Took the last ride in the Riv last night. Had a LOT of memorable times with her, and she will be missed. However, her heart will live on! I first found this car when I was 15. I wasn't able to buy it until I turned 18. I'll be 32 in a couple of weeks. When I got it, I wasn't worried about the body. 1/4's had some rust, but not terrible, so I let it go. Then the engine noise came. I had her for about a year and this awful screeching/squealing sound started coming from the top end. So I parked her, because I knew how rare the Stage 1's were. Through out my 20's, my priorities were not on the car. She got neglected. Then I met the woman I would marry. She'd look at the car sitting and tell me 'When are you gonna do something with that?' So, after a few months of her 'harassment', I yanked the engine out, tore it down, and sent the block and crank out for work. I wish I still had pics of the tear down-pistons/rods on the kitchen counter, heads in the living room, cam/lifters in the oil pan on the other side of the counter....it was a wonder that she stuck with me. :grin: I got the engine back together, and you all should've seen me putting the engine in. The car was in the yard, 50 feet away from the garage door, slightly downhill across a gravel driveway. I had 4 people lined up to help me move the engine to the car and put it in. Needless to say, no one showed up...until the engine was almost in. You want ball busting? Push and pull a 455 swinging from a cherry picker across a gravel driveway-alone. That took about a 6 pack. Then I got it lowered almost in, and was trying to lower and line up the guide pins-now THAT was interesting. I had the engine setting on the mounts, before the first helper showed up 2 hours late. We had it buttoned up and running before anyone else got there that night. Did you know that the front bumper on a 73 Riv makes a most excellent bar? You can put a lot of beer bottles on there. ...and I'm still with the same woman after12 years, AND it was her idea to look for a Skylark! Now I know for sure I found me a good one! Anyhow, now that ya'll had a good laugh, some pics. Burnout contest @ Hot rod super nat's in Canfield,OH bunch of years ago. Some shots taken at the burnout pit @ Steel Valley Nat's in Salem, last year. Then, this one time....
In the process of parting her out at the auto recycler I work at. I am pulling the 455 and trans for a 72 Skylark that I'm picking up tomorrow. I'm not ready to give up on having a classic Buick.
