rocketraider

Re SSIV- Olds adapted the design from a late 60s Motor Wheel Company design that for whatever reason, never took off. The MWC wheel had the vented 8-slot polyurethane face bonded to a steel wheel and the entire center cone was also polyurethane. The MWC wheel used a small round red center cap much like mid 70s Ford sport wheels used. Olds used a diecast chrome center cone with Rocket, that bolted onto the wheel from the back side. I have a pic of the MWC wheel in an old Popular Mechanics somewhere, and have seen a pair in Ford/Mopar bolt pattern at Spring Carlisle several years ago. These wheels are heavy, which probably had something to do with why they weren't popular when introduced by MWC. Heavy or not, they sure did make a difference on my Regency. Not "year-correct", but they look like something Oldsmobile's flagship should wear and lightened the appearance of that monster car considerably. Kinda like the difference in a pair of brogans and a pair of dancing shoes!

I also remember seeing that ad in Hemmings and thinking it was crazy. That was until I found out how hard it is to find those wheels. I found two nice sets of 65s at Spring Charlotte this year- without wheels. Both vendors said "They gotta have special wheels? Wish I'd known that in the junkyard." I remember my surprise when trying to put the first set of CS caps I bought on my blue 64. Whatever I tried, the caps set out from the rim about 2". I had the idea that I could bolt them onto the existing lugnuts. <span style="font-weight: bold">WRONG!!</span> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/mad.gif" alt="" />

Both "Anonymouses"- Watch it. I do not intend for this forum to go the way of the AACA or CCCA forums with anonymous insults and pissing matches. Oldsmobile people are more civilised than that. Glenn Williamson RR (moderator)

A beautiful set of 1965 Custom Sport Wheel Disc caps, centers and wheels went for about $300 on e-bay a month or so ago. I find the caps and centers often at swap meets, and own about a dozen myself, but they are no good without the special wheels. My research shows they were used only on Oldsmobiles with no interchange between Cad and Buick. The wheels and the bolt-on sections are identical for 1964 and 1965 (the only two years they were offered). I believe Scott mentioned one reason why in another thread- too many were being ruined by tire shops and service stations who didn't know they were bolted to the steel wheel and tried to pry them off which resulted in breaking a chunk out of the edge. They also gained a reputation for being hard to balance, but I think that was due mostly to the balance clips on the inner edge would fall off. A good tire man with an on-car balancer didn't have any trouble. Modern computerised balancing equipment would be even easier. There are three different center caps depending on year and carline. 1964 Starfires and Jetstar Is used a 2-bar spinner with the three-pointed Rocket lucite emblem as used 1962-64. 1964 88s and Ninety Eights including the 98 Custom Sport Coupe used a dished center with a larger version of the 3-point Rocket center. All 1965 cars used a 2-bar spinner cap with the 1965-later version of the Rocket. Now if you really want to see how these things can accent an Oldsmobile's appearance, you need to see a 1964 Ninety Eight Holiday Sedan with them. Just curious- have you ever seen the 1971-72 Super Stock IV Polycast wheels, or the 1977-79 PO5 chrome wheel option? Both really set off a 1970s big Olds. My own thought is that Oldsmobile's bottom line wheel treatments were almost always very plain if not downright homely, but the higher line wheelcovers were usually quite striking.

Buick- a fine and proud Scots surname, variantly spelled Buie. The first Buicks were built in America by David Dunbar Buick, expatriate Scotsman. Rocketraider Not only into Oldsmobiles, but also Celtic Rage

Steve, this is sad commentary on the current state of American business. I wish you luck in whatever else you try to do. Most all the dealers around here were dualled, usually with Cadillac. None have closed up shop, but there's noticeably less activity around them these days without Oldsmobile in the sales mix.

Oldsmobile engines were held in very high regard among their peers at GM because they met emissions and fuel economy standards the best of all of them. Buick and Pontiac contracted with Olds to supply engines for certain carlines, and Olds suddenly found itself with more engines promised to B-P than they had production capacity. So- they held up their end of the deal and delivered their contracted engines. Then they bought Pontiac 400s for some 1975 Delta 88s, Busixes and Buick 350s for Omegas, and Chevy 350s for their 1977-78 Delta 88s. Chevy had way more engine building capacity than they were using and the 350 was already emissions certified for the B-body car so they didn't have to worry about that. And the rest, as they say, is history... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Well- what were the odds she had ever seen a swimming car ?! Stories like this are great, and are all the more reason we should keep our old iron out where people can see and learn about them.

All the ones I know of are earlier than 1980. It's possible that by now someone like Performance Years or Ames has accumulated some 1980s NOS in their dealer buyouts. Even though the car is 20+ years old, you might try a Pontiac dealer to see what they can still get.

Oldsmaniac- where did you find this swaging tool? Would any refrigeration supply company have it?

Any early 60s GM boat has high cool factor, esp a hardtop. True, not as desirable as a Starfire, but not as pricey to restore either without all that exclusive trim and leather. I'm not following you too well on this carb and aircleaner thing. Oldsmobile, unlike Buick/Pontiac/Chevy, used Rochester carburetion exclusively. A SkyRocket would have had a 4GC with a top center front fuel inlet and a steel fuel line from pump to carb. 1963 uses a glass bowl fuel filter mounted on the fuel pump itself. Has someone maybe put a 1962-earlier style fuel filter on, where the fuel filter bowl and return line is right up at the carb? Is it possible it has a 66-later baseplate for a QuadraJet equipped car where the carb opening is bigger? To my knowledge all 4GC from 1952-65 are the same size. If this car will be done by next summer, may I suggest a trip to the 2003 Oldsmobile National Meet in Cincinnati?

Check condition of the rubber fuel lines at the tank end. If either the fuel return or canister vent line are bad, you'll get fuel odor at standstill that will dissipate when moving. Also- here's a long shot but I've seen it happen. The power brake vacuum source hose has a filter in it between engine and brake booster (round black plastic device mounted vertically in the line). It was originally installed in the mid-70s cars to eliminate a problem they were having with gasoline fumes getting from the intake manifold into the brake booster, where they condensed back into liquid gasoline and rotted the brake booster diaphrams with resulting loss of power brakes. That filter may have gone bad.

Your best bet may be to find another manifold with a good tube. Olds (and all of GM) had a peculiar habit of using a lot of odd-sized stuff. The 9/32 hex interior screws are the ones that drive me nuts... You've seen how the thing is made- a straight tube with a pressed-in 90 degree elbow at the bottom to prevent water from being sucked into the tube. The carburetor end of the tube connects to the carb with another short piece of curved tubing that is a slip fit into the manifold choke tube and has a flare nut to connect it to the carb choke housing. It's possible that you could use the 5/16 tubing and then figure a way to expand it at the manifold openings to get a tight seal. You could use a flaring tool to make a lip at the carb end, then peen it into the manifold, and then do the same at the air intake end. Just in case you're lucky enough to find one NOS, here's the part #s for the 394 choke heat tubes. 580765- choke heater tube, 61-64 except F85, J88 576409- choke heater tube elbow, 59-64 exc F85, J88 575499- tube, carb to manifold, 59-64 4 barrel carb except Pos Vent, F85 or J88 585656- tube, carb to manifold, 62-64 2 barrel carb exc F85, J88 Good luck!

Well- the factory wasn't immune from goofs, and the wrong decal could have been put on the glovebox door. I think it's a case of the same decal covers all the 88/Ninety Eight models. Was this originally an Australian spec export car? If it was converted to RHD, an 88 glovebox door could possibly have been installed during the conversion. If the car has Ninety Eight scripts, fender skirts, and tall vertical taillights, it is a Ninety Eight.

A dab of black weatherstrip adhesive should work here.

www.eastwood.com . They have a complete line of buffing supplies including something exactly like what you're looking for.

Good point, Tom- I know that will happen in an A or X body car, but there may be enough room in a big car that it won't. Linas- maybe your best bet is to sacrifice a little power and use small block manifolds.

Last I heard, com, org or net would access the site, but that may have changed. To say that I am a little displeased with the site is being nice. Nothing ever gets updated- there's articles on there from 1999 and I know there's been stuff in JWO worthy of posting on the website since then. I brought this up as a Director, and as usual was told by our immediate past president that I needed to shut up lest I offend someone who had worked hard and donated a lot of time for the club. To wit, one of his cronies. The best thing that ever happened to the Oldsmobile Club of America was when he elected to not run again. He never worried about offending board members or general membership, and did so frequently. I have a stack of correspondence about that, not to mention personal experience. The ASE Zone director position was the only one he directly addressed before he left office, saying in JWO that he was saddened that the incumbent (whom he appointed) was not re-elected and given a chance to really bring the ASE Zone to the top. That's where it <span style="font-weight: bold">was</span> during my term of office, and the reason the guy didn't get re-elected was because he never did anything. Never sent out any correspondence, never attended any chapter shows or meetings- not even the chapter that was based in his home city. Didn't even send the nine Chapters the new Zone Show guidelines and requirements, and as a result the 2002 Zone Meet host chapter got the rug pulled out from under them when they sent the show info to JWO for publication. It's sad when you bust your ass for a group for ten years and then one person can make you say the hell with it all <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/frown.gif" alt="" /> .

GM styling is going evermore bizarre in their effort to attract young buyers. Unfortunately they're turning off everyone who ever had any sense of style at all. I'm not keen (pun intended) on razor-edge styling. I like curves and crisp reveals in proper proportion. To me, current GM styling-think reflects Nissan's atrocious mid 70s designs. Anyone remember the B210 and the F10? There's elements of that styling in the Aztek and the Avalanche. My 80 year old mother has always had taste, and her comment on modern cars is "cars used to be stylish- now they all look like insects". She often recounts a tale of when she and her first cousin saw their first 1957 Plymouth. Her cousin saw the fins and said, "Lord, Anne, look at the hips on that car..."

OK, 65 big car guys- need some info. This is for THM column shift tilt-away steering column. I need to know your shift gate pattern, especially between neutral and drive positions. Are the stops at Neutral and Drive, or Neutral and Super? What's triggered this ? is my buddy's 66 Bonneville with steering column and turn signal problems. We think the car's had a 64 tilt column put in because the shift gate stops are at Neutral and Super, which is where the stops for a HydraMatic or Slim Jim car should be (P N D S L R), to allow free movement between D, S and L ranges and have to pull the lever towards you to get Reverse. Most every Turbo HydraMatic car I've owned or driven had the stops between N and D and had to pull the lever to get Super or Low. Or did any of this make sense?

Young'un- it's like this. Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug. Always remember- better days are coming. And I keep telling myself that over and over every day when I arrive at work and something else is flying all to hell right at shift change... You can get your existing starter checked and rebuilt about as cheap as a parts store special if you have time to get that done. If not, switch 'em out, and <span style="font-weight: bold">get the parts store to test the new one before you leave there</span> . It might save you having to do the job over. You might wanna check all your cables and stuff too in case there's some corrosion. Starter ought to be pretty straightforward on your car, but if you've never wrassled one laying on your back under a car, you'll find out whether you have any muscles or not. Good luck, and don't give up! Also- just curious- you ever read any Kerouac or Burroughs? (heavy stuff <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/cool.gif" alt="" /> ) You have their stream-of-consciousness writing style.

For God's sake, why? We'd left it behind and moved on.

Shop manual detail drawings are identical for 5200 J88 and 54-56-58-6600 series. The kick is that there is a first type and a second type clutch linkage. That shouldn't make any difference as long as you get ALL of it, both underhood and underdash. Biggest difference I see is the bracket that mounts the equalizer and return spring to the frame is different- second type is longer. Did you get that 4-speed that was on e-bay a while back?

It was a "1928 Porter"- a nonexistent make. I don't know what it really was. The Munster Koach and Drag-U-La (Grandpa Munster's Coffin dragster) are still on the show circuit. Seems like I read somewhere that George Barris himself is touring with them. Can't help ya with the others. I know I'm growing older- I watch TVLand and rent 60s-70s movies just to see the "old cars". The cars that were new when the shows were on prime time and in first run theatre release .

Link to the OCA website (sidebar to your left) then go to Chapters-Specialty and link to the Toronado Chapter website. I think there's a couple tech articles in there on the 66 headlights. Someone was reproducing the actuator springs, which are the cause of most 66-67 Toro headlight problems. Could also be the vacuum motors or the headlight switch, or a broken vacuum line somewhere. There may also be some Toro headlight tech on 442.com . I have a 66 Chassis Manual and don't mind copying stuff if you need it. In addition to Toronado chapter and mail list, there's three OCA chapters in Texas, any of which would be good support in this Toronado adventure. Teenager with a Toronado? A bit of advice- buy the highest-mileage rated tires you can get for it and keep 'em rotated. 66s tend to eat front tires... Surely you didn't think I was implying the kid would light the tires off once in a while <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" /> ! A confession- I'm 46, and every once in a while I'll vaporise my 69's T/As, especially if there's a smart-ass street-racer wanna-be in a Honda around <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/smirk.gif" alt="" /> .