Posted these pictures and how I got the car in the wet behind the ears folder but wanted to post the pictures here too. These are from the dealer pictures, can't stand the wait until the car comes in on the truck. 1968, 430 4-bbl, good solid car. Its going to share daily driver duties with my 78 Camino. Say, if some other 68 owner would, could I see some good photos of the driver's side dash with all the controls? I have another interior shot and there are WAY more switches and such than I'm used in an old car. BradLaGrange
Nice custom '68 Riviera Brad - looks like it originally may have had a vinyl top, and has had some of the emblems shaved ! (front lower fenders, hood, and sail panel 'R' logo, with an aftermarket steering wheel) Check out the Riviera Owners Association at: www.rivowners.org Don't worry about all the controls on the dash, they are well laid out and very easy to understand. :TU:
Nice looking car and colour combo. Looks to be a no AC car which is kind of rare for a Riv. Needs some better wheels and about 1" down in the front by my opionion unless you want to go for a more street nasty look which the black steelies and the slight nose high go well with. I think I like the look of the nose with the hidden headlights better but they are complex and just 1 more thing to break.
Hey guys, thanks for the compliments! Yeah, I kind of like the custom look with the minimal badging and the slightly high front end. My other car is a '78 Camino that was my "I refuse to admit I'm almost 30 so I'll buy a car like the ones we used to drive in High School and fool myself". Its boosted in the rear, big-wide racing tires, Rally's, loud exhaust, etc. This one is a slightly different direction. Whats funny is the Camino does have some similarities----same color, also has most of the badges and chrome removed. As for wheels, even if it wasn't on the Riv's (obviously) did Buick offer a baby moon? I had some neat ones on an old Pontiac years back. They had strait sides that made the cap stick out a little more and on the front they said either PMD or PONTIAC in small black letters along the edge w/a thin black line circling the rest of the edge. Allthe 'moons I find now at the local used hubcap places are generic 40's looking ones that slope directly down into the rim. Just can't find an online hubcap reference site. BradLaGrange
Will check out the Riv-owners page. BTW, how hard, expensive would it be to add the hide-away lights? Is it a simple drop in replacement or is there just to much to worry about? I'm not married to doing that though, I'm with you on the "one more thing to break" idea, but they are a nice looking addition. BradLaGrange
I also like this color! You are right, it doesn't have factory a/c. As for the hubcaps, Buick offered them in the sixties (not on Rivs) but they had to be installed on Buick rims with special retaining clips. Your car has Chevy wheels so these wouldn't fit. If you want to keep these rims, you could probably install 1970's full size Buick hubcaps or A body hubcaps. These are 1970's full size Buick hubcaps. (I tried them on my '75 Electra) These are 1960's Buick hubcaps (these were available in 1968 on the LeSabre and they could be mounted on the steel rims of a 1968 Riviera (with the required mounting clips).
Maybe your system just needs some tweaking ? Repro vacuum cannisters for the '68/'69 hidden headlights are available as a bolt in item from GM Obsolete for $295 each ! :shock: :shock: :shock: You would also have to ensure the rest of the vacuum system components, and hoses are working properly ! If you plan on keeping the car, a '68 Shop Manual is also be a good investment to get to really know these cars Brad ! :beer :TU:
Riv man: Yeah, that is awfully pricey. I'll be selling the Camino over the summer, guess that money could be better spent than flip around lights though. Phil: Thanks for the pics. Those are a little fancier than the Poncho caps I had but I like them. I may have to hunt some Buick rims for a set to fit on during the car shows this summer. Leo: Thanks for the compliments. Austin: Thanks for the pictures. Whats the switch under the fuel gage? I couldn't enlarge it out enough to see. That is wierd a car like this doesn't have AC--I thought that from the start too. Its not like you purchased a Riv and was trying NOT to have luxury apointments. BradLaGrange
Mine is a nonAC car too - guess they couldn't afford the AC option! Purchase a '68 Shop Manual, ringneck - it's well worth the expense! :TU:
Power antenna and rear defrost are under the temp gauge, the ones under the fuel gauge are the courtesy light and cruise control switches. Here's a picture of my 1968 Wildcat with a very similar dash. My car didn't have a/c either, and on the other full size 1968 Buicks, there were no dash vents and only 3 buttons on the heater control panel. Note that the ashtray door is also much smaller on other 1968 Buicks than it is on the Riv. I think that the large ashtray door in the Riviera was made necessary to install/remove the radio as there was not enough space under the dash to remove it otherwise.
Hey guys, thanks. Cruise/Courtesey, thats what I was wondering, saw the antenea in the one interior picture. I will be obtaining the shop manual ASAP. BradLaGrange
Only owned 1 car without AC, it was a base model V8 82 Camaro rust bucket that I liked the sound of the flowmasters on and bought it for $800 in High School. Total money pit and I don't regret getting rid of it. All my Buick's have had AC and the Riv will too once I get the rest of the car sorted out and buy an AC compressor for the Turbo6.
I'm just the opposite, I HATE AC. I grew up without usingit in the house, worked outside all the time (it was a farm) and the cars we owned usually didn't have AC--if they did we'd just crank the window down anyway. We would use it in the house to sleep better if the temp was above like 85 at night--so to this day when ever AC hits me I go to sleep. Plus it always feels cold, damp, and clammy to me. My big wants in a car are good heat, a seat that tilts back, and cruise. BradLaGrange
