2blu442

Hey everybody. This morning I looked at a 1970 Cutlass SX that’s for sale. I would consider this a survivor car as it hasn’t been restored and is very close to being original still. I checked and the 455 2bbl engine has the correct vin number, as does the TH400 transmission. It has about 156,000 on the odometer but has been parked for a while, the tags expired in 1990. The present owner purchased the car in 1977 from the original owner with around 50,000 miles on it. He’s a truck mechanic but shared that beyond maintenance he’s done very little to the car in the 100,000ish miles that he’s driven it, the car has been dependable and not needed anything else. The seller doesn’t know for sure what the value is and after some time on the internet he thought $10,000 may be reasonable. I shared that I thought that was high for the state of the economy, but the offer I made him may be low. I’m not an expert with the value of SX’s either. The owner would really like to see this go to an Oldsmobile nut that will keep it original and enjoy the car. For those of you who know me you know I’ve got enough cars to keep me busy for many many years. So I too am more focused on seeing this go to the right person than adding it my collection. I’ve offered to post it here and help sell it, if someone out there is interested I can answer questions, take more pictures and hopefully provide whatever you need to evaluate the condition/value of the car.

Now about the car, as I mentioned it has the 455 2bbl with TH400. 4 row radiator that’s missing the tags, it has a small tag soldered to one tank that makes me think it’s been worked on and the shop didn’t replace the tags. The code stamped into the pass side tank is CI and the date code is letter F. It has the shroud and correct 4 row top plate, all looks good. The car has AC, PS, Power drum brakes. The brakes are bad from sitting so they need to be gone through. I saw the large washer near the hood springs so I believe it has the stiffeners as used on 1970 442’s. It also has the rear sway bar and boxed control arms under the rear end, and likely the correct coil springs. Back to the front, the notched valve covers and W/Z manifolds are there and look good. It does have an aftermarket cruise control on it. I heard the motor run for a couple minutes and it sounded smooth. I didn’t drive it due to the brake issue, but in the time I talked with the owner I felt he’s honest and being upfront about the car, so I don’t expect there to be any underlying issues with the drivetrain.

All the trim is there and I didn’t look close but didn’t see any glaring dents or damage to it. The vinyl top is just starting to break down, which testifies to it being garaged much of its life. I do see some bumps under the vinyl at the corners between the rear glass and deck lid, but it looks to be just starting. There’s one spot of rust under the front glass near the passenger side dash, but that too looks like its just starting. The owner used it to drive up the mountain for skiing years ago which has led to lots of paint chips in the nose and the lower fenders, rocker panels and parts of rear quarter panel being sandblasted. We don’t salt roads here in Oregon but the mountain roads are often sanded with red cinder. Every time a piece of red cinder touches the car it takes a small chip of paint with it as its really abrasive stuff. I don’t see any signs of cancer type rust beyond the couple small spots already mentioned. All the common spots for rust in this car look clean. There are numerous parking lot dings and the right rear quarter and passenger door have dents. The owner told me he once was rear ended, and the notched bumper was replaced many years ago so it’s likely a GM bumper. It has a couple small dents and the chrome has faded, so it needs re-plated. It also had the trumpet tips removed when the exhaust was replaced sometime in the past. I looked in the trunk and the damage to the driver’s side quarter panel was fixed very well as I see no signs of body filler or wrinkles. The passenger side rear quarter panel was damaged in a different incident when a pickup truck rolled into it, and the body work there was not as good. It looks like someone used the spot weld rivits to pull it, but didn’t finish it and instead used filler to smooth the surface. This can be seen from inside the trunk. The car has a full set of SSI wheels including the spare.

It has bucket seats and column shift. An aftermarket radio was installed so the holes in the dash are likely cut larger. The original radio comes with the car. The driver’s side bucket needs recovered. The dash pad isn’t cracked, but the chrome bead is coming loose. Overall the interior is very clean. Not a lot of options in the car, but a very solid car that would need little to become a daily driver or be an easy restoration for a show quality car.

I know there's a limit on how long threads can be, so I'll post pictures in the following posts.

2blu442

Here's some pic's

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2blu442

More pictures

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oldcutlass

Looks to be in decent shape, I don't know what the value of a 2V SX would be these days.

