Well, it looks like I went too far to look for a nice original Riviera! I just bought a 68 with 45k miles out of CA. not a GS either. I would also like to find more information on options and decoding? It looks similar in nature to other species of GM cars I have researched with combinations of alpha and numerical codes with what appears to be julian dating for the block assembly? I'd love to see more photo's of your car, inparticular the interior. The guy I bought my car from also sold his 68 GS Rivi with low miles for 18K a couple weeks ago so it looks like if you got yours anywhere near the bid price you did well :laugh: I was not able to pull any photos up from the auction site today.
I would be happy to post pctures of the interior for you, or if you want just look at a new sales brochure with red interior, it looks that new. As you can see from my user title, I don't hang on to cars for very long, I make them as nice as I can (or am willing to) and I move on. This car will be for sale or trade at some point before too long. I bought a 59 electra 225 last night and will be busy with that one too. Thanks for the feedback!
According to my Dick Tracy Buick decoder ring the trim tags decodes as follows.... Code 10 paint is Regal black but according to the sales brochure was not available on Rivieras. Strikes me odd as the car looks awesome in black. Im pretty sure the "B" is black vinyl top TR687 is red Strato Vinyl bench seats. Ive only seen one other red interiored Riviera in my day. Super rare color. Car was made in Flint Michigan in the 2nd week of Feb. It has the original matching numbers engine with the correct "RD" code. The only other 430 was for export which had a 9-1 comression ratio (coded RE) That is one sweet Riviera! The combination of the black paint and the red interior is just awesome. Love it!
The build sheet may be above the gas tank. Mine was for my 69 GS. You have to drop the tank to check. Sweet car.
Thanks for all the help!! It is much appreciated. I washed the car today and found it to be better than I thought it was. A good find for sure. Here are some pics for those who asked. They are lower res. to fit this forum, but the 8 megapixal ones are awesome!
I cant believe how striking the colors are! It looks so sinister in black.That interior glows! :TU: You'll be hard pressed to find another car that rides as well. I'm a little partial to the 68-69's. I can stare at those body lines for hours. The sharp lines on the tops of the fenders. The clean "no headlight" look of the grille. The way the rear seat and armrests follow the contour of the rear quarters. ooooohhhhhh!!!! I have to run in the garage now and caress my Riv's!!! Absolutely beautiful!
I have never, ever seen a 2nd generation Riviera with red interior! That has to be a very scarce color combo! Words escape me.
Just awesome! Thanks for the interior shot. I think I'll wait awhile to post photos of mine :ball: Pat
WOW! I am a little amazed at the response to this car. Thanks for all the help and compliments. When I went out for a drive last night to take some pictures of the car, I started to realize just how nice it really is. I have owned over 100 muscle/classics and this one is near the top for condition/originality and eye appeal.20,111 original miles helps a little as well. It drives like new. Being the low life bottom feeding flipper that I am (I do it for my love of cars and a real addiction to the thrill of them), I hope that the car is a rare as everyone seems to believe, and that it translates into a better investment. Since there is little to do to improve the car except a correct cap,wires, and re-installation of the clutch fan, I suppose a search for the build sheet is next. Will drop the tank as soon as I can. Thanks again for everyones participation in the thread. :beer
Yes-nice looking. Going back to the valve covers-my guess is that the GS cars came OE with the chromed version of the stamped steel covers. Maybe leave your gas tank alone-many 2nd gen Rivs have the production order sheet under the dash just left of the steering column-good luck with the car.
Wolverine, sorry, but I think it's time to change your avatar. A very nice color combo. It give me inspiration, just remembered I have something to do in the garage. Per. :beer
Funny you bring that up. Any chance someone might be willing to take one of my posted pictures from this thread and make an avatar for me. The frontal shot of the Riv would be nice. My last avatar was made for me by a kind board member who had the software to do it. I don't know how to shrink it. If someone knows where I can get the software, I would be happy to do it myself. Thanks for any help. Wolverinemotor@aol.com
Let me know where you find your build sheet. I dropped the tank on my 69 and it wasnt there. I'm almost positive the tank was never dropped prior to me. Anybody with a 68-69 Riviera find theirs yet??
Regal black was indeed a Riviera color for 1969. The red interior was only available with the bench seat, not buckets. The valve covers were available at the dealer. If the original owner was a GM exec then I'm sure he had them added - but they could have been installed for him on the line as well. 4 note horn. Very sweet. The GS package got you chrome valve covers, chrome air cleaner lid and GS fender badges. Oddly enough, you are missing your emmissions decal from the rad cover. My heat riser pipe is black, yours is an aluminum-looking color. Is it painted silver? As for the build sheet... well, the back seats were removed often to retrieve lost items and to recover the seat belts. So if it was there it could easily have been tossed. Mine was nowhere... not under the dash, under the rug, under the rear seat or on the gas tank. Not in the fenders either. It COULD be in the springs of the front seat. My seats were missing when i got my car, but even the replacement 69 Riv seats didn't have a build sheet tucked into them. So it is a hit-or-miss thing. Nice car.
Yardley, as far as the black being available...if you look in the 1969 Buick sales brochure, there is an asterick next to the color black. On the bottom of the color chart it says "not available on Riviera" . o No: Maybe things changed after the brochures were printed.
Tom, Thank you very much. Unfortunately I am too stupid to know how to pull the image from the post. Any chance you could email me the image so I can down load it and then upload it to v8 board. Thanks for any help. Bill wolverinemotor@aol.com
My 1969 "paint chip" sheets show Regal Black as a Riviera color. So who knows... Oh, and the GS package also got you the 3.42 rear. The 69 Riv has a variable-ratio steering box too, btw.
