It was the rear door that did it. I should never have opened it; why else write a second CC today? Yes, there were certain similarities between the Mercedes W116 6.9 and this 455 Rocket-powered Olds 88 that were hard to ignore. As well as certain gross differences; that rear door being the biggest one of all. It tempted me to open it, I obeyed, and the result is another Deadly Sin. Forgive me.
In the Mercedes 6.9 CC, I alluded to a certain arrogance that led both Daimler-Benz and GM to bring out the biggest barges they had ever built up to that time. More like the biggest cars ever built, in terms of mass-produced ones, anyway. Both companies over-reached, and had to downsize the successor generation. But other than a shared appetite for gasoline and a great big V8 backed by a three-speed automatic, the differences generally outweigh the similarities.
It’s been an oft repeated mantra here: GM quality began to slide in the mid sixties, to one degree or another, and in different manifestations. But there were also improvements that compensated for them: the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission combined with the final maturation of GM’s smooth and powerful V8s made for a creamy drive train. Disc brakes appeared, and 15″ wheels reappeared. GM’s variable-ratio power steering was the best, and when it started applying itself to the science of handling, it quickly rose to the top too, in that regard. That’s why I called the 1970 Impala the Best Big Car of Its Time. Not everyone agreed, but it sure beat what was about to replace it.
The bigger, wider, heavier thirstier 1971 full-size cars by GM simply jumped the shark. Full-size cars had been getting too big, IMHO, since the 1958s replaced the just-right-sized ’55 -’57s (I’m referring to Chevys just now). Intermediate sized cars had to happen, and its no coincidence that when the Chevelle appeared in 1964 sitting on the same 115″ wheelbase as the tri-five Chevys, everyone made lots of references to that fact.
Perhaps this CC really ties in more to the CCCCC, since that’s all about the rise of the mid-sized Cutlass to the top of the heap. Anyway; the 1970 GM big cars just squeaked through the portal of acceptability and sanity; the 1971′s bulging sides didn’t. Amazing what a couple of inches and three hundred extra pounds will do.
Take a look at this engine compartment; the big 455 Rocket engine block is almost lost in there. Looks more like a Buick V6 hiding behind that long fan shroud. No wonder GM had a V12 engine program going at the time. Certainly plenty of room; V16, anybody?
By 1973, the Rocket had lost a bit of its thrust, rated at 225 (net) hp. Still, it was able to give a decent nudge in the backside. No, the problem with this big Olds lies not under the hood, but elsewhere; other than its excessive size, that is.
What brought it all crashing in on me was opening the back door, so that I could get a shot of the dash from there. Holy Taxi-Driving Mother of all Rubbermaid! I had forgotten just how cheap GM suddenly got with its interiors. I mean, I knew it, but had forgotten the nasty details.
In 1971, GM introduced its millions of buyers to hard plastics, and of a particularly nasty sort. It made its most memorable appearance in the Vega that year (above), where the whole door panel was one flimsy, flapping piece of hollow plastic.
But I had totally forgotten that this same stuff appeared in the doors of Oldsmobiles! And the exact same color too! Maybe that’s what really pushed me over the Deadly edge. This was one of the vaunted brands in GM’s upscale portfolio. And it looks just like a 1971 Biscayne taxi I drove. Well, that had all-black interior, and just as well.
And it’s not just the door panel, but the seat upholstery too. GM vinyl in the sixties was a wondrous thing; sleek and shiny, and thick and durable, befitting of the “Morrokide” moniker Pontiac branded its version. Suddenly in 1971, the vinyl looks and feels cheap, like a Tijuana re-upholstery job, back in the day.
That dashboard may have a certain bizarre visual period-piece appeal, but don’t look too close. GM’s heavy investment in plastic injection machinery was on full display.
Compared to the solid gleaming dashes that were in an Olds ten years earlier, well; nothing stays the same, sadly in some cases. But let’s get back to that rear door. It wasn’t just what I saw after I opened it; it was the act of opening and closing it that sealed the Deadly Deal.
Ok, this is an old car; but go open any rear door of a similar-vintage W116 Mercedes. That has to be the pinnacle of the worn-out bank vault analogy. And, no; I didn’t and don’t expect a car that cost a third or so of a comparable ’73 Merc to do as well in that department.
