Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Getting the GT Feel for the Road: A Suspension Upgrade for the GEZROKET or How to Find and "Parts Bin Engineer," Your Car, When There Weren't Many or Any Aftermarket Parts Built for Your Car

Back on June 30, 2019, I Published the GT Project Blog Post, telling  readers of this blog that I intended to "upgrade" my last year Olds 98 Regency Elite Sedan in order to make it a better driver.  I gave a brief definition of what a Gran Touring car is land what it's meant to do, examples of current or past Gran Touring Cars and what and how I intended to achieve turning the car into a Gran Touring Sedan, by replacing the "comfort ride," FE1 Suspension with the "Performance Ride," FE3 Suspension of the 119-93 Olds Touring Sedan.  Although my Olds 98 Regency is a 1996 model, now 25 model years old (and Ransome E. Olds, first automobile company has departed long departed from the GM brand pool, no longer to sell cars or even be remembered), the parts that I need were last produced as the Olds 98 Touring Sedan in the 1993 Model Year, 28 years ago. When I started this quest to upgrade my 98's suspension, I started out hopeful.  In searching for Olds 98, I first found this MotorWeek episode reviewing the 1991 Olds 98 Touring Sedan.

Fortunately for me, this is a GM Car.  It's fortunate, not because I'm a GM fanboy (I'm not - I'm actually a MOPAR man), but because 1000's of these very cars were sold (a total of just under 10,000 total of the 3 years of production).  And the more cars that were sold, the more 'spares' they're likely to keep on a shelf in a warehouse.  

But somewhere inside of GM Corporate Offices, there's a calculation that tells a parts buyer to purchase "X" amount of replacement parts for this car.  First let's start out with a "bad" fact:  There were only about 10,000 of these Olds 98 Touring Sedans ever built, between 1991 and 1993.  That's an awful small run of cars for which to make "custom parts."  But, aside from the decor, the paint, badging and interior, they're not really custom:  Parts needed to transform this big car into a handler, were pulled from parts bins of the H-Body cars, like the Pontiac Bonneville, Olds (88) LSS and Buick Park Avenue Ultra.

As a Purchasing Professional, I can tell the reader that you don't want to buy too many replacement parts.  They'll sit on a shelf for years collecting dust and going unused, until someone in a warehouse says "why do we have these parts lying around here, collecting dust and taking up space?"  That person will tell his supervisor, who tells a manager, who wait call someone to see how many sales they've had in that parts' history, who will call asset accounting to get a costumer year to store the part, and eventually they'll call the inventory control team and a materials manager to ask if they can dispose of this item as scrap.

So how do we find these parts?  What we really need is a Hollander Parts Interchange Book (or computer program), that every serious junk yard in the US has in their possession.  If you know somebody at a salvage yard, maybe they'll let you look at their book (or even buy last year's book).  I haven't hunted down special car parts in years, so all of my connections are long gone.  Time for Plan "B."

The Internet is a wonderful tool to find old items.  There is an online database called GM Parts direct (powered by Flow Automotive - a family of dealerships in the Winston-Salem, NC area that I found after the fact), but I started looking on E-bay, in the used parts section.  Why?  To see if any of the H-Body car parts, such as suspension parts would also fit my long wheel base 1996 C-Body.  GM, selling cars in a mature market (where nearly every family in the US has a car or could purchase one) needs to economize by using components on as many car lines as possible.  As the front-wheel drive C-body and H-body cars are similar.  As it turns out, the H-Body Front and Rear Anti-Sway Bats will fit the GEZROKET.  Now let's go to theRock Auto's New Parts Catalog.  Although the 1991-1993 Olds Touring Sedan looks very similar (identical?), let's see if the suspension parts will interchange.  I had to do numerous look ups here to see if the FE1 struts from my 1996 Olds 98 (Regency Elite package) will fit the standard 1991 Olds Regency.  They are "exchangeable" with that car.  From that we can assume (with a reasonable amount of confidence) that the Strut from the 1991 Touring Sedan will bolt in on the 1996 Olds 98 Regency Elite.  After that it was easy to find all of the Struts and Springs brand new in Rock Auto's data base.

