Did it!

[VickyBlue]

I jumped on a flight from Houston into SFO early Wednesday morning December the 10th. Got there about 9:30 am. I took the BART and got to his house at 11:00 am. There she was in the garage.

Cold start, took three tries. He got it outside on the driveway and let it idle. Idle was smooth, not obnoxious like my 56. Huge car... Compared to both my 56 and the 37. Here is the run down:

Front left fender, one small ding, size of a pea, touched up with paint. Stainless all good, he let me run a magnet all over the car, found no issues. L door, the gap between L fender and L door, was not even, I asked about it and he didn't know. From 1/4" to 1/8" towards the bottom half. I checked the door and it was not sagging, no play at all. I checked the bolts that attached the door to the frame and they have never been removed, but the car had a re-spray back in 86.

A couple of pea size small dings on the upper window stainless, underneath the drain openings were clean with no rust.

Left quarter panel, no issues. Trunk lid no issues. Rear bumper, had been pushed up, I pointed out to him and I got the feeling he got irritated, as he was quick to show me pictures on google showing other cars with the same condition. In his mind this was the norm. I showed him a car I had saved up and it showed a straight bumper, then left it at that. I did look underneath by the fuel door and could not see any signs of impact. It did show a dent on the L corner, the size on a silver dollar coin.

The trunk inside was clean, I laid down inside it with a flash light and there was nothing but original white paint. I removed the spare and looked underneath, just dust and dirt, but no rust. I went further up inside the trunk, up by the tray drain tubes and from what I could see, there was Por15 applied, as was initially told. There was no further deterioration, the seams were not rough, there were no holes, no bondo, someone had gone there, everything was sanded down, prep'ed and Por15'ed. Original trunk tire pressure sticker, original jack, spare tire, cardboard side panels, carpet had no stains, it was all clean. Touch up paint by the trunk lock, size of a finger nail.

R side quarter panel was also clean, bottom sections, I run the magnet twice, found no issues. A small ding no bigger than a pea again on the stainless, the gaps were all even between the rest of the body panels.

R door looked as good as the L one, the gap between the R door and fender was even. I did find a set of numbers and a letter combo on the L fender, inside the engine bay, but not on the R side.

The hood, had at some point back in 91 "removed and detailed to look as good as the rest of the car" according to one of the invoices I found. Under hood color matched to the rest of the car. Paint shows the same thickness all the way around, shows age, but not cracks or scars, or scuffs. It matches with the description and the time frame it was painted. To me it looked good, presentable and clean.

The top now: rear section towards the end had bubbling, so did the right rea reaction by the right rear quarter panel. The seams looked good, there were no tears, no rips, the vinyl was in good shape, but I emphasized the fact that it will need a new top.

Overall, a few dings on the stainless, one on the front fender, the top, the rear fender issue.

Interior was all original, headliner was good, other than a few 4" sections where the seams had come undone, I do have a curved needle and headliner thread, I will try to stitch it together. It does not sag, it's not stained, just two sections will need to be stitched together. The front arm rest has an "X" marked on the vinyl, my guess is someone tried to cut something with a razor blade and it went through... Stupid, but I can't explain it otherwise. Driver side arm rest has a small crack, looks like someone put on their elbow weight and made a "dent" trying to "adjust" themselves in the driver seat. Dash is straight, no curvature, there is a one inch section by the center vent that has a small "bump" but it is all solid.

All interior lights work, power windows with new weatherstripping, new door seals, original radio, with a rebuild back in 94. Speakers sound really good, quarter foot panels are as new, never cut, carpet is like new, all glass is original, power antenna, antenna switch sticky getting the antenna up, but fine at retracting, cruise control not working, power seat, rear defrost, (have no idea how it works, if it is air blowing form a vent or electric, I did not see a heating element), power steering and power brakes. Rear seat and rear tray is as new.

