Can someone decode this wierd '66 Riv vin code for me?

I actually started this in another thread........maybe someone who knows will see it here........There is a '66 Riv on ebay with a '67 430 in it that this guy claims came from the factory that way. At first I thought it was bogus, but maybe it's not. Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...7&category=6142

This car has this VIN #: 60166067901 BU ........most Rivs I've seen that year have a number that begins with 494........in the other thread someone suggested this car could be an experimental car built at a Buick engineering plant. This car really interests me.........any thoughts? :Brow:

o No:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4507271667&category=6142

A buy it now for only $1500........and it's practicly in Yardley's backyard!
Would be nice to see a pic of the VIN and cowl tag.....wonder what it's story is?

 

That link worked earlier today..........thanks for posting a new one walt! :TU:

 

I hope someone can shed some light on this one.
Sure would be interesting to learn more. :Smarty:

 

Canadian

Could it be a Canadian car? They sometime made some odd combinations. Leftover 66 body with a 67 engine.

 

I broke down and called this guy today. He said that it is in fact the original motor. He also said he had a Buick dealer run the casting numbers on the block and the vin code and they told him it is in fact the correct engine. He thinks they ran out of motors and just started putting in 430's.

I still don't believe that.......there's too many different things about a '67 and the way that engine fits in there. When a car is made for a particular model year, doesn't the whole assembly process have to be re- tooled? I can't see how they could just "throw" in the wrong motor.......and wouldn't you think there would be a few more of these out there? I've never seen a parts listing for one of these cars that said anything about "late '66 only". Just think about how many parts that would be affected from gaskets and engine parts down to motor mounts and radiator hoses to front exhaust pipes.

There must be someone on this board who can shed some light on this whole thing........what's up with that wierd vin number........this is eating me alive! uzzled:

 

The freak of Flint.

Maybe it was some kind of test mule that somehow didn't get crushed when GM was done with it.

 

Joe,
I can't speak for this car, but I worked for an auto parts store in the early 70's and did see some strange stuff. A number of times, guys came in with a parts request for a certain year car only to find that it actually had a year earlier or later part needed for it.
Did you check the build date of this Riv? If it is in fact a later car, consider this scenario. The tooling for 67 would already be in the process of being installed in the plant. If in fact they did run out of 401/425 engines and had nearly completed 66 body/chassis' it would make sense to install the 67 engines to complete these cars. The plant manager would want to "get rid" of any partially completed cars.
Some further investigation of this Riv is in order. Aside from the engine, what is the trans? In 66 the only matching bell housing would be a trans for the 340 LeSabre. Is the trans a 67 unit too? What is the complete VIN number? Does it make sense for the 66 model year or is it something odd that was mentioned in the previous post. What do the engine/frame mounts look like? From my memory the frame pads were part of the frame assembly and not bolted in. Do they look modified?
You have done the swap and familiar with the differences between the Nailhead and the 430. Hoses, radiator, front exhaust and engine mounting are the main things that come to mind. Some other changes are likely too. However there is not a radical difference in body style from 66-67 and the needed parts should have been available due to the change over.
Lastly, how many of these "hybrid" 66's could there have been? Only a handful I would guess. That would explain why only 1 may be left after almost 40 years.
Just my take on some of this.

Mark

 

Mark, I didn't see the car in person, so i can't comment on frame mounts or the like. I will however say this.......in the picture the car appears to have the '66 a/c hoses which I don't think would clear the 430's dimensions but I could be wrong. I had to make a slight bend on the high side hose on mine in order to clear the alternator without chafing- I don't know what would happen in a reverse situation. Perhaps I would not be so skeptical of this car if the radiator and front half of the engine compartment were intact but this one for sale is incomplete.

I'd like to buy this car just to solve the mystery! :bglasses:

 

Yeah......and I can bring both to the Buick shows.....that'll give the purists 2 cars to scratch their heads about! :laugh:

:bglasses:

 

I noticed some things on this car today that I didn't see before.......(yes, this really bugs me :Brow: )

The core support appears to have been re-drilled to accomodate the reversed radiator. also, one more thing I noticed is the positive batt cable appears to go to the horn relay behind the windshield washer bottle as correct for the '66 425. On the '67 430, the positive cable goes along the frame rail directly to the starter relay. If buick did in fact put that motor in there, they would have needed a special wiring harness in order to wire the starter that way because the wires that connect to the 430 peripherals are located in different places than the 425 was. The '67 also used fuseable links, the '66 did not.

I would think GM would have used a '67 harness, which would bring the positive cable down the frame rail and not the way this car is in the photo.

 

Well,

Didja buy it? We all want to know the rest of the story.

 

I was never interested in buying this car, it just aroused my curiousity. It never met reserve and therefore it never sold.

After closely reviewing the photos, I stand firmly behind my original conclusion that this engine was not the original.

I noticed that the positive battery cable runs behind the washer bottle as the nailhead would have been. If it were in fact originally equipped with the 430, that cable would have been routed along the frame to connect on the starter and attach to the fuseable links that were not supplied on the '66 with the nailhead. To wire the battery the way this car appears to be wired in the photo would have required special wiring. :Smarty:

Only thing that I find very interesting is my original question.........what the heck kind of VIN is that? ou:

 

gee,this is a weird car, would be a good buy for someone. would be worth $100 to me

 

I forwarded the link for this car to Darwin Falk, who is an expert on 66-70 Rivieras. He posts on the Riviera list quite often. His opinion of that car is that it is not some kind of rare, one only test car. He says it barely qualifies as a parts car. It looks like someone decided to do a conversion, and gave up. The missing radiator is especially telling. The conversion from naihead to 430 involves a lot of changes, not just a drop in. The engine compartment would need a new wiring harness.

Buick was proud of their brand new big block in 1967, it was big news. They wouldn't see some cobbled up mess just to make a sale. They were selling all the Rivieras they could make back then.

 

Thanks for doing that, Carl...........now I can sleep! :laugh:

If anyone would know it's Darwin.....in the past he and I and a few other guys went in together on having repro '66 fan shrouds made up. He is extremely knowlegeable about E bodies.

I will always wonder what that vin was really from though. uzzled:

 

i will give that guy$100 for it as she sits
and beer for a year to whoever hauls it to me

 

My guess is that the "odd" VIN is a state-issued VIN, not a factory-supplied VIN. When a car is stolen and the VIN is removed, the state will issue a new VIN number to enable registration. Typically, the state police affixes a metal plate with the new VIN to the same location as the original VIN. These VINs typically look nothing like a factory one, and are readily detectable upon viewing.

I know a guy with a 1960 Buick in this situation.

This could also happen if a car (without VIN) was rescued from a wrecking yard.