1973 Olds Delta 88 Royale 2dr hardtop - 40K miles

Not a wagon, sorry, but I know a lot of our guys love the early 70s Oldsmobiles and maybe someone can save this one.

1973 Olds Delta 88 2dr hardtop with 40k actual miles, garaged. Not driven in 15 years. I would want to be sure the engine wasn't stuck and change all of the fluids and hope she don't leak them back out like a sieve.

Is it better to leave one in the garage dusty like this, or get it our and give it a good detailing before trying to sell?

It looks like it has air, tilt, AM radio and rub strips. It also looks like the "Royale" model?

http://tricities.craigslist.org/cto/4868261351.html

Description from seller: "I've got a 1 owner since new 1973 olds delta 88 royale 2 door hardtop 40k original miles maroon with black interior for sale. will make excellent driver or super resto. been kept in my garage ever since new.its a little dusty from storage, its 100% original. needs new battery as it hasnt been driven for about 15 yrs. feel free to come see or ask any questions. price is firm and I dont need any help selling it. SIO please, no trades or tire kickers.
bob
1-423-384-89three eight"

 

Lazy seller....... TAKE THE CR%& OFF THE CAR AND MOVE IT OUTSIDE, WASH IT, then take your pics /rant.

Also, '72, we do have a section for non-wagons, you know...

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=35

 

I thought perhaps was lazy as well, leaving the car unwashed like that.

Actually I did not know about that "non-wagon" section, but NOW I know. I will keep that in mind from here on in and perhaps this one can be easily moved over. That shows how much I browse on here. I do not get to visit on here too often anymore unfortunately.

Thanks!

 

Love the car. A true 2 door hardtop. It is definitely a Royals, as there is a Centre arm rest. The base Delta was a sine piece bench, with no armrest and cheaper material. A good wash and wax would do wonders for this car. I would hazard a guess and say a bit of TLC and she would fire right up.

 

I'm loving this car too. The condition of this one reminds me a lot of my '73 Custom Cruiser. Just as a reference, I spent about $2K, including shipping from OR to DE, to do the refresh. Afterwards I had a pretty high quality driver and made a few bucks on her too. I could see doing the same with this one however I don't think the resale would be as high. But... you never know.

 

I love big old 2 doors. Unfortunately, there are 2 fates that will mostly happen to it. Either derby or jacked up and 30" wheels installed. But I hope that's not the case.

 

It is disappointing that the ad doesn't describe it better. No mention of options, but, as noted, we can see at least that it has A/C (with no fan belt around the compressor pulley), base AM radio, tilt wheel. No clock, no cruise control, no rear defogger. Can't tell about power seats.

It would also be nice to know which engine it has. The Olds 350 was the base engine with the 455 an option. The VIN would tell us this.

It is too bad he doesn't clean it up, but it does look like a good car.


The way this car looks as it sits is just the way the '73 Custom Cruiser I had was advertised by the seller back in 2010.

Here's a photo of how it looked when I first saw it. Covered in dust, folding chairs stacked on the roof, rechromed front bumper never reinstalled, luggage rack not installed after the 5-year-earlier repaint, and not driven in 5 years, but all the parts were there, and it was a gem underneath.

 

Since I can neither see pictures or know the price I can only comment on what I read. Makes sense to clean up a car before listing it. However this would prove that it's been sitting for awhile and that may be a plus for a buyer wanting something original.
The actual condition and asking price would determine how interested I'd be. Engine size and other options would also reflect that price.

 

The air cleaner has a "Rocket 455" decal, and there is quite a bit of blue (455) engine paint (like on the passenger VC to air cleaner, for example)...Olds 350s wore gold. Probably has to have the TH-400 as well.

I've never been a fan of Olds' "colonnade" styling, but this looks like a great starting point for a project.

 

Where are you seeing this? This is the only photo of the engine compartment in the ad.




I can't tell what the air cleaners says, and where is there "quite a bit of blue?"

I agree that there is a hint of blue just to the right of the a/c compressor bracket in this photo, so that does point to a 455.

 

well...as I zoom in on the <admittedly low-quality> engine photo, i discern that the air cleaner decal is standard Oldsmobile issue:

Oldsmobile
Rocket <cid>

and that while most of the <cid> on this decal has been torn off, the first digit resembles a "4" a lot more than it resembles a "3"

Re: the color - there are several other pics of the car with the hood up and none of them tell me the car is definitely a 350; i think most of the gold seen in the engine room is rusty cast iron (brackets/intake manifold/air cleaner). And, "I do see quite a bit of blue" (ps vc, ps vc breather, oil tube, ds vc breather), don't you?

There's more evidence of it being a 455 than not.

 

It's the same decal for the 350 or the 455

To my vision, the first digit is not discernable at all.

Nor do they indicate a 455. The other hood-up photos don't reveal anything about the engine.

Now that you mention it, I do see enough tiny bits of blue here and there that suggest a 455, but I certainly don't see blue to the point where the description "quite a bit of blue" would be appropriate. That description had me looking for a photo of the engine that I had missed, and I couldn't find one.

 

Here's a photo of a '73 98 with a 455 and a clean engine compartment. This is about as blue as it gets.

 

it is _not_ the same decal for the different 1973 engine displacements. The BB decal says 455, and the SB decal says 350.

I think its a 455, and I think the air cleaner reflects the same.

 

I didn't mean they were exactly the same! I meant that they're the same design except for the number! Do I have to spell out everything!!!!

Duh!!!








From 25 feet away and all torn up, it might not be possible to tell which decal it is!