Miscellaneous
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The Olds FAQ Compiler.
Recycling
For metal parts, most parts yards and crushing operations welcome various
peices of scrap metal, large and small; bumpers, fenders, doors, and small
peices of metal scrap as well. Other than taking it for free, they might
give you some cash for it.
Fluid Disposal
Ethylene Glycol (auto anti-freeze)
Remember, this stuff is poisonous. Animals find it sweet, but
it is deadly and death is slow. Avoid doing anything that would allow
it to be ingested such as dumping on land where folks use wells for drinking
water, or where it can pool and animals could drink it.
It is preferable to dump old antifreeze into the toilet
as opposed to the storm drain. If you live in an area in the US
where there is a municipal wastewater
treatment system, the solution is simple. The toilet leads to a sanitary sewer
and eventual waste treatment (we're not talking about septic tanks here),
whereas the storm sewer goes into a river or lake. It is untreated, where
ever it eventually winds up.
The particular toxin in antifreeze (ethelene glycol) that kills
vertebrates is easily digested by the bacteria at your local treatment
plant. Call them and ask first!
Old antifreeze has the additional problem that it has picked up lead
and other metals from the engine and radiator. You could pour brand new
antifreeze in your backyard with no problems, as long as you keep your
pets away from it. Used antifreeze is a different story, though. I don't
know what the answer is, but unless the treatment plant can also handle
the metals, the drain might not be the right answer.
If you do not live in an area that has sewer, I have no good answer
except finding someone who accepts it. Check with your County Government.
Also check around for any Hazardous Waste Disposal drives.
For those that do not know it, the emergency treatment for antifreeze
exposure is to vomit, then get serously drunk and stay drunk for either
a few days, or until treated by a doctor. Even mild antifreeze exposure,
like a burst hose that gives you a lung full of vapor, should be treated
with at least a six pack of your favorite beer or ale.
And no, I am not kidding. The explanation is simple. Ethyl alcohol is
closely related to ethelene glycol, as far as the enzymes that break down
these two are concerned. We all know that we can digest booze into things
that do not kill us. The digestion of antifreeze produces formaldhyde right
in the liver, and kills it. When a liver dies, the rest of body follows
right along.
The trick is to keep the liver busy digesting what it preferres, booze.
Then flush the (water soluable) antifreeze out of the body. Go see a doctor
RIGHT AWAY if you get antifreeze poisoning.
Miscellaneous Fluids
Many gas stations or repair shops will take used, uncontaminated
oil. This includes motor oil, trans, brake and power steering fluid. Many
counties have monthly drop offs. This may include other hazardous, unknown
fluids. Used oil is ususally burned in waste oil furnaces.
[ Thanks to Bob Handren, Andrew C. Green and others for this information]
Build (Bill of Material) Sheets
This piece of documentation is 8.5" x 11":
Inspect the easier locations first because this sheet needed to be accessible
on the assembly line until the car was completed! Usually found in the
rear seat cushion springs, in the front seat cushion springs, under
the carpeting, taped to the top of the gas tank, taped to the back
side of the headliner, or inside the driver's door panel.
My understanding is that you are fortunate to have any build sheet. The
story I have heard is that the workers put the sheets anywhere they
wanted - in car, in trash, in pocket, etc. There was no requirement that
they went anywhere. It was just a check for them & never intended for
you. In fact, a "quality" program at the Lansing plants was to make sure
the build sheets were removed!
Once you locate the build sheet, you might consider placing a photocopy
of it in the original location, for a future owner.
Before taking your car apart looking for the build sheet, I would suggest
that you try locating the build sheet in several other cars of the same
model and model year, and built at the same assembly plant, at the wrecking
yard first. This should identify possible locations and eliminate others.
Furthermore, you can familiarize yourself on how to access the build sheet
without causing any damage.
I found the build
sheet for my '52 Ninety Eight behind one of the upper rear seat cushions, and
found a sheet for the next car on the line behind the other one. Also found
half of another sheet under the front seat.
The build sheet is a card 8 ½" x 4" with those little holes
in the sides for continuous
feeding through a printer. It has four rows of boxes going across, each
row has a small title box, with a blank box below it, like this:
__________
| STYLE |
|__________|
| 34239 |
|__________|
The boxes are 5/8" high and have titles like "STYLE",
"SEQ", "MO", "DAY", etc.
Those five numbers in the "STYLE" box match the first five
numbers of my VIN#. The SEQ# is 322, MO is 01, DAY is 29. Is that the date
my car was made?
This piece of documentation is 8.5" x 4":
That piece of paper you found is a computer print-out of certain options
and dates. I've had 2-3 cars I've found these in. Some had build sheets
also and some didn't. You must contact one of the OLDS club advisors for
your type of car and he may be able to help you decode this paper.
-------------------------
| o 4-190-10-5 o |
| o 2989 o |
| o 837-71-604-642o |
| o o |
| o o |
-------------------------
And thats about how they look. The 837 is body style code (I think)
and the 71 is a trim code. The others I don't know. What do you think?
- Line 1-2:
- Could be a sequence no., body no., build
date. You might be able to identify by correlating with the
body tag under the hood.
- Line 3:
- 837: Car code (model) number
- 98 Holiday Coupe
- Fisher Body Style code 60-3837
- 71: Trim number (short for 371, dropping the "3")
- Dk. Gray Leather seat bolster,
- Med. Gray pattern cloth insert,
- Ivory morocceen accent, etc.
- 604: ???
- 642: ???
[ Thanks to Dave Paulison, John T. Blair, Mike Van Auken, Dan Gulino,
Mike (70 Starfire GT), Bill Culp, Paul for this information ]
Cowl / Body Tags
You might have a
cowl tag under the hood, on the driver's side, under the windshield. I
say might, because my 1985 did NOT come with one. I ordered mine new,
so I know it was never there, and when I called the Arlington plant,
they said if they had them, they had them, if not, of course they
couldn't install them. Not every car came with one. The reason, he said,
was that your service information is on a sticker under the TRUNK
lid. It lists the codes for everything that came on the car from the
factory.
For example, if your car came with N66 wheels, it will have an
N66 somewhere on the sticker. This sticker, though not as durable as a
plate, is far more valuable for restoration as far as an option
standpoint. It's like a mini-build sheet. In fact, the build sheet
mine had didn't have very much information on it at all, except for 15 X
7 chrome wheels, special paint, and W-42 (442) option and the VIN.
For OLDER cars, they put a body tag on the cowl
which gave basic info, and options were verified by the build sheet.
However, all of the GM cars built 1986 or later (or thereabouts) had a tag
originally inside the decklid, which lists all of
the trim, drive train, suspension, and option codes. This should be the
same information which would be on the "recycled at the factory" build
sheet. The problem of course, would be if your car had had the decklid
replaced without moving that original tag over, or if the tag has been
painted over.
A body repair done at a GM
dealership would probably include transferring this tag, since their
service department people will occasionally refer to it when looking for a
particular service procedure, or for making sure they order the correct
replacement parts.
