Junkyard Gem: 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser

Being from the rust belt, it always gets me when they say a car is used up. That car would have had a second life up here. The rockers aren’t even rusted out.

I had an 86 Celebrity wagon with that carbed 2.8 rebuilt by the previous owner. It was a strong engine, but after a year or two the carb wouldn’t work right. I rebuilt it but it didn’t help. Eventually I used a paper clip and wired the choke about 1/4 of the way open. It wasn’t perfect but it was now driveable in all conditions.

At one point the TV cable broke. It was interesting. I had to shift it manually unless I wanted to take forever to get up to speed. But once up to speed, it was fast. I could floor it without it downshifting. And on unused back roads, bury the speedometer pretty easily.