73aussie455

Hi all
I've been digging around in the stuff I got with the car as I have all the original paperwork that was delivered with the vehicle, (still in the plastic owners wallet in the glove compartment) and thought I'd share a bit of its history with the board.

Olds Delta 88 Coupe Royale built May '73 at the Lansing plant.
Sold by Church Pontiac Olds Inc. Coquille, Oregon
Delivered August 23rd 1973, 11 miles on the clock at delivery.
First owner lived in Powers, Coos County, Oregon.
Last registered in Powers, Coos County, Oregon 2004.
Car was bought from a dealer in Powers and imported to Oz in September 2005.

Factory Options and Equipment;
N57 Delta 88 Royale Hard Top Coupe
60 Colour Mayan Gold
C08 Black vinyl roof
334 Interior trim combination
L74 Rocket 455ci V8 (J heads), with 4v Quadrajet 800cfm
M40 TH400 Trans
A01 Soft-Ray tinted windows
A31 Power side windows
A90 Power trunk latch
AK1 Deluxe seat belt package
B36 Heavy duty rubber trunk mat
B93 Bright door edge protector strip
C49 Electric rear window defogger, includes 63Amp alternator
C60 Air-conditioner Four Seasons
D33 Remote operated outside mirror L/H
U36 Electric clock
U58 AM/FM pushbutton sterephonic radio with 4 speakers
V36 Bumper guards, front and rear
Y60 Convenience group inc. vanity mirror, under hood and trunk lamps
Y72 Heavy duty engine cooling package (H/D radiator, douple capacity oil cooler, thermo cool fan)
P03 Deluxe Hub caps
Corporate 8.5" 10 bolt diff with 2:73 gear
2 into 1 exhaust
72Ah/ 78 plate H/D battery (455 V8)



To register my Delta 88 as a L/H drive vehicle here in South Oz (R/H drive country), it must be as it came out of the factory that means no aftermarket parts.

The inference being it is being registered as a 'Historic Vehicle' and as such anything on the car not original or not to original spec cannot be put on the car, ie ally manifold, headers, sports steering wheel, aftermarket wheels and tyres etc. Even a modern stereo must be hidden away in the glovebox! (original spec aftermarket parts are of course allowed, ball joints, pistons, exhaust etc to replace worn out parts)

The only concession allowed is factory options, if it was an option for the car in the year of manufacture it is allowed, ie dual exhaust, posi diff, 4v carb, 8 track etc.

There are ways around this of course, what they can't see.. but the pre registration identification check and safety inspection are thorough, so plans for a 'mild' workover of the mill are on the backburner 'till rego is done.

So, I can 'legally' upgrade the car with the factory options available at the time.
Nothing radical as this is only going to be a street cruiser.
Any comments are most welcome.

I took this pic at the All American Day the other week at the local sports ground.

P121001_16-02-14_zps7f022e73.jpg
P1209_16-02-14_zpsd2ad2bc8.jpg

Killian_Mörder

Nice set of "factory option" wheels It might be a good idea to get used to sitting on the wrong side

73aussie455

Indeed! The show was literally at the end of my road, so I didnt think it would do any harm..

Kennybill

Nice car. The 1971/1976 Delta 2 door coupes are getting scarce even in this country. A lot of them were cannibalized for their 455 engines or demolition derbies. I'm surprised Australia is so strict. We'd be marching on D.C. if they were that strict here! I better start cleaning my guns. Lol, just joking. Ken

rustyroger

I've heard of some awful bodge jobs converting cars to rhd, bicycle chains and sprockets across the back of the dash for the steering with crossbar rods for the pedals for example.
A lot of American cars and several European models cannot be simply converted because of issues with fabricating a steering column or mounting a steering box. Exhaust manifolds, power steering pump, A/C pump and alternator locations also might be a problem.
And dashes are seldom symmetrical, relocating instruments is another source of headaches.
Finally wipers set for lhd can leave serious blind spots for rhd.


When I was in Perth a few years ago I remember reading with horror about someone chopping up the interior and engine bay of a '62 Chrysler 300 to convert it to rhd.


