Olds FAQs now Oldsmobilewikw
October 9th, 2012, 04:43 PM
#81
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 7,286
Once again I need to remind everyone that the original Olds FAQ, from which the wiki was born, was originally created by David Brown who culled email posts on the old Chubecto Olds Email Listserver back in the 1990s. There was no overt fact checking and David served only as editor. Much of the casting number ID info came from posts authored by Chris Witt.
Some of the errors happened by copy-n-pasting then getting distracted and forgetting to fix it before sending it out, then it became sort of permanent.... but some of the errors have happened SINCE.
Anyone who knows me know I strive for ACCURACY and TRUTH. In fact, when I add application text to my PN database, from the factory literature, if it's in quotes, then I copied it VERBATIM, with typos, eXacT capitalization, periods ["U.H.V."], spacing, etc. I can't duplicate font size or font, but other than that, it's exact.
As for Casting ID's and such, yes, Lord, please let us KILL the FAQ [keep a copy for posterity], and move on. I once bought a pair of Big Valve C heads, shipped to MI from WA state, only to find they were common SV C's... oh, says the seller, they came from a 4-bbl motor, so *I FIGURED* they were big valve. Oy vey. They sell calipers, ya know. But, I "digest"...
Now the fine exact details like the CBA and lifter size on a JetstarI or Starfire engine, that's one even I can't nail down. For a long time I was under the impression [from?? poor memory? Misinformation I read?] that STARFIRE engines of the 65-6-7 era had BV heads. This is evidently not true and I defer to those who know more than I. I have dismantled dozens of engines but not so many early SF units. Maybe none.
All subjective and time-related matter should be removed or at least tagged for year of issue- i.e., "D heads are worth $1000/pr" might have been a lot, and true, when written.... but they went up to like $5k a set before the Crash of '08 and pretty sure they will sell for well over $1k nowadays. Such statements were made, again, in the informality of the then-popular Chebucto list. Not expected to be made into the Bible that can't be edited.
I don't mind being cited for credit/ blame... as long as it's not ALL errors!
My personal collection of casting ID info started when I was living in CA and had bought the '68 442... and often went to scrap yards where the motors were piled 30 ft high. I wanted to be able to tell from the ground if that motor up yonder was worth going after- J heads, or D? Oh, and what parts is my car SUPPOSED to have- because it has been changed a lot over the years.
I may not have been the first to NOTICE the connection between the Drill Spot and the 0.921 lifters, but as far as I know, I was the first one to spread the word so that others can spot a Toro 425 easily. A comment by me got Supercars Unltd [GREAT BOOK- BY THE NUMBERS!!!] to revise the crankshaft photo to SHOW that special shaped notch that makes a forged 455 crank spottable w/o dismantling the engine!
I am still totally confused by the pulleys and water pumps thing even after studying it for years. I think the best way to do that would be to copy the Asm. Manual info so that for each and every combo of engine, AC or not, etc., the pulleys and belts are listed. Currently, my database is based more on empirical observations of what fits with what and which length WP is required for that set.
Lately I have been into reworking pre-HEI distributors for authentic applications, and so have learned stuff like how to determine how much mechanical advance a distributor offers, and how to change it to what you want. How to properly re-bush, re-grease, and generally rebuild the distributor, etc. This could be a handy addition to the wiki I suppose. ROP has a thread or three on this matter.
Let's start with this BullShed:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-oldsmob...f4048b&vxp=mtr
Ending in an odd digit DOES NOT make an Olds QJet a "manual trans" carb [and therefore worth much, much more $]. I am so tired of seeing that. 7028251 was the carb used on almost ALL Olds BB engines. Perhaps a few MT 442's got a '8253 [much like the SMW403, rumored to exist yet no one can produce even ONE photo of it!], and we know some '8255's exist- but pretty much it went like this: '8250 - 350 applications; '8251 - big blocks exc. Toro.; '8252 - Toronado; '8253 - see above; '8254 - late production W30 [AT -or- MT I believe]; '8255 - ?? Either Ram Rod [pre-W31 UHC OAI 350] or perhaps H/O's. That's it for 1968.