Now it was time to speak with my mechanic, Jeff.  Would he replace the front and rear suspension pieces with new pieces.  Jeff's only caveat was that the front struts were to come as an assembly, so we wouldn't be searching for all of the small parts, nor having to compress the springs to mount them on the struts, a major safety issue, as a compressed spring contains a large amount of energy, that when released suddenly (e.g. the spring compressor suddenly and unexpectedly releases the spring-something I've witnessed and fortunately no one got hurt!-that could injure, maim or kill a nearby person).  

Then it was time to go back to Rock Auto's database again, looking for the Front Strut with mounted springs.  As KYB (the strut manufacturer) did not publish the front spring rates, I ended up calling one of their engineers, asking if their replacement front spring rate wa the same (or how much difference was there from the FE3 front springs). The engineer didn't give a definitive answer, telling me that the spring rates on the replacement KYB strut package were a "trade secret," but he told me that he thought that I would like them for my application.

So I had Jeff install all 4 struts.  Jeff recommended not using the self leveling feature of the compressor with the rear struts due to age, but instead to just use an air shock line and manually set the pressure in them, which I did.  then I drove the GEZROKET up to Lacy's Alignment, where an old school mate of mine, Rocky, works, to get a 4 wheel alignment.

So I drove the car home and negotiated the horrible interchange between I-77 N and I-85 N in Charlotte.  I say horrible, as contractors have constructed from I-77's toll lanes project from the Brookshire Freeway to above Lake Norman and in the process have built a new interchange from the toll lanes on I-77 that includes  to I-85 North) .  The road surface is no longer smooth (frankly the road is beaten up), and there is a nasty kink in the curve instead of a constant radius.  How did the big 98 do?  It handled the roughness and broken asphalt very well, rather than feeling that the car was out of control.  It also was not too harsh, keeping the luxury of a smooth long wheelbase ride.  

But the big challenge was the off-ramp between I-85 N and I-485 Outer (North Carolina "Metropolitan Loop Freeways" use Inner -Clockwise, and Outer - Anti-Clockwise).  The off-ramp is a Turbine style, allowing higher speeds than a clove leaf.  The ramp makes a curve that changes your heading 45 degrees or so toward the east has a straight away and then a sharper turn, another 45 degrees toward the Southeast.  While the normal speed limit is 45MPH, I'd made through at least 60 MPH before the spring and strut change, but the car felt disconnected and I was fighting it.  Now with the new struts and springs, I can easily take the off ramp at 68 MPH without any drama.  The Trip back, West to South First turns 45 degrees toward the North East,and then thins 135 degrees left to the Southwest, before turning another 45 degrees to the south and then back 45 degrees to the Southwest (allowing I 485 Outer and Inner off ramps from 485 to directly connect with the on ramp to I-85 South.  The best I used to be able to take the ramp was at 54 MPH and once again, the car was feeling "squirelly."  Now, 58 - 62 are easy and fully under control.  The final test was giving my 89 year old Daddy a ride through the (crumbling) streets of Charlotte:  Would he still approve of the ride?  The answer was a resounding yes.  Although the ride is stiffer, it is not rough.  The still reasonably tall sidewalls on the P215-65/R-15Michelin Defender Tires to give a decent ride, good traction (not Good-Year Eagle level traction, but then again, the tires last about 80K miles, in which time, you'd have replaced 2 sets of the Eagles!) and the longer wheelbase keeps the car from porpoising as it goes over concrete joints.  

I haven't upgraded the front or rear anti-sway bars, nor the bushings or end links for the bars.  That will come in the future, giving me even greater turn-in response, but there is only so much you can do with a big car.  Mission accomplished.

Sunday, June 30, 2019

The GT Project

A GT or Grand Touring Car is a car that has been designed to travel long distances at high speed (figure about 100 mph).  These cars were a niche market, aimed at drivers who wanted a car that handled well, accelerated adequately, braked well and carried a couple of people or two couples and their luggage comfortably on a long trip.  These cars sometimes leaned toward Muscle Cars, or even Police Interceptor/Pursuits, but hadIt is both a luxury car and driver’s car.

