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In case it helps. I found the switch from 14x6 to 15x7 wheels a good upgrade for my '66 big cars. They've heavy and a bit more tire helps the handling when done properly.
At this stage I'm considering another upgrade to 15x8 sine my tires are now about 8-10 years old and I'd like to avoid safety risks associated with dry rot. I have the impression that 15x8 tires are a bit harder to come by these days so I haven't thrown the switch.
I took my lead from later Olds' and Caddies of a slightly younger vintage (early 70's) where GM seems to have gotten a bit more serious about safety and handling.
Spacers and adaptors are not the go-to choice as Joe notes above.
The J88 was the low-cost loss leader of the B-body line. It used the smaller and lighter 330 and Jetaway trans vs. the heavier 425 and TH400. As part of this Olds used the smaller A-body 9.5" drum brakes and the lighter 8.2" A-body rear axle. J88s were also relatively low content, so also less total weight. Note that the same year Impalas used the smaller brakes and bolt pattern as well.
Joe, please let me complete my education.. what was the reason that the cars equipped with factory air conditioning got 8.55x14 tires instead of the standard 8.25x14?
Joe, please let me complete my education.. what was the reason that the cars equipped with factory air conditioning got 8.55x14 tires instead of the standard 8.25x14?
I'm assuming the extra weight of the A/C hardware, especially that A6 compressor.
I have decided to remove the adapters and get new 15" American racing aluminum wheels with the correct spacing on the fullsize 1966 B-Body.
I now have 235/60R15 front tires and 245/60R15 rear tires.
I have a few more 1966 DELTA 88 questions for you experienced Oldmaniacs:
Is the size of the discs 15x7 correct for this tires ?
Is 5x5 spacing correct?
What is the diameter of the center hole?
Which offset to choose?
Thanks guys
The American Racing aftermarket wheels are lug-centric, not hub-centric. The center hole is larger than the pilot on the hub.
As we've said previously in this and other threads, the Delta uses a 5 x 5" wheel bolt pattern.
Your car needs wheels with as close to zero offset as possible. My 15x7 wheels have something like 1/4" offset, which is close enough to zero.
The wheel width will depend on the tires you pick. 15x7 is an acceptable wheel size for 235/70-15 tires.
I do not know much. but 14 inch rims / tires sound to small for a big car unless you want to make a low rider out of it . Rim spacers to me sound not as safe as rim only . I have 6 of the SS rims all have a bit of a hop . Your SS rims might also have a hop . So spacers and hop ! 15 inch and 5 x 5 sounds a lot better to me .
Vinyl roof , my car has a VR , came factory that way so not easy to change to a painted roof, do to the tabs . Sounds like you would have an option to go back to a painted roof if you wanted .
nice car !
Well, this is interesting. The 1966 Inspector's Guide, which is dated Aug 26, 1965, shows availability only on the 3839 body style (the Cutlass Supreme Holiday Sedan) and the 8669 body style (the Ninety Eight Luxury Sedan). I've also attached an undated 1966 F85 order form that also shows C08 only available on the 3839 body style. The Color Selector you showed is dated Dec 1965, so it's certainly possible that the applicability of C08 was expanded after the model year started. Now I'll have to research this further. Thanks for posting that.
Today I posted the first photo of a 1966 Starfire model with a vinyl roof .. it was probably the fashion in the late 60s and the owners installed them as an afterthought 😀
Today I posted the first photo of a 1966 Starfire model with a vinyl roof .. it was probably the fashion in the late 60s and the owners installed them as an afterthought 😀
Not "probably". That is definitely aftermarket. Aftermarket vinyl tops were common in the 1960s and 70s.
OK, clearly it was a mid-year change to add the availability of C08 across the model lines. Here's a build sheet from a 1966 442 from the Fremont plant that clearly shows C08. Apologies for the bad info earlier, and thanks for making us research this more. Just note that paint code on the cowl tag on your car proves that it came from the factory without a vinyl top.
Joe, quite by chance today I found a vintage prospectus of a 1966 Olds Delta 88 Holiday Coupe with a C08 vinyl top, the original production car was about the minimum, it would be a valuable version today
So I finally have a refurbished 1966 Rochester 2JET carburetor at home, ultrasonic cleaning, new Fusick 1140 carburator kit, new paint, float adjustment. Now all I have to do is replace and perform the basic adjustment, adjust the richness of the mixture, the idle speed... I want to use a vacuum gauge for the first time, which I will connect to the vacuum hose from the brake booster, does anyone have experience? Thank you
Last edited by LuckyLuke; April 27th, 2023 at 12:40 AM.
a person learns new things all his life .. what is the purpose of the vacuum stop of the full pull rod in ROCHESTER 2JET carburetors? my 1966 has no vacuum supply for it.
- TH400 pan gasket replaced + transmission fluid replacement - replaced the master brake cylinder and changed to a two-circuit system - original steel discs repainted - new American Classic 215/75/R14 tires (correctly they should be 225/75/R14 on cars with the air conditioning option - but it is impossible to get radial + 1" white sidewalls) - lubricated parts of the front axle - new spark plugs - replaced engine oil Millers Oil Pistoneeze Classic 15W-40 incl. filter, proportion of ZDDP 1020 ppm - installed completely refurbished, ultrasonically cleaned Rochester 2bll ( 2JET ) - added fuel filter between fuel pump and carburetor - the cable harness in the driver's door has been repaired (the windows did not work when the doors were fully opened) - installed dust covers above the arms of the front axle (Fusick)
I always liked the original 14" deluxe covers that were an extra option for the 1966 Oldsmobile 88 series, I got one and restored it, here is the result.. a question for the experts "what did I change from the original"? :-)
"-Added fuel filter between fuel pump and carburetor"...