It’s the vivid memory of how much crappier the ’71 GM doors felt compared to the ’70s. I know: I drove both a 1970 and 1971 Chevrolet taxi, each with maybe half a million miles on them. The 1970 felt like a Mercedes compared to the 1971; everything is relative. Just getting the doors on the ’71 to close at all on the first try was a serious challenge. Don’t ask me about the rear seat on the ’71 that kept coming loose; not the stuff from which tips are generated.
For what it’s worth, GM learned quite a big lesson from these cars; the downsized B-Bodies that appeared in 1977 were a major act of penance for GM’s Deadly Sin of Gluttony, and even the interiors improved from what has to be an all-time low point. Next time, I’ll just not open the door, and save myself a bit of trouble.
V16? Well all ya gotta do is weld two V8s together.
BTW at least the 98 had a slightly nicer interior.
The difference betweent the two dashes is evident. The ’73 is crass and ugly and the ’63 efficient, lean, attractive and functional.
We had ’71 and ’72 LeSabre’s in the family simultaneously. The ’71 was a sedan with the B pillar and those doors closed with a solid thunk. The ’72 was a bucket of bolts pos hardtop and I had forgotten about not being able to close the door on the first try.
You would need to wind up like a pitcher to get that front door closed.
We wouldn’t stand for such quality today.
While a teenager at the time, what I remember most about those two cars were the excellent power steering you mention with a hint of road feel and just the right tension and the 3 speed transmissions that in first gear sounded like a bus.
Sometimes I would continually, slowly depress the gas pedal just to hear that winding out sound and to see how fast I can get it going before the shift.
IMO all the full sized ’73′s by GM were ugly and reflecting the company’s ethos at the time. It’s a bit of a surprise they built the fantastic ’77-’79 Caprice Classic a few short years later.
I was stuck with one of these for awhile, the car pictured could almost be the very same one. Driving it was like sitting on a big, cheap sofa playing a driving game on a far away screen. Absurd levels of driver isolation coupled with ridiculously bad, wallowing road manners. This and the ’79 Country Squire were by far the two worst cars I ever had the misfortune to own.
BTW, like the accursed ’79 Country Squire the interior is more like cheap rubbermaid knock-off. If they’d contracted rubbermaid to do it it might have actually been kind of cool.
My dad had a nearly identical ’73 Delta 88 hardtop sedan. He bought it used right after my parents were married, and while he was between jobs, circa 1979. I don’t think my mom’s ever forgiven him. He still talks about how smooth and powerful that Rocket 455 was on the highway; she still talks about how the thug he sold that piece of junk to demanded his money back when he claimed the aforementioned 455′s block was cracked.
My parents have been allergic to private party sales ever since.
I wonder how these compared to the equivalent Marquis or Monaco when new. I have the 1974 Mercury brochure and the Marquis looks pretty good, you could even get leather as an option. Even the Monterey door panels looked better than this Olds.
I’d have to agree that Ford had it together. I just peeked at a 73 LTD brochure and it definately looked to be nicer than that Olds..
There’s a ’73-74 Galaxie 500 for sale at my local Ace Hardware, so I took a look at the interior. The armrest supports and B-pillars are made of the same plastic as the Delta 88′s door panels. It makes me wonder–if somebody had maintained the plastic with Armorall from the beginning, how would it have held up? After all, the car I looked at is 37+ years old, and the plastic was somewhat deteriorated, but still hanging in there.
About 10 years ago I talked with a factory rep from a major industrial plastics manufacturer, and he told me that plastic has a definite lifespan and has to be nourished for optimum life. One of the tips he gave me was to store weedeater string in water to keep it strong. I’ve tried it, and it really does last longer that way. So why not automotive plastics?
The real treat of the trip, though, was a ’74 Gran Torino Elite, backing out as I
walked up. I gawked at it like a tourist, until I realized that the owner was staring back at me, so I just gave a little wave to show that I’m harmless and darted into the store. The old girl looked pretty good–which may say more about my taste than I wish to reveal.
My 73 Chevelle had the same style door panels originally. It was the Deluxe model though so it was expected.
It’s almost like the GM full sizers of this era were designed to be enjoyed from the outside only. Even that’s not easy..
(I don’t think I’ve ever read an article from Paul where he actually sounded mad!
)
I had a ’73 Galaxie 2 dr hardtop from 2000 ’til 2005 and it had the same crappy plastic door panels, with identical stress cracks on BOTH armrests from the same screw to the vinyl pad. behind the door handle. I think this was an industry-wide syndrome, even VW was using pressed-cardboard paper panels and black plastic interiors at the time.