Last edited by Octania; October 10th, 2012 at 09:52 AM.
May 12th, 2014, 07:45 AM
#82
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean, Ft. Lauderdale Fl.
Posts: 141
First I want to thank everyone who has been involved in putting Olds. information up on the web. Without the hard work of a few, the rest of us would be without the reference material that is required to understand much about our cars. I do have a question, what has happened to the site "www.442.com"? I have used it in the past and can't bring it up any longer, does anyone know what happened to it?
I'D LIKE TO THANK AGAIN, THE FOLKS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THE SITES MENTIONED IN THIS THREAD, GREAT JOB!!
By the by, I've been looking at distributors and the way the factory curved them, I was surprised to find that there are as many ways to change the curves, not just the springs and weights are in play, the main shaft and the cam plate are also unique to a particular distributor and all these components in combination make the particular curve. With 4 variables the possibilities are almost endless, pay close attention to component part numbers if your trying to build a specific distributor, and good luck finding many of them.
I'D LIKE TO THANK AGAIN, THE FOLKS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THE SITES MENTIONED IN THIS THREAD, GREAT JOB!!
By the by, I've been looking at distributors and the way the factory curved them, I was surprised to find that there are as many ways to change the curves, not just the springs and weights are in play, the main shaft and the cam plate are also unique to a particular distributor and all these components in combination make the particular curve. With 4 variables the possibilities are almost endless, pay close attention to component part numbers if your trying to build a specific distributor, and good luck finding many of them.
May 12th, 2014, 07:49 AM
#83
Old(s) Fart
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 47,289
May 12th, 2014, 08:07 AM
#84
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Mo-Ray-Al, K-Bec.
Posts: 1,815
I would like to propose an addition to these resources, if I may. We see regularly requests for vacuum hose routing and belt arrangements. It was my thought that if everyone here took a couple of pics of their engine bay and posted them with the model and details of their ride, that would bundle up into a nice album for us to direct people towards. Thoughts?
May 12th, 2014, 08:26 AM
#85
Connoisseur d'Junque
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: The Hudson Valley
Posts: 21,183
There are great illustrations of all of the belt configurations in the Assembly Manuals and the Parts Manuals.
Probably sixty percent of the questions that people ask on here could be answered if they first went to WildAboutCars, downloaded the appropriate manual set for their car, and read them.
I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I suspect that if you collated all of that information here, they'd still ask first, and read second.
- Eric
Probably sixty percent of the questions that people ask on here could be answered if they first went to WildAboutCars, downloaded the appropriate manual set for their car, and read them.
I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I suspect that if you collated all of that information here, they'd still ask first, and read second.
- Eric
May 12th, 2014, 08:32 AM
#86
Old(s) Fart
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 47,289
There are great illustrations of all of the belt configurations in the Assembly Manuals and the Parts Manuals.
Probably sixty percent of the questions that people ask on here could be answered if they first went to WildAboutCars, downloaded the appropriate manual set for their car, and read them.
I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I suspect that if you collated all of that information here, they'd still ask first, and read second.
- Eric
Probably sixty percent of the questions that people ask on here could be answered if they first went to WildAboutCars, downloaded the appropriate manual set for their car, and read them.
I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I suspect that if you collated all of that information here, they'd still ask first, and read second.
- Eric
Frankly 90% of all belt questions posted here can be answered by posting a photo of the PS pump bracket spacers...
May 12th, 2014, 08:53 AM
#87
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Evansville, IN
Posts: 10,265
I notice that it helps to get a response here if you have done some research first. I made a cam thread recently and at least went and got the factory cam info and put it in my question. I got a lot of help there and am happy.
I find the best way to search this site is to google it. Put what you want and the name of the site. For instance, putting "trac pack cam options classicoldsmobile.com" in google gets that cam thread I just mentioned.
But, people who don't know the info probably won't know the location of the info, because if they knew, they'd know, if you know what I mean, Vern.
