Guest BJM Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 1963 Buick Riviera Spotted this on Chicago CL. I like Silver, although I understand that's a fairly common 63 Riviera color, silver in 1963 is not what it is today (everywhere) and then to add a silver interior makes this pretty cool in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 OH MAN, I need to quit coming down here..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Mr. Earl, COME ON DOWN! The price is right on the ROA forum. Good price on what seems to be a fairly straight car. In case you didn't notice, this is a non a/c car; might not be too comfortable in your neck of the woods. It's got the base interior, doesn't seem to have tilt, but would probably get you there and back.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rob J Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I'm not too crazy about most 63's, but I certainly love the Silver with Silver Leather interior 63's. One day I have got to find me a nice 63 in that color combo. Too bad the car seems fairly rough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Mr. Earl, COME ON DOWN! The price is right on the ROA forum. Good price on what seems to be a fairly straight car. In case you didn't notice, this is a non a/c car; might not be too comfortable in your neck of the woods. It's got the base interior, doesn't seem to have tilt, but would probably get you there and back.Ed ED, I noticed the lack of a/c ducts. My thinking is different from most. I prefer a stripper car because I won't have to deal with the headaches of a/c and power accessories but I still get the same Riviera looks and style and driving experience. This would be no different then a pre accessories Buick purchase, 1953 and older. He's "negotiable" on price, I emailed him so he's getting no serious offers in that $2400 range. $1500 would probably buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petelempert Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Did you guys notice the valve covers are sort of orange? That motor looks fairly untouched. From the factory they should be silver....right? Reason I'm curious is that my 63 had the same color, with the firing order highlighted in black when I got it and it was pretty stock. I just assumed that somebody had rattle-canned them along the years. Mine looked exactly like that. Huh? PRL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrlforfun Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 (edited) OK Bryan: This is a real poverty 63 Riv. Poverty on a 63 Riv could easily be real decent equipment on a B-60, only 3 years older. I like silver with red leather custom on a 63 Riv. I think it's really sharp. I'm not much on the silver/gray combos even on a B-60, my main squeeze.The problem with (exterior) silver was that the factory silver faded faster than synthetic enamel and like many of those similar metallics they also lost their POP real fast. I started detailing in 1963 and many of my customers who had these colors by 1965....well it was real difficult keeping them up. I had no buffer then and most were pretty dead. That's what lead me to Blue Coral paste. I was noticing that the paint had crow's feet and checking and the the "Easy Glitter" brand cleaner wax I used got stuck in the crevices and looked horrible. I think several of the customers I had were angry with me about that. They forgave me though because of my great personality (BS) and also traded their cars in for new ones on a regular basis. My combination of Dupont's "Prep-Sol" and the Blue Coral straightened out much of that mess.About Chi-Town Craig's List.....I always pass it up on my Auto Tempest.com search. It seems that that area is a real haven for Mid-West flippers who offer junk at obscene prices. Is that prejudicial? Perhaps. It's just a gut feeling I have.OK Mr. Earl: I think the cat is out of the bag that you really like a First-Gen Riv. Perhaps one will come your way, close to your residence....real clean at a great price too!Mitch Edited June 22, 2013 by lrlforfun (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 I'm not too crazy about most 63's, but I certainly love the Silver with Silver Leather interior 63's. This is just a base car that I'm betting that the interior is silver vinyl (code 726) not leather. The shape of the material is way too good to be 50 year old leather. The vinyls from the era are really quite durable if they've been given any care at all; especially protected from the sun. From the posted pictures, it appears that the dash pad is in pretty good shape as well.Mitch is correct about the silver paint from the era. Not good.But with a little TLC, this could be a good learning experience for someone. I've owned a couple of '63's (one for 31 years) and as far as I'm concerned there are only two areas that you need to make sure they're in good shape or you know someone who can work on them - the Dynaflow transmission and those funky heater and a/c levers that control the switches which are mounted on the inner fender well.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 MItch - Good information on the silver. I am a big fan of "real time" information. Silver - off hand - doesn't seem to have been offered prior to the earlt 60's and that would make it a bit of a gamble for manufacturers. Silver was problematic through I would say the 70's at least, so it's no wonder that the 63 Silver was an issue. I generally look for original paint code cars for 2 reasons, authenticity and when you repaint, you don't have to worry about the old color being seen in door jambs and normally hidden areas. Granted it may not be pristine in the hidden areas but at least a change in color won't be quite as obvious. That's why this one caught my eye. Notes from Jim Cannon indicate that Silver was used (off the top of my head) on about 13% of 1963 Rivieras, so it would be interesting to see if the usage dropped off in 64, 65 as it became a maintenance issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Ed, I suspected silver vinyl as well and I would keep it that way. Leather is nice and all, but for the 2,000 to 3,000 exercise miles most of us would give these old cars, I could live with silver, especially since without a/c, this car would be used (by me) more in May, June, Sept-Nov. I had a 63 Pontiac Gran Prix daily driver in 1997. Had original red vinyl seats tough as nails, showed no wear. The vinyl as I recall was kind of stiff and "thick" if that makes sense. All the better for lasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Posting expired. Sold maybe? Mitch, I think red interior would look better on a B60 or 61. I agree contrast is a nice option. Maybe black, or how about fawn or saddle? But I'm OK with silver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim65Riv Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 MItch - Good information on the silver. I am a big fan of "real time" information. Silver - off hand - doesn't seem to have been offered prior to the earlt 60's and that would make it a bit of a gamble for manufacturers. Silver was problematic through I would say the 70's at least, so it's no wonder that the 63 Silver was an issue. I generally look for original paint code cars for 2 reasons, authenticity and when you repaint, you don't have to worry about the old color being seen in door jambs and normally hidden areas. Granted it may not be pristine in the hidden areas but at least a change in color won't be quite as obvious. That's why this one caught my eye. Notes from Jim Cannon indicate that Silver was used (off the top of my head) on about 13% of 1963 Rivieras, so it would be interesting to see if the usage dropped off in 64, 65 as it became a maintenance issue.With thanks to Darwin Falk and his series "Options Not Included": 1963 Silver Mist Paint Code "D" 5,729 cars. 14.32% 2nd most popular1964 Silver Mist Paint Code "D" 4,810 cars, 12.77% 2nd most popular 1965 silver Cloud Paint Code "Z" 3,194 cars, 9.23% 3rd most popular Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Something has to be said for silver Rivieras. The Godfather of Rivieras, Bill Mitchell, painted his personal Rivieras silver with silver interior. He even named them - Silver Arrows. The last 200 Rivieras built were also painted silver. A repaint with modern paint should be good for many years of enjoyment. I think a lot of Riviera owners agree that the lighter colors White, Silver, etc. do a better job of showing off the sculptured body of the Riviera, at least for the 1st generation cars.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrlforfun Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 OK Ed: Not that many people today were dialed into these cars when they were in daily service and aren't familiar with how bad the paint looked after a short time. Silver? Like I said before, not too bad a color with that red leather. I believe it needs contrast. In 1965 and 1966 half the GM cars running around my home town had vinyl tops. Yeah, silver, black top and a black interior was really common. The widespread number of cars with a/c certainly supported the black interior.It is also my judgement that the standard interiors in the First-Gens used much cheesier vinyl than the custom interiors. Not only is this evident in the actual physical side by side comparison it is also very evident in the wear patterns. The customs seem to get little cracking and much of the wear is on the seams splitting where is the standard vinyl not only got brittle and crunchy it also fell apart at the seams. This is based on my observations of the myriad of First-Gen Rivs I currently have. Mitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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