[ Thanks to Mike Rothe, Tom Stoner for this information ]
Dealer Codes
The first number of the five digit number is the zone office number. Pennsylvania is
divided into three zones, 03 (Philadelphia), 04 (Pittsburgh) and 06.
| 03-033 | Bayliss Oldsmobile Inc | Reading PA (1984) |
| 03-154 | Harry Cramer Inc | Middletown PA (1978) |
| 03-203 | Delaware Olds Inc | Wilmington DE (1969) |
| 03-250 | Ebersole Inc | Cleona PA (1970, 72, 76) |
| 03-251 | Ebersole Pontiac-Olds-GMC Inc | Lebanon PA (1982) |
| 06-344 | Frye Motor Co | Delmont PA (1979) |
| 03-400 | Hess-Ulrich Buick-Chev-Olds | Mount Joy PA (1977) |
| 03-826 | Solt Chevrolet-Olds Inc | Nazareth PA (1980) |
| 03-856 | George S Steinmetz Inc | Myerstown PA (1964, 66, 67, 69, 73) |
| 03-880 | Titus Cadillac-Olds Inc | Harrisburg PA (1979) |
| 04-135 | Glenn L Beam Inc | Gettysburg PA (1967) |
| 06-651 | Rider Oldsmobile Inc | State College PA (1973) |
| 13-659 | Bob Moore Oldsmobile Inc | Wichita KS (1956) |
| 17-081 | Brogan Cadillac-Olds Corp | Clifton NJ (1961) |
| 20-022 | Dean Bailey Olds Inc | Tulsa OK |
| 20-7144 | Bruckner Olds Inc | Milan MI |
| 26-532 | Murphy Olds-Toyota | Melbourne, FL |
| 27-525 |
[ Thanks to Paul, Dave Paulison for this information ]
Protecto Plate
This was a plastic warranty plate the customer received upon delivery of their
new Oldsmobile. Something to go along with the owner's manual.
The upper left corner is the dealer code of the original selling dealership.
The upper right corner would be the original in-service date. This started the warranty and determined the expiration date.
The lower left corner is the car's VIN.
The lower right corner is the mileage at in-service. This determined the expiration mileage of the warranty.
[ Thanks to Paul (72 Cutlass Supreme Convertible), Jon Wessel for this information ]
Serial & Warranty Plates
Location:
1961-67: On front hindge pillar.
1968-71: Top of instrument panel, left lide, visable through windshield.
EXAMPLE 1961-1963
61 2 M 01001
Year (1961)/ / \ \First Serial Number (not listed)
/ \
Car Series / \Assembly Plant (not listed)
EXAMPLE 1964
8 4 4 M 001001
Engine (6-6cyl, 8-8 cyl)/ / \ \ \First Serial Number (not listed)
/ \ \
Car Series/ \ \Assembly Plant (not listed)
\
\Year (1964)
EXAMPLE 1968-1971
3 56 39 7 M 1001001
Division (Olds)/ / / \ \ \First Serial Number (not listed)
/ / \ \
Car Series/ / \ \Assembly Plant (not listed)
/ \
Body Type/ \Year (7-1967, 8-1968, etc)
(Oldsmobile - Delmont 88 "425" 4 Dr. H.T. - 1967)
All Except F-85
1961-1963 1967 1969-1970
CAR SERIES CAR SERIES CAR SERIES
2 Dynamic 88 52 Delmont 88 "330" 54 Delta 88 (exc.
5 Super 88 54 Delta 88 Custom Custom)
6 Starfire 56 Delmont 88 "425" 64 Delta 88 Custom
8 98 58 Delta 88 exc. Custom 66 Delta 88 Royale
84 98 exc. Luxury Sdn. 84 98 exc. Luxury
1964 86 98 Luxury Sdn. 86 98 Luxury
CAR SERIES 94 Toronado Std. 94 Toronado
3 Jetatar 88 96 Toronado Deluxe
4 Dymanic 88 BODY TYPE
5 Super 88 BODY TYPE 37 2Dr. H.T.
6 Starfire 39 4Dr. H.T. 39 4Dr. H.T.
7 Jetstar I 57 2Dr. H.T. 47 2Dr. H.T.
8 98 exc. Custom 67 Convertible 57 2Dr. H.T.
9 98 Custom 69 4Dr. Sdn. 67 Convertible
87 2Dr. H.T. 69 4Dr. Sdn.
1965-1966 87 2Dr. H.T.
CAR SERIES 1968
52 Jetstar 88 CAR SERIES 1971
54 ('65) Jetstar I 54 Delmont 88 CAR SERIES
54 ('66) Starfire 64 Delta 88 exc. Custom 54 Delta 88
56 Dymanic 88 66 Delta 88 Custom 64 Delta 88 Custom
58 Delta 88 84 98 exc. Luxury Sdn. 66 Delta 88 Royale
66 ('65) Starfire 86 98 Luxury Sdn. 68 Custom Cruiser (SW)
84 98 exc. Luxury 94 Toronado 84 98
86 98 Luxury Sdn. 86 98 Luxury
BODY TYPE 96 Toronado
BODY TYPE 39 4Dr H.T.
37 2Dr. H.T. 57 dDr H.T. BODY TYPE
39 4Dr. H.T. 67 Convertible 35 S.W., 2 seat
57 2Dr. H.T. 69 4 Dr. Sdn. 37 2Dr. H.T.
67 Convertible 87 2Dr. H.T. 39 4Dr. H.T.
69 4Dr. Sdn. 45 S.W., 3 seat
47 2Dr. H.T.
57 2Dr. H.T.
67 Convertible
69 4Dr. Sdn.
F-85
1961-1963 1968-1970
CAR SERIES CAR SERIES
0 F-85 Standard 31 F-85 6 cyl exc Cutlass
1 F-85 Deluxe 32 F-85 8 cyl exc Cutlass
& Skyroof
1964 35 Cutlass 6 cyl
CAR SERIES 36 Cutlass 8 cyl exc Supreme
0 F-85 Standard & Skyroof
1 F-85 Deluxe 42 Cutlass Supreme
2 F-85 Cutlass 44 442
48 Skyroof SW
1965-1966
CAR SERIES BODY STYLE
33 Std F-85 6 cyl 35 SW exc Skyroof
34 Std F-85 8 cyl & 39 4Dr HT
std skyroof SW 55 Skyroof SW 2 seat
35 Deluxe F-85 6 cyl 57 2Dr HT
36 Deluxe F-85 8 cyl 65 Skyroof SW 3 seat
exc skyroof SW 67 Convertible
38 Custom Skyroof SW 69 4Dr Sdn
& Cutlass 77 2Dr Sdn
87 2Dr HT
BODY TYPE
07 2Dr Sdn 1971
17 2Dr HT CAR SERIES
27 2Dr Sdn 31 F-85 6 cyl
35 SW 2 seat exc Skyroof 32 F-85 8 cyl
37 2Dr HT 35 Cutlass 6 cyl
39 4Dr HT 36 Cutlass 8 cyl
55 Skyroof SW 2 seat 42 Cutlass Supreme
65 Skyroof SW 3 seat 44 442
67 Convertible 48 Skyroof SW
69 4Dr Sdn
BODY TYPE
1967 36 SW exc Skyroof
CAR SERIES 39 4Dr HT
33 F-85 6 cyl exc Cutlass 56 Skyroof SW 2 seat
34 F-85 8 cyl & std Skyroof 57 2Dr HT
SW exc Cutlass 66 Skyroof SW 3 seat
35 Cutlass 6 cyl 67 Convertible
36 Cutlass 8 cyl exc Supreme 69 4Dr Sdn
38 Cutlass Surpeme & Cutlass 77 2Dr Sdn
Skyroof SW 87 2Dr HT
BODY STYLE
07 2Dr Sdn
17 2Dr HT
35 SW exc Skyroof
39 4Dr HT
55 Skyroof SW 2 seat
65 Skyroof SW 3 seat
67 Convertible
69 4Dr Sdn
[ Thanks to Bill Culp for this information ]
VIN Decoding
Check out Drew Senko's home page at http://members.aol.com/drewinva/vin.
