jaunty75

1967 Delta 88 convertible

The plate on the firewall on the driver's side looks like this.

05B D
67-35867 LAN 642 BODY
378-C Y-8 PAINT
W2TR
5HY


The 05B means built in the 2nd week of May, I think. What's the "D" mean that follows it and is actually way over to the right on the plate.

The 67-35867 is the model year followed by the first 5 digits of the VIN. LAN = Lansing assembly. 642 = Lansing plant body sequence number

What's the rest of it mean? I'm assuming the Y-8 is the paint color, and since the car is yellow, I'm assuming the "Y" part of Y-8 means yellow. Is that correct?


Thanks.

delmontcrusier

when you get a response I would like to find out how to decode my cars plate.One reason is my registration is odd it says 2door when it is 4 so I want to decode the plate to find out what the deal is if someone at the dmv made a mistake or if it is somthing else.THANKS

jaunty75

Go ahead and post your car's body plate info. It would be interesting to know as well as to compare them.

wmachine

You're correct with the build date. Not sure about the single letter (was thought to be the month of the build as is with the POP, as stated in the Product Information Manual. But I'm finding it is not the same)

"
The 67-35867 is the model year followed by the first 5 digits of the VIN.".
Those first 5 digits are the model number, in your case a Delta 88 Convertible.
Y-8 is indeed Yellow, with a yellow top.
378-C Yellow bench seat interior (is that right? Triple yellow?)
Column 1
W Tinted windshield
Column 2
T Rear antenna
R Rear speaker
Column 5
H (don't know*)
Y Deluxe seat belts

*H The vast majority of my code data is from F-85s. So I'm guessing this code is only big car related. Anything unusual option you have that is body related? Maybe having to do with seat belts?

jaunty75

Thank you for the info!

Some of what you say matches the car, but some doesn't. Yes, the car is yellow. The top is currently black. That could easily have been changed by someone over the years as the top currently looks to be in very good shape, and I doubt that it's original.

The interior, though, is brown. Because not only the seats and carpeting are brown, but the door panels and the kick panels are also brown, it seems very unlikely that someone would have changed this car to this interior color scheme from something else. Here's a picture of the interior showing the top as well. I'm kinda glad it's not triple yellow. Any time you looked at the car, the glare would have been so overwhelming, you would have needed sunglasses, even at night!

Seriously, though, was yellow even an option for a convertible top on these cars? I thought it was pretty much white or black.





The car does have a rear seat radio speaker. There is no antenna at all, which is a bit odd. It doesn't even look like there ever was one as I don't see a hole in the rear fenders anywhere where it might have been. I do want to put one in, though, so knowing that it's supposed to go in the back and not in the front helps!

The seat belts are another issue as well. All that's left in the car are the two outboard retractors for the front seat. At some point in probably the distant past, the rear belts were cut off right at the attaching points. (Whoever did it probably took great delight in doing so. Otherwise, if you don't intend to use them and don't want to look at them, why not just push them down behind the seat?) Anyway, I have been in contact with a fellow about getting original replacements, and based on my description and photos of what I have left of them, he says that they were, in fact, deluxe seat belts.

The inboard front belts appear to be missing altogether, and this is another little mystery. I assume that the front seat inner belts would have attached to the floor right behind the front seat, perhaps on the side of the transmission tunnel. But not only are they not there, I don't even see holes in the carpet where they might have been attached to the floor. Either I have to look harder for those holes, or the carpet was replaced in the past and the belts never replaced along with it following the same mentality that resulted in the rear belts being snipped off at the knees. I'm assuming/hoping that the attaching weld nuts are still there as I do certainly plan to replace the belts to make the car legal and safer to drive.

As far as the windshield goes, I guess it's tinted. It's actually in very good condition with no wiper scratches as you often see. In fact it's so good that, like the top, I wonder if it wasn't replaced at some point along the last 42 years. If it was, it's possible that a non-tinted one was used as the replacement.

I can't really think of any other unusual options. The car is rather minimally optioned to begin with. No A/C, which was probably not uncommon in convertibles back then, no cruise control, no clock, no power windows or seats, AM-only radio (which I don't think is original, based on what the seller told me, although it certainly looks correct). There is a switch on the dash for a power antenna, although, as I said, the antenna itself is missing.

wmachine

My interior information still indicates an original yellow interior. With a yellow interior, some of the interior would be brown, like the carpet for sure, and I think the dash. Yes, the seats and all the side panels would have to have been changed too. I'd check the stitching and patterns used and compare them to what is original stitching in a '67 Delta 66 Convertible. I think you may find some differences there indicating reupholstering.
Safron exteriors are matched only to black, blue, Champagne, red, and yellow interiors. In fact there was not a brown in '67.
Yes, it is certainly possible that someone *did* change it, as "triple yellow" was a new in-your-face combination for 1967. Some loved it, but it wasn't that popular. I *think* the yellow interior was dropped after '67 even.
Your "Y8" is definitely Safron with a yellow top.

