RiviewThe Australian - Riviera Owners Association

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
JULY 2016
Riview
The Australian
ROA AUSTRALIAN REGION
THE AUSTRALIAN RIVIEW
Page 2
Editorial
John Forster #13148
“Would we
part with our
65 Riv, don’t
even ask!
I expect that if you are going
possibly soon, lose.
to the ROA Nationals in Williamsburg you will be on the
plane or near to that point by
the time you get this edition of
The Australian Riview. Keep
an eye out for the Aussie contingent, there appear to be
quite a few going this year
including our Australian coordinator, Linda Hall.
Moments like this give you
pause to consider the age old
question for car folk – do we
have too many cars?
For those Riv drivers left behind, Laurene and I amongst
them, we are looking forward
to the Australian Buick Nationals to be held at Wollongong
in August. This is a great opportunity to get your Riv out
and go for a decent drive,
depending on how far out of
Sydney you live of course.
We had cause recently to
ponder our car holdings, and
are still pondering I might
add.
With advice that our daughter
wants to move out of one of
our houses, we find ourselves
in the selling market. This is
not the issue, the issue is that
this house has six garage
spaces that we have been
using and will eventually,
If we do (have too many cars,
and I am not saying that we
do) then which cars would we
consider moving on? Or the
other side of the equation,
which cars would we definitely not consider selling?
We have a great love of old
cars and our first old car together was a 1936 Buick sedan that we still own and enjoy when we can. Clearly, this
one stays.
Since then we have acquired a
number of cars including now
five Buicks.
Would we let any Buick go,
sadly I have to answer in the
affirmative. Not because we
don’t like them but because
we can’t store them any longer.
Would we part with our 65
Riv, don’t even bother asking!
So amongst our list of cars to
go we will be offering up two
Electra sedans, plus an assortment of other cars until we
reduce the fleet by about four
cars.
That will still leave us with a
parking issue; I might have to
build another garage. If I
build it big enough perhaps I
won’t have to lose any cars at
all, that’s an idea!
Nevertheless, if you think you
need an Electra (and they are
great touring cars, give us a
call. 1969 and 1970, both good
years. Plenty of cubic inches
and no lack of oomph.
We are always on the lookout
for Riv stories here at The
Australian Riview, so if you
would like to have your car
featured in a coming edition
please forward a short story
and photos to us here at the
email address on the back
page or contact your local
ROA representative (also
listed on the back page).
Please enjoy this edition of
The Australian Riview.
G’day from the Regional Co-Ordinator
most upon us and at last the
weather is cooling down and
giving us a taste of winter.
Although we could do with
some rain, the days are beautifully clear and perfect
weather for taking a leisurely
drive in your Riviera.
great place to eat. The food
was great; there was plenty of
easy parking and of course,
plenty of friendly ROA/Buick
company. A great day was
had by all. Some photos and a
run-down of this event can be
found on the Buick Car Club
of Australia Qld. website.
We had two events in May
when we could take our Rivs
for a spin. The first was our
ROA/Buick Run on 1st May.
This event was well attended
and despite a rainy start to the
day, it turned out to be a
pleasant day. It was very nice
to drive through the quiet
country areas around Boonah
and on to our lunch stop. Mt.
Alford is a very small community some 15 k past Boonah
and the pub proved to be a
I am looking forward to catching up with our ROA friends in
the USA at the ROA International Meet to be held 27 - 30
June in Williamsburg, VA.
This event is a great opportunity to see a wonderful
range of Rivieras from across
the USA and Riviera folk are
such a lovely friendly bunch
of people. It will be a real
treat to see the famous Villa
Riviera, the 1963 George Barris custom that has appeared
As I write this, winter is al-
Linda Hall
#10723
Regional Coordinator
in numerous films, television,
magazines and custom shows
for the past 52 years. It should
be good!
There will also be a wide
range of Rivieras on display at
the Buick Club of America
50th Anniversary National
Meet to be held in Allentown,
PA in late July. I know there
are a number of Aussies from
most States attending this
meet so it will be great to
catch up with ROA and Buick
people there too.
Until next time, take advantage of our beautiful winter
days and get those Rivs out for
a spin. Keep those beautiful
Rivieras rolling.
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
Page 3
From the Sketch Pad of the Bill Mitchell Era
If you ever wondered what
your Riviera of Toronado
looked like in the early design stages, but
not too early in the
design, then take a
look at these two sets
of drawings.
I expect you won’t
need to guess what
year these eventually
came to market as
they are both fairly
well developed ideas.
“you won’t
need to guess
what year . .”
THE AUSTRALIAN RIVIEW
Page 4
Found in Pieces—1968 Riv
Paul and Christine Dearling have been Buick enthusiasts for a long time
and have featured in a
number of Buick magazines over that time.
1968 Riviera
“It took me
about 18
months to get
the jigsaw
back
together . .”
