83capril

I am looking for the top hinge on my rear tailgate. The top roller that it pivots on is bad. Looks like the bearings are out and the door sags badly. I haven't been able to locate the part. If anyone has any places to look, or knows of someone parting out a wagon let me know. Also I wouldn't mind finding some new window rubber for the rear tailgate. Mine is all dried up. Here is a pic of what I'm looking for.
sorry the pic is rotated, the left side is the top.

Fred Kiehl

I have a 91, and 92 OCC, that appear to have the same hinge. I believe I can get one if you can not find one yourself. The part from a 91-93 Caprice/Roadmaster/OCC is the same, and the 94-96 should be the same as well.

joe_padavano

Any used hinge will have the same worn bushings problem. New ones are not available unless you can find an NOS part (good luck with that). It's possible to get bronze bushings from an industrial supply company like McMaster Carr and have them machined to fit your old hings.

Fred Kiehl

I only pick them if they are still in good condition. They may have a little wear, but they will function properly, and the roller will not be ready to fall off.


The original ones are steel, and if you make the roller of bronze, it will wear quickly. The roller supports a hefty tail gate, and takes a lot of abuse.

joe_padavano

I've never seen one on the 77-90 cars that was in "good" condition, with one exception. The steel tailgates are too heavy for that hinge design. My 1984 Custom Cruiser has a factory fiberglass tailgate and that car is the only one I've ever seen that doesn't have sagging hinges. It's actually a joy not to have to lift the tailgate to get it to close properly.

I'll also note that here in the mid-Atlantic, B-body wagons from that vintage are pretty much extinct. Most of them got scrapped during Cash for Clunkers.

Also I'm not talking about the roller, I'm talking about the hinge pin bushings being bronze.

83capril

Fred, I appreciate the offer on the hinge. I have yet to look into as how they are fastened to the car. I'm hopping it's bolted.... if you areparting out a car and the hinge is in good shape pm me with a price and we'll go from there. Zip is 60960 if you need it for shipping reasons. I'm in no rush as it's holiday time and funds are going else where and the car is parked for winter.

Joe, I've never heard of a wagon with the fiberglass tailgate. Was it a special order?? I believe my 83 was metal. But that was 16 years ago so my memory could be wrong.

Either way the roller is shot on mine. I have some guys at work that run a lathe so I can get something made up.

joe_padavano

Oldsmobile experimented with lightweight body parts in the early 1980s, including aluminum hoods, aluminum core supports, and the fiberglass tailgate. There was no way to order these parts - they were randomly inserted in cars being built to get real-world test information on how they held up. The aluminum front end parts were primarily used on diesel cars to offset the heavier drivetrain. The fiberglass tailgate was just random. The one I have is the only one I've ever seen.

CRUZN 66

I had a 1981 Diesel Custom Cruiser several years back with a fiberglass tailgate but the hood was steel... Eventually ended up parting it out as the floors were starting to rust... Got more cash for the tailgate when I sold it then I did for the scrap value of the car itself...

Fred Kiehl

There are 3 nuts on the inside of the body to hold the hinge on. The round pieces on the outside are the ends of studs that go through the body. The holes in the body are slightly elongated to allow for adjustment.