Belts. Front and back seat belts were standard in '67. Option A68 was center rear belts. Option A85 was Dual Front Shoulder Belts. All of these belts were available as "standard" (black buckles) and "deluxe" (chrome buckles).
I don't believe there any center front belts, standard or optional in 1967.

Tinted windshield: A "tinted windshield" means it has a darker blue band at the top of the windshield glass. "tinted windows" means that in addition to a tinted windshield, the other glass has a slight but uniform (overall) tint.

wmachine

Your VIN contains the model number that would indicate whether it is a 2 or 4-door. If the VIN is correct on the title, it is valid and good even if the description is wrong.

jaunty75

wmachine, I know what you're saying, and I certainly agree that anything could have been done to this car in the last 42 years. I do agree that there are some peculiarities as I've pointed out previously, such as the missing front inboard seatbelts and the lack of evidence that there ever was an antenna mounted on any fender.

I took several photos of the interior, including the underside of the rear seat bottom. You tell me whether this is a re-do or if this is original. If it's a re-do, it is one %@$% of a job. Even the window handles have brown ends on them, although I probably would not expect THEM to be yellow, even when the upholstery is. Of course, for all I know, one look at the stitching on the front seat might immediately tell someone knowledgeable about original GM stitching, which I am not, whether or not this is original.

I should also say that one of the arguments in favor of it having been redone is that it looks so good. I can't believe I'm looking at 42-year-old upholstery, door panels, kick panels, and carpeting. But then again, the condition of the dash, which I would NOT necessarily expect to have been replaced and which DOES look a bit worn, is still basically in a condition that is consistent with condition of the rest of the interior.

















Rear seat area. That's the rear seat back hanging upside down overhead. I've got it stored in the car until I can get new rear seat belts. I just lifted it up to get this picture. That wire is the rear speaker wire, which, to be honest, is another weirdness. It looks too new to be original, and if it's not, it most likely was put in place with the carpeting out, which again suggests that the carpeting is not original.






Look at the panels below the window in this photo. No detail missed. Again, if this has been reupholstered, I want to meet the guy. I also would like to know the guy who thought the yellow interior was SO bad that he was willing to pay whatever it cost to have this original-looking a reupholstery job done.






The windshield does not appear to be tinted the way you describe. (I've got the back seat bottom on the front seat because I've removed it to get at the seat belts, and storing it in the car until I can get the replacement belts keeps it out of harm's way.)





I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on this.


Thanks.

wmachine

Okay, I've checked a '67 Showroom album. Your interior looks *very* well done and passes all but the closest scrutiny. Here's the (only) differences I notice and note that not all of panels are in the book.
1. The pleats look deeper in the book.
2. The 2 outermost pipings in the center of the seats is more recessed in the book.
3. See the horizontal seams that run though your vent window cranks? They are not in the book.
That being said, I must also say that the book illustrations are *not* always 100% accurate.
All in all yours does "look correct" and the metal trim on the door, the rocket emblem, etc are most surely the original ones.
But you can't really get past that there were no brown interiors.
An upholstery job that good even "way back then" is entirely possible.
And I totally believe that someone would re-upholster the yellow. It is even possible a dealer had it done to sell the car.
Honestly I wouldn't have liked the triple yellow, but now as a collector car it would be quite a show piece!

jaunty75

Thank you. I couldn't agree more that the fact that no brown interior was available on '67's kind of halts any other arguments one way or the other in their tracks. I kind of like the idea that it might have been redone by the dealer in order to sell it. Maybe it was owned by a salesman who had it done for his own purposes. I'll likely never know.

I certainly have no intention of changing it, though. In as good condition as it is, I couldn't possibly see taking all that out and spending all that money just to make it original, especially if the original was yellow. On the other hand, if the interior was a mess and needed to be redone, anyway, I might have considered it.

jaunty75

I have some new info on this that supports the idea that the upholstery is original or at least a very, very correct re-do.

Arrived in the mail today is a 1967 Olds dealer brochure, and on page 18 is a view looking across the front seat toward the driver's door. A scan is below.



First off, I think the stitching, pleating, etc. in this picture is very similar to what's in my car.

