1963 Riviera air filter housing color

[Guest Steeleco]

Hello, I' have purchased the proper decals for my air cleaner and intend to paint it tomorrow. I know the 63 air cleaner is red but should it be a wrinkle paint or gloss etc., to be close to original?

Thanks

[Bleach]

It has a wrinkle finish. Here was mine from the '63 Riv.

[Guest Steeleco]

Thanks Bleach, just to overbake this a little my question is if I paint the top with wrinkle paint will the decal look funny or should I paint the top with something that is not a wrinkle paint?

[Bleach]

The center piece was not a decal. It was a circular piece of sheet metal with script painted on it.

[RivNut]

Paint the entire assembly the reddish wrinkle color.

The decal is a cheap alternative? Look at the CARS website www.oldbuickparts.com and find the screen printed aluminum disk. I've tried, unsuccessfully, a couple of times to try and install one of the decals. 1) it's almost impossible to get the surface smooth enough so the decal lies flat, and 2) it's too easy to trap air bubbles under the decal. Plus, they look like decals. The screen printed disk looks factory. It's well worth the extra bucks.

Do a google image search and find pictures of original colored air cleaners. They're not really red, they have an orange cast to them. Most guys can't find a suitable match for the OE color and wind up painting the air cleaner too red; others go to far to the orange shade. Hopefully there's a good spot left on yours to find a correct color. The sad part is that the correct color doesn't come in a wrinkle paint. What to do, what to do?

Ed

Edited May 4, 2013 by RivNut (see edit history)

[tenugent]

Ed-how about red wrinkle with a orange candy over it until you get the desired color-just a thought.T.Nugent roa 12969...

[1965rivgs]

I like orange candy...

Tom

[Guest Ranger]

I agree with Ed on the screen printed aluminum disc, but since you have the decal (and if you don't have the disc to put the decal on), give it a try and see how it looks. You might want to have a multiple bulb heat lamp or heat gun ready to speed up/complete the wrinkle process.

Good Luck!

Jim Wright

[Guest Steeleco]

Hey Jim, Tom Ed and Bleach, I certainly appreciate everyones thoughts on this. Someone who owned this car before me put a "465" decal on it. When I bought the car I was skeptical and just assumed since it was a 63 that it was only a "445". Well, here is picture of what it looks like now. I hope it looks better when I'm done.

[RivNut]

Steele,

That's a good color to match. I'd suggest the red wrinkle paint then a top coat with something closer to the original color. Even using an aftermarket wrinkle paint will not get you the factory "wrinkles" that you want. I don't know of any other way to get the desired effect. I haven't tried this for a number of years, perhaps there's something new on the market that I'm not aware of. Anyone else?

Unless the decal you have is applied like the mirror film on tinted windows, where you soap both sides and squeegie out the water, and your air cleaner plate is smooth as glass, no amount of heat will help you get that decal on the way you'll like it. I tried heat, squeegies, pin holes, and all sorts of other tricks of the trade but it still looked like an 8 year old's attempt to put decals on a model plane. I used to work for a company that specialized in vinyl repairs and "other cosmetic operations" on cars. Nothing I knew would work. Decals, like paint, just seem to accenuate any flaws.

Ed

[petelempert]

Steelco-I tried a VHT spray wrinkle red and not only was it too blood red, the wrinkle finish was really inconsistent. Eventually, I had mine powder coated with a color called Red Baron. It is probably a little on the red side versus the factory color but interestingly it is an exact match to the printed aluminum reproduction disc mentioned above. To my eye the CARS disc, which is beautiful BTW, is not the correct color either. Ed is right, the factory color seems to have some orange in it. Regardless, the disc and my powder coated air cleaner now match really well, look great and the smooth powder coat doesn't trap dirt like the wrinkle finish. As a hint to anyone buying the disc, try painting the edges where the halves of the disc meet with a small brush before assembly. Let it dry, then assemble. By painting the leading edge, it seems to blend the seam line. Even a perfectly applied disc shows a hairline of silver at the seam when you look down at the motor. A little red paint really diminishes the seam. Good luck. PRL

[Jim Cannon]

The orange hue is because the wrinkle red paint is actually a bit translucent and it is affected by the color of the undercoat layer.

It is very difficult to get a consistent wrinkle height because the paint thickness must be consistent to get it. Any thick paint areas will have very tall wrinkle height.

