new guy with questions

bnbbcruzer

New member
Jul 2, 2021
4
3
hi all i'm new to the forum and looking forward to interacting with folks that share a love for these cool cars.

with that in mind, i have a question. i've owned a caprice 1a2, 9c1 and a 94 roadmaster in the past and just recently, after 10 years away i bought a 92 olds custom cruiser wagon.

i'd like to do a few modes and i have some questions that i'm sure lots of folks can help with.
first i may be asking a obvious question but ....i want to do a static drop, 2" or so front and rear. my question is will all the aftermarket suspension parts made for the caprice/roadmaster work for my olds? i called bell tech and they said they couldn't help with cross referance parts but i'm pretty sure someone here will know.

also, the car has the 5.7 with the 700r4. it has 196K on it but still running strong. i'll be doing a compression test, what kind of #s should i be looking for?

i'd also like to do some bolt on improvements. has anyone used the "sniper" system? what kind of results? other options?

also, thanks th hostoric plates, i don't have to worry about epa what exhaust system would be good on a daily driver?

thanks
 

Shortfuse

Member
May 15, 2020
82
18
Ok , nice to have you here. I can help you with a lot of your questions. I am auto tech by trade and have been doing it for over thirty years. My specialties are electrical and computer diagnostics but when not doing that I am building custom cars for the shop I work for and yes I have lots of experience with aftermarket fuel injection system like the holley sniper and fitech. So feel free to pm me if you need a faster response as I am only here on the weekends.
Ok so lets see if we can get you some answers. Your best resource for parts cross reference and used parts will be at www.car-part.com .
You can enter the part you want and it will bring up a salvage yard inventory for wherever you waWhen runnig nt, it will also display the other makes and years that part fits as it will tell you where the part is being removed from like I checked for a spindle for your 92 custom cruier and it brought up the olds plus the caprices which means the parts are interchangable between the two. So to answer your first question the drop spindles for caprices and impala's will work on your olds. The only thing you will need to remember when dropping a wagon is the spring compression rates are higher on the rear of wagons than standard cars and wagon rear ends are wider than standard b body ones.
Next question compression on a new motor like what came in your car your compression would normally be around 175-185. What your are looking for mostly now is to make sure all your cylinders are putting out the near the same amount.
Most people do not do compression tests correctly and end up with crappy results from it so here is the correct procedure.
Disconnect the cars ignition, remove all spark plugs. Next you need a fully charged battery that has a charger on it and running in the jump mode because if your battery starts to discharge as you are running the test it will affect your results if the motor is not spun at the same speed through out the test. Get a pen and paper to record your results. install your guage it helps to have a helper for the next part but not required if your guage set holds peak pressures. Hold the throttle wide open and spin the motor over for the count of five you need to make sure you spin it for the same amount of time for each cylinder or your readings will not be correct. Now record the pressure for that hole and move to the next, when you are all done put your car back together. Your readings should be within about 10% for all cylinders. Now your motor has a lot of miles on it so your numbers will be lower than new I would expect to see them in the 140-160 psi range but the most important thing is that there are no large differences. So run your test and report back.
You mentioned a fuel injection system so I have some questions first. Is your car stock or have you done any engine mods? What are you hoping to acheive by changing to the sniper system? Also what is your budget and is this a everyday driver for you or just a toy?
Let me know and I will guide you if you wish.
 

Capricechris805

New member
Oct 27, 2020
20
3
I cut my springs i suggest 1 coil and u should leave it anymore and it will be too low. I have sniper efi had it for last 4 years I love it. Takes some learning but if u invest the time to gain the knowledge it's a great system. There are always a few bugs but nothing too hard.
 

bnbbcruzer

New member
Thread starter
Jul 2, 2021
4
3
thanks for the replies. ok so cutting one coil from the front, how about the rear?
 