Examples of this type of car are found in the following Marques (this is not complete listing): 

  • Iso Rivolta, Grifo, Fidia and Lele,  
  • Jensen Interceptor, 
  • BMW 5, 6 and 7 series, 
  • Jaguar XJ-6, XJ-12, and Sovereign
  • Daimler 420 Sovereign, 
  • Chevrolet Corvette
  • Lister Corvette,
  • Studebaker Avanti
  • Avanti Motor Company Avanti II
  • Alfa Romeo 8-C, and GTV6
  • Maserati Quattroporte, 3500 GT, and Bi-Turbo
  • Porsche 928 and Panamera, 
  • Citroen SM, 
  • the Chrysler 300 “Letter Cars" from 1956-1965, 
  • 1970 and 1971 Plymouth Sport Fury GT,  
  • the Chrysler TC by Maserati, 
  • the late 1990s Chevy Impala SS, 
  • the late 1990s Mercury Maurader  
  • the new (Mercedes-Benz based) LX chassis Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s,
  • Buick Park Avenue Ultras, 1987- 1993 Olds Touring Sedans (of both the 88 and 98 variety) and 
  • 1990s Cadillac Sevilles.

So, can I turn the GEZROKET into a GT?  Yes, probably with ease.  Here's why:

  • The 1991 - 1993 Olds Touring Sedan is the same C-Body as my 1996 Olds 98 Regency Elite Sedan.  It is the same car in many ways.  Here's a 1991 Motorweek episode featuring the sister car, a 1991 Oldsmobile Touring Sedan.
  • The basic suspension architecture for the 1991-1996 Oldsmobile 98 (C-Body - the GEZROKET) is the same as the 1991 Oldsmobile (98) Touring Sedan.  Springs?  MOOG Replacement GM optional FE3 Spring.  Anti-sway Bars?  The Factory 32mm Front Anti-sway Bar, 17mm Rear Anti-Sway Bar, and GM (or OEM equivalent) front struts and rear air leveling struts are the same as the 1991 - 1993 Oldsmobile (98) Touring Sedans.  I've already added Factory 16" x 7"wheels (I chose Cadillac 14 spokes as Oldsmobile 44 spoke Turbine wheels that were optional on the (98) Touring Sedan were 3X the price of the Caddy wheels!) and P215-60R16-95T were close enough to the original P205-70-R15 sized tires on the factory 15" x 6" Oldsmobile wheels to keep the speedometer accurate, which immediately cured the "floating" magic carpet feel of the FE1 suspension and 15" wheels with 70 series tires.  While the Touring Sedan used Goodyear Eagles, I'll stick with my Michelin Defenders until I need new tires.
  • The 1991 - 1993 (Olds 98 based) Touring Sedan did have the older GM3800 as compared to the L36 GM3800 Series II V-6.  While the GM3800 had better low end torque than the L-36, the L-36 makes more torque at higher revs and 205 HP, a 30 HP gain over the original 3800.  The earlier 98 based Touring Sedans had the optional Supercharged 3800, which, although it's listed in the C and H body service manual, the L67 Supercharged GM3800 Series II doesn't appear to be an option for the 1996 (last year model) Olds 98.
  • It won't have a center console or analog gauges, nor the confusing amount of switches that the 98 Touring Sedan had, but the digital dash is reasonably cool.  I may build a small floor mounted in front of the seat "CD Holder" and even go as far as mounting a couple of digital gauges (Oil Pressure and Voltage) to compliment the digital readouts from the dash.
So, besides the normal everyday wear and tear replacement what do I need to do in order to turn the GEZROKET into a GT?
  • Rule #1:  Never Over Drive Your Suspension.  The suspension will be upgraded to New MOOG OEM Replacement FE3 Front and Rear Springs, New KYB Front Struts Assemblies and KYB Rear Air Struts, and Anti-Swaybar Urethane Bushings and End Links will be the order of the day.
  • Rule #2:  Never Over Drive Your Lights.   I'll install a new set of OEM Headlights Reflectors/Lenses and a Daniel Stern Lighting kit that gives full electric power to the lights 
  • Rule #3:  Never Over Drive Your Brakes.  ZZPerformance offers a few kits.  These usually fit W or H bodied cars.  If the F-body kit fits, I'll use it.
  • Rule #4:  Keep it Quiet and Classy.  A lower restriction Exhaust would help the little 3800 Series II V-6.  I believe a 2-1/2" Exhaust (deleting the "U-Bend Resonator) and a Muffler from a 1998 Camaro B4C Police Interceptor would lessen the exhaust back pressure and give the car a little "rasp" without being obnoxious.

