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Pedal,
I've been meaning to address some things here and kept getting involved in other stuff. Now that I have some spare time here at home I can devote some time to this.
Let's start with horsepower. '71 was a transitional year for horsepower ratings. Oldsmobile quoted horsepower in Gross (which was the only figure quoted for 1970 and years prior) and S.A.E. Net (which they start using exclusively in '72 and later).
Gross rating is the engine on a dyno. No accessories, no exhaust, no nothing.
S.A.E. Net is the engine as installed in the car. Air cleaner, exhaust and engine accessories.
Oldsmobile rated the L31 455 at 320 Gross and 225 S.A.E. Net (250 with dual exhaust). That is out the dealer showroom album. I don't know where your 365 figure is coming from. The highest performance motors Olds had in '71 were the Toronado 455 and the W30 455, both rated at 350 Gross.
Now, those L31 emblems. It is hard to see them in the photos, but I do not think they are stock. L31 was just an engine option. It was not a package that included stripes and emblems. At least not that I am aware of. It was hard for me see the black stripes on the dark colored car on my computer at work. I see them now that I'm at home. I do not believe these are stock either. I've been told never to say never, but I have not seen another 88 with a blacked out hood and stripes such as these. There is nothing in my dealer materials about a stripe kit such as this. An 88 was an older persons car and do not believe Olds would have offered such a package. The only emblems on the car should be:
trunk - Oldsmobile script with Delta Custom plate underneath it.
fenders - Delta 88 script between the wheel and the door
roof - some sort of emblem on the sail panels - maybe a rocket
grille - Oldsmobile script on driver's side grille
front end - rocket emblem on nose piece
The louvers in the trunk lid are for the flow through ventilation, allowing air to enter the car at the grille at the base of the windshield, circulate through the interior into the trunk and be drawn out throught those louvers. They are a '71 only thing. They were eliminated for '72, I think due to water leaks, and were replaced by valves in each door jamb instead.
Paul
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