GM B and C Bodies (the RWD kind) are getting a bit scarcer on the ground, and I’ve pretty much seen them all. So when a new one suddenly shows up, it’s worth noting. Especially when it’s listing a bit to rear from a heavy load, and has out of town plates. And two more noteworthy items:
Two big exhaust pipes sticking out the rear. And that trailer hitch looks serious; I could see a nice vintage Airstream hooked to it. They’re a long way from home; Florida. Does that explain the tinted windows all-round? They’re illegal here in Oregon.
I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that I don’t know the exact year of this Cruiser. They made these for so long, and there’s so many grille variations, I gave up perusing oldcarbrochures after too long. One or more of you will know. Not that it matters all that much.
The tinted windows made getting a shot of the interior a bit harder, but it’s clear enough that this car is in very nice condition, and set up for long distance motoring, what with the lumbar and neck pillows. Florida is a long ways off.
I peeked in the back window too, to see why it’s riding so low. Looks like just lots of stuff, from someone on the road. Seeing the USA in his father’s Oldsmobile.
Who knows what’s under the hood, but from the looks of those two big pipes out back, it’s not suffering from any undue back pressure. The hod ornament is in the minimum wind-resistance setting, suitable for a long trip.
Enjoy your visit, but…in the words of former Oregon Governor Tom McCall “I urge them to come and come many, many times to enjoy the beauty of Oregon. But I also ask them, for heaven’s sake, don’t move here to live.” Not that anybody heeded them.
I don’t know about the grill either, but that looks like the factory style chmsl, so that narrows it to 1986-90.
Right…
However, General Motors offered CHMSL as an extra-cost option in selected vehicles for 1985 model year before this feature became compulsory fitment for 1986.
I wonder how many early adopters were sucked into paying extra for CHMSL when they could wait a year or so for a ‘free feature’.
Being an Olds Custom Cruiser owner for several years, I heartily endorse this post! I wish that I could help with identifying the year, but not having bothered to learn about year-to-year differences, I can’t add anything in addition to the above comment about the CHMSL.
Being also at the crossroads of thinking about either selling my CC or treating it as a long-term keeper and spending money on improving it (e.g. drivetrain improvements, A/C repairs), this CC’s big exhaust pipes and heavy-duty trailer hitch are food for thought. This example is likely to have had significant engine upgrades to make that trailer hitch worth installing, because the stock 307 V8 is barely adequate for moving these wagons when they are empty.
No door mounted seatbelts, so that eliminates the 1990 model year.
I sure hope it has something stronger than the stock 307, or that would make for some leisurely cruising.
However, it appears to have rear shoulder belts, which were offered first in 1989. So, I believe the combination of these two things pegs it as a 1989 model.
Carfax confirms 1989.
The hood ornament is a useful clue, too. They didn’t revive this old logo until well into the 80s. Until then, all the Olds hood ornaments had the rocket logo.
I’m to lazy to research when they switched over.
That brushed silver applique on the C pillar idendifies a late model too (can’t recall what year they were added), Always thought that was an odd styling flourish that didn’t make the car look any better, and certainly not any newer.
I believe that the polished steel c panel applique was added to the B body wagons around 1987 or so….Chevy Caprice wagons had them as well…I don’t recall offhand without doing a websearch whether the Buick and Pontiac wagons got that polished steel item as well.
You guys beat me to it, but it’s an 1989. Some identifiers include the brushed C-pillar trim (introduced in 1988 on all B-body wagons), the grille on this car is a 1987-90, and the rear 3-point belts were only used in 1989-90 wagons. Also, as already pointed out, 1990 b-body cars had door belts (except for some Canadian police models).
My guess is this car was originally covered in dinoc as well, due to the fact it has not side trim or tailgate trim left, and it appears to have the woodgrain applique on the taillights, which would be body colour on non-woodgrained cars.
If it had wood wouldn’t it also have wood trimmed borders? Removing the contact film would leave an empty frame. Wouldn’t removing the frame leave some mounting holes in the body panels? (Or was the frame attached with the black foam adhesive commonly used by GM to mount the vehicle badges?)
Also, I recall that there were versions of these cars with wood contact film on the rear door only. I seem to further recall that on these cars the tail lamps had the wood trim seen here.
In any case, one can see that the rear door has been resprayed due to the overspray on the chimsel.
Nice. Most of these are gone from rust or demo derbies.
That grille looks like a 78.
Most uncomfortable road trip I ever took was in the front passenger seat of a similar-vintage Delta 88 sedan. That seat was torturous. So I’m not surprised to see the aftermarket bolsters on the driver’s seat of this one.
I remember my 1991 Caprice having more comfortable seats than my ’89. Don’t know why…
The ’86 Pontiac Parisienne we had in the family was a great highway cruiser, in the front or back seats. Ours was the Brougham trim with the deeply cushioned velour seats, so maybe the base trim versions were less supportive?
