Who has or has had a '63 Rivi? How is the parts availability? I have my eye on one but want to get educated before I consider it.
If you get one....think about joining the ROA...Riviera owners association. Great source of info and the Riview has vendor listings. Clarks Corvair has most of the interior parts and weather stripping. CARS has a good selection of mechanical stuff. I think the most difficult part to get is the center bearing for the drive shaft. The lenses for the marker lights are now being repopped. The turn signals are available new.....Hmmmm.... Somebody jump in with what's not available 'cause I know I missed some stuff. Sheet metal is going to be tuff to find.
i had a 63 rivi a couple years ago. i wish i'd have kept it. what's missing on the one your eyeballin'? i got some left over parts. alot of stainless,shifter knob, steering wheels, hub caps, windows, ect. they are cool cars, i say go for it if it's a deal.
With a car that looks that cool, who cares. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . you should get one I love them L
Pro; Best looking car made in the 60's. Con; They are so custom looking you just cant do anythig to them to improve them, just lower and drive! Point out where the roof is rusted out in the lower corners of the back window when bartering for your best deal. (They all do that, if it hasnt been fixed, add a drain tube in each corner so iit won't collect water again hen you do fix it.) Make sure the brake lights work!
It might be hard to find trim for them. I looked at a pair that was for sale, the guy said he was probably going to part them out, because he was getting so many offers for trim parts. One of my favorite cars, i'd love to own one!
As far as Buicks go you can get quite alot of crap for the 63-65 Rivis. The only downside on the 63 is the tranny, but Im sure you can find a sp400 out of a 65-66.Cars oldbuickaprts.com has alot of the patch pannels for the notorious areas besides the rear window deal. Go for it damn good looking cars Im partial though.
My dad handed over a 63 when i was eighteen. Sadly it's not running right now, but that car was the shit and once again-will be the shit. I'm never letting it go. Oh man the stories i could tell, it was too much car for an eighteen yr old mexican.I'ts probably the only car i'll ever keep stock(original) in my life. Such a luxurious design,so much chrome, and angles everywhere. to this day it's the only car i own that was funt to wash.....it was like touching titties. O.k. I just realized that i'm in love my car. Get it dude,dont be a fag, worry about parts when that shit is sittin pretty in your garage.
Hey Kirk!, Race bought a 65 Rivi this summer. HE loves it, in fact he drove it out to Denver to start his new job. I don't have any pics on the new computer yet, so I can't post one. Give him a call and see how much he loves that car. Later man.
we just got one in our household! 63 rivi with a nail head. Ricky (1low54ford on the hamb) bought one last week. i tried to sell it for a friend here on the hamb but noone had any dough..lol... so heres a couple of pics... wheels and tires have been ordered, chrome smoothies with bullet caps, 6.40x15 www's putting hydro's in it with accumulators for ride quality, satin the body the same color it is, and flake the hell out of the roof, should be pretty bad ass!
Yeah I'm partial as well. '63-65 all good looking, all have slight differences. Definately not much you can do but delete trim, lower and rims. I saw one with a 3" chopped top and almost puked it fawked up the lines so bad. Heres the thread mine a month or so sitting in front of my garage. Bagged, and on 17" Polished Salt Flats http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75891
Thanks for the input. I have always loved their look, I just don't have the patience right now to get into a project that there are no parts available for...I'm ready for something easy that I can bust out quick and drive. I want to spend my swap time and thinking time on the Model A pickup project. Do the 401s have hydraulic lifters? This one supposedly has a knock at start-up. Otherwise it's VERY cherry and stock. Silver with a black top and silver interior. Wheels, tires, lower it (maybe bags, maybe not), flake the silver...drive it!
The 401 should have hydraulic lifters, yes. Knocks on startup are actually common, wait for oil pressure to build and see if it goes away. Also be mindful of where the knock is and what it sounds like, if it is just lifter tick or if it's in the bottem end. Tappets aren't that expensive and easy to replace. Rod and main bearings for nailheads are in the "HOW muich???!?!?" category. Only beef I have with 63's are they have dynaflow transmissions. BLECH!! If'n it were mine I'd adapt the 65 Rivi ST400 I have to the car and then drive the bejeezus outta it. Buy it, drive it, make me envious.
don't they have finned aluminum drums? how hard is it to find one if yours is/goes bad? Can it be relined? there was a GORGEOUS 63 at the Pileup this year. I'll have to find a pic
Rivis are cool, wish I had one! Kinda in the same spirit as T-birds & GP's, stylish looks and killer interiors. GRSMNKY yours look really clean, what a great car to start out with! Googled around for rivis and found this, eer "thing"...?
from the 2005 Pileup. It was built by a shop in Joliet, IL and it made me feel all tingly. PIctures do not do it justice. you can't even see the panel fade job
i believe 63's might have the 90 fin drums, not the 45.. i have only heard that you can get them relined and i cant tell you what the process is and what details need to be considered in order to reline them. although, ill be looking into it very shortly.... the information will most assuredly be posted here. either way, putting disk brakes on it wouldnt be a crime.
my cuz has an all original 63 , he wouldnt get rid of it for anything. i saw this rivi at a goodguys carshow over the summer adn it was just beautiful, the picture doesnt do it justice, the silver on the roof and down the pillars was a heavy metalflake that just worked with it perfect, i wouldnt mind owning a rivi one day
Man parts are not an issue buy it. You can find shit all day long for that mofo. www.classicbuicks.com www.oldbuickparts.com TA performance order a catalog it has the most anoying website ever. clarks corvair has alot of interior crap Rancho Riviera Ebay has pages of crap Since they are one of the most popular Buicks ever even places like Yearone have some crap.
Better keep an eye on your part's then, the last time I saw it there was some inked hoodlum driving it... CC
the trans sucks on the '63's but you can always get a TH400, thats the only negative i can see. The '65 is my year of choice though.
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