RIVIERA LIFE

[frenchy51]

530-Nor-Cal checking in

[telriv]

SBRMD,

 

    I had a paper route since I was 11yrs. old  around 1957.  I saved my pennies, nickels & dimes in a BIG jar.  Now you've got to remember my Pops was a definete old timer. When he saw how much $$$$ I was able to come up with & save at that point he started charging me "Rent" at $10.00 a week & I HAD TO START BUYING my own clothes & school supplies.  Since that was taking a good chunk of my profits I had to start doing something else to supplement my paper route $$$$.  Sears was having a sale on lawn mowers so I went down & bought a new, at the time, self propelled lawn mower.  I counted all my change to come up with the sale amount in the newspaper.  I went down with this jar & plucked it on the salemans table & said I want that mower.  He looked at me & said I don't think there is enough in that jar of which I assured him there was. Want to count it???  He said NO I TRUST you. Didn't even add on whatever tax there may have been.

   So my next step up to being in business for myself.  Now I had two jobs. A paper route I started with 47 customers grew into over 250 customers within 1 1/2 years.  So I was busy to say the least.  Not only did the paper route take me from after school I'd arrive home around, walking mind you, around  3pm., sometimes wrapping ALL the papers until 4:30 & delivering until about 8pm most days. Fortunately one of my customers supplied me with ALL the rubber bands I needed which made the job so much easier. I would have to go back home around 3-4 times to reload. Sundays was really tough as there was so much more paper on Sundays.  I would have to reload 5-7 times depending on how big the Sunday paper was. 

     Then when I had the time I would cut grass.  I had about two dozen customers that kept me busy ALL the time.  It was kinda hard fitting it ALL in with school work, homework, etc. BUT somehow was able to handle it ALL.  AHHH to be young again & full of energy!!!!!

   At this point Pops saw what I was bringing in & the rent went up to $15.00, then $20.00.  I remember he & I having an arguement about cutting the grass at home at which time I said I'm paying you rent. How much are you gonna pay me???  He said nothing & I said no way.  As a kid I took EVERY opportunity to make a buck shoveling snow or whatever it took to make my ends meet.  I had this paper route, cutting grass & shoveling until I was 18yrs. old.  At 17  I moved out & rented my own apartment & was able to get by.  At 13 my last stop on my paper route was a Shell station. I would hang out with the older guys getting coffee & around 8-9pm I left to go home.  I still see some of them from time-time. In late '61 I started with my vocational experience in Auto shop. Doc & Mr. V. were GREAT teachers.  I remember my 1st. car, a '55 Buick Special that needed a clutch.  I remeber Doc & Mr. V. both saying, "How are you getting home???  Of which I replied I'm driving my car.  They BOTH started to laugh, BUT I continued jacking up my car & getting the jack stands situated.  When a car was jacked up to be put on jack stands BEFORE ANYONE got under the vehicle BOTH teachers had to check to make sure the vehicle was stable. They wanted me to use a lift of which I replied, "it would be easier on jack stands".  Again they went away laughing.   Less than an hour later I was done with the car on the ground & ALL tools & equipment cleaned & returned to the "Tool Grib" at which time I told the teachers I was done. They both looked at me with surprise in their eyes & couldn't believe the car was on the ground running & ready for them to test drive.   I could'nt drive as of yet because I didn't have my license. What they both didn't know was I had that trans. out at least 4-5 times for repair so I KNEW what I was doing & how to perform the job. Of course by the time I was done with my paper route I was too late for supper.  Pops would say we're not running a restuerant here.  After he left to see his "Boys on the corner" Mom,  A GREAT WOMAN/MOM by the way, would make me up some leftovers IF there was any left.

    NOW after this long set-up comes the Riv. my BABY!!!!  As stated I saved my coins & would bring it to the bank for $$$  bills. So much easier to put into a savings account on a bi-weekly basis.  Like mentioned I didn't get my license until I was almost 18. Pops would say I'm not loosing my home & EVERYTHING I got because of you.  It was so bad when it came time to register & insure the Riv. I had to rely on one of my good friends Dad.  After it was registered & insured Mom didn't like the idea of this guy being the so calld owner. In reality he was a boozer. So behind Pops back Mom regiserted & insured the Riv. in her name. 

