Modern Hot Rodding Techniques and Classic ’60s Styling
By Brian Brennan – Photography By NotStock Photography
It’s the backstory. How many times have we all heard that? Oftentimes, the backstory gets us hooked on a particular hot rod, which is the case for this 1965 Buick Riviera. Butch Yamali of Long Island, New York, has a fascinating story about how his father had this Rivi and a 1959 Chevy Impala convertible parked in a New York garage when Hurricane Sandy hit, causing a staggering amount of damage that included these two cars.
Both cars were sent to Martin Bros. Customs in Johnson City, Texas, for a thorough overhaul. The staff in charge of this project includes Joe Martin, who, combined with shop manager Chad Glasshagel, handled the fabrication and assembly. Others include Zach Becken, who handled mechanical, wiring, and tuning; and Bryan Spencer, who was instrumental in painting, trimming, and assembly.
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As you can imagine, both cars suffered considerable damage, especially from the profuse amounts of water that inundated them. The 1965 Buick Riviera had its body separated from the chassis, and a new Fast Track IFS Roadster Shop chassis (10-gauge boxed frame rails featuring a center crossmember with 3-inch exhaust ports and drop-out trans mount) with a Strange Engineering Ford 9-inch rearend now positioned. In fact, the chassis is welded to the body, thereby eliminating the use of traditional body mounts.
The Fast Track chassis utilizes a C7 (Corvette) spindle and hub assembly, tubular control arms, power rack-and-pinion steering, SV 6-inch travel Fox coilover shocks front and rear, and a 1-1/4-inch mandrel-bent front sway bar using C6 Corvette endlinks. In the back, the RS Fast Link, parallel four-bar rear suspension positions a Strange 9-inch rearend housing filled with a Pro Iron center section with a Truetrac differential spinning the 3.70 gear and stainless steel 31-spline axles. Also at the corners are Baer Pro+ 14-inch two-piece slotted-and-drilled and zinc-plated rotors with six-piston 6P calipers. The brakes are engaged through the use of a Hydroboost with a Remaster Baer master cylinder pressed into employment through reworked factory pedal assembly. This brake combination requires the use of a minimum of an 18-inch wheel. Speaking of wheels, a set of Budnik Magnum in a titanium finish measuring 19×9 in front and 22×12 in back, all wrapped with Pirelli 245/35R19 and oh-so-massive rears at 325/35R22. It should be noted that the rear of the frame rails were narrowed to accommodate the 22×12 rear wheels.
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This exemplary suspension benefits from the use of a 525hp and 486 lb-ft LS3 (6.2L, 378 inches) that is highly detailed by the Martin Bros. Custom staff, allowing the 1965 Buick Riviera to be put through its paces, providing true performance driving and superior comfort. You will note the custom air cleaner (by Martin Bros.) and the use of Hooker LS headers with 3-inch tubes and an exhaust system that also features 3-inch stainless steel tubing, resonators, and a pair of stainless steel Borla mufflers. A Holley water pump and 100A alternator are also used, along with a Vintage Air electric fan, a Derale transmission cooler, a Powermaster starter, and an engine bay–mounted XS Power battery. The LS backs up to a GM overdrive 4L70E transmission with a 2,200 stall-speed converter that is run through the gears by a cable-operated Shiftworks shifter for Buick Rivieras that also looks factory.
The 1965 Buick Riviera is one of the most beautiful looking full size luxury cars ever produced in Detroit. As such, when hot-rodding one of these iconic cars, it is always best to go slow, and changes should be made with a great deal of forethought. In this case, it sure looks like Martin Bros. took their time and did it right. Something that seems to work on virtually all cars of this period is the ability to tuck the front and rear bumpers, and here the Rivi looks good after this mod. Martin Bros. also added the quarter-panel louvers and trim located just behind the doors (nice touch) and enlarged the rear wheel openings by stretching them 1-1/2 inches. It should be noted that custom wheeltubs were also made at Martin Bros. to handle the massive rear wheel-and-tire combo. From this point, we are looking at 1960s Detroit styling at its best. The body- and paintwork were beautifully handled by Vastine’s Paint Garage, where Brian Vastine applied the Dark Teal Toyota blue via the Standox paint system offered through Axalta Coating Systems. Hiding behind the clamshell headlight doors is the latest from Holley in their RetroBright LED lighting.
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However, to see some truly special “art,” take a look at the woodgrain effect used throughout the dash and center console area. Darren Wenzel of Gasoline Art harnessed his talents and applied the truly “rich” appearance of the wood grain effect, which adds to the elegance and beauty of the interior. The factory dashboard is now covered in black leather, setting off the Dakota Digital RTX gauges. At the same time, the center console houses the Shiftworks shifter and the Vintage Air controls for the Gen IV air conditioning. Innovative Rides supervised the leather stitchwork over the Wise Guys Seats & Accessories bucket seats in front (note the three-point belts) and the narrowed factory bench in the rear. Innovative Rides also handled the line-dot headliner and door panels, as well as German square-weave carpeting. But before the carpeting was laid down, a DEI sound and heat-deadening material were applied. Availing oneself to some cool tunes, owner Butch had a Retro Manufacturing with one of their retro sound head units installed along with Kicker speakers and amp. Bringing all the electrics together uses an American Autowire system wired by Becken from Martin Bros.
Butch’s 1965 Buick Riviera has truly kept the best of the ’60s styling and incorporated the best of modern rodding with its selection as a finalist for the Goodguys Custom Rod of the Year. We are very happy this is one hot rod that survived a hurricane. MR
Click on this issue’s cover to see the enhanced digital version of Hurricane Survivor & Award Winning Buick Riviera.
