1966 olds dynamic 88 daily driver/ cruiser

[hiroshima1320]

Keystone klassics 14 inches of way too small for this car, but a better look,i think.

[mrocketscience]

Yes, the Keystones do look better than the pimp rims. An improvement for sure.

[milner351]

100x better look with the keystones. Probably a noticeable ride improvement as well with more sidewall.

[hiroshima1320]

Not only has ride quality improved, driveability has drastically improved.

[yellomalibu]

Looks good! The car came with 14" rims, so it doesn't look bad at all - just a lot different than what you're used to seeing. You'll get used to 'em.

[CTX-SLPR]

Ok, there is absolutely zero room for any normal type of front steer set up. The sway bar comes through in between the bottom of the frame an the top of the lower control arm. I'm thinking that may be the place to route the steering arms through, but I'm not sure...

Sounds like the front suspension on my '64 Riviera, though your's is more like the 65+ non-Riviera Buick full sized with rear steer and a perimeter frame.

There is a charity build on the web of them mixing 73-87 C10 and 77-96 B-body parts into a workable front steer configuration on a '65 Riviera but I don't remember enough about how they did the lower control arms and GM used several different types of front suspension during that time frame as well. Nothing says that you can't mount the swaybar under the rack, just have to play with the lever rate on the arms to get it right.

[hiroshima1320]

Sounds like the front suspension on my '64 Riviera, though your's is more like the 65+ non-Riviera Buick full sized with rear steer and a perimeter frame.

There is a charity build on the web of them mixing 73-87 C10 and 77-96 B-body parts into a workable front steer configuration on a '65 Riviera but I don't remember enough about how they did the lower control arms and GM used several different types of front suspension during that time frame as well. Nothing says that you can't mount the swaybar under the rack, just have to play with the lever rate on the arms to get it right.

Now you have my interest. If you can find a link, let me know.

[Beagle]

fwiw, I would consider a rebuild and *sway bars* for a completely different feeling... a set of swaybars will make a huge difference in the feel of the car for a helluva lot less time, money, and effort. Just a thought.

[hiroshima1320]

The car has a front sway bar, but i don't believe it has a rear bar. Pst has a rear 1" bar for under $200 and a larger front bar for around the same. I was planning on 17-18" wheel, but i think I'm going to go 15" with wide whites. If i do that, changing the front suspension and steering won't be necessary, just replace the worn parts.

[Huskinhano]

Check Kanter auto parts for your front end. http://www.kanter.com///gallery.aspx...t=0&MSb=0&Prc= Rock Auto is another place to check out. They some times have pretty good deals on close out parts. One of the guys here who hasn't posted in a while has a 60 Olds that he bought a lot of parts from Rock Auto.

As far as gas mileage, don't over look an electronic ignition and recurve the distributor. What makes the Qjet a good option is that it has anular venturi which atomizes the fuel mixture better. Edelbrocks have this too. Ford's old 4100 4 barrel and 2100 2 barrler use them as well. My old 85 5.0 Mustang's 4180 Motorcraft had them as well. I would get close to 26 MPG doing 80 MPH with the AC blasting. Ditto on driving the car and see what you want to do. I'm not running OD on my 66 Mustang with my 4 speed. I have 2.8 gears and like the combo on the hiway. I have a 25.5" tire.

[hiroshima1320]

Is an hei dist a useful upgrade, and are there any that drop in? Rock auto has all the ignition and fuel parts dirt cheap, but the front end parts are expensive and they dont have everything. Kanter is more expensive than pst.

[Huskinhano]

Yes, the HEI would be a great upgrade. I'm not up on my Olds stuff so I don't know if you could use one from a 350, 403 or 455 would work. My guess is the 403 would be a good starting point. You can also find chinese HEIs on ebay cheap. I bought a used chinese GM style HEI for my Mustang and it's been working great. I'd recommend feeding it with a #12 wire right off the battery, fused of course with the ignition wiring for the old coil controlling a relay. The HEI produces a hotter spark with more energy so you need to feed it with a good power source. Garbage in, garbage out.

Unfortunately I think you have an orphan car so parts are going to harder and more expensive to find. I wouldn't compromise on safety, just bite the bullet. I'm sure it'll be cheaper then trying to re-engineer a new steering system!

[Scott Liggett]

HEI's are simple and work well. Factory ones work better, if in good condition, than any of the new china made stuff. They have crap modules and weak coils. I bought one for my Monte Carlo and replaced the module and coil on it. Worked good after that.

They are stupid easy to wire. One wire from the IGN terminal on the fuse block and you are done. Do not use any of the old points/coil wiring. It has a resistor built into it.

Before that, check your vacuum advance on your current distributor. If its bad, its a vacuum leak and not helping mpg. An old, weak coil wont be helping your mpg either.

[malc]

MadElectrical told me this is the best module to use in an HEI on RockAuto.com.

[DanStokes]

I ran a Performance Distributors HEI on my 250 inline in the Camaro. GREAT stuff and bullet proof. Maybe not the cheapest but I'd guess cheaper in the long run as they fit and work as advertised and KEEP working. I don't know if they have your particular application but they DO have a lot or unusual applications.

Dan