65 Riviera without the a/c option

[Guest Kentuckykrazyk]

Hi. New to this forum. Was wondering if anyone could give me some info on the above. From what I have gathered...only 0.6% of these cars came without a/c. Would this make it a rarer care and more valuable?

Thanks for any input.

[RivNut]

IMHO the lack of air as a rarity is offset by the lack of air for comfort. If you live in KY as your handle would tend to indicate, I'd think that you'd want air. Period.

From what I gather just by looking at what folks mention when they're selling or buying a car, the more options the better. The only non-option car that might be rare for a collector would be a car with a delete option such as a radio or a heater.

Perhaps someone living in northern Maine or Alaska might think of buying a car with no air but for the most part I think that air is a desirable comfort commodity.

I also think that more that six-tents of one percent came without air.

Ed

[1965rivgs]

Hi Kentucky,

Dont know where you gathered your info but it is incorrect. Approximately 30.5 % of `65 Rivieras were not equipped with AC. This is no surprise as A/C was a rather costly option at $430. Are you referring to "A/C modification" by any chance? If so, why do believe your `65 is so equipped?

Tom Mooney

[Guest Kentuckykrazyk]

Hi Tom,

Thank you for your information. I appreciate you writing. I really am flying blind here. This particular car has power seats, windows, clamshell headlights. Yes, $430 would have been a spendy amount back in 65 for sure. It is a Gran Sport. A source that we had looked up indicated only 0.6% had the a/c...we just found this odd since it had all the other mentioned features. Therefore we just wondered if this was a rarity.

[Jim Cannon]

The 0.6% that you found is probably for an unusual option that Buick offered: to have the car "A/C ready" (what they called A/C modification) without actually having the A/C installed at the factory. I think that means you got the heavy duty cooling system, the fan clutch, the fan shroud, probably a higher amp alternator...

In 1963 (my specialty) there were 1.9% of the new Rivieras shipped like that.

Perhaps people ordered this if they were planning to tow a trailer with the car, to get the added cooling capacity, but they did not want or need the A/C. It was cheaper than ordering A/C (only $19.35 in 1963).

[Guest wildcat465]

Probably rare.

Valuable - no.

Some things are rare because it appealed to fewer buyers. Still the same today.

With the abundance of Buicks with air conditioning from the 60's on, I never look at one that doesn't have it.

[Guest Rob J]

For the record, all 65's had the Clamshell headlights. They were standard equipment.

Not having AC IMO equals a less valuable car. I'd never buy a Riv or any car for that matter w/o AC. Then again, I'm in Miami, FL.

[lrlforfun]

OK Riviera People: I live in an area where a/c is not an issue so I look at repairing an old factory a/c unit as not only a great expense, here in the San Francisco area it would be a nightmare even finding a technician who is competent enough to do the repair. Having an ice cube a/c unit (and I have had them) would be great in the hot-n-humid belt. Is it worth it? I'm glad I don't have to worry about that! Mitch

[Guest wildcat465]

OK Riviera People: I live in an area where a/c is not an issue so I look at repairing an old factory a/c unit as not only a great expense, here in the San Francisco area it would be a nightmare even finding a technician who is competent enough to do the repair. Having an ice cube a/c unit (and I have had them) would be great in the hot-n-humid belt. Is it worth it? I'm glad I don't have to worry about that! Mitch

Mitch, if you only drive your car around the SF area, I would guess you are good.

I like to drive my cars all over, working A/C has been wonderful. It gets stinking humid in MN, I even use it when staying local.

[Guest Sayessa]

Hmm. Is there a way to tell if it's "A/C Ready" vs. no a/c at all? I don't recall that mine has a/c (we lived in WA and rarely ever needed it) but I had hoped to eventually add it in, since I now live in Southern California where it's hot most of the time. It's a 65 that's been sitting dead for the last 16 years, and at some point some family member started a tear-down of the interior, so not much is attached any more. Would a/c have been on the heater control, or on one of the levers on the underside of the dash? Sadly, google search hasn't been a lot of help with interior questions I've had.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Bill Stoneberg]

Your A/C controls would have been on the heater control Panel. You would have had a vent on each side of the cockpit and one in the middle below the radio.

