unobtanium part for sale on ebay

[Seafoam65]

                  Talk about unobtanium! There is an NOS turbine wheel cover with spinner on ebay right now........

bid to 99.00 reserve not met......a couple of days left before the auction ends! I've never seen an NOS one of these come up......

If it sells it will be for mega bucks most likely.

[NC1968Riviera]

1963 1964 1965 NOS Buick Riviera Cast Aluminum Two-Piece Spinner Wheel Cover

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-1964-1965-NOS-Buick-Riviera-Cast-Aluminum-Two-Piece-Spinner-Wheel-Cover/123558747051?hash=item1cc4acdbab:g:1uYAAOSw-QxcHtPJ:rk:5:pf:0

Edited December 27, 2018 by NC68Riviera (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

Cover has been for sale for awhile now...NOS but spinner is pitted??

Tom Mooney

[jframe]

I think there is one on Facebook Marketplace right now for 325.00, not sure if it's the same one or not.

[Turbinator]

43 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

Cover has been for sale for awhile now...NOS but spinner is pitted??

Tom Mooney

 

43 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

Cover has been for sale for awhile now...NOS but spinner is pitted??

Tom Mooney

Tom, I was surprised to see the “NOS” wheelcover have the studs broken off. Maybe NOS is taking on an expanded definition?

Turbinator

( Formerly Red Riviera Bob )

[Turbinator]

33 minutes ago, jframe said:

I think there is one on Facebook Marketplace right now for 325.00, not sure if it's the same one or not.

JFrame, for $325.00 should be cleaner than a hounds tooth.

Turbinator ( formerly Red Riviera Bob)

[Rivman]

3 hours ago, NC68Riviera said:

1963 1964 1965 NOS Buick Riviera Cast Aluminum Two-Piece Spinner Wheel Cover

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-1964-1965-NOS-Buick-Riviera-Cast-Aluminum-Two-Piece-Spinner-Wheel-Cover/123558747051?hash=item1cc4acdbab:g:1uYAAOSw-QxcHtPJ:rk:5:pf:0

 

Thanks for looking up, and posting the link, Mike.

[Rivman]

13 minutes ago, Turbinator said:

 

Tom, I was surprised to see the “NOS” wheelcover have the studs broken off. Maybe NOS is taking on an expanded definition?

Turbinator

( Formerly Red Riviera Bob )

 

I don't think they are broken off, just not installed? Looks to me like the threaded hole is visible in the picture?

[Seafoam65]

Perhaps my eyesight is failing, but that spinner looks perfect to me, as does the wheelcover. I don't

see any pits in the spinner chrome.

[Turbinator]

Where is the shine, where are missing studs? Are the webs and sides of the vanes powder coated or repainted? Buyers hopefully would want a cover they can bolt right on the wheel and go. I could not do so with this offering.

Turbinator

[Turbinator]

54 minutes ago, Rivman said:

 

I don't think they are broken off, just not installed? Looks to me like the threaded hole is visible in the picture?

We can agree the stud is missing.

Actually, I can’t see whether the stud is missing or broken. I would think a seller would put in the stud.

Turbinator

[RivNut]

22 minutes ago, Turbinator said:

We can agree the stud is missing.

Actually, I can’t see whether the stud is missing or broken. I would think a seller would put in the stud.

Turbinator

You can click on the picture of the back of the cover and enlarge it and see that all four studs are needed.  Looks like nice clean threads just awaiting the correct stud for either the  5.5" or 6" wheels.  I can't remember the color differentiation.  The part that screws into the cover is the same length, the part that the nut goes on is the same length,  the shoulder for the 6" wheel is wider than the shoulder for the 5.5" wheel.  I have pictures posted on  different thread.

Edited December 27, 2018 by RivNut (see edit history)

[Turbinator]

1 minute ago, RivNut said:

You can click on the picture of the back of the cover and enlarge it and see that all four studs are needed.  Looks like nice clean threads just awaiting the correct stud for either the  5.5" or 6" wheels.  I can't remember the color differentiation.  The part that screws into the cover is the same length, the part that the nut goes on is the same length,  the shoulder for the 6" wheel is wider than the shoulder for the 5.5" wheel.  I have pictures posted on  different thread.

