Mathieu, 4 Y 87 U 2 H 905508 4 = Buick Y = Riviera 87= 2 drs hard top U = 455 dual exhaust 2 = Model year 1972 H = Flint, Michigan 905508 = Flint production number for model year 1972 (started at 900001)
Mathieu, At first I thought it was a 4, but later on I decided it was an U.... :bglasses: If this is a W, that car is a Stage I. Better check the VIN behind the windshield to be sure....... If so, check the engine code: WS for a Stage I car.
yes it was the fist thing I did to check behind the windshield and its a w I check the engine code but its impossible to see if its a ws the only thing I can see its 72
Mathieu, Try to locate and post numbers from the intake manifold, exhaust manifolds, distributor, carburator and cylinder heads if you can't find the enige code... :TU: And in 1972 you could also find the VIN on the engine.
http://www.buicks.net says this about the W code on the Riviera: Clik here and scroll to 1972 They claim the W is for a GS Riviera ?
Is the Buick info in french because it was sold in Canada? Cool find :TU: A "W" after the "2" indicates a GS Riviera in 1972 I thought? o No:
check what i found in the glove box try shooting some brake clean or carb cleaner on the block surface between the #5 & #7 cylinder on the drivers side, then take a flat blade screwdriver with tip wrapped in a shop rag and scrub the area clean.View it with a flashlight to make the 'stamping' show up clearer-you should see the code WS (if it's a stage car) followed by a 3 digit # (e.g. 123-engine #) which should match the 3 digit code on your P-O-P .(if you've still got it) Bought a 72 Riv GS out of a backyard in Calgary with an engine compartment that looked like the exxon valdez and this method worked pretty well...at least up to the point where it turned out it wasn't the #'s engine!
engine codes Man, this is the second time I've typed this out! Lost the last one in cyberspace! I'm out on road right now and don't have access to my 'bibles' so I'll go off memory...'WA' may be a standard 455 (irrespective of car line-more on that in a minute) but it won't be a stage 1. In 70-72 the second letter of the engine code (on the block surface) is always an 'S' to identify a stage 1; in 72, "WS'. The 5th digit of the VIN (windshield) in 72 lists the specific engine option in that car line. (the first year GM did this) It gets a little confusing because buick used a different letter in the VIN to identify the same engine option in different car lines.For instance, a 72 GS455 would have a 'V' (I think) in the VIN to denote the stage 1 option (in the riv it's 'W') but both engine blocks would display the "WS' code. Try the screwdriver trick in the area between #1 & #3 cylinder and see if the last 8 digits of the VIN appear; this would confirm the original engine is still in the car. Hopefully, the rest of the stage 1 would still be there too. Carb and distributor #'s are stage 1 specific and would be another good indicator. GSCA website has a bulletin showing stage 1 engine specifics. Hope this helps, au revoir!
Oh yeah.... A "V" or a "W" = stage 1 in 72 :TU: :TU: http://www.atlantabuick.com/GranSport/production.htm
That is not a V. It does look like a lower case U by the way the upswing stops.. I think a long shot on a W . Hope for you it is a W .
Vin # A 1972 GS455 would have a U not a W as the fifth letter in the VIN. A 1972 GS Stage1 would have a V as the fifth letter.
