Im new to all this stuff; im trying real hard to understand all these car terms. Ive always been a fan of muscle cars, but I never took an interest in them up untill a few months or so. I will be buying my first car soon, a 1984 H/O. My father wants me to get a cheap, fuel efficent "modern" car. He says im making a HUGE mistake in buying an old car as my first. I completely dissagree with him, and have practicaly convinced him to give in. After all, I have no plan on ever selling the car. Ive been constantly reading up on information about the Oldsmobile and similar cars to better prepare my self. For example, im constantly looking over "Tom's 84 Hurst Olds Page" (http://tlentz.oldsgmail.com/) to get a better understanding, but I end up completely confused. Can anybody explain Posi Traction, Limited Slip Differential, and the Quadrajet to me? Does the 84 H/O have these things? Do you guys know of any more resources i can read up on? Thanks.
Another Few Quick 84 H/O Questions....
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Good for you for getting into a fun car. Today's cars lack the character and charm that older vehicles have. I bought my 442 when I was 17, and though it wasn't my first car, it was a lot of fun, and most of all, a great learning experience. It might be a good idea to get yourself a AAA membership just in case... :lol:
Posi-traction is a term for a limited-slip rear end. Back in the glory years, Chevy had "Posi-trac", Mopar had "Sure-grip", Pontiac had "saftey-trac" etc...
All just different marketing terms for the same thing
A limited slip rear has clutches in the rear end carrier, and when one wheel starts to slip, the clutches grab and helps send power to the other wheel.
In a non-posi, or 'open' rear, the one wheel will just break loose, and spin like crazy, which is how you can get stuck with just one wheel on ice or snow.
It's a performance oriented option, and comes in handy on the drag strip. It's also nice in the winter, for getting through the snow.
A Quadrajet is the four barrel carburetor built by Rochester, that was used as the original equipment on just about all GM cars that were equiped with a 4bbl from the late '60s through the late '80s... They're a good carb with a bad rap, from people who don't know how to properly tune or rebuild them.
An '84 H/O will have a Quadrajet, unless somebody switched it for something else.
Posi was an option, so it depends on how the car was ordered. It's pretty easy to add if the car you get doesn't already have it.
Posi-traction is a term for a limited-slip rear end. Back in the glory years, Chevy had "Posi-trac", Mopar had "Sure-grip", Pontiac had "saftey-trac" etc...
All just different marketing terms for the same thing
A limited slip rear has clutches in the rear end carrier, and when one wheel starts to slip, the clutches grab and helps send power to the other wheel.
In a non-posi, or 'open' rear, the one wheel will just break loose, and spin like crazy, which is how you can get stuck with just one wheel on ice or snow.
It's a performance oriented option, and comes in handy on the drag strip. It's also nice in the winter, for getting through the snow.
A Quadrajet is the four barrel carburetor built by Rochester, that was used as the original equipment on just about all GM cars that were equiped with a 4bbl from the late '60s through the late '80s... They're a good carb with a bad rap, from people who don't know how to properly tune or rebuild them.
An '84 H/O will have a Quadrajet, unless somebody switched it for something else.
Posi was an option, so it depends on how the car was ordered. It's pretty easy to add if the car you get doesn't already have it.
I agree with everything Blake said however I will add the posi (or more accurately in a street car limited slip) is a bit of a two edged sword in the snow and ice. It provides more traction however once the traction limit is exceeded its much quicker to put you in the ditch. Exceed the traction of an open rear ie single tire spin and it does not push the car to one side or the other. Exceed the traction limit of the posi and it wants to push the rear to one side or the other often pointing/sending you into the ditch in the process. Many of us have had lots of fun with this in a somewhat controlled enviroment. :wink: It just takes a little safe place practice at the traction threshold to get an understanding and respect for what it will do.
And I want to add just a bit more about the limited-slip diff. 😀 What makes it nice in snow is that its predictable, if it the tires spin you know both will and can be ready to counter. In an open rear you can have one or both spin in snow(depending if your turning and how hard your pushing it) making it somewhat unpredictable.
Ok, I will throw my 2 cents in here even though no one asked for it.
Your first car? Driving in the winter?
THEN DONT BUY A Hurst Olds Cutlass!!!!!
Buy a decent modern car, and then save up again for the H/O.
Too many people get these cars and it is their only source of transportation, in which case, they drive them year round, neglect them, drive them into the ground and let them rot.
You want a first car, buy a used 1999 Grand Prix or something. At least when it gets smacked in the winter time or driven into the ground, it wont be a limited number car.
Your first car? Driving in the winter?
THEN DONT BUY A Hurst Olds Cutlass!!!!!
Buy a decent modern car, and then save up again for the H/O.
Too many people get these cars and it is their only source of transportation, in which case, they drive them year round, neglect them, drive them into the ground and let them rot.
You want a first car, buy a used 1999 Grand Prix or something. At least when it gets smacked in the winter time or driven into the ground, it wont be a limited number car.
thanks you all for your help. It rarely snows in the area where I live, but is there any way i can tell by looking at the vehicle if it has a limited slip differential?