[Guest Steeleco]

I saw this on Ebay yesterday, I think this guy did a great job. Comments?

The Ebay lister mentioned that he sand blasted it when he reconditioned it.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Steeleco (see edit history)

[Guest Steeleco]

As my car is never going to be show material, here are some photos of the engine compartment before and after a little freshening.

Also a photo of the air cleaner after painting. I guess it looks better. I don't know.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Steeleco (see edit history)

[RivNut]

I saw this on Ebay yesterday, I think this guy did a great job. Comments?[ATTACH=CONFIG]191711[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]191712[/ATTACH]

The Ebay lister mentioned that he sand blasted it when he reconditioned it.

It looks really well done, but if you're going for the factory look, it's too red! I would go so far as to say that in reality it probably looks better than the factory paint because the red paint matches the red in the "decal." But if you're going for that factory exact look, it needs an orange hue to it. This should be easy for anyone to replicate. Go back to post #2 and look at Bleach's un-reconditioned breather. It has the correct color on it where it's not in the shadow.

Ed

PS - he could have done a better job on the metal work on the snorkle.

Edited May 5, 2013 by RivNut (see edit history)

[cobravii]

Interesting thread and a nice job of redoing the air cleaner. At the risk of hijacking I have a couple of questions: 1) did this style of air cleaner always come in red (on all Buicks) or were some black? i want to have a single 4 barrel alternative for my 425 electra. 2) can anyone tell what air filter element this takes?

Thanks,

Larry

[RivNut]

The '63 Riviera's engine was painted in the unique colors - silver/gray engine and red/orange air breather. Other models for '63 had the Buick green engine and black air breathers. In '64 even the Riviera had reverted back to green and black color scheme for the engines. That carried through 1965, except the '65 breather was shaped more conventionally. Of course the A8 Super Wildcat option came the the chrome twin snorkel breather. In '66 the engine in only the Riviera was painted red. The "pancake" breather was unique to the '63 and '64 Rivieras and it came in chrome on the '66 Gran Sport with the single Rochester Quadrajet.

[Guest 1963 Riviera]

The '63 Riviera's engine was painted in the unique colors - silver/gray engine and red/orange air breather. Other models for '63 had the Buick green engine and black air breathers. In '64 even the Riviera had reverted back to green and black color scheme for the engines. That carried through 1965, except the '65 breather was shaped more conventionally. Of course the A8 Super Wildcat option came the the chrome twin snorkel breather. In '66 the engine in only the Riviera was painted red. The "pancake" breather was unique to the '63 and '64 Rivieras and it came in chrome on the '66 Gran Sport with the single Rochester Quadrajet.

HI ED,

Researching color schemes for my air filter (see my next thread), I read with interest your comment "Other models for '63 had the Buick green engine" which reminded me to post this question to the forum. I am a little confused about my engine color as I have previously read that 63's only came in silver. My engine is (matching #'s) green but where the paint is chipped there seems to be silver beneath the green. Could it have been resprayed ? why green ? If you or anybody else could throw some light on this puzzle I would be grateful

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIVIERA !

[Jim Cannon]

Nick-

The most likely scenario is that some well meaning but uninformed restorer in the past painted the engine Buick Green instead of silver.

BTW, I would recommend routing that heater hose under the choke mechanism on the side of the carb. Look in the shop manual. They show it routed along the valve cover, down by the intake manifold. You don't want the heater hose heating up the carb body.

[Guest 1963 Riviera]

Nick-

The most likely scenario is that some well meaning but uninformed restorer in the past painted the engine Buick Green instead of silver.

BTW, I would recommend routing that heater hose under the choke mechanism on the side of the carb. Look in the shop manual. They show it routed along the valve cover, down by the intake manifold. You don't want the heater hose heating up the carb body.

Thanks Jim, makes sense, and thanks for the tip on the heater hose.

[Guest Steeleco]

In regards to Nicks photo that show the carb and heater hose, what is the small hose for at the top of the carb, and what does it connect to, mine is missing.

thanks

[Jim Cannon]

In regards to Nicks photo that show the carb and heater hose, what is the small hose for at the top of the carb, and what does it connect to, mine is missing.

thanks

It is the filtered air supply that runs to the automatic choke, after it goes through the exhaust manifold to get hot.

