A picture of my Delta back in the day. Had to use wheel adapters but didn't like them.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...o=5&ppuser=375

 

Eric, explain in detail the difference with that particular piston please. And its all pretty much buttoned up now, the engine. What am I going to expect from the "cereal bowl" piston ?

 

And I should ask at this juncture....what money am I expected to pay for a 134 a/c upgrade from orig r12 ?

 

The cereal bowls give you lower compression and less HP basically from what i know. Good news is you can use less octane with the gas with those puppies ... My Hurst had those and i ran low grade gas and it ran just fine

 

No detail needed. Your compression will be lower, usually about 7.5:1.

You said in your first post that the PO had had the engine rebuilt. Obviously, he used the cheap and ubiquitous smog-motor "cereal bowl" pistons instead of trying to obtain the correct 9:1 pistons that were used in 2bbl engines that year.

They will work, but at the expense of some power and fuel economy.



R134 is a modification, not an upgrade.

To do it properly, especially seeing as how you're living in a hot area and need it to function properly, requires replacing the condenser, the receiver dryer, and probably the hoses, and recalibrating the POA valve.

It may be cheaper to just have it serviced and refilled with R12, and it will certainly work better.

- Eric

 

I'm not sure when neoprene rear seals were initially installed at the factory on the 455 but my mechanic installed a new one and said it had one on its from original or that rebuild I dunno. I'm OK with HP loss I'm not out to set any records, but I do wanna be able to smoke the lil Japanese cars when they pull up and say nice boat....
What's the street price on r12 nowadays if I go that route

 

The original rear main seals were rope seals. If it was neoprene, it was put in later.



Very dependent of locality and luck.

I've bought some 12oz cans in the past year for $3 a can, but seen others for $25 a can.

A good A/C shop should have a source for it or have some on hand, and their price shouldn't be much higher than the current price of R134, at about $15 a 12oz can, which is $20 a pound.
I should think double that, or $40 a pound, would be about right, considering it's a shop and they have to make money.

- Eric

 

How many pounds are in the a/c system on my delta ?

 

Only if they also happen to be 40 years old.

 

Hey,
In your first post it sounded like you weren't thrilled about the 2bbl carb and were wanting to change that. Why not the pistons? That would be a must for me.

Here are some good words on compression ratio for olds'

http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/ofcrc.htm...n%20Comparison

 

Not many 1974 Japanese cars out there. I can take a 18r powered celica even with my cereal bowl pistons ! I'm talking sleeper !!!

 

RocketRichard, that may change, my thoughts on carb, but right now I just want my car back. Its been two and a half months and I haven't had much time to spend with her. From what my mechanic tells me she's got a good foundation for a light restore, but I have hit my annual ceiling on expenses for her this year. Rubber and perhaps wheels ( most likely sticking with orig caps for now) and ride her for a while. Its dead heat time here in the desert so hence my questions on a/c system.

Oldsguy, thank you for the pic, it certainly gives me another idea, as your setup I haven't found yet before on internet.

 

4½ pounds (72 ounces)

- Eric

 

Update: 455 is finally back together. Let me know what you think of color. Closest I can get. Brackets black, dunno of correct, but there clean. More pics coming.

 

The color.

 

Looks good sir. Cant wait to see this car in person

 

Looks to be about dead-on for Olds engine red to me.

- Eric

 

I didn't splurge for the fusicks, but found Chrysler industrial red instead, saved me $48. Going to shop today to see her, engine should be back in car by now. Its been three months and four days since I dropped her off there, endgame in sight. I am inspecting brakes before rolling out but should have her home within the week I am hoping, then my real fun starts. Been daydreaming about this moment for a while as I have read virtually every post under Large Oldsmobile's I can find. When I go in today I will take plenty of pics and post later.

 

Heres latest and greatest...455 is in car, attaching components, startup slated for tonight or tommorow morning. The engine compartment was steam cleaned and repainted as well semi-gloss black. We will be hooking up the A/C system as well and testing it to see if there are any leaks. Then it's on to the drive....

 

Them's some awfully small pictures.

- Eric

 

Update: This should be the week !!
Heres today's pics. Engine first start today, initially had a small exhaust leak but a few minutes later she was purring like a kitten ! She sounds great. What a rush hearing the motor for the first time in 3 months, and without the knocking. Found out the compressor for A/C is seized so I am looking up compressors today. Any suggestions ? I am aiming to stick with R-12. Jim found one can we are searching for 3 more. Testing what we can today on rest of A/C system too. Back to a post some 3 and a half months ago about RWL tires and hubcaps...I think thats going to be my initial investment, current tires look ok need to give them a good visual check. Also checking brakes out the next couple days, we replaced brake booster at turn of year, need to inspect everything else before I put my precious cargo in the 88. And a new trans mount as well as a kill switch will be installed tommorow....should have her home by friday if not sooner.

 

Looking for r-12....anything specific I should be looking at....specific brand, 4 ounce can vs 10 ounce, price I understand will be outrageous, but what other things should I look for. Replacing bearing on ac compressor, then hoping to fill er up...

 

A good A/C shop should have access to R12, though they'll charge you for it.

Aside from that, it's a matter of luck - just keep your eyes open and get what you can.
A year or so ago, I was able to pick up four 12oz cans for $3 each at a flea market, and I had a chance to buy a case from another guy at $10 a can.
I've also seen it for $50 a can (though not in the past couple of years).

