For over a year, this 1986 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser has appeared on this site as a vehicle destined for an overseas adventure, the Banjul Challenge cross country drive from Europe to The Gambia. With mixed feelings, I have to report that the Olds has found a new and far more domestic purpose that will keep it in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. It may disappoint many who have followed the story and looked forward to a tale of adventure, but should please those who like the idea of preserving these American classics and keeping them on the streets.
Repeatedly lost wheel cover soon to be remedied with new wheels
Life takes unpredictable twists and turns, and the convergence of events that made the Banjul Challenge the right thing to do in 2013 has shifted and made it the wrong thing to do in 2014. In 2013, my co-pilot and I had spare time and funds for the journey, and there was a friend for us to meet in The Gambia. In 2014, I have new work that requires my time and attention (which has also significantly reduced my ability to write and publish here), my co-pilot has business and personal issues to work out, and there is no one to greet us at the destination. The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is not a significant factor in the decision, since The Gambia and the other countries along the way have avoided it so far, but the epidemic did not improve the case for going.
While all of these life events were happening, the Olds acquired a new purpose. Instead of being valued for its athletic ability as a potential marathon runner, it is now appreciated for its big rear end. My ownership of this wagon coincided with a time when I needed it frequently, for hauling during two major moves and some significant house renovations. It hauled an entire two bedroom apartment full of furniture and personal items to my house when putting together two households to get married. When my mother sold the house that had been our family home since 1975, I used this wagon to haul away at least a dozen full loads of bookshelves, chairs, lamps, and boxes of keepsakes. Repairing my house’s deck saw it hauling in numerous 8 foot long boards and then hauling a large load of old rotten lumber away to the county dump. It has been the right vehicle for the job in countless other smaller tasks with large, heavy or dirty items.
Spending almost two years with this wagon has convinced me that everyone could use a vehicle like it – a cheap, worry-free cargo hauler for the many unglamorous tasks that are not part of anyone’s automotive dreams, but are part of the reality of everyday life. A convertible as a sunny day cruiser or a classic sports car are what many of us want, including me, but this Olds, Paul’s 1966 Ford F100 pickup, and other rough and ready boxes are classics that are highly useful.
As noted in an earlier installment, with this 28 year old station wagon I have re-created the experience of the noted automotive writer Peter Egan with his “Hundred Dollar Special,” a 1970 Ford Country Sedan (a Country Squire without the Di-Noc plastic wood) purchased in 1984 as a barely running apparent junker, which he found himself using every day after a few ultra-cheap repairs. The $100 price of the Ford in 1984 being $480 in 2014 dollars, I paid almost exactly the same inflation-adjusted amount for my similarly no-Di-Noc Oldsmobile, and I have had essentially the same experience with my wagon. Like Peter Egan’s Ford, this Olds possesses enormous interior space, a smooth ride, and cast iron durability, and it demands only the cheapest parts available in any neighborhood auto parts store. Small things are non-functional or have given up the ghost after 28 years, but nothing that has been expensive to repair or, if ignored, prevented the wagon from doing its job.
Life with any 28 year old car with almost all of the original parts that date back to when it rolled off the assembly line is not perfect, but problems have been few and far between and easily diagnosed and repaired. In approximately one and a half years and 7,000 miles, it has had only one immobilizing breakdown, failure of the 28 year alternator, and less than a handful of problems of any sort, all of them related in previous CCs. There have been two Check Engine Light fault codes, easily readable using the simple engine management system’s readout method that uses the “SERVICE ENG. SOON” warning light as a form of Morse Code, both of which I have chosen to ignore for now to no significant detriment. The car does not run perfectly, but it has lived up to the adage that old GM cars run badly longer than most cars run for their entire lifetimes.