But I really want to call your attention to the door panel, specifically the vent window crank that's partially obscured by the steering column. If you look carefully in the crook between the steering column and nearly vertical instrument panel, you can just make out a little seam running horizontally in such a way that it looks like it cuts through the lower half of the vent window crank just as it does in my car as can be seen in the photo of the passenger side door panel earlier in this thread.


I've highlighted this in the scan below.





In the scan below, I've enlarged the region of interest and indicated with an arrow the seam I'm talking about.




So, was it possible to get a factory-installed door panel with a seam running through the vent window crank as my car has and as is apparently shown in the dealer literature, or am *I* the crank??


I think that wmachine is working from a dealer album, which has fabric swatches and paint chips and which one would use to select colors and fabrics when ordering a car, and I'm guessing that that's more authoritative than what the brochure would show. On the other hand, it's hard to get past the fact that the seam IS shown in this brochure and in just the way it exists in my car. Why go through the trouble of including that little detail in the brochure if it's not actually accurate?

wmachine

Good detective work! Yes, I was using the dealer album you describe. I don't believe that the dealer album is any more "authoritative" than the brochure. They were both "illustrations" and not actual pictures. They obviously were never intended to be restoration guides!
The work on your car is outstanding. But remember, any *good* upholsterer could recreate almost exact work using the old for reference. In vinyl or leather.
Which I would say is the case with your car. Very good work!
And based on what you found in the brochure, it is likely the seam *is* per original.
I'm going to the Nats Wed. and I hope to find comparable interiors to look at. If I do, I hope my feeble memory kicks in and I'll take pics!

jaunty75

I'll be at the Nat's as well, but only on Thursday afternoon as we're passing through on our way from Ohio to visit relatives near Philadelphia for the weekend.

I hope there is at least one good, original '67 Delta there that I can take lots of pictures of, both engine compartment and interior. I also hope to find a lot of needed items at the swap meet.

I mean, heck, if one can't find a '67 Delta 88 at the national meet of the Oldmobile Club of America, then where CAN one expect to find one!

delmontcrusier

I am a little slow on getting my info in but here is the info from the plate

05E

st 67 35269 BL3775 BODY

TR 303 CC Paint

U80

I think that is everything but from what the guy told me it was a white car and it has blue interior (needs to be repaired or redone)

jaunty75

I think I can do this much:

67 = model year
3 = Oldsmobile division
52 = Delmont 88 series
69 = 4-door sedan

The "35269" is the first five digits of your car's VIN.


The general coding of body styles was:

87 = 2-dr hardtop coupe (often called "holiday")
67 = 2-dr convertible
69 = 4-dr pillar sedan (often called "town" or "celebrity")
39 = 4-dr hardtop sedan (also often called "holiday")


For '67, replace the "52" with "58" and you have Delta 88. Replace with "54" and you have Delta 88 Custom.

wmachine

Hope I can run into you there. I'll have my black '92 Achieva SCX there.

wmachine

I may not be able to get to this until after the Nationals. Stay tuned!

delmontcrusier

I would say if that is right then either the previous owner messed up or the dmv did.The crazy thing is I tried to tell them at the dmv and get them to correct it and it went right over there head.

delmontcrusier

not in a big hurry more curious than anything.enjoy the nationals I bet from what you both are saying I would be able to find some nice parts.I have been told about these swapmeets but funding stinks latly and I would be like a kid in a candy store.

jaunty75

I'll look for you. As the '67 is not yet up to leaving the garage, we'll be there in a non-Oldsmobile (white Nissan Altima).

delmontcrusier

so I haven't herd anything from you guys in a bit how did the nationals go and the othe question was if you got a chance to look more into my numbers

jaunty75

I posted photos in the General forum back on July 16. The day we were there was nice weather-wise, and cars were showing up all afternoon. I would say about half the cars that ultimately ended up attending were there when we were there on Thursday. The swap meet was good for me in that I got a number of needed items, and we enjoyed walking amongst all the cars and taking pictures.

