71 riviera gs

[Guest]

i know next to nothing about cars, but have decided to start learning on a 71 riviera gs i just baught. its in pretty good condition and really doesnt need a whole heck of a lot of work done (except maybe replacing the cherry bomb glass packs that are causing me to lose my hearing), but i plan on making it a project/hobby to keep me busy for a year or two. to start, id like to find out if the car is still, or was ever, of gran sport nature. i know the charicteristics that made a gs a gs were in the engine, transmission, and suspension. i was told by the previous owner that it was the original engine and it has posi-traction, he didnt think the transmission was original. can anybody tell me where, and what, the proper codes, sizes, etc. are that will let me know if i have what im supposed to have. also, how can i tell if the carbourator is a roch. q-jet or not. just browsing this forum has already helped me out a lot with this car, thanks in advance for any info anyone can help with.

[Guest]

Hey Jeff,<P>Same boat as me eh? Hehe ;-)<P>I have a '71 Skylark myself, same ideas as what you have for your Riv. Glass packs, ouch.<P>Info wise (anyone car to help or revise?): Best place to start is with the Cowl plate, and VIN number. Do a imprint or something of the like with the body plate (cowl, left side above hood 'striping. That will give paint, trim, model #, etc. VIN will have Model #, Plant which it came from and serial number.<P>Brief VIN Decoding: First 5 Numbers is model #, yours should read 49487, the chassis man isn't to clear about where the GS should be other then it follows the model #. Standard should be a 455-4, TH400, and 2.93 gears. GS adds 3.42 gears and Posi. The 6 (or maybe 8th if there's a GS) number is the model year. 1 for '71. The next letter is the plant code. Then the serial numbers.<P>The carb should say Rochester on it somewhere or at least 4MV. Should have a part number of 7041540.<P>The Gears and Trans info is baffling as I'm sitting here going through it. There's plenty of great people here who know 10,000 times more then I; anyone fill in the blanks?<P>My 2£ for ya.<P>Good Luck, and Enjoy! :-)<P>Buick Wishes and GSX Dreams,<P>CyberBuick/S.<BR>

[Guest]

here is my 0.2 cents also. <P>the engine for all rivs was the 455. there is no difference in the engine of a GS riv in 1971 and the reg riv 455 of that year.<P>the GS package (as far as i know) had a few differences from the reg riv (as far as drive train is concerned). it did have the posi rear standard, it also had a GS handling package which lowered the car a little, put in bigger sway bars and other related suspension stuff. <P>but these things could be ordered on regular rivs too, so you will need more concrete info than this to tell you if the car is a real riv GS.<P>there should be a number in the body tag on the firewall or in the vin that says that it has the GS option i would think. <P>i have a 1973 riviera with the GS handling package but not the rest of the GS stuff. wierd huh?<P>anyway my father and i also have a 1971 skylark GS stage 1 car. we have ALOT of 1971 dealing info. i can look it up for you.<BR>i have the big dealer book and the small dealer option books. i will let you know what i find out.<P>riv1973<p>[This message has been edited by riv1973 (edited 09-23-2000).]

[Guest]

just checked the carb number and its legit. vin indicates the cars from a 71 riv from flint. didnt get much of a chance to do much with the car this weekend on account of bad weather. (the car wont fit in my garage).<BR>thanks a bunch for the help, guys!!!

[Centurion]

There is a difference between the standard Riviera 455 engine and the Riviera GS 455 engine in 1971. The GS used what Buick called the "Modified High Performance 455" in the Riviera GS. The only other application of this engine was as an option in the Centurion series. Contrary to some prior postings on these discussion forums, the Riviera GS's 455 engine is not a Stage 1 engine.<P>I do not have my manuals readily available, but I will look up the correct engine codes for the Riviera GS engine.

[Centurion]

The 1971 Buick Facts Book indicates the following horsepower ratings for the three different 455 engines:<BR>Standard Wildcat 455-4: 315 Gross Horsepower<BR>Wildcat 455-4 High Perf: 330 Gross Horsepower<BR>Wildcat 455-4 Stage 1: 345 Gross Horsepower<P>Gross Torque:<BR>Standard 455-4: 450<BR>455-4 High Perf: 455<BR>455-4 Stage 1: 460<P>Here are the engine codes:<BR>Standard 455-4 TR<BR>455-4 High Perf: TA<BR>455-4 Stage 1: TS<P>If you car is a Riviera GS with its original engine, it should have the TA engine code and 3.42 Posi-Traction rear axle. The standard Riviera rear axle was 2.93, with a 3.42 performance option available.<P>Hope this helps you.

[Guest]

maybe to simple of a question, but on what part of the car/engine block, do i find the code(ie TA/TR). thanks. jj

[Guest]

If you look(after you have cleaned)between 5&7 cylinders,just to the immediate right of the oil dipstick you should be able to see one of the letter codes mentioned above.A strong flashlight will help dramatically.