The Olds has been reliable enough to look like a long-term keeper, and as time passes I have been tracking down faults and gradually bringing systems in the car back to normal. Long-burned-out footwell and dome lights finally got new bulbs earlier this year, so the interior is now as well lit as when the car was new. A strange electrical problem which disabled the radio and lit the “Tailgate Ajar” warning light when the cigarette lighter or glove compartment light (both non-functional) were supposed to be drawing current, I finally found to be caused only by a burned out fuse whose replacement brought all of those systems back to working normally. Conversion to R134 and recharging brought the air conditioner back to life briefly until the new refrigerant all leaked out in a visible cloud (“It’s alive! It’s alive! Ohhhhh …”), a problem that I will get around to addressing at some time next year.
Major improvements have been entering the picture as well. Modern electronics – an up-to-the-minute navigation and music system with touchscreen and voice command – have invaded the car in the form of my smartphone with a cassette adapter and cigarette lighter charger. Rolling stock will receive a significant upgrade in the form of a set of 15×7 inch Oldsmobile Super Stock III wheels, primed and unpainted and complete with trim rings and center caps, that I found for a reasonable price on Craigslist. They need only to be sprayed with wheel paint to be ready for action. The 307/THM200R4 powertrain is as smooth and quiet but feeble and slow as it usually is in full size cars, but I have finally found an online source of information on troubleshooting and upgrading the 1980s 307 with electronic Quadrajet, so some improvement in power may be upcoming.
Driving an old American station wagon is an interesting experience, because it generally blends into the scenery and is ignored, but people in the right age groups notice it and enjoy sharing the happy memories that it triggers. Seemingly everyone over the age of 40 – before the era of minivans and SUVs – remembers when their or a friend’s parents had one or they had one as a hand-me-down first car, and memories of childhood or teenage hijinks that happened in them often come out. One such instance occurred a few weeks ago, when a woman of about 40 stopped and enthusiastically asked me questions about the Olds, then said, “We had one just like it when I was in school! I used to – (looks awkwardly at 10 year old son) – ummm, sleep in it. Uh, nice car.” No doubt many people have similar memories of Volvos and other European and Japanese wagons, but they cannot be as numerous, and a smaller Volvo had a lot less space to, ummm, sleep in.
In the years to come, people a decade or two younger will have similar memories of the SUVs of their childhoods and teenage years. Aside from Suburbans and Excursions, though, they have even less space for creating teenage memories.
The old Detroit steel and cast iron of the Olds also appears to magnetically attract the older and unusual cars that are the focus of this website, because almost every ride in this car includes a sighting of a CC-worthy vehicle. Most of the cars that I have sighted and profiled here during the past year appeared while I was driving this Olds. Considering that I use it for less than a third of my car trips, its track record of running across interesting cars is remarkable.
The Olds’ sheet metal has non-magnetically attracted the plastic bumper of an elderly neighbor whose parking skills are apparent in his having re-arranged every fender and door panel of his Jaguar, but it was a completely no-stress experience, unlike my likely reaction in any similar situation involving a previous car. I have seen this neighbor since, and it did not even occur to me to bring up the damage with him. Normally anal retentive about the condition and maintenance of any car or motorcycle that I own, I do not mind what happens to the outside of this car because it came into my possession with dents, rust, and a bad paint respray. In my estimation, this old Olds’ condition makes it an ultra-luxury car, because the ultimate luxury is being free from stress.
Being both highly useful and dirt cheap to purchase and operate, the Olds has provided an ideal “youngtimer” classic car experience that should continue for a while longer. Moreover, its low costs have made it possible for me to consider simultaneously owning another of the cars that I have always wanted to experience, without driving my automotive budget up to an unacceptably high level. So, for example, I may also be able to buy and drive a Mercedes W126 turbodiesel, such as the 1986-87 300SDL in this photo. It is another reason why this Custom Cruiser was the right choice when I picked it up two years ago, one of many reasons that have changed over time.
Related Reading
My Global CC: To The Gambia, In Your Grandmother’s Oldsmobile
My Global CC: The Gambia Cruiser, Part II — All Systems Nominal
I remember these old GM station wagons. Although no one in my family owned or driven an Oldsmobile station wagon, but I used to see plenty of these when I was a teenager. I’ve always liked American station wagons. Oldsmobiles were perhaps the best looking, but Chryslers had the best instrument clusters.
