I'm in a whole bunch of facebook pages about this hobby. I should probably prune some down. I see people posting the exact same question, copy/paste, into all the groups. It's literally the same people in each group responding, there's just not that many Olds enthusiasts left. Sometimes the guy is a spammer, like this one guy with a hispanic name that all he does is post ads with "worth it?" on there, or like the guy pimping his Hemmings listed of his overpriced car a couple weeks ago that got butthurt when people started asking the tough questions. Other times, it's old guys who might not internet too well and don't know it's better to ask the question once, in the right spot, than to spam. I think this guy posted his same, low information, post about his supposed 68 H/O engine in five groups today alone, when he could have gotten some better info and asked once. I'm also seeing a rise in criminals seeking info to better fraud someone with, or trying to slip something pedestrian by as high-performance and get a chump to buy it for high dollar. I think it's not because there are more dishonest people than there used to be, but that we don't punish them like we used to and scare other people straight.

Facebook has mutated (I don't want to say evolved) from being kids my age when we were just out of college, to a slightly less sleazy Craigslist and an unorganized replacement for the forums of the last of the boomer hobbyist groups.

 

I was in college back in the aughts. Facebook was a new thing and was a lot of fun. Nearly everyone in my generation had an account and it was a great way to chat/meet up with girls. There were no ads, no politics and no algorithms. Boy those days are gone! I deleted my account about seven years ago. I do peruse the marketplace and buy stuff through a buddy. If the seller won't exchange phone numbers I don't bother.

 

Because there are a lot of these...

 

At 78 years old, I have never done facebook. I know there are some things I would like about it but, I don't see myself ever subscribing. There would probably be some people that might find me that I don't want to know where I am.

 

I have a FB account but I rarely check it.

 

I have to wonder why the Oldsmobile world needs a bazillion different groups, especially since all of them are pretty much limited to 68-72 A-body cars. I stopped joining them.

 

Don't feel bad. I'm only 55 and have never been on Facebook either. This is as close as I get to "posting" anything.

I'm also one of "those people". I'm not on Facebook. I have never texted. Heck, I don't even own a cell phone. My wife does. If someone wants to reach me, they call her. I used to joke to people that my Dad has been dead since 2007, and he has more of an online presence than I do. This is one of the very few sites that I actually visit, and even then, it's usually from a computer at work when it's slow.

 

Someone had started a Classic Olds Members group but quit maintaining it, now its just a bunch of scammers and Tshirt sellers. Its too bad because at 1 time it was a good group.

 

I try to use only the main groups, like Koda said, it’s Pete and repeat on many. The scammers are everywhere now..why? Because they are still making bank, otherwise they would move on. The old adage if it sounds to good to be true, it is. Especially these asshats that keep wanting folks to private message them. Just don’t do it, ask good solid questions and pics with dates posted on pics. They usually scram at that point. Sad but a reality of the net

 

As a follow up, I was in a discussion about a purported 68 H/O engine that had C heads. Some guy thought they all had D heads. I said what was true. He wanted more info, so I pulled cam numbers, rear end ratios, heads, and I theorized that perhaps the W-46 68 H/O might have been deemed a little too rowdy, or beating the lackluster 400 Gs too much, or they just wanted to consolidate engines, so the 308/308 cam went away. Pretty good little info dump, and I made sure to couch my theorizing as such. His response? "I had a 69 442 W-30 and it had a 328/328 and it was NOT lackluster." So, I was like, dude, why even ask if you know it all?

I fully admit to not knowing things. I look stuff up here, and in books, and sometimes ask friends before I put any info down. I share knowledge, I don't hoard it. I don't know why some people are that way; owning an Olds muscle car is not a secret society. Maybe we need a secret gesture.

 

I thought about Fakebook at one time in the early 2000's. From what has evolved since, I doubt I will ever be on Fakebook. I discovered ClassicOldsmobile through Google. After lurking for a while, I joined because there was reliable and accurate information.

Its amazing how many people come here to "crowdsource" an answer/opinion after doing "research" on the internet. Or they come here and say "I heard ...." The internet is laden with BS.
.....Just my two cents worth.

 

1968 H/Os with A/C came with C heads and the 285/287 cam instead of D heads and the 308/308 cam used on the non-A/C cars. In 1969 all H/Os got D heads and the 285/287 cam.

 

Farcebook is only good for the marketplace. Even then it's a pita to try to get a seller to speak with you. Nothing is the same as it was.

 

That is what I relayed.

 

As points of clarification......
I recall the 1968 W-45 having NO A/C and 308 degree cam. The W-46 was the A/C model with the 285/287 cam.
The 308 cam didnt "go away", it ended up in the 1968-1970 W-31's.
The W-30 328 degree cam was in the 1968-1970.

 

Agreed! It's beyond annoying when you see that a seller has opened your message but won't reply. Then there's the number of fake ads these days as well. It's somewhat easy to pick them out but still they get in the way of looking for real stuff to buy.

With all of the knowledge and great communication here there is no reason to look anywhere else for help!

 

Yes. That is what I told the guy, and I said went away as in relative to H/Os.

 

Facebook is like most online groups, it quickly becomes clear who knows what they are talking about, and who THINKS they know what they are talking about.

It’s been my experience most people want more information and are willing to learn. Unfortunately, the rest just like to argue or can’t stand the idea they might not have all the answers.

And I agree, sometimes marketplace sucks!!

