1971 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale 455 cubic inches from North America

Summary:

This car is the car of all cars

Faults:

Water under distributer cap.

Exhaust leaks.

Valve cover leaks.

Power will not turn off after turning off the ignition, and the motor dies.

Suspended head liner is falling.

Seats are wearing rapidly.

Window seals and trunk seals are bad.

Odometer rolled over; went to 99999.

General Comments:

Even with all the problems I have had with this car, I would not trade it for the world.

The car has a powerful motor with a two barrel carb, and it is the smoothest ride I have ever had in a car, and this car is really easy to fix with a few simple tools.

This car is real fun to do high speed maneuvering on windy roads, and even more fun on windy smooth gravel roads; this car just hugs the road.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th March, 2008

18th Mar 2008, 08:27

Yes, it sounds like a real gem.

19th Mar 2008, 09:25

Don't you mean winding roads? Not windy roads as this indicates wind blowing.

19th Mar 2008, 16:42

I too loved these nimble gas-sippers...

20th Mar 2008, 18:03

Well well, more comments trashing a car simply because it is "big" and "old".

These really were nice cars. We owned a similar year Delta Eighty-Eight, and it was an extremely smooth-riding boat.

People who love Hondas make fun of them for some reason, but no small, modern car rides as smoothly as one of these old Oldsmobiles or Chryslers.

Nor is the gas mileage necessarily all that terrible. No, it's not 38 mpg, but they got in the high teens, which isn't any worse than many new full-size cars.

You should learn something about what you think you hate before speaking.

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1971 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Delta Royale convertible 455 Rocket from North America

Summary:

My family and I simply LOVE this car!

Faults:

Interior needs some attention - one split front seat, clock not working, dashboard instrument panel lights do not work (changed fuses for clock and panel lights, but still no go).

Replaced soft-top 2 years ago and about to change motor which operates convertible top.

General Comments:

I own this model car and I love it - however, I have an embarrassing question that I didn't really want to make public - but - here goes:

By the way I am a Brit and have been over here for 18 years now - I mention this only as I purchased this car from a fellow Brit who is also a great friend of mine and who owned the car before me for 15 years - so I know a lot of the history of the car.

There was only one other (the original) owner from where the car was initially purchased in California - and for the last 21 years it has been in Houston - where when I purchased it - although the paint was very good, I had the paint totally stripped down to bare metal and had some panels replaced where there had been previous damage in earlier years - and totally re-painted in the original color by... of... in Houston, who did a really remarkable and professional job!

Well after all that - my embarrassing question is that when I pop the hood to check the engine - the hood is supported by struts on either side of the engine compartment. These appear to "lock" into place while the hood is up - however, when it comes to closing the hood, I cannot budge it!! - It seems to want to be lowered on the passenger side, but the driver side appears to lock into position and while I think there must be a release so that the strut may be lowered, I cannot find it.

Can you tell me if I am being dumb here please (?) - I have resorted to placing a piece of timber under the hood to support it in a 3/4 open position - but for such a cool car - it is an insult to it to have to do this.

If you can help me with this - or know of anyone that can - I would really appreciate hearing from you.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th June, 2007

8th Jun 2007, 06:38

If by "struts", you mean gas charged cylinders, then someone replaced the original hood hinges, because no American car used struts to support the hood in 1971.

If you are referring to the original hood hinges with springs, there is no "lock" to release. What is happening is that the hinges are binding from wear after 35+ years of moving a heavy hood up and down. I would try lubricating all the moving pivot points of both hinges first (use white lithium grease spray, NOT WD-40 or any other silicone spray).

If this does not fix it, you will need to replace one or both hinges. It is important that you get this fixed, as binding hinges will eventually cause the back corners of the hood to bend up... then you will need not only new hinges, but also a hood repair or replacement!

29th Apr 2010, 15:54

I am not sure if you still have the car, or if this is even the right place to ask this question, but I am looking into buying a 1971 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale also. The car has been in storage since 1981. Obviously it needs new tires, but the ones on it are still using the old tire code system. They say HR 70 15. I was wondering if you could help me find out what size tires I need. I cannot find anywhere anything that says what the HR 70 15 tires would be in today's code system. If anyone could help me out in finding the right size, please e-mail me at metalhead0523@yahoo.com

Thanks.