Our new Technical Editor/Moderator

[Oldsguy]

I want everyone to know about a new function at our website. Joe_padavano is going to be our new Technical Editor/Moderator. He is going to be watching threads/posts that ask questions which many of us may know the answer to but sometimes may slip through the cracks and not get a response on. I have asked him to try and keep an eye out for accuracy of the information we share as well. As many of you know, Joe has displayed quite a bit of knowledge on Oldsmobiles and it seems only right that we have someone to keep us on track in that regard.
Who knows, if he gets a writer's bug he may write a few articles for us as well. Oldsmobile History, documentation, years for certain models, options etc, may be a subject.
I hope this helps everyone and makes our site more useful and a more meaningful part of our Oldsmobile experience.
Thanks.

[Rallye469]

Great idea.
Joe has helped me here(and other places) with issues like motor mounts,
brakes/MC's & brackets. He's a wealth of info.
Congrats on the Bump Joe!
-Pete

[joe_padavano]

Thanks and I hope I live up to your expectations. I also guess I should write a formal intro, since I never did.

I've owned Oldsmobile A-body cars continuously since I inherited the family 68 Vista Cruiser when I got my driver's license in 1974.

Note that the Vista received a 425 transplant not too long after I got it (and without the parents' knowledge) and I proceeded to dust off a few of the local hotshots in central Massachusetts as I was growing up (including a 69 Mach 1 whose owner was incredulous). I graduated to a 68 442 that I pulled out of a wrecking yard and completely refurbished (It only took three years!). Since then I've owned about two dozen Oldsmobiles, mostly 64-72 A-body cars.

I moved to SoCal in 1980 with two Cutlii and came back to the right coast in 1987 with five. See attached pictures from moving day. The cool thing is that you get a discount if you fill the car carrier with one stop (there's a Jag and a Chevy crewcab in addition to the five Oldsmobiles). The orange 71 parked above the cab of the truck was featured in the Oct 1985 issue of Car Craft Magazine (pg 106, but who's counting...). It had a tilt front end from VFN Fiberglass, dual quads, nitrous, and a bunch of chrome. Unfortunately it went away in the first divorce (along with the Jag). The truck has been replaced but I still have the other four cars (66 442 convert, 68 W-30, 69 H/O, and 70 W-30). I've added another three A-bodies plus the 64 Jetstar. Unfortunately, all need work and right now the pressures of running my own company and trying to restore the 300 yr old log house on our farm (yes, I had to buy a project HOUSE also...) don't leave a lot of time to work on the cars. My wonderful wife (third time's a charm) is very understanding (which I'm sure has NOTHING to do with her also having an expensive hobby - horses).

Well, thanks again. We'll see how it goes.

[Jokers69]

Congrats Joe, you have steered me in the right direction a few times. What's nice is you can deliver accurate information without talking down to the less knowledgable, as some other "experts" seem to revel in.

Here's a question for you, I have a 69 350, stock heads (#5) and an edlebrock performer. I've put 2 stock turkey tray manifold gaskets on it already, before it comes out this year I'm about to put the third one on. It doesn't seem to want to seal good. I have puddles of coolant in the runner area and oily tar like crap along the top of the manifold/head joint on the drivers side.

The first gasket was a carquest one, the second came from an engine shop, it was a fel-pro. Is there a better/different gasket?

Tom

[Oldsmaniac]

I would suggest you try a paper type gasket such as MR Gasket etc. These are usually thicker and the front and rear rubber seals usually end up too low so silicone is needed on these front and rear. I have found these to work well but must be checked now and then after initial torque-ing of bolts as the paper tends to squish over time. I dont worry about not having the valley tray in place with these but they are available if you think you need one.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by Jokers69

...Here's a question for you, I have a 69 350, stock heads (#5) and an edlebrock performer. I've put 2 stock turkey tray manifold gaskets on it already, before it comes out this year I'm about to put the third one on. It doesn't seem to want to seal good. I have puddles of coolant in the runner area and oily tar like crap along the top of the manifold/head joint on the drivers side.

The first gasket was a carquest one, the second came from an engine shop, it was a fel-pro. Is there a better/different gasket?

