w31man

I am looking for a 73 oldsmobile 98 passenger side door mirror. Looking for one in excellent condition, i believe the part # is 983280 and also heard it was used by other GM full size brands but can confirm that. Thanks as always for any help. Pic is from a ebay one i missed out on

w31man

Sorry, this is the pic of the mirror

jaunty75

I wish you the best of luck on this. I had a '73 Custom Cruiser for five years (sold last year), and I spent the entire time I owned it looking for a passenger-side mirror in better shape than the one that was on the car, which was serviceable but not as nice as you would like.

I never found one. Not even in less than perfect condition. Never found one at all. Too bad you missed out on that one on ebay.

I did find a nice driver's side mirror, complete with remote and everything, and put that on the car. I think the passenger-side mirrors were not as commonly ordered as you would think nowadays where every car of any price range seems to have both mirrors. I see lots of photos of '73 full-size Oldsmobiles that do not have a passenger mirror on them.

I think '73 was the last year that a remote control for the passenger mirror was not offered. Once they started making it possible to adjust that mirror from the driver's position (they put the control in the middle of the dash), having one of those mirrors became more practical and thus more popular.

BeenThere

The Oldsmobile accessory mirror 983280 can be used on the 1971 thru 1975 full size cars. It is 100% correct for the '71 and '72 cars, but can also be used on the '73 to '75 cars if they never had a R.H. mirror. Note that it is installed using a mounting bracket. The 1971 and 1972 cars used this type mounting bracket on both sides. Starting in 1973 the factory installed mirrors used 2 mounting studs for both the left and right side mirrors. See my pictures. This is the factory installed R.H. mirror for the 1973 and 1974 cars. These are called thin head mirrors. The entire mirror head ( the glass and chrome housing ) was adjustable. Starting in about 1975 only the glass moved. The chrome housing was fixed. They are called thick head mirrors.

w31man

Yes i agree, i have been looking for over a year and only saw 2 on ebay that i got cheap on and stopped bidding at $200. It still blows me away on a gigantic car like that, oldsmobiles wisdom didn't think a mirror on that side might actually be needed. They certainly didn't try to save money anywhere else on the car.

Thanks Jaunty75

w31man

Been there, PM sent

jaunty75

I've been looking at the '73 Olds Dealer Specs Book, and I've learned some interesting things, assuming the specs book is correct.

For the '73 98 models, there is no mention of an available passenger side rearview mirror, standard or optional. The remote-control driver's side mirror was standard equipment.

For the '73 Custom Cruiser, the passenger side rearview mirror was standard equipment, and I'm guessing that was because the CC was a large station wagon, and Olds thought that mirror was a necessity for visibility on the right side. The driver's side rearview mirror was, of course, standard, but not with remote control. That was a $12 option on the Custom Cruiser.

I wonder if this explains why you see so few '73 98s with a passenger side mirror. None of these cars came from the factory that way, and the ones you see must have been dealer add-ons?

I checked the Delta 88 and Delta 88 Royale pages, and those show no passenger side mirror offered and a driver's side mirror like the Custom Cruiser. Manual mirror standard and remote-control a $12 option.

jaunty75

It's actually quite interesting to compare 1973 with the standards of today. We think of the '98 as a luxurious car with every amenity, but it's interesting to look at the list of items that were NOT standard equipment on a '73 98.


Power windows
Power locks
Power seat
Air conditioning
Radio (the base AM radio was a $35 option)
Cruise control
Tilt/telescoping steering wheel
Litter container (a $5 option)
Body side and fender moldings (only window sill and roof drip moldings were standard)
Door edge guards
Cornering lamps
Safety sentinel/trip odometer
Illuminated visor vanity mirror
Bumper rub strip and guards


Some of these you might expect, but it seems downright sacrilegeous to order a luxury car like a 98 without, at least, air conditioning, and couldn't Olds have thrown in a $5 litter container? But it was certainly possible to order a very stripped down 98 (can you imagine a 98 with a blank-off plate where radio would be?).

jaunty75

I saw a '73 98 for sale here in town a couple of weeks ago, and I took some photos. Note what's NOT on the passenger side front door! This is a Regency Sedan, too, the highest-priced 98 offered.

No mention of mileage. They were asking $3500 for it.

w31man

All that is very interesting, i wonder what happened in 73 that prompted the mirror ban. I always thought that was weird too about the options when you bought the regency you were buying the best of the best i too would have though there would have been less things to check off on the options list.

Greg

jaunty75

I don't think there was any ban on these mirrors. It was just the standard of the time. Passenger side mirrors were not put on cars back then like they are on every car you see today. No one thought it was odd because it was what everyone was used to.

Since Olds DID promote the 98 and their other full-size cars as trailer-towing vehicles, I presume that mirrors were added to the passenger side for that purpose if the owner wanted one, but it was probably added by the dealer or you obtained it from the place that sold you your trailer or tow hitch. Then you removed it when you weren't towing.

w31man

Well looks like the correct mirror i need is a 9614197 or my second choice is a 983280 which is a acc. mirror. If anyone has either one of these in nice to NOS condition please let me know!

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Greg

rocketraider

Fed standards changed in the 80s, which is about time you saw passenger side mirrors on most cars. Even a driver's side mirror was optional till 1967.


By the 70s Ninety Eight Luxury and Regency models got a lot of the power equipment included as standard. Base Ninety Eight such as Town Sedans (and even Toronado) came with no power accessories- you paid extra for them, and you could usually step up to LS or Regency that had all that equipment standard for less money than optioning out the base car.


You have to remember options are high-profit items for carmakers and dealers.

76 Regency

Hey guys,


I always love seeing how these cars were opted. The list of options was incredible and even with all of the 98's I've had or seen over the years, I have never seen 2 optioned exactly the same way. RH mirrors were available but not overly common back then. If you look at my site, I have a timeline of '71-'76 98's and you'll see mirrors on the '72 and '73. The site is still a work in progress but it's coming along nicely.


Check it out: www.regencyclassics.com

76 Regency

Was only the non-remote version offered in '73?

rocketraider

I believe so. The 74 dash redesign allowed for mounting the remote control where driver could reach it. I've never seen a 71-73 with a passenger remote.

w31man

John, I looked at your site in progress, very nice! You seem to know alot about the 70s big cars any chance you know someone with the mirror i need?

Greg

copper128

That same style carried on 'til the mid-80's. You can still buy an aftermarket replacement on RockAuto: https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/mor...nid=543&jpid=0

Geez Greg, I did a search for that number and it appears one of those sold here on CO last year for $15: https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...s-goodies.html

copper128

This ebay seller has a parts '73 wagon with the mirror you're looking for, however I can't tell much of it's condition from the pic. Check his auction here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUSTOM-CRUIS...item3d049b1758

w31man

Hi, Yes i did see that and i have left 2 emails to him but no responce back yet!

76 Regency

Hey Greg,


Thanks, I'm glad you like the site! I felt it was time to have a site to promote these beauties! I will take a look at home as I have a box full of mirrors but I don't think I have any non-remote ones like you need. I remember having one years ago that I sold on ebay and it went up very high. Hopefully we can get you one at a decent price. Have you tried any of the yards out west, like DVAP ?

76 Regency

Hey Greg,


I took a look through my box of mirrors and they're all remote as I had thought. If I come across any non-remote units, I'll let you know. Good luck in your search!
John

w31man

Thanks for checking, I appreciate it!

Greg

w31man

Still looking for this mirror if anyone can help!

Thanks Greg