Good to see this old American car doing what it does best, going about its business day in and day out, stoic and laconic, its qualities unheralded except by those who rely on it.
Agreed. These cars have a kind of personality that has all but disappeared from American cars. Laid back, low key cars that did what they were supposed to do without fuss or complaint, and did it for a long time.
Although my Continental can also be pressed into service (in this case a rocking chair for Mom and Babe) when called upon…
That is quite impressive – definitely at least a “five body” trunk. I remember 1970s Lincoln Continentals and Mercury Marquises having especially large and well shaped trunks, and it looks like I remembered correctly.
Very nice! Sorry that your adventure will be delayed or cancelled, but it somehow seems fitting that the big Custom Cruiser will finish out its life here in the good old US of A.
FWIW, your runaway wheelcover is probably bent. I used to have this trouble constantly with mine whenever a tire jockey would yank them off the wheels. They are thin as foil, and bend easily. Put it on a flat surface and see where it is high, then start careful bending back until it sits flat. Should be OK then. But the wheels will look better.
I am glad that it is staying in the US as well. I use my ’87 Caprice wagon for pretty much the same tasks, but I must admit yours looks more comfortable.
If you’re truly going to be replacing those wheels, I’ll gladly buy two of the steelies off of you, I have been looking for ages here in NH for a pair with no luck.
I have a hard time believing that GM full size/intermediate car steel wheels, which must have been the most common wheel in the world in the 1970s/early 1980s, could be hard to find now! When I finally get around to working on and installing the new wheels, I might be willing to sell the old wheels to clear some garage space.
I did too, until I realized they are a different bolt pattern then the sedan.
I even went to GM and bought the last available ones, as I have two wagons.
If you get to that point and decide to sell, I can be reached at T.Adam.Harris@gmail.com.
The big wagons should have the 5×5 bolt pattern which is shared with the trucks. Should still be an easy find. I’d double-check on the stud size.
A great read! I have owned a number of station wagons, including a 1971 Ford (the stripper model, but with a 429), a 1975 (demo derby) and 1976 (college hauler) Pontiac, and a couple of 1969 Miller-Meteor Cadillac ambulances (the biggest and baddest stations wagons out there IMO). Growing up in the 1970s, wagons were as plentiful as SUVs are today and most of my friends were driven around in one. Mostly Fords and GMs where I lived – the Mopar wagons were nowhere near as popular.
The picture of the dash brings back memories for me. Your stock car radio is a 2700-series (referring to the approximate volume of the metal radio case in cubic centimeters) ETR (Electronically-Tuned Radio). If you momentarily push in on the LH knob with the ignition off, it will briefly illuminate the display and show you the time. That radio was made at the Kokomo, IN Delco Electronics plant and was still in production when I started working there in 1984.
The original Delco radio is a great thing to have, and also evidence that the car was never taken over by a teenager. Mine works on and off — cassette always working, AM/FM rarely working, display also rarely functioning and showing only partial digits when it does — and getting it repaired is on my long-term list. I found a place that rebuilds these 1980s Delco radios and will eventually get around to contacting them.
Can’t beat an old estate for space. This side of the Atlantic (UK) I always rated the Ford Granada Mk.I/Mk.II as a load carrier, far roomier than the Volvo 700/900, though no doubt the latter would provide more protection in an accident – mind you, you be taking an extra trip in the Volvo so twice the chance of being trashed.
Rear seat in place: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8165854@N08/5175579637/sizes/l
Note how the opening is almost as wide as the car and yet there’s still a couple of extra inches spare inside – 58.3″ inches in a car 70.5inches wide and over 80 inches load length.
Brochure with rear seat up and down:https://www.flickr.com/photos/granada_turnier/5086080536/sizes/o/
Cake! FTW!
