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My sister and I were able to locate and purchase my grand parents 1969 Delta 98. They have been gone a long time, but now we have this to remember them. Does anyone have any tips on fixing the horn ring? It is the rubber kind that is embedded in the wheel hoop, so when you squeeze the wheel it honks. There are some areas that it does work. Wondering if we can remove it and clean the contacts or if we should be happy with what we have.
Stay curious. These cars are not simple to maintain or restore since parts are scarce. Horn rim blow may be particularly difficult, but it was a feature offered by other GM brands. Warmly suggest you look up the feature and repairs across Chevy, Buick, Cadillac and Pontiac. There may be some tips across the brands which will help you with this Olds.
Next up: If it’s still as-delivered-from-the-factory, you have a 455 engine and TH-400 transmission. These systems are very robust. Most of the time people who bought 98’s didn’t hot-rod them or beat the heck out of them. So they work well long after they might have been retired. I have a ‘66 98 with 365,000 miles on it. Yes the engine has been redone & transmission too, but with a little attention, you can keep these things on the road for a long time at low cost.
Just be sure the safety parts like brakes & tires are top notch.
Odds are you have a solid runner which should last a long time with normal use. Just stay on top of maintenance like they did in the ‘70’s - change the oil every 2,000-3,000 miles, keep the oil topped up with (choose 1) - 10/40, 10/30 or 20/50 - Dino oil, not synthetic. Synthetic finds leaks where ever possible. Dino oil works better in these cars since that’s what the engineers had in those days.
The good news is you have front disc/rear drum brakes. Be aware of 2 things: 1) front rotors are hard to find. Really hard. But you can have 2003 Caddy rotors machined to work; 2) Rear drums for that car are a bit rare too, I believe they’re 2.5” wide. If yours are good thank your lucky stars. If not, start looking now.
Suspension-wise many parts on 88’s and 98’s sway from 1965-1970. Don’t buy many suspension parts from after 1971 - Olds/GM changed everything that year.
However, your 455 will run great with minor modifications to accommodate an ‘74 & up HEI (electronic) distributor and internally regulated alternator.
Fresh carpets are cheap, reproduction interiors are non-existent, but these are fun cars for people who enjoy/like/appreciate the driving style of the time. It was more or less a couch on wheels.
Clean, seal & enjoy the car and best wishes with the rim blow. My ‘66 had nothing like that, but shares a great many systems & parts up to ‘70….
Thank you for the well wishes. Since my grandmother sold it in 1996, it was in a flood. It is still all original. There was water in the engine and the carpets clearly had water and mud damage. Carpet was pulled and the floors are solid. Apparently the water didn't stay high, rear seat is very good, electrical all seems to work. Windows go up and down, lights, turn signals all good too. They are currently trying to get her to fire up, but so far it just cranks with an occasional sputter. It is getting late so the drinking has started and the wrenching has stopped for the day.
