Uncle Hulka

1969 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Custom, 2 door hardtop (Holiday Coupe). Before you start to yawn, you should know that this car is not your typical Delta 88. Not by a long shot. This particular car was special ordered to be the highest performance Delta possible! Here’s a list of some of the original, factory installed equipment:

Police Apprehender Highway Patrol Package (RPO B07)
455 engine 390-hp 500 lb./ft torque w/4-bbl carburetor and dual exhaust (RPO L32)
Special Heavy-Duty Turbo 400 Transmission (RPO M41)
Anti-Spin Differential (RPO G80) - 2.93 ratio
Heavy-Duty 'Torque-beam' Frame (RPO F35)
Variable Ratio Power Steering (RPO N47)
Heavy-Duty Power Front Disc Brakes (RPO JL2 or J55)
Safety Sentinel Speedometer (RPO U15)
4-Season Air Conditioning (RPO C60)
Rear Window Defogger (RPO C50)
Heavy-Duty Cooling (RPO Y72)
AM Push-button Radio (RPO U63)

Car & Driver road tested a 1970 Delta Royale that was similarly equipped (but heavier than my car) and had high praise for the cars ability to handle and accelerate. They also estimated the car's top speed to exceed 140 MPH! These were rare cars when they were new and are almost never seen today. Remember, although this car was built with the Police package, it was privately owned and operated by the man who ordered her built to his exact specifications.

The engine runs well, although the carb should be rebuilt from sitting with old fuel.

The car has VERY little rust. Just the lower fenders and just a little behind the rear wheel well. The frame, floors and trunk are rock-solid. The paint is original (Platinum) and although it needs to be redone, it shows no evidence that any body work has ever been performed. The car has a black, cloth, bench seat interior. Except for a rip in the bench seat upholstery it's in very good condition.

The original owner kept a detailed journal that documents everything ever done to this car from the day he picked it up at the dealership in July of 1969, through 1991 when he stopped driving the car for health reasons. It shows every oil change, scheduled maintenance and mechanical repair. He also recorded every drop of gasoline to the 1/10th of a gallon, the brand and the blend, as well as the odometer reading at the time of fill-up.

I also have a huge collection of NOS/NIB parts including:

NOS moldings, emblems, lenses, etc.
NOS LH Fender
NOS RH Fender
NOS Gas Tank
NOS Speedminder Spedometer
NOS Electric Clock
NOS Headlight Bezels
NOS A/C Suction Hose Assembly
NOS Fuel Gauge
Pair of front Disc Rotors (very hard to find!)
Power Antenna Assembly
Parts to convert to Power Front Seat

This is just a partial list. Between these and the rest, there's a small truckload of NOS/NIB (and a few used) parts that will be of serious interest to anyone interested in restoring the car properly. NOS/NIB B-body parts are hard to find no matter where you look.

The car is in Connecticut. It's a great car that is truly rare. What a sleeper she would make! It kills me to sell her, but I have to get going on the '67 4-4-2. The price for the car with all the parts is $8,500 obo.

Thanks.

Jamesbo

Neat, would you be interest in a trade for a 69 442 w/455

Uncle Hulka

Here is the article from the February 1970 Car & Driver magazine I mentioned in the ad. Thought you folks might like to read it.

If I find anything else, I'll post it.

Enjoy!

oldsguybry

wow , that is a great car , if I had the money , i'd buy it

Allan R

That wouldn't be the 'charcoal colored' one you have??

Uncle Hulka

Found a fantastic article I forgot I even had. It's from a 1968 issue of Speed & Supercar magazine and is an interview with Ted Louckes, Oldsmobile's assistant experimental engineer assisting in police package development. What a terrific glimpse into the thinking and rationale behind the design of the B07 suspension. I think it's pretty educational and insightful.

Wish I owned one of these.....wait a second, I do! LOL

drw33

Uncle Hulka

Thanks for contacting me about my B07. Shortly after I placed the ad, I changed my mind about selling her. I was planing on restoring her, but now I think I have too many cars. So what I was planning on doing was using the L32 engine and M41 trans from the Delta and use them to build a Hurst/Olds clone out of my '69 Cutlass S.

I know it's a sin, but my Delta uses the same L32 Hi-Perf engine/trans as the H/O did. I've always loved the '69 H/O and I know I'll never own a real one so this is my way to have my cake and eat it too.