The spacer for the 5/16” stud on a 64 cover is 3/8” in diameter and 5/16” high.

[RivNut]

7 minutes ago, Turbinator said:

The spacer for the 5/16” stud on a 64 cover is 3/8” in diameter and 5/16” high.

Here is a picture of the two different studs, side by side, lying on a ruler.  You can see that the shoulder for the 5.5"" wheel is 1/8" and the shoulder for the 6" wheel is 5/8".  The difference of 1/4" is half of the difference of the two wheels (6" - 5.5" = .5 or  [1/2"]).

 

 

This picture shows that the length of the threaded parts that goes into the covers are the sa e length

 

 

This picture shows that the lengths of the studs which accepts the nuts are the same length

 

 

[Seafoam65]

                Bob, if you're going to be called the turbinator from now on, you need to perfect your

Arnold Schwarzenegger accent, and perhaps pump yourself up!

[Turbinator]

31 minutes ago, Seafoam65 said:

                Bob, if you're going to be called the turbinator from now on, you need to perfect your

Arnold Schwarzenegger accent, and perhaps pump yourself up!

Winston, pumped up I’ve got covered with no problem. The accent I’m not sure I can do. Shining up wheel covers I can handle. The idea of getting the accent is a good one!

Turbinator

[Turbinator]

45 minutes ago, RivNut said:

Here is a picture of the two different studs, side by side, lying on a ruler.  You can see that the shoulder for the 5.5"" wheel is 1/8" and the shoulder for the 6" wheel is 5/8".  The difference of 1/4" is half of the difference of the two wheels (6" - 5.5" = .5 or  [1/2"]).

 

 

This picture shows that the length of the threaded parts that goes into the covers are the sa e length

 

 

This picture shows that the lengths of the studs which accepts the nuts are the same length

 

 

Most helpful. Thank you!

turbinator

[1965rivgs]

34 minutes ago, RivNut said:

Here is a picture of the two different studs, side by side, lying on a ruler.  You can see that the shoulder for the 5.5"" wheel is 1/8" and the shoulder for the 6" wheel is 5/8".  The difference of 1/4" is half of the difference of the two wheels (6" - 5.5" = .5 or  [1/2"]).

 

 

This picture shows that the length of the threaded parts that goes into the covers are the sa e length

 

 

This picture shows that the lengths of the studs which accepts the nuts are the same length

 

 

NOS, the shouldered studs have a red tint. I have posted pics of this in the past

Tom

2 hours ago, Seafoam65 said:

Perhaps my eyesight is failing, but that spinner looks perfect to me, as does the wheelcover. I don't

see any pits in the spinner chrome.

There is a healthy, raised pit on the right side blade of the spinner just outside of the "center circle" which contains the emblem. Probably from combined dirt and moisture while stored. 50 years is a long time even with good quality storage. NOS is very seldom perfect and this is a good example. Looks like the spinner may have taken the brunt of some handling over the years too, but hard to tell with pics of chrome, it`s all about the angle of the light source.  Most of the NOS parts I have obtained over the years have some sort of flaw, very seldom perfect. I am NOT encouraging or discouraging anyone from considering this part, just making an observation.

Tom

Time for glasses...but be careful...my wife aged instantly the first time I put mine on.

Tom

[RivNut]

I've heard this but have no idea as to how true it is:  A customer brings in a car for warranty repair and a new part is installed.  The old part is looked at and refurbished if possible THEN put back into the box the new part came in and put back on the shelf and considered NOS.

[1965rivgs]

2 hours ago, Turbinator said:

JFrame, for $325.00 should be cleaner than a hounds tooth.

Turbinator ( formerly Red Riviera Bob)

Bob,

  The finish on this cover is consistent with the NOS covers I have owned or viewed over the years. The covers were never "highly polished". Believe it or not, these covers used to pop up every so often back in the `80`s to mid `90`s.

Tom

[RivNut]

Here's a picture of a page from a service bulletin that tells you everything you need to know about the covers and the studs.

 

[Turbinator]

1 hour ago, RivNut said:

Here's a picture of a page from a service bulletin that tells you everything you need to know about the covers and the studs.