One of their cars that has
seen plenty of miles, but
not necessarily much magazine time, is their 1968
Riv.
This Riv is a mild custom
with attention being paid
to the engine and wheels
in the main but if you look
hard enough you can see
the hand of Paul.
We’ll let Paul take up the
story:
“I purchased this car in
July 2000 off Walter Boff in
Wollongong.
The car was advertised
earlier in the year as a car
under restoration. It was
pulled down in the early
1990’s by Walter who
wanted to restore the car.
He had it painted and completed some mechanical
work but struggled to finish the car.
When I first saw it, it was in
a million odd pieces. Wiring harness in a box, window glass and all window
mechanisms were dismantled, I don’t actually recall
seeing any part of the car
still intact as Walter did a
great job of pulling it
apart.
He then walked around it
for 5 or 6 years and decided to sell it on as he did
not know how to put it
back together.
Luckily, when he was pulling it apart he put screws,
etc in zip lock bags and
labelled them from where
he got them from. It took
me about 18 months to put
the jigsaw back together
with the trusty help from
Buick’s workshop manuals.
Without these I would
probably be still working
on putting it together.
Walter told me the history
of the vehicle in 2000, my
memory is fading but this
is what I recall from his
story. The vehicle was
imported from the US in
the late 60’s to very early
70’s by a car dealership in
Sydney that sold Cadillac’s, Buicks and other GM
cars from the yard. The
dealer got the car converted to right hand drive but
instead of selling it on
through the dealership he
gave it to his wife to drive.
This is where my memory
becomes cloudy as I think
Walter bought the car off
them in the late 80’s to
early 90’s. Theoretically I
am the third Australian
owner.
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
Page 5
The car is a standard 68
Riviera, originally Thiele
Blue with blue interior and
it came out of the factory
without a vinyl roof. It has
the standard 430 – 4 barrel
and is a numbers matching
car.
The 430 has seen some
slight improvement under
my ownership in recent
years. It has air conditioning, is a factory bucket
seat car with centre automatic shift. I have
changed the front brakes
over to 1968 disc brakes as
it was originally a four
drum car.
The car has proven to be a
reliable vehicle over the
years and it has only let
me down when I have let it
down. I used it for a daily
driver until 2004 and then
retired it to club runs.
Being right hand drive to
me is a bonus and it does
not detract from its drivability. I have gone right
through the car over the
years and have pretty well
replaced everything there
is underneath. Whenever I
pull it apart I focus on not
only replacing the worn
components but detailing
the vehicle in that area as
well.
1968 was the middle run of
that series body and the
car drives differently to the
first model run. If you hop
out of an early 60’s Riv and
slip in behind the later 60’s
you will notice that the
extra width and length
really changes the driving
dynamic. In my opinion
they are more stable and
less prone to lateral pitch
particularly on roads with
a lot of corners.
NEWSLETTER TITLE
Page 6
My search for this car
started when I returned
from teaching in Pormpuraaw in the late 90’s as my
fiancée and I were going
on local runs in a 1924
Buick roadster.
“proven to be a
comfortable
family car”
We were looking at starting a family and needed a
more modern Buick. During Uni I drove a 70 Riviera
GS during contact days
that belonged to my father
and I became quite partial
to the Riviera over the other Buicks of that era. So I
went looking for a Riv.
I came across a 64 in Brisbane and decided that a
four seater was not what I
wanted so I let it go and
when Walter’s popped up
I grabbed it with both
hands.
Since then it has been part
of my collection which has
grown considerably since
2000. Current count is at 8
cars plus a project for my
son.
The 68 Riviera has proven
to be a comfortable family
car with plenty of power
that makes long distance
driving a pleasure. It
cruises at any speed and
easily takes care of grey
nomads with their caravans and or trucks on interstate trips.
Paul Dearling”
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Page 7
Inside Story Headline
THE AUSTRALIAN RIVIEW
Page 8
#13148
Dead-Set Riviera—1985
An untrained eye may be
hard pressed to pick that
this hearse is our modified
Riv of the month.
Originally a 1985 Riv, it is
one of two Rivieras modified by C. Budd Bayliff for
the Long and Folks funeral
homes of Wapakoneta and
St Marys of Ohio.
Modified Riv
of the Month—
Dead Set !
C. Budd Bayliff bought the
rights to use the Packard
name in 1978 and introduced a line of Packards
to the market based on
GM architecture.
Long and Folk had worn
out a pair of Cadillac Superior cars and were having considerable issues
finding replacements.
Bayliff came to their rescue with an offer to construct two cars based on
the 1985 Riviera. He was
already constructing cars
based on this vehicle
when the offer was made
and it was felt that the
Buick was of the right size
with a strong V8 and also
had a self-levelling rear
suspension.
The Rivieras were cut and
stretched 46 inches and
converted to five door pillared hardtop landaus. The
rear side doors are Riviera
coupe doors while the
front doors are re-skinned
Cadillac Seville doors.
