1973 Oldsmobile Other

455

3R45T3M498133

Clear

Here is my 1973 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser station wagon time capsule. She is an all original car, including paint, interior, drivetrain and bright work and is considered to be a survivor. She has the Olds Rocket 455 V8, Quadrajet 4 barrel carburetor along with the Turbo 400 automatic transmission. She has power steering, brakes, windows, tailgate, cruise control, air conditioning, power front bench seat and three rows of seating. She has very nice original paint and wood graining, an outstanding interior and buttery smooth engine. With only 57K miles, she drives effortlessly at any speed, has feathery light steering and strong brakes. All windows operate properly, the clam shell rear window and tailgate operate properly and the wagon is a pleasure to drive. I bought this car last year from the family of the original owners. As the story goes, the original owners bought the car new in Ohio than moved to eastern Oregon sometime around 1977 or so. About that time they passed-away and the family parked the wagon in their barn, not to see light again until last year. So after taking possession of the car I started doing everything that is necessary like changing the fluids, flushing the trans, new hoses, belts, tires, shocks, full tune up, carb rebuild, new front calipers, new rear brake shoes and hardware and so on. I wet sanded the paint than buffed it for a pretty nice luster. Not much was needed in the interior other than a really good cleaning and shampooing of the carpets. Once completed I found the wagon drives effortlessly and as smooth as butter. The steering is light, sensitive and accurate without any play or slop. The brakes are strong and consistent with only a hint of pulsating due to an ever so slightly rotor warp. Because these rotors are original GM parts and probably factory installed, I chose to not replace them with cheaper imported parts. With all of the labor on the paint I was very pleased with the amount of shine and depth to it. There are however multiple stone chips and scrapes on the front facia, lower rockers and along the tailgate section, which I chose not to touch up in order to represent this car as car as a really untouched survivor. There are also some rub-through spots where I got too aggressive with the sand paper and buffer. Otherwise, she's pretty nice to look at. Despite how nice I find this wagon to be, there are a few problems. These include; the cruise control does not function, the windshield washer pump doesn't pump anymore, there are plenty of paint chips and scrapes, the rear passenger side windows operate slowly and the air conditioning doesn't blow cold. My wagon is a pleasure to drive with a surprisingly quite cabin, spirited engine, comfortable seating and room for the whole family. She is attractive, well poised and drives much more like a modern car than at first thought. She is a throwback to a time of comfortable and relaxed driving and is simply a delight to own. Exterior Photo gallery click to enlarge