The Miller Cycle Engine: Is the Answer to My Search for a Decent Engine for the GEZROKET, a Supercharged Engine Tuned for 87 Octane Gasoline?

As is typical of most Hot Rodders, I want more power for the GEZROKET.  The car is geared WAY TO HIGH for performance, but it allows an EPA estimated 19 MPG city and 29 MPG highway.  The problem is that for this large, heavy (3450 lbs as built with 6 gallons of fuel in a 19 gallon tank), the engine needs to be rev happy to keep the car with a 2.00:1 final drive ratio in Overdrive, so it can accelerate in an acceptable manner.  The problem is, it is not rev happy, and the PCM doesn't bring in downshifts quickly enough to make the car comfortable to drive in traffic.  Yet the engine doesn't have the gut pulling torque to lug the car around either.

In speaking with my car buddy Michael, we've talked over engine swaps and upgrades.  Here were the choices:
  • L-67 3800 Series II Supercharged V-6 Engine/4T-65E-HD Transaxle with HD Differential
  • LS-4 5300 Displacement on Demand Transverse V-8/4T-65E-HD Transaxle with HD Differential
  • Cadillac 4.5 Liter Digital (Port) Fuel Injection V-8/4T-60E Transaxle
  • "Built” L-36 GM 3800 V-6, using ZZP Series D Heads, a short duration, high lift Comp Cams Hydraulic Roller Cam, designed for a Buick Grand National turbo V-6 (800-5200 rpm range), ZZP High Velocity Intake Manifold Insert, SLP FWD Headers for a GM 3800 Series II engine, Catalyst and Resonator "U-bend" Delete Pipe, Cold Air Intake Filter Kit, 180 degree thermostat and colder spark plugs
  • Australian C.O.M.E. Stroker Kit for GM 3800 V-6s
  • ZZP Supercharged 3800 V-6 Conversion for L-36 Normally Aspirated V-6
Each of these has their own advantages and disadvantages.  Believe it or not the ZZP Supercharged L-36 Conversion was actually the cheapest, requiring the least work.  However, ZZP's programmers did not think they'd be able to tune such a heavy car without perpetual Check Engine MIL Light events, and as this is an OBD-II emissions system and I live in a Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area for exhaust emissions inspection requirements and the fuel economy a large car such as this gets and the Premium Fuel Requirement at an additional $.50/gallon to safely run the Supercharger without detonation, I really didn't want to go there.

My gut feel has always been to swap the LS-4 Transverse V-8 from a Monte Carlo SS, Impala SS or Buick Lucerne Sport Super.  But that becomes more difficult, mating the LS-4/4T-65E-HD PCM to the digital dash in the GEZROKET and making the engine mounts and getting a Radiator to cool the engine correctly.

The Cadillac 4.5 digital V-8 is reliable and an easy, bolt-in swap as the 1995 and earlier Sedan de Ville's are the same chassis (both built at Lake Orion, Michigan) and had similar digital dashboards.  However, it's a brick (although a very reliable brick) with 175 HP as compared to the L-36's 205 HP at an admittedly high 6000 rpms.

The "Built GM 3800 Series II" would probably have the same "Peakiness" as the stock engine has now, even though the camshaft and heads would pass more air and have more torque.

The C.O.M.E. Racing Stroker, with a 3.7" crankshaft stroke, would give the added "oomph" the car needs at low RPMS, but it's expensive and needs better heads, a better camshaft, a cold air intake, the High Velocity insert, Headers and a low restriction exhaust of the "Built L-36 V-6 (basically everything listed)," if the engine were ever to see the high side of 4000 rpms.

