rocketraider

Finding water in a tire is easy to explain. Air heats as it's compressed and any humidity around the compressor intake vaporises, until it cools in the receiver tank. Then it condenses, turns into free moisture and can get in anything the saturated air goes in. Yes, it can throw things off balance.<P>Packard, I think I understand why you get some of the mess you've mentioned in your tires.<P>Maybe I've been lucky, but then I tend to take my tire bizness to people I know well and who don't have a problem with me being in the shop observing. Doesn't hurt that most of the tire changers in that shop know I'll slip 'em an extra ten bux or so if they do the job right- and they know I won't stand for more than a couple ounces weight per tire, and I like my lugnuts torqued with a wrench, not a torque stick. One of 'em went to great pains last year to weight the tire so the trim ring clips would mount properly and not hit the weights.<P>Or has the fine art of stroking died off completely?

Last week I had to put a tire on the Sears tractor. I bought the tire at WalMart, got the old one off, and then messed with the new one for close to an hour trying to get it on the rim. Finally said the hell with this, went up the street to the lawn and garden, paid 'em 4 bux and was outta there in less than ten minutes.<P>Sissy that I am, I don't believe in doing things the hard way. My dad and uncle did everything the hard way their whole lives, and I work with several people who think if you're not doing it the hardest way you can find, you're not earning your money. I say, the hell with that! Work smarter, not harder.<P>I guess I forgot to mention that I have anytime access to a Corghi tire machine at my buddy's Amoco. Even if I didn't, I'd still pay the $25 or so to have tires mounted. Saying "I did it myself here at home" is not a priority- saving meself time and work is.

Hallo, Steve and Joeboxerr! It was the 64 manual that was 5 separate books. The 63 is all in one fat book. And much easier to find! the lit guys like to hammer you if they have a full set of 64 manuals.<P>Found Frank's comment on early turbocharging attempts interesting. Actually, in the late 50s and early 60s, there was an adventuresome spirit at all American carmakers. Chevy turbocharged the Corvair, the Buick and Olds compacts had aluminum engines, Tempests had a flexible driveshaft and rear-mounted transaxle. Chrysler developed the slant-six about this time and Ford had been building and perfecting retractable hardtops for several years leading up to the concealed convertible Continentals and Thunderbirds. Memory power seats weren't an 80s innovation- Mercury offered it in 1957!<P>I worked with a guy who bought a new 1996 Maxima and he prattled for days about all the gadgets it had. I busted his bubble hard when I told him my 1964 Oldsmobile had everything his car had, plus an automatic headlight dimmer! And his mouth just gaped open...

"Everyone" is wrong. There are several differences in Olds water pumps depending on application. And you've hit on one- the non-a/c pump is indeed about 1/2" shorter than the a/c pump. <P>Try a NAPA or other locally owned store, or one that handles AC-Delco reman parts. The chains are notorious for getting stuff like this wrong. Find someone who knows how to use a parts book and doesn't rely totally on a computer.<P>As a last resort you may have to go thru somewhere like Fusick or Kanter which will be expensive but will get you the correct part.<p>[ 05-06-2002: Message edited by: rocketraider ]

Uh- find a service station or tire shop with a Coats or Corghi machine? Pay 'em a few bux and eliminate a whole lotta hassle and aggravation?

Frank- I like that Caddy description you use- Sedan-de-Barge strikes me as hilarious.<P>Another one I like is Ninety Eight "LS"- my first car (inherited from Mama when I started driving). My buds always said it stood for "Lotsa Seats". That car had too many buttons. Get a bunch of rowdy teenage boys in it, and I had to keep the glovebox locked to keep them from popping the trunk release. My favorite was to unscrew the telescopic wheel release ring and pull the wheel back toward me. Someone in the back who had never seen that before would invariably start hollering about that crazy sob's pulling the steering wheel off!<P>How about all these "Unobtainium" parts we're always looking for?

Thought Clifford did mostly six-cylinders?<P>Pup- you're fanning flames mentioning Hudson on an Olds page, especially after a newly elected OCA national president drove a Hudson to his inaugural OCA meet

You could get plain full wheel covers, simulated wire wheel covers, and a fancier full wheel cover.<P>71-72 88s had a Polycast wheel option that will fit and look good on all the 1970s big ragtops, the Super Stock IV wheel. The trim rings are usually road-rashed, but the wheels aren't super rare. You should be able to find a set. <P>Another idea is the PO5 chrome wheel option for 77-79 Ninety Eights. Looks kinda like a chrome reverse wheel with a big Rocket center cap and a trim ring.<P>I've said for years that Olds bottom line wheel options were either plain or plain ugly. The higher level wheel treatments were usually pretty nice.<P>Cruise Control was available factory or dealer installed. A junkyard one from a 1974-76 88 or Ninety Eight will work. Get everything- t/s lever, wiring harness with dash and brake pedal switches, vacuum lines, regulator, and throttle arm and diaphram. Takes a few hours to install. 74 shop manual shows the installation and routing.<P>I'm not following you on the speaker panel. It's fixed behind the rear seat and doesn't move. Are you talking about the rear window guide bars that attach from the body to the folding top? Those are to guide the glass rear window down under the body flange so it won't contact the rear seat and break when the top is lowered.

