tdhill01

Hi, I'm looking for some guidance as I make a trek down to NJ tomorrow to take a look at a 1968 Cutlass S post coupe. I found the car listed on Craigslist http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/3267452811.html and called the seller who stated that the lower front fender areas are starting to bubble and that lower patch panes will be included. The car is column shift but he has a console mounted between the seats with a shifter not hitched up - do you think his price is reasonable with what he is stating in the description and the addition of the problem areas in the lower panel sections of the front fenders? Also, what problem areas of 68' should I inspect more closely?

Thank you.

allyolds68

You can find a rust free 68 for that kind of money. I'd pass

drcutlass

Personally,,I wouldn't be so quick to pass this one up,,The rest of the car looks very sweet,,a little rust in that area of the fenders is common on all cutlasses from '68 to '72,,and,,post coups are very rare,,Olds only built 14,586 post model V-8 Cutlasses that year compared to 59,577 hard tops. My 1970 Supreme at one time just before we bought it, had some rust in the same area,,(I saw a video of the car on youtube posted by the guy who owned it before the guy we actually bought it from), and the patch panels were already replaced when we bought it,,you cannot tell the work was ever done. I'd use the rust as a bargaining tool to negotiate the price. From the photos on Craigslist,,it looks like a show car,,and it all depends on what kind of other work, mechanical or restoration work, has been done on it.,,How far away from where the car is do you live?,,,My advice is,,go check it out!

drcutlass

I just read the add,,console but no shifter,,that's okay too,,he says "no patches, all solid", the when you called,,he tells you the fenders are "bubbling" a little,,still our Cutlass Supreme had holes in the fenders,,but now with the patch panels,,it's fine,,I think it's a pretty sweet car,,by the way,,,,How much experience do you have with Oldsmobiles? I've been into them since I was 8 years old,,(1970),, and they're the ONLY kind of car I've ever owned....

allyolds68

Let me expand on my rather short response above. When I see a car that's generally in good shape but has some minor "rust issues" they invariably extend to a much larger area than can be seen by a look around the car. I probably looked over 20 cars before I bought mine. I saw a lot of cars like this one. I found that I could spend $6,000 for a car that looked great but needed a total restoration or $2000 for a car that looked like crap but needed a total restoration. Since I really couldn't afford a $6,000 car, much less one that needed a total restoration, I chose the latter. If you can get it up on a lift you usually can get the real story. I think if this car has any rust, it's a $6000 car, but I'm as cheap as they come and I'm willing to wait until I find one that suits me.

I've got a friend that bought a 68 Supreme in almost identical condition to this one about 3 or 4 years ago for about the same money. He's in the middle of a frame off right now. To me, that's not worth it.

68's rust badly at the body mounts. The front ones rot at the bottom & it's very difficult to see. The frames rot under the body mounts, the rear frame cross members get thin. Check the inner and outer wheel houses, trunk drops, and the lower cowl area where the front fenders attach. The driver's floor always rusts worse than the passenger assuming the heater core isn't leaking. A MUST is to pull the stainless trim at the base of the windshield and see how badly the dash is rusted. Open the trunk and check the lower inside of the trunk lid. The lower rear window channels rust but I can't talk to specifics because I looked at convertibles only. If you get it up in the air carefully look at the fenders because many of the 68-69's that have been previously restored have never had the inner braces rebuilt. Most body shops slap on a patch panel and bolt it to the cowl without ever replacing the inner braces. About the only place you can see this is looking in from the door side with the door open. The inner fender covers it up if you're looking from inside the wheel well area.

Most of these issues are the same for 68-72's but the lower fender and windhshield was particularily bad on 68-69's.

drcutlass

How long have you been planning on looking at this car?,,Maybe you should've posted sooner than,,,, the day before you were planning on going to look at it,,,,you will find that a lot of people will probably post replies and will provide you with plenty of useful advice,,

drcutlass

All I'm saying is,,,,post coups are very,very rare,,,and a little bubbling in the fenders is not that big of a concern,,,this guy who calls himself allyolds68,,seems like he knows what he's talking about,,,we payed $6,000 for our 1970 Cutlass Supreme,,and it's totally worthy,,,I could get over $8,000 for it now if it was for sale. The point where the fenders bolt to the cowl might very well be something to look at,,if you pay $6,000 for a car,,you better be able to use everything it comes with without replacing anything,,let alone having to do a frame off restoration,,,Go with your gut instinct,,,and by how much money you have to make the car what you want it to be,,,,That "bubbling" he's talking about,,has it been fixed once in the past?,,or is it fresh rust on an otherwise perfect fender?,,is it the first time the fenders have ever rusted?,,or have they already been fixed once in the past?,,,it could very well be an indication of worse rust damage under the surface,,,

tdhill01

I appreciate everyone's comments on the 68' Cutlass coupe. I did not end up taking the ride to check the car out as something else came up. I also decided I will wait for something closer to home to pop up for sale.

vette442

I owned that car - "Jane" - from 2002-2004 or so. Very, very solid NC car with a really clean frame and floor pans. No need for a frame off by a long shot. It was a 350 2 barrel originally. Buckets, column shift, A/C and not much else. Other than a few thin spots and pinholes in the lower trunk floor ridges from water under the rubber mat, this was a rot free car. I recovered the seats (PUI) and put new carpet in it. Wish I had kept it now, but I sold it for half of the current asking price. The owner that this guy bought it from put a lot into the engine rebuild, so that's reflected in the price now.

A couple 2002 pics:

carfleet4101603.jpg

rtrear031103.jpg

Terry

tdhill01

Here is pictures of the front fenders.

vette442

None of those issues were there 8 years ago. I hate seeing that, but it can all be fixed.

Octania

How refreshing to see a '68 with the hot air and [possibly] pcv pipes still in place. It looks like a 442 [not Cutlass 350] air cleaner- no added on flare at the snout tip.

It's not every day you see a car with both column AND floor shifters. Now all they need is a '69 steering column so they can have an ign switch in the dash AND on the column.

The rust issues look minimal to me, in the cursory inspection possible with those few photos. Still, for that kind of coin, it seems like a 442 could be had.