I drive my lhd Oldsmobile and Buick on overcrowded narrow British roads without any problems. Thousands of European lhd trucks also manage fine as well. I think you have less crowded roads in Oz, if WA and Northern Territory are anything to go by.
I'd stick to keeping your car original in your shoes.


Roger.

Killian_Mörder

rustyroger

You had me fooled for a bit there!, It wasn't until I looked at the pedals I spotted what you did .

VW beetles, the original Minis, and others were exceptions to the rule, several American cars have been built in rhd form for the British, Australian, South African and other rhd markets. Some were rather odd, I remember riding in a '67 Pontiac Catalina that was a Pontiac body dropped onto a Chevrolet chassis and running gear, maybe there were issues with converting Pontiacs to rhd, maybe GM thought Pontiac would be perceived as more upmarket than Chevrolet. A friend owned a '68 Rambler Rebel sst that was rhd. Removing the right hand valve cover meant removing the brake servo first, and its wipers were still set for lhd, a nightmare in rain!.


Roger.

tru-blue 442

^^^ So, is the clutch on this set-up
all the way on the right? I don't think
I could ever get used to driving a RHD.

rustyroger

Just a mirror image of the same car, I don't know when the last car that wasn't (from left to right) clutch, brake, gas pedal was produced.


Roger.

tru-blue 442

I get it now. It would have no gears
left in that thing if I was trying to get it to go then
stop, then go then....

73aussie455

There are engineering firms here that specialize in RHD conversions, and for a price will convert anything to the right side...
Pre certification checks are rigorous and have to be accompanied by an independant Engineers certificate.

I will be keeping mine original 'made in USofA', besides, it confuses the heck outa other road users..

rustyroger

Excellent news . I always refer original to modified. Not everyone agrees with me, that's fine with me, I hope you get a lot of pleasure from your fine car.



Roger.

Killian_Mörder

This set-up would make sense for left handers. I'm not one myself, yet. But, I can imagine that left handers are also left footers

rustyroger

^^ROTFLMAO^^ I am left handed (and left footed). I wonder how long it would take me to get into a serious wreck in a car with the pedals reversed.


Roger.

Killian_Mörder

We'll just have to find you the appropriate car. Then place our bets

rustyroger

Does that make me #1 favourite for dead pool betting?.


Roger.

73aussie455

^^
Lol..

One thing I was curious about on the car is the 'peppering' in the paintwork around the lower wheel arches and on the fiberglass front.
Did they sand the roads in winter in Oregon?

.

Centurion

Yes, Oregon sands its road rather than uses road salt. The peppering of the paintwork on the front of the car is very typical for original Oregon cars that were driven in parts of the state that receive regular winter snow.

Killian_Mörder

Better to have freckles than Swiss cheese

66400

[QUOTE=rustyroger;666179]You had me fooled for a bit there!, It wasn't until I looked at the pedals I spotted what you did .

VW beetles, the original Minis, and others were exceptions to the rule, several American cars have been built in rhd form for the British, Australian, South African and other rhd markets. Some were rather odd, I remember riding in a '67 Pontiac Catalina that was a Pontiac body dropped onto a Chevrolet chassis and running gear, maybe there were issues with converting Pontiacs to rhd, maybe GM thought Pontiac would be perceived as more upmarket than Chevrolet. A friend owned a '68 Rambler Rebel sst that was rhd. Removing the right hand valve cover meant removing the brake servo first, and its wipers were still set for lhd, a nightmare in rain!.


From the '40's into the '70' full size Pontiacs manufactured in Canada received full size Chevrolet running gear and engines. As GM assembled both Chevrolet and Pontiac cars in Canada it was likely shared chassis was a low volume issue that dictated sharing drivetrains???? Canadian auto plants were the source of right hand drive cars for the British Commonwealth.


In the US the post office had a fleet of 64ish RHD Chevy II station wagons and also I recall 69ish AMC Ambasador sedans.


Henry

66400

I have some Pontiac Beaumont Parts catalouges that have illustrated views of the manual 3speed transmission shift linkages and its quite complex.

Henry

rustyroger

Thanks, I wasn't aware of this.