Much Cadillac Superior
equipment and metal is
used in the conversion,
particularly at the rear.
Fearing comments regard-
ing downgrading from
Cadillacs to Buicks it was
agreed that they should be
badges as Packards
It is unlikely that we will
come across a more heavily modified Riv than the
Bayliff Packard hearse!
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
Page 9
Now that’s a
modification,
and they even
did two of
them!
THE AUSTRALIAN RIVIEW
Page 10
Keeping Your Cool Car, Cool!
My 1968 Riviera was
“the system
now operates
as it did when
the car was
purchased in
1968.”
equipped with automatic
climate control A/C, which
was an option that varied
from the conventional A/C
system offered in the base
model, by automatically
adjusting cabin temperature to a pre-set temperature and maintaining that
pre-set temperature without constant manual input
from the driver.
It involves mixing cool air
conditioned air with warm
heater air in differing ratios to give a pre-set temperature within the cabin.
Therefore, it automatically
cools in hot weather and
warms in cool weather - a
breakthrough system in
1968.
It was a relatively new concept at the time and relied
on a thermo-mechanical
system which, by way of
three temperature sensors,
measured outdoor, cabin
and duct temperatures and
converted the total of these
temperatures into a mechanical action which adjusted the cabin temperature automatically to a preset level.
The system in my car did
not work and what I
thought was probably a
need to re-gas the system
to get it operational, end-
ed up in a lengthy, full
overhaul of the entire system, carried out by Solomon Steering and Mechanical, Mortdale, whose input
was invaluable.
The system is vacuum operated and has many metres of vacuum lines which
all needed replacement.
Additionally, there are
several vacuum operated
switches which are driven
by a vacuum manifold located on the firewall. I was
able to replace all of the
faulty vacuum switches
with New Old Stock that I
was able to find on eBay.
The main vacuum manifold
was cracked and in poor
condition and obviously
leaked which meant no
vacuum or little vacuum at
the control points. I was
unable to repair it so I was
able to purchase a new
aluminium manifold which
was much superior to the
original plastic version. (A
by-product of renewing
this manifold was that other vacuum operated mechanisms, such as hide away
headlights and trunk release worked much more
effectively).
The diagram below gives a
visual overview of the system and gives some idea
of the complexities of the
system.
I am happy to say that after
many months and days of
effort, the system now operates as it did when the
car was purchased back in
1968. Once a pre-set temperature is dialled, the
system holds the cabin
temperature at that level,
regardless of outside temperature. Additionally, the
windscreen defroster also
blasts hot air onto the
windscreen to demist it in
cold weather.
Greg Massey, 1968 Buick
Riviera
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
Page 11
#13148
Road House—The Movie
Way back in 1934 the in-
house director for British
Gaumount films turned
down the chance to make a
film to be called Road
House and another director
by the name of Maurice
Elvey did the job.
The in-house director instead directed another
film, The Man Who Knew
Too Much and he was Alfred Hitchcock.
Now just because this film
didn’t excite Hitchcock
enough to want to make it
doesn’t mean you should
not take the opportunity to
see the 1989 remake starring Patrick Swayze.
Obviously there must be a
Riviera connection for this
to appear in The Australian
Riview and there is.
Patrick Swayze’s character
has two cars in the film and
the one of note is his 1965
Riv.
There is plenty of action in
the movie and a fair deal of
violence plus what was
then normal filler material,
but if you can see through
that it isn’t such a bad film
although at 114 minutes
length is it 38 minutes
longer than the original.
Did that enhance the story?
Only you can tell.
Importantly the Riv looks
fantastic, as you would
expect. Have a look and
make up your own mind
about the rest of the movie.
Finally, one scene beats all
others, read the wall!
THE AUSTRALIAN RIVIEW
Page 12
Queensland ROA Run May 2016
Under cloudy skies and
light rain, an enthusiastic
group of ROA and Buick
members gathered at
Cameron Park, Booval for
our combined ROA/Buick
Club Run in the country.
27 members, guests and
families braved the wet
conditions which at that
point, looked like continuing. We were very
pleased to see some of our
new members come along
and join us for the day Terry and Barbara Searle
and team, Adam and Sharon Woodley with Jake and
Chevy - welcome to the
Buick family of friends.
National Coordinator
Linda
overseeing
the Riviera
knowledge
quiz
A slight change of plans
due to the weather saw us
have our club meeting in
the shelter at the park.
Although the rain eased
off, we all decided to have
morning tea before we left
instead of our planned
stop in a park in a country
village on the way to our
lunch destination.
After this, we headed off
for our run, following our
run notes provided.
Thankfully the rain
stopped as we drove
through Ipswich and out
through Peak Crossing
and on to the town of
Boonah. Our destination
was Mt. Alford, some 15 kl.
past Boonah. The road was
good, not much traffic and
the rain had stopped - hooray! We all made it safely
to the Mt. Alford Hotel
(although some arrived a
little late after missing a
turn).
