Hi everyone! I just joined the forum, although I've been lurking for a little while reading posts. I currently don't own a Buick, but hope to acquire one sometime this fall. My question is this: Do I go for a 66 or 67 Riviera? - I know the cosmetic differences are few, but I do like the 66 grill better (if I buy a 67 I expect this can be swapped without too much trouble). - I have read that the 67 430 engine breathes better than the 66 425 Nailhead, and that may be a selling point. I'll probably want to do some mild performance modifications to the car (more aggressive cam, headers + what else??). If you have any advice, I'd love to hear it. I've tried to do my homework on these cars, but there is just too much information out there Thanks!!
If you want to do some performance stuff the '67 is the way to go, there is little to nothing for the Nailhead engine, although the performance is about the same stock, you can find some performance stuff but it is not readily available. With the 430 being the same basic thing as the 400-455, with those engines being available from '67 to '76, there are lots of performance parts available and lots of advice, here especially. Welcome, and good luck finding a nice specimen to play with!
I owned a '66 Riv. And as much as I liked the 425 nailhead that was in it, if I had my choice on another '66-'67 I'd opt for the '67 with the 430.
I know with A-body's they switched to a dual master cylinder in 67 which I feel is MUCH safer than the 66's single master cylinder. I assume the big cars are the same way? I've only ever had one car with a single master cylinder in it (a 63 Impala) and I blew a front rubber brake line once... TOTALLY lost ALL brakes immediately. I don't think I could ever feel safe in a single master cylinder'd car again. o No:
Thanks! Thanks everyone for your replies! I think you already have me convinced that the 67 is the model to go for... availability of parts is essential if (when) something goes wrong. I'll be checking the Cars For Sale section daily, but if there is anyone who has a 67 Riv for sale, or knows of one for sale - shoot me a PM or send me an e-mail !!! Oh, and if you have more tips to give a noob, post away
What the hell!?!? All do respect Roberta, But " little-to-nothing available for the nailhead". I won't go into how incredible the NAILHEAD engine is :history,performance,modern engineering,etc. , But there ARE options out there. Dual quads look awesome (20h.p.) sittin' on top, T.A. makes performance hedders for us now(20?) , as well as a good amount of headwork by Mr. Gessler(40+) doesn't hurt stuff much:Brow: . Plus disc brakes are now available for the '66. Oh, BTW did you know roller-tips are forthcoming(not at liberty to sa)y?Can you say 100H.P. OVER STOCK( plus a lil' torque to go along I'm sure :beerAlso I may be wrong, but I don't think a s.p. converter was available in '67(?) All in all , GIVE ME A NAILHEAD:TU: ITS JUST SPECIAL!!!!:Smarty:
The 66 has the coolest dash, speedometer, of all and there is nothing wrong with the looks of the exterior either. I want a '65, '66, and '71 to go with my '69. I agree with Roberta that you will have an easier time making big power with a 430 or 455 but you won't get passed by many cars with a strong running nailhead so get the one you like. We're Buick collectors, if we were worried about easy access to parts we would drive Chevys. :grin:
Thanks Dick, but I really wish you hadn't posted... I clicked on the link in your sig and I have to say that your 69 Riviera is gorgeous too!! You just gave me even more to choose from Regarding power mods - I'm sure the stock 400+ HP is actually more than enough to keep me happy, so the 65 and 66 Rivieras are once again back in the race p But seriously, thanks for posting everyone, I really value your opinions - you know a lot more about these cars than I do!