Sounds like this wagon is Going the Distance here in the USA. And while it may have safety belts, no stick shifts or bucket seats to get in the way. 🙂
I was hoping that someone would notice! If this car needed a theme song, one of those two by Cake would be the right choice.
It would have been fun to hear about the race, but I am happy to hear that you will be hanging on to it and enjoying it.
I have only put about 3500 miles on my Town Car since I bought it, but it has already paid for itself in the enjoyment it has given me. Glad to hear the Olds found its way into your heart too. 🙂
Sure reminds me of my rust shade brown (paint, not actual oxidation) 77 Impala. It was a 350/350 combo that just kept running. I took out the rear facing seats and used it for tools. A trailer hitch replaced the truck bed I would otherwise have needed. Seemed that most consumables (shocks,brake parts, etc) interchanged with pickups not other cars.
It was effectively a V5 as the 350 had no compression on three of the drivers side cylinders. It kept running and didn’t use oil. It finally died after about 50k miles of daily 100mile plus transit. It was hauling a tandem trailer full of construction parts for a school project. Something about the HEI setup. I let it die because I was tired of arguing with wife about it being so ugly. The flywheel also had chunked a couple teeth and was eating up starters. If I could have either of them in new condition I would take it over the 57 wagon I now have. The extra doors and versatile rear made it a worker. The only things I have had that did as well were not as versatile (except the one Van). This car was a winner. The 350/350 combo was even better, but thirstier, than the 300 six and C6 in the van. I was stupid to not fix it.
Going to Gambia meant leaving it there. Happy it’s staying. Please keep us posted.
I can’t help thinking that old American station wagons can do things easily that even the bigger minivans can’t manage as gracefully. The wagons’ seats usually fold down really easily, and if the wagon is big enough, you really can carry 4′ by 8′ sheets of plywood or drywall.
Even my old ’62 Valiant/’61 Lancer wagons I drove decades ago when I was in college were useful as only wagons could be. I hauled home the desk I built in my senior year of high school, and it went easily into the Valiant’s cargo bay.
Pickups can haul even more than wagons, but without a shell, it’s all uncovered and open to the elements. And wagons drive pretty much like their sedan companions.
I miss them.
Imagine a contemporary version of this Olds. While it does not have the “Hey look at me!” attributes of current pick-ups, for most of the people who buy them, a station wagon would provide more utility, economy and comfort.
I always found it interesting how the large GM wagons all used the body of the Chevy, and just modified the front fenders to make them kind of look like their sedan counterparts. This practice started with the downsized 1977 models and continued until the last Caprice / Roadmaster / Custom Cruisers were made.
If you compare this 1986 Custom Cruiser to the 1986 Delta 88, you will see that the body is totally different. Compare the Custom Cruiser to the Chevy Sedan, and you will that they share the same exact body up to the A pillar.
I always though the little filler panels on the tops of the front doors (where the rear view mirror is mounted) of the 1977 to 1979 Buick Estate Wagons really looked hideous and cheap !!
I guess this was GM’s cost savings measure, to each division did not have to have their own wagon body.
Of course the 86 Delta 88 is different… its on the H-body platform which was all new and FWD for 1986.
If you look at the 80-85 Olds 88/98/Custom Cruiser, they all used the same front sheet metal just about to the B-pillar, and the CC used the 98 style all-chrome grill after 85.
The Mopar C body wagons of the fuselage era and beyond did the same thing, I believe. I know they were all on the same wheelbase whether Plymouth, Dodge or Chrysler. Not sure if the T&C had any unique sheetmetal.
Just looking at the dash brings back plenty of memories, good and bad. As mentioned here previously, I learned to drive in a brand new ’85 Delta 88 Royale sedan. Most high schools in the Houston area in those days had a small fleet of Olds driver’s ed cars provided by local dealers (especially Sam “The Rocket Man” Montgomery) They were swapped out each semester and sold at a nice discount.