Two dash lights don't work, the heater cable that attaches the temperature control thumb wheel to the heater valve is not opening the valve and I was not getting hot air, just air...

New master cylinder, new brakes all around, new front and rear springs. Shocks are shot, Rallye wheels were re- chromed in 2010, they are spotless. New 235/75/15 tires at that time. Underneath is clean, one ding, size of a quarter at the bottom of the fuel tank, newer parking cables, original undercoating everywhere.

The engine: Original engine, 156000 miles, a documented rebuilt at 96,000 carb was rebuilt in 2011, st400 was rebuilt in 2010, new radiator in 2009, A/C receipts shows major work trying to find a leak, new expansion valve, new receiver/drier, new POA valve, new filter at expansion valve, they got it to blow 38 degrees in 85 ambient temperature, but not working now. It turns on, but blows ambient air. Still uses R12. New centerlink, drive shaft rebuilt in 2008, new front end bushings in 2009, distributor was rebuild in 98. New mechanical fuel pump in 2000. I have 4 folders full of receipts that I am going through as I type this...

He asked me if I wanted to drive it. I said, "how about you take me for a ride, after all it is still your car..." He liked that. Went for a 5 mile ride, the drum brakes are almost as good as discs, if not better... Car drove straight, no funny noises, shifting was smooth, a little "lose" at the end, but the rear shocks were shot, so it was expected. Very comfortable, but a big car...

Made him an one time offer and after 20 minutes he signed the title over to me. I left his house (Pleasant Hill, CA) at 6:10 pm TX time Wednesday afternoon, I was getting a constant 15 mpg at 65-70 mph on the freeway, fuel stops every 250-280 miles, stopped at Walmart near Fresno and got some food and a blanket and got to my home in Houston Friday morning the 12th, at 10:00 am. Slept twice, 3 hrs each time and went to bed Friday at 5:00 pm. Woke up Saturday at 8:00 am had to be at work 11:00 am.

I have driven between TX and CA 5 times. This was by far the most comfortable, enjoyable ride. Super nice car, I knew I took a risk, but you don't think about things like that when you undertake such a trip... I knew I had AAA with me but was hoping not to use it. Burnt no oil at all. 1927 miles, 124.47 gallons of premium, $329.97 in gas, $4 for a quart of oil from Walmart I never used and $9 for gallon of antifreeze I never touched. Good visibility car, huge though... Takes time to learn your bearings and judge your distances. Shifting was smooth, I never stepped on it, as I wanted to get home to go to work, the temperature gauge never touched the first dot on the cold side, it was always a needle's width away from it.

I could not believe myself I had just jumped on a 4 hrs flight, bought this car and I was about to start a 1900 mile trip back home... She did talk to me... It was not a loud talk, like "BUY ME, BUY ME!!!" It was more like a soft teary cry voice, begging me to get her out of there and let her be a cruiser again. Ron was a ROA member and drove the car everywhere, but he took care of it. Lots of stuff have been replaced three times, bushings, pads, drums, he took care of the car. This guy Will, I think he bought it because he got a deal and just flipped it. I didn't ask... But I am glad he was an honest man and told me the truth. The car will make it to Houston. And it did. I now own a 68 Buick Riviera!

I would like to take the time and mention that I couldn't have done it alone, if it wasn't for the help of Jason Z, Ed R. and Sam S. Thank you so much for your help... The last PM Jason sent me gave me a lot to look for. It's the kind of car I was looking for. Original, well maintained, as old as I am, ( I am end of April, she is second week of June) something I can drive and enjoy... It came with 3 different keys, ignition, doors and trunk, so I already ordered new locks for doors and trunk. Got a set of 68 TX plates on ebay and will be going to DMV Monday..

.

[RivNut]

WOW! What a great story. I'm glad that everything worked out so well for you. Nothing like a good story to offset some of the woes that we encounter on the forum. Looks as if you're going to be a happy camper for quite some time. Good luck with the small stuff that you already know about and hopefully there won't be any further surprises.

