My first classic car

[metroidz]

Hello everyone and thank you for having this great website and forum!

5 days ago I bought my lifelong dream car: a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. This was something I have been searching to buy for the past 2 years since I have heavily saved up for one. I lost money trying to buy a prestine condition one and have been venomously addicted to try to find antoher one. Last Thursday I found one sold by a lady on Craigslist kept in her garage for 6 years.
I'm only 22 and am incredibly excited to make this vehicle my baby and lifelong project car. I hope to keep adding to my collection as I grow older and welcome and help, advice and critism.

Thank you and look forward to chatting with you all and seeing your Toronados.

Timothy

[Otto Skorzeny]

That looks like it's in pretty decent shape.

Is it a Deluxe or Base. Whatever it is usually doesn't make a difference because you could option up a base model better and delete standard stuff from a Deluxe so there are all kinds of hybrids out there.

My '66 is a Deluxe with no a/c and no power windows but it has the Deluxe interior.

Check the vacuum hoses going to your headlight actuators and vacuum reservoir. They're probably leaking or disconnected, causing the lights to stay up. It might be other things but that is the most common problem.

[metroidz]

It is a Delux model. It has various power options on the interior but none of it is powered currently due to a dead battery I shall soon change out. I plan on keeping it as authentic as possible to original factory condition as I can. I actually prefered the base model because I prefer simplicity and I liked the first one I drove. I should have also meantioned I have all of the original paperwork from when it was sold to the first owner. I will be converting the front power brakes to disc brakes for funcion practicality and safety concerns.

[Otto Skorzeny]

While it's generally agreed that the '66 Toro could have used better brakes, I wouldn't rush into swapping them out right away. They aren't the absolute best that was available in 1966 but they aren't horrible either.

First, I've found the stock brakes to be adequate for normal driving and have panic stopped on several occasions without the feeling that my brakes wouldn't get the job done.

I've been using my car as a daily driver since February so it's not like I only experience the brakes once in awhile. Unless you're planning on stoplight racing and jamming on the brakes all the time, I'd spend the time and money making sure the stock system is up to factory specs and see how you like them. New brake hoses, new or rebuilt wheel cylinders if necessary, new lines if rusted, new or rebuilt MC.

Second, like most people, you are probably used to driving modern cars. No amount of modifications will make your car feel or handle or stop like a new car. Get the suspension, steering and braking components into factory spec and then familiarize yourself with the way the car handles. Don't try to compare it to modern cars or think that disc brakes will make it stop like a new Camry.

Once you're used to it I think you'll appreciate it more.

For the last 13 years (until I bought the '66 Toro in February) my only car has been a 1956 Cadillac. It has 4 wheel drum brakes and stops as straight and true as any modern car. Also, since I'm not used to driving new cars it doesn't feel foreign or unsafe to me. To me it drives and handles like a normal car (I've never purchased a car made after 1972)

Third, since this is your first car, I'd recommend keeping it stock, at least until you get all the issues sorted out. When you start introducing too many variables to an equation it becomes difficult to figure out problems.

Are the brakes pulling to one side because the new disc system was installed incorrectly or is there some other problem? When things are repaired or replaced to factory specs its much easier to trouble shoot problems. That's what the Factory Service Manual is for.

Fourth, Buy an FSN on ebay or from Faxon - I recommend the book, not a CD. You can't flip through a CD in the garage or on the road when you have trouble.

Fifth, use the money you save on your disc brake conversion to fix or improve other components of your car.

If, after you get everything sorted out, you still want to swap to discs, go ahead and do so. At least you'll have more experience working on the car and more experience driving it to judge whether you actually need disc brakes in the first place.

I hope this helps.

Where do you live?

[Doc Hubler]

Timothy,

I want to re-iterate what Otto has told you. If your brakes aren't functioning properly, a few relatively inexpensive investments can repair your drum brakes to top shape. There are some that claim you must switch to disc brakes, but trust me, that is not going to help you that much. You can make any brakes, disc or drum, fail if you intend to drive a certain way. Regarding the brake system on the 66 Toros, there are 2 things that you could do that would be a well thought out upgrade: Change the master cylinder to a dual master cylinder, and add a distribution block and proportioning valve. Olds added these in 1967 to the Toros to address some concerns about brakes, and that was basically what happened industry-wide though.

A better investment of time and a little money would be to check the rear trunk area drain tubs to make sure water is not collecting in the car and causing further rust (it's likely there is some). Other rust areas to pay attention to are the windshield (rust around top of dash , especially around A pillars), and the floors, especially in the rear seat foot floor area. Bad rubber around the quarter to door window glass will leak water in there which collects in that area. Get your windshield resealed with modern materials unless it has been replaced in the last 10 years or so. THe factory windshield sealant used goes bad and allows water in.

As long as the engine and mechanicals look robust, you just need to do the basic maintenance there. I would check out your carburetor carefully. These Quadrajets tended to develop fuel leaks, which could lead to and engine fire if not addressed. make sure that all seems to be working fine. Repair and replace whatever vacuum tubes and wiring issues you may have. The car will run fine then and give your years of enjoyment. If you don't think the engine has ever been serviced, when the right time comes, you will have to change the timing gear and chain. The original gear was nylon coated (to make it run more quietly) and those fail eventually. The nylon pieces end up in the oil pan and oil pickup tube screen. Otherwise, these engines are well built and designed and proper care will help you get many years out of the engine before overhaul.

Where are you located? Great to see young folks interested in these cars! They really were muscle cars, but with class and at the time, state of the art engineering. And you are in a unique class. There were not many Gen I Toros made -- rough estimate without checking the data is less than 140,000 cars produced in the first generation (1966-1970). The more you learn about your car the more you'll really appreciate that. Here is the FB page for the restoration I'm doing on my 67 Toro. Don't do this type of thing till you're ready for that -- it's expensive and takes a lot of time. Drive and enjoy your car --take it to car shows. You'll be the only Toro there. By doing simple inexpensive maintenance items now, you can enjoy your car for a long time. https://www.facebook.com/PerfectShapeCu ... e=bookmark

[metroidz]

Doc,

I was born and raised in Grand Prairie, Texas. Small town in between Dallas and Fort Worth. I am fascinated with the body styling and top-notch engineering of late 60s to late 70s American cars. Preferable in the GM family. I have a 2002 Oldsmobile Alero that I bought off family and kept it in excellent running and mechanical condition. She has been my main car and even at close to 200k miles I forsee no reason to trade her in or sell. Again, thank you all, I feel home with you guys and very happy with my milestone car.

And yes, I agree, more youth needs to show interest in the art of classic cars and musclecars. It truely is an amazing culture that unfortunately is becoming less known.

Metroidz
"Everyone drives a car, how many people drive the car they want to drive."

[blackbee045]

Regarding the brake system on the 66 Toros, there are 2 things that you could do that would be a well thought out upgrade: Change the master cylinder to a dual master cylinder, and add a distribution block and proportioning valve. Olds added these in 1967 to the Toros to address some concerns about brakes, and that was basically what happened industry-wide though.

A better investment of time and a little money would be to check the rear trunk area drain tubs to make sure water is not collecting in the car and causing further rust (it's likely there is some). Other rust areas to pay attention to are the windshield (rust around top of dash , especially around A pillars), and the floors, especially in the rear seat foot floor area. Bad rubber around the quarter to door window glass will leak water in there which collects in that area. Get your windshield resealed with modern materials unless it has been replaced in the last 10 years or so. THe factory windshield sealant used goes bad and allows water in.