A forum for your questions and information about Oldsmobiles. Emphasis on, but not limited to, V-8 powered Oldsmobiles.
![[ Oldsmobile Mail List Server ]](atrocket.gif)
To subscribe to the list server use your email program to send a message to [email protected]. In the email message body, leave the subject blank and include only the words "subscribe oldsmobile", or "subscribe oldsmobile-digest" for the digest version.
Be prepared to receive around 100 messages per day!!! The alternative is digest delivery (one 60KB collection of messages at a time - about three every two days).
Once you have subscribed, send all of your Olds related questions and comments to [email protected].
You may post messages to the list readers, seeking parts, advice, etc., or supplying the same. Your email will be distributed to all of the other list subscribers.
Basically your messages should read like a conversation would sound. Shouting at someone or agressively arguing a point would not be acceptable in a conversation with someone you do not know, and the same holds true for the list. We encourage polite debate, not in-your-face put-downs.
Post no pictures, and please limit non Olds material. Read the list welcome message thoroughly. Everyone on the list is pretty polite, and much nicer than most Usenet news groups. Enjoy!
I suggest subscribing to the digest version unless you like getting 100 or more individual posts per day, including the weekend.
Take a look at the FAQ and the digest archives first. Chances are the information is contained in one of these forms, but don't hesitate to post to the mail list.
Digests from day one of the mail list are available in archive form at http://www.calcon.net/~easton.
A forum specifically for questions and information on Toronados.
![[ Toronado Mail List Server ]](torolist.gif)
To subscribe to the list server use your email program to send a message to [email protected]. In the email message body, leave the subject blank and include only the words "subscribe toro", or "subscribe toro-digest" for the digest version (about one collection of messages a day).
Once you have subscribed, send all of your Toronado related questions and comments to [email protected].
You may post your own notice to the list readers, seeking parts, advice, etc., or supplying the same. Your email will be distributed to all of the other list subscribers. Digest delivery of messages is also available.
Basically your messages should read like a conversation would sound. Shouting at someone or agressively arguing a point would not be acceptable in a conversation with someone you do not know, and the same holds true for the list. We encourage polite debate, not in-your-face put-downs.
Take a look at the FAQ and the digest archives first. Chances are the information is contained in one of these forms, but don't hesitate to post to the mail list.
For more information, visit the Toro List FAQ, Web Site, and searchable archive at http://www.toronado.org.
![[ Hurst Oldsmobile Club of America ]](hoca.gif)
To join the H/OCA, send your name, address, phone, what year car(s) you have, and $25 to:
Hurst/Olds Club of America
455 131st Ave.
Wayland, MI 49348The web site is at http://www.HurstOlds.com. Jon Wessel, the club director, is on the Olds mail list.
![[ Oldsmobile Club of America (OCA) ]](oca.gif)
Journey with Olds is the publication of the Oldsmobile Club of America, and the membership info is as follows from the 3/96 issue (class is mail class):
One Year's Membership (U.S. only) - 3rd class: $30
One Year's Membership (U.S. only) - 1st class: $40
Two Year's Membership (U.S. only) - 3rd class: $55
Two Year's Membership (U.S. only) - 1st class: $70
One Year's Membership (Canada & Mexico only) - 1st class: $42
Two Year's Membership (Canada & Mexico only) - 1st class: $75
One Year's Membership (overseas): $60
Associate Membership: $5OCA offices: 517-663-1811, fax: 517-663-1820.
"Ownership of an Oldsmobile is NOT required to join the club. Any year or type of Oldsmobile is welcome in our ranks. This is the largest exclusive Oldsmobile club in the world. We have nearly 6,400 members and we date back to 1971."
"Please allow several weeks for processing. Please remit U.S. funds only. No checks in Canadian Dollars or foreign currency."
Send to: OCA, P. O. Box 80318, Lansing, MI 48908-0318.
In the application they ask for your name, address, city, state, zip, phone number, list of Oldsmobiles currently owned, and other OCA chapters you may be affiliated with.
