The Greatest Danger Could Be Your Stupidity

I need to haul three card tables and a hundred pounds of goodie bags and stuff to a Bike Ride sponsored by my Kiwanis club tomorrow. Sounds like a perfect job for a car with a retractable roof, eh?

I knew that before I could take it with me, the Riv would need a quart of transmission fluid, so while sneaking in a parts shop run, I tried again to pick out a Torx socket that would unscrew the seat belt mounts. Advance had a wider variety: about a dozen variations from T-15 (skinny) to T-60 (the size I'd bought last week). I chose T-47, and found out tonight that it does the job.

Phew, no third chance required. The tab: $23.40 for the ATF fluid, the socket, a better adapter set, and a funnel. Now all I need [Ed: yeah, right] is to find a replacement burgundy seat belt. Black replacement belts and retractors are easy to find, but I haven't yet come across a burgundy one.

Between pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating, I also added a pint of ATF100, and then went back and dumped in the rest of the quart, because it still registered low on the dipstick while idling. The bad news is that about a tablespoon spilled over the side of the funnel and landed right on the exhaust manifold. That gave off an appropriately spooky puff of smoke, and I burned a finger while wiping it down with a terry cloth.

That mishap brought to mind the deep wisdom of the fortune-cookie slip I found last weekend while vacuuming under the seats (and mysteriously forgot to mention in that night's blog post):

"The Greatest Danger Could Be Your Stupidity"

Lucky Numbers 4, 5, 7, 27, 34, 44

Mirror Update: the replacement rear-view mirror I ordered last Saturday arrived on the doorstep today. At first, I groaned because it came in a box with a picture of an exterior side rear-view, and I thought: Oh, man! just like the last one. But inside the box was a sparkling new OEM rear-view mirror that matches the original one, but without the oxidation spots on the reflective layer. Good call, but I'm still curious whether anything needs to go between the metal plate on the mirror mounting panel, and the windshield (other than the glue, of course).

Happy Paint & Hood Struts

I picked up the refinished quarter-panel fillers from the paint shop today, and they look great!

I did a little show-and-tell at the office, and managed to evade the question of "how much did that cost ya?" The answer: $167.50.

Yes, I know....but they gave me their can of extra paint for me to use in touching-up the rest of the car, and it's SO much better than the home spray-paint job I'd tried.

I'm saving them 'til Saturday afternoon and will install them then.

I also came home to a new pair of hood struts, over which the kidlet was enthralled:

A good weekend ahead.

Glamour Shots

Here are some of the snapshots from last week's photo shoot intended to gather some glitter for some on-line sales venues. After a little critical review, however, I think I'll wait until that quarter-panel gets replaced, and stage a re-do on the left-rear.

Exercises in Frustration

I've spent some time working on the Riv since Wednesday night's post, but I can't say I've gotten very far.

RR7Q Update: I dropped off the quarter-panel fillers at the paint shop on Thursday. They should be ready in the next couple of days. I also should be getting the hood struts in the mail early this week.

Wiper Arm Update: the guy in Indiana wrote back with news that he did NOT have an extra, and suggested that I try calling the folks listing Riv parts at hemmings.com. So I sent an email on Saturday morning to the guy in NJ who runs obsoletebuickparts.com. 36 hours later, the message is still waiting to leave my earthlink server (so says the error message).

Mirror Update: Cruising the web on Saturday morning, I found an interior rear view mirror from a shop in Florida, and at only $8.64 + $11.70 in S&H, so I pulled the trigger....BUT several hours later, as I was vacuuming out the Riv's interior, I found the original mirror under the passenger seat.

Dag Blast It!

I cleaned it up and have set it to the side, waiting for the part I ordered to come in, and then I'll decide which one to attach.

During the kidlet's nap Sunday afternoon, I rubbed some cleaner-wax onto the left-side hubcaps (the right-sides had been tagged last week), and cleared off some of the oxidation. It was a beautiful day, so I seized the chance to take the Riv out for a ride. Straight to PepBoys I went and picked up:

1. a speed-nut clip and #10 screw to fasten the upper left corner of the fan shroud (which has been hanging on by the screw in the upper right corner);
2. the largest star-hub/Torx socket they had, and an adaptor for my 1/4" socket to fit it (to detach the shoulder seat belt);
3. a jug of windshield washer fluid;
4. a can of engine degreaser; and
5. a fresh bottle of carnuaba wax (Meguiar's step 3).

So I got home all ready to get to work, and then discovered:

1. the speed-nut clip I bought wasn't long enough to reach the screw-hole in the radiator-frame to which the shroud attaches, so that didn't work;
2. the Torx socket I bought was too darn big, so it didn't fit the seat belt mounting bracket;
3. the windshield washer fluid reservoir has a big old crack about 2 in. above the bottom, and leaked out most everything I poured into it; and
4. she's pretty low on automatic transmission fluid (and no, I didn't have that on the list).

