elwood565

hello to all! my name is Bob, and as the title says, im in shock...im shocked that this is the first time, in all my many hours spent scouring the internet, that this is the first time ive come across what seems to be a very nice forum here.

so after the initial shock wore off, i decided that the only smart thing to do would be to join up, so here i am. i am a 20 year old college student who is the proud owner of a 1971 Oldsmobile 98 LS, more affectionately known as "Lyle." Lyle and i have been together for a long time, actually since before i was even legally able to drive. my dad bought him off of ebay about 5 years ago now, and little did i know that his plan all along was to give him to me when i turned 16. well here it is 5 some odd years later, and Lyle and i are still together...and as i tell people, they wont even be able to take the keys from my cold dead hands, because im going to be buried in Lyle!

we bought him from the best friend of the original owner, and my dad and i felt it fitting to name the big blue Olds after his first owner. the name Lyle just seemed to fit. we bought him with 71k original miles, and i have just about 90k on him now...there would be a lot more, but he only gets driven in the summer months....or at least when there is no snow/salt on the roads here in Chicago. he is as rust free as they come, and i intend on keeping him that way. his interior/exterior cosmetics leave a little to be desired, because after about the first 15 years of ownership, the original owner left him outside when he bought a cadillac. Lyle was then only used to tow his owners boat on rare occasions, which is what accounts for the relatively low miles. as a matter of fact, in the 18 years leading up to when we bought him, Lyle's owner only put 1800 miles worth of boat towing on him!

i have plans for Lyle, like true dual exhaust, new paint job and interior, as well as some tastefully classic wheels and tires...ive been thinking american racing salt flats. and maybe further down the road, a four wheel disk brake conversion. but for now, he's just fine. even being away at school for weeks on end, i can come home and he starts right up, even during these very cold winter months.

thank you all for listening to my story, i am very excited about becoming a part of this forum and getting to know everyone.

oh, and i will say that i am currently in need of a set of fenderskirts for Lyle...he had a rear right tire blow out this past summer which mangled the skirt...even after all these months im still upset about it! so if anyone has one, or knows where i could find one, it would be greatly appreciated!

-Bob

don71

Welcome Bob. Thats a nice story, many of us can relate too. Hope you can find a fender skirt and enjoy Lyle for many years to come.

Bluevista

Welcome to the site Bob.

I'm sure somebody can help you out with that skirt, can't have "Lyle" going around half dressed.

Allan

69convertible

welcome 98 lover. Please post some pics of Lyle

I'm doing the true dual conversion in January on mine.

I have spare skirts for my 69 but I don't think they would fit the 71

Jamesbo

Welcome aboard


Be sure and get with 69convertible and olds64 to join the Land Yacht Club

citcapp

Sounds like your dad started you out on the right foot. Olds Land Yachts are great cars. Olds64 will chime in soon as he is the self appointed Land Yacht President.


1957 Super 88 with 455
1948 Fastback with 455

GoodOldsGuy

Welcome too ! Thanks for sharing your story. Hope you enjoy the forum.

GOG

rocwal

welcome Bob to the 98 forum .
I have been here about 3 weeks and find everyone very helpful , I find it very nice to find someone that has the complete history of their car . I bought mine on e-bay sight unseen ,original owner from State of Washington is all i know about it ,68 Olds 98 convertible . I did a total restoration 4 1/2 years . I'll keep an eye open for a skirt for your.

rocwal
Dan B

rrielley

You sound like our type of guy. You will fit right in.

68conv455

Bob,
Since your looking for "tastefully classic wheels and tires" I thought I'd mention that some delta's came with these cool sport wheels with rubber like accents. I saw a 71 delta with a set on and thought they were cool. I'm sure others on this board can give you the correct name, years they were offered, and possibly a photo.

csstrux

welcome

elwood565

thanks everybody, im having a blast already! i think im going to fit in pretty well here too.

Jamesbo...is there actually a "land yacht" part of this forum, or is it a separate thing? or just an inside joke? lol...either way, im in!

