52brezelfenster

Hi,

New member posting for the first time.

My Grandparents bought this 77 S new. It was a surprise Christmas gift from my Grandfather to my Grandmother. It was ordered through the Olds dealer in Portland, Oregon. Auto with console, Firethorn with a white top and white interior.

I grew up in the passenger seat of this beauty. My Grandmother stopped driving it approx 5-6 years ago as her eyesight faded, and the car was parked @ 91K original miles.

We're just now getting it back on the road. I've got a few questions:

Who's a good parts supplier? I'm going to need rubber seals for the doors, window scrapers, the plastic surround trim for the rear windows, the small plastic filler pieces between the rear bumper and body are shrunken up, lots of little stuff.

Are NOS parts still available?

Thanks in advance.

Dustin
West Linn, OR

oldcutlass

Welcome to the site, nice car. Hopefully some of the others with more knowledge in your model year will chime in soon.

texxas

Beautiful car but it is NOT a Cutlass Supreme. It is a 1977 Cutlass "S". All of the 77 Cutlass "S" had the front grill as your car has, only the 442 had the slant nose front end in 1977. It wasn't ordered by your Grandfather this way, all the 1977 "S" models came like that, he may have special ordered the car but not the front end. The weatherstrips and window sweeps are available online if you check the usual weatherstrip suppliers. I believe Fusick.com has them listed too. I got my bumper fillers from usaautobodyfillers.com made of ABS plastic. NOS parts are out there but few and far between. The attached pic album are a high quality resto of a 77 Salon from another site.
http://www.73-77olds.com/forums/album.php?albumid=125
The pics go with this thread but have to be viewed in the album, they aren't posted in the thread any longer.
http://www.73-77olds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6412
It's not my car in the resto, good luck with yours.

76olds

Welcome to the site, as texxas mentioned parts are few and far between. I have picked up several parts from the original parts group rear bumper fillers hood ornament etc. Interior carpet and seals from NOS reproductions. Are you planning a high level quality show piece restoration with your 77?
Eric

zodiacblue442

Welcome to the site. Glad to hear you are restoring your grandparent's Cutlass S. There's lots of friendly and knowledgeable people on the www.73-77olds.com forum that should be able to help you with any questions you have regarding the car and restoration. I would be happy to help you too with any other questions you have. Looks like some folks helped you out with your parts questions. Again, welcome to the site and you've got a nice car. What engine is in it? I'm guessing an Olds 350 but it could have a 403.

Oldsguy

Beautiful car, I love the Firemist red color and it really looks good on that Cutlass S. FYI the Supreme is like my white car, they were a notchback but had the same front grill as yours with a different interior package. If you need the spacer between the bumper and the trunk of the car I have one. I mistakenly bought it one time trying to get the bumper fillers like the ones you need. I will give it to you for the price of shipping, just PM me. It is not red so would have to be painted.

76olds

There's lots of friendly and knowledgeable people on the www.73-77olds.com forum that should be able to help you with any questions you have regarding the car and restoration.

I have tried several times to get onto the site as well as others but have had no luck.

52brezelfenster

Thank you for all the information and tips.

It's got the 350.

Not sure how far I'm going to take it restoration wise. Right now I'd like to get it back to 100% mechanically, clean it up a bit, take care of some rust issues, and put some miles on it.

Dustin

52brezelfenster

I've been trying for the past month to get into that site, unsuccessful.

Mike77

73-77 Site is hard to get on. No administrator to sign people up. window sweeps come available NOS on e-bay now and hen. Usually around $200 apiece. See Fusicks for the window trims. Very rare for NOS. Steele Rubber for door seals. Not easy to find the little stuff. I have done a complete restoration on my 77 CS and I know were to find a lot of little things. Wasn't easy took me years. I am also an original owner. If you need something let me know I am sure I can point you to the right place. I even found the decal for the cruise control made by Perfect Circle. I had factory correct battery cable made by MH electric. They still have the template. Found OEM correct ignition wires. A bunch of GM parts are actually still available, just need to know the correct numbers, like the hazard lite pull switch, boxed control arm parts, wheel well mounting screws actual S.S. not the Chinese junk that rusts in 3 months. All it took was hours and hour of cross referencing parts numbers until I was numb. Have stacks of info.


Mike

52brezelfenster

Thanks Mike, sounds like you've been down this road before. Do you know what the correct vinyl top is supposed to be?

Single seam or double seam? And what kind of grain? That's going to be next on the list after paint.

Here's current status of the old cutlass. Paint soon.

Mike77

I believe its called elk. I would have to check my records to be sure. single seam down the centre on the top and a seam on each side of the of the lower section in line with the body seams.
I see your DA sanding. I had an old laquer paint on mine. I literally used a razor blade and scrapped it off. Took Me and a buddy 2-hours. Peeled like nothing.

52brezelfenster

Mike, if you could check on the vinyl top texture that would be great.

My local company has a white top in stock, single seam in both "elk" and "levant" grain. They think the Olds had levant originally but they were going with best educated guess.

http://www.perfectfit.com/24782/1541...of-Covers.html

Dustin

Mike77

Levant is the name. Do you think I could find the receipt from Pacific Auto Trim. Nooooo. Looked through about 200 receipts. Everything thing in the file from the bolts I bought to engine re-build. No top receipt. The seatbelt one is there from them.
However I did a little research an levant was the name .


Mike

52brezelfenster

Perfect, thanks Mike.

52brezelfenster

Has anyone bought a pair of these reproductions? If so, fit / finish, ect? Happy with them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331127746995...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Thanks,
Dustin

dorvin

I'll chime into say that I'm also curious about this, as my '77 also is in need of window felt replacements.

76olds

I have an extra set of window felts off of a 76 cutlass, nice shape. If you one of you guys are close to Toronto I could let them go.
Cheers
Eric

52brezelfenster

It's been a while since I updated this post.

Cutlass got put on a back burner, had a little boy recently and not a lot of spare time for car projects.

Since I posted last, body and paint are done. We got a dead on match to the original firethorn, forgot how pretty that color was when it was fresh and not faded.

Vinyl top is done (thanks to forum help, got the right grain, seam, and details right), all aluminum trim polished, reinstalled. Original wheels restored, correct size raised white letters back on, trunk detailed in the correct splatter paint, and a million other little things I can't recall.

Double white pin stripe coming soon which should really give it a nice pop.

It's back on the road and sorted out mechanically. Runs and drives like a brand new car. Lots of details to attend to still but feels great to be driving it again.

Will be tackling the interior next. That's the "winter project".

Dustin

Mike77

If you had waited 3 more days it would have been I year exactly. Car looks great. Careful with the interior removal. The white plastic seems to deteriorate easily. If it been exposed to the sun it will bust up badly. Very hard to find good parts in white. I see you also have some other old hobbies. Is that a Chris Craft in the back? The Airstream looks vintage too. Cool!!

52brezelfenster

Good eye Mike!

Yes, lots of other hobbies. Airstream is a 1956 Flying cloud (22 ft), chris craft is a 1953 Sportsman (18ft).

Now if I could just find the time to use em all as much as I'd like to.