Seafoam65 Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 I am still trying to locate the 65 Riviera my Dad bought new in September 64. We lost track of it in 1987 when it was sold and moved from Texas to Ohio. It was a very solid rust free Texas car back then, all original paint and interior, Arctic White with base saddle interior. The VIN number on this car is 494475H900633. The buyer in Ohio said he was going to repaint the car black. Please be on the look out for a 65 with this VIN number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychostang Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 I will keep a lookout. I know it's not mine. Mine is Artic white, but was given a half-ass black repaint. Yours is an extremely early build. 633rd Buick off the assembly line. Mine is 9,165th Buick with 2nd week of December 64 build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 14 minutes ago, psychostang said: I will keep a lookout. I know it's not mine. Mine is Artic white, but was given a half-ass black repaint. Yours is an extremely early build. 633rd Buick off the assembly line. Mine is 9,165th Buick with 2nd week of December 64 build. Hi Andrew, Only the Riviera and Wildcat models used the 900000 serial number format and, in regard to the Wildcat, only after the first 54 Wildcats were already built. So a 900633 serial number would be the 633rd Wildcat/Riviera built after/in addition to the first 54 Wildcats. The other models used a 100000 serial number format. Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychostang Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Tom, I thought that also, but I saw a Riviera with a VIN that was higher than 34,586 Riviera's built for 65. I didn't know that the Wildcats also used the 9 designation. Learn something new everyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 1 hour ago, psychostang said: Tom, I thought that also, but I saw a Riviera with a VIN that was higher than 34,586 Riviera's built for 65. I didn't know that the Wildcats also used the 9 designation. Learn something new everyday. The higher VIN is because the VINs are a combination of Riviera and Wildcat production in Flint. The Fisher Body numbers in Flint are also cumulative in `65 which differs from the `63-`64 models which are Riviera specific. Back to Winston`s search...good luck Winston! Tom PS I have heard of folks hiring a private investigator to do vehicle searches with good results 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J3Studio Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 3 hours ago, 1965rivgs said: Only the Riviera and Wildcat models used the 900000 serial number format and, in regard to the Wildcat, only after the first 54 Wildcats were already built. So a 900633 serial number would be the 633rd Wildcat/Riviera built after/in addition to the first 54 Wildcats. The other models used a 100000 serial number format. Wow … Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivdrivn Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 5 hours ago, Seafoam65 said: I am still trying to locate the 65 Riviera my Dad bought new in September 64. We lost track of it in 1987 when it was sold and moved from Texas to Ohio. It was a very solid rust free Texas car back then, all original paint and interior, Arctic White with base saddle interior. The VIN number on this car is 494475H900633. The buyer in Ohio said he was going to repaint the car black. Please be on the look out for a 65 with this VIN number. My black ‘65 is 494475H900614, only 19 units ahead of your dad’s. So, probably built on the same day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Rivdrivn said: My black ‘65 is 494475H900614, only 19 units ahead of your dad’s. So, probably built on the same day. Does your car have a 64 Riviera glovebox door emblem from the factory like my Dad's car did? My Dad special ordered his car in July 1964. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivdrivn Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 1 hour ago, Seafoam65 said: Does your car have a 64 Riviera glovebox door emblem from the factory like my Dad's car did? My Dad special ordered his car in July 1964. Yes. Do you know whether your dad’s was built before or after Labor Day ‘64? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 2 hours ago, Rivdrivn said: Yes. Do you know whether your dad’s was built before or after Labor Day ‘64? Steve, Then this Gran Sport does not have the usual Gran Sport glove box emblem. Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivdrivn Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 11 hours ago, RivNut said: Steve, Then this Gran Sport does not have the usual Gran Sport glove box emblem. Interesting. Actually, it came with both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 14 hours ago, Rivdrivn said: Yes. Do you know whether your dad’s was built before or after Labor Day ‘64? I am not sure when it was actually built because the dealer we special ordered the car from, Bernie Dumas Buick in New Orleans was lying to us for at least two weeks telling us that the car did not get built before the strike when it in fact was sitting on their showroom floor for quite some time.......My Dad's car was the only 65 Riviera that came in before the strike shut everything down and they wanted my Dad's car to display in their showroom. We lived in Houma, Louisiana which was 60 miles away(no Buick dealers in Houma) and my Dad was in New Orleans on a business related trip and when he drove up to the dealership to check on the status of his order, there his car was on the showroom floor with people getting in and out of it. The dealer actually tried to convince my Dad that it wasn't his car even though the build was exactly what he had ordered. My Dad almost got in a fist fight with the sales manager, and they let him have the car the next day which was a Saturday. I rode up with my Dad in a friend's car to drop us off to pick up the car. We left the dealership and the car had very little fuel in the tank and we stopped at a gas station on highway 90 to get some fuel. Within 3 minutes several people had pulled into the gas station to gawk at the most beautiful car they had ever seen. they all wanted to see how the headlamp covers opened and closed. That Monday, my mom dropped me off at the Jr. High I attended and when she pulled up to the curb a riot ensued.......everybody standing outside went nuts when they saw the car. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 Here are pics of the glove box door on my Dad's car with the 64 emblem and me and my mom standing in front of the car on Easter Sunday 1965, and a pic of my younger brother in front of the car in 1967........ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychostang Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 So I guess what you are saying is that Dealerships were asshats back in the 60's also. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 10 hours ago, Seafoam65 said: I am not sure when it was actually built because the dealer we special ordered the car from, Bernie Dumas Buick in New Orleans was lying to us for at least two weeks telling us that the car did not get built before the strike when it in fact was sitting on their showroom floor for quite some time.......My Dad's car was the only 65 Riviera that came in before the strike shut everything down and they wanted my Dad's car to display in their showroom. We lived in Houma, Louisiana which was 60 miles away(no Buick dealers in Houma) and my Dad was in New Orleans on a business related trip and when he drove up to the dealership to check on the status of his order, there his car was on the showroom floor with people getting in and out of it. The dealer actually tried to convince my Dad that it wasn't his car even though the build was exactly what he had ordered. My Dad almost got in a fist fight with the sales manager, and they let him have the car the next day which was a Saturday. I rode up with my Dad in a friend's car to drop us off to pick up the car. We left the dealership and the car had very little fuel in the tank and we stopped at a gas station on highway 90 to get some fuel. Within 3 minutes several people had pulled into the gas station to gawk at the most beautiful car they had ever seen. they all wanted to see how the headlamp covers opened and closed. That Monday, my mom dropped me off at the Jr. High I attended and when she pulled up to the curb a riot ensued.......everybody standing outside went nuts when they saw the car. That is such a cool story! I swear, the stories behind these cars are as good as the cars themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinRiviDad Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 U have a great memory, Winston. Great story 👍🏼 thx for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XframeFX Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 On 12/30/2020 at 6:06 PM, Rivdrivn said: Yes. Do you know whether your dad’s was built before or after Labor Day ‘64? I like the fit of Steve's Glovebox door and the console gap to pass. kneepad panel. As for ordering a new GM back in 1964. My Dad did the same but at 9 years of age, he left me out of the process. He discussed it with the gang at work I'm sure. What did he order? A 1965 Chevrolet Biscayne 4 door sedan stripper with only 3 options, a 283 V8 because he thought it would start better than a six in the winter. The 2nd option was positraction because he thought it would save him the expense of winter tires for the rear. The 3rd option was undercoating applied at the Dealer. It arrived at the dealer without positraction. I remember our new car on a lift at the dealership where they swapped the whole rear axle for a 12-Bolt posi. Living in the rust capital of North America, it became a rust bucket in 5 years no matter how much my Dad took care of it with washes and oil spray. So I guess what you are saying is that Dealerships were asshats back in the 60's also. When it was my turn to order a new Buick in 1986, I experienced corruption at Dealerships twice. It took over a year to purchase my Grand National as posted here: Good Luck with the search for Dad's Riviera.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J3Studio Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 I love the period photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivdrivn Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 My step-father bought this ‘65 Riviera off the showroom floor. It was his baby. When he died 17 years ago, his son quickly flipped it for the cash. I never had a chance at it and haven’t seen it since. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 One other aspect to the story on my Dad's car........he actually went down to the dealer to order a full size Buick station wagon. When we got to the dealer, I saw a 64 Riviera on the showroom floor and somehow at 12 years of age managed to talk my Dad into test driving one........ and the salesman reeled him in like a five pound bass. When we got home my Mom was furious, but when the car came in and she drove it the first time she fell in love with it. My folks usually only kept a car for three years, but they kept that one for 22 years, and always regretted selling it after that......my mom always said that it was by far her most favorite car that she ever got to drive. When I saw the Riviera on the showroom floor that day it was the first one I had ever seen because in Houma everybody drove Fords and Chevrolets and Dodges....they didn't have a Cadillac, Olds or Buick dealer in town, mainly because it was a blue collar oilfield town. One look at that Riviera that day and I was hooked, but then the salesman showed us a picture of what the 65's would look like with the hideaway headlamps and we HAD to have one after that. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 This discussion reminds me of Jay Leno's story about how his father came to buy a brand-new 1966 7-Litre Galaxie. His description of the day they took delivery is priceless... https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a4676/4330481/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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