Things to Look For when shopping for a Roadmaster or other Whale Wagon

Discussion in 'General Station Wagon Discussions' started by 81X11, Jan 16, 2019.

  1. 81X11

    81X11 Well-Known Member

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    Well since I'm celebrating 12-years since I first bought my '96 Roadmaster Wagon, thought a share some things to "Look For" when shopping. This is mainly for 94-96 cars, because I know them the best. I always having people asking me about my car and wanting to know what is the "right" wagon, so took the time to write my thoughts. Feel free to point out any mistakes! Just want to help others!

    SO here we go.

    The 94-96 models with the LT1 under the hood are the most fun. Look for ones with the towing package, which includes an engine-driven mechanical fan, an external oil cooler and transmission cooler (which GREATLY adds to the life of the transmission on these) and also includes the posi-traction 2.93 rear axle, which makes these huge cars a LOT faster, more fun, and also helps the transmission life as the car will not be shifting in and out of Overdrive on every little hill on the highway. The base non-tow-pack cars have a silly 2.55 gear that makes them feel like real dogs, especially if you drive a tow-pack and then a non-tow-pack right after. It's not a deal-breaker that the car is not a tow-pack, but a rear axle swap is a near-must if it's not...if you want to really enjoy these vehicles. Regardless when you drive the car make sure the transmission falls right into gear and shifts smoothly with no slip. Also feel for any hesitation under load...the '94 was the last LT1 to use the early non-vent-hose OptiSpark distributor...which you can Google if you don't know about. They are more prone to failure and a pain to change. Beyond that it's just the usual, in looking for leaks, listening to any odd engine sounds or noise from the rear. These cars are mechanically built, literally, like trucks, so they are pretty stout, but do the usual once-over. You will want to check that the tailgate opens both down and to the side. Oh and the interior door panels are made of plastic crap...NEVER EVER slam the door on a 94-96 Roadmaster. GM did a fast-an-dirty redesign on the door panels for 94 when they installed the new dual-airbag dashboard, and the panels are prone to cracking, especially toward the front of the panel in front of the arm rests on both front doors. You will also want to make sure all four door power windows open and close fine. There are plastic sliders on the window tracks that break....VERY common, and they DO make redesigned rollers to fix the issue, but it's a bit of labor to change those. I can do those in my sleep now. Other things to check are that the a/c and heat work, and that the climate control switches smoothly from floor to dash to defrost, meaning the blend door is working. And even on a southern car, check for rust under the spare tire well below the passenger-side rear 1/4 panel. The roof racks are known to leak, water ends up standing in the tire well and it rusts from the inside-out. Lastly, these cars have rear air suspension..and in many cases the air shocks are shot or the compressor (mounts under the front bumper) is shot, which makes a soft car REALLY soft. One of the FIRST mods I do on my wagons is to pull the compressor fuse and order Moog variable-rate rear coil springs and KYB Gas-A-Just shocks for all four corners, which TOTALLY fixes the car, takes the float away but still gives a smooth ride. If the buy the car, I would out this mod near the top of your 2-do list.

    The '94 models are somewhat of an odd year, being the first year for the LT1, the updated dashboard, door panels, and they changed the way the 2nd-row seat folds down (simplified hinge design). They do have some leftover parts from the older models, with the main detraction on the '94 being the much-smaller door mirrors. The '94 was also the final year for the older style din-1/2 radios, carried over from 1993 and previous years. Beyond that, these have that older-style OptiSpark I mentioned above, which is a bit more fragile and failure-prone.

    You really are not missing a lot in a 1994. In 1995 the Roadmaster got the new large-format double-din stereos, with large buttons, a bigger digital screen, and the option of having both CD and Cassette in the radio together, along with improved "Concert Sound" 6-speaker audio system. Also in '95 the cars got the much bigger (and better integrated) exterior door mirrors, and as mentioned the redesigned OptiSpark distributor that uses intake vacuum via a hose to remove moisture from the distributor, and removed the vents which allowed water to enter the Opti..the 95-96 Opti is just a lot more reliable. '95 was also the first year for the "Limited"-level interior trim, which included seats in a design shared with the Riviera, that offered seat heaters and power lumber support. The '96 was a carryover year with the somewhat-large exception of moving to the OBDII computer and diagnostics system...meaning for tech issues the '96 is easier to diagnose for most shops, as OBDII is still the standard for cars and almost all shops have scanners for them, but the downside is you now have FOUR oxygen sensors instead of just two, and some mods are a bit more difficult without tripping a Check Engine light. The only other "updates" in '96 were, being the final year, they got the big round "Collector's Edition" hood ornaments and some have special fender emblems as well, and the seat belt's got interior color-matched plastic caps on the male part of the buckles.

    Oh, ha, in mid-95 they changed to a larger 1-piece fold-down center armrest that is a bit more comfy when you are using the cupholder. I know, zippity-do-dah, but you asked for year-over-year changes.

    Just to note on a non-tow-pack car....in addition to being a bit weak power-wise due to the rear axle gearing, it most-likely will have a badge on the dash that says DYNARIDE. That is the base-level suspension and it is very VERY soft and floaty. The tow-pack cars got the Gran Touring Suspension option, which was a bit firmer and more stable. See my notes way-up-high about the spring and shock most...highly recommended mod if you buy the whale-wagon. Oh and be prepared if it has the wire wheels that are known to creak and rattle. I would find a set of stock Roadmaster wheels if you want to keep the original look or Impala SS wheels bolt right on.

