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I was going to hold off till the first of the year to post it but decided to list it now. This is a factory 4 speed car and I have the original Protect-O-Plates to prove it. It also still has all the original turbo parts still intact. It runs and drives good but will need things done if you did not restore the car. In my opinion it should be restored. I will not go into large details here but please look at my thread about the car with many pictures. Posting a video also. This car will be in an upcoming issue of Muscle Car Review. $14,000
The Jetfire looks in very good condition for that price and rarity.
Just curious, does the 4 -speed '63 Jetfire have 15" wheels like the '62 4-speed Jetfire?
This one only has 13's. The 15's were only optional for both years and to tell you the truth, the 15's are not that great with a 4 speed. They used a really tall first gear in the 4 speeds and the taller tires make it worse taking off from a stop. I am a purist but I am seriously thinking about using different guts in my 4 speed car to lower the first gear. I plan to drive the car at least 1000 miles a year when it is done and don't want to deal with it jerking around or having to rev it real high on take off.
This one only has 13's. The 15's were only optional for both years and to tell you the truth, the 15's are not that great with a 4 speed. They used a really tall first gear in the 4 speeds and the taller tires make it worse taking off from a stop. I am a purist but I am seriously thinking about using different guts in my 4 speed car to lower the first gear. I plan to drive the car at least 1000 miles a year when it is done and don't want to deal with it jerking around or having to rev it real high on take off.
My mistake. I had thought 15" wheels were standard with the 4-speed on the Jetfire. I'm guessing Oldsmobile did not make a separate manual transmission available with a lower first gear due to a low demand expectation for the 15" wheel option. Or maybe the bean counters would not allow a better suited transmission for the 15" wheel option. Hopefully it is not too much work to install a lower first gear in your existing 4-speed. That is probably a better alternative than installing numerically higher rear axle gears which will cut down on gas mileage and increase highway rpm's.
My mistake. I had thought 15" wheels were standard with the 4-speed on the Jetfire. I'm guessing Oldsmobile did not make a separate manual transmission available with a lower first gear due to a low demand expectation for the 15" wheel option. Or maybe the bean counters would not allow a better suited transmission for the 15" wheel option. Hopefully it is not too much work to install a lower first gear in your existing 4-speed. That is probably a better alternative than installing numerically higher rear axle gears which will cut down on gas mileage and increase highway rpm's.
I have not researched it yet but I think all the guts have to be replaced to do it. Maybe not 4th gear or reverse? I would keep the original parts for sure but likely going to swap out the guts if it is possible. All Jetfire cars had 3.36 gears in them from the factory. I have never seen a set of lower gear for one but I heard that they were available aftermarket for a very short while in the 60's. I would love to find a set and put in the limited slip rear end I found. I would like to try it in one of these cars for a while just for the fun of it.
Shocked to see the 3.36 axle ratio as standard, would had thought numerically lower with the standard 13" wheels. Nice find on the posi rear axle, I'm guessing posi was not a common option. Did the Jetfire, not unlike the Starfire, come standard with a posi rear axle? Hopefully you can easily find a set of the aftermarket steeper gears for the axle or replacement gears and kit for the transmission.
Shocked to see the 3.36 axle ratio as standard, would had thought numerically lower with the standard 13" wheels. Nice find on the posi rear axle, I'm guessing posi was not a common option. Did the Jetfire, not unlike the Starfire, come standard with a posi rear axle? Hopefully you can easily find a set of the aftermarket steeper gears for the axle or replacement gears and kit for the transmission.
The limited slip was an option on any of the f-85, Cutlass or Jetfire. It was never standard even on the Jetfire. I believe it was only sold as an option to give you better winter traction, Not that it did... I found it in a 62 cutlass and is the only one I have ever seen. I heard of another one in a car out west but that is all. I am sure there are some out there but I don't know about them.
This one only has 13's. The 15's were only optional for both years and to tell you the truth, the 15's are not that great with a 4 speed. They used a really tall first gear in the 4 speeds and the taller tires make it worse taking off from a stop. I am a purist but I am seriously thinking about using different guts in my 4 speed car to lower the first gear. I plan to drive the car at least 1000 miles a year when it is done and don't want to deal with it jerking around or having to rev it real high on take off.
In 1963 15" wheels were only offered on the base F-85 because they didn't have a full size wheel cover for them only the small hubcap.
Jetfires and Cutlass's could be ordered with 13 or 14" wheels as they did have a full wheel cover in those sizes.
December 4th, 2018, 05:27 PM
