The most exciting thing about discovering a barn find classic is fixing it and having it run. Thomas Mortske of the Mortske Repair YouTube channel found a 1963 Buick Riviera (first-generation) with 45,510 miles on the dash that had been rotting in a barn for 27 years. He's looking to check it out for issues and get it running.
The 1963 Buick Riviera was an American luxury car produced from 1963 to 1999 (with the exception of 1994) by GM and marketed by Buick. This classic car was born out of America's fascination with European luxury vehicles such as the Aston Martin, Maserati, and Jaguar.
This classic luxury car come in a full-size hard top, trimmed and stretched sedan, and a personal luxury car.
Getting the 1963 Riviera out of the shed wasn't easy. They couldn't get the 27-year-old sitting tires to inflate. Also, halfway dragging it out of the barn, the team snapped a ball joint.
According to the previous owner, the car had no issues apart from being old. He drove it (and it ran well) to where it was parked before Mortske, and the team bought it.
Everything seemed fine under the hood, apart from a few disconnected links and a possible rodent infestation.
"Since how this engine is hard to replace, early, expensive. With our past history, we're going to pull the spark plugs out and spray some lube down there, and then crank it over," Mortske said.
He also found some missing exterior trim finishing in the car's trunk. He was lucky to find the Buick's key hidden in the glove compartment.
Getting this 1963 Buick Riviera running wasn't easy. Mortske had to pull the valve cover off to make sure everything looked neat. After spending some time checking the rockers, fuel pump, and plug lines, he was ready to put in some fuel and get the engine running.
After several tries, the Buick's engine ran, but soon after, there was a massive oil spill, and the party had to came to an abrupt end right after it started. Mortske spent one more day fixing the broken suspension and ensuring everything was right with the engine.
We recommend watching the video below, you could learn a thing or two about reviving old classics. The 1963 Buick Riviera is up for sale for $3,500 (as is).
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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