1964 Riviera nailhead question

[malaguena]

I found a 64 Riv for sale, but its a trashed ex lowrider. The nailhead is stuck, the inside of the four barrel is black, theres no air cleaner and it has the dynaflow automatic, which ive been told is garbage. I was thinking of buying it just for the motor and trans for my T bucket and then selling the Riv. How hard is it to get these motors unstuck and how expensive are they to rebuild?

[repoguy]

I can tell you that if it's a 64, and it's got the original motor, it has an st400 tranny and not a dynaflow (which is good for you).

Couldn't tell you much about the rebuild since mine ran good when I got it.

[kustombuilder]

not real cheap to rebuild but worth it. in 64 it SHOULD be a 425ci BUT i have owned 2 64s with the original motors and they both coded out to be 65 401s!?!?! possibly they were made towards the end of the 64 run and got 65 motors in them.

true it should be an ST400 which is a good trans. the Dynaflows were not as bad a trans as most folks think, they just function a little differently than what we are all used to. you never feel them shift. i've talked to many an old timer who raced, drove and swore by the Dynaflow.


as far as getting it unstuck, thats hard to say without actually trying it. there are alot of methods for getting one unstuck. Coke in the cylinders and let it sit a couple weeks, dip it in a tank of mollassas for a couple weeks etc etc... use the search function to find countless methods for unsticking a stuck motor...


NAILHEADS ROCK!!!

[FKNPOZER]

depends on when in 1964 it was built.
remember,these are grt motors(I love em) but they are not cheap to build.trannys the same,

[malaguena]

Ive seen adaptors for putting nailheads to th350's and th400's, would this be better than rebuilding the stock st400?

[kustombuilder]

[ QUOTE ]
Ive seen adaptors for putting nailheads to th350's and th400's, would this be better than rebuilding the stock st400?

[/ QUOTE ]


depends on what you want to do with it i guess. the st400 trans in it is a damn good trans but i guess if you HAD to rebuild the st400 it MIGHT be cheaper to go with the adapter and a good working th350 or th400.

i don't think it was till 65 but some ST400s had a "switch pitch" torque converter which is real sought after and even better yet than the standard st400. there are a couple wires coming out of the trans and that is how you can tell.

[RockyMtnPits]

I have a 65 425 LX (factory dual 4 barrel) WITH st-400.. 36k original miles for sale..
$2500 for the pair.
ps. This setup is in Billings, Montana.

[1oldtimer]

in '64 there was the 401 and 425. the trans was a st400 that was changed to a sp400 in 1965. the sp 400 was the trans to have. as far as rebuilding the nailhead they aren't cheap. some of the time when they are frozen they need to be sleeved, i've heard they aren't good for more then a 40 over bore. if i had to guess at a price range for a engine rebuild only it would be $2500-$4500 depending on parts.

[kustombuilder]

according to my research it was 425 only in 64 then 425 or 401 in 65. i could be wrong.

[1oldtimer]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a 65 425 LX (factory dual 4 barrel) WITH st-400.. 36k original miles for sale..
$2500 for the pair.
ps. This setup is in Billings, Montana.

[/ QUOTE ]

it should have the SP400 trans in '65. look for the 2 spade connector on the side.
2 spade = switch pitch 400 (sp400)
1 spade = super turbine 400 (st400)

still a good price if you have the factory air cleaner and finned valve covers.

[repoguy]

Well, the st400 is almost the same as a th400 (it's the early version). It's a very tough tranny and might be OK as is.

Those adapters are pretty expensive from what I understand.

The st400 in my Riv would chirp the tires when I hit 3rd gear! (It was a little bit modified http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ).

[Fraz]

The motor should be a 425. Buy it. They're not that hard to unstick, just like any other motor. Tear into it and fix the SOB. Parts can get pricy due to the fact that it's a nailhead, but don't let that scare you.

The 64 trans is a one year deal and it can be expensive to fix. Something about the front pump and valve body. I have a 65 Rivi ST400 I bought, and except for the switch pitch, which was available on other models, it's internally identical to any other TH400 up till they quit making them.

[zman]

I'm in the middle of my 425 rebuild right now, trying to have it done for the HAMB Drags. Doing all assembly myself it looks like it's gonna be about $1400 all said and done. But I didn't need to bore it. You can get pistons for $300-$350 and add another $160 for boring. But it's not to bad, I've spent the same amount on other motors. Rods and Cranks are forged, no need to upgrade at all.

As for the tranny stick with either the ST400 or SP400. If it's a 1st year ST it's a bit more but you can find a 65 or 66 and use any TH400 as a donor. Someone on here had an empty case for sale, maybe you can search the classifieds.

[zman]

And as for unsticking, just a suggestion but be patient. Soak the thing for a week and work it loose. You can unstick them without damaging the cylinder you just have to be patient and work it.