gmsteve455

Hello Everyone, I just signed up on this board after lurking for a while looking for information. It looks like there are a lot of knowledgeable people here.

I currently have a 1972 Cutlass Convertible that I've had for 21 years. It sat in my barn dormant for the past 7 or 8 years and I decided to get it out and tinker around with it. The car was mostly restored before I bought it in 1993 and is in overall good shape. It's got a factory 455 in it with a TH-400 trans and goes pretty well.

Looking forward to some Oldsmobile interaction this year on line and at some local shows.


-Steve

oldcutlass

Welcome, post some pictures when you get a chance.

gmsteve455

Not the best pictures of the car but it's all I have right now . . .Olds1.jpg

Olds2.jpg

I should also mention that I once had a 1977 Cutlass Supreme that I attempted to save from the demolition derby. It was way to solid of a car to have that be it's fate. I got the car, did some parts acquisition for it, worked on it a bit and then that sat for a number of years outside. It was worse for the wear but I ended up selling it to someone who finished a semi restoration on the car. I haven't seen it since but I hear it was pretty nice.

stellar

Welcome from another Pa. member

Oldsguy

Welcome to CO, glad you joined us.

vette442

Welcome! Where are you in PA? That's a nice car with some desirable options.

Terry

1969w3155

Very nice, welcome.

Larrys'66

Hello GMsteve455

Welcome, the car looks great.

Larry

gmsteve455

Sorry, just updated my profile to reflect my location, Cochranville, PA - southeast part of the state near DE and MD.

That picture was taken after washing it for the second time after sitting for about 8 years. Was covered in all sorts of funk but was still in pretty good shape. I did some prep work before starting it up and it runs well after all that time. Looking into some new tires since the ones on the car were on it when I bought the car in 1993 and there is some dry rot as you can imagine. Also just ordered some valve cover gaskets, and an ethanol friendly carb kit.

Cleaning it up a little bit at a time and got the original radio repaired since it had low volume and no FM. Sounds good now for a 41 year old radio. I wish I had time to do the car over with the original colors - silver with a black top. I think I'll just enjoy it for now and put that on the back burner. Hoping to get to some car shows this summer and maybe take it out to the GM Nationals at Carlisle in June. The car won second place in it's class there in 2001 but the car was in better shape at that time. I just want to get it out and enjoy it again.


-Steve

Keegan

Looks awesome! Like vette442 said, seems like it's got some very desirable options!

Allan R

Welcome aboard Steve. Nice story on the car - time to drive it now.

I'm guessing your car was built in 1971, or maybe just into January 72 as the U21 Rallye Pac option doesn't have the fasten seat belts light pod on the dash.

From what I can see I think you've got the following options:

B32/B33 - front/rear floor mats
D35 - sport mirrors
D55 - console
G93 - 2.73:1 rear axle (standard with L75)
JL2 - Power front disc brakes (power drums not available with 455)
M40 - TH400
N34 - sport steering wheel
N67 - SSIII wheels
U21 - rallye pac
U58/U80 - AM/FM Stereo with rear speaker


Now for the biggie that everyone considers 'desirable'
L75 - 455 4bbl

Does your VIN start out like this? 3J67U2()XXXXXX

If your original color is silver the PNT code on the cowl tag should be 14 - Sterling Silver

Love to see more pics of this beauty.

don71

Darn fine car. Welcome and have fun with it this spring.

Oldsmaniac

The DVOC, Delaware valley chapter of the Oldsmobile club is always looking for members, ya might want to check out the club.

gmsteve455

I'll post some more pictures in the near future, it's back in the barn and I'm working on cleaning it up a little better going over the chrome, paint and interior a little better.

That's a lot of information about the options, and yes, the car was built the 15th day of October, 1971 according to the broadcast sheet. The VIN starts with 3J67U2M which matches the engine block serial number, the broadcast sheet and the protecto plate.

The only thing that I'm aware of with the car that is not original in terms of the driveline and options is the carb which has a 1972 date code and has a model number indicating that it was for a 350. I posted a question about date codes in the other forum and have gotten some responses to help me find a date correct carb for the car.

To continue the story of the car, it was 1993 and I was daily driving a 1971 Cutlass S which I did extensive reconditioning to and looked and drove nice. Just a fairly plain Cutlass with a 350 2bbl, column shift bench seat car. I had just landed my first full time job and was in the market for something a little nicer so I went to the bank and got a 10k loan just before spring Carlisle. I asked for cash which prompted all of the bank managers to get a little excited but ended up walking out with a 5 year term and 10k in my pocket.

I got to Carlisle and walked up and down the isles. I got to the end of the 4th or 5th isle and saw this ray of light shine down upon this car on the other side of the fence in someone's yard that they had rented out to people selling their vehicles. I exited the fairgrounds and went to check it out. Looked it over and then saw that the price tag was more than I had. I got to take it out for a spin and fell in love with it, it had to be mine!

I spent the rest of the afternoon negotiating a deal which involved me settling on a price lower than what he was asking and higher than what I had and giving up the color TV that I had at the time. I still have the hand written receipt from the guy that lists the purchase price and the color TV that I gave in trade.

The secondaries on the QJet didn't work when I bought it and there were a lot of little things that I did right away to the car like getting the power booster re-plated, cleaning up the engine bay, putting the points distributor back in that he gave me with the car, correct hose clamps, and fixing the secondary problem with the Qjet. I couldn't believe what a beast it was with the secondaries functioning, like a completely different car!