If anyone is interested in the Delta as a genuine B07 car, I can make you a deal for the car and all my NOS parts minus the engine and trans. Everything that made the car special is all there (HD B07 Suspension, dual exhaust, Anti-Spin, Safety Sentinel Etc.). A big bonus is that since placing the ad, I found the build sheet! It documents it as a real B07 car with all the rare options for a high-performance car. Here are the RPO Codes listed on the build sheet:

A01 TINTED GLASS
$A19 DLX ST BELTS
$A85 DLX S/HAR FT
B07 HYWY POLICE
*B50 FOAM CUSH FRT
*B80 RF DRIP MLDG
B93 DR EDGE GRDS
C50 REAR WDW DF@
C60 AIR COND
%D33 MIRROR REMOTE
F35 HD FRAME
F51 FRT&RR SHK
F58 HD FRT STAB
F60 HD FRT SPRGS
G50 HD REAR SPRGS
G69 RR STAB SHAFT
G80 POSITRACTION
JL2 PWR DISC BRKS
L32 455 ENG PERF
M41 HD TRAN-AUTO
*N10 DUAL EXHST@
*N30 DLX STRNG WHL
ST* D33 Y60
N47 VAR PWR STRNG
P26 STD WSW TIRES
T87 CORNER LAMPS
U15 SAFE SENTINEL
*U29 CRTSY LAMPS
U35 ELECTRC CLOCK
U63 DELUXE RADIO
U80 REAR SPEAKERS
W39 DLX BELT GRP
Y60 ACCY PACK GRP
Y72 HD COOLING

As you can see, this car was properly optioned to handle and brake, as well as accelerate.

For the Delta and all the NOS parts, the price is $8,500.

Or you can have everything, minus the engine and trans, for $3,500.

Honestly, I would rather sell the entire car as a whole. I don't relish the idea of pulling the engine out of a rare, numbers-matching Oldsmobile.

Here's a couple photos of the RPO section of the build sheet.

Thanks!

Rickman48

And if someone came up with a L-32 and a M-41??
Saving both originality and a whole lot of labor?

ent72olds

Great point...man, this oddball is very tempting...

DennisG.

That would be a shame if you pulled the motor and trans. Just sell the car. You would have more then enough to buy an early 455 and build it and the trans the way you want and still have money left over for the project.

Uncle Hulka

I agree, Dennis. That's why the car is still being offered for sale with its complete drivetrain. I haven't touched her yet and won't until either somebody buys her or I'm ready to start working on converting my Cutlass S.

Before I do anything, I think I'm going to have to take her out for a real run. Who knows, I may just decide to keep her and drive her as what she is; an original, unrestored, untouched, barn find.

Redog

Me likey. Hell of a sleeper!

70Post

Please delete this posting.















If you continue to torture us by waving this thing in front of us we are going to have to do something drastic!!

This is ridiculous!

If I had space and $$ to spend this would be one to put in the "dream inventory" and build.

Did you have this advertised on 442.com years ago?? or maybe more recently.

I'll also say it although it's none of my business.....keep the car together and find another motor to build. This is just too cool of a car to break up.
What a highway machine this could be!!! I can hear it now....maybe a 2-1/2" mandrel bent dual exhaust system adding a little "rumble" to the menacing sleeper looks. What a wicked car.

STOP!!!!!

copper128

What's really the shame of it all is that the economics of the situation might prevent this car from ever being restored and preserved.

It's so all there that's it's crying out to be a frame-off, documented part of history.

Too bad that even with a reasonable purchase price, the resto cost would far exceed it's completed market value. I think real dyed-in-the-wool Olds guys are all cringing at the thought of NOT doing right by this car. Even though it'd be a loser from an economic standpoint. AAARGH!

Uncle Hulka

I've been giving this a great deal of thought. As with all choices, there are pros and cons to consider. I've tried to look at this from every angle (financial, emotional and historical) and of those three the only one that logistically supports my plan is financial.