Ed

[63 Red Riv]

Very nice. My first car was a 68' Riviera, great to see one in such good shape.

Best of luck,

Brian

[68RIVGS]

Wonderful story with a happy ending, and a very nice 2nd generation car - but you know I'm a little partial to those '68s.

. . . enjoy Stavros, and good fortune with your newly acquired purchase !!

[95Cardinal]

Great story!

Sounds like you found a sweetheart of a car!

[Guest my3buicks]

LOL Stavros, we will have to get you in a BIG Buick sometime. Nice score.

[Guest onedesertdog]

What a great story and happy ending. Did you have any apprehension about driving her back to Tx? Been cool if you would have checked out ROA members on the route back. Could have given up a spare bedroom for the night here in Arizona..

Take care of that baby...

Best to you,

Buddy

[rocky5517]

Man of action!! Nice work and good luck!!

[VickyBlue]

The fear of breaking down was always in the back of my head... I had AAA's basic membership which was nothing to be proud about, but I knew it was there if I needed it. There was a big weather system building up west of CA and was (did actually) bring a lot of rain in the Bay Area and the rest of the state. I just wanted to get out of there before the weather got bad.

I always believed in honesty. I know my cars like the back of my hand and I would not hesitate to drive them Coast to Coast at any given time. So, I asked him over the phone, "would you drive this car long distance and have you driven it long distance?" He said "Yes, I would but I haven't... I bought it back in June on a whim, I liked the fact it was a one owner car, I got to talk to the guy, he is into his 70's and if you want I can get you in touch with him... He was a ROA member and has taken lots of 3,000 mile trips all over the US and have all his records with the car. I just found a Chevelle I really love and need both the money and the space."

It didn't cost me anything to fly into SFO plus I had a return ticked just in case, so there was no pressure on my end. I also had a set amount of cash with me, so there was not going to be a low offer and work my way up to my max. I am not good at this game. I know it, so I don't play it. I know what the car is worth to me and I was going to make a one time offer based on the info I had, plus the info I was going to collect once I got to see the car in person. Then I was going to make my offer stressing the fact that once money exchanges hands the car becomes my responsibility and he has nothing to fear or worry about. It was all going to be my responsibility from that point on.

Once I got to his place and started the conversation, things started falling into place. He was born and raised in Hawaii, down to earth guy, likes to work hard and have fun. His garage reminded me of Jack Olsen's garage and he was almost as anal as Jack. He was a retired UAL mechanic and I know from experience how anal and proud of what they do, these guys can be.

His garage floor was so clean, I could eat off of it. His cars and the custom 06 RK Police Edition he had, were dust free. Parking spots were tight, but everything had parking lines and there was a reason behind all the marks on the wall. Tilled floor, radiant heat, couple of gas pumps, lots of vintage signs. Every time he would talk about the car, he would look at me straight in the eyes.

He took me for a 5 mile drive and he was quick to point out some of the quirks: the antenna button, you have to push and roll to go up, but just roll down to lower it. The R side power window if rolled all the way down, it drops below the window scraper, or felt strip and if you try to raise it it will try to push the felt stripe up and away, so what he does is he stops it half inch before the scrape strip. The clock did not work, for some reason the seconds hand will tick only when you pull the adjust shaft out and try to adjust the time. Then it stops. The headliner was original and there were two spots the seam had separated.

I felt as if I was driving with my Dad. Relaxed, listening both to him talking and the car talking to me at the same time. He knew I was there for a reason and I had put my money where my mouth was. A lot of times, spending time with the owner can reveal a lot more about the car itself. At no point I felt threatened or being lied to. I can take "I don't know" as an answer, but I will always bring this up when it's time to make the offer, as the minute money changes hands, the car becomes my responsibility and I have to plan for the unexpected, since I didn't get the answer I was looking for. What I hate is being lied to and told things I can't see where done, when in fact were not. He had just replaced the spark plugs for my trip and had the old ones placed in a piece of wood, vertically, two rows, numbered for each cylinder. He showed me the color. Last time they were replaced was in 2008, together with the points, rotor, cap and wires. 1350 miles ago. He had done an oil change too, he had used double conical paint filter and filtered the oil as it came out of the pan and showed it to me: it was clean, no FOD as he called it...