2blu442

And one more batch of pictures

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ent72olds

Wow! That is nice! I'd think 8k might get that. I hope some here becomes the new owner!

VikingBlue

IMO it's not worth anything near 10K...condition, bench&column, spotty service, notchback (yea i know, the only hardtop style)....it's a project car and I think 5k is more than fair...just my opinion

worth only marginally more than a big block bigger car IMO.

2blu442

I'm asking for thoughts and offers, so please share what you think. I've given the owner this web address and encouraged him to follow along to see what the Classicoldsmobile community thinks. It may eventually wind up on ebay but I wanted to start here to let all of you review it before going there.

John

allyolds68

08A, I didn't even know they were in production that week. I thought that was in the changeover period. I can't tell if it's a really early car or really late one. I'm guessing really early because I thought I read somewhere that they switched 70 SX's over to 4 bbl's late in the year

If it's a really early one it could very well be the first SX made

2blu442

Here's the vin from the transmission, allyolds68 does this give you a clue as to early or late?

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hurst68olds

Early

1970cs

That's a Lansing built car, change over here in Lansing was usually into July sometime.
Agreed, with hurst68olds very early. Fisher sequence 202790, my 70 Supreme is 06B and shows a build sequence of 376831.

Pat

vette442

$7000-$8500. Lack of rust and original drivetrain make it a winner for someone who could enjoy it pretty much as is and maintain/improve along the way. Not worth sinking a fortune into it but its a nice piece from what I can see. I'll buy a fleet of these for $5K....

2blu442

Thank you for the info guys. Also I forgot to mention that it has the owners manual and protect-o-plate with it and was purchased new here in Medford Oregon.

John

s i 442

I see the brake master cylinder issue!
Its not worth $10000, maybe if it was nicer with buckets and console and for me non-air cars are worth more to me.
I would start as low as $4500.

Paladin31

Built approx 8-11 or 8-12.-69. Mine is 4874 on 8-18-69 sharp car kudos John.

Olds442redberet

I have sold two junk cars with small blocks in them for over two grand each. I would expect this car should be worth around six or seven grand to a buyer, not a flipper, although, in today’s market, it may take awhile to find the right buyer. At five grand I would snap it up. I love cars with most, if not all of their original wares still on them. I like original cars. But at ten grand all I would do is sit back and admire it. Here's hoping the seller decides to sell it rather than let it sat and deteriorate.

2blu442

Well, I think the $10,000 is a starting point based on what he found on the internet. If someone is seriously interested I think he would come down to meet what the market will bear. That is the bottom line, put the car and a price out there and see what kind of interest there is. If nobody comes forward evaluate either trying a different market and/or reducing the price. But the owner doesn't need to give it away. He's been retired for 20 years and just decided he's not going to do anything with the car. Both he and I really want to see this go to someone who's going to enjoy it.

John

hurst68olds

..... but wouldn't 08A (start of body build) = August week #1 (Friday 8/1/69 - Thursday 8/7/69)

Looks like Lansing had a "pile" of early Cutlass Supreme bodies built up.

Paladin31,
How does your car's numbers compare?

08A vs. ?
34257 vs. ?
LAN202790 vs. ?
& I'll "assume"
0M102830 vs. 0M104874

Monday 8/18/69, what is the significance of this date in respect to your car?

Olds442redberet

I run into many folks who way over price their cars and their car parts. But, it is their right. The market will either pay it or not. It's just a shame to watch some old cars rust away. I recently purchased such a car. The owner didn’t want to sell the car and so it sat, languishing in his backyard for over a decade. He reluctantly sold it to me in order to get some cash. Unfortunately, now it is nothing more than a parts car and worth far less than he expected. It is such a sad thing to witness. I do hope the seller comes down on the price and sells it to a true enthusiast who will enjoy the car and take care of it. I also hope the seller get’s a better than fair deal as well. He has taken good care of the car all of these years. This is just an observation/opinion.

