Actually, I've seen quite a few Rivs that were rusted beyond repair, but the rocker panels were still solid as day 1. That's no surprise, b/c they are made out of heavy guage galvanized metal! :Brow: I never noticed the Wildcat panels though........does anybody know if those were galvanized also?
and joe-I've got decent '65 and '66 Riv frames that I can't give away! I'm not liking the thought of cutting those up to make them gone. Tim's right about the '65 ratcat-but it sure runs out nice. I haven't killed a ST/THM400 yet, but with the crossmembers now being pretty permantent, this would be the car it would happen! Most of those B/C boxed frames are full of sand/gravel that hold moisture. I've jacked those big cars up from both ends many times while flushing them out. Usually lots of rust- sometimes they actually look fairly good from the outside. Tim was under there welding for the day cause he's kinda sliding into old/slow mode-I ran around the car 'helping', but it was still a job-
If I remember correctly most, if not all, US built cars and trucks of that period were were galvanized by dipping the completed body in a vat electrically charged while the body had an opposite charge. Priming was done by the same method: in a vat of red lead primer. The disclaimer is that this is a far from perfect system that did help, but wasn't fool proof to prevent rust, especially driving on salted roads.
Tim was under there welding for the day cause he's kinda sliding into old/slow mode-I ran around the car 'helping', but it was still a job-[/QUOTE] Dan, A guy needs an occasional nap when you're "working" that hard! lol! Beside that, it's hard to keep the trigger on the wire feed pulled when you're dozing off! Joe, Interestingly enough, the only currently produced patch panels for the first generation cars are the floor pans and inner and outer rocker panels, it is possible that the galvanization process was 66 and later? Neither of my 63's are out of storage yet, so I can't check that out. (hope to remedy that this next week!) Tim:3gears:
Yes they were, my 1965 has galvanized rockers and they are still rust free (or almost) and very solid considering the age of the car. Those on my 1968 Wildcat were also galvanized but they were rusted out after a few winters in the salt. They were still far better than those on my 1991 Park Avenue which were also galvanized but they had two feet long holes on each side when I replaced them many years ago.
I have always wanted a 63-65 riv but i have a 64 and a 70 wildcat 2-4s and a 4 speed in one and a BBB 455 in the other :grin: life is good :grin: :grin: :grin: :laugh: scott
Yes! Although the Wildcats outweigh the lone Riviera in my garage the Riv was the first in the fleet! The Riviera styling is more unique, more elegant than the Wildcat IMHO. The reasons I started on the Wildcats were 1) 4-speed available (in '65) and convertible available. That has led to the collection of Wildcats in my garage now.
WILDCAT FANATIC all the way i just love the way they look but i do not see the problem as long as its a buick its good but if it says wildcat on it i have to get it and the rivs did have a wildcat engine in it so there is nothing but the body from brian
I definately have a preference for the Riviera, but I have to say when I saw this car in Rochester at the BCA National I was awe struck... http://www.buickclub.org/2006 BCA NAT Pics/2006 BCA National & Aftertour 112.jpg Wow! A '65 (?) with a 4-speed. If I recall correctly it was from Cincinnati. I'm also fascinated by the Wildcat GS - was that car available in '66 only?