    If you do decide to change the rear gearing, a super mod is to find a rear axle from a 1991-1993 tow-pack Roadmaster/Caprice/Olds Custom Cruiser wagon. Those had a 3.23 rear axle, and let me tell you, going from a 2.55 to a 3.23 will feel like you added 100-horsepower. Those can still be found in salvage yards or online forums/Craigslist. You will have to have the ecm flashed for the new gearing for the correct shift points and speedo reading, but there are quite a few good tuners that know the drill. I can't stress enough what a great difference that makes to a non-tow-pack car to move to the 2.93 rear from an LT1 car or a 3.23 for a TBI car. Totally wakes the car up, makes the transmission live longer, and makes the car feel 1000-pounds lighter.

    Since I've now written you a novel, check if either of the front seats "rock", feeling like they are loose from the floor just a bit. GM used cheap plastic sliders for the seat tracks, and they break, and then the seats will rock just a bit. You can get new sliders, made of better materials, but it's a project to change them. Broken sliders can also lead to jamming seats, so make sure the power seats work in all directions.

    That's ALL I can think of now. Good Luck!

    As-Found in 2007
    [​IMG]

    And now 2019 (well late 2018 in this pic)
    [​IMG]

    I hope I haven't scared anyone off....I love these cars a lot, and wanted to give you the common things to look for.

    -Texas Mike
     
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  2. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

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    Wow Mike! That was pretty impressive. Thanks for sharing your knowledge of these cars with the group. :thumbs2:
     
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  3. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    No matter what anyone says, Opti-Spark was an idiotic design. They could have designed a DIS setup, dual ICMs, that would've simply been better, but no, the engineers had to justify their existence. If it weren't for that, I would've had one a while ago; a Caprice one was for sale, I liked the colors, the grille was color-matched to the car, but it had Opti-Spark, and I've done two. I never want to do another for as long as I live.
     
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  4. Grizz

    Grizz Are we there yet???

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    Nice write up mike!!! You forgot one thing...if your going to buy one of these cars be sure to find a solid lead on the IMPALA WHEELS!!! They do look gooooooood!:thumbs2:
     
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  5. 81X11

    81X11 Well-Known Member

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    I'm at 135K miles on my original Optispark and it's never given me a bit of trouble. I do think the later 95-97 Optis were much better than the 94 and older ones...and my car is a '96, so I have the better one.

    Here is some Optispark info I've had bookmarked for years:

    The LT1 Optisparks are very similar between years, but there are only 2 styles : 1992-1994 and 1995-1997. The 2 cannot be interchanged without front cover and camshaft modifications. There are 3 main differences in the units : drive method, ventilation system, and electrical connection.
    [​IMG]

    Vented Optisparks have 2 small vacuum line attachments. These attachments allow for engine vacuum to remove moisture from the Optispark unit.
    [​IMG]

    Non-vented Optisparks have no vacuum line attachments. Instead, 3 small holes are located at the bottom of the unit to allow for ventilation. This causes failure when driving in rainy weather or through a puddle.
    [​IMG]

    The Optisparks use 2 different drive methods : Spline drive and Pin drive. On spline drive system (92-94), the Optispark has a splined shaft that mates to the camshaft timing gear. The gear is clocked so the shaft only goes in 1-way for precise timing. On the pin drive system (95-97), a pin extended from the camshaft runs through the timing gear and into a slot on the Optispark, and the shaft from the Optispark runs through the camshaft center for better bearing support.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Non-vented:
    [​IMG]

    Vented:
    [​IMG]

    CONVERTING FROM NON-VENTED TO VENTED OPTISPARK

    Some advantages of the vented Optispark are (1) the ventilation system allows for a longer life span and less misfires, (2) the bearing and drive method allow for longer bearing life, and (3) the larger diameter front seal reduces the change of oil leakage through the cover and into the Optispark. You can convert from a non-vented Optispark to a vented Optispark by changing the Optispark unit, the front timing cover to a 95-97 model, camshaft timing gear to a 95-97 model, adding the vacuum lines, and changing the Optispark extension harness to the later model. The camshaft does not necessarily need to be changed, but you will need to drill the cam centering hole deeper for the Optispark unit to slide in all of the way.
     
  6. 81X11

    81X11 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the wheel comment. Here is my wheel mod. ;)
    [​IMG]
     
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  7. Dan Scully

    Dan Scully Well-Known Member

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    The Caddy version can hold 2 or 3 in the front one in the back or a lot of load out back. :eek: 20180126_133652[1].jpg
     
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  8. HotRodRacer

    HotRodRacer Moderator Staff Member Moderator

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    Great write-up Mike. Admin/Mods, this needs to be stickied for future reference where it is easy to find.
     
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  9. ModelT1

    ModelT1 Still Lost in the 50's

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    I hope I haven't scared anyone off....I love these cars a lot, and wanted to give you the common things to look for.

    -Texas Mike


    Yup, skeered me off but I'm back! Great information Mike.

    -Illinois Denny
     
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