Did Someone Say Disc Brakes for a '66 Riv??? :jd: Holy Short Stop Batman!!! That would mean, ahem, that both the 66 and 67 would then have disc available - I presume for retrofit, as discs didn't make the appearance until 1967 from the factory - just checking but: Are there now disc brakes available for retrofit to the 1966 and 1967 Rivieras? As in, either factory repros (four-piston Bendix types or single piston Delco-Morraine's) OR "affordable" retro-fit kits that won't cost on a par with the car's current value? Let us in on the secret!:beer
Re: What the hell!?!? The 1967 also had the Switch pitch converter but it was the last year. I like the 1966 425 engine but I mostly prefer rest on the 1967. The interior is almost identical in both years but many small things were changed. Here are some of the few things that changed in 1967: the radio buttons (in the early 67 model year), headlight switch button and ignition switch, the wiper switch was illuminated and chrome plated. The antenna switch was also chrome plated. the horn pad that was an early 1967 change. The steering column was new (energy absorbing) had built in 4 way flashers and a lane-change feature in the flasher switch. The flasher lever, tilt lever and shift lever (on column shift cars) was different too. The power windows now needed the ignition switch to be in the ACC or ON position to work, the dashpad had more padding. Cars with air conditionning had chromed plastic outer vent balls instead of metal ones (not a good change, this was done for safety reasons) the dash and engine wiring was changed. stereo radios used a different multiplexer, the cruise control amplifier was relocated, the standard heater had an added vent function (with possibility of heated air), the rearview mirror was changed two times in 1967, both designs were different from the 1966. door lock buttons were moved in the door panels. the seat patterns were changed, the rear shelf was modified the standard door panels were changed, the rocker panel moldings were changed, seatbacks were now locking, Master cylinder was now double, Disc brakes were a new option, GS emblems, the grille, headlight cables, hood, hood molding, parking light grilles and the color of the trim below the grille were modified, The parking light grilles were modified again as a mid year change. The trim around the taillights was painted body color instead of silver. The lower radiator support was changed, The horn relay was changed and the headlight closing relay was relocated, the a/c parts were relocated and different, the radiator was different. Maybe it is because I have one, but I prefer the 67 because of the Disc brakes (a real improvement over the aluminium drums but a rare option) And I prefer the color of the trim below the 67 grille (black instead of silver) I also prefer the parking light trim on the late 67's also because the silver paint was replaced by black paint and more chrome was exposed (the top part was still painted body color). The fiberglass air cleaner on the 67 GS is also nice but probably not as nice as the aluminium rocker covers on the 66! If you are looking for one, look carefully at the options the car has. These have many options. Look at the interior: Is it the standard or custom trim? Does it have a console? Is it a GS? I like well optionned cars and if I had to choose between a loaded 66 and a plain 67, I would definitely take the 66!
Re: Did Someone Say Disc Brakes for a '66 Riv??? I think this is the kit from Tony Gentilcore. It is made in Australia using parts from the Holden Monaro (I might be wrong on the model) It use an aluminiumn bracket that bolts on the drum brake spindle and requires the hub of the drum brakes. On the 1967's with the Bendix disc brakes, the spindle is different and the caliper isn't attached to it. Instead, it mounts on the backplate! Needless to say that the backplate is somewhat thicker than on newer cars! The rotors on both the early 4 piston Moraine system that was used on the A body cars and on the 4 piston Bendix system were mounted behind the wheel mounting plate instead of over it. This was probably done to free some space between the rotor and wheel for the caliper.
Saw this in another thread, finally, and boy it seems like a pretty good deal. $1300 includes shipping and you get a modern, find-parts-at-NAPA, no kidding brand new GTO setup that you don't even need to send in your spindles for, although you do hafta machine down a couple of areas on them. The best part - you can take them with you and put the old drummers back on for the next guy. Yeah Daddy!:Brow: :beer :bglasses: :grin:
MAN, that's a lot of detail But I agree, that's what it really comes down to - all the small things that come together to make the perfect car! Thanks for taking the time to help me make the decision, hopefully I'll find the the right car... eventually.