The Mt. Alford Hotel is a
great little country pub
with friendly owners (Dave
and Dad) and the meals
were terrific. ROA members were invited to take
part in a competition for
some special Riviera prizes. The answers to the
questions on the competition sheet were contained
in previous Australian
Riviews - so if you read
your Riview you would
have had a great shot at
the answers. Whilst no
one got all the questions
right, the competition was
won by Adrian Dearling
with runners up, Paul and
Christine Dearling and
Terry Searle.
#10723
Rivieras on the meet included John and Laurene’s
lovely ’65, Peter and Sandra’s ’68, Terry Searle’s
’66 (a new one for the boys
to look at), and my
Wedgewood blue ’64.
Unfortunately John Barker’s Riviera was temporarily off the road and Adrian
could not bring his ’65 due
to having another commitment following our run. It
was also great to see the
other Buicks on the run
including Dave and Colleen Wilson’s 1934 and
Adam and Sharon’s Wildcat (another new one for
the boys to look at).
Despite a cloudy and wet
start to the day, everyone
seemed to enjoy themselves and there was lots
of chatting over lunch at
the pub. Thanks to everyone who came along. It
was especially nice to
meet our new members
and see their cars.
Linda Hall
Australian National Coordinator
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
Page 13
One Riv driver
came along in
his T’bird but
promised to
take his Riv to
the next T’bird
meeting!
THE AUSTRALIAN RIVIEW
Page 14
#13148
Keeping a Cap on It
Readers who do go
through the ads in each
edition will have noticed
that Mitch Romanowski
from mid-west USA has
been added to our recommended suppliers.
“All the outer
chrome bezels
are die cast . .”
Mitch owns Buick Centers
(yes that is spelt correctly)
and his website
www.buickcenters.com
has most of the hard to get
centre caps that you will
ever need. In particular he
carries a range of Riviera
caps that will cover most
models that you are likely
to find here in Australia.
Mitch started the business
back in 1987 selling caps
for Skylarks. The company
produced its own tooling
and all caps are made to
original factory specifications including the method
of production. All work is
done in the USA.
All the outer chrome bezels are die cast metal and
chrome plated as per original specification. The
clear acrylic plastic medallions are back-finished and
vacuum plated as original
and all attaching hardware
meets OEM specifications.
Importantly, the caps are
assembled using screws
so that if you ever need to
replace a part there is no
need to purchase a complete cap.
If you think that Mitch can
help you then go to the
website for all the details
including available parts,
costs and shipping. Mitch
has separately confirmed
that he is more than happy
to ship to Australia.
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
Page 15
#13148
The TESLA Effect
Will Rising Fuel Prices
Drive Us All to the TESLA?
With the release of the new
and cheaper TESLA (over
200,000 persons have put
down a $1000 deposit already) and the associated
hoopla in the media, it
gave me cause to pause
and think about fuel consumption and the Riviera.
The hypothesis is that as
fuel price increases, the
sales of large luxury cars,
such as the Riv, fall. It is
further suggested that research may reveal the answer to the question: did
fuel prices kill off the Riviera?
I stumbled across a graph
that provided fuel cost
comparison information in
the USA for the time period
1972 through to 2015. Cost
of fuel as indicated in this
graph was provided in
today’s (2015) US dollars.
I have previously provided
the attached sales data
graph which is based on
sales information provided
on the ROA website and
confirmed by other
sources.
What the fuel graph clearly shows is that during the
production life of the Riviera, the highest fuel price
is achieved in 1980. Fuel
prices rose sharply in two
jumps, initially from the oil
embargo of 1973 and
again around 1978.
all be aware that the Riv is
a great car however it also
has a great thirst, especially the early series cars.
The Riviera was probably
at its largest when the oil
embargo first struck.
Weight had ballooned to
over 2270 kg or 5000 lbs
and at the same time Federal emission laws had
strangled motors, resulting
in the venerable 455 putting out a mere 150 kw,
205 hp!
This was a recipe for low
gas mileage outcomes for
the Riviera, along with
most other US built automobiles and some Australian cars also it may be
added.
While the sales graph does
indicate a steep decline in
Riv sales from 1973 it also
indicates that the slide had
begun at least a couple of
years in advance of that
time.
By the time fuel prices had
recovered in 1986, Buick
had re-engineered the
Riviera. With front wheel
drive and a smaller body,
sales sky-rocketed!
Indeed Riviera reached a
new and all-time record
number of sales with the
new, more economical
Riviera.
So what can we deduce
from the graphs?
How, if at all, did this impact the Riviera sales?
Before the rise in fuel prices, the Riviera sales were
on a slide down and during the height of the fuel
crisis Riviera sales began
to soar. This was when the
Riviera shrank and became economical.