The Country, Manufacturer, Division, Year and Assembly Plant are pretty
well covered (for 1964 to 1988). If you have info to add, please e-mail
Drew Senko.
Please include the year with any VIN info that you send.
For 1967 to 1971 VINs, check out this other site: http://home1.gte.net/betzel/vin67-71.htm.
ComfortTron
The principal difference between a regular Oldsmobile HVAC system and the Comfortron, it that the Comfortron took electronic impulses
from a transducer located in the cabin to measure the difference between
the desired temperature and the actual cabin temperature. Then it directed
the heating or a/c parts of the system to do their thing to correct for
the difference, if any.
Maybe it worked well, but it looked like it depended on a lot of tender
parts that by now would be well worn - vacuum hoses, ports, electronic
bits, etc. Also I haven't come across Comfortrons too often in the big
Oldses, they have a different control plate than standard, and the transducer
is real obvious in its location in the dash.
If you have a Comfortron, I'd suggest you find a Caddy of your year
or similar for bits and pieces. They were more common in those cars, particularly well optioned ones.
[ Thanks to Chris Fair for this information ]
Rallye Pac
History
The Rocket Rallye Pac started in late (May or June) 1966. I have one of
these very rare ones in my 66 W-30. Has a completely different harness than a
67. Before that there was only a tach.
The Rally Pac (no "K") was Oldspeak for the gauge and tach set. When the
option was first released in the 1967 model year (or late in the 1966 model
year, as there is apparently some disagreement), the Rally Pac was a
one-piece assembly in the right hand gauge pod (there were only two pods in
1966-67) which had the tach in the center and the fuel/oil/temp gauges around
the outside.
From 1968-72, with the three-pod dash, the Rally Pac was a
combination of tach/clock (the Tic-Toc-Tach) in the right hand gauge pod
and a set of fuel/oil/temp gauges in the left gauge pod. The speedo was
the same as on other cars. Over the years these sets have been broken up,
with people selling just the tach or just the gauges, but all Rally Pac
cars came from the factory with tach and gauges as a set.
For 1971, the Rocket Rallye Pac, option U21, included a tach that
was located in the right side "pod" in the dash. The tach needle
swept the outside of the pod with a clock located in the center.
The left pod featured a gauge for fuel, coolant temperature and oil
pressure. With warning lights for brake and charging system.
The speedo was the same with or without U21.
Converting a 1971 to the Rallye Pac is one of the easier
years to change over. As the pods can be removed and
replaced from the front of the dash. You will need to
relocate some of the wires on the connector.
Note that while
they look similar, the 1968-69 Rally Pac will not interchange with the 1970-72
Rally Pac. The mounting ears are different - the 1968-69 set mounts to the
individual plastic bezels and must be removed and installed from under the
dash. The 1970-72 units mount directly to the dash plastic and can be
removed and installed from the front of the dash after removing the
chrome/woodgrain one-piece bezel.
I have always referred to the Rallye Pac as having the
"factory optimistic tach", because they always seem to
give a higher reading than the actual rpm.
(Although, perhaps that was intentional by the factory
to keep the over zealous from buzzing it to high).
In addition, the tach is obscured by the steering wheel,
making it difficult to read.
Another drawback to the Rallye Pac is the gauges do not
indicate an actual number reading, just a scale with C-H
for temp and L-H for oil. Although, after awhile of
observing them, you'll be able to distinguish
normal operation from a problem situation.
[ Thanks to Kurt Shubert, Jim Chermack, Joe Padavano, Greg Rollin
for this information. ]
Guage Sending Unit, Pressure Switch
To answer questions about the sending unit vs. a pressure switch:
The sending unit for a rally pac or other gauge is a variable resistor,
which changes based on pressure. One side of the resistor is connected to
ground through the threads on the sender that screw into the block and the
wiper contact (that moves on the resistor with pressure) is attached to the
terminal on the sender. This won't work with the choke.
The sending unit for an idiot light is an on-off switch that is normally
closed when there is no oil pressure and normally open when there _is_ oil
pressure. It also has one side connected to ground through the threads and
the other side connected to the terminal on the sender. This won't work
with the choke either, since it works the opposite of what you want (you
need the switch to be closed under pressure, so the choke only works when
the engine is running).
The pressure switch I decribed actually works opposite of the idiot light
sender. It is normally open with no oil pressure (so the choke doesn't
work with the engine not running) and normally closed when there is
pressure. In addition, most of these switches are isolated from the
housing; unlike senders the switch is not grounded through the threads
in the switch but instead a separate terminal is provided for each end of
the switch. I usually splice this into the 12v line that feeds the choke.
The Vega part I described actually combines the idiot light sending unit
and pressure switch functions into one common housing, so that there are
three separate terminals. ASCII art follows:
Gauge sending unit Idiot Light Sender Pressure Switch
(Variable Resistance) (Closed without pressure) (Open without
pressure)
| | | |
| | | |
_____|__ | | |
/ | \ ________|__ __|______|__
| \ | | | | | | | | |
| / | | | | | | | | |
| \ | | | o<----o | | o o |
| /<-| | | | | | / |
| \ | | | | | / |
| / | | | | | / |
| | | ------------ | |
| | | <---> --------------
============ <---> <--->
<---> <---> <--->
<---> <--->
<--->
[ Thanks to Joe Padavano for this information. ]
Diesel Rallye Pacs
An output off of the diesel specific alternator is used for tach input.
This tach is NOT compatible with an output from the distributor. There is
a special output (bolt) on a diesel alternator. To make it work, you
will need to change to an alternator from a diesel (or for a diesel).
There is a tan wire that hooks up to the alternator.
[ Thanks to Andrew Green, Rob Turner for this information ]
Intermittent Operation
Finally found a fix for my ailment. I'd had erratic guages since I got
the car. Never did much to figure it out till recently, but the oil,
temp, gas, and volt guages would read way off, until I'd smack the
dash. In winter months, I'd have to smack it more often, which was
tough on cold hands.