GoodOldsGuy

Member
Oct 20, 2020
75
8
Texas
Ok , nice to have you here. I can help you with a lot of your questions. I am auto tech by trade and have been doing it for over thirty years. My specialties are electrical and computer diagnostics but when not doing that I am building custom cars for the shop I work for and yes I have lots of experience with aftermarket fuel injection system like the holley sniper and fitech. So feel free to pm me if you need a faster response as I am only here on the weekends.
Ok so lets see if we can get you some answers. Your best resource for parts cross reference and used parts will be at www.car-part.com .
You can enter the part you want and it will bring up a salvage yard inventory for wherever you waWhen runnig nt, it will also display the other makes and years that part fits as it will tell you where the part is being removed from like I checked for a spindle for your 92 custom cruier and it brought up the olds plus the caprices which means the parts are interchangable between the two. So to answer your first question the drop spindles for caprices and impala's will work on your olds. The only thing you will need to remember when dropping a wagon is the spring compression rates are higher on the rear of wagons than standard cars and wagon rear ends are wider than standard b body ones.
Next question compression on a new motor like what came in your car your compression would normally be around 175-185. What your are looking for mostly now is to make sure all your cylinders are putting out the near the same amount.
Most people do not do compression tests correctly and end up with crappy results from it so here is the correct procedure.
Disconnect the cars ignition, remove all spark plugs. Next you need a fully charged battery that has a charger on it and running in the jump mode because if your battery starts to discharge as you are running the test it will affect your results if the motor is not spun at the same speed through out the test. Get a pen and paper to record your results. install your guage it helps to have a helper for the next part but not required if your guage set holds peak pressures. Hold the throttle wide open and spin the motor over for the count of five you need to make sure you spin it for the same amount of time for each cylinder or your readings will not be correct. Now record the pressure for that hole and move to the next, when you are all done put your car back together. Your readings should be within about 10% for all cylinders. Now your motor has a lot of miles on it so your numbers will be lower than new I would expect to see them in the 140-160 psi range but the most important thing is that there are no large differences. So run your test and report back.
You mentioned a fuel injection system so I have some questions first. Is your car stock or have you done any engine mods? What are you hoping to acheive by changing to the sniper system? Also what is your budget and is this a everyday driver for you or just a toy?
Let me know and I will guide you if you wish.
Ok , nice to have you here. I can help you with a lot of your questions. I am auto tech by trade and have been doing it for over thirty years. My specialties are electrical and computer diagnostics but when not doing that I am building custom cars for the shop I work for and yes I have lots of experience with aftermarket fuel injection system like the holley sniper and fitech. So feel free to pm me if you need a faster response as I am only here on the weekends.
Ok so lets see if we can get you some answers. Your best resource for parts cross reference and used parts will be at www.car-part.com .
You can enter the part you want and it will bring up a salvage yard inventory for wherever you waWhen runnig nt, it will also display the other makes and years that part fits as it will tell you where the part is being removed from like I checked for a spindle for your 92 custom cruier and it brought up the olds plus the caprices which means the parts are interchangable between the two. So to answer your first question the drop spindles for caprices and impala's will work on your olds. The only thing you will need to remember when dropping a wagon is the spring compression rates are higher on the rear of wagons than standard cars and wagon rear ends are wider than standard b body ones.
Next question compression on a new motor like what came in your car your compression would normally be around 175-185. What your are looking for mostly now is to make sure all your cylinders are putting out the near the same amount.
Most people do not do compression tests correctly and end up with crappy results from it so here is the correct procedure.
Disconnect the cars ignition, remove all spark plugs. Next you need a fully charged battery that has a charger on it and running in the jump mode because if your battery starts to discharge as you are running the test it will affect your results if the motor is not spun at the same speed through out the test. Get a pen and paper to record your results. install your guage it helps to have a helper for the next part but not required if your guage set holds peak pressures. Hold the throttle wide open and spin the motor over for the count of five you need to make sure you spin it for the same amount of time for each cylinder or your readings will not be correct. Now record the pressure for that hole and move to the next, when you are all done put your car back together. Your readings should be within about 10% for all cylinders. Now your motor has a lot of miles on it so your numbers will be lower than new I would expect to see them in the 140-160 psi range but the most important thing is that there are no large differences. So run your test and report back.
You mentioned a fuel injection system so I have some questions first. Is your car stock or have you done any engine mods? What are you hoping to acheive by changing to the sniper system? Also what is your budget and is this a everyday driver for you or just a toy?
Let me know and I will guide you if you wish.
Wow, what a trip! I too use car-part.com as an interchange guide. I thought I was clever, but apparently I was slow to the party.
I have noticed however, that it won’t show an interchangeability for components that are not exactly the same, but would otherwise still fit and function. ie, The meter cluster on my 79 Olds B body wagon does not interchange to a cluster from an 85 Olds B body wagon because the the added KPH scale, and the OD in the shift selector scale, but still work fine. Same is true for the taillight lenses, almost any taillight lens from a B body wagon of the era will bolt right on and function, they just don’t appear to be original equipment. So depending on how original you are trying to keep your car, mainly on trim type stuff, your options of available parts that may work is not necessarily limited to what it had on it when it rolled off the assembly line. The only way to know for sure is to have personal experience, or have access to the incredible wealth of information from someone like Shortfuse that has been gathered over a lifetime of experience.
Also, that’s an excellent compression test procedure and should be followed. I would add an accurate oil pressure test as well, don’t just trust the gauge on the dash. Keep in mind that at nearly 200,000 miles, the pistons, rings, rod and main bearings, and valve train are at, or near their service limit. I would probably replace the timing chain and sprockets, (if it is unknown when they were last refreshed, if ever) as they are not expensive nor difficult, and failure would lunch the rest of the engine. The intake manifold gasket had a rather high failure rate in that era, just a heads up. The post 1987 700-R4 is quite a bit more durable than the earlier 700’s, and even more so than the 200-4Rs that went into the square B Body’s, so you lucked out in that department. Just my thoughts and I’ll happily defer to the more knowledgeable in these areas.
 

