deltathunder

Since I am only a whopping 19 years old I haven't quite tackled the dream olds(the 69 cutlass of course) but I do finally have my first olds love. It is my uncles 1984 delta 88 2 door hard top. The way I remembered it when i was 14 was dark red good body and an awesome sound. When I bought it at 18 it had fading paint and some rust and the front end was painted white except the hood. I stopped driving it because it lacks the ability to pass a PA inspection because of some missing emissions parts. I decided to go from there and make a project out of my long awaited delta. So here is how my delta thunder is now: 76 olds 350 with a light tap 3 speed automatic and some camaro wheels retreads on the front and some big studs on the back, not ideal condition. I would like to get it off my road into some storage and start on some body work( I hate body work) but mechanically I wanted to rebuild the 350 but then a mechanic friend said that it may be more ideal to get a 455 and put some work into it. Bottom line. Does anyone know about what trouble money and instruction i might be getting into putting a 455 into an 84 delta? It is not priority but if anyone could let me know about maybe another steering colomn and a four speed manual that might be able to flow well in the car. Then maybe i could still rebuild the 350 and put it in my next car, 84 cutlass same color. Maybe get another 307 off the street

J-(Chicago)

Congrats on the 84'. I love those cars.
A 455 block is pretty much the same size as your 350. only about an inch wider. The only problems that I see you having is hitting the brake booster, or not being able to close the hood because a 455 sits taller. Why not build the 350? You can rev the snot out of them. A 455's torque would probably shred the crappy rear end in that car if your tires grabbed enough ground. 76 350 block should still be a 395558-2 and that's a good block.
I'll bet if you freshened up the 350 and put a low gear like a 3.73 or 4.11 It would be plenty fast for you.

J-(Chicago)

Have the motor built while you do the body work. Those bodies take a lot longer to fix then you'd think. Rear floors, and front fenders, inner especially are almost always junk, and both take disassembly time and a decent amount elbow effort to fix.
Check behind every piece of the 3'' trim around the bottom of your car, and I'll bet you find some nasty surprises.

The_Jeremiah

Whoo Have fun my friend. I love doing this stuff. And i promise you the 350 will be fine, especially for that car. I myself am 17, and i just rebuilt the 350 in my 69 cutlass. Today i put a new quadrajet carb on it, new points in the distributor, and i decided to set the timing a couple degrees advanced. I was joking around in the school parking lol with a friend a few minutes ago, and i left a 10 foot black mark on accident ! When im already moving, i can hammer on it, and i get sent back into my seat. I put a double roller timing chain, a cam with almost a half inch of lift, performer rpm intake, and i will be putting my HEI in it when i get more time. good luck. besides 455's cost so much to rebuild.

Olds64

You might want to do some research before you rebuild an engine for the car. What are the laws in PA? Since it failed an inspection in the past because of emissions parts I would think swapping a 455 into it would definitely be a "no-no." I agree with the others though. A 350 would be ideal for that car. It is just a question of what is allowed in PA.

deltathunder

Well I think no matter what this car is going to have trouble passing inspection. if i do so choose to keep the 350 (seems to be a general decision so I am sure that is the best way to go) then it will need engine computer and a cat and air pump...so on and so fourth. But dont worry I did definately love that 350 anyways. So what about tips on a cheap 350 build. I would like pretty high streetable power. I'm open to anything.

p.s. J(chicago) I have been dreading the body work since I got the car....holes in the trunk and ploor pans...big holes

J-(Chicago)

Go out and check the bottom of your door skins. If they are rotten too, STOP what you're doing and start looking for a better car. TRUST ME. I have had 5 of these cars, and It will be cheaper in the long run to fly out to texas or florida and tow home a nicer one. I patched in 1/2 a floor on one, did a back wheel house, front fenders, I have had every single bolt off these cars before. Don't do it man, they made many of these cars, and there are too few people that want to drive them to not find a better candidate.

I know It's hard to swallow, especially if you love your car, and it being your uncle's and all...

Eddie Hansen

Delta, just a little practical insight from someone who has been there and done that at 19, first listen to J regarding the rust, it is really sound advice, he seems to know these cars very very well, I have not owned a delta, but I did buy a 67 catalina convertible (4- speed no less) I dragged that puppy home , and then down to the sunoco station where I worked LOL... cause dad threw a sh%t Fit man it was a little rough and I immediately thought I will just restore this beast, started taking all kinds of crap out of the car , pulled the motor was going to rebuild it etc, well short end of the story, I ended up selling off or giving away all the parts and the skeleton went to the wreckers. It was a very restorable car, but by the time I realized how much everything was going to cost, and I couldn't afford it , it was in pieces.. lesson learned.

I would see what it would take to first get it on the road, slight tap could be something minor (a sticky lifter or an exhaust leak) if it is something worse then a lifter, if so....your choice but maybe find a better donor.

check out the junk yards for a used cat,air pump etc and start there. once you find a car you can always go back for more parts. once your mobile, break up the tasks for weekend projects, or until you save enough to do something major, maybe go back to the other car maybe it has a decent motor or look for a 455,or even another 350 or 403, these parts are still easier to get then stuff for a 455, but your car will still be on the road, and you can take your time building the beast, maybe find an over drive tranny, body parts etc

I am not trying to burst your bubble, but when I was a kid long time ago ( yeah I went to school with fred flintstone Bedrock HS ) I never actually sat and down and figured out how to get more bang for my bucks... and you never mentioned if you have a budget.

