What tool(s) do I need to change a gas filter on a '65 Buick Riv GS? and are there any good repair manuals available for the '65 GS and Electra 225’s?
A flare nut wrench should be used to remove the fuel line from the fuel filter housing. But a regular wrench of the proper size will work if you’re careful and don’t round off the fitting.
Once the fuel line is removed, a Crescent wrench can be used on the hex of the filter housing to remove it from the carburator.
Tester
I don’t know if the fuel filter is even as complicated as the one Tester describes. It’s probably just one with a couple of barb fittings and a some hose-clamps holding it on. You’ll need a screwdriver or a pair of pliars, depending on what kind of hose clamps.
The only manual relevent to your particular models would be the 1965 Buick Motor Division shop manual. You probably won’t find a paper copy of it anywhere, but there’s companies on Ebay and elsewhere that sell them on CD-Rom. But if you’re not doing hardcore restoration, really there’s nothing you need a specific manual for. An old vocational tech textbook would actually be the best thing for you to learn how to work on this thing. When I bought my 64 LeSabre, I bought a CD-rom of the 64 BMD manual, which is really interesting and can be helpful for some things, but the main book I used to actually tell me how to do things and how stuff worked was a 1971 edition of the Audel Automobile Guide I got for 5 bucks at an antique book store.
ALL V-8 powered cars GM made during that era have tiny filters inside the carburetor inlet as Tester described. By all means, use a tubing wrench and hold the larger gland nut to prevent it from turning while you break loose the fuel line fitting. The filter has a spring behind it, so remove the gland nut carefully. They strip easily, be careful…