Less than a year later my grandfather passed away. The small town funeral home handling the arrangements took us out to a couple of local cemeteries to look at potential burial locations in their brand new ’86 Custom Cruiser. Naturally, the back windows had heavy tint applied.
I had a teacher in middle school with a Pontiac Safari, one time she took us on a field trip in it to to the New Bedford airport.
Great story! The same reasons I hang onto my 95 Voyager. Still looks good, cost of ownership is low (in 16 years, only one set of front brakes/rotors, one set of tires, two cans of R134a, and two water pumps (one cost/one free replacement). Line the back cargo area with cardboard and it has hauled trashed decking material and drywall to the dump. Pull the cardboard out, vacuum, and it looks like new.
I’m a station wagon fan, but this one is a bit boring for me. But a second generation Vista Cruiser with woodgrain……..
Best friend in high school (and to this day) had a ’92 Custom Cruiser, which is basically this car plus one generation. Spent a lot of time in that one. But I remember this generation, too…not sure if I ever rode in the Olds version but definitely more than one Buick Estate Wagon. For whatever reason they always seemed the most plentiful B-body wagon where I grew up. I remember that one specifically…midnight blue with woodgrain, the turbine alloys, gray leather interior. Very nice wagon. This one, while a bit more basic, sounds perfect for your uses! Who needs an SUV when you have a full-size wagon at your disposal? Worry-free and relaxed, that’s the name of the game. Should keep on keepin’ on for quite a long time.
To some younger folks, under 40, an old station wagon “looks like a hearse”.
I like these big B body wagons more every time I see one, though I’d take woodgrain on mine. I’ve never been that keen on downsized Olds dashboards. They always seem kind of blah to me.
Someone mentioned earlier about the wagons sharing the same bodies with the front clips being the primary difference between the B body Wagon brands….
Another interesting thing is that the 1977-79 Olds 88 sedans had different styling then the wagons…The 1977-79 Delta 88 sedans had rectangular wheel openings while the Olds wagons had round wheel openings so that the wagon bodies could be shared among the B body brands….The Olds 88 and 98 sedans went to round wheel openings in the 1980 restyle.
I live in Lansing, and in 35 years had never noticed the different front fenders on those wagons!
Shhhhhh!!! Don’ tell my parents, but our Oldsmobus saw a lot of good times. I was 16 when my family had a woody Oldsmobile station wagon. Urban Surfin’ driving across the dam. Making out with my girl friend. Good times.
Here is my reliable hauler-box, DD, trail rig and mon-fri nyc commuter. ’83 Toyota truck, Longbed SR-5 with 4-wheel drive. Reliable 22R motor and ice-cold air conditioning.
Good to know this beautiful Olds won’t get destroyed in Africa
We had a 1987 CC woodie during my formative years. Bought as a demonstrator for something like $18k in 1987. It was metallic blue with blue cloth and blue everything else inside. I would like to say I have a lot of fond memories of it, but as a 9-15 year old I only rode in it on long trips (12 hours or more to visit family twice a year) or to school for the most part. None of which I particularly enjoyed.
I remember details of it well enough. That check engine light turned a routine one day trip into several the first time it came on. Its transmission went out within the first 2 years. My mom got t-boned right in the passenger door by a conversion van driving home from school on my last day of 3rd grade (I declined her offer to leave early that day which probably saved my life) and we kept finding glass falling from the vents in it for 15 years. The little wood cover on the passenger door pull that goes over the screw broke off early on and bugged me every time I got in the car. The glove box door never closed quite right and the power antenna motor gave up after only a couple years.
I never wanted to drive it when I got my license. So my step dad was the only person who did. He neglected it and it went down hill fast. Duct tape held the front trim on after an encounter with the house and my car, a dump truck hit the rear gate handle rendering it inoperable and he never got it fixed. The paint was ruined all over, the headliner fell down, and lots of the “wood” peeled off.
It was slow, bad on gas, handled like Jell-O, and had the softest brake pedal I’ve encountered. But it was reliable and took its abuse like a champ.