[Guest Sayessa]

Thanks! Once I get home I'll have to pop my head in and see what the set up is like, but I'm 99% sure it never had a/c, so looks like I'll have to start from scratch. Nuts.

[Guest Broomer]

Just an interesting note; You couldn't buy air conditioning in any high performance Chevy in those years ('65-70) not even Corvette and nobody complained. Too much weight and power robbing accessory.

Broomer

[RivNut]

The controls for a/c and non a/c cars are in the same place. On the non a/c car, the one set of levers controls the fresh air vents in the kick panels. On the a/c cars, the same set of levers controls the a/c. The vent are controlled by a cable/knob under lower dash. Fisher body made changes to a stock bodied Riviera for a/c - data plate code N2. Until you park an a/c donor car next to your non a/c, you probably won't know what modifications to the firewall, etc. were made for an a/c car. But you'll know where to start.

If you're not concerned about 100% factory stock appearing a/c, go with one of the aftermarket units. There's a thread about Bill Stoneberg's car being outfitted with an aftermarket unit right now. You can follow it step by step.

Ed

[slosteve]

So while you're looking Sayessa, why don't you take a few photos of your project and post them here?

[mt65riv]

It's 33% without A/C. Two of mine have it, one doesn't.

I'm in WA and a lot of cars from here didn't have A/C from the factory. I remember when I was a kid my dad added an under dash A/C to a Plymouth that we had - it was a big deal in the early '70s.

Maybe the rarity is among GSs?

Have you registered your GS over on the ROA? Sometimes there is more info on your car there.

Mike

[1965rivgs]

Mike

According to Buick`s "Daily Car Reports" 24,038 1965 Rivieras were equipped with A/C. Total production including export jobs was 34,586. My math says 30.49789 % of `65 Rivieras did NOT have A/C. Am I missing something?

Tom Mooney

P.S. Duh...after re-reading your post now I get it. (;

Edited June 5, 2013 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[Guest Sayessa]

Ed, thanks! I do know I don't have an N2 code, so no factory a/c for me. I am going to slightly modify my Riv, just for performance purposes (better suspension since mine's shot and the hubby wants to lower it 1", better/updated radio/speakers because I need my music, etc) I have seen the post on aftermarket a/c, just hope that there isn't too much difference between the 63 and 65 when it comes time to install.

Slosteve, I have some pictures of the car on my phone, but honestly they're a bit depressing! I will have to try and get some pics of what's left of the interior, since that's going to need a lot of work, too. I will post some of the pics in the picture thread once I figure out how to get them off my phone and onto this site, which will probably have to wait until I'm not on my work computer.

I do not have a GS, so I guess it makes my Riv more rare, but alas not in a good way! Ha ha!

Edit; after checking out my body tag, I have the 2K code which denotes a/c for my year, apparently. Wonder where it ran off to?? I don't recall seeing any a/c components when we took the engine out.

Edited June 4, 2013 by Sayessa
cause I have no idea what I'm doing, apparently (see edit history)

[slosteve]

Slosteve, I have some pictures of the car on my phone, but honestly they're a bit depressing! I will have to try and get some pics of what's left of the interior, since that's going to need a lot of work, too. .

I like before and after photos. :cool:

[Guest Sayessa]

Here's a kinda crappy iPhone picture of what's left of the interior after someone tore apart the dash and we removed most of the seats, carpet and headliner. After chatting with the hubby we know we have some a/c components, just not all. I'm still thinking vintage air is the better way to go than to replace the missing stuff with original components, because a/c has come a long way in almost 50 years...

[Bill Stoneberg]

I am currently putting together a list of all I needed to do my 64. I will share it with you when done.

[Guest wildcat465]

Here's a kinda crappy iPhone picture of what's left of the interior after someone tore apart the dash and we removed most of the seats, carpet and headliner. After chatting with the hubby we know we have some a/c components, just not all. I'm still thinking vintage air is the better way to go than to replace the missing stuff with original components, because a/c has come a long way in almost 50 years...

Or. You can tell me what you need.

[Guest Sayessa]

Oh, wow! OK, hubby and I will do some poking around and see what was left and let you know.