 

Thank you. When I try to resuscitate my tired cracked and chipped covers to good looking wheel covers I need all the help I can get. Is there a sheet giving direction on how to shine these babies?

Turbinator

[Turbinator]

1 hour ago, 1965rivgs said:

Bob,

  The finish on this cover is consistent with the NOS covers I have owned or viewed over the years. The covers were never "highly polished". Believe it or not, these covers used to pop up every so often back in the `80`s to mid `90`s.

Tom

Tom, highly polished from scraped, pitted, covers I get is the only direction I can go. I saw a pic of 63 Riv turbine cover that looked original to me. The turbine I’m referring did not have a highly polished finish, but looked good to me. I suppose highly polished means different things to different people. Chrome buffed out to a mirror reflection  could be highly polished ,whereas; highly polished (buffed) cast aluminum could have a bright shine. Until I see a definition in the auto industry where NOS is clearly defined I’ll have to go with a subjective view. In the case the goods are yours I apologize for being critical. The cover is a great turbine that I’d be proud to own.

Turbinator

 

[RivNut]

Not that I've found.  I think that Tom is correct in that the originals were not polished.  They were a more natural aluminum without any real shine.  Although they do look good brought to a nice brilliance.  It's probably that owners wouldn't go to the effort of polishing aluminum.  They'll wash and dry stainless, or pay the gardener to do it,  but as far as doing what's necessary to keep aluminum polished, Riviera buyers weren't into that kind of labor.  Time away from the golf course, etc.

 

In high school,  my girlfriend's dad owned the local grain company.  He always drove a new Electra.  He'd drive it to work then call the local service station to send a guy over to pick it up and take it to the station to be gassed up and washed, and a couple of times a year to be waxed.  It was a car that showed the rest of the town who he was, it wasn't something he would take time for.  If he'd have stepped up to a Riviera, it would have been even more so.  Probably not unlike many other Buick owners of the time.

 

Ed

[RivNut]

8 minutes ago, Turbinator said:

Until I see a definition in the auto industry where NOS is clearly defined I’ll have to go with a subjective view.

You're going to have a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong wait.  😀

No one else knows what's correct so there's nothing to which you can compare what you have and whether you're correct or the other guy is correct.

 

Remember what I said earlier:

 

DON'T PET THE SWEATY STUFF AND DON'T SWEAT THE PETTY STUFF.  

 

 

 

Just do it your way and sell, sell, sell.

Ed 

[Turbinator]

2 minutes ago, RivNut said:

You're going to have a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong wait.  😀

No one else knows what's correct so there's nothing to which you can compare what you have and whether you're correct or the other guy is correct.

 

Remember what I said earlier:

 

DON'T PET THE SWEATY STUFF AND DON'T SWEAT THE PETTY STUFF.  

 

 

 

Just do it your way and sell, sell, sell.

Ed 

Ed, you are 100% correct. Sell, sell, sell and give the customers what they want. After all this is for fun. Thank Goodness I’m ok with learning about the Riviera. It’s hard to know it all and even impossible to be a “ know it all”.

Turbinator

[RivNut]

Offer the covers cleaned with painted insets for one price, then let the buyer know that for an additional sum the unpainted parts can be polished.  ???????

 

I looked again at the four you have for sale in the other thread.  Those, at least to me, have the correct "luster" to them.  I know that aluminum can be polished to look like chrome but I think that what you've accomplished is what looks best. Kind of like Goldilocks and the three bears.  Not too dull, not too shiny, but just right.  

Edited December 28, 2018 by RivNut (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

13 hours ago, Turbinator said:

Tom, highly polished from scraped, pitted, covers I get is the only direction I can go. I saw a pic of 63 Riv turbine cover that looked original to me. The turbine I’m referring did not have a highly polished finish, but looked good to me. I suppose highly polished means different things to different people. Chrome buffed out to a mirror reflection  could be highly polished ,whereas; highly polished (buffed) cast aluminum could have a bright shine. Until I see a definition in the auto industry where NOS is clearly defined I’ll have to go with a subjective view. In the case the goods are yours I apologize for being critical. The cover is a great turbine that I’d be proud to own.

