PART 2
So we sent our man in California, Jeff Koch, to see whether the CHP officers had unjust biases against the Oldsmobile or if the Delmont really did have its flaws.
Unlike most muscle cars, Koch first encountered the short doors of the four-door body style, but he noted (without cracking a donut joke, we might add) that they "open wide enough so that stockier frames can slide in without issues."
"Inside is workaday enough that it's barely recognizable as an Oldsmobile," he continued. "No concessions for comfort, no sparkle or flash. Rubber mat, itchy cloth seat that stops at your shoulder blades, no clock or even an AM radio; even the normally chromed door armrest trims are painted black. The only gauge to pay attention to inside the car is the police-certified speedometer, which is the only one that matters if you're hunting down speeders. It's all very austere--but then again, this buggy is built for business, not pleasure.
"Straight out the windshield is a view of endless acres of black steel, all peaky and threatening. The push bars that the officers had so much trouble with are completely invisible. We resisted the urge to put on the hat and sunglasses and hide behind a bridge abutment.
"Twist the key, and the big 425 immediately kicks over into a low rumble--smooth and purposeful on its own merits without the benefit of exhaust or camshaft trickery. Off-idle torque is evident, and the noises through the pipes are delicious and thick with authority, but the explosiveness we were anticipating never arrived.
"Steering is fully manual, with a white wheel to prevent hot hands on sunny California days. The manual box was specified, we're told, to improve road feel in pursuit situations, but between the 20 degrees of on-center slop, the manual steering box's eternal lock-to-lock (even the mildest of bends require half a turn of the wheel or more), and the sheer amount of work you invest behind that spindly wheel, it actually distracts from the rest of the driving experience. At triple digits on the open road, it may make some sense. Around town, it's a distraction.
"And that's just trying to keep it straight ahead. Once you're in the turns, there are massive amounts of lean, and it's easy to squeal the Goodyear Eagle blackwall radials. You'd think there would be a ride tradeoff, that perhaps, being an Oldsmobile, there would be some softness dialed into the suspension as indicated by the low-speed understeer, but there isn't. It may smooth out at highway speeds, but around town, it's crashy and even a little nervous."
So while there's no proof that administrative reasons didn't figure into the 1968 purchasing decisions--Dodge could very well have drastically reduced its bid just to regain the contract--we can see that the officers of the CHP had some very valid complaints about the B07 Delmonts.
Now, about those CHP 1970 Mercury Montereys...
Owner's View
Many other people tried to buy this car, but the seller wouldn't sell it to them. She liked the fact that my son and I were restoring it together, and she still calls us regularly.
I wanted it because I've always been into police cars, especially CHP cars--I grew up watching Highway Patrol, Adam-12 and CHiPs, and I always had a thing for their cars. Plus, the Olds is very rare with the Police Apprehender package, and it has some great styling.
I was never a cop myself, but because of this project and because of all the cop cars I've restored, my son now really wants to go to the academy and become a police officer himself. --Kevin McLaughlin
PROS
+ Rare piece of police history
+ Plenty of grunt from Olds big-block
+ Slowpokes tend to get out of the way
CONS
- It's technically illegal to run the lights and sirens on the highway
- Crashes and leans at low speeds
- Speeders tend to become slowpokes, thus getting IN your way
Club Scene
Emergency Vehicles Owners and Operators Association
P.O. Box 1149
Airway Heights, Washington 99001
509-244-4062
www.evooa.org
Dues: $30/year • Membership: 700
www.copcar.com
Oldsmobile Club of America
P.O. Box 80318
Lansing, Michigan 48908
517-663-1811
www.oldsclub.org
Dues: $40/year
1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 Police Apprehender Specifications
Price
Fleet price: $2,622
Base MSRP: $3,071
Options on car profiled: B07 Police Apprehender package
Engine
Type: Oldsmobile OHV tall-deck V-8, iron block
Displacement: 425 cubic inches
Bore x Stroke: 4.125 x 3.975 inches
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 375 @ 4,800
Torque @ rpm: 470-lbs.ft. @ 3,200
Valvetrain: Hydraulic valve lifters
Main bearings: 5
Fuel system: Single Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, mechanical pump
Lubrication system: Pressure, gear-type pump
Electrical system: 12-volt
Exhaust system: Dual exhaust
Transmission
Type: Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 three-speed automatic
Ratios 1st: 2.48:1
2nd: 1.48:1
3rd: 1.00:1
Reverse: 2.07:1
Differential
Type: Oldsmobile Hotchkiss-type hypoid
Ratio: 3.08:1
Steering
Type: Manual, recirculating ball
Ratio: 24:1
Brakes
Type: Hydraulic, power assist
Front: 11.88-inch four-piston disc
Rear: 11-inch drum
Chassis & Body
Construction: Body on reinforced frame
Body style: Four-door sedan
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Suspension
Front: Independent, unequal length A-arms; coil springs; 50-50 telescoping shock absorbers; 1.03-inch solid anti-roll bar
Rear: Four-link; coil springs; 50-50 telescoping shock absorbers; 0.88-inch solid anti-roll bar
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Reinforced steel disc
Front: 15 x 6 inches
Rear: 15 x 6 inches
Tires: Goodyear Police Special
(Currently: Goodyear GT+4 radials)
Front: 15 x 8.45 inches (Currently: 235/70R15)
Rear: 15 x 8.45 inches (Currently: 235/70R15)
Weights & Measures
Wheelbase: 123 inches
Overall length: 217 inches
Overall width: 80 inches
Overall height: 55.5 inches
Front track: 62.5 inches
Rear track: 63 inches
Curb weight: 4,327 pounds
Capacities
Crankcase: 5 quarts
Cooling system: 18.5 quarts
Fuel tank: 25 gallons
Transmission: 9 quarts
Calculated Data
Bhp per c.i.d.: 0.88
Weight per bhp: 11.54 pounds
Weight per c.i.d.: 10.18 pounds
Production
Of the 21,511 Delmont 88 four-door sedans that Oldsmobile produced in 1967, the California Highway Patrol purchased 1,428 B07 Police Apprehender versions.
Performance
0-60 miles per hour: 8.0 seconds
1/4-mile e.t.: 15.3 seconds @ 91.6 miles per hour