    Now that I'm 18 & could get insurance & register the car on my own I started looking for a car to buy. I looked at the Fords, Mopars, & Gm Muscle Cars of the time.  When I started checking on insurance the cost for an 18 yr. old, to me, were astranomical especially for what I was looking at.

I came across MY RIV. on the showroom floor of Healy Buick in Stamford, Ct.  This was in Sept. 1964. A good 13+  months since the '64 Model year was  introduced.  

I asked many questions. Like why was this supposedly new car sitting on the showroom floor with 450 miles on it.  The story goes, as I was told by the saleaman, that a doctor Learner in Stamford had ordered the car for his wife. Her birthday was late August 1964.  He ordered it extra early because he heard the '63's had outsold the supply of 40k & he didn't want to be left behind in case the same happened in '64.  When they went down to the dealer to surprise the wifey she caught a climpse of the 1st. '65 in the back lot to arrive at the dealer & feel in love with the '65. 

     We struck a deal & the buy was made after checking on $$$$ cost for insurance. It was so much LESS than the other cars I was looking at & could somewhat afford insurance for.  As compared to the bevy of other cars the insurance on the Riv. was 1/2 of the others & 1/3 of a Corvette. 

    The next day I went to the bank & drew out the $90.00 for the downpayment.  The rest was $120.00 a month for 3 years or so. OR about $1.00 a pound. That's when it ALL started. This car was so much faster than ANYTHING I EVER DROVE BEFORE. I had given other gearheads a ride & they just couldn't believe how actually fast it was & was SSSOOOO quiet. I could feel when someone else was in the car as the performance suffered. The Bias ply tires would stick & from a dead stop to WOT the posi would actually slip & be GONE with very little tire spin. Of course within a couple months the 1st. motor mount broke. Very shortly thereafter another & another. That's when I devised a method of 4 links of chain to keep the engine in place with a 1/4" of slack so there was no engine vibration tranmitted into the passenger compartment.  Haven't broken a mount since. My baby was raced on a pretty constant basis. Winning $$$$ & paying off the loan within 14 months. Done. Now it was MINE.

I remember when I drove home a white '63 with a Red interior & said to Pops I gonna buy me one some day. "Over my dead body" was the reply.  

When I drove MY RIV. home the 1st. night it was after work & about 5:30pm. Pops said who's car is that as he was getting accustomed to me bringing home a diff. car many nights of the week.  Told him it was mine & he didn't have to worry about the insurance or resgistrasion as it was in someone else's name. He then asked IF he could take it for a ride. I tossed him the keys & said to be back shortly as I've got a date. Came back within 10 minutes & said your going to get in BIG trouble with that car, IT'S WAY TOO FAST. Thankfully that didn't happen although there were definetly a few close calls.

    It's been fun for 57+ years & I still enjoy it as I did way back when.  NEVER FAILS to put a smile on my face. AHHH to be 18 again.

 

Tom T.

 

[RivNut]

Another "paper boy." My younger brother and I had a rather large suburban route.  As a second car, Dad had a 55 Buick Special four door hard top. When I finally turned 14 I could "drive to work and back" on a restricted license. I'd drive and my brother would sit in the back seat on the passenger's side.  With both windows down, he had plenty of room to fling papers onto the driveways.  By the time we were in high school the route was big enough that we would hire local grade school kids to fold the papers for us and we'd throw them when we'd get home. Mom and Dad kept the route, ran it, and it was used to pay for books, tuition, and other expenses for our college.  Surely glad that people depended on the paper for their news instead of the internet. I might have had to actually work for minimum wage at some job I hated.  Good and bad - everyone on the east side of town knew me by name and by sight.

