woody

Hey guys, i am trying to ascertain the correct badging and paint scheme for a 70 442. I have seen examples that have no stripes on sides, some have paint and striping on the OAI hood and some with rear racing stripes. I believe the 442 badging is present on the hood tooth in the center, the fenders and the right side of the trunk. With the OAI hood is the paint and single stripe always present? Is the rear racing stripes a delete when the wing is present and always there when it is not? What is the difference in the side striping when you have the base 442, the W30 and the W31 other than the W-30 and W-31 decals? I am getting ready to do a tribute car and any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Also, it appears the base 442 and W30 were 455's and the W-31 was a 350. Was the W-31 also badged as a 442 or was the 442 badging left off and only the striping and W-31 badging present?

ent72olds

I believe it all depended on what you ordered.....but one thing is for sure....no stripes on the top of the trunk! Leave that for the Chevelles and Camaros....of course unless you are doing a pace car....

woody

Thanks, that takes care of the trunk.

69ho aurora

If you are going for a factory 70 look...

442s did not come with trunk stripes (assuming you are talking about front to back stripes that kinda match the OAI hood stripes). In 70, only the Indy pace car had those.

The W31 was a Cutlass, not a 442, but did share the wide side stripes with the 442 W30 (and the 70 W30 emblems were die cast, not a decal like earlier years).

While you see the wide "W" stripes on most OAI cars these days, they only came originally on the W30/W31. Other 442s could have come with narrower side pinstripes in about the same area. There would also have been a double pinstripe across the trunk lid. See the trunk photo in https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...php?albumid=85 for what that basically looked like. A quick scan of the photos here didn't have a non-W30 set of paint stripes jump out at me, but they are out there...

woody

Ok, so if I get you right a non W-30 442 did not have the wide stripe but came with a thinner stripe or no stripe at all. All AOI cars came with a dual paint sceme on the hood... and all 442's have pinstripes on the trunk lid at the edge.

joe_padavano

All non-W-30 442s came with the thin side stripe in 1970, unless someone can show us documentation of a factory delete option. Any 70 442 you see today without stripes has been repainted.

woody

Thanks guys, i think i got it straight for now.

vette442

This is a super-low mileage, original paint '72 with the correct non-W30 striping.

DSC05028.jpg

Terry

70Post

Be aware that a '70 442 is going to have a stripe scheme that is SPECIFIC TO 1970 only. Later cars, like pic'd above have different side stripes and hood stripes.

FL1970442

I don't know if it would be any help, but they have a few, old, original
Oldsmobile ads on you tube. They show both the 442 and cutlass S. If nothing else, they are pretty entertaining.

MX442

70 Chassis manual shows that all 4400 series exc W30 got thin stripes.

woody

Thanks MX442, that info is perfect. Those schematics are for the 442 pinstriping? I believe the W-30 and W-31 had the thicker side stripes. I would assume the hood depicted is a standard hood paint scheme. The OAI hood had the entire area painted on the raised portion of the hood??? Thanks again for the info.

stevengerard

check out this thread of my car, the W30 paint scheme is in the 70 assembly manual as well. I just do not have that with me - at the body shop. I used the assembly manual, measurements from original cars, as well as the W30 stencil kit to painstakingly and anally make sure the stripes were as accurate as possible - what a pain.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...wighlight.html

Bobsw32

Wow what a nice job making certain those stripes are as close to what the factory did.....That's as nice a job as I have seen on those. Having done one previously I can attest to what a PITA it is to get them correct.

It took us a whole day just to get the inside corners on the hood to look presentable...........Been there done that........

I noticed in the pictures your tail light lenses...........

stevengerard

thanks but what now.... are those the wrong tail light lenses?

Bobsw32

To my knowledge there were 4 different tail light lenses offered in 1970 a bodies


1) 442 lens, gray sides, the ridge/lip in the lens as well as the lens is red

2) Cutlass and I believe f85, gray sides and that ridge/lip is painted
gray as the sides

3) Cutlass Supreme, gray sides and that ridge/lip has a chrome cover
over it

4) Ralley 350, black sides and that ridge/lip is again is red.

When I looked at your pictures I saw a lens that was either painted or chrome and I believe they are supposed to be red...all 442's were a red ridge/lip...

This is the best of my knowledge others may help out here also

I have a Supreme SX with a chrome lip and my 1970 Cutlass "S" W-31 came from the factory with painted lip

stevengerard

ugh, thanks - Ill start a new thread as not to hijack this one - always something - but on a 40 year old car (even though I've owned it for the last 15) who knows what has been done to it.