rocketraider

That Graffiti coupe would look good anywhere <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> (especially in my driveway- wishful thinking <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />). Would you not agree that this car has a pedigree? And it was built WAY prior to the 25 year cutoff date. The argument was always about newly constructed cars without papers getting in... I remember Man-A-Fre for Toyota Land Cruiser stuff more than anything else. There were a bunch of those boxy things around here in the 70s, and seems like they all had Man-A-Fre induction.

They were a factory option in 1964-65 and require a special wheel. Three styles depending on car series and year. 1964- all exc Starfire and Jetstar I used a dished center w/ 3-point Rocket, no spinner. 1964 Starfire & J-I used a two-bar spinner w/ 3-point Rocket. 1965 all cars used a two-bar spinner w/ vertical Rocket. The bolt-on caps themselves were identical for all series both years. The center cap is the difference. They were discontinued for two reasons. 1) they were very heavy and difficult to balance and 2) people unfamiliar with how they were attached would damage them doing tire work. If you can find the special wheels, you can put the bolt-ons on any big Olds thru 1970 that uses 14" wheels.

Should be a galvanized metal finish. Use silver, or I think Eastwood www.eastwood.com has something that duplicates the galvanized finish.

www.fusick.com . They are an Olds supplier but as stated the convertible rear armrest courtesy lights are common to just about the entire GM lineup thru 1975.

Have you tried Restoration Specialties in Windber PA?

My 65 Service Guild set is incomplete- missing November and December. If you can send me a copy of the template and instructions from the Service Guild, much appreciated. You know, I have every Service Guild issue from 1959-83 except those two and the 1966 set, which I have been chasing for several years. The 70 was easier to find than the 66 has been .

The Skylark used a version of Dynaflow, and the F85 used a baby Roto-HydraMatic (Slim Jim). The baby Roto is no more troublesome than its grown up counterpart that was used in the full size Olds, it's just hard to find anyone now who knows anything about either and how to set them up properly. They're sensitive to fluid level and throttle valve rod adjustment. Get those two things right and it should work OK. Several companies convert later Turbo-HydraMatics for use with 64-earlier Olds V8s. Involves cutting the case down in the torque converter area so it will mate to the Rocket engine. I've heard it's expensive.

Anyone have any experience replacing a power window motor in a 66 B-body car? Car in question is a 66 Bonneville Brougham coupe. 66 Fisher manual wants to remove the entire regulator assembly from the door and replace the motor on the bench. Trouble is, this operation also requires removal of the window glass, and the window won't go down so we can get at the attaching bolts . Later FB manuals had templates that you could use to drill holes in the door structure at the motor mounting screws, remove the screws and replace the motor with regulator assembly in the car. Anyone tried that procedure on a 60s car? I've done it on a couple 70s cars and it works great. We are well aware we're dealing with a hazardous spring, and that's why I don't want to fool with the regulator if I can get around it.

Well, Wayne- I got a day off too, which in the powerplant binness is kinda odd. This was the first Christmas I'd had off in 8 years, and I think I've had 6 off out of the last 23. Good news is, I'm now set to be off the next seven ! Got a new Civil War print, a copy of "Oldsmobile- the First Seventy-Five Years" , a Hurst/Olds wall clock, and the same Hemmings calendar Brian got. Some socks and drawers too, but even at 46, getting those is just like getting 'em when you were a kid.

When you say "doesn't downshift" do you mean a part throttle downshift or doesn't shift to Low at idle? The switch you've found on the throttle links is the downshift and stator angle switch- if it's failed or out of adjustment you won't get part throttle downshift. Possible the stator angle switch has crapped too- if it does, and the stator remains in LOW angle off idle, the car will be very sluggish from a standing start. Out of adjustment causes it too. Also check the 9A "TRANS" fuse in the fuse block. If it won't downshift to Low at idle, Jetaways have a coast down timing valve inside that may be stuck, or the governor itself may not be working right. If you go 400, try to get a 65-67 engine. The 68-69 had a longer stroke that was good for torque but tended to throw rods thru the block if pushed to the limit- as most were .

Try Joe Ledford in Wendell NC. He's done several sets for me including a very rare Virginia Civil War Centennial plate. E-mail me privately and I'll give you his info as I don't like publishing someone's address or phone in a public forum.

