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Excited to join the community. Working on upgrading and driving my father's 1st car - 1968 Oldsmobile F85, 2 door post coupe. 350 2bbl, automatic. Working on installing some parts to help her run and drive more consistently.
Thanks in advance for your knowledge, insight, support and encouragement. I'll do the best I can to help out if I know something.
Well thanks for the kind welcome, everyone. I'll do my best to answer your questions (and yes, probably change my valve springs!). So, like I said - 1968 F85, true survivor. 350 2bbl, automatic (Jetaway), and hasn't been touched except for some slight modification (see rear windshield defroster installed by my father in college, as well as speaker fade to rear speakers he installed). Car has rust, it has dings, it has patina....but it's been in the family since 1970, and it's the car I came home in from the hospital just a minute ago. I've had it on the road a few times since her daily driving days quit in 1994, but recently had her parked for 6 years as our kids arrived. Now that they're bigger, and life phases have changed to allow me to give it the attention it deserves.
Here's some pics:
Challenges include: had her running 6 years ago, but had issues with power loss when quickly accelerating, and almost dying when doing a quick rev. Birth of our 1st kid led her to this current hiatus.
Known problems:
Bodywork - rust in the quarters, leaking rear windshield (which is why the package tray is junk), and lower front fender rust behind the wheels (fun fact - my grandfather and father patched the driver side with homemade metalwork some time in the 80s, but now the passenger fender has had the same issue, and has lost the retainer to the inner fender, which can cause door binding issues with the passenger door).
Engine - power loss (carb was rebuilt 11 years ago, I think it's the accelerator pump) but does run and move now after some work.
Goals: I thought adding some modern components to it would help increase reliability and drivability. Plans include an Edelbrock performer intake manifold (#3711), swapping for a new 4bbl carb (Brawler 650) to replace the factory 2bbl Rochester, adding Hedman Headers to replace the original manifold and y pipe (currently a single exhaust), and then running a 2.5 inch Summit Turbo exhaust kit to give it true dual exhausts along with a new air cleaner, while dealing with the fender patch issue to avoid movement of the body when driving.
Future work includes installation of a mild cam, replacement of the valve springs (apparently, haha - the advice was overwhelming on that part), new wheels and tires (I've seen some advice on running 15x7 with 235 60 15s on the front,275 60s on 15x8s on the rear), replacing the stock suspension components to freshen it up, a potential transmission swap from the Jetaway to a TH350, eventually recovering the seat when that 53 year old vinyl gives up the ghost, and then (at a distant point) getting actual bodywork, bumpers, and paint done - so just a little bit of work.
Looking forward to getting it back on the road overall, and just enjoying working on it with my kids - they don't stay out of the garage when I'm working, and I can't imagine this will be any different (they were there when we resurrected it from it's year slumber earlier this summer as well).
Last edited by batsisgreat; August 7th, 2021 at 09:02 AM.
You may want to give careful consideration to rebuilding the engine, fixing window leaks and get a solid foundation. At 194k miles, the engine and transmission are running on borrowed time and those "go fast goodies" won't benefit you as much.
If you have a pressure gauge, I'd check the compression (both dry & wet) on the cylinders - might/can provide a basic overall indication of engine health @ 194K. Or, they shouldn't charge much to have an automotive service garage perform it for you. Nice history to the car. Good luck.
Welcome! I love the basic look of that car! I will go against the flow and recommend leaving the car stock and without performance "up grades". A 350 2 bbl and jetaway is cool and can be just as dependable as back in the day it was. But it is your car, whatever you do it will be fun.
Welcome! You don't see too many F-Eighty-Fives these days. My car started out w/ the same drivetrain and over the last 15 (?!?) years I've been gradually upgrading it. If you haven't already, at least get the timing chain replaced, those are iffy after ~100K.
I agree to leave it the way it was born, the money your gonna spend on all those go fast items, you can put towards the body. The plain Jane F-85 is cool the way it is. Too bad it didn’t have the straight six.
I agree with the others that recommend overhauling the engine before adding bolt on performance parts. After sitting for 6 yrs there is bound to be some corrosion inside the engine. Even if the cam chain has been replaced at some point it probably needs to be done again. That would be a good time to install a new cam. The manifold and carb can then wait till funds allow.
If you plan on driving the car while working on it make sure you do a complete inspection of the brakes, suspension, and steering components. I the car has sat on the tires for 6 yrs they will be rotten.
Thanks for the advice, everyone. Decided the cam was the wrong application for the build and returned. Going to proceed with basic inspection and maintenance, along with addressing some worn out parts (carb, exhaust are both shot),and enjoy with the family.
Put a set of Cragar SS, Oldsmobile SS1, 2 or 3s or widened stock rims with dog dishes on it.
Fix the safety issues first then the rust then go from there.
Look at the bottom side, frame, floors, trunk floor, floor supports, and remove the stainless under the wipers to look for holes...kill the rust everywhere before you start building. You might find the rot is deeper than expected and you just dumped a ton of money into a boat anchor. The rear window fix might be enough to scare you. It usually requires extensive metal surgery.
If it's solid then go for it.
Please do the exhaust tips right. They should have baloney cuts and be barely visible...(IMO).
GOOD ↓↓↓ Tails should tuck up and be parallel with the axel and the trunk dropoffs. Even these are not quite right. You can just see the pipe by the axle. It has the wrong bend but tips are decent.
BAD↓↓↓↓
UGLY↓↓↓
Here's a clean installation though a little short on length.
Last edited by droldsmorland; January 24th, 2023 at 08:49 PM.
Early F-85 car is absolutely bad A**. I think you should take your time. Keep it. Don't rush yourself for quick answers. The fact that you own that after being in your family since day one? That's awesome. AND desirable colors. F-85's came very often as Buick ugly colors..(Mad love for later Buick's but you know I am right).
I dig the fact that it is an eight cylinder car. Looks Like a great starting place to me. Don't feel like you need to overdo it.
Welcome to the best Oldsmobile site in existence! And it's great that you have your dad's first car to work with - lots of memories there. I also have my dad's car - a '68 4-4-2 convertible - but it was far from his first car! It's neat to have some family history that can stay with you for a long time. If/when you have questions, ask away. There is a ton of top notch expertise on this site, ready to answer up or help resolve an problems you have as you work on your car. Have fun and welcome aboard!
August 5th, 2021, 07:38 PM