Simplest way is to install, in order: 1)dual exhaust (10-15 horsepower), 2)electronic ignition (factory style HEI distributor or Pertronix Ignitor conversion, another 15-20 horsepower), 3)four-barrel intake and carb (factory pieces or Edelbrock Performer, 20-30 hp), 4)headers (25-35 hp). A good performance tuneup can find horsepower too, if you can find someone who still knows how to do that. <P>Make friends with some of your local hotrodders or enroll in high school auto-technician class. Then you'll have teachers and possibly someone to trade parts or labor with, which can reduce cost a lot. When you learn how to work on them, then you can think about changing cams, distributor curving, and stuff like that. <P>Good luck. I'm here if you need advice.<P>RR

Try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes and see if that will reset the computer and anti-theft/ignition module. If not, I'd take it to a GM dealer. All the carlines had this improvement (?) and should be able to diagnose and repair. <P>That anti-theft key never impressed me much. Aunt has a 94 Ninety Eight and had a similar problem. Solution? dealer cut a new key at cost of about $75.<P>Good luck. <P>RR

I bought a gorgeous Regency sedan with 1st week serial # and all options except airbags and moonroof a couple years back for $800. I've seen them sell as high as $5000. I've seen people try to get $7500 and sit on the car for years.<P>This is one of those cars that the right guy is going to have to come along. Many people don't see Ninety Eights as having any collector interest and only want to swipe their 455s for a 6 or 350 Cutlass transplant. I hate to see that happen to them because they are truly nice cars.<P>Wish your Ma luck and good health. Mine's 80 and has cashed in her 64 years of smoking with advanced emphysema.

Selling-<P>1) late 40s-early 50s (?) Oldsmobile script visor vanity mirror. Not perfect, not junk, some fading and edge crackling. $10<P>2) 1961 Service Guilds #1-9, 11, Jan-Oct 61. $20.<P>Some other stuff in OCA buy-sell.<P>Prices incl US shipping. Please reply here, I have all unknown source e-mails blocked for antivirus protection. Thanks!

Couple of things I can't use. Maybe someone else can.<P>1) NOS 1970-72 Cutlass inside hood lock rear cable group 8.080 p/n 231059. This is the underdash lever, housing and cable. $50.<P>2) NOS 1972 Cutlass RH headlight bezel group 2.728 p/n 410636. $20.<P>3) Pair of new reproduction 68-72 A-body fuel tank straps. $20.<P>4) late 40s-early 50s (?) Oldsmobile visor vanity mirror with "Oldsmobile DeLuxe" crest and script, spaces to record mileage for 6 maintenance items. Not perfect, not junk, some fading and crackling around glass edges.<BR>$10.<P>5) 1961 Service Guilds. #1-9, 11 Jan-Oct 61. $20.<P>6) 1976 Cutlass glovebox papers incl Hurst/Hatch warranty and care card and 1976 AM-FM-stereo radio brochure with coast-to-coast FM station list. $10.<P>All prices incl US shipping. Reply here as I have had to activate extreme antivirus protection and not taking any unknown source e-mails.<P>Thanks!

Use a test light or voltmeter and check for voltage on this wire. If 12v, and it goes to the junction block as described earlier, disconnect the battery (-) cable and then connect the wire to the alternator. (Always better to have battery disconnected when doing any electrical work or troubleshooting- saves fuses and temper.)<P>To make sure of your alternator output post, look around the base of it where it goes in the alt housing. Should be a red or black plastic ring on it which insulates it from ground. Question- has there ever been another wire connected to anything on the alternator besides the two-port plug? <P>If everything looks in order, you can then reconnect the battery (-) cable and you should be charging.

Packard, if you're going to try this, at least get the remaining R12 out of the system before you put the R134a in it. Check with your local tech school, often their automotive tech department will recycle the R12 for you. Then you can start with an empty system and not run the risk of fouling up everyone else's system if they get hooked to a machine your car was hooked to.