I find the best way to search this site is to google it. Put what you want and the name of the site. For instance, putting "trac pack cam options classicoldsmobile.com" in google gets that cam thread I just mentioned.
But, people who don't know the info probably won't know the location of the info, because if they knew, they'd know, if you know what I mean, Vern.
May 12th, 2014, 09:30 AM
#88
Connoisseur d'Junque
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: The Hudson Valley
Posts: 21,183
That's why I advocate doing the same thing that I've done with every car I've had since I was 16:
Get a hold of a manual (easier now in the age of the Interwebs) and very quickly thumb through every page, from front to back.
Takes about half an hour, and after that, if you have a question, that voice in your head will say, "I think I saw a picture of that in there somewhere..." and you can go look it up using the chapter heading or the INDEX.
- Eric
May 12th, 2014, 09:54 AM
#89
Administrator
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Poteau, Ok
Posts: 40,549
Sometimes you can just search the internet images with a good search description, you'd be amazed at what pops up. I've found all sorts of wiring diagrams, assy drawings, parts lists, and interesting things I never thought of.
May 12th, 2014, 09:54 AM
#90
CH3NO2 LEARN IT BURN IT
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Land of Taxes
Posts: 4,838
We need a mythbuster page as well to maybe finally do away with some of the big hitter myths... IE: Multiple header listings due to mythical engine offset in a Supreme verses a Cutlass!!!
May 12th, 2014, 10:00 AM
#91
CH3NO2 LEARN IT BURN IT
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Land of Taxes
Posts: 4,838
Great idea to edit or proof changes here before placing into documentation. I for one have been wrong on many occasions either by reading something that was wrong or assuming due to lack of better experience. So by bouncing it off the "jury" here is a great way to authenticate before it goes into writing. Great idea thanks for the effort(s) all!
August 25th, 2015, 08:57 AM
#92
Hi,
Is there a reason that the classicoldsmobile.com domain now resolves to the forums list page instead of the previous homepage which showed an aggregate list of the latest posts?
I found that to be much more engaging and useful, so was curious about why the change was made.
Thanks!
Bill
Is there a reason that the classicoldsmobile.com domain now resolves to the forums list page instead of the previous homepage which showed an aggregate list of the latest posts?
I found that to be much more engaging and useful, so was curious about why the change was made.
Thanks!
Bill
August 25th, 2015, 09:11 AM
#93
Administrator
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Poteau, Ok
Posts: 40,549
Hi,
Is there a reason that the classicoldsmobile.com domain now resolves to the forums list page instead of the previous homepage which showed an aggregate list of the latest posts?
I found that to be much more engaging and useful, so was curious about why the change was made.
Thanks!
Bill
Is there a reason that the classicoldsmobile.com domain now resolves to the forums list page instead of the previous homepage which showed an aggregate list of the latest posts?
I found that to be much more engaging and useful, so was curious about why the change was made.
Thanks!
Bill
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ct-forums.html
July 19th, 2016, 06:34 AM
#94
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Jerome Idaho
Posts: 5
wiki????????
For those of you that don't know, the Olds FAQs have been copied to a "wiki" type site that allows for additions and changes. That's the good news. And the bad news.
Though the changes can be made by most anyone, the changes *are* tracked, so if someone in particular is causing trouble, they can be identified.
Though not a "perfect" (whatever that is) scenario, it is an improvement over the old FAQs, and certainly is a decent venue.
http://www.oldsmobilewiki.com/index.php/Main_Page
Though the changes can be made by most anyone, the changes *are* tracked, so if someone in particular is causing trouble, they can be identified.
Though not a "perfect" (whatever that is) scenario, it is an improvement over the old FAQs, and certainly is a decent venue.
http://www.oldsmobilewiki.com/index.php/Main_Page
July 19th, 2016, 03:39 PM
#97
Administrator
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Poteau, Ok
Posts: 40,549
It is dead. Over. Done. Finished. Gone.
