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Monza900 · 09-06-2007, 07:17 PM

Thanks. It looks like the rear bumper is one piece. This is a late production car for 1980, it was built in July of that year. I don't know if they made a change during that model year. I can see why the bumpers on these cars would rust, the water really collects in the space between the license plate and the bumper. I'm sure some of the water sloshes under the bumper, despite the two holes drilled in the filler panel.

Are these cars prone to stalling while in reverse? Mine did it yesterday and again today. The car started right back up and drove fine, but when in reverse while manuvering out of a tight space it stalled. I wonder if this has anything to do with the timing they used in those years. I believe the timing for this engine is 20 degrees BTDC. I know by 1980 they severely retarded the timing for emissions and fuel economy reasons. I'm used to Chevy sixes with timing at around 4 degrees BTDC - my Corvairs and recently sold Chevelle. Even when the Delta doesn't stall in reverse, it requires a lot of gas to put it in motion. I've noticed the shift indicator on the instrument panel isn't real precise - the needle is between N and D when I have it in drive - perhaps I think I'm in reverse but I'm not. Any information will be appreciated.

I will say the car is smooth and quiet on the highway. I drove it to the beach today and it was a pleasure. It's very comfortable. I'm very impressed with my first Oldsmobile. I've owned (and still have three) lots of Chevrolets, four Buicks, one Cadillac, and two Pontiacs. I love the Chevrolets, the Cadillac was great, two of the Buicks were great, but two of them stunk, and my Pontiacs developed major problems long before 100,000 miles. So far this Olds compares favorably to the other cars I've owned. The only non-GM cars I had were a Plymouth Duster which I didn't like, and a Subaru which was by far the worst car I've owned in 29 years of drivinb . I found the Duster cheaply constructed and appointed compared to my Novas, which it was an obvious copy of. There's insufficient space to discuss all the things I hated about the Subaru.

09-06-2007, 07:17 PM	#7 (permalink)
Monza900 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Long Island Posts: 6	Thanks. It looks like the rear bumper is one piece. This is a late production car for 1980, it was built in July of that year. I don't know if they made a change during that model year. I can see why the bumpers on these cars would rust, the water really collects in the space between the license plate and the bumper. I'm sure some of the water sloshes under the bumper, despite the two holes drilled in the filler panel. Are these cars prone to stalling while in reverse? Mine did it yesterday and again today. The car started right back up and drove fine, but when in reverse while manuvering out of a tight space it stalled. I wonder if this has anything to do with the timing they used in those years. I believe the timing for this engine is 20 degrees BTDC. I know by 1980 they severely retarded the timing for emissions and fuel economy reasons. I'm used to Chevy sixes with timing at around 4 degrees BTDC - my Corvairs and recently sold Chevelle. Even when the Delta doesn't stall in reverse, it requires a lot of gas to put it in motion. I've noticed the shift indicator on the instrument panel isn't real precise - the needle is between N and D when I have it in drive - perhaps I think I'm in reverse but I'm not. Any information will be appreciated. I will say the car is smooth and quiet on the highway. I drove it to the beach today and it was a pleasure. It's very comfortable. I'm very impressed with my first Oldsmobile. I've owned (and still have three) lots of Chevrolets, four Buicks, one Cadillac, and two Pontiacs. I love the Chevrolets, the Cadillac was great, two of the Buicks were great, but two of them stunk, and my Pontiacs developed major problems long before 100,000 miles. So far this Olds compares favorably to the other cars I've owned. The only non-GM cars I had were a Plymouth Duster which I didn't like, and a Subaru which was by far the worst car I've owned in 29 years of drivinb . I found the Duster cheaply constructed and appointed compared to my Novas, which it was an obvious copy of. There's insufficient space to discuss all the things I hated about the Subaru.