It amazes me that we used to consider vinyl seats acceptable in a near-luxury or luxury car. In the early 70′s you could even get vinyl seats in a Cadillac (the Calais).
However, not all 70′s GM interiors were like that, especially if you upgraded to a Ninety-Eight or Electra, most of which had various kinds of fabric on the seats (brocades in 1971-73, with velours coming in especially in ’74) and better materials on the doors.
And while these cars are indeed huge, the fuselage styling put the maximum interior width at hip and elbow level which makes the interiors feel tremendously roomy.
Base model Caddys now have “leatherette” upholstery – at least on the ATS, SRX and CTS you have to add the “luxury package” to get real leather – and there’s no cloth option, division-wide.
Whether or not it’s the same stuff in a top-of-the-line(!) Sonic or fleet-spec Express van isn’t mentioned…
Dad replaced a ’66 Galaxie 500 with a maroon ’72 Delta 88 with a 455. Dad drove 55 and still only got 13 mpg.The black vinyl seats were fun & games in the the summer, but GM knew how to make an a/c worthy of a meat locker. Was driven thru at least 22 states on various family vacations. Only mechanical problem (while on vacation) was a new water pump in IN.
1973 we were in Colorado. One stop was a cabin in the mountains. Since was easier to show us, then give us directions, mom’s friend meet us in town. Soon dad was hustling the 88 along a curvy two lane road much faster then he was used to (There are no curves in NW Iowa only straight roads to be driven at 55) trying to keep up with an Audi 100. That was my introduction to Audi and the automotive world beyond GM land yachts.
By the time I started driving it had been demoted to 2nd car by a ’78 LeSabre. The motor had lost a few of its horses, top speed was an indicated 95mph. A ’69 327 Impala walked away from it. The brakes worked from 95 to 55 before brake fade set in, didn’t try that again. Still it was faster then the LeSabre which could barely peg it’s 85mph speed-o-meter.
In the winter I’d start the car before getting in the lunch line and turn it off when I finished eating. Otherwise it wouldn’t start when school was done for the day. It took a quarter of oil per tank of gas. It wouldn’t shift out of 2nd unless one let off the gas and counted to three.
My favorite feature was when the speedometer broke. Once fixed it read 15 mph slow. When one mentioned it seemed like we were going too fast, I’d point to the speedometer and say were only doing 50-55.
By business partner in Saskatchewan has a very nice 1977 Cadillac Sedan Deville. While riding around in it last summer, ever time I had to close the door it took two tries. It made me remember the old saying from the 1970s, “GM two slam doors.” Anyway, my partner used to swear how great these old sleds are as daily drivers and steadfastly refused to drive anything else, even though is is quite well to do. That is until his wife put her foot down and demanded he get something more respectable and practical. Now he has an Acura TL and he never touches the Caddy.
Funny that, eh?
Paul, we need (or maybe we don’t) a close-up shot at the GM “Mark of Excellence” – the large, full-depth cracked padded dash! You just teased us with the dashboard shot! How dare you! The first time I looked at the full-sized Chevys beginning with that year in the showroom of Daoust Chevrolet in Marysville, Ca, I was shocked, to say the least! It was a Caprice 4 door hardtop, and upon closing the doors, the entire “B” pillar along with the doors visibly shook! As much as I preach about pillarless hardtops on here and on TTAC, I imagined getting T-boned in this coast-to-coast expanse of sheet metal and plastic and cringed. The door panels? Indeed! Hard, multi-piece plastic with a couple of pieces covered in vinyl and carpet, all screwed together. Very flimsy. Under the hood? Those bracing bars to try to hold all the excess metal from falling off and flapping around. What happened, Chevy? Why did you do this? I was just as disillusioned about Chevy as Jack Baruth was as he discovered the truth about Mr. D.E.D when growing up! I decided right then and there I would never own one of these, pillarless or not, sad to say. I focused my attention on the Chevelle and Nova sitting nearby. Later, the Vega. Wow. Another story. Gee, Paul, thanks for the awful memory! Still fun, though!
I’ve been meaning to take a picture of a Delta 88 that is parked out front.
Looking at wiki, I think it is the later model. (headlights). Amazing if it is “downsized”. Can’t imagine how big this one might be.
This ’73′s 88′s seats were identical to the all vinyl benches in my Dad’s ’71 Custom Cruiser. They were very durable, and in the white color, kept very cool and the vinyl didn’t stick to your back, legs, etc.
