Kudus to Old Buick Parts (AKA Cars LLC)

[Craig Balzer]

Back in August 2023 (9 mos ago) I purchased a set of their fender and trunk Script ("Riviera") and new "Gran Sport" emblems. Two of mine have a broken "leg" on the "R" - likely caught on a wash mitt/sponge or drying towel. The "Gran Sport" emblems had faded to a light pink.

 

I finally got around to installing them today (30MAY24). I started with the trunk emblem reasoning it would be easier to learn on the more accessible emblem. HA - a structural brace is in the EXACT wrong place for ease of emblem installation.

 

It took gentle percussive persuasion to remove the old (original??) one. 

Here, it is simply set in the slots in the sheet metal (the trunk script has tabs; the fender script has pins with hollow nuts). I used this photo to demonstrate to Old Buick Parts the problem and provide a comparison emblem.

 

 

The replacement emblem in simply set in place using 2-4 of the slots. You can see the right hand slot under the "a".

Hmmm - that doesn't look quite right: The two small role holes are the for the "Gran Sport" emblem (a la the early -- the first few months - of production). I installed it later.

 

Having see these photos, Steve at Old Buick Parts sent out a replacement despite the no-returns-after-30-days policy. 

He asked me to simply bend the emblem to see if the tabs were properly placed as a test to see that the one he dispatched would fit. I not only had to bend it but attempt to stretch it as the right hand tab didn't quote reach the slot. It did - sorta. The emblem bent/stretch surprisingly easily.

 

So until the replacement emblem, I have the bent/stretched one in place

/

It looks good until you look down on it

 

 

All in all it was a pleasant exchange with Steve (pun intended) - a hassle-free replacement despite being well outside their policy for returns/exchanges.  👍

[RivNut]

Very interesting.  No one that I know of sells a trunk emblem for a ‘64. Sellers of the ‘65 rear Riviera script tell me that it can be bent to the shape of the ‘64 trunk. Can you elaborate on your experience in bending these emblems?  (If I read your post correctly.)

[Craig Balzer]

If you compare the script between photo 2 and photo 3 above you can see the replacement one was bent. Just about at the v" and second "i" in Riviera is where I reckon the bend occurred.

 

I was very reluctant to attempt to straighten it as I feared the pot metal (??) would be brittle; it is very thin. As I initially posted, I was extremely surprised when, with Steve's approval, I bent the piece. (I had nothing to lose (replacement already approved) and Steve wanted to be sure that once straightened, the tabs would align, or he would just be sending a misaligned replacement.) The bend wasn't to get it to lay flat against the car, it was to straighten the righthand 2/3 of the emblem downward to align the bottom of the script along the entire length. said another way, the script was bent upward to where it was nearly touching the circular part of the "R".

 

Ed, if you would like, once I get the replacement script from Steve, I can send you this one to experiment with. I think you will be surprised how easy it can manipulated. I even tried to stretch it length-wise (somewhat successfully) to get the righthand tab to line up with the righthand slot. If interested, PM your address and I'll send it to you.

[Craig Balzer]

I received the replacement trunk script yesterday.

Hmmm:

 

This one is even more askew than the first. The "e" actually touches the loop in the "R".

Apparently this is the norm for trunk script -- the two fender scripts fit like a hand in a glove.

I don't know if they are made by the same vendor.

The main difference between the trunk and fender scripts is the fender emblems use pins with speed nuts and the trunk version has tabs that fit in slots cut directly into the sheet metal. It is held in place just by friction.

 

Gonna place a sheet of paper on the trunk lid and make a rubbing of the slots.

That'll allow me to bend/tweak/manipulate the emblem at my bench and hopefully get the 90% solution that way.

We'll see . . .

[Pat Curran]

How does something like that make it out the door?

[gungeey]

Your original scripts problem was a broken leg on the "R", correct? 

What's the part number on the back of the original?  I may have one you can have

Edited June 5 by gungeey (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

1 hour ago, Craig Balzer said:

I received the replacement trunk script yesterday.

Hmmm:

 

This one is even more askew than the first. The "e" actually touches the loop in the "R".