69convertible, you have a really sharp looking 98 there! ive always thought that the 69 98's were one of the most handsome 98 designs. i appreciate the offer for your skirts, but you are right, they will not fit. the 69 and 71 are completely different designs. i will post the few pics i have of Lyle on my computer. they were all taken at a blues jam i go to on the northside of Chicago.

amh555, im pretty certain from the response ive gotten here already that i will be able to find skirts for Lyle. we definitely dont want him running around half dressed...he's a big boy, he's gotta cover up! lol

citcapp, id certainly like to think my Dad started me off on the right foot! he may beg to differ now, as he'd like to see a little less concentration on cars and a little more concentration on school! lol

rocwal, id really appreciate you keeping a look out for me. im really thrilled by the response ive gotten on this forum!

68conv455, i believe i know of the delta rims youre talking about. i actually almost bought a set off of ebay not long ago, because i really think they would look nice, but i want something that will fill the wheel wells a little better...certainly not 30' rims or some ungodly size that seems to be so popular today, especially with my generation...dont ask me why, i think theyre all idiots! i want something that will be a little wider too, the stock rims are so skinny, Lyle looks a bit like an elephant trying to balance on roller skates! if that analogy even makes sense, lol.

Olds64

Welcome to the site! It is good to have another land yacht owner.

Oldsguy

We are really glad you think that and your compliments on the site are welcome, it is because of everyone's efforts

It is whatever you guys make it, mostly in the infant stages now.

Jamesbo

You're gonna have to take that up with Olds64, he's "The President for Life Dada"

They won't let me in becasue I only have a few A bodies and a Vista

But like Groucho said, "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members."

Jokers69

enough about the cars..(I know.. there's never enough about the cars).... so.. what do you play???

elwood565

Olds64, its good to BE another land yacht owner! lol. and whatever help i can offer to get the land yacht club up and running, you just let me know!

Jamesbo, i tend to have the same outlook, lol, but then most people dont understand my Oldsmobile or why i love it so much.

Jokers69, i can imagine we all get pretty tired of talking cars around here, lol, so ill fill you in i guess. i play harmonica. self taught and ive been playing for about 8 years now. my fingers could never get the hang of the guitar or bass, but when i picked up a harmonica, i figured it out pretty quickly, and ive been having a lot of fun with it. my big influence is Paul Butterfield, but i dont know if youve heard of him. but his playing would give you an idea of my style.

-Bob

Jokers69

I'm familiar with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.. harp is a cool insturment, must be a gas playing in Chicago.. I'm a guitarist myself, I play in a classic rock band called uncovered here in CT, if we didn't have a fiddle player I'd have a harp.

Back to our regulary scheduled car stuff..

elwood565

yeah, its a lot of fun playing in Chicago, but the blues has become a bit of an underground thing here again. its certainly not as popular as it was 20 or so years ago. thats cool that you play...i like the band name.

and that will be all now, lol, back to car stuff.

-Bob

Jamesbo

Sorry,

I guess you'll have to



"BEAR
DOWN"

Olds64

There is something you can help me with. MORE PICS!

elwood565

now THAT i can do! lol. DAAAAAA BEARS!

Olds64, consider it done. i will make that my homework assignment over my winter break. my sister has a digital camera, so i will be sure to steal it from her and get some more pics of Lyle up here. i think this will be my favorite homework assignment ever! anything else i can do?

-Bob

citcapp

The land yacht thing has taken on a life of its own which is a good thing I think, we can all have some fun with this. The bigger the better, all we need now in the group is a early strech limo. Now wouldn't that be something

Oldsguy

This guy has the right idea!

Olds64

I'm surprised there weren't any limos produced in 69. I would figure that the limo companies would order new ones each year. Not to mention the funeral homes that would need 6 door limos for funeral processions. I saw a 65 98 Hearse once. It was quite a beast.

elwood565

that 69 98 limo would be KILLER! too bad they never made one. thats the kind of ride you need to pull up to the land yacht meetings in for sure!

id like to find a '71 hearse/ambulance sometime, just because i think it would be a fun project. just like id kill for a '71 custom cruiser to match my 98! i think im the only 20 year old i know that says he actually WANTS a station wagon. my dad had a 73 custom cruiser, but just recently had to sell it due to tough financial times....im still bummed about that one. my Dad and i dont talk about that much, lol. i dont blame him though.

