This car was built in the Fremont, CA plant and sold new by Trevellyan Oldsmobile of San Diego. It spent is useful life in California before moving to Illinois after 2000. During its entire life it has been driven just over 96,000 miles and has not been rusty. It has mostly original Provincial White paint. The blue vinyl top is original. In the past ten years, much has been improved.
As new, the car was equipped with Air Conditioning and Soft Ray tinted glass. It had power steering and brakes. It came with chrome roof and door edge moldings. It also has dual outside mirrors, with remote control for the driver’s side. We have the window sticker, Owner’s Manual and Protect-o-Plate for this car.
The car was held for 30 years in a Dealer’s collection. Then it was offered on Ebay. It did not make the reserve, but the high bidder knew it was worth pursuing. He succeeded in negotiating a deal and the car came to his Illinois home in 2012.
He spent the past eight years improving the car to become a reliable and comfortable driver. His attention to detail is what impressed me. He succeeded in sourcing the right parts to make the car so much better than when he found it. He is a true car guy that has a small collection. He drives his cars. He was very honest with his description.
The original 350 Rocket V8 still powers this car. He pulled the engine and repainted it. At the time, he changed the timing set and installed an Edelbrock intake and carburetor. He also replaced the starter and alternator and installed an HEI distributor. While he was at it, he sent the steering box in for an overhaul and installed tighter gears that offered more response.
He also installed a new master cylinder and a proportioning valve. He purchased a new four core radiator. All belts and hoses were changed. A new air cleaner was installed. The engine bay was thoroughly detailed. It looks better than when new.
When the engine was pulled, the Air Conditioning system was prepared for conversion to 134a Freon. When the engine was re-installed, the idea was to reseal the A/C system and have it charged. That did not happen. Depending on time, we are going to see about accomplishing this task.
He then installed a set of coated Hedman Headers and a new full exhaust system. While the engine was out he replaced the entire front suspension and installed huge disc brakes made for a C6 Corvette. The suspension is UMI. He installed a lowering kit and adjustable shocks. Disc brakes were mounted to the rear axle. The rear suspension was also replaced with UMI components. KYB gas shocks were installed at the rear. A W27 Aluminum cover hides the original 2.56 open rear end.
To offer better fuel economy, a 200R4 overdrive transmission was built. It was installed, along with a new torque convertor and high capacity pan. At 60 mph, the tachometer is reading 1800 rpm. Even at 75, the engine is only turning 2300.
To clear the huge brakes, new 18 inch Rocket Booster Hyper Silver wheels were purchased. He wrapped them with BF Goodrich G Force Sport Comp 2 tires. The fronts are 245/45ZR and the rears are 275/40/ZR/18’s. They look great.
The performance of the engine is monitored by Speed Hut gauges. The oil pressure, coolant temp. and volt gauges are in an A-pillar mounted cluster. A tachometer is mounted in the dash pod. It all looks great and works properly.
The original pushbutton AM radio was replaced by a Retro Sound stereo with A/FM, USB/SD and MPS. It has a glovebox mounted port for the USB and pre-recorded tunes on a small computer chip. There is a trunk-mounted Rockford Fosgate amplifier. Infinity speakers replaced the dash speaker. The rears speakers are beneath the new package tray.
The interior has been improved with the addition of a center console and shifter. The steering column is smooth. The front seats were reupholstered and the covers are in the trunk for the rear seat. The carpet was replaced and new floor mats added. The headliner was replaced. The lower dash was repainted. The carpet on the door panels was replaced.
New rubber weather seals were installed on the doors, quarter windows and for the trunk. There is a 20 inch space saver spare in the trunk with the proper jack. There are two sets of keys. All features will work with exception of the parking brake.
During the modernization of this car, its California history became obvious. All fasteners were easily removed. The suspension came apart with ease. The floor and frame are in perfect condition. It is wonderful to work on a car without rust.
This is a great car to drive. It handles well, rides great and performs much better than when new. Stopping is amazingly better and cornering is a dream. Not only does the car perform well, but it looks great. The interior is splendid. Due to most of the paint being original, there are many small flaws evident. But it is just too original and nice for me to even want to touch it up. You will be very well received at any local car event. Onlookers are going to love the originality of the body and paint.
