downtown393

I am looking at purchasing a 1968-72 Cutlass. Love the bodies and the mix of luxury and power. My Grandfather loved these cars and I am in position to buy one to keep him close to me.
Are there any issues I should be aware of of certain years or particular models?

rcorrigan5

Figure out how much money you want to spend. Do you want a restored car or a car that you will work on yourself? Restored will cost more but, in most cases, you will pay less that way than if you restore one yourself unless you do a lot of the work yourself. '68-'69 models look similar, as do '70-'72 models. Decide on which which style you like best and go from there. What options do you want on the car? All have similar rust issues. A convertible will probably cost you a bit more than a hardtop, and 2-doors cost more most of the time than 4-doors. Just brainstorming here.


All of the years in your range are great, in my opinion!


Randy C.

droldsmorland

As Randy says whats your budget? 5k, 10K, 25K, 50K etc...Are you writing a check for the resto, Or are you doing it? Or do you want one already finished?
If your going the restoration route IMO...Find one as rust free as humanly possible, unless your a competent metal person with a lot of time. I'd much rather have a dry sun baked Tucson car verses a wet rotted out northeastern bucket. Also I'd recommend finding one as complete as humanly possible if your restoring it.

68-72s have their known problem areas to watch out for both frame and body. The metal portion of the dash by the windshield and back glass deck areas rust out. Both can be a large $ repair. Fenders, quarters and rockers can be more easily repaired. Floors (trunk and interior) can be problem areas as well. Convertible frames are noted to rot more than hardtops.

68s have a few harder to find items vs 69-72s but that's getting better. Does numbers matching mean anything to you? If not, non matching cars are/should/can be slightly cheaper depending on the circumstance.

If your not well versed on things of mechanical nature I'd highly recommend hiring a 3rd party to inspect what ever you are looking at. Or ask here; one of us may be in your area and could take a look at what your looking at.

When you do settle on a purchase use collector car insurance...not your daily driver insurance.

oldcutlass

Welcome to the site. When you say loved... is this past tense as in he's gone and loved these cars. Or still around and loved these cars.

downtown393

My Grandfather is gone unfortunately. Great advice from everyone and thank you!
I am definitley looking for something more on the completed side. I don't mind if it needs paint or a few things to be polished up and completed. But cannot do a rebuild right now. I have been looking and found a few things in particular one not far from me that is a 1969 hardtop that was owned by someones great Aunt and the family has held onto it for a few years.
I figure I am looking between $8-15K. I like convertibles or hartops equally. Though living in the Northeast I am leaning toward a hardtop due to the Winters we have been having.

oldcutlass

Be patient buy the most car you can for your budget. Paint work is expensive.

hookem horns

Welcome to your new addiction. I think your budget is very reasonable for a good quality driver with hardtops at the bottom end and 'verts at the top. No matter what you pick, keep a contingency for unexpected repairs, maintenance and upgrades. Take your time and find the best you can afford being very wary of rust as others described. Paint and bodywork are very expenive these days. Mechanicals are cheaper and more DIY friendly.

Octania

you aren't going to buy a nice old Olds and drive it in the winter, right?

Convertibles are a complete PITA and I cannot imagine why anyone would want one

...said the guy who owns one.

It's that top down sunny day thing that does it.

droldsmorland

68-72 A bodies are terrible in the snow. Near zero traction especially a higher HP car. If thats your intention spend 2-3K on a winter beater (jeep) verses putting a classic through that torture. If you intend to do that and do not have proper dry storage for said new/old classic, maybe its time to delay the classic purchase until you can afford both a beater and a garage....just sayin. Salt and no shelter in the north east on a 69 WILL rot it out with in a few years.

csouth

This^^^^ I have an uncle that has done 3 or 4 cars over the years and he always told me the same thing.
OP, you can always get a decent running motor for less than 1k, but getting body work and paint can cost you 4-5x that. Don't be afraid to by a non running car if the body is in the condition you want, just insist on a non-running price.


Welcome aboard!

Positiveray

OK.... I am 65 years old and have been working on cars since I was 14! I hung out at my Dad's used car lot and got the bug for old cars that has effected me my intire life. I have a pretty big stable... including my '68 Cutlass (442) Convertible... I fully expect to die under the hood of, or under my car some day... Now that being said, tonight before you eat dinner (supper), have someone look at your hands to see how clean they are !!! If you have exceptionally clean hands, then working on these old cars is not for you!!! To really enjoy these cars, they require regular tinkering... maintenance and expense... If you do all or most of the work yourself, then you can save big time, but say goodbye to those nice clean uncut, unscraped hands and knuckles... If you still want an old car, talk to someone that has dirty fingernails, hands and holes in his jeans... Just saying, experience has talking rights, and BS walks... Glad to be of service

downtown393

I have been good with my hands and figuring things out, but as an Audio Visual technician. I love the idea of tinkering with the car on my own and am willing to learn. Two friends are mechanics and are willing to assist and teach me.
I have found a couple of cars near me and are with in my price range. I am eagerly talking with sellers to find out rust issues (BIG THANKS to earlier posts to point out what and where I should be looking!!!!) and any bondo work that may have been done.