-Bob

bigoldscruiser

I have a friend in Staten Island, New York who has a 66 '98 limo. It came from the Philadelphia area. Talk about your "Land Yacht". Since I'm from the older generation and not up to speed with texting, what does "lol" mean? I see everyone is using it.

elwood565

"lol" is short for laughing out loud. its kind of lame, but it works, since its very hard to express emotion/inflection through these posts.

im part of the texting generation...and i HATE it...texting that is. no one wants to just talk anymore! drives me crazy. i have to sit there and press all of the wrong buttons in the time it takes to just call a person up and figure out what is going on.

ok. moving on.

lol....damn.

-Bob

#1CutlassSupreme

Welcome Bob. Good luck with the project and we're glad that you joined. Be sure to share your experiences as you work on your project. We're always glad to see progress on a good restoration.

elwood565

thanks very much #1. i will be sure to post pics whenever progress is made. i wouldnt want to deprive any of my fellow olds lovers!

-Bob

Eric Anderson

[quote=elwood565;53503im part of the texting generation...and i HATE it...texting that is. no one wants to just talk anymore! drives me crazy. i have to sit there and press all of the wrong buttons in the time it takes to just call a person up and figure out what is going on.

[/quote]

x2 (really using a phone to write a letter), and yes get that camera fired up!

johnfharding

Its good to have a new young member. I am a new member as well and I have found the olds guys very helpful.

I am 35 years old so I'm a Gen X'er. A couple things I wanted to tell you. First, I have found the Corvette Forum, Classic Oldsmobile, and most car forums very helpful and generally there are a lot of nice car people that frequent those forums that are well monitored and the moderators take pride in the site. I have also found good forums on Boats and other stuff. I find its sometimes hard to find a "Good" forum but once you do they are excellent sources of information and advice. I have fixed a lot of things myself with the help from my friends at these forums.

Lastly, I'm not a texter, I don't understand why people do it, it is slow and in my opinion its a lot like sending old time morris code, or how us X'ers used to type in numbers into the pagers to say hello etc.

anyway welcome , be safe and have fun

elwood565

thanks for the welcome John, it really has been a pleasure to begin meeting everyone here.

haha, im no texter myself. its one of those things where most all of my friends do it, and you sort of get sucked into it. i agree with the morse code idea of it though, haha!

thanks again!

-Bob

no_grain_no_gain

Looks like we have a few things in common elwood565! I'm that other twenty-something (I'm 21), who wants a wagon, and I just got one: a '72 Custom Cruiser! Check it out in the Vista & Wagons Forum if you get a chance.

But yeah, fabulous car man. The '71-'72 full-size Oldsmobiles are just great looking. That in-your-face front end can't be beat. It would be hard for me to pick between a Ninety Eight and a Custom Cruiser, as they both have their own benefits. I will admit I am jealous of your hardtop, since the Custom Cruiser is a sedan, really. You have to provide a few more pictures of Lyle!

Musically, I think we'd get along as well. I play drums for an old school rock/blues band here in Nova Scotia, and have been for 4 years. Again, I think I am the only person around here who enjoys this music... same with my taste in cars! I have a feeling our tastes would be quite similar. It would be good to jam and go cruising, eh?

I'd meet you in the Land Yacht Club, but from reading that thread I'm not 100% sure where they stand on wagons... so we'll have to see.

You mentioned your dad having a '76 Coupe deville and driving a late '80s Brougham. My first car was a 1989 Brougham (with a sketchy oil drinking motor), so I know what you're saying about people being amazed at the size, and meanwhile thinking, "have you seen a 1976 Cadillac?"

Regardless, I loved the Brougham and still think the world of the '77 and up downsized GM's but longed for something older, with a big block. Sold the Brougham to a cab driver (found out from him later that the 307 seized up in the first week he owned it...) and bought a rust-free white over red 1980 Coupe deVille, with white leather from down south.