I finally
pulled the cluster apart, and started investigating. The pc board that
the rallye guages "snap" into has several clips popped into the board,
and studs protruding through to the back of the housing, where nuts hold
them against points on the plastic circuit board. These seemed a bit
loose. I pulled it all apart and solderred all the clips to the PC
board, then solderred the tach plug just cuz I was there. Be very careful
not to touch the flimsy plastic traces with solder - they will burn through.
I stuck the board back on and tightened the studs down real good and stuck 'er
back in. Mind you, it took much longer to do that than to write
this. Problem solved. I haven't had a single fluctuation since.
The best (most secure) fix I've found for
the tachs is to remove the guage cluster housing, and completely disassemble
it. The little orange tab on back of the tach is a spring loaded switch that
often looses tension on the contacts. I simply solderred the contacts to the
board, and never had a problem again. While apart, after blowing the dust out,
remove the guage circuit
board from the cluster housing. Make sure all those little nuts are tight.
The wriggle loose occasionally. The tach is a permanent fix, so you don't have to
worry about fussing with it two years later.
When you have the cluster pulled, clean all terminals with an eraser. Yes, a
pencil eraser! It's just abrasive enough to clean the corrosion, but not really
remove much metal. Works great for alternator slip rings as well!
[ Thanks to Charley Buehner for this information. ]
Startup Behavior
The guages might peg high when you start the vehicle as a startup test to make
sure they are functioning. This is a
pre-start test like lighting the idiot lights to indicate the bulbs are
good.
With the lights-only option, they needed
a way to know the light was actually OK, since the only time it's supposed to
work is when the engine's about .0002 seconds from locking up (or else it
seems that way), so they have a connection to ground that light
temporarily while cranking the car. The oil pressure light doesn't need
this, as it will read low pressure when the engine just begins to spin (or
you HOPE it just when it starts to spin and not when it's been running 5
minutes or so).
Next time you get in there, look for a jumper from that wire (temp. light) to
the ignition switch. Check with an ohmmeter that it's grounded when the
ignition switch is in the "start" position only, if it is, just cut it and
cap the ends so they don't make contact anywhere under the dash.
[ Thanks to Ken Snyder for this information. ]
Rallye Pac Conversion - A-body
1968 - 1969
The following is for converting a 1968 to 1969 dash from lights to Rally-Pak. Don't
know if the 1966-1967, 1970-1972 and later are the same, but this might give
you an idea of what to look for.
First, find a wiring diagram. The wires going into the plug(s) to the
back of the gauge cluster will be color-coded. Map out which wire does
what - match its color to that of the wiring diagram, etc. The colors
don't change from year to year; e.g. the backlighting circuit has been
gray for, what, decades now.
There are 7 pins on the rear of the unit, reading from left
to right here are the assignments and wire color:
A=lights / B=fuel / C=oil / D=brake / E=ignition / F=gen / G=temp
O O O O O O O
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
gray tan blue tan pink brown dk.green
dbl. dbl
white white
strip strip
Cluster Pack: wire colors are the same, pin assignments:
a = lights / b = temp / c = oil / d = fuel / e = ign / f = generator / g = brake
As you can see there are 3 wires that must be moved from the cluster pack.
b (dark green) moves to g. g (tan w/dbl wh) moves to d. d (tan) moves to f.
[ Thanks to Andrew Green, Pat Clark for this information ]
1973 - 1977
To tell the difference between 1973 and 1974 Rallye Pacs:
The 1973 gauges have orange tipped needles that read around the outside edges
of the guage cluster.
The 1974 guages have 3 all white needles that all read pointing up and are in
tight triangle configuration.
I have a '76 Cutlass, 350R, AT, PB, PS. I had the single gas gauge/idiot
light cluster, and I converted it to a rallye pac gauge cluster. Here a
chart on how to swap the wires.
Earlier, I sent in a wiring chart for my '76 Cutlass rallye pack. I have
added some asterisks. When they are aligned vertically, the chart will be
correctly formatted.
| Color | Function | Original location | New location |
| gray | +12v, instrument lamps | 1 | 9 |
| green | hot light or temp gauge | 2 | 1 |
| no connection - index notch |
| blue/white stripe | oil | 4 | 6 |
| tan | fuel | 5 | 7 |
| black | ground, instrument lamps | 6 not used, separate spade lug |
| pink | +12v, gauges | 7 | 4 |
| brown | gen warning light | 8 | 2 |
| tan/double white stripe | brake warning light | 9 | 5 |
On the original idiot light cluster, the terminals, viewed facing the
rear of the cluster, go 1 - 9 from left to right. My notes indicate that
on the rallye pack cluster, the terminals go 1 - 9 from right to left,
just the opposite of the original. Original p/n is 8985321. Rallye pack
p/n is 8985322.
One more thing - why are the wires all swapped around? That bothered me
at first too, but I believe there is a rationale. This forces you to stop
and check that you are putting in the right gauges for the right senders.
You can't just swap parts without also swapping wires. It's like the
warning box that comes on when you delete a file that asks, "are you
sure?"
If you use a paper clip to insert into the
plug-in where each wire is, the wire can be released from the clip. Just
make the wiring harness in your car have the same color order as the wiring
harness in the gauge car. I kept a piece of the wiring harness & plug-in
from the gauge car for a pattern.
OTOH, if you're not terribly anal about originality, the almost same
Rallye Pac gauge cluster was used on a number of mid '70s Bu!cks. And,
since they were not Oldsmobiles, the parts are cheap as dirt. The only
difference is the center trim plate and chrome button- these can be
transferred on to the bootleg cluster from the gas gauge you're replacing.
[ Thanks to Blair Thompson, Robert Anderson, Bill Culp
for this information .]
The guages work and read accurately. The problem is when the key is off
the Temp and Oil guages are acting as Ammeters and reading any current
flow from the battery. So when I open the door and the courtesy lights
come on, hit the horn, hit the brake, or when the old tick tock clock
winds, the guages measure current flow until any of those actions are
stopped. The temp goes to the right or in a positive direction and the
oil goes to the left or in a negative direction. THis cummulative, and
they stop at the point they are and hold until the light comes back on
so that they read higher and higher or lower and lower. Turning the key
to run resets the guages. The gas guage is apparantly out of this loop
and is unaffected.
In a brief attempt to trouble-shoot I kept pulling wires off until the
guages quit reading current flow. I had to pull off the ALL following
before it quit reading current flow:
The Gen wire
The Lamps Wire
The Temp Wire
The Oil Wire
If any of those are left connected, both gauges (Oil & Temp) will act
as ammeters with the key off. All four have to be pulled.
The cluster is properly grounded. The chassis manual electical diagram
doesn't indicate any special wiring or shunts with guages vs. idiot
lights.
mike dziadik [email protected]
Rallye Pac Conversion - B, C-body
1977 - 1985
Guages for these years consisted of oil, cooland and volt guages located next
to the steering column. No tack though. These cars could also be ordered with a
single vacuum/economy gauge, usually on the right side of the column.
