Hey all, looking to purchase a 67 Riv in "good" condition. What are the most common problems or places to look for rust, or cars to avoid entirely if they have a certain problem? Thanks in advance, John
Mechanically... Driveshaft issues are a common problem. Especially the rubber insulator for the hanger bearing. Take a turn with the car and listen for any clunking from the driveline. That's a warning sign that the insulator is broken. Rivs have a two piece driveshaft with two CV joints. Insulators are relatively inexpensive, but if you need a complete rebuild of the driveshaft, your looking at an expensive repair Check the front end/ steering linkage. Bring a friend. Have him rock the steering wheel back and forth while you examine the steering linkage. Feel each joint and see if you can feel any play. Center links are big bucks. Front end parts in general are expensive and hard to find. If the car has disc brakes up front, good luck getting front rotors. Unicorns. And of you do find a set, they'll be $800+ for the pair. Calipers are close to $600 a pair to rebuild and sleeve. On these cars, drum brakes are a plus. The parts are way easier to find, drums can be relined and the car stops just fine with those huge brakes Exhaust systems are expensive as well. 6 pipes, 2 mufflers, 2 resonators and all the hangers are unique to the 66-70 Rivs Make sure the headlights go up and down. If they don't, you'll likely will need to rebuild the electric headlight motor Body wise, its like any other car- look at the bottoms of the quarters, around the rear wheels trim, bottom of the doors and fenders. Trunk drop off, floor pans, etc. All the usual places that rust.
Thank you Jason that's a huge help. Looking forward to my first Buick. This'll definitely help me decide if this 67 is the right one.
Like any other car, find and buy the best example you can possibly afford. In the long run, it will be far cheaper! Remember, half the fun is the thrill of the hunt! Good luck
If it has a vinyl top, look for "bubbling" under the material.....very common and many times the roof will be completely rusted away and need a replacement. You can imagine the cost on that.......
If the vehicle has had multiple owners, ask if it has been registered in states with inclement weather (rain/snow). Not all 67s have the mufflers & resonators....mine had no resonators - only mufflers. If it was a CA car, check to see if all of the smog parts are intact (PCV, AIR pump, hoses, check valve, and gulp valve behind the carburetor. Check to see that the switch-pitch slider is on the throttle arm of the carburetor, and ensure the transmission is the original ST400. Check if the heater core has been bypassed...if so it may have had old coolant in it for over a year, and the water pump/radiator will need replacement along with the heater core. If it is a an early 67, check to see if the 430 has the big-port heads. I have a thread where the casting numbers are shown. These heads & exhaust manifolds have excellent flow properties for a stock engine. Most of the rust (if any) will be around the rear fenders/gas tank, check to see the trunk floor and rear passenger floor areas are still intact. I got lucky that mine was an original-owner CA car which only made seldom trips back east.
Len, Due to the aftermarket edelbrock carburetor, the switch pitch mechanism is not hooked up. How badly will that affect the car?
Depends if the vehicle still has the original engine/drivetrain. Can't tell with no photos of what's under the hood. Is the factory 430 still in there with the original ST400? If so, is the switch-pitch linkage still there (just disconnected), or was it removed completely from the engine? The linkage has two switches on the throttle arm: one on the carb primary throttle shaft, and the other at the 90-degreee bend on the throttle arm. Both are connected to 2 wires which go to the solenoid plug on the transmission body. When activated, they switch the angle of the stator blades in the torque converter from high to low stall. Having it unplugged won't affect normal driving of the vehicle, but you'll be missing out on some performance. The correct Rochester 4MV Q-Jet will have the linkage to correctly hook up the switch-pitch. Does your transmission have the plug on the driver's side with the 2-wire connection? If not, you may have a normal TH400 installed.
It appears to be original 85k mile everything. The switch pitch is disconnected but is there. There are wires running to and from the switch, so I have reason to believe its all connected but just not in use.
Okay...good. The Edelbrock has only the generic linkage, so that's why it's not hooked up. I don't know if it is possible to swap out the primary shaft on the Edelbrock to the Rochester one...your simplest option may be to get the correct Rochester 4MV Q-Jet, and swap out the Edelbrock.
Great news! What a score! Ken from Everyday has the AIR equipped carb and I will put it on the car in several weeks once I am home. That should solve the linkage problem as well as the tuning issues. I at least know how to tune a quadrajet.
Excellent choice. Ken's builds are top-notch. Once it's in place with the fresh gaskets, your 430 should purr like a kitten.
I can't wait. Funny thing, Ken also helped me with my Corvette quadrajet before I sold it. Didn't know he's a big deal here.
Any old car/truck I've looked at I focus on rust, where its at, and its severity. The mechanicals are second priority for me. Reason being, replacing the mechanical stuff, even if it is pricey, will last for years and thousands of miles. Repairing/replacing rusted metal is VERY costly, a small hole at the bottom of a fender or quarter panel leads to blending the color into the entire panel, then THAT panel doesn't match the adjacent panel, just by virtue of the clear making it appear darker, ok, blend the door, ****, theres dings and scratches that need fixed, ok fix 'em, DAMNIT, there goes my blend panel, ok blend the fender! Body repair and ESPECIALLY paint snowballs FAST
