Lets see the cars!!!!

ViragoBry · Mar 12, 2009

I was just ecstatic to find one with a 5-speed in Florida, the land of the automatic.

It had ZERO options on it besides A/C (standard with the 3.0?) but I didn't care. I originally wanted the forest green with the gold-accent alloy wheels, but never found one. The red looked SO good sitting on the showroom and it had that magic stick on the console, so I hungrily made it mine. Best car purchase ever.

Oldswagon · Mar 12, 2009

Originally Posted By: caprice_2nv

My winter beater, an 83 Olds Delta 88 with 307/2004R trans. I paid $300 and it needed nothing for a safety. It's a really nice driving car but is getting a bit too rusty on the body from not being undercoated before I got it, so it's being replaced by the 89 Caprice I just got for $400. If it weren't for the Caprice I'd keep this one for another few years.
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Up until a couple of years ago my daily driver was an 1985 Delta 88, 307 TH200-4R. Great car, super reliable (started -30 no problems), cheap and easy to fix, good on gas for a V8, but alas she became too rusted out to be worth saving. I scrapped the car in early 2007.

Here is a photo of the old Olds:

Your Cutlass and Caprice are nice too. The 350 Olds V8 is a good sized engine for that car. The 307's were always way too underpowered. Was this originally a 305 Chev powered car (since your in Canada)? My brother still has his '86 Cutlass Supreme with a 305 Chev as his daily driver. With true duals and a few minor mods it's a reasonably quick car that still gets 30 MPG highway.

I am hoping the 350 TBI in my Suburban will hit 500K km's. Right now its about 325K and she still runs like new (virtually no oil consumption). The TBI small blocks are great engines.

Oldswagon · Mar 12, 2009

Here is my baby, my 1972 Gran Torino Sport fastback. My Dad ordered to his specs in 1972. Grew up with this car, awesome to drive, turns lots of heads. This would be the last car I'd part with.

At a local cruise night

Interior is all original

Parked next to a nice 340 Cuda

Here is my Olds Custom Cruiser wagon, which is where my name comes from. Rust free, and I did most of the work for a strip and repaint about 6 years ago. Was originally my mother's car, and haven't had the heart to sell the old girl (since it's worth nothing, the class of person who'd by this would likely drive it into the ground).

At the one of the local waterfronts.

In front of it's home

They don't make 'em this big anymore (and yes, it has the rear facing seat).

I don't have any decent pictures of the '93 'Burb and '99 Civic since they are just the boring reliable daily drivers.

Johnny · Mar 12, 2009

That is a sweet Torino. My Dad had a 1973 Gran sport addition. I wish I had it.

caprice_2nv · Mar 12, 2009

Oldswagon, yes the Cutlass did come with a 305 Chevy, it ran fine other than needing valve seals, but it went to the junkyard for scrap cause nobody wanted it. With the 350 and 2004R and 2.56 gears I've been able to get 29mpg imperial (about 25mpg U.S) with it. That's with a quadrajet that I rebuilt. I got a steady 24imp/19U.S for mileage before with the 3.73 gears.

If it had come with a 307 like the U.S cars I probably would have left it for originality. The 307's in the 84 and earlier cars seem to have a lot more power than the 85 and up roller 307. The one in my Delta will roast the tires pretty good but the one in my 87 Caprice would barely chirp a tire. I could probably be happy with the early 307 for a daily driver if I put headers, dual exhaust and a performer intake on it. Maybe a cam swap at the most.

btw, where are you located?

Oldswagon · Mar 12, 2009

Johnny,

Thanks for the nice comments on the Torino!

Caprice_2nv

I am not a big fan of the 307 Olds, either the 5a head or the 7a swirl port roller cam engines. I have driven the earlier versions and they seemed a bit more peppy, but still underpowered in a fullsize car with high gears. Both engines were rated at only 140 hp, but the swirl port motor had a much more narrow power band which is why it feels so much slower (peak power is at 3200 RPM, vs 3800 RPM for the older motor). I have had much better luck with 305 Chevrolet and 302 Fords engines than 307 Olds engines.

caprice_2nv · Mar 13, 2009

I've had 4 305's now, one in a car that got wrote off, one in my old Cutlass that rusted out, one I replaced with the 350 Olds, and now my new one with 304K miles on it. I also have a 302 in my 78 Ford F100 and it runs great. I like all these engines, guess I really have the 5.0L V8 covered across the board. The only one I have that uses oil is my Ford but it leaks a lot and has spent the last number of years sitting around and not getting driven regularly. That's likely most of the problem.

addyguy · Mar 13, 2009

My dad had a 1978 Chev. Malibu with a 305. It was an okay car until it got to be about 8-9 years old, and then it got badly 'carboned up' and ran worse and worse until it barely ran unless you basically kept it floored, spewing black, sooty smoke.

Thing, is, my dad's wasn't the only one that did that - we had neighbors with 2 305-powered vehicles that did the same thing. I've never really thought much of the Chev. 305....

addyguy · Mar 13, 2009

Hey, caprice,

Why is that girl giving the finger in the second picture of the Caprice?

Blokey · Mar 13, 2009

OMG Oldswagon, your Custom Cruiser brought back memories! I had one almost identical to yours, white, but mine was an '82 - I thought I was looking at my old car!

Nice car!! Oh how I miss my Cruiser!!

eljefino · Mar 13, 2009

Caprice 2nv, I totally envy your fleet, esp the snowbound $300 delta.

Is that light blue one a respray? Paint looks matte.

eljefino · Mar 13, 2009

My latest van, a $300 special 97 silhouette. Needed a fuel injector to run right.

It came all clean and vacuumed. PO hauled sacks of chicken feed in it, you'd never know it.

In a previous year needed a little rocker panel work to pass inspection; they make a slip-on bit that rivets on.

Another interior shot, the rear seats are kind of jammed in place; I need to "persuade" them somehow.

The liftgate was jammed shut so I performed this "operation" on the interior trim with an angle grinder. In hindsight, I could have cut smaller as a survey then enlarged it.

This is what we always want to find! The tape unraveled from this splice and was shorting against something. The corrosion kept it from being a dead short and blowing the 30 amp fuse. Wire was for a remote starter. Wife says "I smell hot metal". Battery kept going dead.

Another thing running the battery down was the stock air shocks that pump up even if the key is off! Compressor (pictured in the splash shield) forced oil out the dead air shocks, a dripping mess. Two ghetto non-air shocks, two used tires, and an EGR cleaning were all needed for a state inspection.

01rangerxl · Mar 13, 2009

Nice find for $300.

addyguy · Mar 13, 2009

Eljefino,

You do find some, uh, 'interesting' vehicles, don't you?

What are the plans for this one?

caprice_2nv · Mar 13, 2009

Eljefino, the Caprice just has badly faded paint. Up close it looks spotty shiny silver in areas, i like it cause it has character.

sparkplug · Mar 13, 2009

crinkles · Mar 13, 2009

sparkplug, nice car. is that your property?

Johnny · Mar 13, 2009

Is that a whiskey bottle in the cup holder?

sparkplug · Mar 14, 2009

Originally Posted By: crinkles
sparkplug, nice car. is that your property?

thanks and yes it is.

Originally Posted By: Johnny
Is that a whiskey bottle in the cup holder?

No, Arizona Iced Tea.

Falcon_LS · Mar 14, 2009

Might as well post all the vehicles in the sig. My Pajero/Montero:

My old '08 Outlander, which I had to sell off for personal reasons:

And my old '07 Grand Marquis GS (Middle East spec):

Lets see the cars!!!!

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