New to this site

[W30post]

Hi all you Olds fans. I have found this site through searching for information that is not necessarily racing Olds stuff.

I have a red with black stripes and interior 72 442 W-30 sports coupe(sedan) that I have been working on since 1995. The car is pretty well done now but I still like to talk about them and find others that have the post coupes.

I look forward to some meaningful conversations on this site.

My car is basically cleaned up from a severe crash back in the 80s. I am not a fanatic about the restoration. It is a very clean driver in my opinoin. This is a non numbers matching car with 200 4R pulling it down the road. I kept the odd ball stuff like the bench seat and idiot lights just because it was different. Got any questions I love talking about this old car.

[2blu442]

Welcome to the site! What do you think about the 200 4R trannie? Did you have any problems installing it in the car? Do you have a small block or big block in your car? I picked up a 200 4R a while back with the intention of putting it in a daily driver to help with gas milage and still be able to have low gears in the rear end. I've not got around to messing with it yet, but have wondered just what it will take to make the swap. John

[W30post]

Hey John,
I have a 455 and 3.42 rear gear, but I don't drive it very hard. I had a lot of trouble at first because I tried to use a supposed "rebuilt" trans which just turned out to be used. I basically had a lot of trouble since the trans was not assembled right or something. I had a shop finally rebuild it with Raybestos Blue plate clutches and a kevlar band and I'm fairly happy with it. I only have about 300 miles since I put this rebuilt unit in the car. I am still having a small problem with the TCC that I wish I would have replaced during the rebuild.

As for the install, it fits in the 400 turbo mount location perfectly and uses a 350 turbo driveshaft length and yoke spline count. I used a s10 slip yoke on my 400 turbo driveshaft because it is .5 inch longer than the 400 yoke (remember there is only 1 inch difference in a 350 and 400 driveshaft) and I needed the spline count to be correct. I hand bent cooler lines and installed a stack type cooler in front of the radiator. I did opt for the biggest boost valve and servo I could find to help firm up the shifts. I really liked the design of the Sunnex servo because of the seal systems and the fact they lock the servo to the pin with a C clip for faster release of the band during the 2-3 shift.

Two areas that needed attention are the shift linkage and the throttle cable. The shift linkage for my car is a column shift so the only change from factory here was a pivot bar (frame to trans) from a 78 Delta 88 because the 200 4R is narrower than the 400 turbo. This has the correct configuration and is about 1 inch longer since it is from a big car. Next was the throttle cable. I used a stock type cable and ran it into the car where GM hooked up the 350 turbo trans. This give a more linear pull than the trasn wants but doesn't modify anything on the car to make it work. I had to shave down the plastic body of the mounting feature to fit in the factory hole of the firewall. I also had to shim the throttle cable to the carb at the gas pedal because it was not pulling the correct length (aftermarket cable was too long) which gave some long shift times waiting for RPMs to catch up with the detent of the cable. The only down side I see for my setup is at very light throttle 3rd gear hangs on for longer than I would like. The attachment to the carb might relieve this or it could be the Transgo kit that is installed also causing it.

Last thing I can think of is the lock-up. I created my own circuit and I am happy with it. I think I would like a vaccum switch in the system because if I slow to 30ish sometimes it remains in lock-up and fourth. I simply pull the shifter to third and live with it....

Issues still open, the back-up lights don't work because the position of reverse is moved closer to park. The lights would come on somewhere between Reverse and Neutral. I am going to modify a switch next month to correct this. Gage cluster was corrected this month with a label printer from work that prints white on clear. I found a font close enough for me and printed a label. After that I placed this label on a floor shift speedometer face and installed that face on my speedometer. It is not perfect but looks pretty dang good for my taste.

As for mileage, I think it is only around 15 MPG in mix driving so far. The plugs are very clean and the motor is very mild. I have a split 270/280 advertised duration cam with 488/512 split lift and a true 8.9 to 1 compression motor. I think it can do a little better but not much in my case. Oh yea, I run a 225 75/15 tire on the car also. These tires have not been on long and I just found some leaks at the intake that have fixed some other things so I might find more than 15 from just these fixes.

Sorry to get long winded. I did say I like to talk about the Olds didn't I?

James

[kevinkpk]

I just joined today. I have been looking for a local Olds club (Tulsa) nothing, so I believe this site will be just as good.
I inherited a 70 Delta 88 custom last year, I am second owner.

[Oldsguy]

Kevin, welcome to our site. You should contact my son Jesse (olds64) he lives in Lawton, I know it is still a ways away but close compared to most of us. Hope you enjoy it here.

[texasred]

Kevin,

I think the closest Olds specific club will be the North Texas Chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America. Good guys there and I'll just bet they have other members up there in "Baja Texas".

Contact Gene Crowdis at decrow@comcast.net. And tell him C.J. said "hi".

C.J.

[kevinkpk]

Originally Posted by texasred

Kevin,

I think the closest Olds specific club will be the North Texas Chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America. Good guys there and I'll just bet they have other members up there in "Baja Texas".

Contact Gene Crowdis at decrow@comcast.net. And tell him C.J. said "hi".

C.J.

Thanks Dan, and C.J. I have looked at the North Texas site, but this is super. I've not messed with cars since I got out of the service 30 or so years ago. This 70 is a dream, second owner, interior is immaculant, I have dropped some $ on it, but I am not done till it would be suitable for a show room. I have recieved alot of help via the forums, and I hope I can help with what I can, again, thanks.