Actually, I think the “limousine tint” is also illegal in Florida. You don’t get stopped and/or ticketed for it, but if you are stopped for something else (speeding, for instance, or driving erratically), especially in a small town/radar trap you “may” wind up having your car searched. The attitude in many areas of Florida is “we’ll let it slide, unless things get too out of hand”. Plus, there are no vehicle inspections of any kind.
“That’s an Oldsmobile” ?
And your father’s at that!
That’s a nice clean wagon. It looks like it has to work for a living, a good thing. I do like big wagons but there isn’t anything that they can do that a three row seating SUV can’t do better. Maybe this one has that 403 cube motor that also was available in the Pontiac Trans Am.
The 403 was only offered from 1978-1979. My Dad had a 78 Buick Estate Wagon with a 403. A measly 185 hp, but 320 lb/ft of torque…The old saying…Americans want horsepower but they need torque
The 403 was available 1977-79, but it is a bolt in swap for a 307. I planned to do that on my Custom Cruiser with a 403 I owned out of a 1978 Trans Am. A 403 would motivate these cars very well and would justify dual exhaust. Just as an FYI, installing true dual exhaust in these cars is not easy. GM used single hump transmission cross member which have to be modified to clear the exhaust on the left side. There is not aftermarket or factory alternative, since all these b-boys were single exhaust. This usually involves cutting, notching, and welding the cross member.
lol, I’m pretty much the opposite…there isn’t anything, on-road at least, a big wagon can’t do as well as a third row modern SUV…except cost a third as much. I bought a 92 Caprice wagon after looking at Suburbans in the same condition and mileage that cost three times what I paid for the Caprice…
Nice-looking cruiser, and rare to see one without the woodgrain. Though it looks like this one’s been repainted (that gold could have been a factory color for a dinoc-embellished model, but I can’t see it being offered on a steel-sider like this and lost its emblems, so who knows.
Tint that dark on the windshield and front windows is illegal pretty much everywhere, but as Howard mentioned, you’re unlikely to get stopped solely for tint unless you encounter a cop with nothing better to do who’s itching to write a ticket for *something*.
Or drive through Maryland during the last week of the month…..
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the 307 V8 and quadrajet combo has been upgraded to the heads and intake from a 80s 442, then the dual exhaust would be worth it.
God I love that “corduroy” upholstery.
A non-wood trimmed twin to my ’90 model, probably with similar crazy low milage given its clean shape (currently 64k on my baby) Drove from Michigan to Colorado and back flawlessly this March. Gotta love a pristine vintage family truckster! Pictured here in Fort Collins at our final destination. Should write up a COAL on this one soon, actually.
Great pic!
I wonder if anyone in the history of ever kept those “passive restraint” seatbelts permanently buckled (as was their supposed intent)
I did on my 87 Caprice, but they would develop slack that would only be fixed by unbuckling or opening the door.
Had a very similar 1984 model. Mine was tan with woodgrain and a chocolate brown interior.
It was incredibly clean with only 35k on the clock when I got it in 2003. Could haul cargo and seat 8. It had a super comfortable, plush 1980s interior. I was even fortunate enough to have the dual power seats! It even got dual pipes when the exhaust rusted out.
Dry rot and old brittle plastic were the bane of my existence. Put in an R-134 retrofit when the AC went out, but this was barely adequate in the front and useless in the back, which is a big problem in a South Carolina summer. The gutless wonder 307 drank 89 octane gas and still couldn’t get out of its own way. The Check Engine light was constantly on.
Eventually, I got tired of constantly having to fix something and got rid of it in 2008 for a big Merc. The Merc is a much better car, but sometimes I miss the old Truckster.
I love the way light metallic colors look on an overcast day, this beautiful wagon looks like it’s glowing. I am a fan of the 307 engine and glad to see this old girl made it all the way from FL to OR. Great find!
I did the same thing to the hood ornament of my mom’s 77 Cutlass Supreme Brougham by placing it sideways in its square base. The ornament was held down with a spring loaded wire and one day I snapped it loose much to the consternation of my parents. My parents never had the ornament reinstalled.
I don’t think I’ll ever appreciate the two-giant-tailspouts-straight-out-the-back thing. Whether it’s done to a passenger car, a station wagon, a truck, an SUV, or whatever, it looks schlock. On a wagon, truck, or SUV, it’s the opposite of functional; those vehicles tend to have side-discharge tailpipes as original equipment for a very good reason.
Good catch and I love finding old cars far away from home such as this Chrysler I found in Southeast Portland. The reflectors on the rear bumper are an interesting touch and I sure hope this car has a bigger engine. My Caprice had a 305 or 307 and it became sooo sluggish when I flipped on the AC. Do you think the tint is easy to remove?
Funny quote by Governor McCall. My folks came here after the Potato Famine then went to the Northeast for two generations before I decided to “come back home.”
Reflectors make it look like it has rear parking distance sensors, or would if it were a newer car.
Overall like it and so happy to see it making long distance trips still. The mods aren’t my cup of tea, but they could have been much worse and clearly are keeping the rest of the car up. I really need a nice long roadtrip in my Oldsmobile.