- Eric

 

Thanks Eric,
I found 14 oz cans of Sercon as well as 12 oz cans of Chargette, but further reading has me wondering about how I can know if its dichlorodifluroromethane or if it has propane in it....or a mixture, I have read the propane aspects are dangerous because of the flammability.. current pricing is $25 to $60 a can in my neighborhood..can you shed any light on this ?

 

If it says "R12," it's R12.

If it doesn't, it's something else.

I wouldn't use anything but a proper refrigerant. That being said, all reports are that propane does work well, so long as it stays inside the system - it can get interesting if someone comes along in an Acura and "releases" it with their front bumper.

- Eric

 

 

Good times. Getting a burger at Five Guys. Just picked up The Titanic from mechanic. Engine sounded great, haven't been this excited to drive a car in I don't know how long. Got in and boy that gas pedal was touchy. Car feels like it weighs 1500 pounds instead of 4200. Light and nimble steering, people staring at me, gaping almost, as I cruised Desert Inn Rd here in Vegas. Then....I make a left hand onto Ft Apache and give it some gas and pfffffft. Stalls. Hmmm. Luckily I swing the boat into a vacant lot, lots of those here in sin city. I open hood and there's light seepage out of front fight manifold bolt as well as a little wetness underneath. I try to start, it starts right up. But the ac compressor is spinning slowly like it's binding, almost like it's trying to slow the 455 down. It doesn't work yet with out freon so I take a flathead screwdriver and cut that belt off. Start back up. Idle noticeably higher but engine almost sounds relieved. No more seepage out of manifold bolt. I jump in step into the gas half mile down the road and..pffffft. Stalls again. So now I'm waiting for AAAAG to come tow me home. Called my mechanic, he said the carb probably needs rebuild or acceleration pump bad. Back to my burger.

 

Edits: wetness underneath means some on manifold cover, not under car. AAA triple A auto coverage. Not AAAAG. Damn spell correct.

 

Update.
Had car towed home three days ago. I was pretty bummed, waiting three months for her to come back with a rebuilt engine, only too have it die/stall twice on inaugural voyage. I printed off online tech data on the Rochester two barrel carb submitted to one of you fine gentlemen here on CO a few years back (post was hesitation time I think), and last night took that bad boy off and completely tore it apart. I may never know the exact cause of the stall/stumbling she had a few days ago but its long gone now. After cleaning/spraying/soaking everything, finding black dirt come out and some clogged offices, I placed rochester back on and turned they key. Yes !!!!!! I had to tweak it a little bit but last night was the fun ride. Smooth, stops well, maybe a bit touchy. Went to bed with a smile last night. Today she is legally registered as a classic vehicle in the state of nevada. Another Olds BACK on the road baby......

 

Alright! Finally!

And, yeah, you need to just dig into these things yourself to be sure they're fixed right and not screwed up by somebody else.

- Eric

 

Nice, now when you going to bring the Titanic over

 

Shes registered and last night I took her out for about a 45 mile roundtrip cruise. She responded well, turnsignals don't work but all other lighting works, I stepped into her a bit hit about 70 mph on the 215 freeway she handles pretty well, I didn't want to push her past that. I still notice a little hesitation when you let off gas then get back on it, I assume thats the accel pump. I have a rebuild kit, now that I have taken the rochester apart once, I feel good about doing it again, this time putting in all the new jets, gaskets accel pump in.
The suspension on this bad boy needs attention. The list that my mechanic gave to me is the following:
Upper and Lower Control Arm Bushings
Sway Bar Bushings
Pins
Rear Upper Trailing Arm Bushings

now out of these items, and I will start reading more about now thru these threads and posts, which , if any, can I perform here in my garage, and if so do I need special tools to do so ?

As well I need a complete set of seatcovers too, I found a couple companies online, any one company stand above the rest ? I may eventually upholster the benches but for now I just need some covers.

Lastly, I have taken all wheelcovers off, mainly because the 56 slot 1969 wheel covers that I have, 3 fit perfect and one just won't fit. I assume that particular rim is from a different era ? And yes Eric those damned 1975 wheelcovers from a Cutlass Supreme are just sitting in my garage, waiting for me to list on ebay..

yes I will also take pics...of the Titanic (no one likes that), Shark, or my new possible name for her, Jaws....

 

Congrats! Good to see it finally out of the shop.

 

Drove her to work this morning. I don't think people know what kind of car it is. They just stare. I'm going to dig back into the carburetor again next week there's a bit of a slight hesitation. I should be able to post some new pics here soon too.

 

Very nice I absolutely love 69 deltas!

 

Its been a week now, I have put 58 miles on the new rebuilt 455. Running 91 octane...put some seat ccovers on the front bench and will be giving her a good cleaning here soon. Decided to take the FAM to Laughlin for a two day trip away from Vegas.

So I've determined in this week of driving I need to re rebuild the carb, ask you guy why when I shift into either reverse or park the car lunges/jumps a bit, what adjustment do I need for that, as well the front end will make strange noises when I turn out of my driveway, prior posts reveal the bushings I need, and then once I determine its roadworthy and safe, throw in some r12 and cool down me and my passengers. Otherwise its been a joy, I will take pics soon, cosmetically she needs major help, no major rust, paint non existent and no wheel covers give me the look of a 60s racer. Such a good feeling compared to the cookie cutter cars of today.