Does the USPS still use purpose built rhd small delivery vans, I have seen them around Dallas, Tx. One turned up at a UK American car show a few years ago. Anyone able to tell me who makes them?.


Roger.

cus

Hello There,
I'm in NSW, I've just picked up a '73 Delta 88 4dr, pillarless sedan, factory RHD,
delivered to the Australian Army, has very low milage, but has been neglected a bit,
I would be interested to know if you have any good parts contacts,

regards, cus

lazy394

I was at the All American and checked out your Delta, sweet ride !!
This year they 'relaxed' the modification rules. You can now have an after market audio and after market AC, that's it lol..

Scott

jaunty75

Right here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_LLV

73aussie455

Congrats on your purchase! make sure you start a thread and show us some pics of the land yacht!
I've sent you a pm in regards to the parts.

Thanks Scott, pity we didnt catchup. Where was yours mate, have you fixed that head yet?

rcorrigan5

Wow! I remember the Church dealership in Coquille! I grew up in the North Bend/Coos Bay, Oregon, area, only 17 miles away from Coquille, and our family made frequent trips to Coquille and points south and east. There was an Olds dealership in Coos Bay and a Pontiac dealership in Coos Bay as well, but some people there preferred to work with the dealership in Coquille for some reason unknown to me because I was just a kid then...they must have gotten a better deal at Church! It's neat to see a car that started in little ol' Coquille, go to even the much smaller community of Powers, and then end up all the way to Australia!

I got to go to Powers several times. My grandfather was a rail logger and Powers was a little logging town. The rail route for the log trains went from Powers to Coos Bay, where the logs were dumped into Isthmus Slough for rafting to the lumber mill a few miles away. Grandpa would put me on the empty train returning to Powers for more logs and I got to ride in the locomotive from Coos Bay, through Coquille and Myrtle Point, all the way to Powers. That was a lot of fun for a 9-12 year old. The very first rides were on steam locomotives (saddle tank style) and then the company (Georgia-Pacific) upgraded to diesel locomotives. The engineer and fireman would actually let me perform some of their duties (with careful oversight, I'm sure!).

Out on the Pacific Coast and inland through Coquille and Myrtle Point, hardly any snow ever fell in the winter. But Powers is located in the coast range and is slightly higher in elevation than the coastal towns. Most of the time it would just be raining in Powers as well, but there were times when it was cold enough where it would snow in Powers but still be raining in Coquille. The main road into Powers was paved, as I recall, even back in the early 1960s, but there are lots of gravel roads in the Powers area as well. I'm wondering if the "peppering" in the paintwork simply came from the gravel roads in and around Powers.

As a sidenote, my Olds came from the Olds dealership in Coos Bay. My avatar is a picture of me waxing my dad's new car the day after he bought it. I was a senior in high school at the time.

You've got a neat car with some real nice options! Thank you so much for showing us what you have!

Best Regards,
Randy Corrigan

lazy394

Yup just a month before it caught fire......

lazy394

Some pics from the All American Day....as you can see I was there early

cus

Great Car,
I looked at a 4dr '59 about a year ago up in Brisbane, was Burgundy Mist & white,
was a nice original car, I don't think I could get used to that colour though!
Ended up selling & going down Newcastle way, the new owner gave it a spruce up
& chucked another 12K on it, not sure how he went,

Cus

73aussie455

CAUGHT FIRE!!! oh nooooo..
Not a full resto job i hope, beautiful car.

Cheers Cus

73aussie455

Thanks Randy, great to have some history of the area from its heyday.
Sure would have been a nice place to grow up with all the activity, The pics of the area on the net are real picturesque. Looks like a beautiful part of the country.
I'm blown away that you actually remember the dealership where my car was bought, amazing! Just as good to me as finding the original owner, thanks.

I googled Powers a while ago and it seem its all about finished there. High unemployment, much smaller population than in its heydays and housing price crash. Shame really.

Dave.

rustyroger

Thanks Jaunty, that is exactly the vehicle I was referring to.


Roger.

lazy394

a lot of damage but we saved the car, fire contained to the engine bay and front panels.