5th Feb 2009, 21:32
I know I am glad that I found this car.
I purchased with hardly any miles on it and still have it below 80000.
There is no rust on it and the finish is great.
25th Nov 2012, 16:37
I just inherited a 1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham 4 door from my godmother, who was the original owner. She was retired when she purchased the car new off the lot, so it was never beat on.
Garage kept for its whole life, and until 2 years ago it was on the road.
What can I do to this car to make it a beast?? What is the highest performance engine and trans for this year, and what else will need to be upgraded in order to achieve maximum output?
26th Nov 2012, 11:03
To 25th Nov 2012, 16:37:
Tear out that 307 & drop in a 455 along with a TH-400 trans & a rear end big enough to stand up to the 455. You'll also need a larger radiator. Go to http://www.mondellotwister.com/ for advice & speed parts.
26th Nov 2012, 20:58
1982, and most of the early 80's were a dismal point in time for performance, but yet reliability was decent.
The best thing you can do is swap it out with an Olds built 350 or 400 from the early to mid 70's.
Personally if the car is mint and original, I would leave it alone.
27th Nov 2012, 04:54
Must you 'make this car a beast'? Why not enjoy it for what it is - a perfectly designed cruiser. It isn't well suited to be a 'beast'.
How many miles are on the car? If it has the original 307, it will last 250k+ miles if well cared for.
The transmissions are not the strong point on these cars, but they're not terrible either, so chances are you could be fine on the original as well, if not too many miles... Is it a 4-spd or 3-spd auto?
27th Nov 2012, 14:53
Having owned several GM cars with the 4-speed automatics, I have never had a single problem with any of them. My family currently drives a 58-year-old Pontiac with the 4-speed hydramatic. It has never required a repair, is still silky smooth, and has over a quarter of a million miles on it at present.
30th Nov 2012, 09:01
Well, if your car is 58 year old, and has a four-speed automatic, it must be a retrofit, because before about 1982, they only had three-speed automatics. Overdrive gears (the fourth gear) were added as a fuel economy measure. However I do agree that the older three-speeds, particularly from General Motors, were mostly superb.
And I didn't mean to suggest that the four-speed automatics were at all bad - the GMs ones were very durable. However they typically didn't last as long as the engines. The 307 in these Delta 88s could do an amazing number of miles without rebuild - I know a lot of people who got 250-300k from these. But, that was usually with a second transmission - still, not bad, usually rebuilt for just a few hundred dollars.
30th Nov 2012, 15:56
That 58 year old Pontiac had a 4 speed Hydramatic as original equipment. It was GM's first multispeed auto trans, first available for the 1940 model year, & was continued into the 1960s when it was replaced by the 3 speed Turbo Hydramatic 400 & 350.
30th Nov 2012, 16:17
"because before about 1982, they only had three-speed automatics"
Wrong. There was a four-speed Hydramatic available in the "senior" Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs, and possibly some Cadillac models, from the late '50s until the early '60s. I once owned a '64 Bonneville that had a four speed automatic.
8th Jan 2009, 00:37
The 2-door coupe models of this particular car are very hard to find, and when you do they're usually in rough shape or have a million miles on them. You just may have a future classic on your hands! Enjoy.