my UPS driver found me my last car, the 70 cutlass parts car. now he stopped by tonight to tell me about a 71 delta 88 royale convertible. he give me the number, i called and they want to get rid of it. from what she said it is a very low mile car that her dad got new but it sit outside for so many years it is not worth saving. i am going tomorrow after work to look at it. was the 350 and 455 both available in this car? i hope it is a 455 because i have 350s growing out my ears now.

 

Yes, both engines were available for that car. I think both were available for all of the '71-76-era Delta 88s.

Let us know what it looks like.

 

Hey hey hey.... thats cheating!!!! You can't use delivery drivers to find your parts cars for you!!!! Bad form!!!

 

i have many tricks up my sleeve

 

I am putting all UPS guys on the payroll starting immediately.

 

Dang it eric, leave some for us!!

 

Thats just not fair I tells ya!

 

let us know if you part it out thanks....

 

it is in much better shape than i thought it would be in. it is not rusted that bad at all. there is a little at the bottom front of each back wheel. there is no key for the trunk so i don't know what the trunk or floor pans look like. she is applying for a lost title and then i will bring it home. looks like it will not be a parts car at all. it is a 455 2bbl with lots of options. cc, pw, pdl, tw, a/c rear defrost, power top. if the trunk and floors are as solid as under the hood it will make a very nice car. i think it is the first time i seen the one year only trunk lid with the vents in it. looks to be the original paint. 74,000 miles on the odometer. she said it was never rolled over and from the looks of the car i feel she is right. looking forward to getting it home. i will try to get it running and driving and go from there.


100_3710.jpg?t=1314309721

100_3711.jpg?t=1314309760

100_3712.jpg?t=1314309799

100_3713.jpg?t=1314309830

 

Interesting find. Looks like a lot of work, but it does look saveable. That interior is pretty gone, though. Lots of mildew, and what happened to the steering wheel?

Yes, the vent louvers in the trunk lid were part of GM's new "flow-through" ventilation system. The flow-through system was refined over the years, and, as you said, '71 was the only year for the external louvers.

 

Get out the Febreeze!!!!!!! LOL

Good to see someone saving it. You prob have most of the parts already!!!

 

Nice find. For a '71 not too bad of shape either.... I see it has the front cornering light (rare option), & the wheels are pretty rare too. It looks like whoever ordered it new back in 1971 had money and wasn't afraid to show it. Very nice find. Good luck with it and keep us advised....
P.S: Nice trick about the UPS drivers, I'll have to do that down here too......

 

Wow that could be a real nice looking car!

 

Nice car, but wear a breather when you take the interior apart. Looks toxic in there.

I hope grass didn't eat out the floors too badly.

 

Very nice find! Those SS1V's look to be in really nice shape. Aaannnnd, it's got CRUISE CONTROL.

There was one of our members not long ago who was looking for 75 Delta fenders/quarters. Lots of nice trim pieces on that car.

 

[QUOTE=ChefDeadpool;316731]Nice car, but wear a breather when you take the interior apart. Looks toxic in there.
QUOTE]

big time! i am very allergic to this stuff also. i am not sure if the interior will be able to be saved. i thought about trying to cover the dash real good and pressure wash it. suck up what i can with a wet vac and dry it out in the sun. may not be a good idea. any suggestions?

 

those are hub caps aren't they? i didn't look that close. i hope to have it home by next week.

 

looks like it is coming home tomorrow (Wednesday). she has applied for a lost title and will take a while to get. she said i could just take it with bill of sale and i can get the title later. the title was in her dads name before he died and she don't know where it would be. i will post better pics then.

 

No, that is the entire wheel. That style is called SS1V and was only available for limited production years 71/72 that I'm aware of. According to the 72 Oldsmobile SPECS book (will be the same for 71) these are option P05 Super Stock IV. They were only available on Delta 88's not equipped with B07 (suspension - Highway Patrol) or J55 (heavy duty power front disc brakes with non fade linings, 12.00 x 2 1/2" heavy duty duo-servo rear brakes)

These wheels were priced at $98.00 as a package if ordered from the factory.

 

wow, i had no idea. i just looked on eBay to see if there were any there and there was a set. looks like they would be easy to brake if you hit a curb. i don't know that much about full sized Olds details but i am just as excited to get it home as i would be if it were a 442.

 

Are you evicting the mouse family that is living in the trunk? I hope the wires are not all chewed through! Have fun…looks like a nice project.

 

i got it home. i think the engine is locked up but not sure yet. the car has some great parts but i just can't decide if it is a parts car or not. i am going to finish cleaning it up this weekend and decide what i will do with it. i am seriously thinking about cleaning it up and selling it the way it is. the back glass is original and has the defrost heaters in it. i didn't know they had them in a convertible.


100_3845.jpg?t=1314826567

100_3846.jpg?t=1314826550

 

i put a socket on the crank tonight and got it to turn over
after that i told my wife i will have it running before dark. well, it is a running car now. i had no spark and no gas so i cleaned the points and got spark and then added a little gas to the vent on the carburetor. after about 5 cranks it fired and died. i then drained the tank and added fresh gas. now it runs. just fooling around with it running i turned on the A/C and it came on. i couldn't believe the compressor was spinning when i looked. the belt broke before i could see how cold it would get. after the A/C belt broke, the power steering pump belt broke and took the alternator belt with it. i now noticed someone put the wrong water pump on it. the pump is to short and the the pulleys are not lined up right. i hope to get the pump changed with new belts tomorrow and see what i have. i also found that the car has disc brakes on the front and a speedminder speedo. till tomorrow....

 

Too cool. It looks like you gave it a wash on the trailer cause it looks 10X better already.

 

Way to go Buddy! GOOD lookin' car! KUDOS to your UPS Driver too! LOL! PUT that guy ON the pay roll is RIGHT!! (WISH mine would do that for me...heck, IF he'd even leave my packages ON my porch instead of in my driveway that'd be a start! ) GOOD luck with it!

 

i put a used water pump on it that is the right one and a new set of belts. it runs ok but needs a set of plugs and wires on it. the brakes don't work but i plan to see what the transmission does soon. it is still on the trailer so i didn't want to risk something going wrong. i am still mixed as to if it is a parts car or a fixer upper. i want to check the transmission to see if it shifts and then i think i will just list the car for sale and let the next person decide. what kind of price should i list it for? is $1600 possible? it is loaded with options but most need attention.

 

lol, he didn't even have a package for me. he just stopped and told me about it. when i picked it up the lady said the UPS driver was so excited when she told him it was for sale. she said he was like a kid on Christmas morning. i tried to pay him a $20 finders fee but he would not take it.

 

The second it drives, steers & stops the price goes up. That with a good cleaning and I would say you should get $1600 easy. Remember 90% of selling is esthetics. You need to work on its "Curb Appeal" LOL.

 

WOW! Your driver is REALLY worth his weight in gold! What a good dude! Obviously he's a CAR GUY at heart too!

 

Wow! the tires even hold air! Clean what you can & save the rest for the next guy. If you put on a new top, that would probably increase it's desirability and sale price? You have a really nice car there. Personally, I hope you keep it and fix it up before passing it on to someone else. As you no doubt are aware, these cars are few and far between + there's not a lot of aftermarket parts/sheet metal for them.

I wish I had a trailer, I'd come down and trade you a case of beer, 2 dozen pigs, a cow, 2 goats and a horse for it.

 

i took it for a drive! i got it off the trailer and added almost a gallon of ATF and it went into gear and reverse good. i found that the brakes do work. the pivot for the petal is rusty and when i hit the brakes they stuck. i oiled it up real good and it is starting to loosen up. i have family stuff tomorrow but hopefully i can clean the interior up tomorrow night or Monday. the passenger door will not open and the top won't open. will make it harder to clean. i don't have a key for the trunk but i found that it has a power trunk. i found the trunk looks nice and the matching spare wheel is there. i will post pictures after i clean it better. my used water pump is leaking but i didn't want to pay for a new one with not knowing if it was going to be a parts car or not.

 

Fix it, You need a convertible. Top down crusing can't be beat.
Larry

 

 

Craig.....ummmm.....you been gettin too much sun???? That's funny!

 

i got the passenger door to open tonight and changed the plug wires with another used set from another car. it runs much better but still needs a major tune up. i took it a mile down the road and stepped on it. this thing will get up and go much better than i thought it would. if i had the time i would keep it and fix it up.

 

I love those wheels! Eric, unless its a rust bucket I'd start the price higher than that. Make a list of the options it has and what you see as the negatives of the car, then share them with us.

I know a guy who does the underground locating of utilities as his job. He's found some really interesting cars... but he's a car guy too so I may not hear about the good stuff

 

Eric, you know you want to keep it. Way too cool a car to sell. Maybe you want to ship it up to me to play with for the next 3 years??? Naw, I have the time, but not enough room. Hope it works out good for you. Maybe you could talk your Mrs. into keeping it as 'her' project car?

 

I agree this could be such a great car. Wish i had the money i would buy it in a heartbeat as is. Im in need of a vert so i can cruise around and soak up all this florida sunshine. lol

 

somebody PMd me about the bumper hitch a month or so ago. i lost the PM. if you are still looking for one here is this one.

100_4392.jpg?t=1318288635

100_4391.jpg?t=1318289290

 

All the ups guy did for me was toss my carb from 3 feet away from my steps.