As Riv drivers you would
By overlaying the two
By 1986 the fuel price has
returned to below the level
seen before the embargo
came into place.
graphs for the period 1971
through to 1999 it almost
demonstrates that the
higher the cost of fuel the
more Rivs get sold. The
thin red line is the price of
gasoline in the US at 2015
prices when reading the
left hand scale as rounded
dollar amounts.
Is this a clear endorsement
of the Riv as the great
green alternative?
Keep your Tesla, just give
me a RIV!!
“Keep your
TESLA, just
give me a
Riv!”
THE AUSTRALIAN RIVIEW
Page 16
The Riv Wizard
Now the Riv Wizard will
pay attention to the outside
of your future car.
As it is the first thing you
see, if the car does not
look good at first sight
then don’t buy it. At the
very least you should be
taken by the car at first
sight. If not then there is
something inside of you
telling you to walk away.
If a classic car that you are
interested in does not stir
your emotions because of
the condition of its body
then it’s better left alone. If
its love at first sight, you
are half way there.
“It may have
been
damaged a
number of
times in its
life.”
Look at the car from every
angle and down both
sides. Look at it in sunlight
and in the shade. Do not
inspect the car under a
tree where there is broken
light and shade. Do not
inspect if the car has just
been washed and it’s still
wet. All of this is common
sense. In fact you don’t
need to know anything
about cars to follow the
advice of the Riv Wiz on
how to inspect a car.
et on a budget. If you do,
you will find it is a bottomless pit. Most panel beaters will be very reluctant if
not totally unwilling to give
you a firm quote on a body
restoration like this because there is always more
required than meets the
eye. It can be tempting to
buy a partly restored car
that are sometimes advertised but be very careful in
your costs to move a project like this forward.
Now, how do you determine if a body is any
good? Because it will have
been repaired!
It may have been damaged a number of time in
its life. That comes with the
territory of buying an old
car. There is nothing
wrong with buying a classic car that’s been repaired properly. So let’s
see what we have to look
for.
#425425
and the quarter panel.
They should be the same.
If not and they look different to each other then the
car has had substandard
repairs. Have a look at the
other side of the car. They
should look the same as
the side you just inspected. If you have to slam the
door to close it this is another big warning sign
flashing.
Same with the bonnet. It
should be aligned and
sitting square in the panels
that surround it and the
bonnet should open and
close without scraping any
other panel.
Now we will have a chat
about Ripples. When you
look at the side of a new
car you will see a reflection of what is next to the
car. There will be distortion due to the shape of the
panel doing the reflection
similar to the mirrors you
see at Luna Park. Although
Some of us may look really
cool naked, however for
the rest of us, we look better with some nice clothes.
Same with a classic car. It
looks way better with a
nice coat of paint.
When you are looking for
a classic we want to know
as accurately as possible
what is underneath that
paint. If a mechanical component has had it then you
simply replace it. But if the
body is full of bog and
there is rust in lots of places just under the skin then
the body is stuffed. You
cannot restore a rust buck-
Gaps in the Panels:
Door gaps should be the
same between the front of
the door and the guard
and the rear of the door
there is a distortion the
reflection still looks right
and seems to fit the reflecting surface. Now that’s
how all cars should be
like.
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
Page 17
Now look down at the older classic you are thinking
of buying and find the reflection. Is it straight and
does it fit the panel? Most
likely you will see a slight
deviation in the reflection
due to the panel being
damaged and/or repaired.
Fixing a damaged car correctly must be a difficult
thing to do as they are repaired so badly so often.
So the take away point to
remember when looking at
body and paint: do not
look at the panel directly
but observe what the reflection is telling you.
The main thing to consider
is, has the damage been
properly repaired and that
all structural repairs under
the paint have been addressed. Never assume
that your panel beater will
be able to rectify someone
else’s poor workmanship.
Whenever the Riv Wiz is
inspecting a car to buy and
there are ripples across
many panels, I quickly
walk away.
Please remember that
there are ripples and dents
which should not worry
you, like on the boot lid or
bonnet. Dents like this are
there because the owner
has been heavy handed or
lazy. Dents like this are
easy to get fixed at low
cost. Also is it easy to identify parking dents which
are so common. This is
why we classic enthusiasts
always park in line and not
adjacent to one another.
Have you noticed late
model cars don’t have as
many parking dents as our
older cars do? That’s because the sheet metal on
newer cars is much thinner
and is designed to flex
when hit by a door or similar object. That is why
Protection strips were so
popular up until about
1990’s. We have all seen
the monster bumper strip
on a WB statesmen and
you have seen plenty of
aftermarket strips that people have stuck on the sides
of their cars. Apart from
not being original, most of
the time they look cheap.
Lots of times you will see
them not even fitted in a
straight line. Sometimes
the strips have been fitted
to the car to hide shoddy
repairs.
Rust: Rust generally works from
the inside to the
outside. If there
is minor rust it
could very well
be a sign of significant rust behind it that you
just can’t see.
When inspecting
a car always
have a good look
at the underside.
