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Been lurking around the site for the past year and figured it was time to post up. I had been wanting to get back into a full sized Oldsmobile since the '83 delta 88 I drove through my undergrad succumbed to the Minnesota salt . Thankfully, last year my wife and I stumbled upon a clean, one owner 1976 Delta 88 Royale with only 54000 documented miles! Purchased new in ND, driven only in ND and rarely saw snow! The original owner parked it in the mid 80's, when he couldn't bear to part with it, after moving into a FWD Olds that his wife liked better. The 350 keeps getting stronger with each passing mile (and averages 16-17 mpg to boot!!!!!)
After graduating from Grad school last July, I spent the rest of the summer digging the 9 mouse nests out (none inside thankfully) and repairing the damage they created (rust free otherwise), removing the time-bomb nylon timing gear (looked like it just came off the assembly line surprisingly) and getting it running like a top (emissions delete helped immensely and ND doesn't care). After replacing the shocks it no longer drives like it is on the open ocean.
Current/future plans are to fix the miscellaneous odds and ends it needs to make it reliable, do some minor upgrades that the high end cars would have had, and enjoy it! We are looking forward to many miles through the ND and SD badlands and Black Hills later this year!
Looking forward to adding more Oldsmobiles to the (2-car) collection! I've included pictures of the other member of the collection. My 1967 Galaxie 500 I purchased and fixed up with my grandfather (self taught mechanic) before I could (legally) drive!
I look forward to growing my knowledge base in the future with your help!
Mike
P.S. If anyone has a suggestion to get rid of the musty smell from the interior let me know....... I've already shampooed the carpet and cleaned everything I could reach, but it's still there; albeit a bit weaker now.
Very nice car. I especially like the four-door hardtop style. 1976 was the last year for this in a GM car. I owned a similar car, a '75 Delta 88 convertible, back in the '90s. It was the same color scheme as yours, red with a white top.
Originally Posted by mjaba718
If anyone has a suggestion to get rid of the musty smell from the interior let me know
I faced a similar situation with my '78 Toronado I bought back in 2017. It had sat outdoors under a car cover for 13 years without ever being opened up or started. It had a musty smell, too, and what I did was just leave the windows down all the time. I keep it in a garage, so the weather getting to it was not a problem. But just let it air. Shampooing the carpet helps, but the mustiness gets into everything (seats, headliner, door panels, dashboard, anything vinyl or cloth, even the steering wheel).
Love both those cars! I haven't seen a horn button like on the Ford in years, I do remember them. I have heard you can get Ozone machines that you put inside cars and let them work and they eliminate smoking odors, maybe thy would work for musty odors too..?? Welcome !!
Love both those cars! I haven't seen a horn button like on the Ford in years, I do remember them. I have heard you can get Ozone machines that you put inside cars and let them work and they eliminate smoking odors, maybe thy would work for musty odors too..?? Welcome !!
x2 on the ozone machine. You should be able to rent one.
Welcome to the group... Nice looking Delta... As far as the Ford (which is also a nice looking vehicle) there's nothing wrong with having a little diversity in the fleet... I also use to have some Ford products in the past until I decided having a fleet of 34 vehicles I just had to down size some where...
May 13th, 2020, 10:30 PM
. Thankfully, last year my wife and I stumbled upon a clean, one owner 1976 Delta 88 Royale with only 54000 documented miles! Purchased new in ND, driven only in ND and rarely saw snow! The original owner parked it in the mid 80's, when he couldn't bear to part with it, after moving into a FWD Olds that his wife liked better. The 350 keeps getting stronger with each passing mile (and averages 16-17 mpg to boot!!!!!)
). After replacing the shocks it no longer drives like it is on the open ocean.
