Newbie - '76 Salon Questions

[Tiggie]

I guess you'd say I was a newbie to Oldsmobiles as well. I have a '76 Olds Cutlass Salon. It's a factory 5-Speed with a 260.
1.) How many Cutlasses came with a 5-Speed in 1976?
2.) What is the difference between a Salon and a Supreme?

It's had the tail end hung around a telephone poll, but this car was my very first ride (my parents brought me home in it after I was born). I have most of the parts to fix it including a NOS Quarter panel and rear bumper. I'm just hoping the frame is okay.


Pics (click to enlarge):













Here's the parts car. It's a '76 Supreme (with '77 tails and grilles). It's a 350-4bbl/Auto. Bought it for $100 basically for the '76 grilles and taillights (that have been removed for safe keeping).











Comments welcome.

[Olds64]

Welcome to the website. That looks like a good project. The damage to the rear looks BAD. Hopefully the frame is ok. I am sure you can piece together a car from both of them that you have. That is cool that you have the car that your parents brought you home in. I wish I had the car my parents brought me home in, but my dad sold it. Jeez!

[Oldsguy]

According to the information I have at home, all Cutlass's with the 260 with the five speed that year. The difference between the two models is appearance and appointments, even though both had their own designation there were so many options available one might find a 2 door Cutlass Supreme that looks the same as a 2 door Cutlass Salon. Sorry I couldn't find anything else.

[J-(Chicago)]

I love those cars. My dad had a 76 wagon when I was a kid. I like the rusty one too!

[rocketraider]

Salon was basically an upgrade trim and handling package. Also had different bucket seats than S and Supreme.

My Standard Catalog of Oldsmobile doesn't break out 1976 260/5-speed production but it shows 48,440 Salon coupes were built, and 7921 Salon sedans. The 5-speed was available only with the 260, but TurboHydraMatic was more common behind that engine.

Hope to see you at River Ridge cruise nights next year. Look for a 1976 Ninety Eight, a green 1964 Starfire, or hopefully a 1974 Hurst/Olds. Come on down and talk even if the car's not ready. You may have to replace and align a new quarter, but I've seen far worse damage repaired. Just remember a 260 isn't much engine for a heavy car like a Cutlass. A 350 or 403 is much better suited to it, but you get into all kinds of issues swapping one into a 5-speed car.

I see a Virginia Bicentennial license plate on the maroon car. Also- is that a factory no-vinyl roof car?

[Tiggie]

Thanks for the info and comments!

Yes, the red one is factory no vinyl car according to my dad. My parents bought the car in 1977. They sold it in 1990 to a guy who had it two weeks and wrecked it. A couple years went by and my parents bought it back. It still drives down the road straight so I'm hoping the frame is okay. It also has bucket seats (but no console), but the sheets make it hard to tell.

It's been a while since I've been to the cruise nights in Lynchburg. I'll try to make it down there this summer and see some new cars.

My dad said the 260 was always a weakling. He said they never used 5th gear unless they went down south where it was flat and the speed limit was 65+. I think the converter is stopped up on it now and it's really a pig.

What rear axle is in the car and what gear sets are available? I'd like to install something deeper than the 2-something that is in there now.

So the 350 in the parts car isn't very easy to mate to the 5-Speed?

[rocketraider]

The 350 crank is probably not drilled for the clutch pilot bearing though some are. You COULD put the 260 crank in the 350 (same crank believe it or not, 260s used the 350 bottom end is why they go forever) but that's a lot of aggravation. You could also have the 350 crank machined for the pilot bearing and trans shaft, and swap the 260 flywheel to it.

But (there's always a but) that weenie 5-speed ain't gonna hold up long behind a 350 especially if you romp on it much. 260/5-speed was a gas mileage and emissions combination.

If you can live with the 260's performance, leave it as is. If you want larger displacement engine, get ready to switch all the AT stuff from the parts car- trans, pedals, cooler lines, radiator, neutral start switch & wiring, you get the picture.

About the deepest gears you could get in 76-77 A-bodies were 3.23 and those are mostly found in wagons w/ towing package. Some Hurst/Oldsmobiles made it out with 3.42's, but most are in the 2.41, 2.56, 2.73 range.