Note that the woodgrain pattern changed in '80. So grab the RH
panel as well unless you don't mind a mismatch. There might also be
variations in the number of cutouts on the panel, although I've seen
impressions molded into the back side. So you could make the cutouts yourself.
There are also slight variations in guage faces.
Some early diesel equipped cars have a panel with an extra hole cut in it
for a "Water in Fuel" light mounted inbetween the climate control switches
and the clock (if so equipped). I bought one of these panels (including
the light and 18' of wiring that led to the fuel tank) and used it for my
RH side. This way, I have my stock panels and I can take the current
panels (which I painted the chrome edging gloss grey and the chrome on the
inset parts flat black) and cut it up for a stereo head unit (since it has
the hole, its resale value is nil). Took out the light of course (not
needed).
To convert, check out the Factor Chassis Manual and follow below.
From the donor car:
-
You will need the upside-down-U shaped wood paneled piece that goes over
the column and actually holds the gages and the lower (gage package
specific) wood panel piece. If you can, get several gages of the same type
from the junkyard, just to have as spares.
-
You will also need the wiring harness that runs to the gage contacts and
also has the light sockets on it. Unplug the harness (from the female
connector inside the dash) and remove the gage package. You will not need
to modify this harness (with the L-shaped connectors and the light bulbs)
at all.
-
You will need to remove the dashboard, and locate the 12 cavity
connector that plugs into the printed circuit board on the back of the
cluster carrier, just to the driver's left of the speedo cluster. Some of
these cavities will have single wires, and some will have two wires. There
are only three wire assemblies that you will be adding to your car's
12-cavity connector, and all three of them are dual wires - the pink/black
stripe wires, the grey wires, and the black wires. Just pull the wires out
of those three cavities and cut them loose (only cut the wires going to the
firewall, NOT the ones going to the gage cluster harness).
Thread the three leads out from the bottom of the dash by pulling on the
gage cluster harness - by doing this step you will save yourslef three
soldering jobs (connector to harness).
It may be tempting to also try and save the dual wire brown and dual wire
green OR green w/white stripe OR green w/yellow stripe OR "a combination of
these greens" wires also - DO NOT DO IT. All you need to save are the
pink/black wire (power), the black wire (ground), and the grey wire
(lights). You will need to cut the green wire (temperature) and the brown
wire (oil) that go from the harness to the 12-cavity connector.
-
You will also need a varialbe oil pressure sending unit and a variable
temperature sending unit. It would be an EXCELLENT idea to remove these
from the donor car at the same time - you might find that the oil pressure
sender is screwed into a 68 - 72 Ralleye Pak oil pressure brass fitting, be
sure to grab this also.
-
You will also want to collect the rubber boot that holds the oil
pressure lead onto the sender (cut it with wire cutters) and also
(possibly) the temperature wires/connector as well (my car had two wires on
the connector already).
On your car:
-
Again, remove the dashboard. Add the three dual-wire connectors to your
12-cavity connector by pulling your old ones out of the cavity, cutting
them, soldering the new ones in, and sliding the new ones into the cavities.
Plug the 12-cavity connector back into the cluster carrier. At this
point, you will have lights in the gage cluster, and a working voltimeter.
-
You will need to run two wires thru the firewall - one from the oil
pressure sender and one from the temp sender. If your car is like mine,
then you already have two wires (On/Off and Variable) on your temp sender,
but the Variable wire doesn't run through the firewall - in this case you
can just splice your new wire into the variable wire (most likely
green/white stripe or green/yellow stripe, NOT solid green) just forward of
C100 (the bulkhead connector underneath the windshield wiper reservoir).
Solder the oil pressure rubber boot onto your new wire. You have a choice
of either having both an idiot light and a gage, or just a gage - if you
want both, you will have to buy a brass "T" or "Y" fitting to screw on both
your variable sender and your On/Off sender. If you want just a gage, then
your stock idiot light wiring will still be there and unmolested if you
ever decide that you DO want both.
Install your variable temp sending unit, and plug the connector in.
-
Solder your new oil wire and your new temp wire onto the brown and green
wires respectively (on the gage harness, that you cut loose from the donor
car's 12-cavity connector).
-
Make sure all your connections are tight, and make sure that all the
gages work, before you put your dashboard back on. The Oil Pressure gage
will probably seem to be pegged at maximum (60 psi+) with the motor running
but cold - once the oil warms up you will start to see changes in oil
pressure when you rev the motor.
-
Finis.
Point #1- Forget all that stuff about jacking around with the 12-cavity
connector - my advice is not to remove it (or any of it's contacts) from
the printed circut on the back of the panel. You will almost certainly
screw both the connector and the printed circuit up. Just splice into the
wires anywhere in that harness - you will probably still need to remove the
dash pad to gain effective access to the wires that run to the connector -
of course, any pink/black wire, grey wire, and black wire in the dash will
do as well, but I did it this way.
I would advise against splicing. Carefully remove the clear plastic multi
wire connector and use a
small screwdriver to push down on the little tang on each wire to remove
that wire. Bend the tang up a bit when you are ready to reinsert the wire
into the connector.
Point #2 - It is vitally important to get that 45 deg adapter fitting for
the oil pressure sender. Even if you're going to buy new sending units (a
good idea), you HAVE TO GET THAT PIECE. I spent 4 days running around town
to every brass cabinet in Austin trying to build my own - a major pain.
This piece is identical to the Ralleye Pak setup on '68 - '72
A-bodies, and as such is sold new by Year One PN# 300N ($21 friggin'
dollars - grab the one out of the junk car).
Point #3 - You don't HAVE TO have a donor car, given that you can just
splice everything to whatever wires you find in there - it would just be a
lot easier to grab that quick release wiring harness than making you own.
However, with no donor car, you're paying Year One $21, why not just pay a
quick visit to your local junkyard? I guarantee you'll find things for
your car that you just didn't even know existed, or that you knew you were
missing and just figured on doing without.
[ Thanks to Brian Ammons for this information ]
Rallye Pac Conversion - G-body
I would just take a big pair of cutters with you and snip the plugs
off the harness of the dead car, cutting the wires an inch or two
behind the plugs, and just shove the plugs in your pocket. It'll
make comparison later a lot easier, plus if you somehow manage
to damage one of the connectors you're trying to relocate, you can
weasel out one of the junkyard connectors from its plug, snap it
into yours and solder the relocated wire onto it. (And study the
cut-off plugs to see how you release the wire connectors and slide
them out the back or front of the housing.)
Do you have a prindle quadrant in the gauge cluster? (The thing
labeled "P R N D L" with a pointer.) If so, be sure you've got
the string running from the needle out the bottom of the cluster
to the clip on the shift bowl; this pulls the prindle pointer
off "P" when you shift out of Park.
And while you're in there, grab courtesy lights, map lights,
glovebox lights, whatever. They're usually generic enough to
swap into any similar GM car that doesn't have them.
