Where can you buy whitewall tires?

nooshinjohn

Picked up a former show winning 1975 Buick Riviera today. The car includes the famous Buick "rally" style road wheels, but I will be dammed if I can locate brand new 235-70-15 whitewall tires to put on them. Seems BFG Meeks raised white letter in that size, but they would not be appropriate on a car big enough to double as a flagship for Chester Nimitz.

I think these might be in the same isle as black paint. Any he would be awesome.

Hermitism

https://www.etsy.com/listing/529137395/15-rim-whitewall-port-a-wall-topper-side?utm_campaign=shopping_us_Historicracewallart_sfc_osa&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_custom1=0&utm_content=11314311&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp9H6193O1QIVSz2BCh1iZAhMEAQYBSABEgKLTfD_BwE

I'm just messing with you!

FestYboy

Coker tire.

pitdogg2

FestYboy wrote: »

Coker tire.

Must be the tire size that may be hanging you up John. I just seen a old pimp mobile going down the road the other day and commented to my son about the wide white wall tires.

[Deleted User]

WHAT A RIDE! Nice. Real nice. So it was stored in someone's horse barn or is that just a prop for the pic?
Google brought me
https://www.dbtires.com/why_choose.html

motorhead43026

http://www.americanclassictires.com/types-of-whitewall-tires/

More choices can be found here.

Willow

Just not a shop stocked with black paint

mhardy6647

Neat-o.
(FWIW) I like all the Rivieras -- but I think I like the original design and the behemoth boat-tailed models best of all (no offense!).

nooshinjohn

I prefer the original too. This one is pretty rare though as it has buckets and floor mounted shifter. I believe only 1200 cars got that option.

scubalab

Luigi's Casa Della Tires... I believe he's still in Radiator Springs.

mhardy6647

nooshinjohn wrote: »

I prefer the original too. This one is pretty rare though as it has buckets and floor mounted shifter. I believe only 1200 cars got that option.

That is cool!

tonyb

Those rally wheels on the old Buicks were some of the best looking wheels ever made imho. I prefer the 60's body styling though.

BlueFox

That car needs hydraulics so it can bounce up and down while cruising the boulevard.

nooshinjohn

5000 pounds doesn't bounce. It crushes anything stupid enough to get in the way.

DaveHo

Cool car. Have any of the previous owners done engine work? Those mid-70's cars are pretty crippled by the emissions control attempts from the factory. My dad has a 76 Olds Gutless that couldn't get out of it's own way.

nooshinjohn

Once the car gets home, I will be going over it thoroughly. 1975 is the cutoff year in CA for smog inspections, so I will be deciding on whether or not to keep it 100% stock or do some mods. If I mod it the first thing that will go is all the smog crap that chokes things up. 455 cubic inches of big-block power should be able to do better than 205 horses.

motorhead43026

You won't get much more from it. The engine is designed low compression to begin with.

Btw nice car, I have a real affection for these 2 door land yachts.

nooshinjohn

motorhead43026 wrote: »

You won't get much more from it. The engine is designed low compression to begin with.

Btw nice car, I have a real affection for these 2 door land yachts.

I think it is possible to coax out 350hp from it... not as much as it should have, but better than it already has.

tonyb

That's one of the reasons I hate mid 70's up, all the emissions crap, lower horsepower. A 455 from earlier years, combined with those turbo 400 tranny's were screamers. The Olds 425's could lay rubber for a block. Sleepers....that put some stock Camaro's to shame.

FestYboy

If you're pulling the block for any reason, yank the pistons, and swap out the heads for factory appearance irons. Thats the only way you'll see the 350hp mark. Factory heads won't flow unless you port the carp out of them. The carb and intake will do the job for that power level.

I'm a fan of factory appearance... That way you can still show it as it was intended, and also have the power it deserves (have cake, will eat).

[Deleted User]

My dad told me he used to paint his tires so...
"I think these might be in the same isle as black paint. "

afterburnt

Built like a body by Fisher!

mhardy6647

aww, c'mon -- that lead sled is wicked cool.
It probably wouldn't fit in my garage, though...

charley95

tonyb wrote: »

That's one of the reasons I hate mid 70's up, all the emissions crap, lower horsepower. A 455 from earlier years, combined with those turbo 400 tranny's were screamers. The Olds 425's could lay rubber for a block. Sleepers....that put some stock Camaro's to shame.

And those 400 tranny's were bulletproof! It's amazing how far trans. technology has come. Riding in my friends Hellcat last night I was blown away at how fast it shifted. I don't know if it's humanly possible to manually shift as fast as that car did last night.

mhardy6647

Wait?! "Trannys"?! "Drag racing"!? -- what kind of forum is this, anyway?

(ahem)

pitdogg2

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Wait?! "Trannys"?! "Drag racing"!? -- what kind of forum is this, anyway?

(ahem)

The good kind daddio. Put your keys in the bowl.

tonyb

I dunno guys, John's around L.A., where do all the Hispanics get theirs ? Miami corner the market or what ? Hard to believe in Cali, classic car heaven, you can't find whitewalls.

heiney9

charley95 wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

That's one of the reasons I hate mid 70's up, all the emissions crap, lower horsepower. A 455 from earlier years, combined with those turbo 400 tranny's were screamers. The Olds 425's could lay rubber for a block. Sleepers....that put some stock Camaro's to shame.

I don't know if it's humanly possible to manually shift as fast as that car did last night.

It's not. That's why in most cases manu-matic tranny's are quicker than standard tranny's.

Dual clutch auto-manuals are very cool. Always was a stick guy, until my last 2 cars with dual clutch auto-manuals w/paddle shifters. Best of both world's (in the real world) and I don't really miss the 3rd pedal at all because the dual clutch auto (in this case DSG) is lightening fast when shifting, especially to pull off a fast pass. I can change gear faster than it takes to push in a clutch. Basically snap of the finger.

H9

nooshinjohn

Loaded up and ready to come home...

mhardy6647

nifty.

mhardy6647

speaking of NDSWRK -- check out this guy's tale of woe with a "pre-owned" 2002 Dodge.


http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/my-lemon.783769