I've since had the TH-400 rebuilt, repaired the factory radio twice, had the clock fitted with a quartz movement and rebuilt the limited slip differential.

To your point about the B32/B33 option, I don't know if it originally came with floor mats since I believe these are reproductions but I suppose it could have.

You also mention N67 for SSIII wheels but I thought those didn't start until a little later and that these were still SSII's. I believe they were just painted the lower body color starting in 1971 rather than the silver that they were in 1970.

Lastly, how desirable and/or rare is the L75? I know from the searching I've done online that most of the 1972 convertibles that I see have a 350 in them but wasn't sure if the 455 in the convertible was produced in small numbers in 1972. I just know it's a lot of fun when the secondaries kick in, 30MPH to 70MPH is a blur really. It's also amazing how much get up and go it has from a stop with the 2:73:1 final drive.

Well that's it for now, I'll post more pictures when I get the car back out of the barn.

Nice to meet everyone, thanks for all the kind words.


-Steve

oldsman72

Welcome to the site, Steve. That's a nice Supreme you have there. Best of luck with it!

don71

Steve, nice back story, thanks for adding that.

About those floor mats, I noticed those but didn't comment, I'm not aware these were reproduced but hey, I'm still learning. I tossed my tan ones just a few years ago. Just too cracked up and brittle.

Have fun and Enjoy the ride.

Gary M

The carb numbers from what I've understood do not tell what motor they were built for in this case. The last numbers tell for manual ,auto or 442. Some of the stick carbs were used on automatics also. (250,251,ect.) The jets are different inside each carb to match them to the motor they were matched with from the factory. More experienced forum members will update you on this but don't get rid of that carb just yet. Beautifully maintained car you have. My car was ordered with a 455 which also included the trumpet style exhaust and bumper. It would be nice to know the number built with that. Good luck.

vette442

They're only reproduced in black. I have been looking for a decent used saddle tan set for over a decade....

QMaster

Nice car! Welcome aboard.

gmsteve455

Had it out today to fill it up with some more fresh gas, trying to work it through the system.

Just some more pictures of the car, yes I know there is a dent in the RH quarter :-)

Olds3.jpg

Olds4.jpg

Olds5.jpg

Allan R

You mean like these? Not new, but I'm sure they'll clean up? If you're interested, talk to Brett Paladin31

Allan R

I'll go through your comments one at a time so it's chronoligicalThe block serial should then start out 32MXXXXXX where the X's are the cars last 6 digits on the VIN. The broadcast sheet is dated for when the body was started assembly at Fisher Body Works at Lansing. It took about 2-3 days to complete the body before it was shipped to Lansing production line. The body was only from the cowl back (including doors and deck lid). The driveline/frame, front clip were all installed on the production line.

Your POP (protecto plate) will also have the number of miles on the car when it was delivered by the selling dealer. Looks for that 5 digit code on the right side - usually something like 00005 (eg).

BTW, since you say it has limited slip (posi) add G80 to the option list

If the carb is a 7042250 it is for a 72 350 4bbl. Not much different from the 7052251 for the 455, just the metering jets are different. Not a big deal.

Likely they are reproduction, but since floor mats were only $7.00/set back in 72 it's highly likely they represent the car. Black matches the theme of the car (whether it was originally silver or now red)

You're right that the N67 wheel started in 1971. Prior to that the wheel was the N66 option (same pattern) and called the SSII. The difference between SSII and SSIII is simply color. SSII were always a dark argent gray, no matter what color the body. The SSIII's always matched the lower body color. There was a further change to the wheels in around 75 when the center caps changed from bolt on to snap on.


In today's market it's VERY desirable since it makes the car more of a holy grail. Very few 1972 Cutlass models ever came with the L75 option. The standard engine for ALL 1972 Cutlass Supremes was the L34 350 4bbl engine (180 hp) The option for the L75 455 was available on ALL Cutlass models for 1972, but sadly very few of them went into the production line. Most of the reasoning I've been able to correlate on this was the rising cost of fuels, and the insurance premiums charged for 'muscle cars' of the era. Insurance took the view that a 455 car would cost them more in the long run so they charged accordingly. 71 was the last year Olds really put any effort into maintaining a pedigreed muscle car like the 442. In 72 the 442 line lost its unique status as a model and became an appearance and handling package. It was still offered on all Cutlass 2 door models except the CS hardtop coupe. From 68 - 71, all 442s also had standardized engine assignment - and they were always big blocks. The ONLY 1972 442 that can stand on it's own by pedigree is a W30. It has an X code motor (L77), and was produced only at Lansing. Those features must be present on its VIN to validate the car without other documentation.

gmsteve455

So even more rare in the convertible I'm assuming. Any way of knowing how many? I never thought the car was that rare or out of the ordinary. Interesting stuff.

Been polishing chrome most of the day and removed some of the emblems for cleaning. Looking pretty nice after such a long period of sitting dormant. Nice to see the car looking like itself again. I should have taken a before picture but I'd probably be hauled off to Oldsmobile jail.

Again, nice to meet everyone. Lots of interesting topics and pictures on this forum.


-Steve

Gary M

Allen, I've read both ways on the 250/251 carbs in regard to what motor they were for. Knowing that you are very knowledgable on the olds history, Is there any documentation anywhere that I can study that would educate me. Thanks in advance.

gmsteve455

Will do, I'll want to get out to some events this year so this would probably be the way to find out about them. Thanks.

-Steve