I wasn’t involved in its trip to the scrap yard, but I’m willing to bet they drove it in.
Nice piece. I love beaters; something to do with not worrying about them. That 1970 Country Sedan illustration looks like a cross between a Ford and a Rover P6 wagon.
The sheet metal is totally different on the 1977 to 1984 Custom Cruisers and the 1977-1984 Delta 88. All the B body wagons of those years used the Chevy body, except for the front fenders, hood, grill and bumpers. If you look at the doors, for example, you will see that they have the same character lines as the Chevy sedans. Olds and Buick had specific front fenders made to kind of mimic the sedan counterparts, but they were totally different. They are not interchangeable.
Nice inclusion of the Egan article, by the way. His columns were my favorite part of Road & Track when I was a subscriber years ago.
It is funny how similar the two situations are…
If an old GM car runs bad for a long time then I equate that to under hood neglect or owner ignorance not a fault of GM cars in general. Also there is much misunderstanding of the C4 emissions system and Quadrajet carb. All of mine received new vacuum lines and a thorough check with carb cleaner for any other leaks, a carb rebuild and proper adjustment and as needed tuneups.
The 307/200R-4 combo are never going to turn this heavy of a vehicle into a stormer but I would bet yours has a lot of room for improvement. A good site for both understanding it and power tuning it can be had here- performanceolds307.tripod.com.
3 problems I find on most 307 equipped cars with higher mileage are base timing set far too low, non functioning EGR valves and plugged EGR passages. Cleaning up these problems after a tuneup and following the performance 307 site should result in much improvement. Good luck with her!
That old line about GM cars is not meant as a criticism. The point is that even if one of these old sleds is leaking fluid everywhere, out of tune, and full of dents, it will keep running whereas many other cars from more “prestigious” brands will have failed completely because one 4 zillion dollar part or electrical system crapped out. Like the poster Lee Wilcox who got his Impala wagon to run 50K on 5 cylinders while towing with it. Try that on your 450 SEL.
The website that you mentioned (performanceolds307.tripod.com) is the one that referred to in the article. I already have read through it thoroughly, and will keep your comments about ignition timing and EGR system problems in mind as well.
An Orrin is right — the line about old GM cars running badly for a long time is praise for their ability to keep running for years even when neglected and not functioning properly.
One of the most reliable car that I ever owned. No joke! A 5.7 Litre Diesel…
Does anyone know, is it realtively easy to drop the LT1 from the Caprice/Roadmaster wagon into one of these earlier B bodies?
It’ll surely fit, but you’re dealing with in-tank fuel pumps, computers, just to name a few.
I wouldn’t doubt if the mounts are different.
In my view, a 96- Vortec truck motor would be well-suited to a wagon like this.
Too bad life prevents your trip, but glad to see you and the well preserved wagon are in it for the long haul. (Sorry). Get a hitch and some kind of cheap trailer for things that won’t fit or are too nasty to put in the wagon and it’s just as useful as a pickup truck.
Great article! I’m relatively new to this site but have been following your story about this car, starting with a search for the original Part 1 of the series. While the trip to Africa may have been an exciting, adventuresome prospect, I was secretly cringing in horror whilst thinking about the potential future this car would have after the marathon came to an end : ( Glad you decided to keep it for the foreseeable future. The Custom Cruiser (if you couldn’t already tell) is one of my favorite station wagon models. If you decide to do the mods on the carburetor that you mentioned, I’d be happy to be of assistance, as I just finished a mechanical carb/ torque converter switch and vacuum dizzy conversion on an Estate Wagon with the Olds 307 last year. Keep on truckin’ in that family truckster 😀
…far too useful! I would mention that’s been one of the reasons why the conception of these very practical station wagons had been dropped in the mid ’90’s…to the favor of lot more others but with questionable values in use… Stawag’s practicality had been sacrificed on the althar of for whatever reasons created trends/fashion…
You guys are making me wish for a nice wagon!