Don't mock the '80 Cadillacs! They have a big block, albeit one of the smallest: a 368 cubic inch (6.0L) 4bbl. This is the same block as the 472/500 and the 425 (used from '77-79). It's not that horrid variable cylinder V8-6-4, fuel injected one either. That was 1981, which means the 1980 Cad. motor is in a league of its own. Plus the THM400 has held up much better than the '89 Brougham's trans.

You'd probably enjoy my brothers car too, as you've had experience with the '76 Cads: A very, original clean green '76 Fleetwood Brougham, complete with green leather and the 500 motor.

But I'm rambling, sorry. In the end, my '89 Brougham with the bad 307 didn't turn me off of Oldsmobiles at all, so here I am. Looking forward to discussing monsterous cars and music with you!

no_grain_no_gain

Almost forgot. I think I know those wheels that 69conv455 is talking about, too.

I believe they're called Super Stock IV, and were a steel wheel with a rubberized / plastic facsia on them. They were available on '71- '72 Delta 88s from what I've read. They are one of the only options for a unique full size Oldsmobile road wheel, as they have a the big "5 on 5" GM bolt circle.

They really look unique. They're apparently designed to look like an aftermarket rim that was produced at that time in the same manner, called the Exiter by Motor Wheel. I know they've been mentioned on this forum before.

Here's what they look like (this car's a beauty):








Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'd love a set, but good luck to me when it comes for finding some!

MN71W30

I'm new around here myself and it's been fun. My first car was a 66 Olds 98 back in 80. I love those big powerful Oldsmobiles.

Dave

joe_padavano

Correct. The manufacturing process was called "polycast" and is the same method used to make the honeycomb wheels used on Pontiacs. There have been a couple of sets on ebay recently.

f-85

Welcome Bob

Cool story behind our car. What motor do you have in it? I just put on some hubcaps from an early 70s 98 (i think). Looks good on the old 88. Youll like this site. Lots of helpful members.

elwood565

No Grain...i think we were separated at birth!!! hahaha. great name by the way!

as far as im concerned, your custom cruiser isnt just a land yacht, its a battleship! you would get my vote into the land yacht club for sure. my dad and i had a 73 custom cruiser that we just recently got rid of because money has been tight...i plan on buying it back though because the guy who bought it is trying to sell it on a demo derby site! my dad really got screwed on that, but he needed the money so i dont blame him. anyway, we can share more custom cruiser stories in the wagons forum.

i do really love my 98, and it is great having a hardtop. but i was raised in wagons, so i love their quirkiness and their functionality. i cant believe that your first car was a 89 brougham! too weird! my 88 brougham finally died because of an oil problem as well. it wasnt getting any oil pressure and the motor blew. i know what you mean when you talk about tranny problems with those later years...the electronically controlled transmissions in them could be pretty bad! but i loved that car and would buy another 77-up full size caddy any day of the week.

i love the 80-85 Coupe DeVilles! my dad had an 83 when i was growing up and i have very fond memories of that car. it was such a fantastic looking car. the 80 is a good year because you dont have to worry about the 4.1 aluminum engine, or the little v-6. my dad (and i for that matter) would kill for a 76 fleetwood! that is one he and i both plan on owning before we die! your brother's sounds like a beauty.

i know how you feel being one of very few people our age who appreciate good blues! cruising and jamming would be awesome! it would be very cool to try and meet up at one of the big national olds shows one of these days! our two cars parked together, sitting on the tailgate of the CC, playing some blues would be awesome! its always nice to know that im not the only twenty-something guy who has good taste! haha

and yes, those are the wheels we've been talking about. those are some great pics of them too! nice find. i really like the unique look of them, and i think that they look great on the 88's and 98's but i want something wider, and bigger (17, maybe 18") so i can put a wider tire on and fill out the wheel wells. certainly not anything like some chrome spinners, but american racing salt flat specials, or something classic like that which would bring out the muscle in my 98 a bit.

alright, now look at me, im carrying on like a little schoolgirl! i gotta stop now because i could write a novel. its nice to make your (internet) acquaintance! haha

-Bob

IDAS 69

WELCOME BOB,
You can learn many things here. Enjoy