Apparently this is the norm for trunk script -- the two fender scripts fit like a hand in a glove.

I don't know if they are made by the same vendor.

The main difference between the trunk and fender scripts is the fender emblems use pins with speed nuts and the trunk version has tabs that fit in slots cut directly into the sheet metal. It is held in place just by friction.

 

Gonna place a sheet of paper on the trunk lid and make a rubbing of the slots.

That'll allow me to bend/tweak/manipulate the emblem at my bench and hopefully get the 90% solution that way.

We'll see . . .

  There are clips inserted in the slots which provide the retention. Are yours intact? If not, I believe Cars sells those also.

Tom Mooney

[Craig Balzer]

This was my approach.

 

I placed a sticky Post-It on the trunk lid after removing the offending emblem. Then I made a rubbing of the pre-cuts in the sheet metal to better see where I needed to make "adjustments". With the post-it in place, I used a small key to poke through the paper to make slots in the paper

This is what I came away with:

Ya can't see much -- this photo is mainly for orientation.

But the back side tells the tale:

The script is now upside down and backwards; the four tabs on the right of the photo are on the "R". They line up nicely.

The second tab from the left on the photo is on the e in Riviera. Its OK. It fit but I tore the paper doing so. I knew I'd hafta fight with this one a bit.

The problem is with the leftmost tab in the photo - it is attached the last letter: It is the "a". BUT: The rubbing of the slot of the "a" is the black permanent marker that is offset from where the tab is -- this is a misalignment is 0.32" too far the right and 0.33" too high.

 

To get this emblem to fit,

I first did a gross adjustment (I bent it) to get the text to line up using the bottom of the letters as guide.

I inserted the emblem on the panel and used a needle nose pliers (a straight one and another with a 45° bent nose) on the emblem avoiding the paint. I gingerly bent 3 of the tabs to get alignment while on the car. Two of them aligned with the slot but needed to be twisted to slide into it. 

The "a" required the biggest adjustment. I not only had to manipulate it in two dimensions but also had to twist it as well. I essentially stretched the emblem to make it longer and bent it to align the tab.

 

The typical reaction: when I pressed one tab home, a tab on the other end of the emblem would pop out of its slot. I ultimately resorted to a very small/light hammer and pounded (I mean tapped) the slots home with a microfiber towel laid over it to cushion the blows

 

This is the final result as viewed from the rear of the car, not bad.

You can see from the shadows the loop of the "R" and the "a" are still sitting proud of the panel:

/

/

When looking straight down at the emblem:

/

That's about as good as it is gonna get.

When I try to push the offending tabs deeper into their slot, the sheet metal flexes.

It'll hafta do . . .

[Craig Balzer]

11 minutes ago, gungeey said:

What's the part number on the back of the original?  I may have one you can have

Gungeey

 

See above - I think I got it.

To answer your question: the part number (in teeny tiny print, so . . .) is 4485658.

As I look at the broken emblem more closely, I'm not sure it is an original piece.

There are six slots in my panel and six tabs on the replacement emblem. That has to be the correct number.

The emblem with the broken leg on the "R" has only 5 tabs. It is missing the tab behind the "e".

If the Cars, LLC version of the emblem had only 5 tabs (omitting the one of the "e"), I think 

• the emblem would hide the unused slot in the panel
• the emblem would fit much easier - one less tab to fuss with and try to align

[Craig Balzer]

16 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

There are clips inserted in the slots which provide the retention. Are yours intact? If not, I believe Cars sells those also.

Tom

That is news to me. My "Riviera" emblem is now held on pretty tight simply via friction.

 

I see no evidence of clips - but I have no idea how many hands the car has passed through over the years. The PO said the car was repainted in the 80s or 90s so who knows where the clips went. (I will not comment on the painter/PO who used rubber glue to secure the 4 emblems on the fenders. Took me 10 minutes on each emblem to remove the residue.)

