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I have been reading this site for quite some time getting tips on how to keep these works of art on the road. I finally decided to join. I am in London, Ohio, 27 years old ( young, I know lol ). I have a 1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale I bought last month when I sold my dad my 2000 Jeep Cherokee ( which has been restored ), and when I moved out back in 2014, I gave him the keys to my 1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham when his Taurus's 350k miles went terminal. I payed $300 for that one and its odometer has rolled over 4 times, as it is his daily, a fitting gift to a father who has taught me so much in life about rebuilding/ maintaining automobiles. I bought this car from a 85 year old man in Dayton, Ohio who was an aircraft engineer for the Department of Defense, and he is the only other owner, he rarely drove it, and his wife made him sell it. For $3,000,I got a 20,578 mile, almost factory original 1978 Delta 88 Royale who's only problems is the missing rear Bumper-filler ends. It has been rust proofed every two years, spark plugs once a year, oil change every 1,500 miles, full maintenance logs and reciepts, from 1978 to when I bought it, and a MASSIVE original service manual. But nothing has been replaced except gaskets. I have never seen a 41 year old car in factory new condition, as this one has spent most of its life in a temperature controlled garage under a leather cover. I have a great love and respect for these Malaise-era cars. I don't like going fast, but I love cruising in no-stress comfort. As we speak, it sits in my garage getting a total wax and polish job/ sealant job. This is going to be a semi-daily, garaged when not at work. I am OCD on car care and this Delta is as easy as they come.
Last edited by ericjw1991; February 2nd, 2019 at 04:49 AM.
Welcome. The broken bumper fillers are common and reproductions are available, though the repros are usually fiberglass or hard plastic and not flexible like the originals.
Does a friend have to run behind the car when you drive it on the road to cover the plate?
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Nice looking Delta. Not sure why you think 70's era is Malaise because Olds was extremely popular back then especially with the A body lineup. B Body (Delta and Ninety Eight) were also good sellers but pricier than their competitors. You did well to find this car and even better to know the maintenance history on it. BTW, that Service manual will come in very handy when you need to do some repairs it will eventuality need.
Just out of curiousity what kind of gas mileage do these get? Looks really nice. Comfy too. As long as you don't put way too many miles on, and you keep it garaged also then it can possibly look exactly the same a few decades from now. Good luck with it.
i can't say for daily driving but hiway trips to florida from mass delivered 20mpg.the later ones with the 2004r and 307 would do mid 20s easily.i had a 1980 98 with th350,2;41 rr and a 75 455 that would get 21 mpg hiway.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Originally Posted by joe_padavano
Oh, I dunno...
Colonnade styling?
L48 Corvettes with a pavement-ripping 180 HP?
Mustang II?
442s with a V6, or worse, a Chebby 305?
Yeah, 78 Cutlass Salon and 442 looked disgusting. But we're only talking Olds here not blue oval, chebby. In 78 the entire Olds line could still be ordered with better performance engines than the V6. And when I'm talking about the '70's' I'm also including the entire decade. Unless you want to include the 70-76 lineup as Malaise....
The last full size body on frame cars from GM, to me they look great. It was the era of badge engineering I know, Full size GM sir?, Certainly, would you like it in Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, or Pontiac?.
But they were good years for Oldsmobile and Buick in sales volume, I believe the Oldsmobile Cutlass was the best selling car in the USA during some of that era.
Also it was easy to add plenty more horses under the hood without major mods, I doubt if you want to do that, these cars are all about effortless cruising.
One thing to look out for; they are very easy to steal, and many ended up at demolition derbies soon after vanishing from the owners drive. Might be a good idea to make it hard to steal, there are some useful security kits you can buy.
Yeah, 78 Cutlass Salon and 442 looked disgusting. But we're only talking Olds here not blue oval, chebby. In 78 the entire Olds line could still be ordered with better performance engines than the V6. And when I'm talking about the '70's' I'm also including the entire decade. Unless you want to include the 70-76 lineup as Malaise....
The colonnade cars are the 73-77 A-body, so yes I am including those. The community universally refers to the 1970s as the "malaise years" for many reasons, not just Olds-related. Styling sucked across the board. Not only did we get colonnade cars and the aeroback cars, we got 5 mph buggy bumpers. We got self-mulching plastic parts. We got band-aid emissions controls that sent both HP and driveability into the toilet. Heck, we got a 1972 "442" with a pavement-ripping 160 HP 350 2bbl single exhaust! Hey, but at least the standard rear axle ratio with that combo was an awesome 2.73:1, so it had that going for it. We got Trans Ams that ranged from the 455SD high point to the normally aspirated 301, and the lower the HP, the larger the screaming chicken to compensate. We got the self-recycling Aspen/Volare in addition to the Vega. These were the deepest, darkest years for performance. Heck, I still remember when everyone raved over the new Fox-body Mustang GTs with a 302 2bbl performance motor!
