gearheads78

Dealing with a car I was sure was an original 4-speed car until a few min ago. The the trans and shifter is gone but all he other stuff is still there. Its a TN rear car so it would be 3.91 gears. The thing that I saw that made me second guess is how the floor was cut before the 4 speed hump was welded in. Its for sure a factory hump but the hole under looks like it was precisly cut with a torch. It looks too clean to be free hand but I would have figued the hole would have been stamped???

VIN# 344878M330773


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66-3X2 442

That would be correct. They cut the hole with a torch or some kind of one,then they welded the boot plate in. The 66/67 cars had 2L on the cowl tag to denote floor piercing for 4 speed. If it was a 3 speed,it would have 2B on the cowl tag.

tomsw31

No they were cut with a torch not stamped. So your car is likely a factory 4 speed. I have a 1968 442 that was made in Canada and it states right on the cowl data plate "M21", but I have not seen that on Lansing cars like yours.

gearheads78

OK thanks. So with 3.91 gears would it have had a m21 or m20?

2blu442

Richard, here's pictures of a trim tag on a 1968 442 factory 4 speed car. It's from a different assembly plant so I don't know if the codes will be different. This one has a 3.23 open rear and an M21. I thought I had a picture of the trim tag from the cut up car, but can't find one. It came factory with the 3.91 posi but the 4 speed was missing from that one when I got it. I'll try to snap a pic of its trim tag to share with you. John


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rcorrigan5

That car was built the same week (04A) and at the same plant (LAN in the trim tag, M in the VIN) as mine. My VIN is a little later - 344678M336518. It amazes me that they could punch out some 5800 or so cars in just one week. My guess is that the car you are dealing with was built very early in the week and that mine was built late in that same week - I have original parts (steering box and steering box cover) that are dated 4/1/68 and 4/4/68, respectively, on my car and they couldn't have gone on the car until after that (probably 4/5/68).

I would highly suspect your car came with the M21 close-ratio transmission if the car came originally with that 3.91 differential.

Also, in case you are curious or don't know regarding your trim tag:

04A = time build code = April (04), first week of that month (A), 1968
ST 68-33687 = style/model year/vehicle info = model year (68) Oldsmobile (3) Cutlass V8 (36 - for some reason, Lansing did not go to the 44 designation on their trim tag on 442 cars until around 1970) holiday coupe (87)
LAN = assembly plant = Lansing, MI
324776 BODY = body number (for internal plant use only)
TR 940 = trim (interior color and front seat type) = black interior with strato bucket seats
R-R PAINT = lower and upper body colors = scarlet for both (as shown in the color around your trim tag).

Your VIN of 344878M330773: Oldsmobile (3) 442 (44) holiday coupe (87) 1968 model year (8) built at the Lansing MI plant (M) plant sequential number (330773). Note that the plant sequential number has nothing to do with, and is completely independent of, the plant body number on the trim tag.

Randy C.

wmachine

Generally the rear ratio won't determine the trans, but it does in this case as only the M21 was available with the G88 3.91 rear.
This information is in the SPECS booklet (among other places) on Wild About Cars.
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1970cs

3 shifts 8hrs per shift just over 48 cars per hour, sounds about the levels that were running, just imagine 7 days a week 3 shifts!
Pat