Hello everyone
Today i purchased a 66 Olds Starfire. Until a couple weeks ago i did not even know what one was. As a youngster I was infatuated with Impalas, Chevelles, and Novas. Life goes on and cars get put aside while raising kids and paying mortgages. This car came to my attention from a buddy that needed to relocate and down size. I was immediately intrigued and hit the internet looking for information. Thank you for forums like this. This car has been untouched for 22 years and i would consider it a survivor car. My goal is to keep that survivor designation, yet make it a enjoyable drive. Brakes are on top of the list and have been looking at the various kits to convert to disk brakes. Next would be pull the top end and rebuild heads, add a mild cam, and a new carb. Would love to put a street shift kit into tranny, but will see how it feels.
Car is one year older than I am and i am so looking forward to giving it the TLC it deserves
I will add pictures asap
Thank you

 

Welcome. At least put the state you reside in on your profile. Starfires are nice. Why overhaul the heads if there isn't a problem ? Realize that you have a 4500 pound car and drum brakes did stop them. Is there something wrong with the carburetor ? They still sell carb kits.

 

Kinda rough on the new feller aint ya Ralph Sounds like he is trying to to justice just give him break, jezze....somebody **** on your corn flakes

 

Welcome to the group... It good to see someone new join the Oldsmobile world... What ever your intention may be for you Starfire, there is most likely someone knowledgeable here that can/will offer assistance/information... Congrats and Good luck with your new acquisition...

 

Welcome to the site. Lets see some pics of your Starfire when you get a chance.

 

I wasn't trying to offend anyone. He did explain he didn't know what a Starfire was til he hit the internet. Many things for the big cars are not reproduced or manufactured. Carburetor kits are available for his carburetor. It IS in fact a 4500 pound car, so performance increases with a cam are not going to be as noticeable because its 4500 pounds. Adding disc brakes from a purchased can be a bit of a hassle on a Starfire.
Its always nice to know where (location) someone/car is, especially when looking for parts. Another member of this site might just be across town from him.
If someone pisses in my corn flakes, I just put put another spoon full of sugar on..........Jeeeeeeeeze

 

Copy that Ralph, I understand text messages and emails can be interpreted totally different than an in person conversation, no disrespect from me intended. I only want the new member to feel at home and let him know we are all ambassadors and mentors for all discussions. That is how we all can learn. ( I like Frosted Flakes peed on or not they taste GREAT! )

 

Welcome to the world of real cars now that you have played with Chevys.
Personally I would upgrade to the dual master cylinder and leave the brakes as full drums until you have had a chance to drive and enjoy the car. Then if you choose to update to disc you might see a difference in stopping distance.
If you get a chance we like pictures of the cars we are talking about.
66 Starfires are the last year for this model and rather rare.
Good luck with the car.
Steve

 

Welcome! Chevys are every ,when was the last time you saw a starfire at a cruise nite?

 

Congrats and welcome to the site, look forward to some pics.

 

Thanks for the welcome, glad to be here.
I won't make any quick decisions on any upgrades, and will repair the existing drum brakes before replacing.
The previous owner has a new single master cylinder and 4 new wheel cylinders, but I hate doing things twice.
What is the Dual Piston master cylinder that is preferred? Does it require an adjustable proportioning valve.
To address the other interest in disc brakes, cam, carburetor, there is no denying technology has improved over the last 50 years. Just about everything runs disk brakes, Cams have more sophisticated grinds and really, a Rochester quadrajet was never that desirable even in the day.
My concern with rebuilding the top end is to replace the valves, and springs, again 54 years is a long time. There has got to be some fatigue there.
Can't wait to get going on this project and will post some pics soon
Thanks to all

 

Welcome. I'm less than enamored with the disc brake kits sold for the 65-70 full size Oldsmobiles. They typically use rotors and calipers that are smaller than OEM. I strongly suggest that you find a used original disc brake setup from a 69-70 Olds full size (discs were standard equipment on the 70 cars). The only drawback with the OEM brakes is that no one sells replacement rotors. I've found a way to machine rotors from a 2003-06 Caddy CTS to work, which is what I've done on my 67 Delta. The problem with the M/C is the booster. The 66-earlier cars with the single circuit M/C use the long pushrod between the booster and the M/C. The dual circuit DRUM brake M/C from a 62-66 Caddy does bolt up it you want to keep the drums. There are aftermarket disc brake M/Cs that come with the deep pushrod hole in the piston, or you can change to a 67-70 booster.

There are a couple of things to be aware of. First, the 65-70 Olds full size cars share nearly nothing with the Impala, despite both being B-body cars. Chassis, suspension, steering, and brakes are completely different and nothing interchanges. Second, the rear axle in your car is either a Pontiac 8.875" or an Oldsmobile 9.3". Neither is particularly easy to find parts for, but the Pontiac axle is at least supported by a handful of aftermarket vendors. Despite the 8.875" ring gear, it has nothing in common with the Chevy 12 bolt. Third, the steering linkage can be one of two designs, Thompson or Saginaw. The parts do not interchange, so you need to be sure you know what you have if you ever order parts. Fourth, some suspension and steering parts for these cars are very hard to find. Center link, idler arm, and upper ball joints are the ones that jump to mind. Rare Parts is the only source for new, unless you can find NORS parts on line (yeah, the long out of production Moog, TRW, McQuay Norris stuff does show up on ebay).

I assume your Starfire will have factory dual exhaust, so you don't need to worry about the manifold. The location of the steering box means that the only way to run duals is to use the factory driver side manifold, which routes the pipe up and over the steering box. No one makes headers if you were thinking about that. The speedo cable is driven off of the LH front wheel. Be careful pulling the dust cap off of that side, as it is easy to break the plastic drive feature inside the cap. These are also not available.

Good luck. These are cool and uncommon cars.

 

Awesome tips Joe
I have seen your other posts regarding the disk brakes.
I have decided to listen and fix the existing and start looking for the factory parts from a 69-70. I want to preserve the authenticity of this car, and the factory parts seem less offensive and higher quality.

Love the tip on speedo cable, never saw that one coming, not a Chevy thing, lol.

Will take the suspension parts as they start getting sloppy. Any bushings that might need attention? Car has 91K on it.

What fails on rear axel? Will check seals and change gear lube asap.

No intentions for headers, will keep factory dual exhaust. Would be interested in a quality muffler however. I have used Borla in the past with great results. No drone.

Does this engine have the nylon cam gear? How hard is it to pull the timing chain cover. Was always a pita on the chevy's.

Thanks
Dean

 

Actually, it IS a Chevy thing - on Corvairs.

Plan on replacing the suspension bushings when you do the disc brakes. You can get all the bushings and the lower ball joints new in Moog from RockAuto. The other thing to be aware of is that nearly all of the shock absorber catalogs incorrectly list the same front shocks for the Olds full size as they to for the Cutlass line. They are not the same - the spacing between the two bolts that hold the bottom of the shock to the LCA is different.

Yes, all 64-90 Olds motors have the plastic gear. Getting the timing cover off is easy. Getting it back on without dropping the oil pan is the hard part. There are a lot of threads on this site that talk about it. If you plan to replace the water pump at the same time (another MIGHTASWELL...), nearly every water pump catalog gets Olds pump applications wrong. Bring the old one to match up. Your 66 should have a 5.1" long pump with or without A/C.

 

Much appreciated, after brakes are functioning, that timing chain need to be replaced. That's the stuff that keep me awake at night.

As for the 69-70 disk brakes, I need complete spindle assembly correct? Ball joints and tie rod ends are compatible? I will want the 69-70 M/C and booster too? How about any of the hard lines at M/C?

Thoughts on carb? Rebuild or replace?
Goal is to improve drivability without damaging its original romance and value

 

You'll need spindles outward on the brakes. Ball joint inward are the same. Note that the spindles are the dimensionally the same side-to-side, but the LH spindle has the hole drilled for the speedo cable, so be sure to put them on the correct sides. The steering arms bolt on and are the same for drum and disc.

The 1966 Qjet has several goofy one-year-only "features" like the wacky inlet system. I'd be surprised if it still has the original carb. If it does, set that aside and get one from a 67. The choke and accelerator linkage will all connect properly. If you don't go that way, you'll need a 1970-up carb converted to electric choke, and there will be a bunch of other collateral damage like throttle linkage changes.

Also, be aware that the original TH400 in that car is a switch pitch trans with the dual-stall speed torque converter. The large kickdown switch on the firewall operates both the kickdown and the converter.

 

Again super good tip on the tranny, I notice some kinda relay back of the engine, where the linkage pivots. That must be what I saw.
Was cruise control an option on in 66? There is a factory looking red **** below the dash that says pull on it. Owner didn't know what it did. He hasn't driven car in 15 years.

I take possession of car on Tuesday. Existing M/C wont pump up, so it gets put on a trailer.
Will be able to get a better understanding of what car is about once I can get my hands on it.

 

Yeah, the thing on the firewall isn't a relay, it's just a switch. The converter gets switched to high stall speed at idle speeds and at W.O.T. The kickdown only gets switched on at W.O.T. That's why there are three wires to it - power in, converter solenoid power out, and kickdown solenoid power out. Cruise was a factory option, but that red **** isn't it. Without a photo I'm only guessing, but it might be the dealer-installed Flarestat option, which was just an early form of four-way hazard flashers.

 

Last year I was directed to NorthWestern auto supply when I needed rebuild kits for my rear brakes on my 69 H/O. What a treasure trove this place is. They have an Air Craft Carrier of old parts. If you need something ( Ball Joints, Brake parts) you name it they probably have it. When looking for something keep it in the back of your mind. Guy

 

There are a handful of vendors like that. Craig at Mobileparts has always been able to find obsure stuff for me, but even he had to get the centerlink from Rare Parts. Jacksons Old Time Parts is another source for long out of production NORS parts. They got me rear wheel bearings and seals for my 62. And if you know the P/N, just write a search string on ebay. You'd be amazed at what comes up. Just keep in mind that parts for A-body cars like the 69 H/O are still being made new and are much easier to find than those for relatively unpopular cars like the Olds full size or the 61-63 Y-body cars.

 

Yes Joe you are absolutely correct. As you know everybody has 7/8 and 1" Kits 13/16 is another matter, in all the parts stores if they do have something it usually a half-A** compromise of what you really want. I'm happy to say that my car does not need anything. But for other people out there that need parts its nice to know that people like you are a vast wear house of knowledge that can help other people out. Thank You Guy

 

You bring up a good point. Most people do not realize that the 1967-70 A-body cars did not use a proportioning valve with disc brakes, and as a result the rear wheel cylinder were unique to disc brake cars. As with water pumps and motor mounts, most catalogs get this wrong.

For future reference, while their parts are Chinesium, Centric actually does list the correct 13/16" rear wheel cylinders for disc brake cars. RockAuto sells them. I have not tried them and cannot vouch for the quality of these parts, but I've used other Centric parts with no issues. I now see that RA also sells Raybestos rear wheel cylinders in 13/16" as well (though all the new Raybestos and Wager parts I've bought recently were not US-made).




They also show the correct 7/8" rear cylinders for front drum brakes.

 

You nailed it Joe, that's the switch.
Thanks for sharing the vintage supply house links too, guy. Will file those numbers away.
48 hours and this baby should be in my garage,,, gonna be some sleepless nights of anticipation

 

That is good to know Joe, and should help out most of the guy's here. My car is an absolute survivor that I bought from a gentleman out of AZ., To keep it that way I have to find original parts or rebuild them, such as my rear wheel cylinders. Mine were serviceable so I just rebuilt them. Guy

 

Hello to our " CLUB" anxious to see the pictures of your Starfire...I didn't go through all of your reply's but referring to possible retaining your stock brakes check these guys out:
https://www.porterfield-brakes.com/ have fun ...

 

Understand completely. I'm doing the same with my 69 H/O. In my case I'm sending the original M/C and wheel cylinders to White Post for sleeving and rebuilding.

 

Got her home today and in garage.
Pictures are on my profile. Let me know what you see, What has been altered?
Thanks

 

Very nice looking car. Other than the headliner, I don't see anything that jumps out at me. There's an unidentified heavy gauge red wire running from the horn relay junction block that appears to be passing through the firewall. Don't know what that is doing. Congrats. Well bought.

 

Boy that is a really nice car. If there is something missing I don't see it. Just clean it up ( out side and engine compartment ) and then assess what you want to do My opinion would be to keep it as original as possible, remember they are only original once. Check the brakes front and back and do maintenance to them including changing out all brake fluid. then drive it enjoy it then after awhile if you want to make changes you can. Guy

 

Am i in the right place Joe?
Kind an original feel to it.
Thanks

 

Thank you
Brakes need attention right away and will get them working as original first.
My big concern after that is the nylon cam gear. I really don't want that going to pieces on me.
Thinking about sending carb off for a rebuild. Is Quadrajet Power any good?
Dean

 

How many miles are on the car. My Father was a Oldsmobile Parts manager for at least 30 years and I remember him saying that you could just about set your watch at 75,000 miles you will loose the nylon on the timing gear. You mentioned changing it out, if its got that many miles I would say that should be job "1"

 

Just got your reply I don't know anything about them, I've had my carbs done by Sparky in Milwaukee, he is always busy so I would see if you could clean it up(brake Free or carb. cleaner) and see how it runs. getting a Carb. rebuilt by someone could take some time.

 

Car has 91183 miles. I better tear into it.
Along with water pump, belts, and hoses. Probably throw in a fuel pump as well.

 

You are a wise Man. If your looking to do the Water Pump, there is a guy in MI. goes by The Water Pump Man on his Web sight, late last year I sent him my Water Pump and had it back in less than a week, and he does great work and reasonably priced $100.00

 

Will check him out, much appreciated

 

Good advice on the water pump, I sent my WP out to the water pump man also.

 

You would be amazed at how much I'm willing to help as long as I don't have to do anything.

 

Taking your advice. Which MC works with my booster? I understand Cadillac used a dual piston. But which model?
Thank you
Dean