[64RivieraLife]

On 1/24/2021 at 7:54 AM, RivNut said:

I have parts for the thrre cars that I have that are in various stages of restoration. Until I'm finished with those, I dio not know if I have any thing that I want to sell.  You can get a reproduction shroud from CARS.  For the most part screws, nuts, and bolts are common items. Specialty items can be purchased from places like Mr.G's. A couple of years ago, I had access to a junked out 63.  I took all of the interior screws from it and sent them to Glenn (Mr. G) and he made a kit for the interiors. He might even have the headlight screws for the hoods. BUT you'll need to know exactly what the dimensions are in order to buy them.  In the classifieds of the Riview, find the guys who are the semi-professional parts vendors and ask them for your needs.  You will need to be very specific about what you need.  Like when you ask me for brackets and screws. I have no idea which ones you need.  Everything has a specific name, figure out what that name is and use it.  I'll let you know if I stumble across any headlight hood screws.

 

Ed

 

2 hours ago, telriv said:

SBRMD,

 

    I had a paper route since I was 11yrs. old  around 1957.  I saved my pennies, nickels & dimes in a BIG jar.  Now you've got to remember my Pops was a definete old timer. When he saw how much $$$$ I was able to come up with & save at that point he started charging me "Rent" at $10.00 a week & I HAD TO START BUYING my own clothes & school supplies.  Since that was taking a good chunk of my profits I had to start doing something else to supplement my paper route $$$$.  Sears was having a sale on lawn mowers so I went down & bought a new, at the time, self propelled lawn mower.  I counted all my change to come up with the sale amount in the newspaper.  I went down with this jar & plucked it on the salemans table & said I want that mower.  He looked at me & said I don't think there is enough in that jar of which I assured him there was. Want to count it???  He said NO I TRUST you. Didn't even add on whatever tax there may have been.

   So my next step up to being in business for myself.  Now I had two jobs. A paper route I started with 47 customers grew into over 250 customers within 1 1/2 years.  So I was busy to say the least.  Not only did the paper route take me from after school I'd arrive home around, walking mind you, around  3pm., sometimes wrapping ALL the papers until 4:30 & delivering until about 8pm most days. Fortunately one of my customers supplied me with ALL the rubber bands I needed which made the job so much easier. I would have to go back home around 3-4 times to reload. Sundays was really tough as there was so much more paper on Sundays.  I would have to reload 5-7 times depending on how big the Sunday paper was. 

     Then when I had the time I would cut grass.  I had about two dozen customers that kept me busy ALL the time.  It was kinda hard fitting it ALL in with school work, homework, etc. BUT somehow was able to handle it ALL.  AHHH to be young again & full of energy!!!!!

   At this point Pops saw what I was bringing in & the rent went up to $15.00, then $20.00.  I remember he & I having an arguement about cutting the grass at home at which time I said I'm paying you rent. How much are you gonna pay me???  He said nothing & I said no way.  As a kid I took EVERY opportunity to make a buck shoveling snow or whatever it took to make my ends meet.  I had this paper route, cutting grass & shoveling until I was 18yrs. old.  At 17  I moved out & rented my own apartment & was able to get by.  At 13 my last stop on my paper route was a Shell station. I would hang out with the older guys getting coffee & around 8-9pm I left to go home.  I still see some of them from time-time. In late '61 I started with my vocational experience in Auto shop. Doc & Mr. V. were GREAT teachers.  I remember my 1st. car, a '55 Buick Special that needed a clutch.  I remeber Doc & Mr. V. both saying, "How are you getting home???  Of which I replied I'm driving my car.  They BOTH started to laugh, BUT I continued jacking up my car & getting the jack stands situated.  When a car was jacked up to be put on jack stands BEFORE ANYONE got under the vehicle BOTH teachers had to check to make sure the vehicle was stable. They wanted me to use a lift of which I replied, "it would be easier on jack stands".  Again they went away laughing.   Less than an hour later I was done with the car on the ground & ALL tools & equipment cleaned & returned to the "Tool Grib" at which time I told the teachers I was done. They both looked at me with surprise in their eyes & couldn't believe the car was on the ground running & ready for them to test drive.   I could'nt drive as of yet because I didn't have my license. What they both didn't know was I had that trans. out at least 4-5 times for repair so I KNEW what I was doing & how to perform the job. Of course by the time I was done with my paper route I was too late for supper.  Pops would say we're not running a restuerant here.  After he left to see his "Boys on the corner" Mom,  A GREAT WOMAN/MOM by the way, would make me up some leftovers IF there was any left.

