help please

[Mykel]

I am new to buicks so Please understand and help. I just bought a 65 Rivi and would like to find out what all the options are for the car. the cowl tag lists the following: ext-2kr-3t-4f-5kw. the metal plate on the core support lists: cc 628s c60 a31 k30 and u69. Any ideas? also, what is the switch (rotary and push -i think-) found on the lower left of the dash. it looks like gm forgot to put a switch somewhere and just drilled a hole and installed it. I have seen it on other cars too (in photos). Thnaks for the help.

[Glassesguy]

Mykel:

I'm surprised to see none of the Riviera experts has replied to your post. I'm puzzled by your numbers. I have my 65 Buick options codes in front of me and none match your numbers. Double check them and give any other info you can such as describing your car and the various accessories it is equipped with. This may help. That rotary knob you're wondering about is probably the trip odometer reset. Press up and turn it to see if the numbers move on your Riv's trip odometer in the lower part of your speedometer dail. My 65 Lesabre's is located under the lower instrument panel to the left of the steering column and directly under the speedometer. If nothing happens your cable may be broken or ??? I had a 65 Riv years ago and seem to remember the reset knob located where you are describing it.

[Guest imported_Thriller]

Welcome to the BCA forums Mykel. Would you perhaps be able to take photos of the data plate and post them? I don't have any information on '65s, but it may help to have the visual confirmation of what you are describing for options.

[NTX5467]

Howdy and welcome!

For a full list of "options" and equipment, you'd have to find the "Build Sheet" for the car, rather than a "data plate" as such. Build sheets typically are between the seat springs and the burlap (typically) backing of the seat cushion build-up; possibly on top of the fuel tank too. Perhaps the ROA operatives have some additional information in this regard?

The cowl tag would relate to paint and trim codes, plus possibly the assembly plant (as other GM vehicles did back then) and "sequence" number. One of the numbers will relate to outer paint color(s) and the other one will relate to interior trim (cloth/vinyl/leather combinations, plus color). These things should be in the Buick parts books for that year, plus possibly in the similar Buick Factory Service Manual.

It plate on the core support seems to have some option codes on it, though, which might relate to what would need to be attached to the "rolling chassis" as the vehicle is assembled. In later years (which could well be the same codes as the earlier vehicles): C60 was factory a/c, K30 might be cruise control, A31 is either power windows or power front seat, 628s looks like a trim code for the seats (leather interiors had a three number code whereas cloth/vinly was two numbers followed by a letter), not sure about U69 (radio related?). It would be necessary to verify those codes against a year model specific option list, though.

In many cases, the trip odometer reset knobs were on the bottom edge of the instrument panel (unlike later vehicles with button in the instrument cluster per se. They were either turned a particular direction (clockwise or conterclockwise) or pushed--just depends on which manufacturer and such. This was common practice back then. By modern standards, it might look "added on", but would require a particular speedometer head to accomodate that feature.

On many GM cars, they also had the "Speed Minder" buzzer/alarm, which would also have a knob somewhere on the instrument panel that would move the additional needle on the speedometer to the desired speed. I don't recall if you could have Speed Minder with a Trip Odometer in the same vehicle, though.

Back then, the only instrument that had a knob sticking through the "lens" was the clock. When digital clocks came around, no more reset knob, which could have let the odometer reset function now be done with a pushbutton "through the lens". Modern vehicles are also "more tight" in the lower instrument panel area too, with much less room to reach down and punch/turn the trip odometer knob.

Hope this helps (even if my option code memory hasn't been accessed in a while),

NTX5467