Shortfuse

Member
May 15, 2020
82
18
I do not advise cutting coils as that changes the spring rate and steering geometry. Drop spindles are the way to go, yes they cost a little more but you retain all of the factory settings and suspension travel. Plus at 200k your springs are worn out anyhow so a new set of stiff springs will increase the handling. The biggest bang for the buck in suspension mods though is to rebush it with a polyurethane bushing set for the front end and some really good shocks , nothing made by Monroe or Gaberial as they are complete junk.
 

Shortfuse

Member
May 15, 2020
82
18
Wow, what a trip! I too use car-part.com as an interchange guide. I thought I was clever, but apparently I was slow to the party.
I have noticed however, that it won’t show an interchangeability for components that are not exactly the same, but would otherwise still fit and function. ie, The meter cluster on my 79 Olds B body wagon does not interchange to a cluster from an 85 Olds B body wagon because the the added KPH scale, and the OD in the shift selector scale, but still work fine. Same is true for the taillight lenses, almost any taillight lens from a B body wagon of the era will bolt right on and function, they just don’t appear to be original equipment. So depending on how original you are trying to keep your car, mainly on trim type stuff, your options of available parts that may work is not necessarily limited to what it had on it when it rolled off the assembly line. The only way to know for sure is to have personal experience, or have access to the incredible wealth of information from someone like Shortfuse that has been gathered over a lifetime of experience.
Also, that’s an excellent compression test procedure and should be followed. I would add an accurate oil pressure test as well, don’t just trust the gauge on the dash. Keep in mind that at nearly 200,000 miles, the pistons, rings, rod and main bearings, and valve train are at, or near their service limit. I would probably replace the timing chain and sprockets, (if it is unknown when they were last refreshed, if ever) as they are not expensive nor difficult, and failure would lunch the rest of the engine. The intake manifold gasket had a rather high failure rate in that era, just a heads up. The post 1987 700-R4 is quite a bit more durable than the earlier 700’s, and even more so than the 200-4Rs that went into the square B Body’s, so you lucked out in that department. Just my thoughts and I’ll happily defer to the more knowledgeable in these areas.
Yea the interchandge doesn't work for everything but if it pulls up the specific part it will. If it lists that particular part it it will fit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GoodOldsGuy

GoodOldsGuy

Member
Oct 20, 2020
75
8
Texas
sorry, i'm a bit confused. if i have a wagon, won't it already have wagon springs in it?
If you have the air ride suspension (most older B body wagons came with it, but I’m not sure what 91 and up came with), simply disconnect the air compressor for the rear shocks. It’ll drop an easy inch all by itself with just that. Lol
I should add:: that won’t do anything for the front, and I’d follow the recommendation of Forum user “Shortfuse” to lower the front end. Also, you could just do what I did, and wait 42 years. My dragon (1979 Custom Cruiser) has sagged well over an inch over the years with no mechanical modifications whatsoever :). I will admit that when I fill up the gas tank (when I can get the financing approved for such a luxurious expenditure these days), I do have to plug my air ride suspension compressor back in to avoid damaging the bottom of the rear bumper and leaving a trail on the first hundred miles of road I drive on. Without it, that $80+ tank of gas has been largely consumed, the Department of Transportation is looking for me, and there will be a series of brush fires in my wake. Lol
 
Last edited:

Latest posts