1983 Hurst/Olds specifications and operating instructions booklet

Art courtesy of the Automotive History Preservation Society.

If you owned one of these foldouts back in the 1980s, you may have been one of the lucky few who had purchased a 1983 Hurst/Olds. The booklet was provided as an adjunct to the Oldsmobile owner’s manual to acquaint new buyers with the specifications and operating characteristics unique to the H/O.

When considering the initially daunting appearance of those three Hurst shifter handles poking through the console, a little instruction was probably welcomed by most of them. A quick scan of the diagrams, however, would reveal that the Lightning Rods’ operation was in fact quite simple.

The 1983 Hurst/Olds was certainly not quickest of the H/O breed, which dated back to 1968, but in my opinion this G-body version ranked very highly among its colleagues in styling, comfort and handling. Its appearance was eye-catching to say the least, and its graphics and performance were in step with competitors of its era.

It also represented one of the last iterations of a traditional GM mid-sized V-8 rear-wheel drive muscle car with a performance-tuned (at least by 1983 standards) four-barrel engine, Hurst-shifted transmission, 3.73-geared rear that could be had with limited-slip, heavy-duty suspension, power front disc brakes and bucket seats with console. It even had a comprehensive gauge package with its only failing being a speedometer that only read to 85 MPH.

Though the engine was still a bit short on displacement and power compared to its forebears, with just 180-net hp from its 307 cubic inches, it was right on par with its contemporaries and other specifications revealed that the muscle car formula had advanced a bit mechanically over the years.

In fact, the 1983 Hurst/Olds and other performance-based G-bodies of the era possessed some features that owners of vintage muscle cars would begin to install in their rides in the 1980s and 1990s (some even today) in an effort to improve performance and efficiency.

For instance, GM’s THM200-4R overdrive automatic transmission that the G-bodies (and some other platforms) used and the larger THM700-R4 that the F-body Firebird and Camaro (and some other platforms) employed in the 1980s and early 1990s would soon become popular swaps to provide not only a lower first gear for more dig on launch, but also the overdrive fourth gear to keep revs down on the highway. Some muscle car owners would even retain the lockup-style torque converter to squeeze maximum efficiency out of their transplanted transmissions.

One look at the chassis specifications reveals body-on-perimeter-frame construction, a SLA independent front suspension and a four-link and solid rear axle configuration with coil springs and shocks all around. Though various dimensions had changed over the years, which would thwart some direct parts swaps, the overall arrangement was the generally same as a vintage GM A-body—Chevelle SS, GTO, GS and 4-4-2.

And there was a thick 1.25-inch front anti-roll bar and a .875-inch rear bar. Bars of these same thicknesses, sourced from other GM cars were already improving handling in so modified vintage muscle cars when the H/O debuted. An .875-inch bar was factory installed in some GM A-body muscle cars, and it would retrofit into sister models of those cars that didn’t already have it. Generally, the stock front bars used in the muscle car era were not as fat as 1.25 inches, but the ’70 ½ to ’81 Trans Am’s was, and it was a popular low-buck modification for a ‘60s and ‘70s A-body.

The 12.7:1 quick-ratio steering box with 2.5 turns to lock also became a hot swap into the vintage models that had slower ratios, some of which required 4.5 turns to lock. The new box also provided a higher effort and better road feel than the old GM system where the steering wheel could be turned with one finger.

Today, overdrive transmissions, anti-roll bars, steering boxes etc. and a seemingly endless array of upgrades are available for vintage GM A-body muscle cars from many aftermarket sources, so there’s little need to seek out various GM donor cars to find them like most of us did from the 1980s into the early 2000s.

And today, all Hurst/Oldses are collectible cars with the 1983 limited-edition not only providing an Oldsmobile with time travel capabilities back to 1980s-era acceleration, handling and comfort, but it and its G-body siblings also served as inspiration for upgrading vintage GM muscle cars. And this little foldout provided the specifications for the 3001 1983 H/Os built.

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