Dead Reckon

So... I forgot to tell y'all but... I got my hands on a 1979 Oldsmobile HOLIDAY 88, a true coupe, bucket seats, console, rally package, 350 olds, it's rough but has potential. I'll be the second owner, original owner went into a nursing home years back, this car has a LOT going for it. New ball joints, center link, tie rods, shocks, radiator, Q-jet, hoses, belts, you name it.


Here's a couple videos about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8mtc0hiTkM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykRa8vkX2LA

And if you have a lot of spare time to spend with my ramblings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHf9nxcBR7I

Oldsragger

Looks not bad to me, a little cleaning inside and hopefully not to rusty floor, what is your plan with this anyway? Your 77 delta dont look to bad either

Allan R

From the description of the valve covers, that's not a 350. It's a 403 which was the optional engine that year. 403 is sometimes misrepresented as a BBO when in fact it's a SBO. Check the emissions label again. You also have the optional SS 15" wheels with special center caps. They are not common. The body looks ok, but that interior is nasty.

Allan R

Yup, looked at your long video and the block casting starts with 557 which is a 403. The emissions decal for the 5.7 probably means the engine has been replaced if the decal is original to the car. Check the VIN. It should tell you whether the car was built with a 350 or 403. If it's a 350, the letter designated for engine will be L. If it's got a K the 403 is original to the car. Easy peasy way to tell. Check the engine stamping pad. Take a pic of it with your camera and compare the last 6 digits to the VIN. If they match, the engine was born with the car.

slantflat

As an uninformed but interested person, my Grandmother had a 79 Delta 88 (wasn't a Holiday, but was a 2 door) with a 350 Olds and the VIN code was R. Wish I had that car now.

Dead Reckon

No it's VIN R, that's why I bought it, 350 rocket, VIN is according to this decoder sheet:

https://service.gm.com/dealerworld/v.../vincard79.pdf

3----- L----- 3------ 7------ R------ 9------ X------ 2------ 1------ 8------ 2----- 1----- 9
O-----D-----C ---------------5 --------------F
l------e -----o ---------------. --------------a
d-----l -----u ----------------7 --------------i
s-----t -----p --------------------------------r
m----a -----e --------------------------------f
o ---------------------------------------------a
b -----------H --------------------------------x
i ------------T
l ----------------------------------------------K
e ---------------------------------------------s

I'll look again, if it's a 403, I don't dance, but if I did, I would be.

Allan R

Hmmm, after a bit more digging and research that block likely is the 350 'new age' block that was produced from 77-80. It could be either 557752 3B or 557838. The thing that made me think it's a 403 is the valve covers only have 5 bolts - that's typical of that engine production. If you look on the side of the block the 403 also has a casting that clearly identifies it as a 403.
As an example - this is where to look for the engine casting.
P1010399.jpg

If the casting is 557265 - it's a 403. Here's where to see the cast 403 on the side of the block. Obviously this one is upside down as work in progress - and wrong color but that makes it easier to see the 403

Dead Reckon

Nope, it's a 350, damn! Casting number is 557752-3B


Thanks anyway!

Dead Reckon

Just a heads up, haven't kept track of what I've done to my '77 'cause frankly I didn't feel anyone cared. It's just an old tired 4 door I'm giving new life. It's got lifter noise, the transmission doesn't like to come out of park sometimes when you first start it, and I'm having to dump about $600 into rebuilding the suspension 'cause my ball joints have collapsed, the springs are sagging, and it's just not drivable right now.

However, I will be keeping track of my 1979 Oldsmobile Holiday 88 with this thread, in late April, or early may, I will start work on it. The plan is to find a suitable carburetor, gravity feed it so I can find out if the car will move at all. Maybe use the mechanical fuel pump to empty the tank as the user classicmuscle.442 suggested on another thread.

After that, I'm going to decide what to do with it. If the car does not move under it's own power, the engine will be sold to whomever wants it, and I will source an LS and some kind of later transmission. Either way I plan to LS swap this car later on.

So the plan of attack if the car moves under it's own power is as follows:

Source some decent tires, I don't trust the ones under it and two of them are flat.

After the car has tires to move on, I'll change the oil, I can move it into the alley behind my house where there is pavement, my yard is uneven and eats jack stands. It's trying to eat the '79, I need to move it soon.

Remove the vinyl top and sand / paint that portion of the roof to prevent further rust, find someone to fix the trunk and passengers side door where they tried to bust the locks. I will have the vinyl top replaced later with one that matches the interior.

Check the car mechanically, brakes, suspension, see what is and isn't good, clean the drums and brakes, get some antique plates on it and take it for a stroll around the neighborhood (After knocking off the walker muffler, 'cause the neighbors need to know I have a new car. )

After that, I'll decide what to do, but it'll get a new red interior and silver paint, get the wheels painted dark red like the interior, that sort of thing. The engine only has about 110k miles on it. So it'll be good for now, but later on this car is getting some power by way of an LS. Don't worry, I'll paint the rocket logo on the engine cover.