If you trace his rubber hose, you see a steel line running to the left from it, over the valve cover, under the PCV hose, and over the choke pipe covered in woven insulation. The steel line carries filtered down down, that air gets hot going through the manifold, and gets sucked into the choke housing where the coiil spring opens the choke when it gets hot.

See the shop manual.

Note he does not have the Carter AFB carb on this engine.

[DrP]

"Restoring" my air cleaner as the snorkel is bent- likely PO closed the hood when air cleaner was off. New snorkel is available. I'm told the one for the Chev 409 ci air cleaner is the same. But checking w/my "really" pro painter/body guy - he does concours cars for Pebble Beach event - he prefers straightening the original and he can match the color and crinkle. NOTE: If anyone has a paint color number for the factory finish let me know as it would help my painter to match original. If he gets a close match I'll post info. The circular "Riviera Wildcat 445" aluminum on my air cleaner and black wildcat on snorkel popped off with little effort. The circular "445" piece has some paint missing around the center where I'd bet someone "primed" the carb and gasoline caused the paint to dissolve. I may leave this "effect" as it is part of the archeological remains of PO.

[JanZverina]

I just refinished mine this weekend with VHT red crinkle and it has a pretty consistent (i.e. wrinkled) finish. My theory, and a theory only, is that maybe the red turned a little orange as engine heat cycles yellowed the color after half a century. I used the aluminum circular applique and glued it on with a high quality 3M weather strip adhesive, which is what the original one seemed to be glued with. The "Wildcat" snorkel decal I ordered from OPGI looks flimsier, but I also used the 3M cement as belts and suspenders since I wondered if the self-adhesive would lift after awhile. I also finally received a battery hold-down clamp from OPGI, which was on backorder for months. With the factory size battery (27F IIRC?) I still had to bend the tang that goes in the radiator support by about 1/4-inch to make the crossover clamp fit properly.

[DrP]

I think there maybe another thread on this subject so, at the risk of repeating myself; I have mine at a local body shop where the guy does Pebble Beach concours car repair/paint. He just shot me a price for straightening bends on snorkel and matching/painting original 63 color/crinkle texture. He said he'll use a "special" booth for the finish. He's good and he says he can "nail" it. (No pun intended:D.) Estimate $170. I have the original aluminum "445" and wildcat emblems to put back. Any suggestions for adhesive backing for reapplying original emblems? Tnx. Dale

[Jim Cannon]

Instead of stripping or media blasting the original wrinkle red finish off, sand down through it slowly with fine sandpaper to see what layers of colors are under there.

On mine, I found a base coat color that was a cream yellow, with a dark grey primer under it. The red went on top of the cream. The red paint I used was somewhat translucent. It would show a hint of what was under it. A dark color gave the red a dark hue. A light color will make it look lighter.

I think the cream yellow base coat is what makes the red look a bit more orange.

The base coat was not wrinkled, only the red.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Jim_Cannon (see edit history)

[Jim Cannon]

I just refinished mine this weekend with VHT red crinkle and it has a pretty consistent (i.e. wrinkled) finish. My theory, and a theory only, is that maybe the red turned a little orange as engine heat cycles yellowed the color after half a century. I used the aluminum circular applique and glued it on with a high quality 3M weather strip adhesive, which is what the original one seemed to be glued with. The "Wildcat" snorkel decal I ordered from OPGI looks flimsier, but I also used the 3M cement as belts and suspenders since I wondered if the self-adhesive would lift after awhile. I also finally received a battery hold-down clamp from OPGI, which was on backorder for months. With the factory size battery (27F IIRC?) I still had to bend the tang that goes in the radiator support by about 1/4-inch to make the crossover clamp fit properly.

See my other reply about why the wrinkle red looks a little orange. It is not heat and age.

3M weatherstrip adhesive is good for the aluminum applique. I carefully aligned the disk and used several strong magnets to hold it in position before putting any adhesive on. Then I removed about half the magnets, starting at one side of the seam, and put adhesive under there. After pressing the aluminum disc down, I put the magnets back on to hold the glue tightly. Then I removed the other half of the magnets and put glue under there, press, and put magnets back. I left the magnets on overnight.

The factory correct battery is the Group 27, not the 27F, but it is a good idea to use an "F" battery (with posts reversed). If you don't do that, you have to run the battery cables over the top of the battery and between filler caps, as Buick did originally (see factory photo below), to keep the positive post on the radiator side, not on the fender side. Unless you are going for super-accurate restoration (which I can help you with the details for your '63) it is easier to use a reverse-post battery to keep the positive post on the radiator side without having to bring cables over the top.

