May be a '63 Cutlass owner soon...

[Snipe]

Hello all--FNG here, I may be a '63 F 85 Cutlass owner in the spring, and I've got some questions for you wise men.

My brother in law bought it a couple months ago; he's the the third owner and it has 50,000 original miles. Paid $4200 for it; he says he would like to get $5200 but I could probably get a family discount.

Paint is a couple year old burgundy color with white painted top, looks great. One rust bubble on the driver's quarter, about as big as a quarter. Bottom looks fantastic; it's a Michigan car but has not seen much salty roads, if ever.

Interior has new carpet, but all else is original. Front seats could use new upholstery, but they're not critical. It's a two door, also.

Doors are solid, windows crank up easily.

Got the 215 aluminum engine, high compression.

It was love at first sight. But, I'm already married to a '70 Firebird with a 350, new paint and interior that will have to go if I get the Cutlass...

So, if you guys can help me out with these questions, I would appreciate it...

--I think the price is good, considering the condition it is in. Especially since the undercarriage is so clean. Yes?

--The aluminum 215 has me nervous. It's been rebuilt and runs great, but I don't know anything about these things. How are they?

--Someone told me the transmissions are not good. It's an automatic; I did not check out which model.

--I looked for seat upholstery in Legendary Interiors, but they don't seem to carry anything before '64, or am I missing something?

I took pics yesterday, but it will be a few days before I can post them, got camera problems...

Thanks!

[csstrux]

Haven't got a lot of technical knowledge here, but would probably jump on it myself if I were in a position to do so. The 215 is still in production, or I should say a descendant of it in ( I believe) range rover. Joe P knows for sure. As I understand the 61-63 are essentially stand alone units respectively. Everything I "know" comes from reading other peoples posts though. I am guessing you have a jetaway trans in the car. As I understand parts and competent garages to service them are hard to come by. I think there are other options that can be installed without too much work, but would be blowing smoke to say any more. Good luck which ever way you decide to go.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by csstrux

Haven't got a lot of technical knowledge here, but would probably jump on it myself if I were in a position to do so. The 215 is still in production, or I should say a descendant of it in ( I believe) range rover. Joe P knows for sure. As I understand the 61-63 are essentially stand alone units respectively. Everything I "know" comes from reading other peoples posts though. I am guessing you have a jetaway trans in the car. As I understand parts and competent garages to service them are hard to come by. I think there are other options that can be installed without too much work, but would be blowing smoke to say any more. Good luck which ever way you decide to go.

Unfortunately, production of the 215 (and derivatives) ended a few years ago (after 35 years!) when Rover was bought by BMW (and then Ford). The 215 had grown to 4.6 liters by then, and was replaced with the BMW 4.4 liter V8. D&D Fabrications is a good source of parts and info:

http://www.aluminumv8.com/tech/tech.htm

Note that while engine parts are easy to come by, the 61-63 GM "compacts" are not well supported in the aftermarket. These cars (Olds F-85, Buick Special, and Pontiac Tempest) are all based on the Corvair (yes, Corvair) floor pan and architecture. Direct replacement mechanical parts are available, but don't expect to find any repro interior or body parts. Similarly, don't expect to find a ready reserve of disk brake swaps, engine swap kits, etc. Of course, the similarity of the Rover V8 to the 215 means that you COULD swap in one of those EFI 4.6 liter engines...

[Oldsguy]

Cam, I hope you get your Oldsmobile and look forward to hearing about it.

[Olds64]

Post those pics and keep us posted. If I were you, I would jump on it like a rat on a cheeto.

[citcapp]

I think it is more fun to own an unusal car then have the same car as everyone else. Go for it

1957 Super 88 with 455
1948 Series 66 fastback with 455 and 5-speed