I'm also going to do some odd and end things around the engine when I get it running, I'll be deleting the cruise control, so if anyone wants any of it's pieces, lemme know. I'll also be deleting the EGR, and removing a bunch of vacuum mess related to the EGR, and EFE systems.

I'll keep y'all posted, and I'll update this when I have started working on the car.

Dead Reckon

Got a good running Q-jet that looks like a dusty door stop for the car, I'll get some pics of it tomorrow. Gonna try to get a siphon pump that was recommended by user JFB, and see if I can't get the '79 running under it's own power. Gonna clean up the carb first though, it looks horrible, though the engine doesn't look a whole lot better, you can't look at the carb without getting greasy.

Dead Reckon

It runs! It drives! It's a car again! Sort of... Video update for the '79:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnhpWh3djnc


More tomorrow.

oldcutlass

You need a smaller container to prime the carb with. Good work.

Dead Reckon

Yeah but I was too lazy to find one.

Thanks, gonna keep going with this car, maybe I can get someone to rename the post? I dunno, I'll see.

Oldsragger

Have you check the fuel filter inside the carb?

Dead Reckon

Think you meant to post this to my other thread, but yeah, it's still soft and flows good, it's just fuel pressure I'm having an issue with. I'm sure if I hooked up a gauge it would fluctuate. Might throw my Summit carb and a new fuel pump on this car and get another for the '77, I like the Summit but I've got my eye on one of those new Demon carbs that are supposedly really good.

Tedd Thompson

And a fire extinguisher might come in handy also....Tedd

ThePackRat

***** Edited & re-posted do to some brain fart content *****

+ infinity

Your casual relationship with gasoline is nail-biting.

A fire extinguisher and a garden hose would be very good friends to have nearby.

Your other friend the air cleaner shouldn't be stitting off to the side & doing nothing either.

Do you know one of his many talents is that of a flame arrestor ?.

A simple small bottle with a funnel would be two more good friends.

Drowning things in gasoline is just as bad as not enough fuel - even if you take the dangers of fire & boom out of the equation.
(I'd make sure an oil change was in my near future)

Enough preaching .....



Here's how I have tackled similar situation(s) in the past & would do so again.
(questionable fuel quality/fuel pump/carb - sitting way too long etc etc)

If you haven't down so already .....

Forget about the gas tank & whatever is left in it at the moment - bypass it & supply your own fresh fuel for the moment.

Gas can + fresh gas.

A decent amount of rubber hose + clamps.

Now that you have an uninterrupted supply of fresh gas to the fuel pump .....

You should be able to see if the fuel pump is up to the task.

If the fuel pump is found to be doing its job - then it's time to worry about the carb - not before then.

The money for a new carb could be spent on something else.

Just my .02

Dead Reckon

I appreciate the input packrat, but, I know this carburetor is junk, because it's one I rigged together. The fuel in the tank is about 5 gallons of fresh gas with a little bit of seafoam to clean the line out, I'm not worried about damaging the carburetor. I had another video explaining this, and will take one sometime this week to replace it, the camera seems to have eaten it.

The plan of attack is

Get the car titled now that I know it runs and moves, I don't have much in it so even if it's some how not able to be titled I'll just part it out and still come out ahead.

Once the car is titled

Borrow a couple of things from a friend so I can check the compression, and vacuum after making sure anything that is not needed is unhooked, and anything needed does not leak.

Get a new battery and alternator, the battery goes int he '77, the '79 gets the old battery. I don't trust alternators that have sat this long, every one I've put miles on has seized and thrown or broken the belt.

New belts, they're all dried up pretty badly. Vacuum hoses too, I need a few replaced.

Some decent used 215, 225, or 235 something R15's, the car will get new ones later on when I'm sure where I stand.

Once I can move it and it's not on flats anymore, I'm gonna change the oil. I run 15w40 Shell Rotella, works great.

At this point, I will get a new fuel pump, and carburetor for it, a Summit like on '77, and a Airtex OEM fuel pump.

Finish deleting cruise control, I have no desire, need, nor want for such things. I drive a 2012 Chevy Express 5 nights a week delivering windshields, 200-350 miles a night, never use it's cruise control. I strongly dislike cruise control. Parts will be up for grabs if y'all want 'em.

I will also delete the EGR, and get rid of any vacuum lines no longer required. The EGR does not function, and if you noticed in the video, it's leaking exhaust. Sea foam is great for finding exhaust leaks.

Figure out why my float is stuck at full, when before siphoning gas it was stuck at half. Hopefully I don't have to drop the tank.

Do a little more work figuring out what the car needs then start saving to get the interior, vinyl top, and paint done. Going back original mostly, but the vinyl top will be red like the interior, so will the wheels, instead of grey.

I need to find a drivers side inner fender before I can get it painted, and hope that whoever does the work is good enough to fix the trunk and passengers side door where someone tried to bust the locks out.

I also need to clean some surface rust out of the trunk where the seals are bad.

It will also at some point need headlights, and some way to restore the lenses on the turn signals and brake lights as they have faded from sitting for many years.

And of course it's going to be loud like my '77.