He said when he was younger he would do the same thing I just did, fly, buy and drive back. He told me I needed to be careful who I dealt with, he had a couple of bad experiences, he talked about his kids, he had a son my age living in HI, but the thing that made me smile was when he said " here, put the money in the drawer so she doesn't see it..."

I used to live in Fresno CA. If something happened between Bay Area and Fresno I was going to have the car dropped off at a garage right next to my old house. The next point was the Bakersfield Airport. I have a parking pass and I could always drive my 4Runner pick it up and drive back to Houston. I stopped at a Walmart outside Fresno to get some food and a blanket and by that time I already knew, unless something catastrophic happened, it was going to be a good trip: Will was honest, the car was taken care off and plain simply she loved the open road... I just returned the favor.

The heater issue, I was able to sort it out: the Bowden cable did not open the heater valve. The rotary thump wheel, spins and the red line fills the screen but it does not open the heater valve. I removed the cable's "eye" from the heater valve and moved the valve by hand and it moved fine, as a mater of fact the valve was replaced two years ago. But the cable is frozen. It is so tight under the dash, I could not see clearly as to how the cable is attached to the heater control and why it does not move, but I happened to have a spare 50" cable with a pull knob I attached under the dash and for now it works like a charm and no one can see it, other than me. I know the heater days are numbered in Houston, so for now this will work. At some point I will get to it.

I removed the L door panel to replace the door lock so I can have one key for doors/trunk and one for IGN. The door was clean inside, found no rust, just red dirt from the AZ desert. I cleaned everything up, and POR15'ed everything, inside and out. There was no moisture barrier ( I made one) and the bottom half of the door panel will need attention, but it is in one piece and all the trim/upholstery looks new. I will take pictures of the door panel and post them tomorrow when I get home. I can make a door panel and just use my existing leather to cover it.

The rocker panel cover was a little lose. I removed it and found areas of filler. I took a flat disc and took it down to the bare metal. Couple of layers of gray and off white primer, some bondo covering 2 larger dents who knows from when. I found no rust, no scrapes, no pin holes. Just a couple of dents and being in the place they are, they smoothed it out and put the cover back on. Cover is straight. Knowing me, I would rather have a clean wavy bare metal to work with, than a straight one with spots of filler and not knowing what is underneath. I used some left over metal-ready I had and POR15ed the rocker as it was. At least I know it will never rust and it is clean. POR15ed both the outside and the inside of the rocker cover and it's ready to go back on tomorrow. Next will be the under side, fenders, frame, fuel tank, inside trunk, you name it. So far no major surprises. He knew I was going to ask him if I could run a magnet along the body and he had one ready for me, same one he used when he bought it. I didn't find anything. I did not look at the rockers as there was a cover screwed on, there two spots covering two dents... Other side to follow.

I am happy with the way this adventure turned out...Sure, it could have been a disaster. But it ended up being an unforgettable experience... As soon as I sat in the car and drove to the gas station, I took the little cross I had on me since I was born, hung it on the rear view mirror and said " Take me home..."

The information and help from members of this forum, helped me learn what to look for when looking for stuff. I knew what to expect based on the info I had and my return ticket was my insurance policy against it.

Beginning next month all three girls will be under one big roof, 900 sq ft of garage space. All I have to do is epoxy the floor before they get there... This is where I am at as of three days ago:

Edited January 5, 2015 by VickyBlue (see edit history)

[rocky5517]

Re your AAA coverage, I have more than the basic coverage and they will come get me IF I'm within 200 miles of my home. My son(s) , when they were in college, were just barely within the 200 mile limit. Are you sure you were covered beyond 200 miles? Maybe it's time to call AAA, especially if I ever plan a trip like you did.