A 1st-class membership in the Olds Club of America, gets you 1st-class delivery of the monthly newsletter Journey With Olds, with ads, tech articles, etc. If you get 3rd class delivery, the good parts are all gone by the time you get the newsletter. The newsletter will not be forwarded with 3rd class delivery, say if you move and forget to change your address. You also get 25 free words of advertising each month, and subsequent words are only 15c each. One of the most useful ads for a parts seeker is the "Parts Wanted" ad. There are also sub-chapters of the OCA, specializing in say H/O's, W-cars, etc.
The official web site (as of 12:01 am 3/22/1998) is at http://www.oldsclub.org.
OCA Olds Cutlass Coupes
The forgotten five years of Cutlass, 1973 - 1977, getting some respect. A chapter of OCA.![[ Olds Cutlass Coupes ]](occ5car.jpg)
OCA Toronado Chapter and Toronado Mail List FAQ
Tons of relavent, needed and interesting information from Toro owners and aficionados.![[ OCA Toronado Chapter ]](ocatoro.jpg)
![[ Oldsmobile ]](ologonew.gif)
Oldsmobile Motorsports
920 Townsend St., MS 1045
Lansing MI 48921
800-442-OLDS (6537) 517-885-1651They have a very nice, and one of the best web sites at www.oldsmobile.com.
Heidi Magyar, in Public Relations, checks e-mail at [email protected]
Byrceman's Olds Page
A truly excellent WWW page dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of Oldsmobiles everywhere.![[ Byrceman's Olds Page ]](442com.gif)
Check out the "Oldsmobile Parts Sources" page for a list of after market suppliers of all products for your Oldsmobile. "Technical Pages" provides reference on models, engines and rebuilding. The "Related Entities" page provides information on joining the Oldsmobile Club of America and other organizations.Other pages available are "Road Tests and Evaluations", "Oddities and Innovations", "Oldsified Ads", "Collectibles, Books and Literature", "Art and Images", and the "Oldsmobile Owners Registry". Don't leave without "doing" the R.E. Olds Museum virtual tour!
'68 Hurst/Olds Offramp
Lots of 1968 H/O information.1969 Hurst/Olds Home Page
Lots of 1969 H/O information.1975 Hurst Olds Page
Lots of 1975 H/O information.GM G-Body Page
1978 to 1988 GM G-body cars.
442 Registry
1000 South 19th Street
Arlington, VA 22202-1612
Curved Dash Oldsmobile Club
3455 Florida Avenue N.
Minneapolis, MN 55427
(612) 533-4280
National Antique Oldsmobile Club, Inc.
11730 Moffit Lane
Manassas, VA 22111-3122
Email address for Clay Mollman, the newsletter editor is: [email protected]
Starfire/Jetstar 1 Chapter
2657 April Dawn Way
Gambrills,MD 21054
1975-80 Oldsmobile Starfire and other GM H07 bodied cars:
The H07 Registry (Starfire Registry)
PO Box 2653
Mission Viejo, CA 92690
The H07 Registry was created in 1995 to create a communications network for enthusiast-owners of H07 bodied cars. Announcements for the registry appear in the OCA Journey With Olds and various other publications.
General Motors Of Canada Ltd.
Atn/ Vintage Vehicle Services (dept. 163-005)
1908, Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
Canada
1-800-263-3777
(Mon-Fri 8-5 EST)
They can only trace back cars that have been originally sold in Canada, but it does not matter were the car was originally built. For instance, my 1970 4-4-2 was built in Fremont, California but was sold at a Dealership in Vancouver, B.C. Therefore if the car was built in the U.S. and it was sold in the U.S. and then brought up to Canada at a later date, they will not be able to trace it and give you any information on the car.
The cost is $42.80 total. You give them your VIN and they research and send you a sheet with the trim codes, paint codes, top, Production Plant, Shipping Date, Model Number, Engine size and HP and Dealer that it was sold at. You also get all the options that were ORIGINALLY on the car with a description of each.
You also get a 30 page AMA Specifications book on your car from that model year. It has everything that you could possibly imagine (eg. exhaust valve material, length, head diameter, angle of seat, stem diameter, stem to guide clearence, lift etc. This is just the exhaust valve section! Every part of the car is in this technical sheet. (ie. Upper Compression Ring - Cast Iron with Crowned and Molybdenum Plated O.D., Width: 0.0770-0.0780, Gap: 0.013-0.023).