 

Quite frankly, I don't see how the clips would fit in the slots and still allow the tabs to fit in. Unless the clips attach from inside the trunk? If so, there is a brace in each corner of the trunk that gets perfectly in the way of fitting the emblems ("Riviera" and "Gran Sport"). It becomes a real knuckle buster.

And there is precise little meat on the tab that passes through the panel -- not much to work with if attaching a clip from inside the trunk.

 

I just did a quick check at Cars, LLC and didn't find those clips. I searched on "1965 Riviera trunk emblem clips".

[gungeey]

30 minutes ago, Craig Balzer said:

Gungeey

 

See above - I think I got it.

To answer your question: the part number (in teeny tiny print, so . . .) is 4485658.

As I look at the broken emblem more closely, I'm not sure it is an original piece.

There are six slots in my panel and six tabs on the replacement emblem. That has to be the correct number.

The emblem with the broken leg on the "R" has only 5 tabs. It is missing the tab behind the "e".

If the Cars, LLC version of the emblem had only 5 tabs (omitting the one of the "e"), I think 

• the emblem would hide the unused slot in the panel
• the emblem would fit much easier - one less tab to fuss with and try to align

 

[Riviera63]

35 minutes ago, Craig Balzer said:

Tom

That is news to me. My "Riviera" emblem is now held on pretty tight simply via friction.

 

I see no evidence of clips - but I have no idea how many hands the car has passed through over the years. The PO said the car was repainted in the 80s or 90s so who knows where the clips went. (I will not comment on the painter/PO who used rubber glue to secure the 4 emblems on the fenders. Took me 10 minutes on each emblem to remove the residue.)

 

Quite frankly, I don't see how the clips would fit in the slots and still allow the tabs to fit in. Unless the clips attach from inside the trunk? If so, there is a brace in each corner of the trunk that gets perfectly in the way of fitting the emblems ("Riviera" and "Gran Sport"). It becomes a real knuckle buster.

And there is precise little meat on the tab that passes through the panel -- not much to work with if attaching a clip from inside the trunk.

 

I just did a quick check at Cars, LLC and didn't find those clips. I searched on "1965 Riviera trunk emblem clips".

 

I do not have a 1964 but, I am guessing they would be similar to the clips that hold the horseshoe moldings on the 1963 & 1964 which have flat spades. They push in from the front.

 

Bill

 

 

[1965rivgs]

44 minutes ago, Craig Balzer said:

Tom

That is news to me. My "Riviera" emblem is now held on pretty tight simply via friction.

 

I see no evidence of clips - but I have no idea how many hands the car has passed through over the years. The PO said the car was repainted in the 80s or 90s so who knows where the clips went. (I will not comment on the painter/PO who used rubber glue to secure the 4 emblems on the fenders. Took me 10 minutes on each emblem to remove the residue.)

 

Quite frankly, I don't see how the clips would fit in the slots and still allow the tabs to fit in. Unless the clips attach from inside the trunk? If so, there is a brace in each corner of the trunk that gets perfectly in the way of fitting the emblems ("Riviera" and "Gran Sport"). It becomes a real knuckle buster.

And there is precise little meat on the tab that passes through the panel -- not much to work with if attaching a clip from inside the trunk.

 

I just did a quick check at Cars, LLC and didn't find those clips. I searched on "1965 Riviera trunk emblem clips".

  What do I know....

Tom

[gungeey]

3 hours ago, Pat Curran said:

How does something like that make it out the door?

Maybe the title should be changed from

 

"Kudos to Old Car Parts"

to

"Krappo from Old Car Parts".

[RivNut]

 

This is a picture of the 64-65 rear emblem that James @ Best Offer Counts sells.  

[simmon969]

Kudos to Old Buick Parts (AKA Cars LLC) for their exceptional service and extensive inventory! Finding quality parts for classic Buicks can be challenging, but they've got it all covered. Their knowledgeable staff and dedication to customer satisfaction make them a top choice for enthusiasts. Whether you're restoring or maintaining your vintage Buick, they have the parts you need. private label towel manufacturer Highly recommend checking them out!

[Barney Eaton]

On these delicate parts,  I wonder if heat shrink tubing would hold the emblems/trim in place?