And now for something comepletely different! This 1968 Buick Riviera is definately a departure from the norm, but with upgraded big-block Buick power, Mercedes-Benz interior, and tuned suspension, this will be a high-tech highway cruiser in the style of a new high-end luxo tourer.
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1968 Buick Riviera Project
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So you want the strength of boxed and reinforced suspension parts but don't have the reinforced wallet to make it happen with trick new parts? Or maybe your particular ride does not have an aftermarket beefed-up control arm available. Here's the solution: Box up your stock control arms! Here, we sourced a pair of original GM lower control arms from our '65 Chevelle project. That car got new stuff, so we grabbed the extras, which happen to fit our 1968 Buick Riviera project. Which, by the way, is one of those cars that has very little in the aftermarket as far as parts are concerned, so we were happy to find that we could make Chevelle parts fit. Follow along as we media blast, then weld up our control arms for extra-strength. And although we didn't show it, they'll get new bushings someday as well.
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1968 Buick Riviera Project
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We've been sitting on this 1968 Buick Riviera for a year now, so it's time to get into the project. This video is the first in the series covering the transformation of a big, beat-up old sled into a cool luxo-cruiser. Video number one here takes you through the reasoning why we're building such an oddball car... it's part nostalgia, and partly to see what can be done with an off-brand car. Not everone can have a 1969 Camaro... we're going to show that the oddballs can be cool, and built on a budget.
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1968 Buick Riviera Project
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After taking delivery of our not-so-shiny 1968 Buick Riviera, we decided to take a lap with a camera and see what we could see. It looks pretty decent for a starting point, it's not really rusty, has solid body panels, good door gaps, and solid floors.
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1968 Buick Riviera Project
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OK, we admit the beginning of this project is kind of rough on the outside, but most of our projects start out that way. Here's a bunch of pics from the eBay Motors listing, and some more shots when we first had the car delivered by Intercity Lines.
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1968 Buick Riviera Project
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Here's a list of links relating to the 1968 Buick Riviera project.
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