And finally, don't rush! If you strip or break a plastic mount
in the dash of your good car, fixing it will be a royal pain.
Those hex-head nuts that secure the big rectangular vinyl gauge
surround are especially easy to strip.
Bulb holders and bulb number:
| Black 161s |
| Green 194s |
| Blue 168s |
The following lists the function of various idiot cluster wires:
| Idiot lights: color of wires from the printed circuit board |
| Color | Location |
| Pink | Fuel Gage |
| Tan | Oil/choke indicator |
| Tellows | Check engine light (2 wires) |
| Tan/white | Brake indicator |
| Dark Blue | Wait light (diesel) |
| Yellow/black | Water in fuel (diesel) |
| Pink/blk is | Power from the fuse block |
| Instruments: color of wires from printed circuit board |
| Color | Location |
| Pink | Fuel gage |
| Tan | Oil pressure sender |
| Dark grn/white | Coolant temp sender |
| Dark grn/yellow | To ign switch AND changes color to Dark |
| Green | Which goes to AC temp cut-off switch |
| White | Distributor for tach |
| Black | Ground |
| The voltmeter gets power from the pink/blk wire that comes from the fuse panel
|
| Instrument panel lights get power from the gray wires.
|
Use some comments from below, but use Mike R's post and '85 manual, 8C1-17.
Show idiot light wiring from previous or next page.
Andrew C. Green"
Okay. But I think you can identify the function of each wire yourself
by tracing where it leads on the circuit board. There isn't an awful
lot that doesn't go straight to a light bulb or one side of a gauge
field winding or whatever. IOW, despite the different wire positions
(and possibly color coding), the two clusters will have a fair amount
in common. Once you've figured out that part, the leftover wires will
be a little easier to figure out.
I'll take a quick stab at the common colors, then you look at the
circuit board and check my guesswork:
What's called connector #2 (right side of pac from back)
>---------------------------------
>Gray 1 || 14 White
>---------------------------------
Gray is dash (ignition on) backlighting. White is tack.
>---------------------------------
>Black 2 || 13 Blue
>---------------------------------
Black is probably a ground. Blue right turn signal.
>---------------------------------
>Pink 3 || 12 light blue
>---------------------------------
Pink is fuel sender, ignition Hot, such as a power lead to field windings
for the gauges, which only activate with the ignition on. Light blue
is left turn signal.
>---------------------------------
>Brown 4 || 11 green
>---------------------------------
Brown is oil pressure. Green is high beam indicator.
>---------------------------------
>Yello 5 || 10 Pink w/blk stripe
>---------------------------------
Yellow is seat belt fasten. Pink/Black is ignition.
>---------------------------------
>beige w/whitstripe 6 || 9 med. brown
>---------------------------------
Beige w/white stripe is brake warning. Medium brown is alt/charge warning.
>---------------------------------
>green w/whitstripe 7 || 8 light blue but not as light as #12
>---------------------------------
Green is water temp. Light blue is oil/choke.
>---------------------------------
> Yellow 1 || unused 14
>---------------------------------
Yellow is check engine.
>---------------------------------
> Green w/yellow stripe 4 || unused 11
>---------------------------------
Green is temp.
>---------------------------------
> Pink w/black stripe 5 || unused 10
>---------------------------------
Pink is ignition (tack?).
Check the wire color leading to your two idiot light switches for
oil and temp. You may be able to match them to two of the unknown
colors above. Also check the parking brake release mechanism; there
you will find the little plunger switch for the BRAKE warning light
for which you can identify the color coding on that wire.
Finally, look at the idiot light lens with all the legends on it
(SEAT BELT/LOW FUEL/TEMP etc.); you can trace from each bulb back
to its connection with the harness and identify circuits that way
as well. Yes, there are multiple legends for a couple of warnings
(I think TEMP pops up in two different places, as does SEAT BELT),
but only one will have a bulb for it.
Tom Lentz
> 14. ??? Tach??? - white <--goes to a clip w/screw in it at almost
> center of the tach.
>
> Con. 2
> 1. Check engine - Yellow
> 2. empty
> 3. empty
> 4. \___ went to the temp light on the rally pack
> 5. /
> As you can see a lot of the same colors do the same functions, except
> for white. what the hell is white for.
>
> I am going to swap out the water switch with a sender. And run the temp
> light to the guage.
>
> I am going to do the same with the oil, and run the oil/choke to the
> guage, BTW the oil sender is about twice as big as the switch and i dont
> think i am going to get it to fit without a pipe extension... its about
> 1.75 inches in dia and 2 inches tall.. the old one was 1 inch dia and 1
> inch tall...
>
> I am just going to run the charge light to the volt meter
Yup, white is the tach. The primitive diagram in my Haynes manual
verifies that. The tach wire hooks to the terminal marked TACH on
the distributor (actually the negative side of the coil, but the coil is
in the distributor on the HEI). The problem is that there should
already be a wire there which goes to feed info to the car's computer. The
diagram says this is a white wire that goes into terminal 12 on the
computer. I'm not sure how it gets from this white wire at the
computer up to the dash. I'd be reluctant to mess near the computer, and I'd
probably just run a second wire from the distributor for your white
wire.
You got the right oil pressure sender, that's what they look like.
If I remember right they're attached to a short 45 degree (or 135 degree
depending upon how you look at it) extention from the factory.
Did you figure out which temp. sender is the one for the gauge and
which is for the computer input? The computer input on my '84 are two
wires, black and yellow. It's a "coaxial" type connector that you squeeze
to get off. If you find this on your car, best let it be. Mine was so
brittle with age and engine heat it disintigrated when I squoze
(squeezed?) it. GM wanted $22 for a new one, ouch!
I'm not convinced about that charge light to the voltmeter, but it's
probably right. When I think about it the voltmeter only needs +12
and ground so I really doubt you hook anything to it that could hurt it
if you tried.
Sounds like you're in for a fun time of moving wires around. There
does exist somewhere a special tool for taking those out. If you have
that many to do it might be worth trying to find it, but I have no idea
where to start looking.
When you finally do get it working, please document your original and
new wiring sequences (and anything else you did) so that we can put
it into the FAQ!
Tom Lentz
[email protected]
David A Orth
Andrew Green
[ Thanks to for this information ]
Rocket Rallye Pak Tic Toc Tac
Calibrating
They are quite simple to calibrate. I assume '68-'72 tachs calibrate
the same, my experience being confined to the '70-'72 version.
Here's how I have calibrated numerous '70-'72 Rally Pack tachs:
-
Say "Rocket Rally Pack Tick Toc Tach" three times fast. If you can
do this, you can go to step two. If not, you must sell your Olds and
buy a GTO with a hood tach.
- Attach an inductive tach (Sears sells "engine analyzers" that work
just fine) to a plug wire, and put it where you can read it from the
driver's seat.
-
All of you saps who own '68 & '69 models must now crawl under the
dash. Those of you with the vastly superior '70-72 models can remain
seated in your extra comfy Strato Bucket seat. Remove the tach from the
dash, leaving the wiring connected for a quicker job. Install a jumper
for the brown (hot) wire if you need to disconnect the wiring for more
reach.
