Twice Bitten
Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2020 11:16 pm
Hello All,
I own two 1972 Toronados which currently are waiting for my undivided attention to fix, drive and enjoy. Sadly, because of my job, they are parked too far away for me to work on them now, but someday... Since I was 13 I wanted a 1972 Toronado. That year, Oldsmobile ran print ads with a Toronado parked in front of a P-51 Mustang. What 13 year old with a WWII veteran father and uncles could resist that ad?! One of my uncles worked as an Oldsmobile mechanic, and my dad and I worked to keep our family cars running (usually on Oldsmobiles that my uncle brought to us as "deals" from the dealership he worked for). 30 years later I found a 1972 Toronado locally for sale near Seattle and bought my first one. I kept that "Nutmeg" colored '72 running and drove it twice to California from Seattle. Except for a rotten exhaust pipe that fell off the car and left me with no muffler, the trips were trouble free (but loud!). I never had a good place to store that car and decided to place a car cover over it for the Pacific Northwest winter. Please don't tell me, (I know)... in a wet climate that is the worst thing you can do! The deterioration of the interior and finish is so sad. When I started to add up the cost to restore it, and re-do some bad body repairs from the previous owner, I decided to look for a better example in which to invest my time and money. I found and bought another 1972 ("Saddle" color) on e-Bay, but I kept the first one for parts. The Saddle one is stored indoors, but has a few problems of its own (who would have thought?... I mean really, from an e-Bay purchase?!). Aside from a bad vibration at 35 mph (which I think is a bent rim) I'm not able to get it to shift out of second. About a month ago I almost threw in the towel and was about to donate them both. Then I took the Saddle one out for a drive (all 35 mph worth)... that might have been a mistake. The feeling of power, sure footed grip and the command of a runaway "out-of-control" steam locomotive convinced me to give it another go. We'll see how much I can do I my own, but I'll NEVER regret owning my 1972 Oldsmobile Toronado!
Regards,
Dave Lawicki
I own two 1972 Toronados which currently are waiting for my undivided attention to fix, drive and enjoy. Sadly, because of my job, they are parked too far away for me to work on them now, but someday... Since I was 13 I wanted a 1972 Toronado. That year, Oldsmobile ran print ads with a Toronado parked in front of a P-51 Mustang. What 13 year old with a WWII veteran father and uncles could resist that ad?! One of my uncles worked as an Oldsmobile mechanic, and my dad and I worked to keep our family cars running (usually on Oldsmobiles that my uncle brought to us as "deals" from the dealership he worked for). 30 years later I found a 1972 Toronado locally for sale near Seattle and bought my first one. I kept that "Nutmeg" colored '72 running and drove it twice to California from Seattle. Except for a rotten exhaust pipe that fell off the car and left me with no muffler, the trips were trouble free (but loud!). I never had a good place to store that car and decided to place a car cover over it for the Pacific Northwest winter. Please don't tell me, (I know)... in a wet climate that is the worst thing you can do! The deterioration of the interior and finish is so sad. When I started to add up the cost to restore it, and re-do some bad body repairs from the previous owner, I decided to look for a better example in which to invest my time and money. I found and bought another 1972 ("Saddle" color) on e-Bay, but I kept the first one for parts. The Saddle one is stored indoors, but has a few problems of its own (who would have thought?... I mean really, from an e-Bay purchase?!). Aside from a bad vibration at 35 mph (which I think is a bent rim) I'm not able to get it to shift out of second. About a month ago I almost threw in the towel and was about to donate them both. Then I took the Saddle one out for a drive (all 35 mph worth)... that might have been a mistake. The feeling of power, sure footed grip and the command of a runaway "out-of-control" steam locomotive convinced me to give it another go. We'll see how much I can do I my own, but I'll NEVER regret owning my 1972 Oldsmobile Toronado!
Regards,
Dave Lawicki