I am on the point of buying a boattail '71. The car looks perfect but has some strange details which worry me; - The car seemed to have leaked some gear oil before i made a testride, according to the owner that was because he put to much oil in, the gearbox throws it out during driving untill the right level is reached. After the ride (5miles) the cars dit not leak any oil, not from the engine and not from the box. - Between the left head and the carburator was a tiny puddle of oil. Looked like the head was leaking a little. The owner told me the puddle had always been there and that he never found out what the problem was. The cars starts, rides and sounds perfect. It doesnt smoke or leak oil after the testride, and it changes gear very smoothly(3 gears I suppose), but these two things bother me, should they?
Welcome to the board! One detail that makes this question a little easier to answer is price you're willing to pay for the car.:TU:
Is that American Dollars?? If it is, then find another one. Unless the car is in pristine condition and you're hooked on buying one.
Smartin: We are in Europe, so every import :Brow: cost a little more than over there. My partly restored and unassembled '68 Skylark was cheap at 2500$. Not to mention the gas (1 gallon 5$) Chester, I would be a little worried but everything can be fixed. The price seem a little high with these faults, I dont know much about NL prices on US cars but here in Denmark it would cost about 10000$ in good running order Peter
Transmission leaks One place that the TH400 in the Riviera leaks is at the dipstick tube. There is an o-ring that should seal this up but they degrade over time. The car will leak only after it is parked for a while - the fluid drains down from the torque converter into the transmission oil pan and raises the fluid level past the worn out o-ring. Presto, temporary leak just until the car is run again!