But the good news is there is a place now that eclipses the old Olds FAQs and the wiki successor. And it is bigger and better than they ever were.
It is Wild About Cars. More info is continually being added and before long everything that was on the FAQs will be on Wild About Cars in expanded, more comprehensive, and more accurate form.
Wild About Cars. http://wildaboutcars.com. An information supersource, especially Oldsmobile. More Olds content than anywhere else on the internet and continuing to grow.
You'll find Chassis Service Manuals, Product Information Manuals (AKA Assembly Manuals), Inspector's Manuals, and other documents that will contain this and much much more.
Dealer Brochures, magazine ads and articles, and a home page for you online. You can even have your very own club there and a personal forum.
Free to join, free to learn.
But the good news is there is a place now that eclipses the old Olds FAQs and the wiki successor. And it is bigger and better than they ever were.
It is Wild About Cars. More info is continually being added and before long everything that was on the FAQs will be on Wild About Cars in expanded, more comprehensive, and more accurate form.
Wild About Cars. http://wildaboutcars.com. An information supersource, especially Oldsmobile. More Olds content than anywhere else on the internet and continuing to grow.
You'll find Chassis Service Manuals, Product Information Manuals (AKA Assembly Manuals), Inspector's Manuals, and other documents that will contain this and much much more.
Dealer Brochures, magazine ads and articles, and a home page for you online. You can even have your very own club there and a personal forum.
Free to join, free to learn.
October 22nd, 2016, 12:18 PM
#101
Connoisseur d'Junque
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: The Hudson Valley
Posts: 21,183
Well, you know...
You can go through a traffic light that's green,
And you can go through a traffic light that's yellow,
And you can go through a traffic light that's red...
But you can't go through a traffic light that's been red.
Same goes for CPR:
You can do CPR on someone who's alive,
And you can do CPR on someone who's dead...
But you can't do CPR on someone who's been dead.
And in this case:
You can try a link that's live.
And there's nothing wrong with trying a link that's dead...
But there's no point wasting electrons trying a link that's been dead.
Maybe this thread should be renamed "RIP Olds Wiki."
- Eric
You can go through a traffic light that's green,
And you can go through a traffic light that's yellow,
And you can go through a traffic light that's red...
But you can't go through a traffic light that's been red.
Same goes for CPR:
You can do CPR on someone who's alive,
And you can do CPR on someone who's dead...
But you can't do CPR on someone who's been dead.
And in this case:
You can try a link that's live.
And there's nothing wrong with trying a link that's dead...
But there's no point wasting electrons trying a link that's been dead.
Maybe this thread should be renamed "RIP Olds Wiki."
- Eric
October 22nd, 2016, 12:31 PM
#102
Old(s) Fart
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 47,289
January 11th, 2021, 09:32 PM
#103
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 292
I take much of the hobby "FAQ"s with a grain of salt. no matter the brand, or make.
I have seen people that ordered and bought a vehicle , have photo's of it coming off the delivery truck to dealer, all the paperwork, and photos. and the "experts" will tell everyone it wasn't built, could not get it that way, blah blah blah.
YET, the vehicle and paperwork and PHOTO's is in front of the "expert" and they stand their ground on, nope it can't be, didn't happen.
History is nice, but too many EXPERTS, make claims they can't back up with documents from g.m. as they(g.m.) didn't save all the records. but the guy with the docs/photo's bought the vehicle is told, nope.
So glad, I am not into the chalk mark correct nonsense .
I have seen people that ordered and bought a vehicle , have photo's of it coming off the delivery truck to dealer, all the paperwork, and photos. and the "experts" will tell everyone it wasn't built, could not get it that way, blah blah blah.
YET, the vehicle and paperwork and PHOTO's is in front of the "expert" and they stand their ground on, nope it can't be, didn't happen.
History is nice, but too many EXPERTS, make claims they can't back up with documents from g.m. as they(g.m.) didn't save all the records. but the guy with the docs/photo's bought the vehicle is told, nope.
So glad, I am not into the chalk mark correct nonsense .
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