I understand the weather was not as good on Friday and Saturday.

delmontcrusier

either way you look at it this has been a wet summer up here.NY weather is wacky anyway but it has been quite wet this year.some of the rain is needed in the southern states.I am glad you found some nice parts I bet I would have found some good stuff if I went.

wmachine

05E Built 5th week of May '67
st 67 35269 Delmont 88 Town Sedan
BL3775 BODY Linden NJ body sequence
TR 303 Blue interior
CC Paint Provincial White
U80 Rear speaker

delmontcrusier

thank you that tells me my car is origional and that charifies my curiosities.I don't know why they have it on my reg as a two door but this tels me the info on the plate matches the car.I have never went to the nationals sounds like a fun time hope you found some good stuff too.

ent72olds

I'm embarrASSed to say this, but my '72 Cutlass has a digit in the VIN incorrect also for the last 6 yrs or however long it's been since I finished it...DMV error that I didn't immediately catch. I just hope, it doesn't haunt me some day as it's been so long......NYSDMV....gotta love them!

wmachine

I've been told numerous times by the DMV that when there was an error in the title, as long as the VIN is correct, the title was was good and valid. When I asked about correcting a model, they said I would need to get something from the manufacturer to correct it, and it was a Triump, so I gave up.

wmachine

I don't think you'll have any trouble. Especially if the title just prior is correct. If you have a copy of the previous title, and/or know that it is correct, I'd go back to them and get it corrected.

rocketraider

Somehow I had missed this thread...

What jaunty75 has is a Spring Special going by the triple yellow body plate codes and the build date. They were more common on Cutlass and Ninety Eight, but I know a couple folks with Delmont and Delta versions too. April and May 1967 promotion (in the Raleigh NC sales zone, anyway).

I expect what happened is that the car needed upholstery work, the yellow vinyl (and top) was unavailable (it WAS, for a very long time), and the trim shop redid everything in saddle to match the dash and carpet. Most I've seen had saddle (dark gold in Fisher/Olds-speak) but I've seen two that had black dash and carpet.

Ninety Eights really complicated the yellow trim option- they used TWO different vinyls. Smooth grain for bolsters and outlines, and a deeper grained, perforated texture for seat and side panel inserts.

Oh well- coulda been like Cadillac and used yellow LEATHER... $$ouch$$

delmontcrusier

ha yeah I found another error on a title of one of my other vehicle's they don't care and it's not a big deal, still it is stupid on there part.

I guess they don't want to do more paper work.I found that they put 6cyl on one title when it is a v8,and then I have the 2dr thing when my car is a 4dr ehh noone said they were on the ball there

Hmm wonder if that makes my car a custom spring delmont special seeing it is now blue on the out side and the interior was blue to begin with.ehh thought it was funny I didn't want to repaint it white not as easy to keep clean and I like the way it looks. That is if I can fend of the stinkin rust (I am not a fan of oxidation corrosion etc).I should consider moving to a southern state,though then you run into other weather etc probs.

jaunty75

Hey, thanks for the info! This is kind of cool to know. Maybe I can someday locate some sales or promotional literature about it

ent72olds

Unfortunately, there are no titles for cars this old in NY(titles started in the mid 70's), just transferrable reggies! That needs to be turned in when you register the car in your name, so I have no proof! Except what is the actual VIN on the car. When I did go to register, it had been off the road for like 10yrs, and NYSDMV doesn't keep records ANYWHERE past 5 yrs. So ,SOL! at least this is the story they gave me!!!

wmachine

Probably won't matter.
Just a note here to everyone, always copy the title or whatever paperwork you have before you turn it in.

delmontcrusier

I have used this very advice myself that is before I gave family members my scanner should take the thing back as they don't use it.

delmontcrusier

new tag to decode the car is suposed to be a delmont was a ac car with white exterior with maroon interior and was said to be a 425 car

I am posting the pics of the tag and I am going to try to put what I see as I forgot to whrite the info on paper to make shure.

I think the first are 05B
then st 67-35669 BC 160 BODY
next can't tell what is in the left under st but then goes 305 cc paint
then looks like C60 B90

jaunty75

05B means that it was built in the second week of May in 1967. Interestingly, the same date code is on my '67 Delta 88.

delmontcrusier

the one in the door hinge area.I have one pic of it

the numbers go 356697C117255

jaunty75

That decodes to 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 Town Sedan (4-door) with the 425 engine built at Southgate, California.

delmontcrusier

thanks the crazy thing is many of the parts look similar to delta parts my only guess is when it was in pa the people that took the engine and trans out threw there parts of a delta on it or this car is a little different somehow.these pic's show what I mean.

jaunty75

Yes, for sure the car in the photos has a '67 Delta 88 front end. The give-away is the location of the turn signal lights. On the Delmont 88 (and 98), the headlights are adjacent to each other on the outer edges of the grille, and the turn signals are in the bumper. On the Delta 88, the turn signals are in the grille between the headlights.

So the VIN says Delmont 88 and the front end says Delta 88. In any event, the car looks pretty sad. Are you planning to do anything with this? If it's going to be parted out, where is it? I could use one of the wheel rims!