My '88 Bonneville SSE

[Z-type]

Hey,

Decided to finally post some pictures of my '88 SSE. Although, for a number of reasons, I'm beginning to think I was lied to and it's a '90. More about that later.

It's got every option (didn't all SSE's? I don't know) and every option actually works. To me, this is amazing considering the condition the car is in. The only thing that doesn't work is the fog lights, and that's only because I don't actually have the physical lights in the lower bumper. I'm looking around for a set though. I put an ad in the Wanted section. Anyway, the leather seats aren't bad - not ripped or anything but they are cracked a great deal but are still very comfortable. I really like the Twilight Sentinel feature - very convenient though at the same time somewhat useless. I like it though. This car is missing the rear passenger piece of the body kit and one center cap for a wheel. Also, as a bonus, the car was from South Carolina and has ZERO RUST. Only downside is I don't have any clearcoat on the top of the car . It's solid as a mountain though.

I'm new to this H-Body but I enjoy it and am very fond of it already, even after just a week of ownership. Handles pretty well and the styling is superb - I love looking at it.

These pictures here are...well...crap. I didn't want to take it out of the garage in the rain because those picture would be worse, but you can get an overall idea of the condition. They're in no particular order. Enjoy!






















Thanks for having a look!

-Andrew Z

[RJolly87]

I believe the steering wheel is a giveaway for an 88

Not bad.

Edit: and is it just me or is that grill out of place?

[Z-type]

Ah the steering wheel...good point.

The grille is from and '87, and if that's not what you meant, it is actually kind of crooked. The front end was in some kind of collision at one point. When I bought the car last week the bumper and cover were hanging to the ground. I guess that was never fixed but the headlights and turn signals were replaced. I don't know much else besides that but I am on the lookout for a correct grille.

[myfirstbonnie]

Actually, from the markings on the bottom of the steering column, it looks like it was replaced with a unit from the jy. As for the grill, that is a grill used in the LE's. Here is my grill in my 89:



Nice find though.

[WhiteArrow3800]

Nice buy, Glad to see you're fighting for her. I'd really like to get an '88-'91 SSE. Good luck with it!

[Jrs3800]

After looking at the Pics I do believe that you have an 88 SSE..

[sandrock]

It's an early one. It's got the Theves ABS system.

[Alibi]

Its not a 90. The center console is the same shape as the T Type. The later SSE had a console that angled down. But... the motor isn't from an '88 as it doesn't have "3800" cast into the UIM. You can tell what year the motor is by the valve covers though: if they are still aluminum then its an '89 but if they are composite (plastic) then its a 90 or 91. The motor in my '89 came from my '90 Olds 88 and it has the composite covers.... one of which has a chip and lets oil seep out.

It needs some paint and a couple little bits of trim here and there but it looks pretty good overall.

[spidey3479]

I am also restoring an 88, and I also noticed the side mirrors. The original ones I removed were more squared than the 89,90,91. I think someone has saved you the trouble of doing that. Parts are hard to come by so make a list of what you need and want. Keep it handy so when you see one in a backyard or in a barn or in a upullit yard get to them fast. Looks like yours is in better shape than mine started in.

[Z-type]

Well, every day I drive the car I get more impressed with it. I'm getting an intermittent SES light now though. I'll get to that soon - doesn't seem to be affecting anything yet. I swapped in a set of Delco II coils and cleaned up the interior a bit, dyed the console lid and shifter so they match now, and got a trunk lock and lock cover.

I'm still having a lot of trouble finding that piece of body kit I'm missing. Every SSE in rough shape that I've come across in my searching is missing that same piece, and that same piece only. I swear it's a curse. One day...

Since I essentially have the car running like it should (I even got the idle down to normal speed) I'm not becoming picky about the appearance. Not the paint obviously,since it's winter, but I've been picking over stupid little things like getting an ashtray (to hold change) and getting the interior to look nice. I found out I have only one of six speakers.In related news, since the battery was in and out of the car several times, the radio went into LOC mode, and somehow unlocked itself last week. It was something of a miracle I believe - also, all my steering wheel radio buttons work except for the fade front-back buttons. I'm pretty impressed with that.

I got a grille from a '90 but I may have an '88-'89 grille on the way soon, as well as fog lights. Again-these are the things I'm starting to get picky over now that the car operates like a car should. I'm also going to be cleaning the original floor mats soon (they're in real nice shape, even the embroidery). I have 4 centercaps on the car now so the wheels look a little better and my nuts aren't showing . Who knows what else - I had a mile-long list that I completed so here's pictures of it so far, though they don't show the grille and coils.

[Jrs3800]

Looks better.... And I see the car is growing on you...LMAO

[wjcollier07]

Glad to see them still around. Sure are gettin thin nowadays.

I'd definitely drive that.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

[WhiteArrow3800]

She's definitely improving!

keep it up. I love seeing these ones still driving around.

[Jrs3800]

And it makes you wonder if GM ever saw that in the future that these cars would still be around and people would still love them so much... Some of these newer cars aren't up to snuff when compared to some of these older cars if you ask me...lol

[gweg_b]

It's starting to look really nice! I'm amazed at how well it still looks for its age!

I've always liked this style of Bonneville (knew a guy at school one time that had a similar model, don't know what year though); in fact, I've always liked the 'box' style look.

Keep up the great work on it!

[Z-type]

Yeah the car is sure growing on me. I can always appreciate something new and this being new to me, I find it one of the cooler cars running around my area - minus the paint of course . I'm really getting to know the car more inside and out now and it's growing on me in the way my 'Sabre T-type did when I got my first black one. I'm loving it!

I got the fog lights in from 'Lugnut' on the board here and got a grille from a '90 SSE off of eBay. I should have an '88 grille sooner or later but I think I like the '90 a little better. Anyway, when I got the car I realized it didn't have the fogs, but I couldnt find the wiring for it. Sure enough, when replacing the bumper cover (the one that came with the car was red and hanging to the ground) I found two identical yet wayward plug ends. They turned out to be the fog light plugs/wiring. I didn't expect them to work but when I got the fogs in the mail I just plugged them in, set them where I could see them, and by some miracle, they both turned on! I bolted them up but something isn't right - they're not sitting straight/flush with the bottom of the bumper where they're bolted in. I think the bumper cover is crooked. Either way, the lights work great and they really cut through the snow and rain.


Thanks for the kind words everyone! It's nice to know other people enjoy this 'classic' car.

[radomirthegreat]

I've been following this thread but not posting. However, I really feel the need to let you know how awesome it is you're continuing to fix up your car. It's in amazingly good shape. Is there an aiming system for the fog lamps, like a screw or something of the sort?

[Z-type]

Thank you sir - I appreciate the comments . Yes, there is an aiming screw at the bottom of the light at is attached to the bracket, and they're screwed all the way in aiming the lights as far down as possible. The problem is the bracket is sitting crooked because the bumper cover isn't on all the way SOMEHOW. I just took a look at it a bit ago to confirm this. I could have sworn i put the cover on correctly but it's like it needs pushed on another half inch or so then the fog brackets will fit right. I mean, I can live with it now since they're aimed low 'enough', but I'm going to have to try and figure this out because you can see from the side how crooked the mounting bracket really is. Little things like that bug the hell out of me, which is why my Lesabre T-type turned out so nice without me really ever intending it to .

[spidey3479]

Great progress! My old girl is parked for now, till I can afford the paint job. The fog lamps you have, were they aftermarket or stock? Mine are in a metal "cage/bracket" and I can't tell if yours are or not from the picture. Also did they come with the clear lenses, because mine have the amber. Just curious, I like finding out about the little things.

[Z-type]

The fog lights I believe are actually from a '90. I knew I'd never find amber ones so I just took what I could get first. They are real SSE lights though, so I'm happy with them. And yes, they are housed in a metal cage-looking thing which I think looks cool - especially considering the styling of the bumper cover.

Like I said, I never expected to find amber ones but if I ever come across a set for cheap enough, they're mine! How do the amber ones look when lit up? I expect the light is a little weaker compared to clear ones.

Paint - I have think about that sooner or later. The hardest part is going to be getting a color that matches the original enough for the average eye not to notice. I do NOT want to paint the door jambs either. I think I might do single-stage paint too. I'm not trying to restore the car to a showroom finish so that might be good enough to look like a nice car.