I thought I would show the 64 Riviera that I picked up. It came out of California and still wears its 1963 Black plates with a sticker that shows a registration of 1983. Story I was told was that a new (used) 401 was installed in 1982 and never finished. It was bought by a guy in Ohio right around 2001 and shipped here from CA. The car was parked as delivered in his garage with the intentions of restoring. Needless to say, that never happened. I bought it about 3 weeks ago and the original 425 block was included. I was told the mileage was original but really have no way to prove that. The block is now at the engine machine shop I use and is in rebuildable condition. So now I will be removing the 401 and using all the guts from that, minus cam and other typical rebuild/wear parts, and rebuilding the original 425. I also intend on going through the trans and all suspension to make it safe, driveable and most importantly, reliable. I plan on keeping it basically stock but may eventually lower it. Lowered Rivieras always looked good to me. I will post up some pictures as work is done. Although, nothing will be done until my garage is finished and heated so it may a month or so before I really update pictures. Bob
I figured I would up date this since I have been messing around with it here and there. The interior smelled terrible, so it was gutted. Luckily the floor boards are in extremely good condition. Yes, there is some surface rust, but NO rot. I am still in the process of pulling the center console to get all of the carpet out. It is trickier than I thought so I ordered an original shop manual for it. That should keep me from wasting time and guessing. My plan is to wire brush, vacuum, bleach and paint the floors with POR15. Then sound deadening material before new carpet. Same with the trunk. The car was jacked up and wheels pulled to inspect the brakes and suspension. I guess I really didn't need to inspect it because there's no way its going back together without all new stuff. But, everything is there and very solid. Drums still have plenty of meat on them to turn true. The engine, well, that's pretty damn rough. Luckily it came with the correct 425 block that is being machined at the shop I use for my company. Ross Racing Engines here in Warren was able to supply me with forged .037 over pistons, rings, and pins for a good price. But, I need everything off this old 401 to rebuild the bare 425. As the pictures show, the cylinders are rough to say the least. I am hoping sanding the cylinder walls down, soaking them and tapping on the top of the pistons will get this thing to spin. This worked on one of my Olds 455s so my fingers are crossed that it will work on this.
Nice find...should clean up very nicely. Glad you've saved another 1st-generation Riviera from the can-cruncher or a worse fate.
Once you get the shop manual you will notice Buick recommends not boring more than .010" overbore. THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO DO IS SONIC TEST THE BLOCK!!!!! The minimum wall thickness should be at least .150" thick for the weight of the reciprocating assembly. i add epoxy to the block to add structure & rigidity. It helps the rebuild to last longer.
