Driving my Riviera Finally !

[Bill Stoneberg]

Well after 4 months of work, I am finally able to drive the 64 Riviera I found in a garage. It was a one owner car that had sat for 20 + years. I went through and replaced hoses, lines, tires, shocks and the exaust system. That all was finished yesterday and I was able to drive it for the first time without open headers.

Boy, it is nice driving car. I took it around the part of town I live in yesterday but today I got bold. I got on the freeway ahd headed into Houston.

I could get into serious trouble in this car as it has no problems going 80 before you know it. The man I bought it from said his dad would average 100 mph on his way home from Midland and I can see how.

So now on to more cleaning, get some keys made (As I have NONE), and replace the rubber.

I will continue to drive it and soon it will be ready to go to Seattle.

[michel88]

Glad to hear your Riviera is up and running after 20 years of sitting. You got the work done very quickly. These are excellent road cars and I enjoy driving mine very much.

[Guest BJM]

Bill,

I agree - great road car, meaning it will be so nice to take out to Seattle. I purchased a 64 Riviera in 1994 out of Spokane washington. I lived in Helena, Montana at the time. No big deal, about 7-8 hours tops. Well, my contract job ended sooner then thought and I moved to Missouri.

I flew out to Spokane, where the seller had a shady (and I mean shady) garage do some road prep on it. I headed out to Helena to stay with friends. I scooted through the beautiful corridor of Coeur d'Alene Idaho with mirror image lakes and beautiful scenery, all the while wondering if this old car would make it to Helena, Montana.

I did make it and once there had 4 better used Cooper tires installed, mounted and balanced.

After saying my goodbyes I headed to Missouri across Montana, the tip of Wyoming and the Black Hills of South Dakota. You'd look down and be doing 75 easy, but because of the low center of gravity in the Riviera, it felt so smooth and assured.

I stayed with another friend in Murdo, South Dakota (center of I90) before finishing a long drive the next day to Missouri. I lost a hubcap but managed decent gas mileage. This car had the 425, which ws fully worn and had a rough idle. But at speed, it was fine, hence I kept driving as long as could, stopping only for gas.

It is a testament to the Nailhead and the quality of the Buick at this time, that this car, worn out and pitiful as it was, made it through some desolate but beautiful country.

I never got the Riviera to run again. Even with idle set around 1100 rpm, it was just so worn out. I sold it to an old car dealer near Kansas City, Missouri after a couple of years of sitting for $300. But that trip was priceless, because up until that time, my expereinces with "old cars" was non running projects that never got done. That 64 was the 1st car, old car, I actually drove.

Sorry to highjack your good news, but it brought back some of the finest memories I ever had in a Buick.