You also get a 67 page Vintage Vehicle Restoration Guide that has hundreds of addresses, phone numbers and a short description of what they sell. The table of contents is: Introduction, General Motors - How it all Began, In Canada - The Early Years, A General Motors Family Album, Important GM Dates, Some General Information, A Word about Shop Manuals, GM Restoration Parts Licensing Program, Car Clubs, Services (34 pages of parts places and services with descriptions of what they specialize in), and Literature.
[ Thanks to Greg Beaulieu for this information ]
The very first thing every classic Olds owner must do is WRITE to the Olds History Center to obtain some original documentation for their car. There is a $15 research fee.
http://www.oldsmobileheritage.com/history.html Oldsmobile History Center
920 Townsend St.
Lansing, MI 48921
Mail Stop: 489-111-040
The History Center can also provide, for cars built from 1977 on, a copy of the original selling invoice for your car. This will tell you the dealer from which the car was originally purchased, and what options were on the car when it left the factory.
You will also want to check out the Oldsmobile/Gm Heritage Center at http://www.oldsmobileheritage.com 414 E. Michigan Avenue
Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 482-0717
FAX (517) 485-6937
[ Thanks to Randy Geisel for this information. ]
240 Museum Drive
Lansing, MI 48912Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 10 - 5pm
Sunday: Noon - 5pm
Closed most major holidays.
E-mail at [email protected]![[ RE Olds Transportation Museum ]](reotm.gif)
A small virtual tour can be found on Bryceman's Olds Web Site. At the museum you will find items like one of the original four 1897 Olds, a Curved Dash Olds, the Aerotech research vehicle (current land speed record holder), '66 Toronado #1 (2 '66's), Aurora #1, '49 Rocket OHV, '68 Hurst #1 (only 4 speed), 455 Hemi, 455 4 valve, 455 DOHC, 455 Turbo, and among other things, a humongous cast-iron engine from the 1920's. Among the approximate 40 cars and trucks are REO's and Oldsmobiles. Worth the trip to Lansing in central Michigan.
[ Thanks to Chris Witt, Mike Turley for this information ]
A good collection of automotive math and program to perform the calculations can be found at http://sura1.jlab.org/~grippo/auto.html. Do a net search if this link is old.
A lot of stuff that's applicable to the later model Cutlass'. Computer error codes, tranny tips, suspension modifications, etc. Among them I found detailed instructions on how to remove, repair, and replace the power antenna on my '84 H/O (including GM part numbers for the repair kit), tips for traction, how to install a headliner, heater core, tranny removal, replacing the lockup converter with a non-lockup, and lots of other stuff. If you have a G-body, go check it out at http://www.gnttype.org/index.html. Do a net search if this link is old.
The best commercially available info sources are a book called 442 by the Numbers published by SuperCars, Ultd. of Portland, OR, and Joe Mondello's Technical Reference Manual. The former is about $15, covers 442 [only] from '64 to '72 mainly, has VIN decoding, casting number applications, correct number listings for carbs, distributors, differentials, etc. A "best buy" for the beginner, many photos.
The Mondello booklet is about $25, covers more components, but lacks a bit in composition and editing. No VIN decoding is offered, but the casting number parts identification is much more extensive, and in addition to the 442 items, small blocks and ordinary engines are covered as well. More technical information, such as head displacement volume, is listed.
Available from Mondello Performance, Inc. Get it for even more details on Oldsmobile engines 1964 - 1994, excluding the 394.