I am restoring my 69 cutlass s drop top, and when you start adding up motor around 3 g's tranny 1 G, gears 500, etc etc it adds up quick....

ok back under my rock..

speed on brutha..

Run to Rund

Late 60s and early 70s A bodies etc. do show up time to time in the desert southwest, and for reasonable money so long as you are a little flexible about what you have to have. I have seen more rust on an eastern vehicle on the new lot than some desert stuff that is 30-40 years old. Starting with a solid frame and shell makes the whole experience so much nicer. If you have always been in the east, you just cannot comprehend the difference. In the east and midwest you end every used car description with: "and not too much rust." Whatever that means! If you are in Pa, come to the York reunion (www.yorknostalgia.com) July 11-13 and I will show you a desert body that was rust free and 40 years old when I used it as a shell for a restoration. And, no it wasn't cared for before I got it, and it was out of a junkyard.

Eddie Hansen

Run, you Talkin to me or Delta? Man I know what ya mean about rust in the east .... ( just dawned on me your talkin to delta ( PA doh) man I used to go to a cool junkyard near scranton ( d'napoli's?) but I hear that is Loooonnnggg gone they had great stuff everyonce in awhile...

deltathunder

Well with a car that I got dirt cheap and I know has a reliable drivetrain(emission standards aside) I know I would be fine to pull the motor/tranny and build them up and if things didn't look good for the body it really wouldn't be much of a loss because the experience I had with it already speaks what I paid for it if I sent it to the junk yard right now. So no matter what that 350 is coming with me whether it is going in the same car a car just like it or a nice 80s cutlass because my delta got something bigger(looks like the 455 is probably out but I hear there are alot of 403s to be had around here though I haven't seen it) But ultimately I would love to see my delta move. the shell isn't terrible but I would have to consult someone in the body business. Frame is good and if it takes a little extra (not to say this option is limitless) I would like to have the car I have be the one to build. And a budget has not been determined yet because no matter what it is going to be piece by piece and I am fine with making this happen over some years. Either way I am keeping the 350 so does anybody have any suggestions on 1. building a good power 350 (heads cam etc) without completely breaking me. 2. a 4 speed conversion that isnt like a straight racing i dont care about my interior kind of conversion.

J-(Chicago)

If you post your location it would help us out a little. I'm guessing you're somewhere around new england if you have to pass emissions testing.
Illinois FINALLY gave up on it a few years ago. It cost the state so much money, that it wasn't even worth it I'm assuming. I'd personally make them mail me like 5 or 6 warnings before I actually went in, lots of postage down the drain just from myself over the years.

Back to the car. Ok so you would like to keep the one you have and make the money less noticeably painful. I can respect that, but you will need a place to keep it over the years because if you continue to drive it... more and more things will break as you go. Also, if you take it apart and get started now, chances are you'll be sick of the project by the time a few years comes around.
You'll meet a nice girl, or have a kid, or just realize that these cars are actually crap not worth wasting money on.. I'm guessing bluebook value on our deltas around 800 bucks lol.

deltathunder

Nay nay my friend. I love that car too much to lose interest. I have often weghed kellys blue book as opposed to my own sentiments and they are way off but having high worth, resale or market value aren't the goal.... either way I love my olds and I cant drive it right now because of the emmissions testing here in pittsburgh PA. it is sitting outside now but i am searching for a new job and searching for a place to put it once I have one. Who knows when the project will start but it will finish someday

Redog

The only way around the Delta getting inspected in PA is to get Classic plates. It limits the car to 5,000 miles a year, the car can't be used for daily transportation, and the plates cost $97.50 to get, but you'll never pay reg fees on the car again. Classic tags are permanent in PA.

With classics you are allow to drive the car all weekend and 1 day a week. My Alero was down for over 6 weeks and I used the Delta for those 6 weeks with no problems, except for the $60 to $70 gas station stops every 10 days

With all the emissions crap on the 307, my Delta never passed emissions either, but the low miles on the car was able to exempt me, and within the next year and learning that the older 350s and 455s can't accept emissions, it was the best way to go.

The car isn't old enough for "Anitque" plates, it has to be 25 years old or older (Classics are 15) but there are more restrictions on Anitques like the car can only be driven from sunup to sundown. Classics doesn't matter

Olds64

Redog, that is odd that the Delta didn't pass emissions even with all of the smog stuff still on it. Did I understand you right? It seems that even an older car (late 70s early 80s) in good tune with a catalytic converter, air pump, and EGR valve would pass emissions tests.

Deltathunder, it is cool that you are stoked about your Delta project now, but definitely heed what J and the others are saying. I have had my 64 Olds 98 since I started college (10 years) and I have definitely lost steam on it. However, that doesn't mean that you have to sell the car. It just makes it more difficult when you have to drive the car and tinker with it at the same time.

deltathunder

That classic plate thing actually sounds pretty good but I believe the vehicle may have to be titled by someone 25 or over to get the registration....let me know if you know anythign about that

It would be pretty hard for my to lose sight on this project with me having every weekend in my firends garage helping with all my friends projects.....75 pontiac catalina 87 mustang and a 93 firebird. Not to say that i feel forced to have cars like theirs but i would rather ride with them right now with 2 colors a stock 350 and camaro wheels then to ride shotgun in any of their cars....nice cars but none of them have the feel of my olds that i love so much