The Riv Wiz has
seen what folks
get up to, to hide
rust instead of
removing it.
Many older cars
have aftermarket
coatings on the
underside of the
car which looks
like a mix of tar
and superglue.
Take a screwdriver and try
and perforate
the coating. If
you feel the
screwdriver give
way or little bits
of rust come through then
this car is not for you. Walk
away because you may
have a rust bucket.
If you must have this car,
get a professional to come
back and make a detailed
inspection. However rust is
not always fatal. A little
rust is OK to deal with but
if the rust will compromise
the structural integrity of
the car, you will be looking at big dollars to fix it.
The Wiz
“do not look at
the panel
directly . .”
THE AUSTRALIAN RIVIEW
Page 18
#13148
Their Loss
1982, missing only by 1071
cars.
I suppose if there was a
year to crow about it would
have to be 1969. The Riv
pipped the T’bird that year
with figures of 52872 vs
49272, a healthy advantage of 3600 cars.
However across the life of
these cars the T’bird outsold the Riv by about 4 to 1
and for one shocking year
in 1978 that blew out to be
more like 12 to 1.
I was shooting the breeze
with a Ford guy the other
day and talk turned to luxury sports coupes.
“. . even
harder to
fathom!”
My Riviera and his Thunderbird got a mention.
He reckoned that the
Thunderbird outsold the
Riviera because it was the
better car. I suggested it
was more likely that it was
just around longer.
millennium faded away, so
too did the Riviera in 1999.
Now I don’t have to convince you that the Riviera
was a better car, so why
did the Riv only outsell the
T’bird once in its production life and do you know
which year that was?
The Riv came close in
Statistics are horrible
things when misused but
the facts are the facts also.
In this case the fact being,
the Riviera is possible the
best American luxury
coupe ever, the fact that
some punters didn’t buy it
is just that; their loss.
Read the chart and ponder.
We were probably both off
track, a little.
The Thunderbird became
available in 1955 and the
Riv in 1963. By 1997 the
T’bird was gone (until a
short resurrection in the
21st century) and as the
Reviewing the photos
make the issue even harder to fathom!
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
Page 19
2016 Autospectacular in Queensland
Willowbank drew out the
auto enthusiasts again in
April 2016 with a great
range of cars and bikes on
show.
A little down on last year,
this show does continue to
deliver some of the best
cars around.
The Buick Car Club founded this show a number of
years ago now but more
recently it is in the hands
of Willowbank Raceway
management.
A number of the local
Rivs turned out to
enjoy the day.
Please enjoy the photos of a great day out
here in South East
Queensland.
And a Monkee
Mobile . .!!
NEWSLETTER TITLE
Page 20
#13148
1963 Riv—Hot Rod Network Story
On the web, have a look at
this modified 63 Riv.
The Hot Rod Network web
site: http://
www.hotrod.com/cars/
featured/1604-1963-riviera
-the-one-buick-didntbuild/ has the detail.
We did feature this car a
few editions back but the
“Does it
improve the
looks . .”
website contains all of the
detail. The car is owned by
Marcy Molkenthen and
designed by friend Jeff
Allison.
The work was done by
Darrel Petersen and Russ
Freund at River City Speed
and Custom in Post Falls,
Idaho.
Does it improve the looks
of the series I Riv; well you
need to make that call. The
design does relate back to
the original sketches from
the XP715 project
(Cadillac) and I think that
this does help its appeal.
It’s a great story and well
worth a read.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Page 21
Moore on Steering
In the January edition of
The Australian Riview we
took a look at steering issues with the 63-65 Rivs
with advice from both Phil
and Tom. This led another
member, Steve Moore, to
recall the work he undertook on his steering and
that advice is reproduced
here.
“I would like to add to Phil
and Tom’s steering gear
upgrade for 63-65s article
in the January edition.
I purchased a California
Performance 500 series
steering box, these are
brand new and not a remanufactured unit, and are
14:1 ratio rack technology.
These are bolt up and utilise the original hoses and
fittings, the pitman arm
spline is same as the origi-
nal Saginaw box and the
input spline is a 3/4-30
spline.
I used a 1964 Chevelle rag
coupling which is available through Ecklers Chevy
in Florida. This was the
most difficult part to
source.
Our 65 now has super responsive steering and yet
still has that Riv feel.
considering such a swap
and I would be pleased to
provide any assistance
should they contact me.
“I used a 1964
Chevelle rag
coupling . .”
All the best and keep on
Riving
Regards Steve Moore”
riviera.1965@hotmail.com
I set the alignment up at
1/2 degree negative caster
as I find the car is less affected by strong crosswind
out on the country roads
where this car sees most of
its usage. Being out near
Dubbo, every trip is a long
cruise!
Anyway I hope this helps
any 63-65 Riv owner who is
First Big Block Chevrolet—a Buick?