I find about 4 out of 5 cars today with the positive post on the fender side with a Group 27 battery. You are just asking for trouble with that. These batteries have been known to hit the underside of the hood and short out, often with explosive results.

The photo below comes from a dealer service bulletin that says if the car has trumpet horns, you should route the positive battery cable between the battery hold down bolt and the battery. This is to prevent the cable from hitting the horn trumpet bell. Even if you don't have trumpet horns, the positive post should be on the radiator side.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

[DrP]

Thanks, Jim, for sharing your expertise and experience with those of us who are newbies at taking care of and restoring these magnificent cars. I'll for sure use your method for renovating the air cleaner. Dale

[Guest dwhiteside64]

I find about 4 out of 5 cars today with the positive post on the fender side with a Group 27 battery. You are just asking for trouble with that. These batteries have been known to hit the underside of the hood and short out, often with explosive results...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]240190[/ATTACH]

(Click on image to enlarge.)

I moved my cables to the correct position almost immediately after buying my car. Thanks for giving us all a heads up on this Jim.

Darren

[Guest tone65riv]

I' m in the process of painting my 65 riv (401) air cleaner, got it down to bare metal , going to paint it satin black. then after it dries, glue the 445 aluminium 445 sticker on. when gluing with 3m weather strip glue, do I spead all over the decal or just around the edges. also how much glue do I need to buy,

Edited March 26, 2014 by tone65riv (see edit history)

[JanZverina]

Hi tone65riv,

I used 3M weatherstrip adhesive (yellow-colored, in a reusable tube) to glue the 'Wildcat 445' circular aluminum disc to the top of my air cleaner, and used the glue very sparingly to attach the small circular Wildcat head decal that goes on the snorkel, which comes with an adhesive backing but it didn't look very sticky to me. If your sticker is actually screen printed on thin-gauge aluminum, I would use a small application of this glue but not get too close to the edges so it doesn't ooze out. If it's really just an 'aluminized' sticker on paper, someone may suggest another method.

[Guest tone65riv]

Jan, Thanks for your input.

Tone

[Ed R]

Thank you guys for your years of responses to help out the newbies like me.   I'm not sure what I'll do with the red/orange crinkle paint yet but I have ordered the aluminum decal.   From my time as an automotive engineer, it's frequent that the colors don't turn out the way intended, especially when attempting to match dissimilar materials.   I would imagine that the decal and the air cleaner housing should have matched.   Ed, '63 Marlin Blue Riviera

[Turbinator]

10 minutes ago, Ed R said:

I would imagine that the decal and the air cleaner housing should have matched.   Ed, '63 Marlin Blue Riviera

Ed, we all try to get it “ right”. Others have referred to 60 year old brochures as a proof source. And the brochure is a great guide, the brochure could fade over 60 years then  maybe not. In the absence of an absolute color ID  number from an automotive color chart who is to know for certain? Trusting my 73 memory at times gives me reason to pause. I’m sure what color (s) you turn out will look good.

Have fun. We do the best we can.

later gator

Turbinator

[RivNut]

The big “decal”,will be a red red; the wrinkle red finish on the breather housing will be more of an orangish red. Buy the screen printed aluminum plate rather than the decal.  Apply enough glue around the edges so that nothing can get under the edge.  To get the glue and plate to adhere smoothly, place a big bag of sand on the plate. The weight will be evenly distributed and the plate will be attached smoothly.  Look for images on Google. 
 

Only the 63 has the Wildcat on the snorkel.  

[Ed R]

Thanks again Ed. 

 

[RIVNIK]

IMO: If you are adept at such jobs 3M spray adhesive is superior to 3M goo in a tube. It's somewhat unforgiving so one has to be confidant about proper alignment. Of course you can't use Jim's careful placement technique, but I don't remember having any difficulties. 

[Riviera63]

[RivNut]

That will give you some wrinkle but not up to factory specs.  It’s also too red for the factory appearance.

[RivNut]

Contact your local powder coated and look at a sample of ‘desert wrinkle red.’  In the pictures I see on the internet, it looks pretty good to my eye.  This valve cover is not a Riviera cover but you get the idea.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by RivNut (see edit history)