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Bought a 1963 Oldsmobile F-85 Convertible that had been sitting for years

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Old Feb 10, 2021 | 10:05 PM
  #1  
Zdiddy63's Avatar
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Bought a 1963 Oldsmobile F-85 Convertible that had been sitting for years








Recently picked this car up from a local family where I live. Honestly I feel like a picked it up for a great deal. Body, paint, interior, chrome/trim, window/Door seals all in excellent condition. The problem is it’s been sitting, so of course there are various leaks etc. Made sure everything was full on fluids before the start and she fired right up, initial test drive it hesitates to shift from 1st and seems to misfire before it shifts but once it does it lurks forward and seems to do fine from there, although there is a rattle sound, kinda like letting the clutch out on a standard trans in too high of a gear. although rough at first. So I begin walking through things, change the air cleaner, plugs and wires, check compression and it’s at 140. Problem is it still seems to have a miss or dead cylinder. Any advice on more to check.
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 04:19 AM
  #2  
rob1960's Avatar
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From: Ohio
Looks like a nice score!!! My first car was(except for the color) just like yours. Cutlass convertible ,buckets, auto console, 215 4bbl. Mine was light blue with a black interior. I always had a soft spot for these cars!! You'll want to get with Eric Jensen on this site( jensenracing77) He's doing an unbelievable!!!! resto on a '62 Jetfire. His work is amazing & he really knows these cars!!!! Good luck with finding your engine miss fire. Hopefully some new tune up parts will fix it. Check for vacuum leaks also. At least your compression looks good.
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 04:27 AM
  #3  
Greg Rogers's Avatar
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From: Harrison, Michigan
Beautiful car! You can also post a question in the appropriate section and should get more responses about your shifting problem. Welcome to the site.
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 06:37 AM
  #4  
joe_padavano's Avatar
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Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Northern VA
That car is beautiful. As a data point, my 62 F85 wagon had sat outdoors in the Nevada desert for years. I replaced all hoses, rebuilt the brakes, and flushed the gas tank (which ended up being amazingly clean inside). One thing I found is that a number of the electrical connectors needed to be disassembled and thoroughly cleaned to eliminate intermittent electrical problems. I've been driving the car for over ten years now. I've eventually had to rebuild the front suspension and steering, and do some work to get the e-brake functioning. I drained and refilled the Roto5 trans, and it has been working reasonably well (for that trans) but it's getting to the point that I need to replace it.
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 07:23 AM
  #5  
67OAI's Avatar
Old(s)GuysRule
 
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,568
From: S.E.Georgia
Beautiful F85! Appears to be well cared for. Welcome to the forum; probably the best resource for all things Oldsmobile and beyond!
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 07:53 AM
  #6  
no1oldsfan's Avatar
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Agreed with the other posters. Beautiful car. The interior alone would probably sell it. Be patient. You will work out the problems.
Maybe drop the trans pan and add new fluid. Thanks for sharing your new ride.
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 09:24 AM
  #7  
oldcutlass's Avatar
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Congrats on a great score. Welcome to the site.
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 10:02 AM
  #8  
Allan R's Avatar
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Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
An eye catching and gorgeous car. Have to admit it's the very first time I've seen a white dash though.
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 10:08 AM
  #9  
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Joined: Feb 2009
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From: Brazil Indiana
For sure drain the transmission and refill. My transmission guy told me that he would prefer I use type F in these transmissions. These transmission pans have a drain plug on them so it makes it easy to do. Filters can be difficult to find but they are large enough that you would likely be ok to just replace the fluid for now. These transmissions have a funny 1-2 shift even when they are working right. If it sit that long there is a good chance it is going to need some brake work. For safety alone I would rebuild the master cylinder and wheel cylinders. EVERY 61-63 I have had needed the brakes worked on when I got it.

Welcome to CO and nice find!
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 04:49 PM
  #10  
Tj Pal's Avatar
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Posts: 1,006
From: WNY
Welcome! Looks fantastic.
Old Feb 11, 2021 | 08:58 PM
  #11  
rocketraider's Avatar
Oldsdruid
 
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 10,638
From: Southside Vajenya
When you said "sitting" I expected to see a dusty crusty car that had been dragged out from behind a barn. That thing is nice!

Get used to the funky shift. The Roto 5 trans is every bit as quirky as its big brother Roto 10 that was used in the big cars.
Old Feb 12, 2021 | 04:46 AM
  #12  
Ancient Iron's Avatar
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 530
Originally Posted by Allan R
An eye catching and gorgeous car. Have to admit it's the very first time I've seen a white dash though.
Someone painted the top half of the dash. Only the lower half would be white from the factory.
Old Feb 14, 2021 | 06:02 PM
  #13  
64Rocket's Avatar
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,384
From: Union City Calif.94587
I was wondering if that was a factory interior. It looks awesome.

Gene
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