Guest TimFloyd Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Hello, I was a previous member of the Riv forum a while back then let my membership run out. I had bought a 1963 Riv a few years ago with the intensions of doing some basic tinkering to get it back up to speed and a little more road worthy.....then as the classic story goes, life happened. My wife and I ended up adopting a little girl last August and I then had to make a sudden job change. Long story short I am now a little short on cash and time to devote to my Riv. It has been sitting a while and is currently not running but I think that could be remedied fairly quickly. I found shortly after buying the car that the tank was FULL of rusty sludge causing the car to run terrible, and almost not at all. So I found a better tank, stripped it and put an Eastwood liner in it. It has the original 401 and trans. Pretty much everything on the car is original except for the carb (eldelbrock). The original exhaust was very rusty and shot, so I cut it all of at the driver floor pans to get it out of the way. The paint is obviously not original and looked to have been repainted many years ago. This car was originally the maroon color. The paint has a lot of little knicks and scratches and looks better in the pics just being honest, but not much rust on the body panels. Small areas on lower fenders, and lower quarters...the usual places. Other than that there is not a lot of rust on or under this car. The underneath is very solid with good solid floors and trunk. It has the original full set of turbine hubs and center cap/spinners. (extra turbine on the spare bias ply with jack and accs. in trunk but no cap or spinner). The car has descent interior with seat covers, great headliner, so-so carpet, so-so door panels, good package tray. Now...disclaimer...the guy I bought it from CLAIMS the original seats underneath are still in good shape ....then why the seat covers right? The covers fit so tight and nice I have not risked taking them off being afraid I could not get them back on because at least they are presentable. I was also able to replace the glove box door and get it much better lined up than when this interior photo was taken, other than that everything is the same. Car has AC, power driver seat that works fairly well, power windows that work well, power vent windows that engage, but do not move. The trim on the car is in really really good shape. The bumpers are pretty good with a few blems and the front one has a little ding from a bumper jack would be my guess. I am looking to put it up for sale soon, but thought I would start here before I hit Craigs or Ebay to see if anyone here would be interested. Clean Mo title in my name. I would rather see it go to a good home than to see it set in my garage, as I know the project has been pushed back a lot longer than I would like to wait. Just let me know if anyone is interested in getting more info or seeing more pics. I plan on getting the fuel lines installed and the tank put back up and getting it running again in the next couple of weeks, as time allows. I want to price it fair, but not give it away either. I thought I would see about the running status after fuel line and tank install before I commit to a price. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bodayguy Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 It's a lovely car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmiddy Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 This Riv looks great, Tim. I hope you can sell it to good prize! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 First generation Rivieras are notorious for their vent windows not working properly. The gear on the window shaft is made of pot metal. Too much pressure closing or opening it fully (not letting off the switch when the window is at it's extreme limit - opened or closed) will cause the first and last gear to break off the shaft. That leaves the motor running and the window not moving. If you put a little finger pressure on the glass itself, it will move the second gear in alignment with the gear on the motor and the window will work. Same principle for opening and closing. If this is your situation, it's not a big deal to swap out the shaft gear. Repos are available for that. So, let your prospective buyer know that it's fixable and you're not going to let him beat you out of a fair price because of it. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimFloyd Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Thanks Rich and Eric, I appreciate the kind words and feedback! Thanks Ed, always a wealth of knowledge on everything Riviera! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZRIV Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Definitely try to get it running before officially advertising. A running, driving, stopping car is MUCH easier to sell. If it doesn't run a perspective buyer has to assume it needs an engine and/or transmission rebuild. Being a 63 with the Dynaflow transmission makes getting it running even more important because they are difficult to rebuild. I also think I'd try to get a seat cover off. If the seats are in fact nice underneath, that would be a great selling point not to mention how much more presentable the interior would look, otherwise a smart buyer has to assume they need recovered and will use that as leverage to get price down. Some folks are proactive and cover seats when they are still good to protect them so you never know. What's the brace welded to the rear bumper brackets for? A trailer hitch maybe? I'd consider removing that also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimFloyd Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 3 minutes ago, JZRIV said: Definitely try to get it running before officially advertising. A running, driving, stopping car is MUCH easier to sell. If it doesn't run a perspective buyer has to assume it needs an engine and/or transmission rebuild. Being a 63 with the Dynaflow transmission makes getting it running even more important because they are difficult to rebuild. I also think I'd try to get a seat cover off. If the seats are in fact nice underneath, that would be a great selling point not to mention how much more presentable the interior would look, otherwise a smart buyer has to assume they need recovered and will use that as leverage to get price down. Some folks are proactive and cover seats when they are still good to protect them so you never know. What's the brace welded to the rear bumper brackets for? A trailer hitch maybe? I'd consider removing that also. Yeah I am assuming they had a hitch there at some point. I plan to hack it off. The bumper is currently off to make the tank extraction a little easier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 (edited) On the vent window gears, I have used bronze replacement ones on Caddies: http://www.impalas.com/1961-64-power-vent-window-electric-motor-gears-pair.html I am pretty sure all GM are the same. I know they work up to '68. The originals can be a pot metal material the warps and shears the gears if the windows get stuck. Bernie Edited October 19, 2016 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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