joe_padavano

I have to take exception to this. I do every single bit of work on every one of my vehicles, from engine to tire mounting to paint and body to suspension to trans. My hands are neither scarred nor grease stained. I use Mechanix gloves for the heavy work and nitrile gloves for the greasy and solvent work. My real job precludes the "mechanic's hands".

jlauffer

Yup...I spent last week working on my newly acquired 72 Cutlass Conv...haven't done that sort of stuff in years, and my hands are full of nicks, scrapes, etc, along with plenty of dirt still under my nails and staining my fingertips. Had to throw out one of the T-shirts too...wife said no way that's going in the wash!

But I would say I am similar to the OP in terms of what I was looking for...wanted something that could be driven and enjoyed right off the bat with no major issues, allowing me to work on the small stuff at my leisure, rather than something that needed a ton of work just to get on the road.

Octania

Joe. I am not sure that you are a good representation of the population in general.

That is a compliment, btw.

joe_padavano

I suspect that the population in general doesn't see me as a good representation of them, either...

csouth

I agree with Joe on this. I don't like the greasy hands or nails, but that's not going to stop me from working on my car. I use the same method and I keep a nail brush in the shower. There is a reason they keep them by the register at AutoZone...lol

Jebell66

Bought a 68 while looking for a nova....so glad i got this cutlass....
the advice is spot on. It is far better to get one with good paint at least...becareful around some oldsmobile folks...the purist...smh

Positiveray

Joe... this is "The TRUTH"... after doing all of my own mechanical, paint, body, upholstery, etc., for over 50 years as a hobbyist, and helping others with their cars (many classics) too... there is just no way to keep your hands free from everything that wrenching throws at you. If you wear gloves... "S..." still happens, accidents too. If you haven't had something happen yet, just wait... I can still clean my hands well enough to pass off decent hand shakes at church on Sunday, but by Monday evening, it's back to the "Truth!" Working on cars is a dirty business and if we don't this young man that "Old" Cars need a lot more maintenance than these new throw-away ones, then we are just kidding ourselves. I agree that doing some things with gloves makes sense... that's why I use them too... but not for everything... Come on now, be honest, if you tell me you wear them 100% of the time, you must think I am naive.... not going to happen!

Jebell66

Wow...wearing gloves because your afraid to get your hands dirty...really?!?!
Part of doing this is the whole getting manly and stress relief. Thats like saying you love to box but dont like to throw punches.....or that.you love food but dont like to chew....
come on guys...that just part of being of the male gender

Positiveray

Righjt on target Jebell66
You know, some of the most beautiful girls in the world were once Tomboys.... I bet they have a few hidden scars too... And have you ever watched "All Girls Garage" THEY DON'T WEAR GLOVES !!!! They are not afraid to get dirty... from grease and grime, I mean...

droldsmorland

My day job doesn't allow for "that" look. I also do 99% of my own work(if its under warranty it goes in to the monkeys first). When your in a hurry or changing from a ball joint R&R to an auto transmission work its just easier to keep your meat hooks clean. Work smarter not harder. Contaminates in an auto trans will bite you! Also saves clean up time when your in a hurry to go out. Its also health safety issue in some cases. Some of the chemicals I play with are readily absorbed into the skin and are known carcinogens. I've seen enough people in the past 10 years dropping from cancer that I now wear gloves 99.9% of the time. Back in the day before all this knowledge and the aids epidemic etc...I never wore gloves and I used to scrub my hands with comet cleanser. Talk about harsh. That's why my meat hooks look like a 80 year olds.

Positiveray

Good point DROLDS... have you ever tried to pick up a washer, needle bearing, or tried to do thousands of other things like that with with gloves on (?) nearly impossible... One just has to decide when to wear them.

joe_padavano

No it isn't. I use Mechanix brand gloves for "heavy" work and have no problems handling bolts, washers, nuts, etc. I use nitrite gloves for detail work like carb rebuilding and again have no problems whatsoever picking up small carb parts. The trick is to use the tightest gloves you can fit on your hands. The problem is that most people want loose-fitting gloves. These will not work.

Cman7713

I use a set of 5.11 Tac A2 gloves marketed towards police and military. My first pair lasted over 4 years. I just got a new set for Christmas this year. The material in the fingertips wraps around and the stitches are on the top of the fingers making very small items really easy to pick up.