-
Attach a jumper from an ear on the tach case (the ear is what you
put the screw through to hold it in the dash) to the ground strap on the
dash. This is an important step. If you don't think so, hold onto the
tach with sweaty hands and start the car without grounding the tach case
first. Been there, done that. It hurts, and you will drop your
precious Tic Tock Tach.
-
Peel back the round foil sticker on the back of the tach case. It
covers up the calibration screw. Don't worry about voiding your GM
warranty. You don't have one.
-
Start the car and turn the calibration screw with the appropriate
tool until the readout on your Rally tach matches the readout on the
inductive tach. Rev the car to 1000 RPM increments based on the
inductive tach readout, holding the revs there, and adjusting the Rally
tach each time. The calibration screw is sensitive, but you should be
able to get a fairly close match across the operating rev range of the
engine.
-
You will probably not get a perfect match at every RPM. Make sure
you err on the side of caution and set the tach a little conservatively.
It is better to have the tach read a little high than a little low.
You can bet your bacon that GM calibrated them to read 6000 rpm when the
mill was probably at 5500 or so. Since The General will not be
reloading your 442 with a fresh engine under warranty, play it safe.
-
I have to recalibrate my tach once a year or so. I'm sure that
vibration turns the calibration screw, and it starts to drift. Apply
a little blob of paint or nail polish where the screw meets the case
to keep the adjustment screw in place.
Have fun and don't forget that ground jumper!
Relocating
Both the 68-69 design and the 70-70 design have three separate
casings (otherwise, how would you swap the idiot lights for gauges?).
The mounting tabs on the later cars are in different locations, so you
would need to adapt this somehow, as the plastic dash doesn't have the
proper screw locations in all cases. In addition, the tach housing is
much longer than the speedo housing, so you would need to check clearances.
Note that the vastly superior 68-69 cars have the retention screws
threading into tabs on the sides of the housings. If I remember
correctly, these should be in the same places on all housings. I
haven't tried it, but it sounds doable. At the worst, these tabs are
bent sheet metal spot welded to the housing - easy to relocate.
Other considerations, of course, are speedo cable (you'll need a
longer one), and wire harness length (may need to lengthen these
also). Presumably, this is a floor-shift car, as the shift indicator
for a column shift will obviously not work if the speedo isn't
directly over the steering column (hmmm, probably why the tach is on
the right!).
[ Thanks to Scott Mullen, Andrew Green, Joe Padavano for this information ]
Tachometer Reads Incorrectly
Erratic or high readings could be generated by the wires, coil, etc.
But this only occurs if the wire going to the distributor tach terminal
comes in or near contact with a part of the ignition.
So here is a solution which has worked on 4 separate tachs: two 79's,
one 1984, and an 1986. On the back of the tach, there is a small pin/clip that
is used to set the tach for either 6 cylinders or 8. The clip makes a connection
between a common center point and either a top or bottom point (depending
on 6 or 8) It seems that after so many years this connection becomes loose
and gives the tach a false reading on not being set for either 6 or 8 cylinders.
So to fix this, remove the pin and use a small piece of sandpaper to
clean any corrosion on the 'points'. Once you remove the pin, you will
see a small metal clip that has a slight bend in it to keep pressure on
the two points (and electrically connect them). Bend this slightly more
to increase the pressure and this will solve your problem.
You could try soldering these two points, but be very careful or with
too much heat, you will fry the IC chip in the tach (it is VERY close to
the point connections!).
A common problem when soldering. A couple of things to help:
- Use a "heat-sink". Clip a good conductor of heat between
the solder point and that which you seek to protect. Hemostats or even
a pair of vise-grips. The idea is the larger surface will disipate the
heat and not allow much of it to get to the components.
- Don't use a LARGE soldering gun. While it can be done,the greater
heat makes it easier to fry stuff. Use a 35-50 watt soldering pencil.
- Make sure the soldering pencil has had plenty of time to warm up.
Trying to wait for it to heat up as you solder allows more time for heat
to transfer to the components. Touch the solder to the pencil. When it
melts easily, it ready. Also a thin coating of melted solder on the tip
"tins" it and will give you better heat transfer to the connection.
- Make sure the wires, terminals, etc, are CLEAN. Corrosion and other
goo will prevent a good solder joint. Use a wire brush or emery paper to
clean them if necessary.
If all other possibilities have been eliminated, that leaves only the
guts of the tach as being defective.
[ Thanks to Michael R. Frederick, Tom Millard for this information ]
Converting Console Shifter to Hurst Dual Gate
You will need the shifter (doh!), cable, chrome top plate, and the two
woodgrain pieces for the console (they are different for the dual-gate).
Bottom line is that if you get the shifter with the console (more likely
than finding the shifter by itself), it is a very easy conversion. Any
factory service manual for 70-72 will detail this.
It turns out that the factory console has molded-in ridges on the underside
to indicate the proper cutout for a dual-gate or factory 4-spd. Your existing
console has some perforations were the shifter should go and needs to be
cut in those areas. The Chassis Service Manual shows were this is but you
can probably see it from underneath. You can use your existing top plastic
woodgrain piece but it needs to be cut were the front of the dual gate chrome
top plate meets. In effect you will cut this plastic piece in half and
only keep the front half.
You also need a dual gate shifter cable which is about an inch longer.
If you have a TH-350 then you also need to get or fabricate a different
bracket on the tranny where the shift cable links up. The TH-400 can use
the existing linkage. You need different support brackets (front and rear)
for the dual gate shifter and these are important becausethe front one
holds the shifter cable in place. Also, both these bracketsare needed to
ensure that the shifter is bolted in the right place.
The light (under the P-R-N-D-2-1) that you have in the console now will
have to be relocated into a separate metal (painted white) holder that
is located under the dual gate shifter. This piece is very difficult to
find (I was lucky that I had an original in mine). This is not a crucial
piece but makes a nice finish.
There are two ways to locate the neutral safety switch:
-
The neutral safety switch which is probably located behind your existing
shifter must be changed to the dual gate neutral safety switch or it will
not function. The dual gate one has an extra long linkage. A neutral safety
switch from a dual gate is also very difficult to find and expensive.
-
You can use a column shift neutral safety switch with clips which
is easy to find and will never be noticed because it sits up under the
dash on top of the steering column. You will find that there are some conectors
already near that area for a column shift car. I forget the wire colors
but I think 2 green and 2 purple?? Anyways, one pair is for the reverse
lights and the other is for the Park and Neutral starting on the switch.
The other leads going to your console for the console lights can remain.
[ Thanks to Joe Padavano, Nick DiGiovanni for this information ]
Hurst Dual Gate Shifter
The Hurst Dual Gate is a special console automatic shifter that is found
in only a few Oldsmobiles in the late '60s and early '70s. It is easily
identified by the second slot, or gate, that is to the right of the normal
PRNDSL gate.