Fair point Joe, what badges were they available with?, Buick and Chevrolet, but that was all I think. Perhaps I should have said the last Body on frame rwd V8 Oldsmobile.
And I like the look of the 1977-1986 rwd Full Size GM cars. My choice, we all plow our own furrow....
Fair point Joe, what badges were they available with?, Buick and Chevrolet, but that was all I think. Perhaps I should have said the last Body on frame rwd V8 Oldsmobile.
And I like the look of the 1977-1986 rwd Full Size GM cars. My choice, we all plow our own furrow....
Roger.
Actually, this is the last full size body on frame Oldsmobile.
Nice car Eric. Have fun cruising. You may be aware of the Mid Ohio Chapter OCA in Columbus which has an excellent show in September and there is the Northern Ohio OCA chapter in Alliance, Ohio which has a great show in August. There is also the Cincinnati OCA Chapter which is also active. You are in the middle of Olds Country. Welcome.
Wayne
Medina, Ohio
Last edited by 35tac; February 2nd, 2019 at 11:19 AM.
Eric, nice Delta! My grandparents had a 79 with the exact same interior, the only option being cruise control and an AM/FM radio. No tilt wheel, no power windows or anything else, the outside was a light metallic blue, no vynil top. 350 Olds 4bbl. They got the oil changed every 1500 miles, and as long at it was garaged, it remained immaculate. Once they moved and had to leave it outside, the sun destroyed the paint and it began rotting. They traded it in and never liked any of the newer cars they had after it.
The "Malaise" era generally refers to the late 1970s and the Carter presidency. He gave a speech to the country in July 1979 trying to buck up the country at the time of the second oil crisis, when gas finally reached $1 a gallon, we had high inflation, and the country seemed to be drifting. The speech was later called the "malaise speech" even though he never actually used that word in the speech. Cars from this time are now sometimes referred to as malaise-era cars.
These are the actual words from his speech which led to the "malaise" label.
The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.
I talk to much I know lol. But cars are a passion. And these particular cars are almost a love affair. I may take part in the Oldsmobile gathering around here this year, I went to some Jeep ones the last two years as I finished my Cherokee, but I got asked to take my stock XJ and leave, as I did not lift it, nor put any special lights on it lol. I replaced all parts on it with ORIGINAL parts, a total rebuild. What a beauty she turned out to be, but the Jeep Community doesn't like factory specs, so I am a little scared of the reaction to another Car gathering.
Wow you guys have loads of information! I called it Malaise because it is, indeed, a lazy car. I have yet to meet anyone who has scowled at my Delta, though as young as I am, I have no intention to turn her into a Street Reaper lol. I am looking at replacing the Catalytic Converter with a High-flow one, and the single muffler to a Thrush Welded. I LOVE MUSCLE CARS, don't get me wrong, but over my short life, I have taken the road of my Grandfather when it comes to car tastes. He worked for Ford from 1953-2006, his cars of choice were BIG sedans, where my father's preferences lied in Muscle cars. Muscle cars are cool, but not comfortable and handful to drive. I can easily make this 350 GROWL AND RUN IN TOTAL ANGER, but why? I like to be comfortable, and I like my young family to be comfortable on the road. When I get into a car, I don't want a radio on, 500 different buttons, a cell phone charging, nor does gas mileage bother me ( I put 10k miles on our 16' Ford Focus Hatchback in 3 years, I live 2 minutes from work lol ) Focus is the wife's car though. I bought that for her as a birthday gift when she got tired of her 05' Taurus. Focus can give me a headache as its like sitting in a Fighter cockpit.
The Delta 88 Royale Brougham I gave my father sips the gas. It has a 307 ( with all smog components removed ). We hooked a digital diagnostic computer into my tablet and drove from a full-tank to empty, he gets close to 24mph highway, 15 city. It burns a hint of oil these days as it has rolled the odometer over multiples of times, and its interior is falling apart now, but its one of the most reliable cars my father has ever owned, even in -30F temperatures. My 350, as it has the TH350, no cruise control, and no overdrive, is a bit of a hog sometimes on fuel, especially up hills. I am going to guess it matches my old Dodge Ram 2500s I used to own ( not bad, not good either ).
Currently, I am shopping around for another car ( Yes I am that guy ) because I am going to minimize the UV exposure to the Delta's interior, and minimize salt and moisture explosure to the exterior. But, every weekend during the spring/summer, you will see me spend HOURS washing, waxing, sealing, vacuuming, protecting my cars, even the Focus. INVESTMENT... Anyways, I am looking for a daily driver to replace not the Delta I just bought, but the Jeep Cherokee I painstakingly restored while driving it everyday for the last 4 years ( Sold to my dad who fell in love with it.. At a CONSIDERABLE discount of course lol. ) I have considerable appreciation for what these cars are by design. Cruisers. If I modify anything, it would most likely be for the betterment of engine function, like exhaust, smog stuffs, and better cooling, thats about it. I am not a Hot Rodder, nor a fast driver, but I do loooove when my V8s breathe easier, run better, and run longer. Preservation is more important than total conversion.