BTW, I always believe that the man who plans things out never gets suprised. Nice work.

[VickyBlue]

My basic AAA covers tow with in 45 miles of home. Anything other than that was going be out of pocket... I do have tow also with Condon Skelly the carrier for the 37, 56 and 68. I don't know what the limit is on that policy, but I will find out. AAA rates went up 15% for next year, so I am not going to renew... looking into transferring the 4Runner and the Accord under the home policy...

[Larry W]

Better check........road service done under home or auto insurance may be counted as a claim.

[68RIVGS]

Not that it matters Stavros, but per your door photos, the car appears to have '69 door pull strap escutcheons (covers with an 'R' logo) - the '68s had a matching script style design embossed on both front and rear covers. The '69 escutcheons were plain satin silver on the rear escutcheon, and the 'R' logo went on the front one. '68-'69 Riviera are 'close cousins' and the escutcheons are interchangeable, as were many other parts from those specific model years !

Edited January 6, 2015 by 68RIVGS (see edit history)

[VickyBlue]

Didn't know that... I thought at some point one was lost and a plain one was installed... I am on my way to Home Depot get some board and make myself some door panels! Everything went as planned, took my time and it seems I can reuse everything. Does anybody know the best way to fill the crack on the arm rest? I thought I could get to it from the underside but I can't. It is one piece and there is no access. Would epoxy work?

[95Cardinal]

I wouldn't use epoxy on the armrest.

You can use a vinyl repair kit or take it to one of those mobile refurbishment services that repair interiors on trade-ins and warranty work for car dealers.

They can do an amazing, invisible repair on a split like that.

[RivNut]

I wouldn't use epoxy on the armrest.

You can use a vinyl repair kit or take it to one of those mobile refurbishment services that repair interiors on trade-ins and warranty work for car dealers.

They can do an amazing, invisible repair on a split like that.

I totally agree with the advice on taking it to a professional vinyl repair service. those home kits 1) don't get the vinyl hot enough to melt the filler into the vinyl, 2) don't have good graining techniques, and 3) usually can't match colors well. A good professional vinyl repair will be unnoticeable, but in order to keep it like that, you'll need to avoid putting any pressure on the repair.

[VickyBlue]

Door panel is done.

[68RIVGS]

Very nice job Stavros - assume you used your original panel for a template. A heavy, clear plastic splash shield will protect the backside of the panel, and minimize moisture damage. The original backer material was prone to warping from water damage !

I used a similar treatment for my original rear cardboard sail panels which were badly warped from water leaks.

I used tempered 1/8" masonite, and utilized the original for templates. They are held in place with the rear courtesy lamp housings and the lower chrome package shelf trim strips. They have weathered the test of time quite nicely some 25+ years later.

Edited January 8, 2015 by 68RIVGS (see edit history)

[VickyBlue]

4mil clear plastic was put on the door. That's exactly what happened: water damage. I am so surprised they still held together after 47 years. The new one is so rigid, it's like day and night. Eventually I will get to the other side, the rear quarters and the rear uppers. I am going to work tomorrow and will be back Saturday night. We are moving at the end of the month so I won't be doing much till we are all situated in the new home.

The armrest split: Por15 has a two part epoxy, it's like clay: mix enough mold it with your fingers and apply. I pushed down the split and was able to get it underneath and make a foundation. Once it dried, I used some more on top to cover the split. When that stuff dries, it's like a rock: you can drill it, tap it, sand it, paint, you name it. I sanded it down till it was smooth. All I have to do when I get back is color match it. It will impossible to see it, unless your are looking for it. Thanks for your suggestions, I did try a couple of places, but I like a good challenge and I wanted to see what I could do on my own. (in other words they wanted too much money...)