1965 Riviera in southwestern Oklahoma

[Pete Phillips]

Not mine, and seems to be just a little high, but look at that absolutely perfect body and exterior trim!!

 

https://lawton.craigslist.org/cto/d/1965-buick-riviera-2-door/6403971549.html

[Carbuff2]

2bbl Carburetor?  Engine partially disassembled, how does it run??

[JZRIV]

While we are on CL 65 Rivs. posted this one in ROA forum. Both great parts cars but price needs to come down considerably.

https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1965-buick-riviera-gs/6407519278.html

 

For Sale: 1965 Riviera. The car is a GS but the LX 425 and dual quads are long gone. I believe the transmission and rear end are original. It has a 1965 LT (401) engine currently. 53000 actual miles. Clear PA title in my name. The interior is mostly there but in poor condition. Body is fairly solid with no significant or structural rust other than the front of the hood. It ran when I parked it 5 years or so ago and the clamshells worked. I have owned it since 2005, but have not personally seen the car in a few years. The car is at a friend's shop in Freedom, PA just outside of Pittsburgh. I am near Altoona.

Edited December 4, 2017 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[Pete Phillips]

He says it ran when he parked it five years ago at a friend's shop, and he hasn't even seen it in several years. How can some people do this to a nice, desirable, collector car like this?  Just leave it out in the weather and let it go downhill! I'm sure it's no longer in the condition that the photo shows.

[JZRIV]

Must have changed link. Here it is

https://altoona.craigslist.org/cto/d/1965-buick-riviera-gs/6407509792.html

 

$4800

[JZRIV]

16 hours ago, Pete Phillips said:

He says it ran when he parked it five years ago at a friend's shop, and he hasn't even seen it in several years. How can some people do this to a nice, desirable, collector car like this?  Just leave it out in the weather and let it go downhill! I'm sure it's no longer in the condition that the photo shows.

Yea was thinking same.  The exterior body doesn’t look bad on either car but as stated in ad on the non GS the floors on the GS are probably gone also. With white interior it “was” a sharp car. I’m guessing the price on GS would be negotiable just before winter kicks in here

[JZRIV]

The wood wheel was not part of the GS package. Not uncommon for confusion on that.

LX motors aren't common but they do show up occasionally with the dual quad setup but it would never be numbers matching since VIN is stamped on engine. So at that point any 425 would suffice to put dual quads on. There would be an increase in value if engine installed had the LX stamp vs not having it. But most important is the correct dual quad arrangement on a 425. This car would be most valuable to someone who had an LX engine sitting in corner of garage waiting for a home. But if floors are rotted that's a real deal killer for most people.

Transmission should have a BS code in the GS. This car would have had the quick ratio steering box as well.

Edited December 5, 2017 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[RivNut]

On 12/3/2017 at 8:20 PM, Pete Phillips said:

Not mine, and seems to be just a little high, but look at that absolutely perfect body and exterior trim!!

 

https://lawton.craigslist.org/cto/d/1965-buick-riviera-2-door/6403971549.html

Something else to note.  The seats have the custom interior pattern  stitched in them but the door panels are from a standard interior car.

[RivNut]

6 hours ago, Imperial62 said:

I thought all GS's had the sport steering wheel / wood wheel?  Also, with the motor "long gone" I would check the rear axle for the posi tag and if I knew where to look for it - the transmission S/N.   

 

The question for someone buying it would be how hard is it to get an LX code motor and the dual quad set up complete and how much are you willing to spend?  If you bought the car to restore, and sought out those parts - unless it is from an ROA friend - then you can expect to pay $5000 to $8000 for the motor complete. 

Even if you did get an LX code motor, the engine serial number wouldn't match the VIN.  No proof that it's just not a Gran Sport glove box door and some aftermartket fender and trunk emblems.  An LX code motor in just any ol' '65 does not a Gran Sport make.   I had a bare LX block and traded it for a Winters quick change rear end.  The rear end was marketable, the LX block was just another 425 block without the proper car with VIN to match.