I believe they could be ordered on any 2-door Regal. Around 1976, there was a special S/R package that included the Hurst/Hatch roof, console, heavy duty suspension, road wheels and white letter tires. Anyone else remember those?

All non-computer HEI exc 77-78 Toronado are compatible with 1964-90 Olds V8s. An HEI from a mid 70s 350 or 403 will work well in your 330 as they have a moderate advance curve. Factory 455 units have a rather lazy advance curve and 260s have too much for a street driven hi-compression 330, which is what you have. It's a simple install and sounds like you have enough mechanical background to drop it in and fire it up. Use a switched constant 12v power source- do NOT use the factory points distributor power wire as it is a resistance wire that drops voltage to 7-9 V at the coil + and an HEI will not function right. There should be a spare IGN terminal on the fuse block. Junkyard unit or parts store rebuilt is your choice. Another option is a Mallory Unilite conversion or a Pertronix Ignitor. I've got both and like both. The Pertronix can be a little slow starting sometimes- you can't just hop in and turn the key. I turn the switch on, count 5, and then it starts right up. Something about having to charge up the module, Pertronix addresses it in the installation instructions. A 200-4R will bolt right up to the 330 but may be a bit longer than the Jetaway, and the yoke splines are different- no problem for a good driveshaft shop. I doubt it would work with the switch-pitch converter. With the deeper 1st gear and OD, you probably wouldn't miss it. Get the TV cable and carb bracket from any 307 OD junker. A 200 OD will live for a while behind a 330. Best cores are from 85-87 442, GN and Monte Carlo SS. A buddy has one behind a 389/TriPower in a 64 GP and it works good. Oldsmobiles like Performer and Torker intakes and head work. Higher ratio rocker arms wake them up. They respond to headers but they're a lot of aggravation to install and keep sealed (not as bad as certain Mopars though). They don't like too much carburetion and run better slightly lean- an 850 is the upper end for a street 455. Split profile cams work well, with more exhaust duration.

May I assume that "kammbackspirit" refers to a Spirit of America Vega wagon? Cool piece if it does. E-bay is a good place to look for the service manuals. There are 3 1979 Olds Chassis Service Manuals and 2 1979 Fisher Body manuals on it this morning. Search "1979 Olds*", "79 Olds*" and "Fisher Body". Also found a 79 factory color chip brochure. There are plenty of literature vendors around who will also have these books. I'd pay about $40 tops for one in extra nice condition. Other factory issue sales and service lit are: the 901 New Product Information Manual that came out every year before the new cars were introduced; the Service Guild and Technical Bulletin binder (which are getting expensive- low-supply and high-demand item); the Color & Fabric and Product Selling Info binders (some years combined as simply "Sales Handbook") which have paint chips and fabric samples, and tech specs; and the showroom sales catalogs- Prestige, full-line, accessories, trailer packages- a few years there was even a flyer aimed at Realtors. We traveled thru Cape May on our way to the 2000 OCA National Meet in Parsippany. Came across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, up the Eastern Shore, rode the Lewes-Cape May ferry and all- thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It kept us off the Interstate and we got to see some country.

Happy "Holidays" to our Buick brethren from their Oldsmobile friends! (Somehow, "Happy Rivieras" just didn't work here ) May you all receive something for your old iron and remember why we celebrate these holidays.

Happy "Holidays" to everyone on the DF! Sorry, sometimes we Oldsmobile types can't resist this pun . May you all receive something for your aged iron, and may we all remember the reasons for the holiday season. It's not all about "gimme".

There's other sites that attract different types of Olds enthusiasts too, so we're out there, we're just scattered all over the Web. Like most DFs this one has its regulars and share of unregistereds. I'll take some of the blame for not getting word out about the site, but when the Olds Club website has a link to it and people still don't take advantage of it, well... all you can do is all you can do. I don't think the decision to do away with the marque has affected too many of the collector Olds crowd. Where they were hurting was new car sales. I never saw why GM got so damn bent out of shape about that either as Olds was performing along its traditional lines of building 400,000 cars a year. What did 'em in was those few years when they sold a million or more, and raised their own bar. Then GM expected that kind of sales peformance even when Corporate was literally giving them junk to sell- junk that didn't fit in the traditional Oldsmobile sales lineup. Junk like the J-car Omega. Junk like the underpowered early-80s full-size cars powered by corporate V6s. Junk that Corporate was bound and determined to amortize the cost of by spreading it from Chevy to Cadillac (very nearly destroying Caddy, and then in the late 80s money that should have gone to B-O-P went to Cadillac in a last ditch effort to save it). And junk like Saturn Division that after 14 years still has not made a profit, while Olds, which was making <span style="font-style: italic">some</span> money, got axed. I honestly think the bloodletting isn't over yet. I expect Buick or Pontiac to get the same thing in a few years, and for General Motors North America to eventually be Chevrolet, Cadillac and GM truck. Hey, you asked.

I'll assume that the Electra was equipped similarly to a Ninety Eight. If so, the convertible had 2-way (fore-and-aft adjustment only) power bench seat as standard equipment. The no-cost power bucket seat option would also have been 2-way. Optional equipment would have been either 4-way or 6-way power bench seat or 4-way power bucket. The Strato-Bench seat was first available in 1966 on the higher-line junior GM cars- Caprice, Bonneville Brougham/Grand Prix, Toronado/Starfire/98, Electra/Riviera/Wildcat. Cadillac did not use it to my knowledge and it is not mentioned for Cadillac in the 66 Fisher Body manual. To convert a 2-way seat or non-power seat to 4 or 6-way you will need the seat motor, transmission, drive cables and tracks from a 4 or 6-way seat. Since Electra and Ninety Eight usually had the power seat controls on the armrest, you will also need the switch and associated wiring.

Wishing all of you on the DF a Rocketing good holiday and a prosperous New Year!

1964 full size Olds deluxe wheel. Somebody had an NOS red one on ebay awhile back. Nice piece and should make an interesting piece in your rod. I'm tired of billet and LeCarra wheels. Everybody uses those. This shows imagination and originality, which definitely increase the cool factor by several hundred percent !

I'm beginning to think current gasoline formulations are causing this problem because I hear a lot of people complaining about it. Every so often my Toronado and Regency will pull this flaky stunt and the needle will disappear completely into the dash for several minutes before reappearing. Check the ground wire connection at the gas tank to make sure it's clean and tight, and all associated wiring for breaks or grounds. If the gage and wiring test good, it has to be the fuel tank sending unit. Good news is that they can be rebuilt and several companies offer this service.

Welcome aboard. I know of a couple guys who have made bitchin street machines out of late 70s 88s. One of them will possibly be at the 2003 Nationals in Cincinnati this July. We'll help as we can here.

Other than being a little expensive, Kanter is a very reputable supplier to the old car hobby. I recommend taking the engine apart and checking all tolerances before ordering the engine kit. That way you're sure to get the correct parts for a quality rebuild. The engines were painted on the engine assembly line with everything installed except the chrome valve covers and the accesssory brackets. The correct color red paint is available from Fusick Automotive www.fusick.com and they are one of the oldest and best known Oldsmobile parts suppliers. If you have painted valve covers instead of chrome those and the aircleaner are painted silver. You can find rebuilt rocker arm shafts. I think Kanter has them. Good luck with your engine, Pertti! *** Just thought of something- if this is an original export market car, it probably has a low-compression (9.0:1 compression ratio) engine which would be painted light green. What color is the engine now?

Very "timely" post anonymous! The 1975 dash speakers are 3-1/2 round. www.crutchfield.com will show you a nice assortment of quality replacements. Be careful prying the grilles up. Those dash covers are bad for cracking. Two ribbed studs hold them in and the speakers can be removed from the top. Simply pull them and the wiring up thru the opening and unplug them from the radio harness, then solder the wires from the old speakers to the new ones. Reconnect to the radio wiring, screw them down, replace the grilles and let it rock. If you have a Tempmatic car you'll need to work with the aspirator tube that is attached to the RH speaker grille. It can be a little tricky to get back in just right, but nothing impossible.

Can't blame you. My hobby cars will probably remain GM though there's a few 60s Ford/Chrysler that interest me, but a new car would be a Chrysler or Ford. Don't have much confidence in General Motors management. They've got their heads so far up their arses they'll never see daylight again.