    NOW after this long set-up comes the Riv. my BABY!!!!  As stated I saved my coins & would bring it to the bank for $$$  bills. So much easier to put into a savings account on a bi-weekly basis.  Like mentioned I didn't get my license until I was almost 18. Pops would say I'm not loosing my home & EVERYTHING I got because of you.  It was so bad when it came time to register & insure the Riv. I had to rely on one of my good friends Dad.  After it was registered & insured Mom didn't like the idea of this guy being the so calld owner. In reality he was a boozer. So behind Pops back Mom regiserted & insured the Riv. in her name. 

    Now that I'm 18 & could get insurance & register the car on my own I started looking for a car to buy. I looked at the Fords, Mopars, & Gm Muscle Cars of the time.  When I started checking on insurance the cost for an 18 yr. old, to me, were astranomical especially for what I was looking at.

I came across MY RIV. on the showroom floor of Healy Buick in Stamford, Ct.  This was in Sept. 1964. A good 13+  months since the '64 Model year was  introduced.  

I asked many questions. Like why was this supposedly new car sitting on the showroom floor with 450 miles on it.  The story goes, as I was told by the saleaman, that a doctor Learner in Stamford had ordered the car for his wife. Her birthday was late August 1964.  He ordered it extra early because he heard the '63's had outsold the supply of 40k & he didn't want to be left behind in case the same happened in '64.  When they went down to the dealer to surprise the wifey she caught a climpse of the 1st. '65 in the back lot to arrive at the dealer & feel in love with the '65. 

     We struck a deal & the buy was made after checking on $$$$ cost for insurance. It was so much LESS than the other cars I was looking at & could somewhat afford insurance for.  As compared to the bevy of other cars the insurance on the Riv. was 1/2 of the others & 1/3 of a Corvette. 

    The next day I went to the bank & drew out the $90.00 for the downpayment.  The rest was $120.00 a month for 3 years or so. OR about $1.00 a pound. That's when it ALL started. This car was so much faster than ANYTHING I EVER DROVE BEFORE. I had given other gearheads a ride & they just couldn't believe how actually fast it was & was SSSOOOO quiet. I could feel when someone else was in the car as the performance suffered. The Bias ply tires would stick & from a dead stop to WOT the posi would actually slip & be GONE with very little tire spin. Of course within a couple months the 1st. motor mount broke. Very shortly thereafter another & another. That's when I devised a method of 4 links of chain to keep the engine in place with a 1/4" of slack so there was no engine vibration tranmitted into the passenger compartment.  Haven't broken a mount since. My baby was raced on a pretty constant basis. Winning $$$$ & paying off the loan within 14 months. Done. Now it was MINE.

I remember when I drove home a white '63 with a Red interior & said to Pops I gonna buy me one some day. "Over my dead body" was the reply.  

When I drove MY RIV. home the 1st. night it was after work & about 5:30pm. Pops said who's car is that as he was getting accustomed to me bringing home a diff. car many nights of the week.  Told him it was mine & he didn't have to worry about the insurance or resgistrasion as it was in someone else's name. He then asked IF he could take it for a ride. I tossed him the keys & said to be back shortly as I've got a date. Came back within 10 minutes & said your going to get in BIG trouble with that car, IT'S WAY TOO FAST. Thankfully that didn't happen although there were definetly a few close calls.

    It's been fun for 57+ years & I still enjoy it as I did way back when.  NEVER FAILS to put a smile on my face. AHHH to be 18 again.

 

Tom T.

 

Nice story..all ur missing is picture of car?

[RivNut]

Here's a picture of Tom's car that I posted back in 2012.  With the shadows it's hard to see, but that's Tom pulling the left front tire at the drag strip. That's torque.

[jsgun]

661, the desert above LA. Had it uncovered for a bit. Filthy, and the interior all apart for now, but making real progress. Hope to be drivable by april.

[jsgun]

Tom - enjoyed the story

[XframeFX]

13 hours ago, jsgun said:

661, the desert above LA. Had it uncovered for a bit. Filthy, and the interior all apart for now, but making real progress. Hope to be drivable by april.

Steve, a solid looking Riv!