Michael even suggested a turbocharged GM 3800 Series II V-6, as turbo boost can provide significant torque and these engines are well developed in both durability and electronics/tuning.  However, I always thought the reason GM went to Supercharging over Turbocharging was they could more easily control how much boost comes in and more importantly, when it comes in.  And we're probably back to a high octane fuel requirement and the Check Engine Light Scenario at best, or broken engine parts due to an over-enthusiastic tune at worst.

There seemed to be no easy solution, as every option had its significant downsides.

Then I read about the Atkinson Cycle and Miller Cycle Engines.

I am very drawn to build a Miller Cycle 3800 type engine for the GEZROKET.   From what I’m reading from Wikipedia about on the Miller Cycle engine:  

  • I can drop the compression ratio by holding the intake valve open longer, releasing some cylinder pressure
  • I can keep the quench, through tight piston to head clearance on the aluminum heads, which also reject more heat than the stock iron heads.  This would help prevent detonation. 
  • I can use the factory blower and an a liquid to air intercooler to keep intake charge temperature down enough to use an aggressive timing tune and more boost, without detonation.  
This keeps the Horsepower and Torque up to at least the same level as the stock engine under boost, but allows a “smaller” volume of compressed air in the engine (as compared to the expansion size of 3.8 Liters volume).

Based on what I've read, I think it should be very turnable and very drivable.  This would use both stock and very available aftermarket pieces, helping with reliability.  My goal would be a supercharged engine that can still run on 87 octane fuel.

I need to find out more information about it, specifically from Cam grinders who actually understand the Miller Cycle (Crower) and some vendor like ZZP who does the specializes in V-6 performance for the 3800 Series 2 and 3 engines and see if they or some other shop would be willing to design a tune for it.  



Some questions arise about the tune:

  • If the Compression displacement is say 3.3 liters, will the reduced air volume signal in the Mass Air Flow Sensor and the O2 sensor "chop" the injector pulses to a point where the amount of fuel delivered to the engine is just what is needed for the 3.3 liters of displacement during cruise events?
  • Will the Vacuum motor on the blower “come in” when the engine needs the power, or will is be delayed to meet the 3.8 Liter ECM map?
  • Can a “Miller Cycle 3800 Series II Supercharged L-67 use the stock L-67 PCM, without additional tuning

As I investigate building a Miller Cycle Engine, I’ll keep you informed.  It's doubtful that this won’t be another still born project, as I'd have to find someone who would understand just how to tune the PCM to take advantage of a less dense charge, but it is worth looking into.

Project GEZROKET - "You have papers?" - A Story About Excellence in Customer Service

When you purchase a car, there are many papers to sign, in order to transfer legal ownership from the seller to the buyer.  It was also this way with GEZROKET, however when the owner of a car lets the tag expire, there is another fly in the ointment.  In the state in which I reside, the car must be inspected and the taxes can be paid BEFORE a license plate can be assigned.

Normally, this shouldn't be a problem, but there are lots of people buying and selling cars and most don't know or understand the law.  This is compounded by a seemingly complex process that most people don't know anything about.  A car is, after all, a major purchase and most of us aren't blessed with enough money to purchase cars every year,or even every third year.  Additionally, the license plate renewal offices in my current state are privately owned, limiting the "talent pool" of employees by salary the employers are willing to pay.  It's boring, mind numbing work for the employees, because most of their customers don't know/understand the process and it easily frustrates them.  Finally, as Obamacare has been compared to a cross between going to the doctor and going to the DMV, you understand that EVERYONE has a poor opinion about what is going to happen when you go in to get the paperwork transferred, conferring ownership for that new car.  It might be dreaded even more than going to the dentist.

