I really like my '77 Delta, but...

My daily commute is at least an hour and a half each way, and often time more! That's but a hop, skip and a jump!

 

Personally, I think I'd find a closer job, or move, unless it pays REALLY good.

 

I wouldn't want to make that drive every day. It would take a days pay to get to work and back. When I worked for a living there were guys driving that far everyday but they went in car pools so they shared the expense and others could sleep both ways. Also fuel was under 50 cents a gallon.
And there are the big cities where people sit in traffic for hours to go a short distance. I think those who work right out of their home have got it made.

 

Yeah, people who work at home surely have it made, I'm planning on getting into unarmed security for the short term, it only pays $9-14/hr, but I'm making $8.50/hr doing janitorial. It's a very laborious job, whereas unarmed security is not, why get paid less to work harder, and to come home covered in industrial dust and grime? Soon as my front brakes are done, and I've got my temporary exhaust system installed, I'm gonna get my unarmed security certification.

My last job was driving a truck from Roanoke VA to Durham NC and back to Roanoke VA every night, it was well over 300 miles round trip, plus I had to load up a few pallets, unload 'em when I got to Durham, reload the truck with more pallets, then break down the pallets when I got back to Roanoke. About 42 totes per pallet, weighing anything between 1lb and 100lbs each, except for one pallet which never had more than 36 totes, but those weighed between 30-100lbs. So, 5 pallets of 42, 1 of 36, you do the math. I mean it paid $100 a night, but man that was a nerve racking job. Had to leave Roanoke at 5:30-6PM, driving down I-581, which is one of the most traversed cross-city roads in town, that dumped onto route 220, which stayed full of traffic until I got past Bassett VA. Trip back was free of traffic, but that was 'cause I usually didn't get back into Roanoke until 2-3AM. Plus it was all in an underpowered, noisy, bouncy, and rather toasty cab of a '99 Mitsubishi Fuso which really did not like doing 55-70MPH up the interstates and highways I traveled in it.

 

I was reading the Welcome Wagon threads, and there is a new member in Florida who might just have a good car for you. It's been sitting for a while, so needs an interior, but if the body is rust free and the price is right, could be a good candidate for combining with the wagons you have. Here's his intro thread:

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30489

Not much of an intro, but I thought of you. Might be a way to get you back into an Olds wagon.

 

I just read up on that thread, and holy crap that car is rough. The one that has been sitting in the junkyard since I was a child is in nicer shape than that. I'm not past making a road trip in a rental then driving something back I'm probably going to break down in, but that thing would take a week to get road worthy. I can't see towing one of these cars, I have little experience towing, and I don't want to gain it towing a aircraft carrier of a wagon.

Cool find, if it where nearby I'd look it over, but I'm not going all the way to Florida for a car that is being claimed by the environment. We'll just have to keep looking when I get some money up, almost past my last hurdle, got the front brake parts, now I just need to patch the exhaust, rebuild the carb, and get some 235/70 or 75 (Or wider) rear tires so the car will bite the road in the rain while accelerating (I steamed the tires on the way to work this morning. ). I'm gonna get a couple grand saved up and see what turns up, hopefully it doesn't smell bad like that one does, I'll likely be sleeping in the back if it's more than a days trip.

 

there are alot of wagons out there..finding the right one for you is the trick.. i am building one now that most people would of let go to the crusher.. but i am hard headed enough to get it back road worthy..

 

:banana: Ditto!

 

I agree, however, I don't really have any way to transport an old lump of iron nearly a thousand miles, so if it is in need of a total restore (Which it shouldn't be, seeing as it shouldn't be more than 34 years old), I'd like to get a hold of one closer. However if one is rough, but runs great, I'd gladly go a ways to get it, so long as it can be driven back.

Wagons like the one you have are hard to find anymore, in any shape, but 80's B body Oldsmobile's are still common in fairly decent shape. I'll try to track down a few still owned by old people, see if I can't shake one loose in the Fall or late Summer.

Just gotta keep my eyes peeled, if I see one on the road I'm liable to follow it until it stops to see if I can buy it.

 

Finding one that's "still owned by old people" just mite be harder than finding a decent Olds wagon to begin with

Be patient in your hunt and by the sounds of it you are and enjoy the Delta for now. Finding exactly what we want can be hard and at times a bit discouraging when funds/budget are limiting.....story of my lifeEven if you find a wagon close to you that is exactly what you want look at it carefully, you don't want to have buyers remorse. I still dream about getting another 80's Colony Park witch is as rare as hens teeth on my island. In the last few years when I had the $ 3 have come up for sale at a decent price yet after viewing them.... well there is no CP in my driveway.