 

I am here, and on Facebook. Mostly because there are 2 groups that focus on 1954-56 Oldsmobiles. Not a lot of folks here that are 55 or 56 Olds specifically. In fact I was able to find a whole set of 56 '98' side trim from there, albeit piecemeal fashion. From Canada, Sweden, and all over the US.

 

I joined FB about 10 years ago when I moved. I missed talking to the people in my Dodge Challenger club. But FB couldn't replace in-person interactions, so I faded away, grabbed my posts, and left the building.

As for Olds, I joined forums starting in the 90s. There was so much real knowledge that I never felt the need to endure information hoarders on social media.

When ROP got hacked too many times and exceeded my argument quotient, I discovered CO. You all are like fraternity brothers and I marvel at the breadth of knowledge that you have and share.

The sharing isn't limited to Olds subjects, it seems you can ask any question, in any field, and an expert will answer.

 

I'm assuming those copy/paste questions are scammers. They're all lemmings. None of them likely know anything about Oldsmobile things in general, but they see these classic car groups as a gold mine for scams. The insipid questions they ask are usually designed to garner information. Scouting exercises. Garner a bunch of knowledge about the targets, then at some point, learn how to speak the language. Makes them sound better educated in the hobby, and hopefully enough to dupe some rube out of some $$$. Since classic car guys are almost always searching for an elusive rare part, or car, the scammers can use information to reel in the fish who are eager to part with their money. I'm guessing that's their hope, anyway.

Of course, there's always a chance they're idiots. But they also could be those "Dr. Oldsmobile" types that already know everything there is about Oldsmobiles, and there's no telling them anything that's actually factual. I can only speculate because I don't have a desire to do Facebook.

 

I only belong to three Oldsmobile FB Groups now and the 1968 owners group is getting deleted soon. The Admin (Frank Wren) allows everyone in and doesn't remove anyone until someone gets scammed.

I replied to one of the 68 H/O engine threads at the beginning but it just got stupid. I posted almost immediately that with a 38M6xxxxx VIN derivative it wasn't a H/O engine and tagged Luke and Joe to confirm (which Luke did). I incorrectly stated that the 68 H/O used a 7028251 carb in all applications and I was corrected, so I learned something....

I rarely reply to anything on FB anymore. Marketplace is a joke. I still get notifications for saved searches that I deleted months ago. Unless I can buy it local I just assume it's a scam. FB does nothing to police it. Craigslist was better at vetting scams..

 

FB is a giant cesspool of idiots who have nothing better to do but be keyboard jockeys. Never will understand the need for someone (the world) to know what I'm doing each and every minute of my life. I'm not that interesting nor do I crave accolades for putting my pants on properly each morning. "Oh it's a way of keeping in touch". I kind of get that but I'm private. The people I want in my life have my phone #. Plus with a near-zero social footprint, it can't be used against me for job interviewing or renewing various licenses.

Second stupid is not repairable!

Third, I typed up a how-to properly post on NCRS. It was met warmly with my own sticky. It mentions doing a little research to see if the question has been asked/answered 300 times, dual... triple posts, not following up on a post, giving out the car's basic info, use spell check, and DO NOT put your post in one giant wall of text paragraph. Use proper sentence and paragraph structure. (unlike the run-on sentence I just did). Who wants to read a giant 300-row paragraph to extract the subject matter? I usually skip right over those.

Last, the internet is creating stupid people. Today's cars contribute to that because you don't have to touch anything for 100k miles, I get that. So I understand the repeat timing, points, carb questions et al.... Those need a sticky.
What I can't stand are the stupid questions. The ones where the poster put forth zero effort/common sense to even try to repair or investigate something. "My car won't start".... duh... how about some basic troubleshooting DO YOU HAVE THE KEY? (I'm not kidding)

I understand we are here to help so I do a lot of tongue-biting or I simply don't respond.

 

Facebook thrives on narcissism, individuals need for immediate or quick gratification, and designed to tap into ones addictive tendencies. IMHO all social media is rooted in that.
Unfortunately it is now ingrained into individuals psyche. If FB disappeared tomorrow it would not affect me other than noticing the amount of people loosing their sh*t.
Think about it, people would be having traumatic episodes.
Imagine you were granted use of a large billboard above your house or aside the largest expressway in your area.
Would you place on that billboard when you were not at home and on vacation, where you children go to school, what their activities are?
And before you say... oh, anyone can find that information out if they tried... well, possibly, but why serve it up on a silver platter?
I think FB started as a noble effort and can provide easy access to information when associated with a business or professional organization, but individuals too often let their guard down and cast aside common sense and decency when giving themselves up over to it.

 

This happened not to long ago when tic toc was brought down for a day. People lost their minds.

 

I used to have a customer who had a theory on instant gratification and the downfall of society. He made a compelling arguement that McDonald's and other fast food joints were the start of it. The feeling empowerment folks get when they walk in there, getting anything replaced for free if it's not to their liking, and then getting a voucher for another free burger if they bitch loud enough.. then they start acting like that everywhere. The dude was spot on with society's behavior today.

 

Well said Jeff.

 

Thanks...

You brought up a good last point, I'll expand it a little and say Technology is creating lazy people too.
There was a time when I knew and remembered what, 10 or 20 acquaintances phone numbers off the top of my head, today I can barely tell you a single one. For better or worse you don't have to as your phone hold them.
My phone isn't always attached to my hip either, but if I was without my phone and had to contact someone, not sure I could!