Hi!
I just bought my first Oldsmobile, a Cutlass 1966 HT. I cant say that i had the best start with it but i hope that we could get along better in the future.

I bought it this Sunday, drove it home for 300 miles, everything went smooth and i was feeling great, no problems everything worked perfectly. Yesterday on the way to work, it just broke down, a tow truck ride later and back at work i had to see what it was, it turned out to be the differential that had a big meltdown. it wasnt oil in the rear axle, it looked more like dough so now im trying to find information about what kind of axle and differential it is in this beast. There are only 6 Cars total of this model in Sweden so a spare axle is not easy to find.

So if anyone has any good advices, you are more than welcome to share them.

Thanks

 

Welcome aboard! There are a couple of folks on here that should be able to steer you in the right direction. Brian Trick (507Olds) and Monzas I believe can help with the prognosis of said rear differential.

 

Thank you GAOldsman! and for your information. I did forget to mention that it is a 330 Engine

 

Other GM A body rears such as Lemans, Skylark, chevelle will fit just fine. It would be easier to find one of those until parts can be had for a rebuild.

 

Find out if you can get a whole assembly [rear end] near you, it's always best to get the bigger part. Many GM similar cars can donate such a part , even if it's not 100% identical, it can work and fit.

If not, maybe you just need a few parts inside. Find out exactly what parts are needed. Inside parts could be shipped from here where they are plentiful- I have several of them for example.

 

Welcome, so sorry about your troubles. There are quite a few members on here from Europe. Post some pictures when you get a chance also.

 

Have you tried to contact the Olds club in Sweden? Svenska? I know a member there Mikael Johannsen and he also owns a 66 Cutlass.

 

Pierre Becker is in Sweden as well

http://www.oldspower.se/

 

Thank you for all answers! I have called serveral shops and asked them but without success. When i took a look at it it seems like just the differential has crashed, it has minor scratches on the pinion but nothing more. I didnt take any pictures at that moment because i was so angry but the bolt thru the differential is broken and have damaged the springs to the axles, i will take pictures asap. And a differential is not so expensive if i order from USA,

I have located a buick skylark 1967 rear end (complete) but the guy says that it doesnt fit on Cutlass -66..? But as Oldsmaniac mentioned, i hope it does. Is there alot of modyfication to do to make it fit?

 

I think you will need different rear springs because the spring perches are different in 67 vs 66... the 67 skylark springs will work if you can get them.

 

Thanks, but is there more than the springs? I just talked to the guy with the rear end, 600 $ no guarantee that it works. Dont know if its better to buy a new differential?

 

It should be identical except for spring perches if it is original to the skylark. Have him send a picture of the rear cover and you will be able to see if it is the same. 600 is a lot of money with no guarantee, I would say to look further. Are there no junkyards there for old american cars? I had 2 of these rears and I threw them away because nobody wanted them even for free...

 

He says that its a 50/50 chance, he wont even open the rear cover to see if it looks alright and to buy one and then find out that its not a good one is not something i want to do, and if i need the springs, i need to look alot more if i dont buy them from the US. Is there any way to see what kind of gear or rear end i have on the cutlass? any numbers or so? We do have a few oldcars junkyards, but not one of them have either springs or a rear end.

 

You can join wildaboutcars.com for free, where you can download the service manual. You'll find the numbers and locations to search for them there
If I recall right, the identification number is on the passenger-side axle tube and consists of two characters like SA...

http://www.jdrace.com/diff_id/10bBOP_Early.htm
This is a link to the differential ID section on the homepage of Jim Mitschke's (monzaz) company. Your differential and cover should look similar to the one in the link!

 

Thank you dancutlass, really good sites, it does look exactly the same as the jdrace picture, but my numbers are not at the same place as they are on his photos.

this is what i found.
Passenger forward side on house says: 1375689 and ond the drivers forward side on house it says CFD 1.
and there is just one letter on the top of the housing: T . What does this mean?

 

If it is the 10 bolt cover with the hourglass shape it is a BOP type 8.2 rear commonly used in the 64-67 GM Skylark, Cutlass and Lemans. The casting or stamping numbers will differr. The important thing is to know what rear you have.

 

Yes it is a 10 bolt hourglass shaped cover, i found another axle now also from skylark -67. I think im gonna check it out and if its good i will buy it, then i can at least drive my car while i rebuild the other axle. But are you sure that it will fit right on? Besides the springs?

 

Yes I am sure but I dont want you to believe me. I want you to measure everything!

 

I am back on track with my Oldsmobile Cutlass 1966, I did find a complete rear end from a -67 Cutlass, it did fit but it was not ditect fit. i do think that the one i had on the car that broke down was exchanged at some point, because they were not similar at all at the spring seats. i have some pictures and i will upload them tomorrow so thanks for all your help

But now i have yet another problem, i am trying to find Headers for it, its a 330 engine, but i cant find it anywhere, i can only find for bigger engines. Anyone got an Idea?

 

Welcome to CO! Glad to hear you found a rear for your car. Post some pictures of you new ride, and the difference between the two rear ends. I'm not an expert on those years, but I thought they would be identical.