Ran into some old friends at the Pull-A-Part the other day while I was there "pulling" a fender off a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu to replace the crumpled one on my son's 2003. I also searched in vain for a power antenna for my wife's '95 Lexus SC400 and my new-to-me '04 Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS Sypder.
First was this 1983 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham coupe I stumbled on when I was walking to my doner.
Part of GM's downsized class of 1977, they were shorter than what they replaced by about a foot-long. They were still huge and in a sea of relatively diminutive modern cars our 88 here looks like beached whale.
No takers for its fairly historic engine. This mill being, technically at least, the last vestige of Oldsmobile's venerated "Rocket" V-8's that started the whole "muscle-car" hoopla back in 1949.
I rummaged through the interior looking for the factory radio to slide into my 1977 Corvette. No dice, dag-nab it.
Next up on the "look-who's-here-at-this-impromptu-class-reunion" was this 1983 Buick Electra Park Avenue.
Doesn't seem like that long ago that these were the choice of the wealthy who didn't want to really show off they had "it".
In Park Avenue trim, this big dog was the top-of-the-line Buick for '83. Frankly, the only thing top-of-the-line was the price tag. For its princely sum, you didn't get much more luxury than you'd have gotten in a Chevrolet Caprice.
She too still has her Oldsmobile 307 V-8 engine. Buick never built a five-liter V-8 so when they needed one, they used five-liter mills from Chevrolet and Pontiac from 1977 through 1979 and eventually going exclusively with Oldsmobile's 307 when Olds started building them in 1980. Fun fact, Buick got out of building V-8 engines altogether after 1980.
I plowed through her interior as well looking for a AC Delco radio. Just as much luck.
I've spent a little too much time in this yard lately. That's what happens when you have a fleet of cars as old as mine. Nice to have a little diversion every now and then.
No comments:
Post a Comment