Rivalution

The “RIVALUTION” is my 1964 Buick Riviera. The majority of its life was spent in California, therefore, it was rust free when purchased and the recently rebuilt 425 nail head made it a prime candidate for a 60’s Style Kruiser.  Some of the transformations had already been put into play at the time of purchase, but years of use had rendered updates the order of the day.

The interior was removed to fix a host of electrical glitches and the faded orange carpeting was exchanged with a rich black carpeting. Some additional louvered panels, air ride gauge switches with some much needed cleaning and detailing brought the whole inside back to life.

Although the car was bagged, the system was in complete failure mode. The solenoids were just lying in the trunk, hoses were leaking and the front bags sort of worked. New Shockwaves were ordered for the front, the system was completely re-plumbed and the solenoids were nicely mounted and secured for easy accessibility.

While the front air bags were being switched the front end was re-bushed and a new set of disc brakes were installed. On the Alignment Rack, it was easy to see why the front tires were worn so unevenly. A new alignment and tires sent the car down the road straight and true and it was getting close to a “Road Trip.” But not so fast! As with most projects, just when you think you’re done………….surprise! Nothing major appeared, but enough to add some unexpected time to the project.

The added time did allow for some good garage time to get out the pinstriping brush and lay down the lines like they did in the 60’s. An old striper once told me that a well executed striping job is revealed when you see the vehicle first and the striping second. The spider was added for fun and a period perfect 60’s touch.

The first major trip was to the Hunnert Car Pileup. Over 600 miles of trouble free driving, success at last! Of course arriving at that milestone brought forth another decision and you probably already figured out what that was. Time to think about a repaint, shave the door handles, change the interior and………………………………….!

Got any thoughts or ideas for making “RIVALUTION” a top notch 60’s Style Klassic Kruiser? Send me your ideas for paint colors, graffx, interior color and design, details or anything else that might be rattling around in your head. I like to keep an open mind. You never know when someone might drop in something really kool.

Thanks, 

Jack”The Italian”Giachino