Jeez I'm sentimental. THANKS GRANDPA!
Last edited by ericjw1991; February 3rd, 2019 at 12:12 AM.
Welcome to C.O. I am contemplating this one! Nice, but the he is little proud of and it's been for sale for over a year. And another reason is that chevmobile. 350 bowtie under the hood!
Pat
Welcome to C.O. I am contemplating this one! Nice, but the he is little proud of and it's been for sale for over a year. And another reason is that chevmobile. 350 bowtie under the hood!
Pat
Did it leave the factory with the Chevrolet engine?.
Welcome. I love your car! Those cars were REALLY popular around here (Lansing). I have many memories of them in the 80's as cars I could afford for my family as 10 year old cars. I hope you do bring your car to some meets. I really doubt anyone would ask you to leave because they didn't like what was done to your car. I am surprised that the Jeep people would do that, (If I understood you correctly). You will find lots of knowledge and comradery here.
I called it Malaise because it is, indeed, a lazy car.
"Malaise" does not mean "lazy." Malaise means a feeling of discomfort or disquiet or unease for reasons you can't quite put your finger on. These cars are called "Malaise Machines" only because they were built during that time, not because of anything in particular about the car other than perhaps a general way to refer to the styling of the car in the same way you might refer to a car as a "post-war" car or a "depression-era" car.
Did it leave the factory with the Chevrolet engine?.
Roger.
Unfortunately, yes! Oldsmobile was part of a class action lawsuit. I remember reading somewhere, that there was a choice of either a new car or $500.00
I highly prefer the Oldsmobile engine, for it's unique exhaust note, but the other has it's advantage when it comes to parts or performance upgrades.
I was misinformed of the Era's terminology, with which this car was built in. Sorry gents.
It is a smooth engine! It says Oldsmobile on the Valve Covers. Either way, I am not going to be picky lol. It has survived 41 years without any modifications, rust, dents, or scratched, or miles for that matter. It is quiet as a church.... Until them secondaries are open lol. There is not a single loss of compression by my gauges I've hooked up in the heads. Everything still seems to be exact specs as stated in the service manual. Carb is still shiny new. The EGR valve is still pristine. Engine bay is a bit dusty. Our camera-probe inside the block showed not the slightest bit of wear, scoring, rust, or any carbon on the crowns! I will call the old man and see if this Delta is equiped with a Chevy 350 or an Olds 350, just to be sure. Either way, neither option bothers me. It is a survivor.
Last edited by ericjw1991; February 3rd, 2019 at 11:11 AM.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Originally Posted by 1970cs
Unfortunately, yes! Oldsmobile was part of a class action lawsuit. I remember reading somewhere, that there was a choice of either a new car or $500.00
I highly prefer the Oldsmobile engine, for it's unique exhaust note, but the other has it's advantage when it comes to parts or performance upgrades.
Pat
Interesting. I had my 78 Cutlass Calais for 3 years and never had so much as a whisper about that. It had a Chevy 305 4bbl from the factory. That also must explain why I had the oil changed at a Lubex and the next morning the floor was coated with oil. Probably used the wrong filter? Or didn't tighten it. I filled it up and took it back. I demanded they fix it right, refund the cost of the oil change and reimburse me the 4 quarts of oil I had to put back in it. They first of all balked until I told them if they wanted to insist on the price of the oil change they could send someone to come and clean up the mess in my garage. Never went back and from then on I did all my own oil changes.
Interesting. I had my 78 Cutlass Calais for 3 years and never had so much as a whisper about that. It had a Chevy 305 4bbl from the factory.
You had to have a 1977 model. By 1978, Olds was announcing the fact that you might get a Chevy engine (see what I posted in message #28 above), so there would be no surprise if you got one, and no reason to complain or file a lawsuit. It was 1977 where Olds started doing this and didn't announce it, so you had to have a '77 Olds with a Chevy engine to be part of the lawsuit.
As far as I can tell, 350 engines from GM were pretty much a wash when they went into full size sedans. I don't suppose they were very different in character to offering from Ford or Chrysler in similar sizes.
Oversquare ohv engines of very similar dimensions, all required to meet the contemporary emissions laws.
I suggest that they all ended up very much alike for the same reasons modern European hatchbacks all look very much alike, they need to meet the same legal requirements, and do do so in a cost effective manner results in cars you can only tell apart if you are near enough to read the makers badge....
As far as I can tell, 350 engines from GM were pretty much a wash when they went into full size sedans. I don't suppose they were very different in character to offering from Ford or Chrysler in similar sizes.
Oversquare ohv engines of very similar dimensions, all required to meet the contemporary emissions laws.
Olds 4.057 x 3.385
Chevy 4.000 x 3.48
Pontiac 3.875 x 3.75
Buick 3.800 x 3.85
February 2nd, 2019, 04:47 AM
