Just joined yesterday and looks like a very worthwhile site. Have an 85 Delta 88 4 door with 52000 miles on it. My father bought it new as a leftover in 86. Am in a quandry with what to do. It needs body work under the rear window because of a leak in the vinal top. Am thinking of keeping the 307 and changing over to a 4 speed manual along with doing the body work. Kind of a sleeper. Looking forward to swapping info with other members.

 

Welcome. You have two problems with the manual trans conversion on this car. First is that when the car came with an automatic trans, Olds typically did not drill the end of the crankshaft to accept the pilot bearing needed to install a manual trans. This means that either you need to pull the crank and take it to a machine shop for machining or you need to use one of the aftermarket conversion bearings, which have their own shortcomings.

Second, the 1977-1990 full size cars were never made with a manual trans, so there are no bolt-in clutch pedals. You'll need to adapt and fabricate something. Good luck.

 

Thanks, I never thought of the pilot bearing or that I would have trouble with a clutch pedal. Wonder wether a clutch pedal from an I maple would fit. If not I guess I,ll have to leave it as an automatic. One question I have though is can I get rid of some of the smog lines and is there a way that I can manually adjust the carb.

 

I don't think they ever made Impalas with a manual trans in those years either.

The emissions plumbing on the 307 comes up a lot, and most people just want to rip it out. Don't. First, that motor will never be a strong runner, especially the roller cam version that you have with the tiny intake and exhaust ports. Second, other than adjusting the carb to the factory specs, as described in the Chassis Service Manual, you aren't going to find any hidden HP by manually adjusting the carb. You'll only make it run worse.

The computer controlled 307 is a perfectly adequate street motor for a transportation vehicle. My wife's daily driver is also a 1985 Delta 88. Most problems come from the fact that few people have the knowledge or patience to keep the CCC system adjusted properly. If you plan to do any work on this car, the first thing you need to invest in is a Chassis Service Manual and Electrical Troubleshooting Manual. Pay the money and get original paper copies. They are on ebay all the time. The next thing you need to do is to completely read and understand the section on the CCC system. Verify that everything is functioning properly, including the miles of vacuum hoses. A crack or leak in any one of them will screw things up.

If you ever plan to eliminate the computer (assuming your local emissions inspection laws will allow it), you'll need to replace the carb and distributor with ones that are not computer controlled. You'll also find that when you do this, there will be collateral damage in that the converter lockup and A/C compressor will no longer work unless you make further mods.

Good luck, but understand what affects you'll have if you start removing parts.

 

Thanks again. I guess what you are saying is if it works leave it alone. I wouldn't have any problem with emmisions here in Maine because the car is registered as an antique and therefore isn't required to have an annual inspection. I'll see if I can find those books on e-bay and leave the running gear as is. Thanks again.

 

What I'm really saying is that the engine in your 85 is not easy to modify and won't provide much improvement if you do. It is, however, very easy to swap another Olds motor in it's place, like a 350.