When the shifter is moved over to the right gate and pulled all the
way back, the car is in first gear. When you are ready to shift into second,
slap the shifter forward, and the car goes into second gear.
The advantage of the Dual Gate is that the car cannot be overshifted,
because there is a detent that prevents the shifter from going past second.
When the shifter is released, it springs over to the left slightly and
is now ready for the slap up into third gear. Because the right gate only
has first, second and third gears, it cannot be accidentally shifted into
neutral, reverse or park.
[ Thanks to Jon Wessel for this information ]
Stiff Toronado Shift Linkage Solution
If your Toronado has a real stiff gear selector, so stiff, in fact,
you really have to get on the selector arm to go from park to drive, read
on. This problem seems to occur after a long winter storge!
I decided to try WD-40ing everything in sight. That had minimal effect.
Then I disassembled the linkage from the column to the bellcrank, and from
the bellcrank to the transmission. It turned out the bellcrank was almost
completely seized. I removed it, hammered out the moving part, greased
it thoroughly, and re-assembled; it works happyily now.
Also have had problems with the universals in the steering linkage freezing
up after a long winter's storage. Found that giving them a good slathering
of grease prior to storage performs wonders.
[ Thanks to Dave Voorhis, Bob for this information ]
1983 - 1988 G-body T-tops
I recieved these prices from the dealer, so if you can find someone who works
for GM, or know somebody at a body shop or something, you can get them
for less.
GM parts numbers for G-body t-tops seals
| Weatherstripping (on the car) | Left | 20211821 | $95.50 |
| | Right | 20211820 | $95.50 |
| Sealant strips (on the top) | Left | 20139617 | $16.95 |
| | Right | same |
[ Thanks to Shawn M. Twomey for this information ]
Lightened Frames
These started appearing on Cutlass' in 1984.
Movies With Oldsmobiles
Movie Year What Olds Comments
Airheads '67 442 Conv Main character's girlfriend's car.
All The '68 Toronado limo Drives by at the airport.
Presidents Men
Army Of Darkness '73 Delta 88 Steam powered death coaster.
Banacek ? '70 Rallye 350
Bev. Hills Cop '68 Cutlass Conv
Bulletproof '77 Delta 88 Mobsters drive a yellow 4-door on
Heart a hit.
Colors '78 Cutlass Suprm Drug dealer's car.
Crime Wave ?? Delta 88 Car chase, totaled.
The Dark Half
Darkman ?? Delta 88 Almost runs over Darkman.
Dead by Dawn '73 Delta 88 Run into tree, fallsfrom sky,
totaled.
Demolition Man '70 442 A pinnacle of rebels independence.
Suffers front end hurt.
Dirty Dancing '63 Dynamic 88 Traveling to the Poconos.
Eraser '70-72 Vista Cruiser Nice front end shot, vista glass
The Evil Dead '73 Delta 88 Vacation transportation.
The Getaway,remake '8X Custom Cruiser
Great Balls of '57 Starfire Conv
Fire
Heat '77 Delta 88 Al Pacino parks next to an
abandoned 2-door at the chop shop.
Hot Rod '69 442 Drag racing theme.
Jumanji '70-72 Cutlass Brief glimpse of a so-so car in a
bad section of town.
Karate Kid II '71/72 442 Red
Kids in the Hall '66 Cutlass Supreme
King Pin '72 Cutlass
Kiss of Death '77 Delta 88 The feds grab David Caruso in a
blue 4-door.
Lethal Weapon 2 Custom Cruiser Family wagon. Takes a beating.
Lethal Weapon 3 Custom Cruiser Family wagon. Takes a beating.
Little China '70 Cutlass
Malcolm X '6X Delta 88 Used in the final scene.
Manix '68/69 Toro Custom
Milk Money '71 Cutlass Conv Wrecked.
Navy Seals '71 Cutlass Conv
New Jack City '85 Cutlass sedan Used in drive-by shooting.
Next Karate Kid '71 W-30 442 Blown up in last scene.
On Golden Pond '73 Delta 88 Main transportation.
A Perfect World '64 Vista Cruiser Much screen time, not beaten up.
Pie in the Sky '72 Cutlass Conv The family car.
Poltergeis '80 Custom Cruiser Main source of family tranportation.
Radio Flyer ?? Vista Cruiser Mom-mobile w/rash and dents.
Rebel of the Road '69 442
Richie Rich '67 Vista Cruiser Poor kid's mother's car.
The Silence of '65-6 F-85 Childhood flashback of father's
the Lambs Police car.
Slap Shot '74 Olds Delta Conv
'64/65 Cutlass Hdtp
Smokie and the '70 Cutlass Supreme
Bandit (maybe SX)
Stella Dallas '68 Toronado Movie remake w/Bette Midler.
Things to do in '70 88 or 98 Conv
Denver When
You're Dead
Vacation '72? Vista Cruiser Crushed.
White Men Can't '67 Cutlass Conv
Jump
WW and The Dixie?? '55 Olds
Dance Kings
[ Thanks to many people, Derek Esplin for this information. ]
Songs With Oldsmobiles
| Title | Artist/Band
| Lyric |
| 455 Rocket | Kathy Mattea |
| 47 Olds | Marc Nutter and Jim Schley-may |
| 56 Oldsmobile | Duke Merrick |
| 88 Boogie | Jackie Brenston |
| A Couple of Good Years Left | Ricky Van Shelton
| 1974 Delta 88 convertible |
| Detriot 442 | Blondie |
| In My Merry Oldsmobile | |
| In My Real Gone Rocket | Jackie Brenston |
| Jerry was a Racecar Driver | Primus
| On his 442 he'd light'em up just for fun |
| Middle Aged Crazy | Jerry Lee Lewis
| Today I traded my 98 Oldsmobile for a new Porsche car |
| My mind is rambling | Howling Wolf |
| Rocket 88 | Jessie Stone or Jackie Brenston |
| She took my Oldsmbile | the Romancers
| my 88, my 88, yeah! |
| Watch Me | Lorrie Morgan
| 1967 Cutlass Supreme ragtop |
[ Thanks to Robert Lawrence, Ed Gonfindini, Susan Aprill, Bill Goodnight,
Mark Prince, [email protected], Frank for this information ]
Table of Contents •
Index •
Acknowledgements
History •
Engines •
Blocks •
Heads •
Cranks •
Intakes •
Exhaust •
Pistons
Transmissions •
Diffs •
Brakes •
Suspension •
Steering •
Cams •
Carbs •
Interchange
Best BB •
Best SB •
260 •
303 •
307 •
324 •
330 •
350 •
371 •
394 •
400 •
403 •
425 •
455 •
Diesel
Rebuilding •
Buildup •
Swap •
Restore •
Option Codes •
Wheels •
Ignition •
Comp Ratio
The W's •
The H/O's •
The 442's •
Toronado •
88 / 98 / Starfire •
Cutlass •
Jetfire •
Wagons
Basic Tech •
How To •
Miscell •
All Vehicles •
Additional Information
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