2blu442

I agree. I too have watched cool cars eaten by blackberry vines or slowly rot into the ground. Thankfully this car has been garaged. Hopefully it will find a new home where it gets the same care. John

Paladin31

Hurst68Olds-here is my 70's info and what i was basing that on: Using the Olds History Center " 0M104874 built second week of August", 08B LAN208087 cowl tag, 08-18-69 from Broadcast card whose Body Number matches the cowl tag. Monday was 8-18-1969, so why they loosely match I think they started it Friday 8-15 but finished it Monday. I have it somewhere that they were rolling 450-500 a day so doing some interpolation I arrived at 8-11 that they began its build Friday 8-8 finished it Monday 8-11 ( please don't ask why I typed 8-12...). My opinion only of course.

stevengerard

my .02

You guys must see a lot more cars in your area than here in Chicago. 5k would be a steal for that car IMHO. Try finding the molding, all the interior parts that are there. This car to me is way closer to a 10k car than 5k. Only thing it is missing is the trumpets on the exhaust, a good buffing and a seat cover and you can cruise with it.

Paladin31

Steven I agree with you, and Erik & Terry's pricing $7500-8000 seems about right if it was in our neck of the woods. Brett

m455sx

Love the color! Car has buckets with column shift like mine.. very cool. Check out the SX455 web site as they have pricing and all sorts of info!

Octania

Well, this is the hot rod version with the open air cleaner and the fuel line magnets, so it's probably around 550 HP at 30-40 mpg with that combo.

:-)

Nice start to a nice ride, that's called "no rust" here. Worthy of fixing.
I will not attempt to estimate a price

Olds442redberet

I am seeing a few more decent cars here in the south than what I believe is availible up north. I have passed up two really nice Cutlass Supremes recently. One in Atlanta was offered at 6500.00 and the gentleman told me I could have it for $5000.00. And yes, I should have bought it. I'm kicking myself now, but the timing wasn't right. Another above average cutlass with bucket seats and a crnter console went for $6500.00. It sold before I could get to it. I paid $5000.00 for my 69. But that shouldn't take away from Paladin31's assessment. NADA puts a high value on these Cutlasses too. But at ten grand they tend to sit for awhile, waiting for the right buyer.

1969w3155

I agree, in the great rust belt of Michigan, that is a clean car. What do the buckets look like under the covers?

p518

Showing my ignorance here... the early SX's had 455-2bbls., but weren't those still high-compression engines?

Assume this is an 'open' 12-bolt and not posi?

1969w3155

Yes, 10.25:1.

p518

Thanks.

79MKII

Couldn't find a car like that in the Cleveland area for $5,000. It's a 2nd owner car with the original high compression 455 and TH400....lots of great potential. I guess it comes down to how much more the "SX" models are worth compared to regular cars. A standard Cutlass Supreme in this condition with a 350 would be a good deal at $5000 around here.

SX455 Club

Thanks for posting. I'll added the car to the SX registry. Can someone provide the last two digits to the VIN. I can't see these.

The early model year production SX cars offered the 2bbl. We have a few cars in the SX Registry with earlier build dates. The Column shift and buckets are rare...but not the most desirable. Because this car was built in Lansing you will not find a build sheet.

The SX should bring much more than a 350 Cutlass Supreme, just like a 442 will bring more money for Cutlass S.

I think a fair price is about $7,500-$8,000.

ent72olds

I agree with you. Here on the right coast, we deal with the same as you guys in the mid-west. That car is much closer to 10k than 5k......for 5k , there would be no haggling from me!

vette442

Bob, I put this in the For Sale section of the sx455.com message board last night too.

2blu442

Bob, the last two digits are 30

vette442, thank you for posting it on the SX message board. If anybody is interested I can get them in touch with the owner. I can also help the owner answer any questions a potential buyer might have. John

oldsmobiledave

FYI standard equipment on all 1970 Supreme models was column shift with bucket seats. Reverting to a bench seat was a no cost option while adding floor shift & console was an extra cost option.

People always seem to think that bucket seats with column shift is rare but that was standard equipment.

19will

why is the cruise control vacuum mounted on the firewall side of the block ?

69HO43

Because it's an aftermarket cruise setup. Look at the piggy back switch on the turn signal lever.

Joffroi

My first cutlass was a 1970 SX that seemed to be very similar. 455 with 2bbl. I sold it for $10,500 about 2 years ago. Below is a link with pictures to compare.

http://www.oldsmobilecentral.com/for...X-Olathe-1.php