rocketraider

I've been getting mine at a local farm co-op, and I've noticed slightly better mileage using it compared to other NE gas in the area. Stands to reason that a farmer co-op would have a blend that would give a farmer better fuel economy. They also have 50 cetane Diesel which I'm going to try in the Massey-Ferguson 135 tractor next time it needs fuel. The higher cetane supposedly gives quicker starts and better fuel economy. Pump gas here is about to drop under $2/gallon, and it's tough justifying 75c more per gallon for the co-op gas, but then I think how easy the old station wagon starts with it, and no evaporative fuel smell, and right at 15 mpg when it barely gets 13 on the crap at the pumps... What's really a pisser is that ALL gasoline is ethanol-free until it goes into the tanker truck. Ethanol gas isn't stable enough to store in tank farms, so they add the crap to the tankers just before they hit the road and hope the vibration on the trip will mix it thoroughly. Then they charge us a premium for non-ethanol gasoline. Just goes to show you what a government subsidy can do for a product.

Picked up some 60s United Delco Service Parts catalogs at Spring Carlisle and digging thru them found that, by 1965, GM Service Parts was offering kits to update 1953-62 12v GM cars from generators to Delcotron alternators. Whole shebang- 42 or 55 amp Delcotron, pulleys, mounting brackets, regulator and wiring adapter harnesses, all with GM part numbers. What is AACA's take on this update should a car show up with a documented one? It gets even hairier in that GMSPD also offered these kits for Ford, Chrysler (why, when Chrysler already had alternators, IDK) and independents. I can imagine the havoc they created in parts houses back in the day... "That car didn't come with an alternator".

No Hurst/Olds in 1986. They were built in 83 and 84. Possibly you have a 1985-87 442, or maybe a 1986 Cutlass Supreme with a Hurst Aero trim package?

Fusick www.fusick.com has both style clips. DK where you might find the wheels.

Not an expert on this, but I will hazard a guess that 57-60 and 62-63 FULLSIZE OLDSMOBILE wheels will work as those are all 14" and 5x5 bolt circle, and all used the same wheelcover clips. 61 is a beast unto itself.

I have yet to go digital on my own test equipment and actually hated the stuff I had to use at work. Been using a late-70s Radio Shack multimeter since the late 70s and it works well for my use. My experience even w high-end digital is that they are very sensitive to stray voltage and static,and I had knuckleheads at work who would refuse to accept lockout paperwork if the digimeter showed anything other than zero voltage. Their way of delaying a job and charging more hours to the work... One of my swap meet prizes is a 1950s RCA "Voltohmyst" meter. Picked up for the grand sum of ten bucks and it functions as designed. Its original manual came with it, Beautiful piece of vintage electronic equipment. Victorialynn, PM me if you want to sell that gizmus. I'll pay a fair price, but as pointed out, not much market for stuff like this.

Was that the Rickenbacker speedster featured in new JWO? Astonishing car to say the least, especially its backstory.

Brandon, check with these guys in Oldsmobile Club of America. MISSOURI:Archway Olds ClubGene Bossaller4062 Marseille Dr.St. Louis, MO 63129-3426(314) 346-2109grbossaller@sbcglobal.net

Last weekend on way home from Halifax County Heritage and Antique Machinery Show, I saw a 1941 Caddy pulling into a gas station. Had to turn around and go check it out! The owners were on a tour and headed home from Martinsville to Norfolk. Guy seemed surprised I had pegged it as a 41. There was a lot of neat stuff at that show. 30-some Model A's from three different clubs, a bunch of hit and miss engines including one IH that was powering a whole machine shop mounted on a trailer, a bunch of serious business vintage chainsaws, and even a cider press that was making cider!

Shouldn't need to change it but you do need to check it after installation. I have seen a Pertronix allow a little more initial timing but you'll have to experiment with what the engine likes, and with current fuel blends that are designed for fuel-injected engines, that may be tough.

That's the correct one for all 1966 Olds non-California V8 cars. The aftermarkets probably have holes or slots under the bottom side for breathing. Might know someone interested in it if you want to sell.

Tom, like many in AACA, is a class act. When I was fuming and fretting over the mess my local Virginia House representative was making of the Commonwealth's old car-friendly antique plate laws, Tom was in Richmond trying to smooth things over and get that career political hack to see our side of the issue. And anytime a young'un takes an interest in vinyl, it's good! Especially the Monkees first 1966 LP! Read in this morning's paper that Peter Tork is 75 today.

Anyone seen the "Detroit Steel" episode where they did a 1956 Olds 88? Except for the air suspension and wheels that was a real nice restoration job on that car. They even salvaged the original 324 Rocket engine rather than stuffing the ubiquitous GM LS in it. And the best part? NO ARTIFICIALLY RUSHED DEADLINES and NO MANUFACTURED DRAMA! The show may change later, but this is the kind of car rebuild show I can enjoy. And I'd have enjoyed it even if it hadn't been an Olds they were doing. And it's made me think I ought to have a 56 Olds in the yard. I was born in 56, the 56 Olds is just a sexy-beast car any way you look at it, ad nauseam... I'm trying to talk meself out of doing something foolish!

My 02 GM has been a great car, though ii did cost me both cats at about 80k. That traced back to a coil pack failure that beat up the cat elements and set a check engine. Other than that an excellent and comfortable road hog, that with its Panther body and blackwall tires makes for a lot of fun. A teenager in a Toyota SUV passed me one night about 11 and I fell in behind him and paced him for over 2 miles. Kid slowed to 45mph speed limit and never once exceeded it. He finally took an exit to get away. And I chuckled to meself!

