and then push the selector up to the regular Drive position under full power (to accelerate more quickly that you can starting out in Drive). I did that when I was your age, until I learned how it will blow out internal seals in the transmission. The tranny was not designed to be operated that way. It will put up with a few times, maybe several times (Detroit built some tough iron in the '60s!) but eventually the weakest seal will blow. Remember, the parts in there are up to 50 years old.The Low position is to give you a little extra boost climbing a steep ramp (in a parking garage, pulling a boat/trailer up a ramp at the lake, that sort of thing). Once you have used Low, when at low speed or stopped, Buick expected you to put it back into Drive. You will be getting the transmission rebuilt a whole lot sooner if you manually shift it at high speed under load from L to D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RiVRAT 63 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 sorry about that, so far its been pretty custom, i have done front and soon to do disk brake conversions, swapped the dinoflow for a th400, air suspension, all that good stuff haha. so you are thinking that swaping it out for a 9'' ford rear end would work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Keep in mind a posi carrier from any lower ratio gear set, like the more typical 3:07, will work with your 3:23 gears...just swap the gears. I just sold a relatively low mileage `65 posi with 3:23 gears for $475. You should be able to find a 3:07 posi for $300 to $400 and you will have a set of lower gears should you want to experiment with them. The 3:42 and higher gear ratios require a different and much rarer carrier-that is why they are expensive, about double the above price estimate. Tom Mooney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 It's probably not something that a DIY'er should undertake, but a reputable rod shop should be able to do it. (It would not be fun to have a weld brake while driving down the highway.) If you've already done a disc swap on the front, look for a Lincoln Versailles rear end for the back. It will already have disc brakes on it. The axles would probably have to be redrilled to a 5" bolt pattern and you'd have to find the rear gears you want. I'm assuming that if you've installed front discs, you've already swapped out the master cylinder.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now