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I had a s '75 Delta 88 convertible back in the '90s that was missing that front-to-rear trim piece on both sides, and nothing was available new back then, either. I've observed that it's very commonly missing on these cars because they've been repainted, and the trim strips were not replaced either because they were too worn and wouldn't look good on a new paint job, or they were damaged in the removal process and couldn't be reused.
No one makes a new exact replacement for these, and any thing you're likely to find used will either be as damaged as what's on your car, or it will be still attached to a car that is in too good a shape to pull it off of,
I put an aftermarket strip on my car back when I had it. I bought it from J.C. Whitney. It was a very close match, differing only in with width of the strip. The original strip on a '75 (maybe other years, too) was about an inch wide, and what I put on was about 3/4-inch wide.
Here's two photos of a '75 D-88 convertible. The top one has the correct, factory trim strip on it. The second one is my car and has the J. C. Whitney strip on it.
I think your only choices are either get lucky and find NOS trim pieces on ebay, for which you'd probably have to pay a small fortune, or find something aftermarket and make it work.
Keep in mind, also, that that trim strip was not standard equipment on any version of the '71 Delta 88 (Delta 88, Delta 88 Custom, Delta 88 Royale), so not every '71 Delta 88 four-door is a potential donor car. It was a $40 option on each Delta 88 line.
Here's three '71 Delta 88 Customs from the 1971 Olds brochure, each a different body style. Only the white one in the rear has the trim strip.
Keep in mind, also, that that trim strip was not standard equipment on any version of the '71 Delta 88 (Delta 88, Delta 88 Custom, Delta 88 Royale), so not every '71 Delta 88 four-door is a potential donor car. It was a $40 option on each Delta 88.
This is great information, thank you for the reply jaunty75. Luckily my convertible has 55k original miles. I bought it from the original owner in Dallas but the car was sold in Oklahoma. I have protecto plates and lots of other cool provenance. It is very clean in and out. There are minor things I’ve changed over the years as I’ve come across NOS parts. For example, complete tail lamp assemblies, trunk lock cover, ashtrays, clock, complete set of SSIV center caps, all of these were found NOS over the years. I’m very patient and persistent. With that being said, I owe most of my treasured finds to a great friend named Robert Kruse.
**Warning, the following will be long as I have never spoken of this friendship before, but, felt compelled to honor him in a place he would have felt at home, an Oldsmobile forum***
Robert and I built a friendship anchored on the 71 Delta 88, which he had a mint condition example Sandlewood (?) brown. He was an aficionado and could tell you every option, code, part number, color, his knowledge was off the charts. He suffered an untimely death which was completely unexpected. We talked on the phone at least a couple times a week. He had enough NOS parts to rebuild the car twice over. Funny enough, he would not sell any parts when we first met. He treated his parts like collectibles that he loved to show off, but would not name a price. After roughly 2 years of friendship, he sent an unannounced email which contained a detailed parts catalog, all of which were his pride and joy collection. He mentioned that he was getting older and would like to see them go to a good home. Even then, the prices listed next to the parts were high, but I knew they were mint condition without question. I replied back with a list of things I could afford. I continued buying parts over the years.
He was a single man without any children. He lived the life of a loner and seemed to cherish his car friends. I sent him a check (old school) that he never cashed. He didn’t call me for nearly a month. Then a family member of his posted on his Facebook of his untimely death. The last order for parts I placed was never shipped and I have no idea what became of his coveted parts collection. I tried reaching out to that family member and others in his friends list to no avail. He lived in Washington and I nearly made a trip as I had his home address, but was unsure if anyone would be there.
It’s a shame that his mint 71 Delta and all his cherished NOS parts are now likely gone in the wind. Someone probably found them that had no idea of the value or rarity of the items. I’ve kept an eye open on eBay and other sites hoping they would pop up one day. I’ve hoped that maybe one day his car will come up for sale. That hasn’t happened, yet. I would surely buy it in a heartbeat as it had absolutely every option. He was so proud that he had a rare option that would squirt the washers and wipe 3 times at the push of a button automatically. He had adjustable pedals, which I’ve never seen on any other car. He had an option called Night Shade (?) or something to that effect which I’m still confused as to what it actually does. I think either dim headlights to oncoming bright lights, or, turn headlights off after a set amount of time. He had the seatbelt warning light as well as the low gas warning light.
Apologies for rambling....long story short, I miss talking to Robert and wonder often what became of his prized possessions. It just goes to show that eventually, we all lose the things we covet the most.
RIP Robert Kruse, you were a dear friend and I pray you are cruising in your Delta top down in Heaven.
Robert’s 71 Delta 88 Robert’s Delta parked in his friends personal “museum” Robert’s Delta parked in his friends personal “museum”
If you have the part number I can see if I have an nos one in stock. The option you r thinking of is Night Watch. It allowed the headlights to stay on for x amount of time after turning the ignition off.
He had an option called Night Shade (?) or something to that effect which I’m still confused as to what it actually does. I think either dim headlights to oncoming bright lights, or, turn headlights off after a set amount of time.
Originally Posted by deaddds
The option you r thinking of is Night Watch. It allowed the headlights to stay on for x amount of time after turning the ignition off.
Yes, it was option T81, "Headlamp Off-Delay Control," or "Night-Watch." $12.64 on 1971 models. The length of time the headlights would stay on was 60 seconds and was not adjustable.
Two places below this in the image below is the Low Fuel Warning Light, option U41, a $9.48 option.
As far as the seat-belt warning light, I don't think it even existed for the 1971 models. If he added it to your car, it would not be factory correct, but I'm guessing something from a later-model full-size Olds, like a '74 or a '75, could be installed on your '71 without a problem.
The seat belt warning light would have been standard equipment, probably starting in 1974. That was the one year where American cars had an interlock that wouldn't let you start the car unless your seatbelt was fastened. This caused many problems and was very unpopular, so it was discontinued after 1974. For '75 and later, there was a warning buzzer that wouldn't shut off until the seat belts were fastened (front seat), but at least you could start the car.
Last edited by jaunty75; October 14th, 2020 at 03:30 PM.
October 12th, 2020, 01:19 PM