From an emotional standpoint, it would be really hard for me to remove the drivetrain. Believe it or not, I am actually a big proponent of originality. When I was heavy into the hobby, I wouldn't consider buying a musclecar unless it was original. But that was in a time when very nice SS Chevelles, 4-4-2's, Road Runners and Mustangs could be bought for 3,000 to 5,000 dollars! Those days are now distant memories. As recent prices have made owning these cars unlikely for the average enthusiast, clones have become a way for your average Joe to own a musclecar. As long as these cars are not being passed off or presented as the genuine article, I think it’s a great way to allow real enthusiasts, the heart of the hobby, to keep their passions alive. That being said, I am having a hell of a hard time robbing not one, but two original numbers-matching cars of their sole pedigree. Yes, I would end up with an accurate Hurst/Olds clone, but at what price? And I don't mean the monetary price.

This leaves the historical consideration. This may very well be the only documented 1969 B07/L32 non-police, Delta Custom left in existence. Yes, I'm familiar with "Detective Goldie", but that was a 1970 W34 Royale. For 1970, the B07/L32 package was given a W-designation and became part of a large-scale marketing campaign (albeit a lesser known w-option). Kurt "Wmachines" and I have discussed this a few times. He's been trying to make me realize what a mistake it would be to pull the drivetrain and when I told him that I had found the build sheet, he felt even stronger that if I were to to this, I would be destroying a genuine piece of Oldsmobile history.

I appreciate everyone's input on this. You've made some good arguments to not proceed with my intentions. I started to look through some of my files, records, notes and pictures and was reminded of just how special this car really is. Therefore, I have decided the following.

As of right now, the Delta is no longer for sale. This may change in the future, but for right now, she's off the market. Instead, I'm considering transferring the registration from my 1968 factory-440HP Plymouth Sport Fury Convertible onto the Delta and just drive her as she is. Yes, she does need a paint job, but after a few months of regular driving I'll see how I feel about her. If I like driving her as much I think I will, I'll treat her to a good repaint. Plus I already have all the NOS items to make her look showroom new.

As for my 1969 Cutlass S (the proposed H/O clone), I think for now I'll limit my changes to making her a correct 350/4-bbl. I have a W-31 intake, correct fuel line, correct 4-bbl air cleaner and correct throttle bracket. What I still need is a correct quadrajet. I have a q-jet that's ready to bolt on, but it's off a 1966 4-4-2 4-speed car and I want to use the correct carb. If someone in CT has one in the same condition, I'd be willing to trade it straight-up.

I still think I have too many cars, so if I decide to keep the Delta, I'll sell the '68 Sport Fury Convertible and use the money to help fund the restoration of my '67 4-4-2. That 4-4-2 is extremely special to me. It was the first musclecar I ever drove and it changed my life forever. It's a true story and I wrote about it in detail on my blog at wildaboutcars.com (Musclecar Memories & Modern Musings). Be sure to start at the very begining (the bottom of the page). If you haven't been to that site yet, you are missing out. They have literally thousands of pages of original documents to download. From factory service and assembly manuals to dealer brochures and classic magazine articles from the day. Wicked cool site.

So to those of you who encouraged me not to follow through with my plans, I sincerely thank you. I believe each of you was trying to preserve a tiny slice of Olds history......and, for now, you have.


Thanks again,
Uncle Hulka

hosenose

I'm looking for a gas tank for my 69 Delta Royale 2 dr, that isn't rusty. Got one?

nj_cutlass72

First time reading the thread, so what's the current situation with the 88 besides a member looking for a tank??

hosenose

Hard to get any respect for my Delta 88 Royale 2 dr hardtop when it's got big rear tires that allow viewing of a rusty tank and rear end. Need a tank that I can polish and clearcoat.

Uncle Hulka

The Delta is right where she's been since I first bought her; In my workshop. I still haven't decided what to do with her. I know I'm not doing anything until I finish the Chevelle. For right now, I'm not going to sell any of the NOS parts separately. But If I decide to, I'll keep the gas tank aside for you, Hosenose.

I should just drive her as a original, unrestored survivor, but it's also tempting to use all the parts I have to make her showroom fresh. That would be cool too.

The band Rush summed up my predicament more than 30 years ago:

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
('Freewill', lyrics by Neil Peart)

plance1

geez, I like this car!

joe88

saw your thread and was wondering if you had some of the parts still for sale.

i have a 1970 Delta 88 convertible and am looking for some parts, rotors, trim and other small parts.

please IM if you do so i can get them asap.

Thanks

Uncle Hulka

I appreciate your interest, but the parts are not for sale separately. Good luck with your search. I know how difficult it is to locate good parts for the full-size line.