Look for G80 on the trunk RPO tag or crawl under the car and look for a small rectangular tag attached to one of the diff cover bolts that says 'Use limited slip gear lube only'
Yeah, RWD can be "fun" in snow and ice-even for an experienced driver. Were I to buy a H/O Cutlass, it would not be driven with road salt as that would quickly destroy it. These are fun cars, but you do have to know what you are doing to maintain them, or at least be willing to learn. Even nice examples have many unusual problems due to age, and require a certain amount of knowledge to keep them running. Much of that knowledge can be gained in places like this site, but even then it will be a steep learning curve. Now my recommendation for a good first car is a 1991-99 Nissan Sentra with a 5 speed. They are reliable and stupid hard to destroy (unless a Toyota Rav 4 crosses in front of you in an intersection... like happened to me) with good handling and crappy brakes. The brakes can be upgraded though with minimal effort ( I was getting ready to do that when I wrecked mine).
I will also add that although the H/O Cutlass looks good, it isn't in reality for one reason: the engine has no balls. Swap the engine and it instantly becomes a fun car. However, being in High School and living at home generally precludes an engine swap. How slow is it? Well, a stock 4 cylinder Sentra or Civic will probably be faster in a 1/4 mile. Remember that the 1980's had a few good performance cars (5.0 Mustang, GN, TPI 350 F bodies, BMW E30 M3, etc.), and lots of cars with tape stripe packages that are all looks and no real performance. Most performance G bodies fall into the latter category. Most of us on this site have extensively modified our cars so that they no longer suck. If you buy one, be prepared to do that if you want a car that is fast. I will also add that most of us have alternate daily drivers and the space to play with our G body cars on the side. They do not have to be reliable and get us back and forth to work or school every day. This is not to say that they can't, but when you have a lot of time and effort in a car you tend not to want to expose it to the mindless idiots in commuter traffic. High School parking lots are not good places for nice cars either. Plenty of inexperienced drivers who tend to have low speed collisions or do other careless things.
I will also add that although the H/O Cutlass looks good, it isn't in reality for one reason: the engine has no balls. Swap the engine and it instantly becomes a fun car. However, being in High School and living at home generally precludes an engine swap. How slow is it? Well, a stock 4 cylinder Sentra or Civic will probably be faster in a 1/4 mile. Remember that the 1980's had a few good performance cars (5.0 Mustang, GN, TPI 350 F bodies, BMW E30 M3, etc.), and lots of cars with tape stripe packages that are all looks and no real performance. Most performance G bodies fall into the latter category. Most of us on this site have extensively modified our cars so that they no longer suck. If you buy one, be prepared to do that if you want a car that is fast. I will also add that most of us have alternate daily drivers and the space to play with our G body cars on the side. They do not have to be reliable and get us back and forth to work or school every day. This is not to say that they can't, but when you have a lot of time and effort in a car you tend not to want to expose it to the mindless idiots in commuter traffic. High School parking lots are not good places for nice cars either. Plenty of inexperienced drivers who tend to have low speed collisions or do other careless things.
thank you all for such fast replies. I really would like a nice cool car to cruise around in. If i happen to get the Hurst Olds, i will most likely keep the stock 307. I have always been interested in cars, and much as a honda civic may go faster, I would never want one. I am willing to learn all that it takes to maintain an old car, I just have never had the option to do so untill now. I will be going to college after my senior year, most likely Rutgers to some type of engineering, whether it be computer or mechanical. Thank you all so much for helping me out.
What part of the country do you live in?
I brought up the snow thing as a general discussion point for posi-rears. Hopefully should you get an H/O, it never sees it.
The 307 does lack power, but it's more than enough for somebody's first car. They still have a fair amount of torque, and the 3.73's help them feel pretty quick.
I still managed to mercilessly wail on it, burning through an entire set of tires in one summer doing burn outs, and then eventually blowing up the original engine.
But being in Minnesota, it's always been stored in the winter since I owned it, and I've always had at least one other car to rely on.
I bought mine as a theft recovery, and slowly nursed it back to health.
The flip side was I started working in a repair shop just before I turned 16, and had shop/parts access and made friends with the mechanic who started showing me the ropes.
And I picked up a sh*t load of door dings in the high school parking lot... :x
I brought up the snow thing as a general discussion point for posi-rears. Hopefully should you get an H/O, it never sees it.
The 307 does lack power, but it's more than enough for somebody's first car. They still have a fair amount of torque, and the 3.73's help them feel pretty quick.
I still managed to mercilessly wail on it, burning through an entire set of tires in one summer doing burn outs, and then eventually blowing up the original engine.
But being in Minnesota, it's always been stored in the winter since I owned it, and I've always had at least one other car to rely on.
I bought mine as a theft recovery, and slowly nursed it back to health.
The flip side was I started working in a repair shop just before I turned 16, and had shop/parts access and made friends with the mechanic who started showing me the ropes.
And I picked up a sh*t load of door dings in the high school parking lot... :x
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