It does not necessarily have to be a bad experience, but it's exceptionally bad in my small town, where the clerks were more interested in going home at 5:00 PM, rather than helping a customer, who'd been in line before 4:30 PM.  But, in the county seat about 10 miles up the road, it turned out to be A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.  I met "Ms. Brittany," a 20-something year old young lady who was the trifecta of talent, being 1) professional, 2) knowledgeable, and 3) very efficient.  She was EXCELLENT in the performance of her job and we spent less time on the transaction than we did in the fast moving line (with talent like this, the individual DMV Contractors in my state could change the DMV experience in to a positive one, but this girl should easily be able to get a higher paying customer service job, with any major business in the US).  When we got to her kiosk, we presented her with the bill of sale, the receipt of the cashiers check (with which I paid for the car) and the notarized title, transferring the title to me.  In looking at the information that was given to her and on her PC, she saw that the registration had lapsed.  This required me to get the car inspected before a license plate could bee issued to me. So we had to: 
  1. Pay for the property taxes on the vehicle (based on the valuation by the state - NO ONE EVER CHEATS THE TAX MAN OUT OF HIS DUE MONEY).
  2. We had to pay for a 10-Day Temporary (paper) Tag and 
  3. We had to pay for the Title Transfer Fee 
Now there is a small wrinkle or two here.  First, I would have to get the car inspected.  As it's a first year OBD-II (On Board Diagnosis, v.2) car (1996), it would need the Emissions and Safety Inspection required by the Federal Government for vehicles in the Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (for air pollution, under the Environmental Protection Agency) my state.  Next year, having past  20  25(?) years of age, the car will no longer require an Emissions Inspection (or a waiver, when the cost to repair the vehicle exceeds a certain amount).  Secondly, as I alluded to in an earlier post, due to a neighbor accidentally backing into the car, with the amount of the repair to the Grille, Hood, Air Conditioner Condenser , Radiator and Headlights, exceeding the insurance company value of the car, the car was declared to be a total loss.  Mrs. Blaney purchased the car back from the Insurance Company as a Salvaged Vehicle, to have it repaired, by her son R. Blaney, a professional mechanic.  I went in to this transaction knowing that he car had a Salvage Title.

We left the DMV at the county seat with a 10-Day tag, happy at the extraordinary customer service and easily got the car inspected (my Actron U-Scan had shown no MIL Codes in the PCM and the car ran well).  

Returning to the same DMV within the 10-day expiration period for the paper tag, with a passed Emissions and Safety Inspection (and an over all clean bill of health for the GEZROKET "Per Jeff Davis, "You didn't get hurt on the purchase.  The car is a little 'damp' under it on both the oil and transmission pans.  It's about what I expected, with the car having sat unused for the 6 months before you got it.  Watch the fluids for a few weeks and you'll know if it's leaking anything."), all we had to do was pay for a permanent tag.  I got a standard issue state tag (not a vanity tag...yet).

Special (although late - I was back later, on business, and did ask her name to give credit unbeknownst to her) Kudos to "Ms. Brittany," who has shown that a trip to the DMV doesn't require a Fifth of your favorite Spirits after it's over with.  Her Manager will sorely miss her one day, when she's recruited to another higher paying position at another company.

GEZROKET Update: Finally, Brakes Again!

So, the GEZROKET sat for about a month, due to brake issues and my lack of time to repair and diagnose the secondary brake problem that happened at the same time.

I had the GEZROKET moved to my trusted repair shop, Stainback Automotive, via an AAA certified Rollback (the Membership is worth every penny and I highly recommend it to anyone that does not have it!) to get the brake line repaired.  My Engineer friend Michael had correctly diagnosed the secondary problem as a brake line having a hole in it.  

Here are the results of the autopsy:  Johnny at Stainback Automotive filled the brake fluid reservoir and put the car on the lift to see from where the brake fluid was dripping.  Seeing they the brake fluid was dripping out from behind a heat shield in front of the passenger side of the firewall, Johnny removed the heat shield to find that a bracket to hold the heat shield had failed and the shield had rubbed a hole in the brake line.  

Jeff, the owner, called me to propose that we cut out the failed piece and replace it.  I OKed the proposed repair and Johnny proceeded to cut out a section of the line where the double flares would be outside of the heat shield.  Then he removed the offending failed bracket, cutting it off and smoothing the area, where it wouldn't rub the through again.   Double Flaring the ends of the remaining factory brake line to the curb side rear brake drum, Johnny then bent a new line to replace the piece he cut out and double flared the replacement line.   He then split a piece of vacuum hose to isolate the new line from vibration inside of the heat shield and against the firewall.  He installed the new line, tightening the double flare fittings and filled the system with brake fluid to ensure no fluid leaks.  Then the brakes were bled of air and the line was visually checked for leaks again.  Finally, the heat shield was reinstalled.  

