hello,

i am yet another new guy who just bought a 1976 olds 98. It's got 68,000 original miles and has the rare dual exhaust. A collector purchased this one and another from an estate sale last year and decided to keep the other. this is the car i've always wanted ever since i turned 16. Everything was original and so far i have replaced the engine and transmission mounts, spark plugs, tranny filter, gasket and fluid, exhaust manifold gaskets, PCV, fuel filter and had a carb rebuild kit put in. The only things left it needs are the valve cover gaskets replaced and a new water pump. I want to do all I can to keep it running and looking like it did when the Bicenntennial was here. I am an amateur when it comes to car repairs so any advice for a beginner is greatly appreciated.

 

Keep the vinyl top "nourished." I recommend Nu-Vinyl, but there are probably several good vinyl treatments available. I like the Nu-Vinyl because it doesn't seem to attract dust as much.

 

That is a beautiful car. My dad (Oldsguy) had a 76 98 coupe. It was the best highway car I ever drove.

 

beautiful car, more pics !

 

thanks to Danny for the advice on the vinyl top. Another issue i have is that it had a factory repaint sometime in the past and evidently there was an abrasive type wax used on it because it's got swirl marks. any idea how to get rid of these? I have waxed it once (with a good non-abrasive wax) but it really didn't do much to mask them.

 

Congrats on your acquisition and welcome. Be aware, however, that your dual exhaust is so rare that is it one-of-none. All 1976 Oldsmobiles came from the factory with a single exhaust due to the new for 1975 federal requirement to incorporate a catalytic converter in the exhaust system. After 1975 only the 98s with diesel engines came with true dual exhausts. Likely a previous owner either had exhaust pipes custom bent or fitted the dual exhaust pipes from a 1971-74 car.

 

Welcome aboard. This is a great site you will get a lot of great information here. Have fun with your new toy

 

miho,
Nice car and welcome to our site. It is rare indeed to find and be able to afford to buy your dream car, lucky dog, lucky dog. About the swirl marks, they could be from applying wax and leaving it in the sun. You might try a "cleaner" wax product in a non-conspicuous place. It may work. And there are a few paint/finish specialists members here. Good luck.

 

Love the color combo. Beaauutifulll Sled.
What kind of options does it have?

 

thanks. it really doesn't have many. I think it only has standard features. the only options i know of for the '76 year and model are intermittent wipers, a low fuel indicator and a fuel economy gauge. There might be others. I haven't driven it in rain yet but i have a feeling i am going to miss delay wipers!

 

damn. i was hoping it was original. I had seen a few 98s and 88s with this feature so i thought it might be an option.

 

sorry to raise a dead thread but my 76 Toronado has duals (coming off 1 cat)

 

Hi and congrats on your new 98! I have two 76 Regency coupes and absolutely love them! One is a mostly original car from Florida that I've had for over 12 years and the other is a frame off that I'm almost done with that I've had since my dad bought it when I was 3 years old! Your car looks like a beautiful original but Joe is correct about the exhaust. The '76 only came with a single with a cat. I have converted my frame off (and soon the other) to true duals from a '71-74 and the improvement is amazing! From the pic, your car has a power antenna, cornering lights, bumper guards and the PA3 full wheel covers. Here is a small list from the very long list of options on these cars:

power moonroof
twilight sentinal
illuminated entry
black leather interior
dual power seats
illuminated thermometer (on the driver's mirror)

I am very happy to say that my frame off has all of these and plenty more options. You are going to love owning that car. It is made to be driven so please enjoy it! My fiance' and I took one of my cars on vacation from Connecticut to North Carolina last year and it was a fabulous trip. The car loves the open road and we got over 17 mpg. Set the cruise and A/C and just go! Nothing like it. Enjoy and let me/us know if you have any questions.

PS. The Olds emblem on the header panel is usually only found on the Custom Cruiser...never actually seen one on a 98 before...interesting.

John

 

Custom Cruiser and 88 - my hood ornaments are wrong but I like em

 

I like it too.....never a bad thing to have an extra Olds rocket!!! I was at an Olds Club show yesterday and saw a 98 almost exacly like yours! It had about 47K miles on it and had a dark blue vinyl top. It was very well opted too...Twilight Sentinel, pulse wipers, bumper guards, etc. It even had the adjustable rear shocks which is pretty rare. Car was nice and clean. I took a couple of pictures of it if you'd like to see them. Do you have more pics of your car?

 

There's an unwritten rule about this site. Goes like this. YES!! We'd love to see some pics. You don't need to ask us for permission.

If you run into any problems posting them, it works really well to import them from photobucket or similar service carrier.

Looking forward to your pics....

 

may be of interest https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ar-bumper.html

 

nice, thanks! I just emailed him about the bumper! I am loving this site! Wish I knew about this years ago!

 

How do I post pictures when all of my files are too large?

 

host them on a site like google (I use Picassa and it syncs a folder to the web) then you just enter the web address of the pic in the little yellow mountain icon box

 

Let's see if this worked. I just uploaded a few pics. This is my black 98 after completing a little bit of work recently. You'll see my other, burgundy 98 on the side in one pic.

 

wow they look great - any of the dash? under the hood? door panels? (not yet I guess) KEEP EM COMING!!!

 

Super nice car!

 

Thanks Jeff, under the hood is still a dusty mess from the body shop so I'll get to that when I can. That's about it for the interior right now. The headliner is going in very soon followed immediately by the moonroof. After those and a couple of odds and ends (weatherstripping mostly), I'll finish up with the carpets, front seats, door panels and dash. All stuff I am very excited about installing.

 

very nice work John - check my website for e z engine cleaning tips (last link)