Tom

Tom,

I've used the FelPro metal gaskets exclusively. I run a bead of RTV around both sides of all four coolant openings before installation. This is the technique called out in the Chassis Service Manual. Note that the turkey tray has raised bosses around four of the bolt holes at the four corners. These are designed to fit into recesses in the heads to keep the gasket in place when you install it.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by Oldsmaniac

I would suggest you try a paper type gasket such as MR Gasket etc. These are usually thicker and the front and rear rubber seals usually end up too low so silicone is needed on these front and rear. I have found these to work well but must be checked now and then after initial torque-ing of bolts as the paper tends to squish over time. I dont worry about not having the valley tray in place with these but they are available if you think you need one.

The paper-vs-metal argument has been going on forever. If you choose to use paper, take the old turkey tray and cut off the part of the gasket that seals to the ports. Now you can snap it in place under the lower edge of the heads and voila, an instant, free valley pan.

[J-(Chicago)]

It seems Oldsguy has been cooking this idea up for a while. Glad to see good things happening. I can't wait to see an accurate tech section, and I will help out whenever I can. I am far less knowledgeable than many of you folks, but I have had over 10 GM cars, and have kept both of my Oldsmobiles running since I was 15 years old.

Is there an internet address that we should send factual information to if the need arises?

[Oldsguy]

That's what Joe is for, it's up to him how he handles it.

BTW Joe, if after some thought, you think we could use another forum, let me know.

pps; I have used the trimmed turkey tray in combination with paper gaskets and like it, getting those little alignment dimples to line up and have the tray keep it's place can be a real chore sometimes.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by J-(Chicago)

Is there an internet address that we should send factual information to if the need arises?

Since it seems impossible to get anyone's attention over at 442.com, one of the things on my to-do list has always been to find a way to create an updated Olds FAQ. I wish I had more time to do it personally, but let's think about an interactive way to make that happen. As I've noted previously, the original Olds FAQ is the result of David Brown extracting bits of information from posts made to the old Chubecto mail server ten to fifteen years ago. Much of it was correct (thank Chris Witt for that) but some of it was not.

[Olds64]

Cool!

[oldcardoc]

Congrats Joe....

[Starfire61]

Great idea on the technical position. Regardless of their relevance to my particular cars, I always enjoy reading Joe's posts. They're invariably well-thought & chock-full of great information. Thanks!

Chuck

[rocketraider]

Padavano don't know jack...

I just hope I don't lose him over on AACA/OCA forums, since it sounds like he'll be pretty busy here.

Joe is one of those folks who has forgotten more about Oldsmobiles than most people could ever hope to know. If he answers your question, it will be researched thoroughly and most important, accurately.

[88 coupe]

Originally Posted by Oldsguy

........ I have asked him to try and keep an eye out for accuracy of the information we share as well ........

Good move.

Norm

[jeffrey]

Joe, congrats.. and I'm glad you agreed to do this.

If things go "as planned" I'm about to start hitting this site hard for information and/or help.

Jeff

[texasred]

Good job Dan! Joe is certainly quite a "catch"....and thank you, Joe, for volunteering your time and effort in an "official" capacity.

C.J.

[redoldsman]

No question this makes the #1 Olds website now. I think "Thanks Joe" is more appropriate that Congratulations. I don't know Joe but have been amazed at how anybody can know as much as he know about a large number of different models. I think the Congratulations should be to the website and all of us who frequent here.

Now if a few people will become more civil, this website will continue to become even better.

Thanks Joe

[Dapapadon]

As redoldsman suggested: Thanks Joe!

And I really like the idea of an updated Olds FAQ 'section'.

Don

[dar83501]

Excellent, excellent.

By the way...what I wouldnt' give to steal that car carrier big rig in those photos, Joe

[88 coupe]

Originally Posted by joe_padavano

........ to find a way to create an updated Olds FAQ ........

http://tech.classicoldsmobile.com

I would start by making the needed corrections. Next, moving anything suspect, to a "sticky" in a subsection of your new Technical Forum. It would be dedicated to discussing/verifying the accuracy, of each item, before returning it.

A second subsection could be used to discuss the validity of information posted in the other forums.

Norm