Hideaway Headlights WORKING on the 1965 Buick Riviera after 20 Years!

The 1965 Buick Riviera has some of the coolest hideaway headlights ever made and these have never worked for as long as we’ve owned the car. It’s time to get these working again and I’m using a linear actuator conversion from Dickster’s Smar “T” Pants. It turns out there were a handful of missing parts that I chose to make as opposed to looking for overpriced original pieces.
Here’s a link to the headlight conversion I used on this car: dicksterssmartpants.com/store...
In starting to make these work I had to take stock of what was there and what I needed to find or make. Turns out, the clips that hold the ball to the socket were missing and I made my own out of a set of clips from an old gas strut. Next was getting the mechanism freed up so that it could work. I used some liquid wrench penetrating oil to get these moving.
The next missing part was the sockets up at the motor itself. These have been missing for who knows how long. I sourced some new sockets from an industrial parts catalog and made some pieces that would get welded to them. Using those strips, I drilled a hole in the middle to allow for adjustment similar to the factory style. Once welded together, they fit nicely over the linear actuator conversion as well as the original unit.
With the mechanism now connected, the next part was getting things wired up. Luckily, I found everything I needed under hood in the same location as the original headlight motor relay. The light blue wire gave me the signal I needed, power and ground were available right there too. I didn’t need to really cut up any of the factory wiring to do this install and it can easily be put back to completely original should the need ever arise.
Here’s some links to stuff I like to use! These are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
PWRCORE 12 Brushless 12V Drill Driver & Impact Driver- imp.i284638.net/EarjvD
PWRCORE 12 Brushless 12V 3/8'' Impact Wrench Kit - imp.i284638.net/qn54Aq
PWRCORE 12 12V Mechanical Light Bare Tool - imp.i284638.net/a1vn5q
Kimo Electric Ratchet - amzn.to/3XQLpYO
WavWatch - Use Code ERIC100 for $100 off at checkout - www.wavwatch.com
Topdon Jump Pack - Use code SNOW10 for 10% off at checkout through my link - topdonusa.com/collections/pow...
Want to start a KZbin Channel? Go here! vidiq.com/EricSnow
Please check out my partners and affiliates!
These are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Racesponsorshipscourse.net- use code ERICSNOW10 for 10% off the Race Sponsorship Bootcamp
WavWatch.com - Use Code ERIC100 for $100 off of Frequency Therapy to better your life!
Sweetbathandbody.com - fine artisan soaps including the amazing Scrubbie Bar for greasy working hands
Topdon Jump Packs - Great easy to use tools to keep you up and running! topdonusa.com/collections/pow...
Greezyz Gurage - Liquid Pumice soap and skin care products greezyzgurage.com/collections... Family Racing
Division 7 Real Estate - www.division7realestate.com - your northern Utah real estate connection
Master Muffler of Clearfield, Utah - m. profile.php?id... use code Snow Racing for 10% off your service
ContingencyConnection.com - supporting grassroots motorsports
RMSTATOR.com - ATV, SXS, Motorcycle and Snowmobile Electronics
Velocity Racing Carbs - / velocity-racing-carbs-... amazing Carburetors built for your needs

[@bradhoward9055]

Nicely done! The coolest headlights of any production car ever.

[@SnowFamilyRacing]

This is true! There are none cooler than these!

[@MrZubor]

Eric.. thank you for all your efforts in this amazing project!

[@nathanwright8598]

Very nice. I feel lucky my ‘67 flip down vacuum system still works.

[@SnowFamilyRacing]

That's awesome! Some seem to hold up, and others die early.

[@MrZubor]

The ball and socket are from ZORO Industrial catalog. 10 mm ball and socket. This fits the 3/8 inch ball with only 0.020 inch if slop... works great!

[@danopolis]

The headlights were the first fix I did on my 65 as well. The have to work. Killer :D Luckily, all the mechanical parts were still there. The only thing I had to do was to ship the original clamshell motor to a ROA guy for the rebuild.

[@SnowFamilyRacing]

I made the car run and drive first, these have been on my to do list for quite some time. I'm glad they are working now! Now it's time to fine tune these and make them work well!

[@MrZubor]

This is AWESOME! Those are very cool headlights!

[@MrZubor]

1965 Riviera TShirt is available below.. if you love it..wear it!

[@larry6795]

Thank you

[@jorgehidalgo9480]

Good job sir! I have a 65 too missing the headlight motor, this looks like a great solution with some elbow grease.

[@SnowFamilyRacing]

This one needed some attention that some won't need with the missing sockets. The good news is that they're not hard to fabricate.

[@MrZubor]

Linear Actuator Costs about $600 but I think i5 is more durable and reliable than the original motor

[@MrZubor]

The "clip" is from a gas lift strut from a rear trunk opener

[@arturopalominos]

Where are you located? If in California, I need your help. Thanks, -Art

[@SnowFamilyRacing]

I'm in Utah currently.