Except for a new headliner I installed in '92, I had a gutted interior with my '63 when I restarted my project back in 2016. My 2017 deadline morph'd into a bigger project than anticipated. So 2018 , then 2019 and finally late in 2020 it was finally drivable. No more milk crate for a seat! It didn't help that different parts went back in and being somewhat OCD on some things. My dealings aligning that 🆖Console😁

[telriv]

Believe me when I say that so called story was cut WAY SHORT. I would still be typing if I continued.

[jsgun]

9 hours ago, XframeFX said:

Steve, a solid looking Riv!

Except for a new headliner I installed in '92, I had a gutted interior with my '63 when I restarted my project back in 2016. My 2017 deadline morph'd into a bigger project than anticipated. So 2018 , then 2019 and finally late in 2020 it was finally drivable. No more milk crate for a seat! It didn't help that different parts went back in and being somewhat OCD on some things. My dealings aligning that 🆖Console😁

The P.O. was having it restored as they could afford it. If i remember right, the body guy decided he wanted to keep it, so they had to get it back from him. The same thing with the interior guy. One of them sabotaged the fuel line, it was almost completely crushed by pliers. The motor guy was the only one who didn't screw them over. It had some electrical problems, and so they lost interest. I thought I just needed to replace some dry rotted hoses and be on my way in a few weeks. Turned into a rusted out fuse box, burned up charging and starting systems. I had to learn wiring, and rebuilt and upgraded all of that. Four years later, it turned into a case of "I have this apart, I might as well redo this part too". O got a little carried away too, I only wanted to do it once. Light is at the end of the tunnel though. 

[gungeey]

On 1/26/2021 at 1:41 AM, jsgun said:

661, the desert above LA. Had it uncovered for a bit. Filthy, and the interior all apart for now, but making real progress. Hope to be drivable by april.

 

 

looks drivable now!

[Turbinator]

On 1/11/2021 at 2:33 PM, 64RivieraLife said:

Any tips and tricks to swaping out to LED would be highly appreciated 

For some reason the LED’s do not like the tail light / turn signal location in the 63 Riv. It could have been my lower quality LED. The cornering lights have an amber colored incandescent I tried substituting an LED with no luck.

The interior LED swap out was easier.

on my 63 the light on my HVAC panel was hard to reach, but I got er done.

Superbrites are a good supplier of LED’ Superbrite allows you to fill in their on line computer form and their program tells you the equivalent LED.

The LEDs in the dash were easier to put in than I expected. I used the COOL whites that are very bright. Some guys use the softer white LED’s.

Bob

 

[64RivieraLife]

4 minutes ago, Turbinator said:

For some reason the LED’s do not like the tail light / turn signal location in the 63 Riv. It could have been my lower quality LED. The cornering lights have an amber colored incandescent I tried substituting an LED with no luck.

The interior LED swap out was easier.

on my 63 the light on my HVAC panel was hard to reach, but I got er done.

Superbrites are a good supplier of LED’ Superbrite allows you to fill in their on line computer form and their program tells you the equivalent LED.

The LEDs in the dash were easier to put in than I expected. I used the COOL whites that are very bright. Some guys use the softer white LED’s.

Bob

 

Model number of bulbs?

[Turbinator]

16 minutes ago, 64RivieraLife said:

Model number of bulbs?

Log on to Superbrites and key. In your Id info and that might give you what you need. The other route is look in the service manual that describes, the incandescent you want to swap out hy part number.

I don’t have the part numbers off the e top of my head. There were a handful of bulb numbers you had to track down. The price points on those little devils have a wide range. I cannot find standards set for LED bulbs. Why pay for Sylvania when any other LED fills the bill. I went midrange price and have had no problems. The bulb over top the glove box that shines through a hole with crystal in the roof of the glove box was hard for me to get it in and out. Did you get the info you wanted from Tom T?

Bob

Edited January 27, 2021 by Turbinator (see edit history)

[Turbinator]

On 1/23/2021 at 8:38 AM, frenchy51 said:

530-Nor-Cal checking in

Frenchy, very fine looking automobile. Did you repaint the car? Is the color known as Granada Red? I like the the white wall width on your tires.

Turbinator