New '99 Riviera

Hello All,

From '03 to '08 I owned a beautiful black/gray '98 Riviera. It was in near perfect shape when I sold it in Aug '08 for an '09 Ford Mustang Bullitt. I love my Mustang, but I missed the comfort and ride of the Riv, so I bought a '99 white/gray this weekend with 46,500 miles.

It is in near perfect shape: a barely noticeable one inch rub on the lower left rear bumper, several tiny paint dings on the door rub strips and some parking block rash on the front air dam. Mechanically, it is perfect. I took it to a Buick dealer for a pre-purchase inspection and the mechanic thought I pulled it off a museum floor! It was never driven in snow, rain or inclement weather. It was owned by a couple of Michigan snow birds.

It pulled annoyingly to the right, so I gave it a Road Force Balance this morning and now it tracks perfectly. I also switched it to Mobil 1.

There is one thing that needs either replacement or repair: the cup holder cover's paint/vinyl covering has bubbled and peeled. Does anyone have a line on where to find a replacement? Or have you tried SEM OEM interior paint?

I also want to modernize the radio, but keep it looking as period correct as possible. I'm not a big fan of touch screens in vehicles, as I like to keep my eyes on the road. But I also want iPhone connectivity. Does this option even exist?

Admins, thanks for maintaining this site and I look forward to contributing positively in the future.

Welcome back! Congratulations on an awesome find too.
I sanded my cup cover and repainted it. Looks butter silky smooth now.

Code:

Admins, thanks for maintaining this site and I look forward to contributing positively in the future.

AA's the fuggin' coolest!

Welcome!

Here's a thread where I detail replacing my head unit with a Pioneer BHT-8000, a very nice basic stereo with ipod control and bluetooth connectivity etc. It is still a very nice system:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t3812-help-me-pick-a-new-head-unit-and-speakers-please?highlight=head+unit

That said, there are newer systems out there today.

I'm with you, I do not like touch screens in car stereos.

I love touch screen displays.....hahah...sorry.

I could care less about touch screen receivers but I totally want a bluetooth enabled tablet mounted for my navigation and entertainment needs. Supplemented with an amp, of course.

deekster_caddy wrote:

Welcome!

Here's a thread where I detail replacing my head unit with a Pioneer BHT-8000, a very nice basic stereo with ipod control and bluetooth connectivity etc. It is still a very nice system:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t3812-help-me-pick-a-new-head-unit-and-speakers-please?highlight=head+unit

That said, there are newer systems out there today.

I'm with you, I do not like touch screens in car stereos.

Thanks for the tip on the Pioneer. That particular model I could only find used or refurbished. I'm checking into a bluetooth adaptor and speaker upgrades while maintaining the factory HU. Is there any way to add an amp to the factory set up? I am clueless when it comes to car audio.

makemann1 wrote:

deekster_caddy wrote:

Welcome!

Here's a thread where I detail replacing my head unit with a Pioneer BHT-8000, a very nice basic stereo with ipod control and bluetooth connectivity etc. It is still a very nice system:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t3812-help-me-pick-a-new-head-unit-and-speakers-please?highlight=head+unit

That said, there are newer systems out there today.

I'm with you, I do not like touch screens in car stereos.

Thanks for the tip on the Pioneer. That particular model I could only find used or refurbished. I'm checking into a bluetooth adaptor and speaker upgrades while maintaining the factory HU. Is there any way to add an amp to the factory set up? I am clueless when it comes to car audio.

I took a quick look, Crutchfield seems to ahve what you're looking for including the steering wheel controls adapter. http;//www.crutchfield.com - I bought from them in the past, they are almost never the flat out cheapest but always the **best** value because they give you all the clickety little bits you need to do the install right like wiring harness jumpers.

I've had my car for nearly two years and haven't done a thing to it until last night. I added a subtle brushed aluminum-look dash, covered the center console and wood with black leather and installed a Momo shift knob. I've always loved the way the early '60's interior looked and used it as a model.

Untitled by maxakemann, on Flickr



Inspiration:

Awesome Max.The LCD head unit looks great.

Hmm I'm kinda likin that look

looks awesome! howd you do the aluminum? Can we get some close ups on the leather wrap ?

Sweetness

Thanks! I ordered the brushed aluminum-look dash from carid.com. The leather is upholstery leather and applied using a spray adhesive. The toughest part was unbolting the faux wood trim from around the radio.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Here are some detail shots.

Untitled by maxakemann, on Flickr
Untitled by maxakemann, on Flickr
Untitled by maxakemann, on Flickr

Oh I didn't even realize that was something other than black paint. I wanna do that now. Let us know how it holds up

Nice Retro look!

I like it!!!

Max is that Alpine unit a nav. system too?...can u answer your phone by pushing the phone button?

stan wrote:

Max is that Alpine unit a nav. system too?...can u answer your phone by pushing the phone button?

Yes I can. It works great and sounds good on both ends of the call. Highly recommend it.

stan wrote:

Max is that Alpine unit a nav. system too?

It is not a nav unit. However, the iPhone Maps app or Google map app works through the unit. The music fades when verbal directions are given by Siri and I use the phone map.

It looks great! Nice work.

Gorgeous !!!
I think the Riv dash and the brushed aluminum is a match made in heaven

ghpcnm wrote:

Gorgeous !!!
I think the Riv dash and the brushed aluminum is a match made in heaven

Thanks! I used yours as inspiration. How's your real aluminum holding up?

makemann1 wrote:

ghpcnm wrote:

Gorgeous !!!
I think the Riv dash and the brushed aluminum is a match made in heaven

Thanks! I used yours as inspiration. How's your real aluminum holding up?

Sad to say, I no longer own the Riv. However, I see it quite frequently and the dash is holding up just fine. I miss that car

Great install Max, it looks beautiful, very retro with the supplied comparison pic and very clean.
Also noted your alternating rug sweeps, details details
Do you have show room pictures up? Love them white Rivs.

Rivit wrote:

Great install Max, it looks beautiful, very retro with the supplied comparison pic and very clean.
Also noted your alternating rug sweeps, details details
Do you have show room pictures up? Love them white Rivs.

Thanks Rivit. Glad you noticed the details.

I need to take the time for more photos of the exterior!

turtleman wrote:

Oh I didn't even realize that was something other than black paint. I wanna do that now. Let us know how it holds up

It's been over two years and the leather still looks and adheres like the day I installed it. Still loving the look.

makemann1 wrote:

turtleman wrote:

Oh I didn't even realize that was something other than black paint. I wanna do that now. Let us know how it holds up

It's been over two years and the leather still looks and adheres like the day I installed it. Still loving the look.

Thanks for the update! How hard was it to wrap the wood around the shifter? Does that piece come off?