about
The Buick Riviera is a symbol of a by-gone era.
An era where vehicle purchasing decisions were based not on how economical
a vehicle was, but how big its engine was. The Buick Riviera, and indeed
the Buick marque as a whole exemplifies the excesses this situation brought
about.
At approximately 2 tonnes in weight, around 6 metres long, powered by a 430cid (~7.1L) V8, the 1969 Buick Riviera is a monster. But a well-appointed monster, they came equipped with all the creature comforts: power steering, power windows, power driver's seat, climate control. They could be optioned with other upgrades, such as cruise control, reclining seats, and more.
53,000 of the 1969 Rivieras were sold, at a cost of USD $4,701.00, compared to approximately $2,500 for a Ford Mustang (as a reference point). These were expensive cars.
I bought my Riv in Nowra (NSW, Australia), approximately a year ago. In that year much work has been done to the car, mainly replacing or repairing things, but now that that work is mostly done, it's time to get down to actually enhancing the car.
Some of the work carried out so far:
- Front brake overhaul
- New four-core radiator
- Transmission overhaul (the transmission guys reckon the gearbox was the ORIGINAL unit!)
- Extensive rust removal work, including fabrication of part of the A-pillar, new front floor pans on both sides of the car, large parts of the firewall, battery holder and the area where the passenger's side of the body mounts to the chassis (pics in the gallery)
- Many other miscellaneous things, new front shocks, and much more that I can't remember!
At approximately 2 tonnes in weight, around 6 metres long, powered by a 430cid (~7.1L) V8, the 1969 Buick Riviera is a monster. But a well-appointed monster, they came equipped with all the creature comforts: power steering, power windows, power driver's seat, climate control. They could be optioned with other upgrades, such as cruise control, reclining seats, and more.
53,000 of the 1969 Rivieras were sold, at a cost of USD $4,701.00, compared to approximately $2,500 for a Ford Mustang (as a reference point). These were expensive cars.
I bought my Riv in Nowra (NSW, Australia), approximately a year ago. In that year much work has been done to the car, mainly replacing or repairing things, but now that that work is mostly done, it's time to get down to actually enhancing the car.
Some of the work carried out so far:
- Front brake overhaul
- New four-core radiator
- Transmission overhaul (the transmission guys reckon the gearbox was the ORIGINAL unit!)
- Extensive rust removal work, including fabrication of part of the A-pillar, new front floor pans on both sides of the car, large parts of the firewall, battery holder and the area where the passenger's side of the body mounts to the chassis (pics in the gallery)
- Many other miscellaneous things, new front shocks, and much more that I can't remember!
