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joe_padavano

For the most part, those documents don't exist for Oldsmobiles built prior to 1977, so take any such claims with a grain of salt. There are published numbers for 442 production by year and body style, but I've seen conflicting numbers, so again, be skeptical. Diego on this site has some factory documentation that has production numbers, so hopefully he'll chime in.

oldsmobiledave

If your car was sold new in Canada you can get documentation.

What is the build date for your car?

Add your location to your profile.

joe_padavano

The GM of Canada documentation will tell you the factory equipment on that particular car. It won't tell you the total number built by Olds of a particular configuration, which is what the OP asked.

oldsmobiledave

So when he wrote "I'd like to find out more about my car...." You took that to mean what exactly Joe?

joe_padavano

I was focused on "...how I can know for sure 'documented 1 of 289 built'.", but you are correct the OP also did ask about more info in general. I glossed right over that.

droldsmorland

Model 3687 & 3677 hard top total 659.
Model 4267 verts total 113...grand total W30 production for 72 = 772. (This does not include the W30 H/Os)
Model 3687 & 3677 with auto trans 370, with 4 speed 289.
Model 4267 with auto trans 80, with 4 speed 33. But you knew all that?
There are clues to look for as your well aware of so I wont go into that. The X in your vin sure helps. Are the serial numbers off your block and trans correct? To truly have a documented car it must meet certain rock solid criteria not just matching vin/block/trans case numbers....
If you are the original purchasing owner with all the paperwork from that purchase thats pretty air tight. Have a known expert comb over the car and sign some notarized paperwork. Or if you have the original owner purchasing info, invoice, dated period pictures, service records from new, orig window sticker, matching POP, canceled checks, bank payment books etc...thats documents. Do the hard parts match this documentation? If yes IMO you have strong documentation. Any hard parts and body tags can be added to a regular body these days so an unmolested car would be further proof. I could go on forever and this can be interpreted many ways by many different people, but if the paperwork matches the car with correct parts in place it would be a documented car IMO. Canadian cars have even more proof on this authentication process.
The above is what the NCRS guys are looking ias far as documentation, so Id feel confident laying Olds paperwork up the the same scrutiny.

joe_padavano

Did you mean 3687 and 3677? The only 4257 cars with W-30 motors would have been the handful of 1972 H/Os with W-30 motors. I'm guessing you could count those on two hands or less.

droldsmorland

We're both on a roll today with the glossin over thing...Yes let me edit the above for posterity AND the older documentation I have at work which states it wrong also. Good and obvious catch officer Joe. The doc states it wrong above that too where it calls out 4257 Supreme hardtop 442....I updated that line on the doc as well. Good that we are watching each other dont want any more false info here.

Does Supreme apply to either of the 4257 rows on this doc? Only the vert was built with the Supreme designation.

joe_padavano

It's Friday afternoon, time for happy hour anyway...

Where did that page come from? In any case, if you add up the W30 production numbers for the 3287, 3677, and 3687 cars, you get the 659 number that is erroneously attributed to the 4257 cars. Apparently that was supposed to be a subtotal line, not a Cutlass Supreme body style line. It does beg the question, however, of how many (if any) 4257 cars really did get built with the L77 motor that year.

Yeah, we've talked about this and technically the H/Os were not W-30s, they were Supremes with the L77 motor and the "X" in the fifth position of the VIN.

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joe_padavano

Unfortunately, there is no Oldsmobile registry or historical site like there are for other makes. The data just doesn't exist. You are fortunate to have a 1972 W-30, since the VIN proves the car is a W-30. Beyond that, as noted, unless the car was originally sold in Canada, or unless you can find a build sheet in the car, there are no records of exactly what options were on it when it was built.

droldsmorland

This is a little better. If you added the 17, 3287s, 19, 3677 and 623 3687s you get 659....a little deceiving.

edit:Yep was rescanning that pdf as you replied

The happy hour drinkin light just illuminated!

joe_padavano

You forgot the 17 W-30s built on the 3287 body that are included in the 659.

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oldsmobiledave

Your car is one of 289 4 speed W-30s made in 1972. That fact is well established. I own one of them too.

Did you add your location to your profile?

Look under the carpet and under the seat bases for a broadcast card. I found 3 in mine.

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joe_padavano

So we would know if you were in Canada or not, per the discussion above.

Frankly, I've always wondered why people get so hung up about these production numbers, other than to over-hype a car at Barrett Jackson or some such auction. Does the value of the car or your enjoyment of it really change if it's one-of-350, or one-of-927? Yeah, it's very low production. You know that. We also know that this sort of detailed production info from Oldsmobile is sketchy at best. Note that the document Dave drew the numbers from is NOT an original Oldsmobile document, it's from Year One. Those numbers may or may not be correct (and I'd be skeptical given the glaring error on the page), but it's ONE source of data. Even Oldsmobile factory documents have mistakes in them. Witness the 1977 advertising brochures that claimed that the 442 was first released in the 1965 model year, or the Rallye 350 salesman's booklet that claimed that these cars came with the "L74 350 cu. in. 350 H.P. high compression engine".

You have a highly desirable 1972 W-30 manual trans car. That's pretty rarefied air as it is. Enjoy it.

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oldsmobiledave

I was not asking for your street address. Aren't you proud of the city or state in which you reside?

It's always nice to know where our fellow enthusiasts are. Maybe you have other members living close to you.

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joe_padavano

Moderators can't edit this info. I've elevated it to the admins.