Braxton

Hello this is my fist post here so hopefully I'm not putting this in the wrong area or its already in another thread.. If so I apologize.

1st I bought to what my knowledge is a 1972 Olds Delta 88 Royale convertible. I took it to my neighborhood mechanic and he is doing a few things to it and mentioned it's a 454? I thought it was the smaller engine.. How do I know for sure? I'm in no way a mechanic and am learning but I would be excited if it was actually the 454...

2nd I need a hood! I'm almost finished with the parts I need and it's about to hit the body shop in a week or so and my hood has a small crease! Anyone had a hood I would be willing to purchase!

Any info or guidance would help! Also it's in great shape any with 70k original miles and runs like a champ it has AC and all the bells and whistles any idea on how much it's worth?

Thanks!

Greg Rogers

Welcome!! 454 is a Chevy engine, not original but could have been swapped in. A 455 is a Olds engine and that could be original. It came from Olds with a 350 or 455.

Braxton

Interesting so its probably a 455? How can you tell?

oldcutlass

Welcome, post a picture. We can tell.

Octania

State your location?

I have big car hoods but often with rust

creased perhaps from no one EVER lubing the hood hinges? I get that a lot on the parts cars.

Look on the corner of the head for a # = small block = 350, or Letter = Big Block = 455.

Block ID is behind the water pump, fwd of the intake
blah blah blah -2 = number = 350
blah blah blah - F = letter = big block

Braxton

I'm in beautiful New Mexico. I think the hood was creased do to an accident.

Allan R

1. Welcome Aboard! Nice to see someone who likes the big cars.

2. Delta 88 Royale in 1972 came standard with a 350 4bbl and could be ordered with the optional L74 455 4bbl for a nominal 169.00. Couple of things you can check to determine the engine:

a) the engine casting behind the water pump. If your casting is 395558 2 it's a 350. If it's 396021 F it's a 455.
b) If the engine is original the color will be gold for a 350 and blue for a 455.
c) You can also check your VIN - it will tell you what the car was built with. If the VIN starts out as 3N67T2... it's a 455. If it's 3N67K2... it's a 350. T is the engine placeholder for 455, K is the engine placeholder for 350
d) Deck on a 455 is 14", on a 350 it's 12. (width of the intake manifold)
e) Look at the heads. If there's a 7A it's a 350, if its a GA it's a 455. This assumes that the engine has never been apart.

3. You might check with John McNeel (2blu442) on this site. He had a 72 Delta awhile back and might still have the parts. The hood for 71 and 72 Delta's and 98's are interchangeable. Clik John's link to go to his home page where you can send him a pm or email. John is in Medford Oregon. Unfortunately the aftermarket for B/C car parts is very small so you'll need a good donor hood or a bodyman with skills to fix the one you have.

Great first impression for a newbie.

MDchanic

Welcome aboard, matey! You'll need a foghorn and a boatswain's whistle if yer gonna pilot that barge!

Arrrrgh!

- Eric

Braxton

Wow, thanks Allan. Yeah they gentleman working on my vehicle must not be as well versed as you guys because I distinctly remember the gold.

Thanks for the help I'll PM the gentleman you were referencing to see if I can score a new hood!

And yes it's a boat and I absolutely love it!

MDchanic

Mine, too!

- Eric

Allan R

You're welcome. I just did a web search of DVAP (Desert Valley Auto Parts) and they have a lot of hoods that will work for you. Most of them are from 1972 Ninety Eights but the pics show them to be in really nice shape. DVAP is in Phoenix Arizona so you might even be able to drive the car there and pickup/install the new hood with the car! I have no idea about their pricing so maybe use the 800 number and find out if it's a better deal? Here's the link to their site DVAP

joe_padavano

Welcome. First, expect to get a lot of mis-information about Oldsmobiles from civilians. We live in a Chevy-centric world, unfortunately.

Second, the easy way to tell an Olds motor from a Chevy motor is to look for the oil fill tube. If it is at the front of the block, as shown in the photo below, it's an Olds motor. The photo shows the location of the block casting number on every Olds V8 made from 1964-1990. Tell us what that number is and we'll tell you what size it is.

P1010403.jpg

Allan R

Already done Joe. All he has to do is look at the number and compare to notes already provided.

joe_padavano

Ah, so it is. Nice use of serif font, by the way.

Braxton

Ok looks like a 350 thanks for all the help gold and numbers were the 555 like Allan suggested thanks guys!