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Run to Rund · 04-05-2008, 12:42 PM

Imo, some of this "clone" stuff depends on the factory's intention. Max wedges and hemis, Thunderbolt Fords, 442s when they were their own series according to the VIN are one case. The factory intended you to buy that car and then race it. In some other cases, the good stuff was sold through the parts department and the factory intended you to put it on an existing car. The 66 W30 package was one such "conversion" that all the racers at the 1966 NHRA Nationals had done, with the factory blessing and intention. The 54 factory cars were the other half of the equation and were intended for racing, but primarily for the NHRA approval of the package as "stock."

If you look through the GMPD parts books, you will see that you could start with any F85, 6 cylinder or V8, and completely convert it to a 442, L69 Tri Carb 442, or W30. Olds offered one-number conversion packages to convert to TriCarbs (393615), and from there, to W30 (230195). These converswions would properly be termed "owner-installed options" rather than "clones." A clone references an inauthentic car masquerading as a factory-only special run car. In certain cases with Olds, the owner-installed options were considered equally worthy at that time in history. Barrett Jackson was not their intention, racing was. Even today, if you added power steering or a radio, would you have an owner installed option, or would you have a power steering clone car? Radio clone car? Once an "option" can be legitimately installed by the dealer or owner, through factory-available parts packages, I feel you get away from that nasty "clone" status. You only need to represent the car for what it is to be honest. The factory even offered "body in the white" shells, so if you took a car all the way back to a disassembled shell, and built it up with correct parts, you have a nice car whose history is different from that of a factory built car, but not a disgusting piece of junk, again imho. It might bring a different value or recognition in some circles, but it can tell a compelling story just the same.

04-05-2008, 12:42 PM	#18 (permalink)
Run to Rund Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 140	Imo, some of this "clone" stuff depends on the factory's intention. Max wedges and hemis, Thunderbolt Fords, 442s when they were their own series according to the VIN are one case. The factory intended you to buy that car and then race it. In some other cases, the good stuff was sold through the parts department and the factory intended you to put it on an existing car. The 66 W30 package was one such "conversion" that all the racers at the 1966 NHRA Nationals had done, with the factory blessing and intention. The 54 factory cars were the other half of the equation and were intended for racing, but primarily for the NHRA approval of the package as "stock." If you look through the GMPD parts books, you will see that you could start with any F85, 6 cylinder or V8, and completely convert it to a 442, L69 Tri Carb 442, or W30. Olds offered one-number conversion packages to convert to TriCarbs (393615), and from there, to W30 (230195). These converswions would properly be termed "owner-installed options" rather than "clones." A clone references an inauthentic car masquerading as a factory-only special run car. In certain cases with Olds, the owner-installed options were considered equally worthy at that time in history. Barrett Jackson was not their intention, racing was. Even today, if you added power steering or a radio, would you have an owner installed option, or would you have a power steering clone car? Radio clone car? Once an "option" can be legitimately installed by the dealer or owner, through factory-available parts packages, I feel you get away from that nasty "clone" status. You only need to represent the car for what it is to be honest. The factory even offered "body in the white" shells, so if you took a car all the way back to a disassembled shell, and built it up with correct parts, you have a nice car whose history is different from that of a factory built car, but not a disgusting piece of junk, again imho. It might bring a different value or recognition in some circles, but it can tell a compelling story just the same.