thanks Brian! I appreciate the info. I have to take the heads off this week, I guess I can make sure then, not that I doubt you, I am sure you know your nailheads with all those 60's Buicks. Gene
64 Rivs could come with either a 401 or 425. Those ads must have been false advertising. I have owned a couple and one was a matching numbers 401 car. I have a 65 with a 401 too.
Somebody pleez correct me if I am wrong........but the '63 came with a 401 as standard eq............'64- '66 came with 425 as standard eq........if one of those have a 401 it was either ordered special that way or was replaced later in life. Dual Quads were only available from the factory on the '64-'66 425. :bglasses:
First off , there are no rules. The literature says: 63 - 401 64 - 401 std, 425 opt 65 - 401 std, 425 opt 66 - 425 std but then we have documented proof of 66s with MT engine code. And the documentation says MT is a 401. But there is also Buick documentation that says a block with a rectangular mound is too tell the boring machine to bore a 425. So the bottom line is remove the head and measure the cylinder width.
I always thought the 66 dual quad was dealer installed and not from the factory. As I have looked at Rivs over the years, I have noticed most 64's locally have the 445 Wildcat in it. The 65's here have a little higher rate of having the 465 in it here. I was under the assumption that all 66 Rivs had the 425, so I learned something on that year for sure. I even hear there is that ultra rare 67 Riv with the dual quad Nailhead in it, but can't verify it:grin: :grin: .
Yeah, I hear they had a left over Nailhead the day they made the first '67........painted the car silver....guess who has it? hehe:laugh: Seriously, the dual quads in the '66 Riv were dealer installed in the first part of the '66 model year............by popular demand, 179 were later made that way from the factory for the other part of the model year. I read in the Riview what I had posted in an above post, but perhaps my memory is incorrect....... and I can't find the issue. Guys like me who put different motors in things drive the trivia chaser's crazy!:Brow: I think when you find anything but a 425 in a '65 or '66 that's the reason why.:bglasses:
:laugh: Did you see the episode of my classic car this week? Some guy (it was a person from "the" Ford family) had a '56 Lincoln modified with a newer 460 engine by Ford engineering.......since it was documented, the car still was eligible to win a gold award for originality from the AACA. It did, and it is affixed to the front of the car. Even Mr. handlebars (hehe) frowned on that one.:grin:
newbie getting a 66 nailhead Rivi Ok fellas, I am new here, but will be taking off soon to pick up a 66 Riviera GS. From the pics of the car, it has the 465 cleaner, so I am assuming that's the engine I am getting (425). Yes I am excited, but we'll see what we shall see-once I meet her. If it's a nailhead, what can I expect to have to do to get it running smooth? I understand it gets started once in a while, but that it's been a few years since it was run regularly. The owner says I should have no problem running it to Chicago from the middle of Ohio. Sure hope so-I don't have a trailer. I am not talkin about modding or anything, just tuning! Can ya'll tell me if this page is worthwhile-paying special attention to the last couple paragraphs-I want to wring as much MPG out of her that I can of course! I understand that's not the Riviera's strong suit, but I live in Chicago, so I (just like everyone else) pay top dollar for the go juice! link to page on timing engine I like the writer's style, and no-nensense attitude. Also, if anyone has specific experience with the 66 Riv's transmission, I will have to do something to that too, and would like some advice. Specifically he says the thing leaks a bit from the "main seal" (I know that may not be the name for it for the trans, but I am pretty green-it's the underside trans seal) he seems to think this trans is pretty simple to fix in this area. Partly because you don't have to move anything to get at the seals. He said you can pop a cover and replace it? NOt sure if it's a Dynaflow, TH or what? Looking forward to wasting lots of time on this board! I already HAVE! Thanks! names Chris, glad to meet ya.
Hi Chris, Congrat's on your car. I am going through my 66 Riv GS right now and have a ton of money into it. On to your questions. I like to use Marvel mystery oil although some people see it as a waste of money (I don't). I add a pint the day of the oil change and get the car warmed up (50-100 miles) and drain the oil immediately on shut-down. If you take your car to get the oil changed, leave it idling until they pull it in. With an older car (lot's of unknown's) don't run it all the time with Marvel as you may break chunks of sludge off and clog your filter. You may want to drive your car around town after the oil change for awhile before you hit the open road just to see if you will have problems. You might even want to change the oil and filter again. Flush the coolant system and pressure check the hoses/radiator cap (very important). My cap would not hold 4 pounds of pressure, a cheap replacement. If all original you have the most awesome stock trans GM offered, The Super Turbine 400. This is the early Turbo-Hydromatic 400 with the dual angle (Switch Pitch) torque converter. Flush the tranny then drop the pan and pull the filter. This should be the metal mesh type that should be cleaned by a trans shop. If this is where your leak is that should take care of that. Fan belts, hoses, check your fuel pump pressure, Flush the brake fluid, check the brake hoses, Free up the emergency brake, grease the U joints (a bunch of them), grease the front end. When I first started driving my Riv I was getting a horrible clunking noise from the rear. I just knew I had bad bearings. Luckily for me it was just sticky clutches in the Limited slip differential. Here's what I did that fixed it nicely; Get a couple of gaskets for the diff cover, Jack the car up in the rear and place "GOOD" jack stands under the axle tubes as far outboard as possible. Now chock the front wheels so the car won't move (Very Important). Start the car and put it in Drive and let the whells spin at idle (15-20 min's), stop the wheels with the brake and do the same in reverse. Shut the engine down and drain the diff by pulling the rear cover. I alternately raised each side with the floor jack to help the tubes drain faster. Now get in there with a stiff parts brush and some kerosene (No Smoking!) and clean as much sludge/varnish as possible. While you are in there you can see how the contact on the gear teeth looks and check the lash if you are able. Put the rear cover on and fill with 20 weight oil and repeat the above steps. Do not drive the car on the ground with the 20 wt. Drain and clean the diff again, tilting to get all the oil out as much as possible. Clean your gasket surfaces, I used the red permatex on the gasket (thin coated both sides) and install the rear cover. Put a pint (I think one pint) of GM Differential Lube additive and top off with Valvoline 85-90 wt for limited slip differential oil. Now the craziness begins. Find a wide open secluded spot and at idle make tight circular turn's. As many as you can stand without getting seasick. Go in one direction 10-12 times and then the opposite direction. This should free up the clutches. I put my car up for the winter months (7-8) and do the circle the wagons thing every spring. My neighbors all peek through their curtains and shake their heads, but I believe this really helps. I got long winded but hope some of this helped. Good luck!
The only way I could get my diff. to stop chattering was to use weaker clutch springs and two bottles of additive...........absolutely nothing else worked. In fact, occassionally I still feel a thump every now and then. I think maybe my spider gear cross shaft is a little too worn. :bglasses:
