1976 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wagon
The last of the big GM wagons. Eight passenger capability, .231" long..
Seen at the :
Morris - Lions Car Show.
Route 6 & Tabler Road
Morris, Illinois.
Grundy County, USA
October 13, 2013
From Wikipedia:
First Generation 1971-1976
The first generation Custom Cruiser first appeared in 1971 based on the C platform-B platform. With a wheelbase of 127.0 in (3,226 mm) these were the first Oldsmobile station wagons ever to be built on Oldsmobile's largest chassis. The 1971-76 GM full-size bodies, at 64.3" front shoulder room and 63.4" rear shoulder room set a record for interior width that would not be matched by any car until the full-size GM rear-wheel drive models of the early to mid 1990s. The station wagon could seat up to 8 forward-facing people.
The Custom Cruiser shared Oldsmobile 98's exterior styling, in particular the 98's distinctive front fascia and rear quarter panels complete with fender skirts. Interior styling was somewhat between 88 and 98. The Custom Cruiser wagons, as did other GM full-sized wagons during these years, used a unique rear suspension with multi-leaf springs instead of the coil springs used on other full-sized Oldsmobiles, and other full-sized GM cars. The Custom Cruiser wagons also featured a new 'Clamshell' tailgate design where the rear power-operated glass slid up into the roof as the tailgate (manually or with power assist), slid into a recess under the cargo floor.
The power tailgate, the first in station wagon history, ultimately supplanted the manual tailgate, which required marked effort to lift from storage. It was operated by switches on the instrument panel or a key switch on the rear quarter panel. The Clamshell system, heavy and complex, made it easier to load and unload the extremely long wagons in tight spaces. But it remained un-adopted by any other manufacturer, and would be eliminated when GM reduced the length of their wagons by about a foot in 1977, and the overriding concern became increased fuel economy.
At 5,161 lb (2,341 kg) shipping weight (5,186 lb (2,352 kg) with woodgrain), or about 5,400 lb (2,400 kg) curb weight, the three-seat 1974 Custom Cruiser wagons are easily the heaviest Oldsmobiles ever built.
The 1975 is introducted in September 1974.
Oldsmobile's 455 in³ (7.4 L) V8 engine was standard, although Pontiac's 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 was also offered in 1975.
1976 Total: 22,316
Two-seat, plain body: 2,572
Two-seat, woodgrained body: 3,849
Three-seat, plain body: 3,626
Three-seat, woodgrained body: 12,269
1976 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wagon
The last of the big GM wagons. Eight passenger capability, .231" long..
Seen at the :
Morris - Lions Car Show.
Route 6 & Tabler Road
Morris, Illinois.
Grundy County, USA
October 13, 2013
From Wikipedia:
First Generation 1971-1976
The first generation Custom Cruiser first appeared in 1971 based on the C platform-B platform. With a wheelbase of 127.0 in (3,226 mm) these were the first Oldsmobile station wagons ever to be built on Oldsmobile's largest chassis. The 1971-76 GM full-size bodies, at 64.3" front shoulder room and 63.4" rear shoulder room set a record for interior width that would not be matched by any car until the full-size GM rear-wheel drive models of the early to mid 1990s. The station wagon could seat up to 8 forward-facing people.
The Custom Cruiser shared Oldsmobile 98's exterior styling, in particular the 98's distinctive front fascia and rear quarter panels complete with fender skirts. Interior styling was somewhat between 88 and 98. The Custom Cruiser wagons, as did other GM full-sized wagons during these years, used a unique rear suspension with multi-leaf springs instead of the coil springs used on other full-sized Oldsmobiles, and other full-sized GM cars. The Custom Cruiser wagons also featured a new 'Clamshell' tailgate design where the rear power-operated glass slid up into the roof as the tailgate (manually or with power assist), slid into a recess under the cargo floor.
The power tailgate, the first in station wagon history, ultimately supplanted the manual tailgate, which required marked effort to lift from storage. It was operated by switches on the instrument panel or a key switch on the rear quarter panel. The Clamshell system, heavy and complex, made it easier to load and unload the extremely long wagons in tight spaces. But it remained un-adopted by any other manufacturer, and would be eliminated when GM reduced the length of their wagons by about a foot in 1977, and the overriding concern became increased fuel economy.
At 5,161 lb (2,341 kg) shipping weight (5,186 lb (2,352 kg) with woodgrain), or about 5,400 lb (2,400 kg) curb weight, the three-seat 1974 Custom Cruiser wagons are easily the heaviest Oldsmobiles ever built.
The 1975 is introducted in September 1974.
Oldsmobile's 455 in³ (7.4 L) V8 engine was standard, although Pontiac's 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 was also offered in 1975.
1976 Total: 22,316
Two-seat, plain body: 2,572
Two-seat, woodgrained body: 3,849
Three-seat, plain body: 3,626
Three-seat, woodgrained body: 12,269