Date Magazine Page Title 1977 PHR Eng Annual 44 Buildup of '74 455 9/1979 HR 71 Street modifications for Olds 403 2/1980 HR Building the Olds 260/350/403 engine 5/1980 HR 59 Olds update 4/1981 CC 58 Building the 330 Olds V-8 1/1981 HR 71 Building a competition 455 Olds 10/1984 HR 48 'Junkyard Dog' - lo-budget BB Part 1 11/1984 HR 45 " " - Part 2 7/1985 CD Comparing '84 442, MC SS, GN Fall'85 Muscle Cars 54 Building the Olds 455 (Mondello) 1986 PHR Eng Annual 52 Olds 455 short block modifications 3/1986 HR 54 The Olds V-8 (alternative engines) 10/1986 CC Beefing up the 200-R4 trans 10/1986 HR 104 Olds adjustable valvetrain - stock pts 1987 PHR Eng Annual 20 403 Olds buildup 3/1987 HR 85 Keith Black/Olds DRCE block and heads 4/1987 HR 112 Olds Quad 4 modification Variances 8/1987 CC 1G Street Machine - Ultimate Handling Tricks for GM G-body (Spicer Engineering "Darth Vader" car) 8/1987 PHR Cutlass 482 SS/GT K Sportsman - Part1 9/1987 PHR 76 " " " " " - Part 2 11/1987 PHR Goodbye to the 442 Olds 4/1988 CC 1964-74 Olds 442 - The Rocket's Red Glare 2/1989 CA 1964-84 Oldsmobile 442: Anti-Boredom Machine 4/1989 Hot Street Cars 14 Build a 495 Olds 7/1989 PHR 66 Olds 495 from a 350 diesel block 2/1990 SS 28 1990 Olds Calais S/S car 6/1990 CC 82 PS/A '87 Cutlass 6/1990 PHR 46 Mondello builds the 307 SB 7/1990 PHR 80 The Mondello 455 buildup 7/1991 PHR 80 Stroker SBs: 440 SB Olds 8/1991 CC 92 '78-'88 swaps: brakes, strg boxes, etc 2/1991 PHR 51 68 Olds in GTO (11.50 ET) 3/1992 CC 42 New Olds block ('Rocket' SB Chev) 9/1992 PHR Totally Stroked - Mondello Strikes Again with a 486 or 493 Olds Giant 1/1993 HR 100 '72 Cutlass 455 (11.92ET/112mph) 2/1993 PMR&P 442 Production Figures 2/1993 PMR&P Rocket Science, Hot W-30 Engine Rebuild 2/1996 CA 1954-56 Olds: Sneaked Styling (Cover) 12/1996 CA The Slimmer, Trimmer Oldsmobiles of 1961-64Note:
CA - Collectible Automobile CC - Car Craft CD - Car & Driver HR - Hot Rod PMR&P - Petersen's Musclecar Restoration & Performance PHR - Popular Hot Rodding S/S - Super Stock & Drag Illustrated [ Thanks to Brad Nicholson, others for this information ]
Shop manuals and the like are widely available. Be aware that for some years the chassis manual consisted of a multi (eg. five) volume set. Most years are two manuals: chassis (shop) and body (all GM bodies for that year). There are several automobile literature vendors who advertise in Hemmings and the various Olds club publications. Try 1-800-BUY-A-BOOK. First thing I'd recommend for anyone new to the old-car hobby is to pick up a copy of Hemmings Motor News at your local newsstand. It has advertisements from just about everyone in the busines, for just about anything to do with automobiles and trucks.
Bob Johnson's Auto Literature at 800-334-0688. Walter Miller of Syracuse NY. Dragich Auto Literature of Minneapolis, MN. Ken McGee of Goderich, Ontario, Canada. These guys tend to have both NOS and used original manuals, along with some reprints, and they carry them for just about every car ever made (or they can find them for you).
For Olds-specific stuff, there's Al and Bill Sandy at 609-858-0248, members of OCA. You will also find most literature at local swap meets for a little less money.
| A.I.R. | Air Injection Reactor | |
| A.T. | Automatic Transmission | |
| C.C.C. | Climatic Combustion Control | |
| C.C.W | Counter Clock Wise | |
| Gross Vehicle Weight | Vehicle weight plus passengers, cargo, and trailers if any. | |
| Max. Engine Torque | self explanatory | |
| Max. Gearbox Torque | Gearbox torque is engine torque multiplied by the torque converter multiplication ratio (1.5 to 3.0 depending on converter). | |
| M.T. | Manual Transmission | |
| O.A.I. | Outside Air Induction | |
| Rallye Pac | In dash gauge package including miniscule tach, clock, oil pressure and temp gauges | |
| Toro | Toronado | |
| Trak Pak | Dealer installed 1966 W-30 packages | |
| W-30 | High-performance big-block engine | |
| W-31 | High-performance small-block engine |
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
© 1996 - 2000 by the members of the Oldsmobile Mail List Server Community. All rights reserved.
