1972 Oldsmobile Delta 88

Sedan

5.7L 350Cu. In. V8 GAS Naturally Aspirated

Automatic

3N69H2E236923

Clear

GAS

I bought this 1972 Olds Delta 88 Royale in 1987 and it was my daily driver for 12 years. In 1999 I bought another car and only drove the Olds on occasion. In 2001 I parked it in my driveway and it's sat there ever since. It's the sedan (not a hardtop) with the metal frame that goes around the windows. About 3 years ago I started the long restoration project, but have decided to abandon it as I don't have the time to finish it. Originally it had a vinyl top but it disintegrated long before I got it, it's just a metal roof now. It was riddled with rust from the day i got it from the rear doors back. Apparently, GM didn't rustproof the rear section. The weatherstripping had disintegrated before I got it, and the interior was completely trashed from years of water damage. The rust was incredible. You needed a tetanus shot to sit in it. The rear deck by the rear glass had completely rusted through, so when it rained, water just flowed into the trunk. Eventually, the trunk rusted through in places. You could look inside and see pavement. The body has rust but the frame is solid. As an experiment I used POR-15 and I have to admit, in three years it has held up extremely well. Except for the body filler. That isn't so good. So yeah, there's cracked filler. If I had the place to do it, I'd love to do a frame-off restoration, sand-blast the shell, and do proper welding. But I was curious to see how well POR-15 did. The epoxy paint and putty are great. Body filler ... meh. The pictures don't show it, but recently with all the heat the body filler at the rear deck cracked and lifted up a chunk the size of my hand. I did paint it, primarily to keep it from re-rusting. I had a weak air compressor so it orange-peeled everywhere. Paint will need to be wet-sanded down and redone. Unless you like the matte appearance of a bad paint job, then rock on and keep it. The interior was removed as it was mostly rotten. No carpet or jute. Seats are there, but not bolted down. I did put in a new windshield, and hand polished all other glass. There is new weatherstripping and cats whiskers. No water gets in when it rains now (from the day I bought it water freely poured in when it rained -- the trunk was like a small lake). The headliner is included, as is the metal rods to hold it in place. The disintegrating and nasty upholstery is still on the seats, which mechanically work fine. Basically, I'm telling you the body and interior are not that special. But do you know what is? The engine. A Rocket 350. Doesn't burn oil. Great compression. Fires right up. Deep throaty rumble. Smooth and powerful. God, I love that engine. It has either a TH 350 or 375 transmission, I can't remember. If you're interested, I'll crawl underneath and take a look at it and find out what the stamp is and how many screws are on the pan. Mechanically, it's a great car. Body? Well, that's always been the weak point. Keep in mind it has sat in the same spot since the fall of 2001. The tires hold air (believe it or not), but I'm certain they are not road-worthy, and the brakes shouldn't be trusted, the rotors are covered in rust. The seats aren't bolted to the deck, neither is the dash, and I'm pretty certain the steering wheel isn't there. In other words, you are not driving it away, and you shouldn't tow it behind anything. You will need a flat bed to haul it away with. Or you can bring your own tires and tow it how you like. P235 75/R15. It has almost 204,000 miles on it. It's a great car, and I hate to see her go, but short of me winning the lottery, I'll never finish the job. I hope someone that loves these old cars sees her and wants to finish the job, and do it right. But if someone wants to take the engine for themselves and part out the rest, go right ahead, I'd do the same but I'm too attached to her. Clear title. When I drove it, I got 8 mpg city, 14 highway. But it was like sitting on a comfy sofa and watching the world slide by as you glided down the road. You don't get that feeling with any other kind of car. Sold As-is. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. If you can, you should come over and look at her and listen to the engine.