You seem very dead set on another Olds wagon. Think about broadening your search maybe a, Buick, Pontiac, or a Chevy B-body from the 80's. I don't know what your over all plans are for the Delta but if you find a 80's GM wagon it's 99% going to have the Olds 307 and if the engine has problems you have the 350 for a doner. Bit of rust is one thing as long as it's not cancer but Mold, run away.

 

I agree with the others. At least you are taking it slow and easy. But as far as finding the right wagon, I'd bet you'll be more likely to find one owned by younger people who just don't like it. Maybe it was old dad's and the kids ended up with it.
Keep saving and looking. That way you will be able to pounce on a nice clean one when it shows up.

 

I don't really care if it's a Chevy 350, a 350 is pretty much a 350 once it's built right. Some had better castings, but that's about it. I'm set on an Oldsmobile 'cause it's the body style I like, I mean I'd take a Chevy, maybe even a Buick or Pontiac, but I'd rather have an Oldsmobile. I know of an old couple near here who has three Custom Cruisers, two red with wood grain, one light blue, I'm gonna try to pry the blue one loose of 'em. 'Course it wont stay a woody, I can't stand ploodgrain.

It took me a while to find a CAR I was even willing to drive, finding a wagon? That's going to take a while, the first car I looked at was a 1985 Delta 88 with a 307... And it was blowing smoke out the oil dipstick... Then I found the 1977 buried in Craigslist ads, had been in there two months, didn't figure it was still around. But, hey, called and they still had it. 9/10 times I've seen cars like mine that need brake work, shocks, have a fickle carburetor, but have other things going for them that people just overlook and they don't want them. I figured this car would be another lemon, and it sort of was, I've had to do a lot of work and I still have a lot to do, but all in all it's been a great car, I've put nearly a thousand miles on it and I'm looking forward to many thousands of miles ahead, this car won't go anywhere anytime soon. Nor will the wagon I get that will sit along side it. I don't mind owning my own fleet, but my driveway will never be as roomy as it was.

As for jumping on a clean one, that's my plan in a nutshell. I mean I am going to be spending some money getting me a few toys down at Hillsville VA when they do the labor day flea market / gun show, 'cause, there is little more stress relieving to me than making a empty can vanish with a 12 gauge.

But past that, I have no real debts, or do much of anything that eats away at my wallet except my car (soon to be cars, hopefully), so I should be able to get some money up pretty quickly.


Anyway, gotta get to work, daily grind all over again, I swear we clean more dirt out of that UPS building than the weight of the building its self.

 

350 engines are hugely different in-between the different brands..crank journal size, bore and strokes sizes, nickel content in the block casting, cast vs forged parts.. but the big factor for most is cost which can vary greatly.. everyone has their preference the world would be boring with differences... just keep looking that special car is out there somewhere..

 

Yes I'm aware, for instance the LT1 350 that they used in the late 80's and early 90's, particularly in those bubble body wagons I believe. However when it comes to the 350 I have, it's pretty much a generic out of the box "This is what you think of when you think of a 350" 350 crate engine. No frills, pre-emission controls, non cali-CARB 350. Could get some power out of this engine, and I may do that, I'm not certain what my plans are for the car.

A bit off topic, but a lot of my plans are a bit derailed at the moment, I put in my two weeks where I work, got fed up with a few things going on. Long story short, something opened up today (The day I put in my two weeks) with the company C.R. England, trucking company that specializes in refrigerated goods. I'll be headed to Indiana around the 25th of April to take CDL training classes, and learn to drive a big rig. They'll hire me if I pass, and I'm fairly certain I can. I'm all for new opportunities, and I'll finally stop procrastinating about getting more experience driving a stick. After that I'll end up back here, though I'll probably use this as my ticket out of Roanoke, and my Delta will likely come with me.

However, I'll make more money doing this kind of work than I currently do, a little more than I did driving a non CDL truck, around $440 a week, versus making maybe that much every two like with my current job. And that's just starting pay, I can make a lot more later on. Either way, I'll be better off doing this kind of work, dealing with people is not my strong suit. So, sometime in the future, I shall own another long roof, and with more funding, it'll surely be a nicer one.

 

England trucking has been around awhile. Good luck. You may even see some nice looking station wagons for sale as you are truckin.