Turbinator

 

Hi Bob,

  My comment was NOT a reference to whatever you are doing with your covers. I would not comment on same...your the captain, it`s your cargo. But you did reference the appearance of THIS cover....

  My comment was an observation re the appearance of the NOS covers I have seen over the years, maybe 20?, and that I`m very confident that if one ordered a `63-`64 NOS cast aluminum wheel cover in 1966 the cover would appear much like this cover in terms of finish/appearance.

  Good luck to the seller and buyer...and to you re your restored covers,

  Tom Mooney

Edited December 28, 2018 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[Turbinator]

11 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

Hi Bob,

  My comment was NOT a reference to whatever you are doing with your covers. I would not comment on same...your the captain, it`s your cargo. But you did reference the appearance of THIS cover....

  My comment was an observation re the appearance of the NOS covers I have seen over the years, maybe 20?, and that I`m very confident that if one ordered a `63-`64 NOS cast aluminum wheel cover in 1966 the cover would appear much like this cover in terms of finish/appearance.

  Good luck to the seller and buyer...and to you re your restored covers,

  Tom Mooney

Tom, thank you for your positive comments. My comments were too critical and more likely erroneous in substance. My work experience on shining these rascals has “ made my head too big”. Both of us want the best for buyer and seller in any acquisition of Riviera parts. I know some things, but of course not all things

regarding the 63 Riviera.

Regards,

Bob Burnopp 

[Turbinator]

16 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

NOS, the shouldered studs have a red tint. I have posted pics of this in the past

Tom

There is a healthy, raised pit on the right side blade of the spinner just outside of the "center circle" which contains the emblem. Probably from combined dirt and moisture while stored. 50 years is a long time even with good quality storage. NOS is very seldom perfect and this is a good example. Looks like the spinner may have taken the brunt of some handling over the years too, but hard to tell with pics of chrome, it`s all about the angle of the light source.  Most of the NOS parts I have obtained over the years have some sort of flaw, very seldom perfect. I am NOT encouraging or discouraging anyone from considering this part, just making an observation.

Tom

Time for glasses...but be careful...my wife aged instantly the first time I put mine on.

Tom

Tom, I wear glasses, but have pretty good corrected vision. Many times I use a magnifier and a magnifier lighted head set. Looking at a chrome piece in a picture throws me in determining real accuracy.

Turbinator

[Turbinator]

19 hours ago, RivNut said:

Not that I've found.  I think that Tom is correct in that the originals were not polished.  They were a more natural aluminum without any real shine.  Although they do look good brought to a nice brilliance.  It's probably that owners wouldn't go to the effort of polishing aluminum.  They'll wash and dry stainless, or pay the gardener to do it,  but as far as doing what's necessary to keep aluminum polished, Riviera buyers weren't into that kind of labor.  Time away from the golf course, etc.

 

In high school,  my girlfriend's dad owned the local grain company.  He always drove a new Electra.  He'd drive it to work then call the local service station to send a guy over to pick it up and take it to the station to be gassed up and washed, and a couple of times a year to be waxed.  It was a car that showed the rest of the town who he was, it wasn't something he would take time for.  If he'd have stepped up to a Riviera, it would have been even more so.  Probably not unlike many other Buick owners of the time.

 

Ed

Ed, Not polished. Here is a pic I scraped off a YouTube video entitled "Ride Along in 63 Buick Riviera". The clip is great and the owners son now owns the car. The original owner was on the design team of the 63 Buick Riviera. Checkout the screen scrape I managed to get from the video. I would assume this is the real deal. Seems all situations point to a wheel cover that is probably untouched. See pic attached.

Tubirnator

[RivNut]

That is what the turbines on my '63 looked like when I bought it. That's probably the factory finish but I still like the luster that you've given to the ones you pictured. I would think that paying someone to polish all of these covers before they were mounted on the car would have raised the price of the car enough that the bean counters didn't authorize it.

 

I can't get to my '63 accessory pamphlet right now but I'll probably be able to tomorrow.  I've done my allotment of "no-cast" walking for today.  Tomorrow I'll make sure that I get to it first thing.