If this was done using rubber hose and clamps it can be a fire hazard. Any vulnerable leak source should be on the suction side of the fuel pump so if it leaks it will be leaking less gasoline and the leak would likely be in a cooler location. Olds used flared steel tubing on the pressure side of the pump between the fuel pump and carburetor.
Have you had a chance to change the rear axle/diff oil yet? It is often overlooked.
We did not find a reproduction of the fuel line from the fuel pump to the carburetor, we replaced it with a rubber line designed directly for the gasoline pressure line + a plastic transparent fuel filter + tightening clamps + I use premium gasolline 100 octane (according to European standards) that does not contain bioethanol. Of course, this requires regular inspection of the fuel lines.
- TH400 pan gasket replaced + transmission fluid replacement - replaced the master brake cylinder and changed to a two-circuit system - original steel discs repainted - new American Classic 215/75/R14 tires (correctly they should be 225/75/R14 on cars with the air conditioning option - but it is impossible to get radial + 1" white sidewalls) - lubricated parts of the front axle - new spark plugs - replaced engine oil Millers Oil Pistoneeze Classic 15W-40 incl. filter, proportion of ZDDP 1020 ppm - installed completely refurbished, ultrasonically cleaned Rochester 2bll ( 2JET ) - added fuel filter between fuel pump and carburetor - the cable harness in the driver's door has been repaired (the windows did not work when the doors were fully opened) - installed dust covers above the arms of the front axle (Fusick)
What mastercylinder did you buy ? Was thinking to replace the mastercylinder in my -65 98.
when I bought the car, the original registration licence plate were still on the car, I have them available. 1963 is stamped on them, but according to the document they were on the car in the summer of 1966 when it was registered. The frame is also original, but it refers to the surname of the husband of the original owner of the car ( probably made to order ) Unfortunately, I did not manage to find out much information about the history, I know the name and address of the original owner, the whole time the car was driven in the Sacramento CA area and later in the Yreka CA area, I also have a photo of the garage of the original owner's house (the house was demolished in 2022) I wrote to several contact of the bereaved, to the town of Yreka, but no response. I like to find out the history and stories of my car 😊
Last edited by LuckyLuke; February 4th, 2024 at 05:04 AM.
There's nothing to decide. The "D D" paint code on your car's cowl tag PROVES that it came from the factory with the roof painted. Had this been a factory vinyl top car, the second character of the paint code would have been a digit, not a letter. And per the color booklet you posted, the only available vinyl top colors for 1966 were black (which would have been paint code "D 2" on your cowl tag) or beige (which would have been paint code "D 6"). White was not an option.
1966 Oldsmobile Delta 88 2HT with black vinyl roof ( from Movie )
Here is the tag from my car, the only thing I couldn't solve is the interior / trim code TR 353, can you help me please?
04E - body assembly date, last week of April 1966
ST 66-35837 - 1966 Oldsmobile 88 Holiday Coupe
TR 353 - trim code ?
BC - factory plant Southpark, CA ( SOUTH GATE - Correct after notice from Joe :-)
2554 - car number 1553 of the same model in the year ( number series starts from 1001 ? )
DD - lower and upper body paint Lucerne mist
C60 - factory option code for A/C
Thanks
Last edited by LuckyLuke; February 19th, 2024 at 05:51 AM.
The given engine code in the POP matches the number stamped on the engine head ( passenger side )
Car delivery date: June 9, 1966
Selling dealer code: 23-520
code 23 should be the CA zone
code 520 is the sale dealer = I couldn't find out :-(
First serviced - September 1966 at dealer ( illegible font ) Oldsmobile - 1113 S Main St, Yreka, California
Original location currently: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GMdEdRBWE1WAaHmH6
TR353 for 1966 is the blue Delta 88 interior with Custom Sport bench seat (the seat with the fold-down arm rest). By the way, the assembly plant is South GATE, Calif, not South Park, Kenny.
I knew only TRIM code 43 (blue vinyl and cloth) from the seller's catalogs
The type of Custom Sport bench seat (the seat with the fold-down arm rest) is correct, exactly the one in the car.
I knew only TRIM code 43 (blue vinyl and cloth) from the seller's catalogs
The type of Custom Sport bench seat (the seat with the fold-down arm rest) is correct, exactly the one in the car.
Note that the two digit code shows cloth and vinyl (4) in blue (3), as shown in the footnote at the bottom of the trim chart.
I received a reply from the Siskiyou County Historical Society:
The first service inspection of my Oldsmobile Delta 88 1966 was done in 1966 at the YREKA CHEVROLET OLDSMOBILE AUTO - Mr. WILLIAM MAGINNIS at adress 1113 S Main St, Yreka, CA - also matches the POP listing
from 1978 to 1982 there was a Mr. JIM WILSON FORD dealership
from 1982 to 2000 there was an Mrs. ELLIS BROOKS CHEVROLET AUTO DEALER
I received advice that it is possible to ask the CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (DMV) for a list of car history according to the VIN number or registration number (AVE 707). Does anyone have experience with this, what can be obtained in exchange for information?
March 9th, 2023, 12:26 PM