[1965rivgs]

8 hours ago, JZRIV said:

The wood wheel was not part of the GS package. Not uncommon for confusion on that.

LX motors aren't common but they do show up occasionally with the dual quad setup but it would never be numbers matching since VIN is stamped on engine. So at that point any 425 would suffice to put dual quads on. There would be an increase in value if engine installed had the LX stamp vs not having it. But most important is the correct dual quad arrangement on a 425. This car would be most valuable to someone who had an LX engine sitting in corner of garage waiting for a home. But if floors are rotted that's a real deal killer for most people.

Transmission should have a BS code in the GS. This car would have had the quick ratio steering box as well.

Quick steering box was not part of the Gran Sport option but was part of the H2 option steering/modified suspension package. Unless the original owner opted for the H2 package a Gran Sport would be equipped with the standard steering box,

  Tom

[1965rivgs]

4 hours ago, RivNut said:

Something else to note.  The seats have the custom interior pattern  stitched in them but the door panels are from a standard interior car.

Door panels are correct for the custom interior trim,

  Tom

[RivNut]

 

36 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

Door panels are correct for the custom interior trim,

  Tom

Tom,

 

Apparently there's mixed communication about two cars.  I was commenting on the car in post #1.  The car on the Lawton, OK  craigslist.  It has white seats sewn in the custom pattern but has standard door panels.

[RivNut]

40 minutes ago, Imperial62 said:

Ed - that's a curious comment.  It made me think.  I believe there were 3365 A9 code GS Rivieras made in 1965.  Because of the 2x4 LX motor, many motors were yanked, like this one.  This car is almost certainly a GS.   Your comment means it is not a restorable GS because the original block is gone.   Blocks were stamped with the VIN, and a "numbers matching" car is obviously the gold standard BUT - if I were to buy this car, install an LX code motor with everything else being correct - 2x4's, air cleaner, valve covers, quick ratio steering, transmission, posi - then I believe you have a Riviera GS.

 

What's interesting as well - the LX block you had must have had a GS Riviera VIN stamped on it.  Using your comment logic - it could only be installed back into the GS Riviera it came from.  These are nearly impossible circumstances. 

 

If a person purchases an LX motor, why not remove the VIN and stamp the VIN of the car on the block?  Corvette people do that all the time. 

 

I am just playing Devil's Advocate here.  A car like this one, brought back into the Gene Pool by installing a non numbers matching LX motor correctly set up, should not be discounted in judging or the eye test.   In my opinion. 

The problem with your logic is that Gran Sport cars did not have a VIN which identified them as such.  Grand Sport was an option just like other final assembly options - radio choice, cruise control, etc. Gran Sport identification does not appear as a unique VIN nor does it appear on the Fisher Data Plate.  There's the BS code transmission, 3.42 posi-trac rear end, along with the special badging.  The Gran Sport option did not include the wood wheel, rally wheels, nor the H2 handling option.  True, there are a lot of Gran Sports out there with those options but they were not automatically included when you checked off the A9 box.  The A8 engine also included a different distributor, and different sized pullies on the A/C compressor to compensate for the additional rpm's created with the 3.42 rear end.  The only true way to authenticate a Gran Sport is with the factory invoice or window sticker (and now those can be reproduced.)

 

If you want to, use your technic to make a Gran Sport out of any 65 Riviera.  You'd need to find the unique parts and do some (unscrupulous imho) re-stamping. But we'll leave that to someone else.

 

Ed

 

[1965rivgs]

21 hours ago, RivNut said:

 

Tom,

 

Apparently there's mixed communication about two cars.  I was commenting on the car in post #1.  The car on the Lawton, OK  craigslist.  It has white seats sewn in the custom pattern but has standard door panels.

Thanks Ed, thought we were talking about the link Jason provided,

  Tom

[RivNut]

Happens when a post about one car is superseded by another post about another car.   Perhaps we should ask that one post per car.