 

Ed

[dr914]

certainly looks NOS sitting around all of these years would have developed some scratches and maybe even some pitting, the originals were never perfect, production line pieces.

[1965rivgs]

1 hour ago, Turbinator said:

Ed, Not polished. Here is a pic I scraped off a YouTube video entitled "Ride Along in 63 Buick Riviera". The clip is great and the owners son now owns the car. The original owner was on the design team of the 63 Buick Riviera. Checkout the screen scrape I managed to get from the video. I would assume this is the real deal. Seems all situations point to a wheel cover that is probably untouched. See pic attached.

Tubirnator

  Nope...either the pic is deceiving (which I think is the case as there is obviously a semi-polished look to the center hub under the stainless center) or someone has blasted, or something like age/wear has dulled the outer rim in this pic. All the NOS cast aluminum covers I have layed eyeballs on over the years look exactly like the NOS cover in the Ebay link. 

  It would seem to me that an NOS, never installed item would be a more accurate reflection of what the component looked like originally than the same component which has been in service for 50 years. But that just another opinion...

Tom

[Turbinator]

On 12/28/2018 at 6:34 PM, 1965rivgs said:

  Nope...either the pic is deceiving (which I think is the case as there is obviously a semi-polished look to the center hub under the stainless center) or someone has blasted, or something like age/wear has dulled the outer rim in this pic. All the NOS cast aluminum covers I have layed eyeballs on over the years look exactly like the NOS cover in the Ebay link. 

  It would seem to me that an NOS, never installed item would be a more accurate reflection of what the component looked like originally than the same component which has been in service for 50 years. But that just another opinion...

Tom

Tom, astute observation regarding what the original looks like. I understand in your opinion the single cast aluminum cover for sale on eBay that has never been installed is what it looks like. Well, makes plenty sense to me. I was 13 when the 63 came out and I remember seeing the Riviera and recognizing the Riviera with an exceptionally high cool factor. About that time I was looking for a white Oldsmobile 88 steering wheel with a deep V horn bar for my bike. ( I think it was an 88, but I know it was an Oldsmobile steering wheel )

Thanks for your insights, they make sense.

Turbinator

[60FlatTop]

Maybe it is only me, bit something about the term "unobtanium" brings to mind a guy with an MBA taking my order at McDonald's.

[RivNut]

2 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

Maybe it is only me, bit something about the term "unobtanium" brings to mind a guy with an MBA taking my order at McDonald's.

He was  Philosophy major.  Or as the old saying goes, "What's the first thing a philosophy major will ask you?" Answer: "Do you want to supersize that order?"

[gungeey]

On ‎12‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 5:03 PM, Turbinator said:

Ed, Not polished. Here is a pic I scraped off a YouTube video entitled "Ride Along in 63 Buick Riviera". The clip is great and the owners son now owns the car. The original owner was on the design team of the 63 Buick Riviera. Checkout the screen scrape I managed to get from the video. I would assume this is the real deal. Seems all situations point to a wheel cover that is probably untouched. See pic attached.

Tubirnator

 

from a time standpoint it says "radial" on the side of that tire, don't think it was a picture taken in 63 but not a tire expert

[Turbinator]

33 minutes ago, gungeey said:

 

from a time standpoint it says "radial" on the side of that tire, don't think it was a picture taken in 63 but not a tire expert

Yes, Sir I agree with you on the tire not being around in 63 and I agree the picture was taken in 63. I was guessing and guessing in error, the owners son kept it the way his Dad had it from the factory. Of course, only a guess. Tom sees it from a more experienced perspective and I'm ok anytime with experience. I must say you have good eyes to pick the "radial" up on the tire.

Turbinatore

[Turbinator]

2 hours ago, RivNut said:

He was  Philosophy major.  Or as the old saying goes, "What's the first thing a philosophy major will ask you?" Answer: "Do you want to supersize that order?"

I like the Americans that make up words and the words come in to our daily lives. Logon from the tech world and "sortation" from the USPS defining  how mail is manually or mechanically sorted. What is in a word? Ill just stop banging my head up against a dead horse. I"m going to keep on typing and come out smelling like gang busters.

Turbinator