Just for kicks - has anyone ever converted a late 60's or 1970 Riviera to a 4 speed? If done right and made to look factory it could be cool, kind of like a big ol' Impala SS. And what a sleeper if it backed up a strong motor!!
Jim is correct. It was a 64 if memory serves me correct. It looked factory and was done right. I even had plans of doing one myself, but later changed plans.
There is a guy on the board that has a 4/5 speed in his 71/72 Riv. The car also has disc brakes in the back. I can't remember what his board name is, but the car is silver colored, and I think a picture of it is in his avatar.
I'm aware of a '65 that had been converted to a 3-speed w/od and 3.91 gears. The fellow's favorite car had been a 65 Wildcat 3 on the tree. The guy that restored my convertible is doing a '64 conversion (even though I tried to talk him out of it) Lots of work! I'm still working on my 65 Wildcat 5-speed conversion!:TU:
Re: 4 speed Riviera? Eyewitness Account My father worked at a BUick Dealer in Pittsburgh back in '65. He say that two '65 Rivs 4-speeds were sold at the dealership. He detailed the new cars when they were delivered and says that he drove them both. Who know where they are today.
Patrick,i find that hard to believe.Riviera's have never been offered with anything but a automatic and the dealership your dad worked at sold two.Ask him if he remembers any of the parts the cars came with.What kind of trans,what consoles were used.Etc,etc,etc. These couldn't have been factory built.
I only know what he told me. I can tell you that he's no crack pot and the family has driven buicks since the 40s. He owned a '65 Riv and used to race one. He knows his cars and was good mechanic is his day. I have no reason to doubt him.
It is a car that should have been made, whether it was or wasn't. 65GS Riviera, 425 dual quad 4spd. I guess it's like now. You can order a Caddy SRX loaded for $93K, or a Z06 Corvetter about $10K cheaper. The Caddy doesn't come with manual trans, the Z06 does. The 2009 ZR1 is going to be awesome. The Caddy will be too. But the Caddy probably won't have manual trans.
I talked with him yesterday about this and he said that one was a GS and the other was a standard Riv. Both were special ordered by the same family.
As for the Boattail, that was me and my '71. see this thread: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=138649 My current winter project is building a custom set of 17" Buick full-size (5 on 5") sportwheels. I'll post more as the project progresses. I'm guessing I'll have approximately $250 into each wheel, not including my time/labor.
XLR, SRX is based off of the STS and a luxury crossover SUV. Met a man who claims to have a 4spd Riv from the factory but I think he is lieing about some part of it.
The Chevy COPO cars didn't exist either in GM's eyes. My other love is old Cadillacs...If you had the money...Cadillac would build whatever you wanted wether it was in the data book or not. It all started changing in the mid to late 60's and morphed into what it is today. A few color choices and how many speakers you want? It wouldn't surpise me if those Riv's came from GM with 4 speeds. They might not have been built "on the line" with a manual but the big 3 had "authorized" job shops to provide options their "well heeled" customers wanted. Perfect example was the 69 & 70 429 Mustangs...they were built by DST (Detroit Steel Tube, authorized by Ford) and delivered to the dealer for sale. GM could have done it too.
My understanding about the 429 BOSS was they were altered and assembled by Kar Kraft Engineering which might have been part of DST (not sure). But as you say the fact that a option isn't offered is never a reason to beileve that a wealthy buyer couldn't have one built. I remember a certain Pontiac 421 SD 4 spd in a wagon. I have personally driven an original 62 Ford Country Squire wagon with a 406 dual quad 4 spd, And there are others like the King Cobra that were built that defy logic and are prowling the streets or were back in the day.
Oops..your right..once you turn 50...DST built the Thunderbolts. Either way they were both scary fast!