Reinforces my commitment to NEVER, EVER live anywhere gets snow like that!

The Royale Crown Landau is a different beast and most don't know what it really is. Most people see only a big 70s Oldsmobile. The RCL was for all practical purposes the 1976 Hurst/Oldsmobile. It was the only car Hurst/ Demmer converted for Olds that year, and even then got only blinded quarter windows (great improvement on styling IMHO), the padded roof and tiara band, and those fugly color-keyed full wheel covers (not a styling improvement on ANY car, again IMHO). They also got some cheesy aftermarket outline mouldings for the vinyl roof that no one seems to know where they were sourced. There were also only a few specific color combinations, that had to work with white, black, and burgundy vinyl roofs. I think a few late production conversions may have gotten tan or blue vinyl. And as usual the RCL stuff I have is packed up and not easily gotten to. If it's a real nice example add about $1000 over what a comparable 76 Delta Royale coupe would sell for. Even then it's what the guys at Collectible Automobile like to call "cheap wheels". A nice entry level collector car that just happens to have a little razzmatazz going for it. Put it this way. RCL are uncommon enough that I have never seen one at an Olds Club National meet.

Figured they had to be a set for a sales award. Great info on these. My latest award find is a GM Truck Sales Award from early 60s- it is a Jefferson Golden Hour electric clock mounted on a walnut base with a 1960 ElCamino scale model and a table lighter. Fortunately my clock guy says he can still get the motors for these clocks so I may soon have another running clock in the collection, along with a real nice sales award.

I hadn't considered it would have to be trimmed to fit around the Starfire upper body trim. Anyway, glad you found it, looks good and will give you some protection from gas nozzles. Now if we could just protect our cars from this stuff that flows THRU the gas nozzles...

With all the ruckus this week in Charlotte area, wondering if y'all think it's safe to go to AutoFair? The Speedway is a good ways from downtown but there's been some mess on the outskirts, and my employer (headquartered in Charlotte) has told all non-essential downtown employees to stay home today. A work friend went down Tuesday on business and they have not left their hotel since yesterday. First time in several years I've had time off to go, and between rain and craziness I expect I'll stay home.

Is that a collection of Galle glass? I have my "other junk" insured with same company that writes the old cars' insurance policy. I probably need to update it a little since I've acquired some more "other junk"...

As you've discovered an early-60s Olds rear bumper is a tough find, and 63 and 64 seem to be the worst. NOS and even good unrusted used are pretty much nonexistent. They were tough to find 30 years ago, and like you, everybody who owns one is looking a rear bumper. The mounting bracket with its teeny drain hole was a bad design, but Olds had this thing about hidden fasteners and smooth lines and they didn't think any of these cars would be around 50-some years down the road. A good plater should be able to repair your bumper where it's rusted out around the mounting brackets, or you might find a good metal fabricator to make the repair before sending it out for chrome.

Coincidentally just watched parts of "My Girl 2" last weekend and noted the "Budapest Auto Repair" Rampside. Cool to know it's in the hands of a Forum member and real interesting on 58Mustang's (yeah some of us have been here THAT long...) connection to it. I admit to watching movies to find old cars in them. I'll also sit and watch cheesy 70s TV shows for the same reason. And I LOVE to find old "Bewitched", "My 3 Sons" and "Hazel" reruns just to see the gorgeous then-new cars the cast drove.

Prior to 1965, each GM Division included the body manual in the chassis manual. The info should be in 1963 Buick shop book (or Riviera supplement if there is such a thing), as Buick had bucket seats starting 1958 or 59. Do you hear a "click" or motor running when you move the switch to FWD or REV? If you do the solenoids are working and the problem is in the power seat transmission or drive cables. The transmission has what are called dog gears that engage with solenoids and allow the motor to connect to the drive cables. If no "click" in FWD-REV, bad solenoid or possibly bad switch. Some GM power bucket seats have a drive belt (like a vacuum cleaner belt) from the motor to seat transmission but if UP-DN is working it won't be that. The great thing is that GM used the same power seat motor/transmissions from 1962 thru the 80s so finding a working one shouldn't be hard. The wiring plugs will be the only difference as they changed from decade to decade.

In those years, the steering shaft was part of the steering box and the shaft went from box to steering wheel- unlike later cars with a rag joint. The whole mess has to come out from the bottom. I can't help you on column interchange but I would think there shouldn't be that much difference in them up thru about 1955.

Howard, I tend to hang on to stuff when I find it and netsuke are, shall we say, unusual to find in this part of the world. But I have a couple of auctioneer and antique mall owner friends who keep an eye out for me. If I weren't such a Luddite about posting pictures, I have some neat stuff folks would probably enjoy seeing. Friend was ragging me several years back and said lord help whoever has to settle your estate. I said you want the job? I got a quick hell no. Running joke at work was whose estate sale was going to take longest, mine or one of the instrument techs- and his stuff made mine look like a one-room country store. One of the kids (a collector in his own right) said made no difference as long as they weren't the same day and his bank account had time to recover between them. My instrument tech friend was taken out by pancreatic cancer in June, so his stuff may be coming up for sale. Don't know when, because his widow is totally overwhelmed by it all- she had no idea how extensive Jack's stuff was, and the man was interested in everything. She's had several of us over there to help her go thru what he had. I knew the guy 35 years and had no idea he had so much stuff.