1963 Buick Riviera

Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

7J1094243

Gasoline

This is an auction for a 1963 Buick Riviera. This car was in storage for over 30 years in Minnesota. Although the car shows rust in the normal areas it is a very well persevered time capsule of what is regarded as one of the most beautiful post war car designs ever made. This is a car that could be restored or would serve as an exceptional parts car for your Riviera project. If you are like me it's nice to find an unmolested car to build from than a box of bolts that someone has done shoddy attempts to fix or restore. The nice part about this cars condition is there are no hidden surprises or little missing pieces that will make this restoration project a nightmare to complete. The reason I am sellling the car is because it is just too much of job for me to take on at this time. I always try to represent my items as honestly as possible so here are some of the details. DESCRIPTION: This Riviera is one of the 40,000 produced in the first year of production. The car was assembled at GM's Flint, MI plant and from what i have found it has been in Minnesota its whole life until now. It is the popular black on black color scheme and looks to have a number of options excluding A/C (which from my research seems to be a rarely excluded option). The car has been hidden away in a shed for 30+ years still wears it's MN plates showing it was last tagged in 1979 and last service sticker is from 1970. It has the Wildcat 445 Nail Head 401 and Dyna-Flow 2 speed transmission. THE GOOD: The car is amazingly complete and untouched as far as the interior/exterior trim and bright work. The only outside chrome that isn't serviceable is the drivers door lower chrome (dented) and the rear bumper (bent but repairable). The hard to find grill and headlights are in great condition along with all the window and side trim. The interior fabric is in poor shape but has every button, trim piece, switch, and knob still intact. All gauges and dash trim are in excellent condition. The trunk has all of it's original carboard trim covers that are in great shape and even has the original spare tire half-cover. The power seat actuators and window motors all work. Even the plastic trim around the drivers seat base is still intact and serviceable. The original tinted glass is all in exceptional shape except for the front windshield (cracked). The headliner and sun visors are in exceptional original condition. The original motor was disassembled a number of years ago and does not have the heads, intake, or carb. The nice part is the rest of the components are untouched including the Dyna-Flow transmission (still in the car), exhaust manifolds, P/S pump and brackets, air cleaner, valve covers, and rocker arms and are all included. All the brakes and suspension are untouched including the sought after finned aluminum front brake drums. The car rolls and steers freely and seems very tight of a car of this age. It comes with 4 original 15" steel wheels 2 original optional wire hubcaps that are in decent shape. I also replaced the rotted / flat bias ply tires with some used radials and it now rolls easily to make for pickup by any trailer with a winch. Under the hood is another sign of a largely untouched car. It looks to have all of the small detail pieces still in their original place. Even the glass washer fluid bottle and inner fender rubber splash guards are all intact. All the heater control cables move freely and have the original clips still affixed. I can't emphasize enough how complete and untouched the majority of this car is. THE BAD: The car hasn't faired as well in the Minnesota winters though. The drivers seat mounts are rusted out (pictured), the rear quarter panels have lower rot (especially the passenger side). The trunk has rust in the corners near the wheel wells and around the license plate area. The rest of the floor seems solid but i would expect after further inspection that it will need new floors all around. The front fenders are rusted in the lower rear corners but otherwise look solid. The trunk and floor panels are readily available in the aftermarket. I don't know of replacement fenders but where the majority of the rust is it would not be too challenging to make repair panels from sheet steel. The car had been hit in LR corner and bumper (see picture) but it does not show signs of any damage beyond cosmetic. The drivers door has a small dent in the middle and whatever caused it damaged the lower chrome trim. That is literally the only piece of trim that doesn't look to be reusable. The interior is very complete but will need full restoration. The seat fabric and padding has rotted but all the frames and spring look to be in good shape. The rear seat frame still has it's original factory part tag affixed. The door panels don't look like they have ever been removed and could be rebuilt but will need redone. The interior chrome work shows some pitting but it is all there. The only disassembly I have done is taking the rear seat out to open the trunk and it has been put back together since. I don not have the original door/trunk key for the car but have the truck lock out and a locksmith can make a key from that. As mentioned above the motor has been removed and taken apart many years ago. I am missing the original cylinder heads, intake, and carburetor but have everything else including the power steering pump, brackets, bolts and nuts, valvetrain, etc... I don't know what will be needed to rebuild the short block since it has been open and has surface rust in the cylinders. The short block is laying in the engine compartment and looks to include everything that was attached to it from the factory (oil pan, fuel pump, flex plate, balancer). i was planning on putting a big block Chevy in the car so i haven't researched into what it will take to rebuild the original motor but I know nail head parts are becoming more readily available. I realize the "bad" list may look extensive but this car has a lot of life left in it and I would rather tell the buyer too much than someone being disappointed when they get the car and realize it's not what they expected. OPTIONS: -U7 Power Windows -S7 Remote Control Outside Rear View Mirror -I7 Tinted Windows -J2 4-way Power Seat -L1 Tilt Steering Column -Custom Trim Bucket Seats in Fabric I will be happy to assist in working with your shipping company and help in loading the vehicle. The car does not run but I have replaced the tires so they will hold air and roll easily.