PalmSpringsOlds

UPDATE:

I bought an 86 Custom Cruiser, and have a short list of things that I am looking for, posted in the "parts wanted" section...

Thanks for your help!

Looking at one of these...anything particular that I should keep in mind while checking this car out? I think they have the same 307 that is in my 83 Toronado if I am not mistaken...

Only problem is that the cars that keep turning up don't have the wood trim that I like on the sides. Anyone know of a full set of the stainless steel trim surrounds that I could add on to this car?

Thanks!

Matt

The Stickman

Big thing to check out is to see if teh brake or fuel lines are rusted out. They sit on top of the frame rails and can collect moisture. You can easily reach under the car and put your fingers on top of the frame rails to feel them. Other than that you want to check to make sure all the vacuum hoses are there, in good shape and plugged in. Basic stuff mostly. BTW both of mine leak in the same spots. Somewhere around the right side of teh windshield area of maybe cowl area. Passenger floor gets wet. ANd the passenger side rear window. Also check the condition of the spare tire well. It gets bashed in from dragging going in and out of parking lots and is a place for rust to start. Also inside the rear wheel wells can rot out.

joe_padavano

It's the same 307, sort of. A 1988 will have the roller cam motor with the 7A heads and A5 intake. Horsepower was down slightly due to the smaller ports.

A few things to look for:

The spare tire well will almost certainly be rusted out.

The headliner will be sagging. The foam on the back of the headliner material disintegrates, allowing the cloth to hang down. The right way to fix this is to remove the backer board and have it recovered with new material.

If the car has a roof rack, watch for leaks where the rub strips are screwed to the roof (who thought it was a smart idea to drill holes in the roof???). Often these leaks will run down the headliner backer board and leave water spots in random places over the rear wheel wells. This is one of the reasons why the spare tire well rusts out.

The plastic bumper fillers will almost certainly be cracked and gone, particularly the back one. Replacements are available, but are around $200 a set (each end of the car).

The sheet metal from the firewall back is the same on all B-body wagons from 1977-1990, so that's easy to get. The front fenders are unique to the 1980-1990 Custom Cruiser (sedan fenders don't fit due to body line differences), so be sure the fenders are in nice shape. Replacements are difficult to find (and I'm buying them up as fast as I can!). The hood, header, grille, and front bumper are common with the sedans, however.

Chassis and suspension is the same for all 1977-1996 B-body cars, though the wagon rear axle and suspension arms are different from those on the sedans. The wagon axle is wider to allow a 4x8 sheet of plywood to sit flat between the wheel wells.

If the car has a metal tailgate, the left rear hinge bushings will be worn and the tailgate will sag and not close properly unless you slam it. The fiberglass tailgates are light enough not to do this.

If the car has power seats, expect to have problems with the switch. In one of their infamous cost cutting measures, GM deleted the power seat relays in the early 1980s and ran the high seat motor current directly through the seat switch. Unfortunately, they did not upgrade the switch contacts when this decision was made. Replacement switches are not available. I've gotten good at taking mine apart and filing the tiny switch contacts.

I will say that we love the car. My wife (who normally drives small cars) is amazed by the comfortable ride. I remind her of the magic combo - heavy car, long wheelbase, and soft springs. The dogs love the car too. It is, however, a PITA to get dog nose prints off the side windows.

PalmSpringsOlds

I am guessing that rust won't be an issue with this car, since it is in Las Vegas and appears to have been well taken care of by a celebrity owner...will let you know the verdict....

jeffreyalman

on the edge of my 6-way power seat!

jaunty75

Who's the celebrity?

Bluevista

Lassie.

jaunty75

That wouldn't RAISE its value, that would LOWER it!!

PalmSpringsOlds

Mickey Mantle...it needs some serious engine work, but it is in really spectactular shape otherwise. Top end engine rebuild necessary. Runs, but sounds like a bunch of bolts loose in a dryer.

jaunty75

Neat. But he died in 1995. Where's the car been for the last 15 years?

PalmSpringsOlds

With the brother, apparently.

jaunty75

Interesting. It would be fun to have a car with an unusual ownership history.

