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I Just purchased a 1969 Olds 98 LS four door hardtop. 22 years ago, someone attempted to steal it and hacked up the steering column quite well in the process. The car hasnt left the garage since. Needless to say, repairing it isnt feasible at this time. I have a 1970 Coupe DeVille parts car and the steering column in it looks similar. I dont really care about looks at this point, its more to get the car functional. Does anyone know if the Caddy column is a direct bolt in? Will the wiring harness work between the two columns?
The 1969 Olds is in great shape, a little rust in the lower front fenders and some rust on the fender skirts. Otherwise it appears to be complete and very solid. Interior is in excellent shape as is the vinyl roof. My garage is now very full with a 1973 Olds 98 LS, a 1974 Olds 98 Regency, a 1976 Olds Toronado, and now this one. Am thinking I need a bigger garage.
A bit of a gambit, both cars for their respective years have behind the front wheel centerline steering gear placement. The columns are about the same length. 1969 and 1970 were the first years GM used the redesigned energy absorbing steering column ( a first design was used for 1967-1968) using the column mounted ignition key, switch, so a locking mechanism could be used. The turn signal switch is the same part number, using the flat type of vehicle to column harness connector, at least in the tilt and telescopic type units, cornering lights too. 1997984 should be the number, off an old switch I have, with the mentioned cornering lights. I believe all Cadillacs had cornering lights standard by then, if your Ninety-Eight does not have them, the Cadillac column connector will simply plug into blanks on the Oldsmobile main harness. The ignition switches are basically two numbers, one with tilt or one without tilt column, so that should be easy enough. The main difference I believe you will encounter is where the shifter rod on the car attaches to the swing arm on the steering column. Cadillac used some sort of system with a clevis-type arrangement with a bolt, while Oldsmobile used a rubber grommet where the shift rod would go through and be held on with a cotter pin or similar. The through the firewall cover plates may be a different shapes, the attachment under the dash will be the same with the breakaway pins.
Take a look at your two columns and see. Here is a picture I just took, the column on the left is a 1968 Cadillac ( same shift rod features as the 1970 you have) and a the one on the right is a 1966 Oldsmobile column, but same shift rod lever as the 1969 more or less.
I had a little help so the caddy column was merged with whats left of the olds column. Between the two, it works. The car runs fine on the turpentine left in the tank, although it does smell rather funky and needs lots of ether to get the fires lit.
I had a little help so the caddy column was merged with whats left of the olds column. Between the two, it works. The car runs fine on the turpentine left in the tank, although it does smell rather funky and needs lots of ether to get the fires lit.
Thanks for your help Vistabrat72.
You are so welcome! I am glad this worked out for you. The large Oldsmobiles have a small, but dedicated group of folks fixing them up and preserving them. We can't build them out of a catalog so we need to be crafty at times! The old gasoline is obviously very stale! Be careful using ether, it washes oil off of the cylinder walls and if it lights off way before the top of a compression stroke, it can break pistons and bend connecting rods.
July 20th, 2020, 06:05 PM