I do admit the door panels on this particular 88 do look somewhat “cheap”, but that was the price of admission or compromise to getting a car in the lower medium price range, that, driveability wise and with other features, more than made up for the bargain door panel assemblies and seats. The 88′s of the day were a better full size value than the competition including intra-divisional comparable rivals from Chevy, Pontiac and Buick. Certainly a better car than competing Dodge Polaras/Chrysler Newports (sans 440 V-8).
The Olds 455 four-barrels (even the smoggers) still had more than enough torque and everyday driving grunt to embarass many other cars, especially FoMoCos of this malaise era. They could pass anything (but a gas station). Very durable engines – best of the GM V-8′s in terms of ruggedness (IMO).
BTW – m brother in law had a ’71 Delta 88 up in Eureka, Cal – T-boned by a drunk – he walked away without a scratch after being hit on the DRIVER’s side. Drunk in a Nissan – not so lucky.
The first thing that comes to mind when seeing that dash is Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar”… Come on over here boy have a cigar… Just like that song, this car has no compliments for its industry. The dash comparo is damning indeed, nice job again!
And hey, this is one of those “explosion in a spaghetti factory” engine bays! Vacuum line kingdom…
How soon they forget. GM didn’t stop building their wonderful metal dashes by choice, nor choose to make a heavy investment in injection-molding machinery. They were in effect required to make the dashes out of plastic, by law. The first serious motor vehicle safety standards, remember? And once the dashes had to be plastic, and padded, the rest of the interior had to match. As to the quality of the plastics, the industry simply weren’t good at making automotive interior plastics back then (and indeed, maybe still isn’t).
All American cars went in the crapper from 1967 to 1973. Heavier, more expensive, more cheaply constructed (to try and hold the increased costs down), new materials that sucked, uglier, slower. Thank the government. The shock of it all knocked the heart out of the US auto industry. It has never really recovered.
I remember looking one of these over 4 sale in Sydney it looked cheap inside compared to my 83 Commodore It ran ok but I figured the gas bill would kill me so passed it up.
Well, ask any pro Demo Derby driver what their favorite cars are, they will swear by 71-76 GM. It’s in the eye of the beholder.
Also, the early 60′s dashs were not crashworthy. Padding was mandated in the late 60′s I think the 73 dashes were fine for thier day. Classic Car club would call pre-48 cars dashes as the best, so again it’s all subjective.
Yes, The federal goverment smoked GM into making these plastic & padded dashes. Very sad from the 60′S, But i remember studying in voch. school in the late 80′S that it was a safty issue. I owned a 1973 Delta 88 royal convertible with the rocket 455 & I do have to say that car was a blast on the highway top down @ 80 MPH. Had to run it on 93 octane or it pinged like crazy. At the time 93 was $1.80 a gallon, No way i could own her today. Ahh yes the good old days!
I’d rather be in a crash in the ’73 than the ’63 with that dashboard and the non collapsible steering column. While the ’63 is obviously aesthetically cleaner, the ’73 is more ergonomic and certainly safer once your knees smash into it if you’re not wearing at least the lap belt portion of those two part seat belts. Aside from it being a regulation, It wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to be making a metal dash when industry wide, all cars were like this by then. Even designwise, the earlier dash is rather spartan if you picture it replicated in the ’73.
In that Delta’s defense I think it is a base model and there was a Royale model that had a much nicer interior. My mom’s ’72 Toronado had the same dash with gold applique vs the woodgrain, although the passenger’s side was slightly different. I think it was a pretty cool looking dash overall.
This base Olds 88 interior was a bit upscale from that year’s Chevrolet Impala, which did not have carpeted lower door panels, chrome-trimmed pedals, the deluxe steering wheel and column that were color-keyed (all Impalas and other ’73 Chevys had black steering wheels and steering columns regardless of interior color). The Delta 88 was on par with a base model Buick LeSabre and in between Pontiac’s Catalina and Bonneville. The Delta Royale added a much nicer interior trim just below the level of a Chevy Caprice and on par with a Bonneville (Pontiac’s top-line series at that time was the Grand Ville) or Buick LeSabre Custom or Centurion. A Royale Town Sedan came with a full front bench seat in cloth or vinyl while the Royale Holiday Sedan and Holiday Coupe came the same upholstery selections but with a notchback bench seat with armrest, and the convertible used a all-vinyl interior with the notchback bench seat.