1975 Buick Riviera

Discussion in 'Wet behind the ears??' started by NotRyan, Jun 10, 2020.

  1. NotRyan

    NotRyan Well-Known Member

    Bought yesterday from a guy in a tiny little town north of me. My second car, the first being a '92 Mazda 323 hatchback which has rusted out so quite the change. The 455 is just shy of 5x bigger than the engine in the Mazda. Also different is the 3-speed auto, I'm more of a manual kinda guy but I can make an exception for a big block :)

    Based on the fact that this car is a lot of firsts for me (carburetor, V8, auto, very big car, gallons per mile etc.) I get the impression I'll be here a lot.

    Not sure the exact colour of the car but it's kind of a gold/bronze, inside is tan. So much brown :D. Dash is cracked in some places and there's some rust spots popping up around the wheel wells, but it's in pretty good shape for a 45 year old car. Especially one that lives up in the great white north. And also for the price, which was $2000. Can't exactly complain about that.

    I've got a leak to deal with underneath the car, and there's a weird clunking noise from around the trans tunnel when I'm turning, which I think might be the driveshaft joint or an axle. Will have to pull the wheel off and do some shaking around. Also the power steering pump screams at me when the wheel is all the way at one side and the engine bogs down at WOT at highway speed. Timing might be off or something but I can't be sure. This is all new territory for me.

    It's weird, I almost feel intimidated by the car. I understand all the fundamentals pretty well but I feel like there's so much that gets taken for granted in modern cars that doesn't translate backwards, and now I get to learn all about a whole lot of stuff. Like I said, really big change from my Mazda. Still getting used to the size of the thing. The distance from the front bumper to the back of the door is the same length as my old car. Not to mention how much wider it is too. Big adjustment, but I love driving it. My poor wallet though, gonna have to fill up for the first time tomorrow.
     
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  2. NotRyan

    NotRyan Well-Known Member

  3. Nailhead in a 1967

    Nailhead in a 1967 Kell-Mnown Wember

    welcome

    check the body number plate in the engine bay
    the name of the paint color is on there

    two 2-digit numbers, for upper and lower body color, followed by PNT

    75bnp.jpg

    1975 colors:

    75paint.jpg
     
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  4. Nailhead in a 1967

    Nailhead in a 1967 Kell-Mnown Wember

  5. Michael_G

    Michael_G Living the Dream... Fast with Class...

    WELCOME! and it looks like you got a Great Deal on a nice boat... :D The 455 is a strong solid engine. If you power steering pump only screams at full left or right I would just check your belt tension as it's probably slipping. I had 71 Skylark that did the same thing... even with a new pump and a belt with the correct tension. Nice 442 sitting there as well!
    -MIG
     
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  6. pbr400

    pbr400 68GS400

    Welcome aboard! I agree it’s a good deal. How many miles? Has it been tuned up recently? Probably your first step should be a factory service manual. I’ll also caution you regarding replacement parts. If you need something, buy AC Delco. Don’t buy zillion volt million watt bestest ever stuff, jyst get as close to original as you can. Same with the carburetor; don’t buy a parts store reman or an ‘Elderbrock’ and adapter plate, have yours rebuilt by someone on here if it needs service. The great thing about older cars is that they’re easier to work on and simpler-you don’t have a module between the switch and conponent.
    Patrick
     
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  7. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    Gotta love another young riviera guy! Looks very solid. You have a lot to learn, and it’ll make you very happy to sort the car out properly when the results come in.

    Where are you from?
     
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  8. alvareracing

    alvareracing Platinum Level Contributor

    IMG_E0389.JPG super sweet cars, I inherited my dads that I had pick out new at the dealership back in 75'. I repainted it and replaced the vinyl top due to a lot of rust popping up around the vinyl top trim. This was in FL, I guess salt in the air. But it always ran great, with a few carb and timing tweaks, real dual exhaust and a re-calibrated trans and converter this ole boat would embarrass many hot rod want-a-be's. Looks like a great deal enjoy!
    Fernando
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2020
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  9. NotRyan

    NotRyan Well-Known Member

    Sorry about the late reply John, didn't realize that I'd stop getting emails when people replied.

    I'm up in Alberta, Canada, and the car is in surprisingly "good" shape for the hellish winters we get here. I say "good" because there are some rust spots popping up, most notably on the rear quarters and wheel wells but that's to be expected. Will have to get around to that.
     
  10. NotRyan

    NotRyan Well-Known Member

    Thanks Patrick! Another thing I'm not used to is the odometer. It says 16k miles but if that's actually the case I'll be on my way to buy a lottery ticket. My guess is 116k if I'm lucky, 216k if not. Car does run very well either way, but the body is showing some major problems. I agree that a service manual would be a good first step, will have to get my hands on one of those. Thanks for the reply!
     
  11. NotRyan

    NotRyan Well-Known Member

    Thanks Michael! The car is a (heavy) load of fun to drive now that I'm more used to it. The power steering pump stopped screaming which I would argue is more concerning so I'll have to check that out. 442 is my dad's, parked in the late 80s and dragged out of the backyard at my request a few years ago. Needs a lot of work to get running, more to get insured as there's mandatory inspections for cars over 50 years old when they get insured. Will probably have to be pretty much rebuilt from the ground up when money rains from the sky! :D
     
  12. NotRyan

    NotRyan Well-Known Member

    Thanks for this, looks to be Honey Gold with a dark brown top.
     
  13. NotRyan

    NotRyan Well-Known Member

    Thanks Fernando, loving it so far. Beautiful car you've got there too! I'll have to tackle the rust pretty quick if I plan on keeping the car alive for an extended period of time, which would be ideal.
     
  14. Briz

    Briz Founders Club Member

    Nice old car and welcome to the club. Im a full size fan also.
     
  15. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    Alberta seems to be a Buick hot spot in Canada. I found my 68 Wildcat there in Brooks and also found a 68 Wildcat Custom sport parts car in Cremona. Welcome to the board and good luck here!
     
  16. NotRyan

    NotRyan Well-Known Member

    Thanks Briz! I’m well on my way to becoming one!
     
  17. NotRyan

    NotRyan Well-Known Member

    Thanks! Glad to hear that about Alberta.
     

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