The brake pedal still felt somewhat Spongy, but I'll bleed the brakes again and we should be back to normal.

Special thanks to Jeff and Johnny, my "go to guys" for car repairs that either I can't do or don't have time to do.

Project GEZROKET: The Pedigree Is a Large Part of What Makes a Car Valuable

Sometimes, as obsessed with cars as I am, you'd have thought that I was born in California, with their car culture.  A car is not just a machine to transport you from point A to point B.  It's art.  It's sport.

I've been here with a collector car twice now:  Once with my Shelby Lancer ES (a Numbered car, #108), that started as a garden variety, "power everything," Dodge Lancer ES that was sent to the Shelby Automobiles plant in Whittier, California, for a:
  • Shelby Spec Engine (using the Dodge Turbo II top end on a Turbo I long block),
  • Inter-cooler and Matching Radiator, 
  • Shelby Grille and Badging,
  • Shelby Graphics, 
  • Ground Effects, 
  • Fog Lights, 
  • Special Shelby Aluminum Wheels, 
  • Rear Disc Brakes, 
  • Shelby Signature Steering Wheel, 
  • Shelby Velour Interior package or Shelby Leather Interior Package and 
  • Pioneer AM-FM-CD Stereo System with Graphic Equalizer and Amplifier.
My second collector car is the GEZROKET, a 1996 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Elite Sedan.  


And here's the Documentation on the GERZOKET (the pedigree, if you will), that makes it important:




So what do we have and why does it matter?   Simply, it's evidence that corroborates what I know about the story of the car.  



  • Starting from the left top, the two pages are the Employee Special Order Letter.  The late Mr. Blaney, an employee of Packard Wiring, a GM subsidiary, ordered the car for his wife, the late Elizabeth Blaney.  We see the Employee Address and Employee Discounted Price.  We see the the Order Number, the VIN, but notice this car was ordered as their is no Stock Number.  We also see something marked PRC EFF (Price Effective?), dated 09/06/1995 (on a personal note 4 days after my oldest child was born).  I'll assume this is when the car was ordered.  We see the car was Invoiced and Shipped on 09/29/1995.  two more items and dates appear on the the letter: the EXP I/T (Expedited In Transit?) and INT COM (Internal Communication to the Dealer?) dated 10/02/1995.  When the car was ordered, the Blaney's lived in Burghill, Ohio, in northeast Ohio, less than 5 miles from the Pennsylvania border.  It was, per her son R. Blaney, her retirement car.

  • To the right, we see the Window Sticker, showing the Standard Equipment and Pricing, Optional Equipment that made up the Regency Elite Sedan Series II package.  This package is substantial enough that when you go to a parts store to purchase replacement parts for it, the computers are programmed to ask "Regency Elite?"  We see the only two options that were ordered:  The Electric Sliding Glass Sunroof and the AM/FM Audio System with Cassette and Compact Disc player.  This sound system is the precursor to the GM Concert Sound Series II Stereo system that was in stalled in cars like my wife's 2001 Buick Century Custom.  We see the car was delivered to John Rugala Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac Inc. at 6209 East Main Street, Andover, Ohio 44003, Dealer No. 06-644.  We see the EPA Estimated Fuel Economy, the Vehicle Identification Number, the Final Assembly Plant (Lake) Orion, Michigan (where the C bodied Oldsmobile 98s and C-Bodied Cadillac Sedan DeVilles up to 1995 had been assembled), the Order Number Z3A417, and the Model Number, 3CX69.

