Hi folks, no.....I don't currently have a 63 Olds F85 wagon.......but did learn to drive in my ma's. It was a Deluxe version with 2 tone paint, green on bottom, white on top with a roof rack. Power steering, power brakes, 215cid aluminum V8 4v with Hydramatic. Options were AM radio, power tailgate window, air conditioning, ww tires, full hub caps, 2 sp wipers, heater. Nice car that we put about 75k on before trading it for a 71 Cutlass. This car would overheat though within 5 mins of turning on the AC in the summer, an issue that was never solved. Anyone have any knowledge of these cars? Hope to get some pictures on here soon as I get them scanned.
Well Mike, we can recollect together. Back in 1969, a 1963 Oldsmobile Cutlass 2-door post coupe was my first car, after graduating H.S. Probably would have bought a wagon if there was one in the used car lot at the time..... You're gonna like it here..... Marshall
The 215 is a normal 2 valve set up. The unique part is that it has an aluminum block. Pretty light and powerful for back then. Standay four barrel carb I understand. This is the engine that powered Rovers for many many years after GM allowed Rover to build the engine.
A 1963 F-85 wagon just sold on ebay a couple of days ago for less than $900. This was a Calif desert car and appeared to be very solid and rust free. I would have bought it had I not bought my 1962 F-85 Deluxe wagon earlier this year. What do you want to know about them?
Wow, thks for the welcome and the info guys. Sorry to be confusing with the "4v" reference....maybe "4 bbl" would have been a better choice in terms. This engine made 190 hp I think in 1963, pretty good power from 215 cid. The hydramatic held it back pretty much though, a true slushbox,lol. Does anyone know if anyone had any luck in solving the chronic overheating issue when running the AC?
Well I for one know what a 4v is. As for overheating you have to make sure there's no blockages anywhere in the engine. (flush). The bottom of the radiator can be pretty blocked too and not cause overheating until you put a load on the engine. Too much back pressure in the exhaust is a culprit too. This is all assuming that the fuel mixture is not too lean and the timing is correct.
A little more info...a local GA parts shop has some old heads for the 215 for sale and say this about the 4bbl 63 engine "For 1963, the four-barrel was bumped to 11:1 compression and an even 200 hp (149 kW) at 5000 rpm and 240 ft·lb (325 N·m) at 3200 rpm, a respectable 0.93 hp/cu in (56.6 hp/L)." The air cleaner on our car said "Ultra High Compression", I guess 11:1 would qualify for that term even today. I remember we were out in the country one Sat evening visiting friends and needed fuel to get back to town....my dad filled tank from a pump at his truckline friend's terminal(same pump his friend fueled his Lincoln Continental from). That little engine pinged and ran poorly on that regular grade gas until it got back on its regular Sinclair hi test diet,lol.
Yup, this was an issue for this car almost from day 1 so radiator blockage doesn't seem likely. I'm thinking the radiator was probably a little "undersized" in this application. It does make you wonder if possibly a freer flowing exhaust system might have helped? Our wagon had a single exhaust with some fairly small diameter piping on it........one muffler that prolly had a good bit of restriction in it I bet.
IIRC, I had some minor overheating problems with mine, and I didn't have A/C. From what I remember, it's not the radiator that's the problem, it's the aluminum block - gets corrosion stuff blocking the water passages, cuts down on cooling efficiency. The correct antifreeze / water ratio is critical. Hope you have an owner's manual - follow it. A complete flush and fill might help. My engine was the same one - a 4 barrel 215. I thought the hydramatic was a pretty good transmission - but then again, my car was only 6 years old at the time, with maybe 60-70k on it. From the sources I found, our motor was only rated at 185hp. A 2-barrel was 150hp. You could also get the Jetfire Cutlass - a turbocharged version producing 215hp. I believe it used the same turbo as the Corvair Corsa turbo.
Believe me, when you stepped on the gas in that car, you could really feel the power loss through that transmission compared to the modern auto trans. Like the "Dagmar" shot in your avitar Krash.