There is no black wire to the 1969 alternator unless someone has done a repair with off-color wiring. You should have a blue and a white wire in the two-port plug and a red 12 gage wire connected to the alternator's output post. Trace the black wire and see if it goes to the junction block on the left fenderwell. If it does, that's your alternator output and it is hot at all times since it's connected to the battery(+) via the junction block. Since the wire in question is obviously hot, I'm thinking it's been repaired at some time or other.<P>The only black wire underhood is the horn contact to horn relay wire and it's 20 gage. It's nowhere near the alternator.<P>If this doesn't solve yer arcs'n'sparks, post further!

And now that Caddy is going to contaminate every refrigerant recycling machine it comes in contact with. Do us a favor- let us know where this rustbucket Caddy is so we can look out for our interests and not run the risk of cross-contamination.<P>I personally think the Freon-ozone hole relationship is a bunch of hooey and that it was designed so DuPont could get rid of R12 and sell a bunch of R134a- just so happens all this came up about time the R12 patents were set to expire, meaning no more royalties.<P>However- we're stuck with elimination of R12 and our refrigerant choices are limited. It is illegal to knowingly cross-contaminate systems. Stick with one or the other of R12 or R134a.

Might this be the same Tony Hossain who used to write for Car Review magazine? and did a bang-up article on 60s Oldsmobile Starfires?<P>All through its Muscle Car Review incarnation it was a great and informative magazine. Unbiased, everyone got equal coverage. And then Petersen bought it. I thought, hot damn, now we have access to all the massive Petersen files. Early this year, MCR was quietly killed off and my subscription was changed to Hot Rod. I quit HR some ten years ago. I mean, how many 1st generation Camaro and small block Chevy build-up articles can be written before things get redundant?<P>

7088 1973 Royale convertibles built. Don't have a breakout on 455 cars but I always guessed about 20% of production. Had a nice one that was totalled in a deer collision in 1995. The animal bashed in the driver side door and quarter panel far enough to break the top anchor.

SMS Auto Fabrics in Oregon USA. They have come thru for me many times, though they can be expensive. They just found me some 74 Olds wet-look and comfort-weave vinyl yardage. <BR> <A HREF="http://www.smsautofabrics.com" TARGET=_blank>www.smsautofabrics.com</A> (I think?) Tell them what you need and they'll send samples before you order.

Sometimes I think stuff like this was designed into early 60s Olds. Everyone I know who owns one has much the same complaints. I have a 64 Starfire that does the same thing; additionally, there's no need to even think about getting going uphill from a dead stop. It will start moving and then die. Right now it won't even start- pour gas down the carb, it will start and run until the gas is gone, and then no more. New fuel lines and fuel pump, and still can't get gas to the carb. I guess I'll have to take that damn 4GC apart yet another time.<P>It performed better with an NOS Rochester kit than at any other time. <P>I have got to the point that if I can't get rid of the SlimJim transmission and Rochester 4GC carb, I'm not gonna do anything else with the car. I love it, but if I can't drive it, what good is it?

I don't worry about the crash risk of having butane in an A/C system as much as I do pinhole leaks in the system itself. Butane seeping out of connections underhood could eventually accumulate enough to create an explosive mixture that could be ignited by underhood heat, electrical spark etc while driving down the road. Unexpected Boom! is not my idea of a good time.<P>If the leak were in the evaporator, all the airflow into the passenger area goes thru it. You could be suffocated by hydrocarbon gas and never realise what is happening to you. Leave butane to Zippos and Ronsons.

The "Last Edition" badge is usually on the right side of the trunklid, just above the Oldsmobile script. I have seen them on the left side. <BR> <A HREF="http://www.carsatcarlisle.com" TARGET=_blank>www.carsatcarlisle.com</A> for Carlisle All-GM info.<P>Tim, e-mail me privately for info on the Oldsmobile Club of America's Young Driver's Program. It's set up for teenagers who own and maintain their own Oldsmobile and has some insurance benefits- important at age 16.<p>[ 04-29-2002: Message edited by: rocketraider ]

I had heard of Diamondback but was always a bit skeptical until I looked over your link. I thought they did that old cut a groove and paint in the color trick. I see now that they actually vulcanise the colored rubber onto new tire casings.<P>Jerry, how are those tires holding up, and what was the lead time on making them?<P>In my earlier comment about large 14" radials, that's where I was going. You can get wide white 225-14 radials, but they're correct for 1957-61 cars only. We 62-70 owners were always SOL on narrow whitewall radials for our cars. Esp since for several years there was no such thing as a 225-14 whitewall in any configuration.

You'll probably have to use a Pertronix Ignitor or Mallory Unilite electronic conversion.