After that, I didn't even bother playing with the engine degreaser or wax. But I did hunt down some adhesive gel and sealed the crack in the reservior. After it gets a couple of days to cure, then I'll try filling it again and test the windshield washer fluid pump.

Blue Pole, Thy Days Art Numbered

It hasn't shown in the blog pictures, but when the Riv's hood is up, it stays up by leaning on a blue pole wedged into the front bumper. Well, at least until the new hood struts I found tonight on eBay arrive from Wisconsin. Mark another $39.70 into the ledger.

Still no wiper arm, though. A guy in Indiana is parting out a Riv, having listed a dozen groups of parts for auction. I was tempted to bring in the set of dash panels, but I really only need the glove box door, and my bid of $40 didn't top another existing bid. Anyhow, I sent him a message asking about the wiper arm. We'll see if he sends something back.

And tomorrow, I've set aside some time to take the Riv's body panels into the paint shop.

Photo Shoot!

Since I last wrote on Friday night, the Riv has gotten a little bit healthier, and a little bit closer to the display case.

1) Shined the rear bumper with cleaner/wax on Saturday.

2) Took the Riv to the park for a photo shoot on Sunday morning.
Pictures to appear on Autotrader and Hemmings shortly

3) On Sunday afternoon, I got a little help from my neighbor poking around under the hood.
We topped off the brake fluid reservoir, and tightened the idle-speed screw a full turn to slow down the Riv's idle; worked great.

4) We also noticed that the radiator fan guard was missing a bolt on the left side, so we unscrewed its match on the right side, and the next time I pass a decent parts store, I'll hunt for a replacement.

And I need to fess up to the $62.01 I spent ordering the manual and mirror parts last week. In my defense, the mirror itself needs to be returned, but as long as we're keeping track of expenses....it's all there.

A Riv Shopping Spree

I didn't take much time to blog this week, but I did get some online shopping in.

No, I didn't find a suitable wiper arm, but I did locate some windshield adhesive for a replacement rear view mirror, and something very clearly marked "Inside Rear View Mirror," and this:





But what actually showed up was this:



The glue will probably work, but the mirror is big, round, flat, and came with a 9" mounting bracket in a box marked "Jeep." Hmmm. It appears there was a derailment in the PartsTrain data entry department. This time, though, I saved the packing slip and will try to return it through UPS next week.


The repair manual arrived separately, and I've started flipping through it, dogearing pages that I'll probably need to spend some time with. In about three minutes I decided that the CV joints were probably in need of some help, and in another ten minutes, concluded that replacing those was probably above my pay grade.


I did get a paint shop referral today, and will be dropping by here some time next week with the body panels.

Purring Like a Kitten

The Riv winked at me when I arrived home tonight, begging to be taken out for a ride.

After the kidlet was fast asleep, she started up and off we went...her first drive since I flipped her upside-down air cleaner/carburetor housing cap. She ran so much more smoothly (duh!), and since it's just starting to get brisk, I tried the heater. That works pretty well despite the lack of a blower fan. I had gotten the blower fan to kick in once or twice on prior occasions, but it just wasn't in the mood tonight.

I also had time to pay attention to the cornering lamps, which I had inspected over the weekend and found the bulbs to be intact, but they didn't light up when I tested 'em. Aha! The headlights have to be on before the cornering lamps light, and light they do. I also decided tonight that the right headlight needs to be aimed a little higher. Remind me to do that later this week.

I left the windows up when I rolled back into the garage, and Windexed them but good. If I'm still awake later, I think I'll try another web search for a wiper arm. Other goodies on the shopping list are: a burgundy drivers' side seat belt, an OEM rear view mirror, and a fuel filter.

Lastly, I have a picture of the body panel I painted that is just a bit too ghostly. 24 years of sun will tan just about anything, I suppose. I'll be taking the daily driver in for an oil change and tire rotation on Friday...I'll ask if they know a good paint shop in the area.

20,000 Leagues Under the Hood

After taking the Buick to the office on Saturday for a meeting, I peeled the top back and cruised home, stopping by the gas station to score some good, cheap (a bargain at $3.50/gal) petrol. Add $37.49 to the Riv tab.

Safely back in the garage, I topped off the power steering reservior, and added some water to the coolant mix. I haven't really paid too much attention to life underneath the hood thus far, but I knew it was time to start a list of mechanical fixes. So I unscrewed the wingnut on the air filter cap, yanked it off, and was about to set it down when I realized that the cap had been screwed on upside-down! One side has a nice rubber rim to create a vacuum (this was the dusty face-up side), and the other side had the marks of being right-side up in the past.
I'm no mechanic, but I know what a carburetor looks like, and I know it should be clean and needs a steady flow of air to work efficiently. The Riv's had a coating of dust that was all over the air filter housing, and clearly had been pulling air from all sorts of places. So I wiped down both sides of the cap, the carb flaps, and the inside of the air filter housing, and put it all back together, this time with the cap right-side-up. Turned the key, and she lit right up just like the day she was new. Four weeks into this project, and I could have saved myself a ton of angst with a ten minute fix.

