442 Fletch

Hello all I am making my first post on Classic Oldsmobile. I am from Ontario Canada and have a 1980 442 W-30 Cutlass. I bought when I was 22 and have held onto it for the past 16 years. It hasn't moved for about 12 of them and needs quite a bit of work, to everything...... I have saved the car for my mid-life crisis and now that my son is 16 he is pushing me to get going on it.
I know that I don't have the money I need to put into it yet but I would like to know a lot more about it. I know the production numbers of white and gold and black and gold ( I have black and gold with T-tops) but would like to find out how many came with T-tops and different things like that.
Well my fist post took up about 5 so I should end here. I am sure I will benefit from all your guys and girls experiences and I hope to chat with some of you really soon.
Please help me resurrect a real beauty of a car.
Fletch

oldsca

Hi Fletch,

The first thing I would do is contact GM Canada Historical Vehicle Service. They can send you a nice package with tons of information about your car based on the vin. I got a great package with 100's of pages. You can find more details here: http://www.gm.ca/gm/english/shopping/parts/vintage.

Good Luck!
Wayne

442 Fletch

Thank you Oldsca I will try that. BTW very nice car you have there.

Redog

Welcome to the site

snowballs442

Welcome to the site and you have a very rare car. Post pictures when you get a chance.

442 Fletch

My 80 442

copper128

Very nice! I always loved the 79 H/O and 80 442. Great looking cars for their time.

442 Fletch

I think so too but trust me it doesn't look like this anymore....lol
Maybe someday soon.

cutlassgal

Welcome to our site! Little bit.... little bit, and she will start looking good again, lol! She's a real beauty in that pic!! Just don't get in a hurry, lol!

1969w3155

Welcome, I was 23 when these cars were new, in '79 I wanted an H/O, then the next year a dealer had a white/gold '80 W30 442 with t-tops and added Goodyear Wingfoot radials. I wanted it bad, went to the bank, where "Tom", my loan officer whom I had used for loans before, said "you don't need that." hey, it's not about need! Nevertheless I did not get it. You don't see the '80 model year too often, with only 886 built.

cutlassjoe

Very nice car. You really don't see many of those puppies around. Now I know based on only 886 being made.

Where in Ontario are you, I'm in Windsor. Welcome to CO you will get a lot of good info, help, and advice here.

Joe

442 Fletch

Thank you for the welcomes guys, I am in London ON. I am finding out that it is quite rare but want to know how rare. I am glad to see that it has an Olds engine and not a Chev. but I haven't got down and dirty yet. want to get engine tranny and rear end codes.
It was funny when I first bought this car I always wondered why it was older bald guys driving the T-tops and convertibles, I soon figured it out though, You can't afford to put it together until you get the damn kids older.....lol I am kidding

442 Fletch

I also just added myself to the map.

mmurphy77

Love it (and wicked rare!!). Keep that picture to motivate yourself to get it back into that condition.

442 Fletch

K gotta quick question for you guys, is it true that you should never post your VIN number on the net for chance of theft. If so is it taboo to put any others numbers on here?
I was also wondering about the 80 442's, it is a 350 but is it considered a Rocket?
My first car was a 74 Delta 88 that had a 350 Rocket and I didn't know what I had at the time and sold the car for next to nothing, I thought buddy was doing me a favor taking it off my hands, I know better now.

mmurphy77

I never understood why people 'X-out' their vin# or cover their license plate in photos online because anybody can walk up to your car and see the vin# or license plate at a show or on the street. As far as the 'Rocket' name it was a marketing thing for Olds engines that kind of died out in the late '70s/early '80s. There wasn't anything special about a 'Rocket 350' over a regular Olds 350.

rocketraider

The deal with the 1980 442 is that they all had Olds 350s, and they were the ONLY 1980 A-body car to get a 350 of any description.

I always wished they'd offered them in colors other than black or white. If you don't know the subtleties between 1979 and 1980, you'd think you were looking at a 1979 Hurst/Olds.

Fletch, you should be OK posting the body data plate and the VIN up thru the plant code.

snowballs442

Its one thing to have your tag and VIN on your car but to put it on the internet is something completely different. It like advertising where you live and people can get personal information from that.

toro68

Welcome to this site!

Oldsguy

Glad to have you with us Fletch.

1980gutlass

Hi there, welcome friend!
I am a newbee too and I am super glad to see another 80 cutlass owner around... I have had my 80 since I was 20 and I just pulled it from my grandmas garage after 13 years of storage, I hope to help if I can. I am just starting to restore her to somewhat OEM specs... kinda

copper128

I recall reading somewhere that the 1980 442 was only offered in black or white because the original plan was for it to be a Hurst/Olds again, but the marketing deal with Hurst fell through. Rather than scrap the plan at the last minute, Olds decided to badge the car as a 442 and sell it anyway. I don't know if it's true, but it sounds plausible. Can anyone confirm or refute this?

Regardless, the '80 is a rare and unique car and the 350-only status sets it apart from all other mid-size GM's that year.

442 Fletch

I tell you between my 16 year old son and you guys I have a whole new adrenalin rush for this car again, Thank you