Newbie with a jetstar 88 convertible
Yikes. Sounds like you do have a project there.
I had a '64 Jetstar 88 two-door back in the '90s. I think a bumper from any full-size 88 or Starfire would work, but you'll have to find one from a donor car. No trim or body parts are made new for these cars.
The rear bumpers are notorious for rusting. I needed a rear for my car at the time, and after calling lots of junkyards who advertised in Hemmings Motor News, I found a decent core for about $150 plus shipping. Then I spent another $200 getting it re-chromed. I think the cost for re-chroming nowadays is up by at least a factor of three over that.
You should post your needs in the part-wanted section. There are people on here with '64's, and someone may have a lead for you.
I had a '64 Jetstar 88 two-door back in the '90s. I think a bumper from any full-size 88 or Starfire would work, but you'll have to find one from a donor car. No trim or body parts are made new for these cars.
The rear bumpers are notorious for rusting. I needed a rear for my car at the time, and after calling lots of junkyards who advertised in Hemmings Motor News, I found a decent core for about $150 plus shipping. Then I spent another $200 getting it re-chromed. I think the cost for re-chroming nowadays is up by at least a factor of three over that.
You should post your needs in the part-wanted section. There are people on here with '64's, and someone may have a lead for you.
The Jetstar 88 is pretty much the same body-wise as any other 1964 88, just not near as much trim- which can work to your advantage. Try doing a Starfire!
It shares bumpers and taillights with them and grilles are the same as a Dynamic 88 (Supers had chrome headlight buckets). Interior trim is comparable to Dynamic.
The big difference is the Jetstar's drivetrain and underpinnings. It has the 330 (with one-year-only water pump) and most had Jetaway 2-speed automatics. It uses 9-1/2" brakes where the senior cars had 11". They actually share a lot with the Cutlass/F85 underneath, and to a lesser extent with Chevy.
I used to sneer at Jetstars because of their light-duty underpinnings, but I have come to appreciate them for what they were- a full-sized Olds for someone who didn't want the big thirsty engine. Since they share so much mechanically with the Cutlass, they can be easier to live with too.
Get yourself a 1964 shop manual set. There's five volumes covering all series cars, and it will tell you a lot about your beastie. It covers just about any service operation you could ever hope to do on the car. Expect to pay between $50-90 depending on its condition and who has it.
That rear bumper may be hard to find and expensive. They rot out behind the mounting brackets due to a poor drainage design.
Stick around. There's enough 64 guys here you'll find help and make friends. I do Starfires, but Joe Padavano comes to mind as a very knowledgeable 64 J88 owner.
It shares bumpers and taillights with them and grilles are the same as a Dynamic 88 (Supers had chrome headlight buckets). Interior trim is comparable to Dynamic.
The big difference is the Jetstar's drivetrain and underpinnings. It has the 330 (with one-year-only water pump) and most had Jetaway 2-speed automatics. It uses 9-1/2" brakes where the senior cars had 11". They actually share a lot with the Cutlass/F85 underneath, and to a lesser extent with Chevy.
I used to sneer at Jetstars because of their light-duty underpinnings, but I have come to appreciate them for what they were- a full-sized Olds for someone who didn't want the big thirsty engine. Since they share so much mechanically with the Cutlass, they can be easier to live with too.
Get yourself a 1964 shop manual set. There's five volumes covering all series cars, and it will tell you a lot about your beastie. It covers just about any service operation you could ever hope to do on the car. Expect to pay between $50-90 depending on its condition and who has it.
That rear bumper may be hard to find and expensive. They rot out behind the mounting brackets due to a poor drainage design.
Stick around. There's enough 64 guys here you'll find help and make friends. I do Starfires, but Joe Padavano comes to mind as a very knowledgeable 64 J88 owner.
The Jetstar 88 is pretty much the same body-wise as any other 1964 88, just not near as much trim- which can work to your advantage. Try doing a Starfire!
It shares bumpers and taillights with them and grilles are the same as a Dynamic 88 (Supers had chrome headlight buckets). Interior trim is comparable to Dynamic.
The big difference is the Jetstar's drivetrain and underpinnings. It has the 330 (with one-year-only water pump) and most had Jetaway 2-speed automatics. It uses 9-1/2" brakes where the senior cars had 11". They actually share a lot with the Cutlass/F85 underneath, and to a lesser extent with Chevy.
I used to sneer at Jetstars because of their light-duty underpinnings, but I have come to appreciate them for what they were- a full-sized Olds for someone who didn't want the big thirsty engine. Since they share so much mechanically with the Cutlass, they can be easier to live with too.
Get yourself a 1964 shop manual set. There's five volumes covering all series cars, and it will tell you a lot about your beastie. It covers just about any service operation you could ever hope to do on the car. Expect to pay between $50-90 depending on its condition and who has it.
That rear bumper may be hard to find and expensive. They rot out behind the mounting brackets due to a poor drainage design.
Stick around. There's enough 64 guys here you'll find help and make friends. I do Starfires, but Joe Padavano comes to mind as a very knowledgeable 64 J88 owner.
It shares bumpers and taillights with them and grilles are the same as a Dynamic 88 (Supers had chrome headlight buckets). Interior trim is comparable to Dynamic.
The big difference is the Jetstar's drivetrain and underpinnings. It has the 330 (with one-year-only water pump) and most had Jetaway 2-speed automatics. It uses 9-1/2" brakes where the senior cars had 11". They actually share a lot with the Cutlass/F85 underneath, and to a lesser extent with Chevy.
I used to sneer at Jetstars because of their light-duty underpinnings, but I have come to appreciate them for what they were- a full-sized Olds for someone who didn't want the big thirsty engine. Since they share so much mechanically with the Cutlass, they can be easier to live with too.
Get yourself a 1964 shop manual set. There's five volumes covering all series cars, and it will tell you a lot about your beastie. It covers just about any service operation you could ever hope to do on the car. Expect to pay between $50-90 depending on its condition and who has it.
That rear bumper may be hard to find and expensive. They rot out behind the mounting brackets due to a poor drainage design.
Stick around. There's enough 64 guys here you'll find help and make friends. I do Starfires, but Joe Padavano comes to mind as a very knowledgeable 64 J88 owner.
Manuals come up frequently on ebay. I'd avoid the CD versions because those are often just someone scanning the paper version and making pdf files out of it. The quality of the scans can vary.
Here's a current auction for the set of five in paper form. As rocketraider said, '64 was an unusual year for the service manual. Most years Olds would put out a single, telephone book-sized volume. In '64, they put out a five-volume set. You see the single volumes being sold sometimes, and that may be the way to buy them if they're cheap enough, but you really need all five.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1964-...sQ5fLiterature
His $65 price with free shipping is really not bad.
Here's a current auction for the set of five in paper form. As rocketraider said, '64 was an unusual year for the service manual. Most years Olds would put out a single, telephone book-sized volume. In '64, they put out a five-volume set. You see the single volumes being sold sometimes, and that may be the way to buy them if they're cheap enough, but you really need all five.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1964-...sQ5fLiterature
His $65 price with free shipping is really not bad.
64 and 65 steering wheels and columns are very different. Mauls' wheel will bolt onto your column easily enough, but may not be in the best driving position after it's on there. 64 wheels are dished a lot deeper than 65 and a 65 wheel would probably be too far away from the 1964 seat to drive comfortably.
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