hi all . just for something different , i picked up a 1984 delta 88 . immaculate inside the car , decent vinyl top , runs and drives good( after pulling my hair out for awhile making the feedback carb function well ) ... the older gentleman was really good at keeping records for EVERYTHING .. even receipts for the place he stored it in winters.. However , he let his grandson drive it for the last 1 1/2 winters in the rust belt . i did not realize the doors were as bad as they were until i got it to the shop ... it is not just the door skin , it is far worse! it is most of the bottom of the front 2 doors . to make a long story short , they most likely are not worth trying to fix . i am thinking there is no way other than finding used because it seems nobody makes replacements . western michigan is a horrible place to find anything without rot . if anyone could take the time to help me out on this one i would greatly appreciate it . i am a noob with older american cars , i was born in 87, so i am learning as i go , but i will find a way to make this car as good as new, one way or another ...

 

You're right, replacement doors are not made for cars this old. Your only hope is to find good used ones from a donor car. Junkyards in the southwest are the best place to look. But keep your eye out for what's nearby, too. There are survivors of this vintage all over.

Post some photos of this beast!

 

x2!

 

Well, first off - Welcome aboard.

I can relate to this issue. My 1983 Ninety Eight Regency Brougham had some of the same issues on the front doors so I ended up replacing them with donors from the boneyard. The cost was right - 30.00 / door complete with glass and PW/PDL motors/solenoids intact. If the doors are as far gone as you say, it's definitely not worth the time and effort to fabricate new parts. The rocker and door stainless covers a lot of area that never got washed. Typical corrosion traps.

So from the sounds of it, you have a 4 door sedan. You (and the others) are 100% right that you'll need to source out new front doors from donor cars. There is good news though. Donor cars for this model are not limited to just the Delta 88. Here's a list of compatible donors: (in preferential order)
ANY 1981 - 85 RWD 4 door Delta, Delta Royale, Delta Royale Brougham sedan.
ANY 1981 - 84 RWD 4 door 98 or 98 Regency Brougham
ANY 1981 - 85 RWD 4 door Buick LeSabre
ANY 1981 - 84 RWD 4 door Buick Park Avenue

EDIT: The 1981-86 Custom Cruiser (Full size station wagon) is NOT compatible because of door ridge design.


Once rust gets into those pinch weld seams it's darn near impossible to stop.

NOTE: The Buick Park Avenue doors have different side trim, but it can be removed and the posts that hold the trim clips can be ground off to make the door identical to Oldsmobile. Even the bottom front door stainless on the Buick's are interchangeable.

Good luck with your search - there should still be a lot of these cars available for your needs.

 

wow , thank you guys for the advice ! as soon as i drove/ saw this car i knew i was going to buy it .. i was getting a little bummed with the potential body work and that primitive emissions/ computer carb . but after spending some time on this forum all is better