PalmSpringsOlds

My 56 Lincoln Mark II was won new in a charity raffle by Harry S. Truman's tax attorney. Automotive brush with greatness! Ha ha!

henryk8398

Agreed. One of my best friends has a 1973 Lincoln Mark IV that belonged to director Frank Capra ("It's a Wonderful Life", etc). It's in great shape. It still has the Warner Brothers parking permit sticker on the rear-view mirror.
Expired 1977.

jaunty75

Interesting. Does your friend know how long Capra owned it? I looked it up, and he died in 1991, so he could have had it for 18 years.

henryk8398

I'm not sure, but I'll ask him. I seem to remember something about the second ownder acquiring it around 1989.

agtw31

if your top end needs redone,check around the net for reconditioned heads.

i got mine dirt cheap from a machine shop in minnesota

Biothree

A friend has a 1986 Olds Rengency Grande that his mechanic says needs an Instrument Cluster Panel Assembly. His VIN is 1G3CWG9BR4-37754
We have been unable to locate one. Can you help?

jaunty75

First off, a VIN from an '86 should be 17 characters. The one you list is only 16, and that's counting the hyphen (-), which isn't part of any VIN, anyway.

Second, having the VIN won't do much good. For a part like this, you need to start calling junkyards around the country because a good used piece is what you'll have to find. New ones of these are most likely not being reproduced.

Biothree

The VIN number was one old man reading it to another on the phone, both with hearing aids. So it doesn't surprise me that we had it wrong; thought it might help. So far the wrecking yards have been no help. This is a 44k mile original; seems a shame if we can't find the part.
Thanks again!
Palmspringsolds has one so thought he may have a source.

jaunty75

I'm sure there's one out there. You just have to be persistent.


I just now went to this website:

http://www.car-part.com/

and did a search on 1986 Olds 98 Instrument Cluster and came up with about two dozen hits. Prices range from $50 to $125 with many of them saying "call" where the price is supposed to be.

Doesn't mean that each of them is current because I've found that these junkyards don't always have their inventories up to date. But you need to call them and find out whether or not they still have the part. All you need is for one of them to have it. In all cases, contact info is listed, along with what state the yard is located in. Good luck.

PalmSpringsOlds

Thanks for all the advice. I am still looking for a Custom Cruiser. Keep your eyes peeled for a great car...

jaunty75

So from this we're to take it that you didn't get the Mickey Mantle car that started this thread? What happened?

Are you looking for ANY Custom Cruiser, or one from a particular range of model years?

There are a couple up on ebay at this moment, an '88 and a '91. Both no reserve and currently under $1000 on the bidding. Both need work, but, then, the prices reflect that.

Personally, I favor the '88 as I just like the more squared-off look of them better.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Oldsm...fCarsQ5fTrucks

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Oldsm...fCarsQ5fTrucks

PalmSpringsOlds

[quote=jaunty75;197694]So from this we're to take it that you didn't get the Mickey Mantle car that started this thread? What happened?

The Mickey Mantle car had a knock in the engine that he didn't mention when I first talked to him. He wasn't willing to deal at all in the price, he insisted the car was in excellent condition, but didn't run...I don't know how you guys feel about that, but when a car isn't running or has a serious mechanical issue, I'd say it's no longer in excellent condition.

Are you looking for ANY Custom Cruiser, or one from a particular range of model years?

I'm looking for a 77-90 Custom Cruiser.

There are a couple up on ebay at this moment, an '88 and a '91. Both no reserve and currently under $1000 on the bidding. Both need work, but, then, the prices reflect that.

Personally, I favor the '88 as I just like the more squared-off look of them better.


I did look at the 88 on ebay, it's been listed two times, but it's SOOOOOO rusty.

jaunty75

Not only isn't it in excellent condition, it isn't even in fair condition. Running versus not running makes a big difference.


P.S. You gotta learn how to use the "quote" function.

PalmSpringsOlds

You know, I did "quote" on this last one, and it came out all wonky. Not sure what happened...

jaunty75

You CAN go back in and edit a message once posted. It's not an all or nothing thing. Just hit the little "edit" button on the lower right of the message box (which you have to be signed in to see).

Put [quote] and [(/)quote] around any text you want to be quoted, or highlight it with your mouse and hit the little caption button above the text box next to the pound (#) sign. (I put the backslash in parentheses because otherwise the word "and" would have been quoted! Leave out the parentheses to actually quote something.)