Hey All!

New to the forum and hoping for some advice. I have a line on a 67 Delmont 88 Holiday Coupe and was wondering if I should take on the project. I’m also new to Oldsmobiles.

The car itself is in decent shape, needs some bodywork, there’s some rust developing along the rear window, and it’s desperate for new paint. The interior is fair, but at least one seat is ripped and will need to be reupholstered at some point.

The engine was running but was removed from the car. It’s the 425 and I believe it’s the high compression model. I’m used to Jeeps but have been wanting more of a classic project lately with some muscle under the hood.

I don’t have a ton of money to dump into it, and I’m not looking at show quality, but I’d love to give her some new life and back on the road before she’s lost forever. Any thoughts and advise is appreciated!

 

425s are natural born rippers..... factory forged crank.

 

Be aware that there are nearly no repro parts for these cars. Definitely no patch panels nor interior kits. Some brake and suspension parts are also difficult to get. This isn't a car you can build from a catalog. That isn't to discourage you, just to let you make an informed decision.

 

Welcome ****,
You came to the right spot for info.
Let's see pictures of the car and the trouble spots.

Rust and your automotive skill level will be the deciding factor if it's worthy of saving. Parts for this car such as trim, sheet metal, interior parts, etc will be hard to find.
Are the door, hood, and trunk lid seams nice?
How are the rockers?
Is the frame crusty or nice?
Are the floors solid?

Pull the wiper arms and the large stainless trim under the wipers to inspect for rot. Firewall and dash rot repair is expensive.
The rear window and windshield glass channels can be expensive to repair. Is it leaking into the trunk? Look at the trunk floor, inner wheel wells, and trunk pan dropoffs for rot.

If all the above items check out OK and it's a clean solid dry car Id say it is worthy of a refreshing.

Do you know the health of the 425? Do a compression check (wet and dry).
425 is a good engine and worthy of a refresh. Add some performance goodies to make the car a unique cool street sleeper.
Have the trans rebuilt. You're right there with the engine out so why not.

Reliability & safety will make it a fun worry-free cruiser.

 

Great cars, but as noted the '65-70 generation of B-body Oldses is largely ignored by the repop/resto aftermarket and NOS supplies died out a generation ago. And don't go hoping to find parts interchangeability from different GM brands. Back in '67 the cars' identities were much more distinct and very little from a Chevy can be made to work on an Olds.

Still, I hope you take it on. Joe P. has been down this road and will likely prove to be very helpful.

 

Thanks all! Looks like I definitely came to the right place. I don’t have any pics, but I’ll try to get some to post soon. Of course, the car is currently at the junkyard sitting on top of a container! At least I get a good view of the underside,lol!

it’s only been there about a year, the guy who owned it previously had to get rid of it but pulled the engine first because he says it was still good. He said it could use a couple grand for a refresh.

And thanks about the parts info, that’s probably one of my big concerns. I’m sure most of the window and door seals would need to be replaced, hoses, brakes rebuilt, etc. I can do the work if I can find the parts and it doesn’t break the bank.

As for the body, I remember that it was pretty solid and no leaks that I recall. Unfortunately I can’t do much sheet metal repair, but I might know a couple guys who could help me out in that department if I take the on the project.

I’d love to rescue her and get her back on the road with some fresh paint and refreshed engine for under $5,000 but I don’t know if I’m kidding myself or not. I’m trying to tell myself it would be a retirement investment,lol!!

thanks again for all the advice. I really appreciate it.

BTW - if anyone’s interested, I saw a ‘69 H/O convertible mostly complete on Craigslist the other day for $22k. Way out of my range but a sweet find for someone. Let me know if your interested and I’ll share the link if the forum allows it.

 

I can tell you right now by your description, it will take 3 times what you're thinking to make it a daily driver. Don't misunderstand, while they are cool cars in their right, a retirement investment is highly unlikely.