Not specifically Riv relat-
ed but did you know that
the first Big Block installed
by Chevrolet was in their
truck series vehicles and
that it was actually the
Buick Nailhead.
Chevrolet used the 322
Nailhead from 1956
through 1959 when its own
big block 348 truck motor
became available.
If your nailhead has a casting n umber
starting with CA or CS it may be from a
1956-59 9000 or 10000 series Chevrolet
truck – weird!
Chevrolet called it the
Loadmaster. It was available in two formats; the
Loadmaster engine had a
two barrel carb whilst a
Super Loadmaster with a
four barrel carb was available.
Compression ratio was
reduced from the Buick
carb motor normal to
around 7.7:1.
Nailhead?
THE AUSTRALIAN RIVIEW
Page 22
Suppliers and Repairers
We will run ads until advised to withdraw
them. Please ensure that when your items
are no longer available you let us know so
that we can ensure the freshness of the
information contained w thin this section of
the magazine. Many thanks!
If you have had a job well done from a repairer, then why not let others know about it.
Send in details of your good experiences so they can be printed here.
Dan’s Classic Auto Parts of Portland OR - www.dansclassic.com
Spectrum Rubber and Panels
Pty.Ltd.
P.O. Box 328,
Rob Croxford has had dealings
with this firm and advises their
prices are reasonable, their
communication is terrific and
they are very good to deal with.
St. Marys. N.S.W. 1790
BJ Panel Restoration and Fabrication,
Website:
www.spectrumrubber.com.au
Thornlands. Qld.
Bill - 0403 120 921
(panel beating, rust repairs,
fibereglass repairs, modifications)
Bill works in conjunction with Carr Creation Auto Refinishing,
Graham Carr - 0411 588 272
Thornlands. Qld.
(spray painting specialists).
Annvid Auto Upholsterers,
24 Smith Street,
Capalaba. Qld. 4157
Tel: 07 3390 3444
Mt. Cotton Auto Electrics,
Mob: 0429 193 815
Tel: 02 9623 5333 Fax: 02 9833
1041
Email:
sales@spectrumrubber.com.au
Go to www.knfilters.com and
click on BUY you get a list of suppliers and installers for your Australian postcode.
Parts for 60s Rivs
Larry Daisey operate a parts supply business for 60s Rivieras.
Visit his web site at
www.RivParts.com
Tim Harper has advised the following Repco now stock K & N filters for
Rivieras.
The K&N E-1360 Aircleaner suits
single carb Buick and Riviera applications from 1965-1967,
see listing:
http://www.knfilters.com/search/
applications.aspx?Prod=E-1360
Note: There was a Dual Quad filter, if you can’t find listing try by
Dimensions.
The K&N HP-2003 oil filter suits
Nailheads and Rivieras up to
1978, check listing:
http://www.knfilters.com/search/
applications.aspx?Prod=HP-2003
Note: This is not in any way an
endorsement of these businesses. It is just giving members
leads to businesses that other
members have had a good experience with.
members have had a good experience with.
The Market Place
63 64 65 Buick Riviera Power Steering Internal Gears
18:1 ratio - $40
For Sale
63-65 Riviera Factory Radiator Top and Bottom Tanks $40
NEW! 63 64 65 Riviera Remanufactured fibreglass Fan Shrouds - $250
Shipping not included, email me for photos or more info.
63 64 65 Riviera Console Ash Tray Lid - New
Wood - perfect chrome - $60
Tony Gentilcore 0408 964 217 email:
65-66 Wildcat Electra Remanufactured fibre-glass
Fan Shrouds - $250
For Sale 1974 Riviera. White with black roof. ONE
OWNER. Original paint. RHD. Comes with spare tyres
and spares. Rego LUE-666 $18,500 ono John Stewart 03
5358 1787
67 - 69 Riviera Top Radiator Support Panel - $30
66 - 70 Rear window exterior louvre (smooth and
for vinyl tops) - $40 each.
69 Riviera Stainless Steel Centre Hood Spear - $30
71 Riviera Tail Light bezels - need rechroming $30
tonyg@mako.com.au
For Sale 1967 GS400, Complete and 90% assembled
and running. Greg Naris gnaris@optusnet.com.au
Wanted 1965 Riviera, Alan Wren 07 3282 3474
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4
Page 23
The Market Place continued
Parting Out 1968 Riviera, complete car, was
weekend driver before rear end smash. Car is in
USA but can be dismantled and parts posted to
Australia or packed in my next container coming
over for nominal shipping fee. Ring Doug Hawkins.
0418 631 233 or 07 5543 6927
reco’d. New windscreen. New universal joints in drive train and balanced, new brakes prior to importing, new water pump, starter motor
and fuel pump. Drives and steers
like new. Past winner ROA Griffith
meet
For Sale: 1 x 1968-69 n/s fender with small marker
light, excellent cond., no rust or damage.
Ph. Rob : 0402829497
1 x 1966-67 headlight motor, good working order,
includes one flexible coupling.