..Mr. Gessler.....who is this person?...I take it he does heads for the nails...talk to me uzzled: ...I know of a 66 Riv for sale out my way.....get the nail.....theres parts for her out there, and just check out some pics of her in her Sunday dress....430 has to big of a a$$ to look as sexy as the 401-425 :Brow:
I hate to say this but, everybody is right!!! The 67 did fix some flaws in the 66 (brakes mostly). To the casual observer you can't tell the difference at 20 feet between the two. If your looking for a race car the riv has extra weight that puts it at a slight disadvantage to the GS and skylarks but in my opinion has a much sexier body line to it. Of course I have always been partial to fastback's. The nailhead engine has outstanding low end torque and launches my car like a rocket. I have slowly (very slowly) been collecting parts to hump up the engine, finding nailhead perf parts is getting better but the choices are still slim. Fortunately the stuff that is coming out now is true gold, not alot of fluff and be ready to spend big dollars. One word about brakes, "attention". The first thing I did with my Riv was rebuild the Master and wheel cylinder's, all rubber goods/hoses were changed out with new/modern equipment and the steel lines were cleaned/purged and pressure tested. I know dual cylinder/disc brakes are safer than a single/drum system and I may go to one soon but for now I feel good with what I have and nothing takes the place of being careful. I don't think you will go wrong with either year, When I take my 66 out heads turn constantly and if I was 20 years younger and had some hair, well you know the rest of the story. I would definately look around for a dressed out model, mine came with the GS package, cornering lamps, buckets, console, tilt, and engine dress-up package to die for, everything but power windows??? As I live in Alaska and open windows slow me down I don't really miss them. Good luck to you, Lou
Hey Espen, I'll look in my ROA mag and scan the for-sale list for you. Always some Rivs with 30,000 original miles in there (hard to believe, but they are common!) What's your email address? You must: join the ROA join the BPG visit my website (link in my signature)
THANKS! Yardley, Although I probably won't have enough cash saved up to buy a 30K mile Riv, I'd greatly appreciate it if you would scan the for sale ads! Actually, I'd probably feel bad about buying an all-original car and then "disgracing" it by installing some aftermarket wheels & tires on it.... Pics can be e-mailed to blownX2@hotmail.com if/when you should feel the urge! I already had your web page under my favorites btw! It's one of the few pages related to Riviera performance.... and enough information to keep me busy until next year p Sweet looking 69 you have there by the way! It would probably put up a decent fight against my Stealth Twin Turbo too :TU: I haven't joined the ROA yet, simply because I'm not an owner... but I suppose they'll let me join anyhow. Didn't know they had ads in their magazine, but it's definately worth it just for that! Thanks for the tips!!
You can also find both front and rear disc brake conversion components for the early Riviera's from a company called scarebird. They occasionally list their parts on ebay, or you can contact them at www.scarebird.com. I might be a little prejudiced, but I would stick with a 67 Riviera. Buy the best one you can afford, and drive the wheels off of it. If this is your first Riviera, stay away from the basket cases and the rebuilders that will spend more time in the shop than on the road. You want to enjoy it, not just dream about it. It will cost more up front, but trying to save a few bucks can be very costly in the long run, both in time and money. Mine has been a long term (30 years and counting) love affair. Good luck with your search, Randy
Or.....if you feel ambitious......just do what I did.....I have it both ways! :Brow: But if originality and collectibility is most important to you, IMHO, the '66 Riv GS is the way to go! The star wars and 430 just don't do it for me. And the GS option for '67 is relatively bland. Although the wood rally steering wheel isn't supposed to fit a '67, I made one fit on mine. After owning my former '66 that had it, I just couldn't stand not having it.....and besides, my '67 wheel was cracked pretty bad. I like having the dual master cylinder. I almost wrecked my '66 with the suicide single job when a hose popped once. And I think the '67 grille looks better than the '66. I had one those on my old '66 too. I also think the square scripted '66 GS emblems look cooler than the later style. (just my preference) The '66 hood with the individual R.I.V.I.E.R.A. letters is classier than the '67 hood with the emblem on the left side, also my personal preference. I guess there's trade offs either way......you need to decide what is right for YOU. You won't be happy with a car unless it's what YOU really want. :TU:
