rocketraider

Just curious- where did you find the material?

Seems like Ames Performance Engineering (Pontiac supplier) has the plastic sunvisor bushings, but I don't know about metal ones. If the screw had been changed, it's possible someone monkeyed with it and put a metal sleeve in it trying to get it to stay up. I remember my 73 Olds ragtop was terrible about dropping the visor down in your face unexpectedly. It would feel tight, but would all of a sudden drop.

A-body headers won't fit this chassis at all due to the steering box. If you really want headers, it's gonna be a custom bend and fab job. There's a set of Olds flanges and nipples on e-bay right now; then bending and placing the tubes will be up to you and a competent custom exhaust guy. If you already have factory dual exhaust, keeping it will be your best bet. If not, you have to have the factory 1965-70 LH "S" casting dual exhaust manifold to make everything fit right, plus the shift linkage from column to bellcrank. I've seen people bend duals to connect to the single exhaust LH manifold, but it's awful close to the starter and requires a weird bend around the lower control arm struts.

Yes, Anonymous- you were beyond harsh which is why I came down on you like I did. I understand sarcasm well and even threw a little backatcha, until hd45 enlightened us both on the existence of coal-fired steam cars. Anyway. I'm not anti-rod. I like them. I just don't believe in hacking up a good original or restored old car to make one, especially if it's being done to turn an obscene profit or if the owner has it built to please the generic street rod crowd instead of doing something original and interesting. Meaning <span style="font-weight: bold">NO</span> Chevy engine, <span style="font-weight: bold">NO</span> tweed interior and <span style="font-weight: bold">NO</span> billet. Those three items are so thoroughly cliched in the street rod world as to be nauseating. You mentioned taking it personally when someone slams what you like. Well guess what- we restorer types hear that s--t constantly from the rodders. When I bought my last 64 Starfire, the first cruise night it hit, the first thing I heard from one of the rodders was "You gonna paint that car ain'tcha? That color bites. Needs some rubber and wheels too." Granted he's one of the more obnoxious ones and would be an ass in any hobby he took up, but that hit me wrong and I wasn't near as nice to him as I was to you. So if you want us to live and let live, it's gotta work two ways. Deal?

Ford automatics in those years were air-cooled, so they would have to have an auxiliary transmission cooler for trailer duty. Even though the HydraMatic is a tough old bird and had a radiator mounted cooler, plumbing in an auxiliary cooler would be cheap insurance, compared to finding and paying someone to fix it. P- re the J2 option. I think a 4 barrel would be more practical for what Carrie wants. TriPowers, unless used and exercised regularly, have a bad habit of not working when they're needed. Of course, the same could be said for a 4 barrel!

If you're so dead set against old original cars, why the hell are you even cruising an antique car DF? I never knew there were any coal-burning cars built . I know that my big steam engines at work put out about 7500 horsepower, and that's the two small steam turbines. They'll turn 6500 all day long... <span style="font-weight: bold">HAY!</span> Maybe that'll be the next wave of the future in street rod engines! Small block Chivverlay look out! I also got the best laugh of the day re the comment about "cartoon cars". Boy howdy- younguns in "Fast & the Furious" import street racers with gaudy paint jobs, aluminum wings and ridiculously sized wheels and tires, calling our stuff "cartoon cars". Every once in a while I have to unleash ye olde 400 horsepower front-wheel-drive big-block Oldsmobile on them (that prowls modern traffic at 75 mph), just to keep their FWD "power" in perspective. Thea-athea-athea-th-th-That's All Folks!

Actually some cool stuff in there, but looks like it's mostly too far gone to even recover any small parts. Not sure how kind Maine weather (and moss ) is to chrome and such, or 49 Ford sheetmetal. Who besides me noticed the Sharknose Graham and early 50s Rambler wagon? Even a late 50s Rambler for our friend RebelSport ! "Passing graveyards of rusted automobiles"- Arlo Guthrie, <span style="font-style: italic">The City of New Orleans</span>

I rent some 10x30 self-store units for my cars and while they're not perfect storage, it keeps them out of the weather, I have 24 hour controlled access and being metal/concrete block construction I don't worry about fire. Check with them and see if they have any 10x20 or 10x30. These will be large enough for almost any car and parts. They can be expensive but rental garage space is in short supply here. The climate is such that most people didn't build them and the older neighborhoods that might have one out back are often somewhere you really wouldn't want to keep your pride and joy. And no, there's not enough room in the back yard to build anything without running afoul of zoning and setbacks . You can try warehouse companies too, but your hours of access are usually limited to daylight and you have to worry about other traffic in and out. You can try a newspaper ad. When I did that, I got one response from a guy who basically wanted me to make his monthly mortgage loan payment, another from a company trying to rent me a shipping container, and one reasonable offer for renting the basement of a restaurant. Enough space for three cars at a good price, water/electric included, and pretty much constant temperature. It worked good for two years, until the night I got the call that the restaurant was on fire . I got lucky and got 'em out, but that experience has made me wary of any storage facility where a business is operating in the same building.

The 510 lb/ft torque spec is accurate to my best knowledge. That was the magic of the BB Olds- ungodly torque on demand, and all in by 3000 rpm or less. Right where it could do the most good. The cam and especially intake profile are why the Toro made a bit less torque than the 365. Bigger cams often sacrifice some low-end torque for horsepower, and low to mid-rise intakes make the most torque. The 66-70 Toronado intake is actually a negative riser for hood clearance. The base 455 2-barrel was rated 310 horsepower, then a 340 hp version, then 365, then 390 for the B/C carlines. Toronado were 375 hp standard and 400 with the W34 cam package.Kinda weird that most of the B/C engines were rated thru single exhaust. Of course the factory didn't put the 455 in the Hurst! "The Edict" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif" alt="" /> was still in effect at GM at that time. Just because Pontiac got away with it in 64... why should we think the good Doctor Oldsmobile would have tried it? Crafty guy, that Doc <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/smirk.gif" alt="" /> A man with a true understanding of power to weight!

In their day these wagons could easily haul a trailer all over. Now, nearly 45 years later, it's hard to say. Besides the obvious load equalising hitch, you'd need to upgrade rear springs and shocks and install a transmission cooler at the very least. Making sure the transmission and cooling system are in top shape is also advisable. All 58s had 371 cubic inch V8s in two-barrel, four-barrel and three two-barrel carb versions. I think you'd need a four-barrel car. For heavy hauling, like going over mountains, you'll have to use some type of fuel additive or have the engine modified to use unleaded gasoline. Which probably wouldn't be a bad idea anyway for trailering. Brakes? Marginal for descending hills with a trailer pushing it. The cars are 12v so electric trailer brakes will work. Sounds like an adventure to me! Hey- Lucy and Desi dragged a 40-footer behind a 54 Mercury! Why not document your trip and send the Olds Club magazine a feature article?

Having to wait on parts is a good reason to always keep a spare around. Otherwise you run the risk of an encounter with a cop who neither knows nor cares about grandfathered cars. I run into them all the time who don't have a clue about the pre-1967 seat belt regs, the single taillights used up till the late 50s on pickups, ad infinitum. What's wack is that they are <span style="font-weight: bold">all</span> supposed to be able to perform a state vehicle safety inspection, and all that stuff is spelled out in the inspector's training manual. Had one hassle me once about shoulder harnesses in a 1973 GM convertible, which were not factory installed but could be ordered (less than 5% installation). Finally showed the punk the owner's manual and he let me go. Next- did you pay off the ticket or appear in court with your documentation? I know Virginia still has the hand signals in the driver's test manual, so that would say to me they can and should still be used. Look at it this way- he probably had to work Christmas and was mad at the world over that. Hazard of the job. Lot of us have 24/7/365 jobs; I've had 5 Christmases off in 23 years and the family accepts that it's part of making a living. They don't know any different way. I don't know of any federal mandate that old cars have to be retrofitted with later safety equipment. All I've ever seen it address is that all safety and emissions equipment required and installed as of date of manufacture has to be there.

But- but- someone might DIE from asbestos!!! Right. And someone might die from having no brakes too. Which one are you gonna lay odds on happening first?

Yup. It was available in all the big cars and was standard equipment in Ninety Eights. Sez the 1969 Product Selling Information Manual, "A 365-hp Rocket 455 V8, teamed with a Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 transmission gives Ninety-Eight all the smooth-flowing power it can ever use" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/ooo.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/cool.gif" alt="" /> Only 455s hotter were the 390 hp L32 Police Apprehender and the two Toro engines. Some will argue Hurst/Olds, but the Hurst engine was raided from the Toronado and cop car parts bins. Besides- we all know the factory didn't install them <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" />

There's two NOS 53 solenoids on e-bay right now. Search- NOS Olds*

Guess again. W33 was a Delta 88 455 performance package. It used big valve C heads 68-69 and E heads 1970, same as regular 455. 1970 was the only year it was advertised as RPO W33; the other years it was part of the BO1 and BO7 Police Apprehender packages, which included HD frame, suspension and wheels and a performance calibrated THM 400. Could be ordered on any Delta 88, though most you find are bottom line Town Sedans. The 400 horsepower Toronado engine was RPO <span style="font-weight: bold">W34</span> , again using big valve C heads 68-9, E heads 70. Used same camshaft, valve springs and distributor curve as 68-69 automatic Hurst/Olds, and incorporated OAI in 1968 only. The THM 425 was built to roughly same specs as the W30 automatic and carried its own code. But yes, either way, big fun!

It helps if you use the engine/transmission braking feature that is designed into the car. Shift to a lower transmission range before descending hills, just don't do it abruptly or you will put the car into a skid. ABS will help in slippery conditions, but it is still no cure-all. It will enhance a skilled driver's abilities, and often make an unskilled driver's worse.

Well, if you were in it for the money you'd be in a mainstream car forum, where all they talk about is Tri-Five Chevys, 1st generation Camaros or Mustangs <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/smirk.gif" alt="" /> . Now that I've managed to [censored] off the folks who love those cars...

Different gearing and transmissions would produce different results. The 66 Starfire I had would walk away from my 66 442 past 50 mph. Both were air/automatic/3.42 cars, but I'm sure the 442's Jetaway didn't help its performance. But you can't deny that a well tuned Starfire is a hell of a fast car. Maybe I had an advantage growing up in a small town that had an Olds dealer who was serious about high performance.

If there's a Carter AFB on it, the Edelbrock carb is a near bolt on replacement. You may have to fab a new fuel line and play with throttle linkage a bit, but it will probably work well for you.

Acetone is the only solvent I know of that will dissolve super glue. Acetone will also attack plastics , leaving a bigger mess than what you have . Now if you're lucky, the reflectors are those stick-on things you can buy at WalMart and can be persuaded off with a heat gun or some mineral spirits.

Multiply that by ten and you're in the ballpark. As noted in another post, cars are hot investments right now but will drop once the stock market recovers. I think around $18-20g is a reasonable price for the car but you should get an opinion from someone like Jim Stohlman who fools with these cars and knows what they go for, and the circles who are buying them. I have misplaced Jim's e-mail but do a web search for "Stohlman car dealerships" and you should find a webpage with a contact.

Don't believe them. Real world prices are always lower. Every spring I see outrageously priced cars at the Charlotte AutoFair and the owners won't dicker price at all. I see the same cars three weeks later in Carlisle for a couple thousand less and they're willing to deal. By summer they're in AutoTrader for considerably less money. In the last 6 months a friend and I have both bought desirable and very nice condition cars with interesting history for under $7000. Four years ago he bought a fully (and I do mean everything) optioned 64 GP for under $5g and turned out it was one of 860 tripowers made and originally invoiced to Atlanta BOP assembly. 'Twas the Pontiac Division head manager's company car. And all we've done is detail the engine, it was that nice. Of course, we didn't find them in a swap meet car corral either. Plus you've got to remember- the stock market is in a cyclic slump, and anytime that happens, old car prices skyrocket. Happened in 89, happened in 78. The highrollers get into it as "investments", then when the market recovers prices drop to normal and realistic.

One of 6552 made. There was a nocturne mist one here years ago that an old drunk had so you can imagine how it ended up. I know of one in a salvage yard that was probably an easy restoration when it went in there, but it's been pretty well gutted over the last five years. The J-I was a victim of Olds' own marketing strategy as much as anything. The car should have sold well but it had the Starfire, and by 1965 the 442, to contend with in its own house, and the Grand Prix over in the Pontiac camp. It actually outsold the Starfire coupe in 1964, by about 3000 units. Full-size high performance was on its way out by 1965 after the midsize musclecars appeared. But jayzus what a ride <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" /> ! 370 horsepower <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" /> at your disposal! What nobody realised was that both this and the Starfire were capable of blowing a 442's doors off, and giving a GTO a hard time.

www.smsautofabrics.com in Oregon. They have come thru for me many times on obsolete upholstery. Can't help you on the seat design, but being mid-50s GM I can promise they were flashy. SMS will send fabric samples on request and are knowledgeable about original materials and patterns. You should be able to tell what cloth was originally on the seats by looking at the doors. The cloth inserts usually matched the seat cloth on the higher line cars. I think about it sometimes- probably half the body cloth GM used was made 30 miles from here by Collins & Aikman in Roxboro NC. Neighbor worked there in the 60s and 70s and regularly worked 7 day weeks.

My experience with points is that they were usually close enough to get the car started, then you set the dwell after it was running and warmed up. The GM window distributor is a godsend. I don't even know which manufacturer to recommend. Delco-Remy Division quit making point ignition components starting about the mid 80s and contracted it out. Most were made by Wells, judging from the markings on the rotor. Blue Streak or Standard are probably your best bet right now unless you can find some old Delco-Remy or Sorenson NOS. I don't think Accel are really suitable for a street-driven car as they have very high spring tension and are known to wear distributor cam lobes. I can't remember the exact procedure for roughing in GM points without a dwell meter. I've had one so long that I am spoiled to setting them at 30 degrees and going about my business.