| 1957 Super Riviera Coupe 56R | |
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I
suppose my love for the Buick came about from reading an article in
the Street Machine Magazine early 2004. Before then I really didn’t
know much about them. The car was purchased in the States Mid August
of 2004 and my time since it’s landing late November 2004 has been
full on trying to get it to look like a car that I would be proud to
own.
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The car once home turned out to be a Fred Flinstone vehicle where the floors had to be replaced from the boot to the front. The front guards were prefabricated to hide the battery compartment, which is now in the boot area. The engine bay now gives one the impression that there are no wires. Due to the costs involved in repairing/maintenance on the original Dynaflow transmission & 364 Nail Head Engine a decision was made to change the complete driveline. The car is now powered by a mild Chev 400 followed by a tricked up Turbo 400 tranny, which runs down to drive a Ford 9inch rear. The ride of the vehicle is now running on airbag suspension. Using a Power Booster & Master Cylinder from a VK commodore helps slow down the vehicle and the front brakes were custom made by Hopper Stoppers that being BA discs. The rear stopping system consists of large finned drums out of an XA GT. A four bar link system keeps the rear under control. The cooling system is a four-core brass radiator made by Desert Coolers. The car is on the home straight and is awaiting the wiring and final engineer inspection. Special thanks goes to two close mates for without them the whole thing wouldn’t have been possible. They are my Partner, Julie for her support both financially and mentally and Darren Bycroft for the Body fabrication, paintwork and mechanical assistance not to mention headaches for pointing out things that were wrong.
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