  • In the Middle of the Right Side are the (broken) "Oldsmobile" and "Ninety Eight" emblems that were removed from the car when it was repainted after a neighbor had backed into the front of the car, taking out the grille, the headlight lens (appears to be the right headlight only), bent the left front of the hood (it has been partially fixed) and it appears that it possibly took out the A/C Condenser and the Radiator.  This Damage caused the car to be declared a total loss.
  • The Lower Right is where the "Car Owner's Companion" Envelope from John Rugala Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac in Andover, Ohio with the salesman Signature Jim Portuna and Mrs. Elizabeth L. Blaney's name on it
  • At the Bottom Center is the Consumer Information Requirement Paperwork, showing 50-state Emissions Compliance, Compliance with Federal Standards for Low Speed Impacts by the Front and Rear 5 MPH bumper systems, the amount of US and Canadian Parts Content (95%) the Final Assembly Point at Orion Township in Michigan and the Country of Origin for both the Engine and Transmission (US).
  • Finally, at the Bottom Left is the Oldsmobile Pre-Delivery Inspection Check Sheet (or PDI Check Form, to those of us who've been in Fleet Management).  We see the car was delivered on October 5, 1995.  It passed the Underhood Check, The Body/Chassis Check and the Road Test on 10-5-1995.


So, is it special?  Well, probably not.  So why is it a collector car?  Because of its pedigree.  While the Shelby is a limited edition, with mine being #108/800, this car isn’t “numbered.”  It's possible it could be far more rare than 1/800, due to the combination of its optional equipment, but I’d seriously doubt that.  

I live in a suburb of a major metropolitan city in the South, but I can still can count at least 5 different ones, now 22 years after they were sold, that have crossed the narrow path of my life.




  1.  A Sky Blue example belongs to a fellow driver at the logistics company at which I’m employed.
    My Olds 98 Regency Elite next to another one in the parking lot at work.  I added 16" Cadillac wheels, but I have a set of correct for the car 15" Olds Cast wheels.  The car doesn't "float" with the 16" wheels and Michelin Tires.
  2.  A Dark Blue example picked up a lady who was in physical therapy at the local Orthopedic Clinic,
  3.  A Medium Tan version was carrying a student to the local university,
  4.  A Silver version was at a former Employers Branch location about 90 miles North of here and finally,
  5.  A Plum example resides in the town in which my Father was raised, about 90 miles south of where I live. 

GEZROKET UPDATE #1: Tires and Wheels

As I'm starting a new job this week, I found out that I'd have to go out of town, for some training, a week earlier than I'd previously been told.  The old Discount Tire house brand radial tires on the GEZROKET, my Oldsmobile 98 Regency Elite II sedan, were starting to weather check and crack.  The current tires were installed in May 2014 and had less than 6,000 miles on them.  However the date check on them was March 2012, so they had been in Discount Tire's warehouse for 26 months before Mrs. Blaney had purchased them.  So, it was prudent to change them.  NOW.

I had to make a decision:  Either replace the P-205/70-R-15 tires and use the factory Motor Wheel 15" X 6" mags or upgrade to something slightly larger.    I could replace these with P-205/70-R15 Michelin Defenders which had tall sidewalls and tended to wallow in turn in or step up to the optional "+1" size of 16" x 7" wheels with P-215/60-R16 Michelin Defender radial tires.

With Susan's blessings, I added a used set of factory 16" x 7" wheels from a 1996 Cadillac Sedan de Ville and P-215/60-R16-95T Michelin Defender Tires, to the GEZROKET.  The wheels had been on my long time neighbor's 1996 Sedan de Ville, but after her death, her son purchased a different set of wheels for the car that he'd inherited her car, upon her death.  Two of the wheels have damaged/discolored clear coating that will need to be removed (sanded off) and re-coated.

 With the addition of these wheels, it takes on a slightly different look.  


The Caddy wheels and Michelin Tires are actually .15" smaller in diameter and about .6" wider, but the tire side walls are shorter, giving a little bit stiffer ride, and much better turn in.  The ride is still on the soft side, but it no longer floats down the highway.  My wife noticed this within the first 3 miles of her riding in it, with the new tires and wheels.  Despite tire width of only (just under) 8.5," the fit of the tires in the rear wheel wells is quite tight.  Fortunately, they do not rub, either with passengers in the rear or during quick cornering.    




Getting the GT Feel for the Road: A Suspension Upgrade for the GEZROKET or How to Find and "Parts Bin Engineer," Your Car, When There Weren't Many or Any Aftermarket Parts Built for Your Car

Back on June 30, 2019, I Published the GT Project  Blog Post, telling  readers of this blog that I intended to "upgrade" my last y...