To celebrate the cap-flipping, I grabbed some cleaner-wax and gave the front bumper about 20 minutes of TLC. Most of the oxidation and caked-on grime came off, but there's a touch that might be worth going back for later.

And the final Riv task of the weekend was to put a coat of primer on one of the extra body panels that came with the RR7Q shipment from Arizona. They sent four pieces, two for the left, and two for the right, and I only need the left-hand ones. So the right-hand ones are making for good paint-matchers. After two coats of primer, I'm facing the grim reality that the Riv's coat isn't quite as white as spray-paint white, so I'll have to shop for an auto-paint shop and ask them to mix up a batch for the left-side filler panels.

The Hunt Continues

From: [Dealership Parts Guy]
To: Me
Re: Wiper Arm
Date: Today

"MR MILLER THE DRIVERS WIPER ARM YOU HAVE REQUESTED HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED THRU GM.YOU MAY HAVE TO SEARCH THE SALVAGE YARDS. THANKS"

Doh! Not cool. I emailed the guy back asking for a part number, but have yet to get a response.
All is well, though....there's nothing like a good challenge to help find some inner strength.

Wiper Arm Washout -- Hubcap Happiness

I headed to Ace Hardware to pick up some spray paint for the wiper arm and body panels that arrived on Friday. Chalk up another $11.23 in Riviera supplies.

So with paint already in hand, I decided to test fit the wiper arm I'd ordered before the paint went on, and sure enough, those auto parts suppliers knew what they were talking about...

The wiper arm I had ordered has a vertical bend to it that causes it to scrape the bottom edge of the windshield on the Riv as it twists. No damage results from the scrape, but I had to remove the arm and stomp around the garage cursing the wiper arm mounting knob for being so much lower on the Riv than on its GM cousins. But so it is, and my search for a usable wiper arm continues. I drove over to Pep Boys, where they were holding an arm from my trip two weeks ago, and they kindly compared my sheared-off example with all the arms they had in stock. None matched closely enough, so it is up to the dealership to produce that one....

Needing some gratification after suffering the wiper arm setback, I pried off the Riv's hubcaps and gave them a good scrubdown, first with the tire brush, then with some chrome cleaner. Finally, I got behind the wires with the nipple-end of the baby bottle brush we stopped using several months ago. With the caps back on the wheels, it really does make a difference.

Before

After

Trunk or Treat!

The kidlet's pre-school held a parking lot festival this morning with inflatable jumping gyms, life-size mascots, and a decorated Trunk-or-Treat competition. The Riv collected a couple of votes, especially from the car guy dads, but it was the minivan next to us that took home the prize.

What Not to Wear

Imagine my excitement when I was told that not just one, but two, boxes of car parts awaited my arrival home after work. Body panels from AZ; a wiper arm from CA.

But while the wiper arm joint is exactly right.....

The replacement arm is a wee bit longer and definitely not matte black:

What did arrive in matte black (and I'm laughing at myself for thinking it would come pre-painted) were the body panels to replace the quarter panel. Odd that it comes in two parts; the right-side original appears to have no seam.

So I'll definitely be shopping for some spray paint tomorrow, along with some auto primer.

And the finishing touches for the Riv's public debut...I chrome-cleaned the rear bumper, removed the trunk lamp, and strapped in the booster seat for our kidlet. I'll be taking spare batteries for the Olympus.

Maggie's Treasures

In preparation for the Riv's trip to Roswell on Saturday, I dug behind the back seats to pull out the seat belts. Also discovered were:
1) Two partially-chewed doggy bones;
2) An empty film canister;
3) Another red leash;
4) An Atlanta Falcons cap; and
5) One nearly-untouched fortune cookie, which read "Unveil your ideas; be ready to act on them."

I don't think the wheels are going to get cleaned before tomorrow, but UPS says I should be getting that wiper arm tomorrow. : ^ ) There's irony in that...there's no sign of clouds or rain for a week.

Leap of Faith (or $26.92 down the drain)

I've been flummoxed by the lack of replacement wiper arms in the world, when it would seem to be such a standard part easily exchanged among all GM cars of about the same size. For what purpose would a car company redesign a wiper arm, of all things?

A little web-work has taught me that Part #A194331 served as the driver's side wiper arm in 1984 for the Buick LeSabre, the Chevy Caprice, the Pontiac Parisienne, and the Cadillac Eldorado, all of which are about the same size as the Riv. And thanks to my childhood experience with a Caprice made that year, I also know that the wipers on the Riv have the exact same controls and behavior.

Nevertheless, none of the on-line parts warehouses list that part # for the Riv, nor do they list any wiper arms at all. So call it an educated guess, or a dash of Paulson-inspired foolishness, I shopped around and found a copy for only $18.82, or $26.92 with shipping out of California. So as of a few minutes ago, it's on order, and now the question of the week is whether it'll fit. Stay tuned....