3 x 1968 rear side marker lights (tri shield design).
1 x 400-430-455 waterpump used or will trade on
any 1965 parts.
Steve Moore 02 6884 9904 Email: riviera.1965@hotmail.com
For Sale: Riviera parts
1966-67 door shells R,L, straight, no rust $300 each
1966-69 door window glass R,L $90 each
Electric window motor $120
1966-67 air grille panel (base of windscreen) $30
1969 RH front mudguard straight, no rust $300
1969 rear window guides $25
1969 sun visors (black) $80 pr
1975 tail light assemblies $90 each
NEW - Riviera script, the one with large R, early
60’s ? $80
1963-65 lower chin parking light assemblies VGC
$250 pr
1975 bonnet emblem (new) $70
Riviera Sales brochures 1963 - 8” x 10” colour 6 pages $40
1966 - 10” x 10” colour 6 pages $40
1968 - 10” x 10” colour 8 pages $40
1995 - 5” x 10” colour 4 pages foldout $20
Ron Noonan 02 9631 4763 Email: buickron1@bigpond.com
For Sale
1965 Riviera. Dual Quads. Sahara Mist, excellent
Deluxe saddle interior and carpet, rally sport rims.
Original and unmolested with many options inc
Rare 4 note horns, Air/con, rear defroster.
New chrome front bumper, all chrome and stainless nice, reco steering box and pump,2 x 4 Carbs
$39,950
Wanted for 65 Riv
List of parts required for fellow ROA member
Bidstrup by his repairer.
Robert Haken <loganvillagesmash@gmail.com> Logan Village Smash Repairs
(07) 5546 8673 6 Centenary Place, Logan Village
Qld 4207
Front Guard Badge "Riviera"
Boot Lock Outer
Upper Windscreen Mould
R/H Front Door Mould
L/H Front Door Mould
Lower Rear Windscreen Mould
R/H Front Guard Mould
L/H Arm Rest (Complete)
R/H Arm Rest Rear Section
R/H Headlamp Brackets for Mudguard
Head Link Assembly and motor
L/H Headlamp Rim
R/H Headlamp Rim
Front Seat Cover Trim
Rear Seat Cover Trim
L/H Front Kick Trim
R/H Front Kick Trim
Window Switch (Ele) (All Four) Tested Not
Working
Front Bumper Bar Bolts
R/H Front Guard & Bumper Support
R/H Door Mirror Cables
Why not take
out an ad in
the Review?
All new ads
are also
emailed to the
Australian
ROA group as
soon as they
are received!
Wanted: Aus Number Plates
If you would like to sell an Aussie number plate
to one of our US ROA friends please contact:
James "Bob" Reed
3709 Masters Drive
Hope Mills, NC 28348
Phone (910) 425-5402
Email: jreed5402@nc.rr.com
Wanted
Rally wheels, Chrome Plated which were optional on 1965 Riviera. Any condition.
Tom Kunek 0419 658 500
ROA AUSTRALIAN REGION REVIEW
Share The Pride
ROA AUSTRALIAN REGION
AUS + Qld National Co-Ordinator
Linda Hall #10723
PO Box 383
Cleveland Qld 4163
brianlindahall@optusnet.com.au
Vic + Tas Regional Co-Ordinator
Tom Kunek # 3845
riv@netspace.net.au
0419 658 500
NSW + SA Regional Co-Ordinator
Tony Gentilcore # 10107
rivs@mako.com.au
02 9453 9199
This e-magazine is produced under the auspices of the Riviera Owners Association USA and the Buick Car Club of Australia Qld Inc. to cater for the needs of car enthusiasts with
an interest in the Riviera produced between 1963 and 1999.
Riviera Owners Association – PO Box 261218, DENVER, CO
USA, 80226
303-233-2987, office@rivowners.org , www.rivowners.org
It is a medium created for the exchange of stories and ideas. Its aim is to support enthusiasts in Australia in the
preservation and use of the Buick Riviera built between
1963 and 1999.
The editors welcome contributions at
laurenejohn@bigpond.com
Membership
Please encourage any Riviera owners you meet to join
the R.O.A.
W E’ RE ON THE WEB!
WWW. RIVOWNERS. ORG
It's simple, just log on to the R.O.A. web site.
DON’T FORGET, IF YOU DO SELL YOUR RIVIERA, LEAVE DETAILS ON JOINING THE ROA IN THE CAR
Miniature Spock and Riviera—Got to Have
A must have item is to be re-
leased at the San Diego Comic
-Con in June.
You would all recall the famous photo of Leonard Nimoy
resting on his 1964 Riv between takes on the original
Star Trek television series.
This photo has been reproduced as a miniature model
and is believed to be selling
for as little as US$20.
Who wouldn’t want one? Go to
the website, and if you have
more luck than me, you may
find the model and be able to
purchase one.
MattyCollector.com
Get one for me if you do . .
John
#13148