bwrumfel

Can anyone tell me anything about my car from the vin #3G77U2G130002. My car is an original post 442 with a 455 eng, auto trans, tree shift and bench seat. It appears to have all the 442 emblems. where could I find information regarding the heads located on the head itself. I new to these Oldsmobiles but I love them dearly. I just need to educate myself a little as to what's what in the world of 442's . Please help with any information you may have or guide me in a direction to obtain information on these cars. I plan to keep and restore my car. I love it!!!!!!

Thanks!!!

Bill Rumfelt
bwrumfel@bellsouth.net

vette442

Hi - Welcome to the Olds world. From your VIN, you do have a really rare '72 Cutlass S post coupe. The VIN indicates the 250 net hp L75 455 w/ TH400 (U), and the G indicates the Framingham, MA assembly plant. The 1972 heads will have a 'G' with a small subscript 'A'. Look at the driver's side of the head towards the front for the GA. These will be 'small valve" heads (2.000 intake/1.625 exhaust) since it's an automatic car.

I can tell you a lot more if you post your cowl trim tag information. Pop the hood and you'll see it on top of the firewall on the driver's side.

You'll need to find a build sheet in the car somewhere or have the original window sticker to prove that it's a factory-built 442 in 1972. The paperwork would show the 'W29' option code.

Keep the info coming....

Terry

bwrumfel

Thank you Terry!!!! when you say really rare do you have any idea of numbers?? I found the GA on the driver side head as you indicated. Here is my cowl plate information:

ST 72 33G77 G 89470 BDY

TR 940 A52 53 53 PNT

04B

Thank you so much for your input and information. All this really excites me to not end. I Love my 442 !!!!!!

Bill

ReasonOne

I saw this post and wanted to interject. Vette442, please correct me if I'm wrong.

ST (Style Type) 72 (1972 Model Year) 3 (GM Division - Oldsmobile) 3G77 (I believe the G is actually a 6; if so then 3677 is a Cutlass "S" 2 door Sport Coupe - both the 442 and W30 options were available for the "S") G (Framingham, MA Plant) 89470 BDY (Production Serial Number)


TR (Trim Number) 940 (Black Vinyl Interior) A52 (Bench Seat) 53 53 (Saturn Gold - First number is upper body paint, second is lower) PNT (Paint Code)

04B (Build Date is set for 2nd Week of April, 1972)

Your car's MSRP was approximately $3,026.00 upon date of manufacture.

If your car is indeed a true 442 it is a rare car indeed. In 1972 there were 9,845 442's produced. The breakdown of 442's in '72 are as follows:

code 3287 Cutlass Hardtop Coupe - 751
code 3677 Cutlass S club coupe - 123 (I suspect that the sport and club are one and the same)
code 3687 Cutlass S hardtop coupe - 7,800
code 4267 Cutlass Supreme Convertible - 1,171

Total 9,845.

If I'm right, yours is one of about 123. :-) Lucky bastard.

If anyone else wants to confirm or deny this, please do. I haven't used this info in a long time and I might be off. Let me know either way. Build sheet would definitely be useful. I could probably calculate your original purchase price within $5 if you produced it. If you had an engine or transmission code they would both also be helpful.

Let me know how your Olds works out.

orange442

That is a very rare car you have regardless of wether it is a "442" or not! I would love to own it either way. Like Vette442 said, find that paperwork with the W-29 option on it, that is the only way to verify 100% that it is a "442"! Good luck with it and enjoy!

joe_padavano

First, any verified big block A-body is a good thing. I'd just like to interject that "rare" doesn't always equal "more valuable" or "more desirable". Green interiors were (thankfully) rare, too.

There were so few sport/club coupes built because the post body style was not as desirable as the hardtop. That's obviously a matter of personal opinion, but I think the 100:1 sales volume bears that out. The post cars were always the bargain basement versions and had a low-rent stigma as a result. The one advantage of the sport coupe over the hardtop is weight - the sport coupes were lighter since the post was a more efficient way to carry loads. This made the cars popular with drag racers. Just keep in mind that unless you can document a racing history, a holiday coupe will probably sell for more than an equally equipped sport coupe.

bwrumfel

Thanks to all you guys for your input. It's great to be able to communicate with guys who know their stuff.... All your information has really got me excited and fired-up about my 442. I took it out today and burnt a little rubber....

ReasonOne, where do I find the engine code and transmission code?????

My car is in really good restoreable condition and runs great!!!! Would anyone take a stab at what a ballpark value might be for it .?? It has never had anything done to it and I would probably rate it about a 7 on a scale 1-10. I am pretty much clueless in this area and would welcome any input ...

I am almost certain I can trace this car back to it's original owner. Without the build sheet showing the w-29 option would a document from the original owner serve any purpose in substantiating the fact that this car was purchased as a 442??? What do you think?? I believe that I am the 4th owner since new...

Thanks again so much...

Bill

bwrumfel

ReasonOne, will you speculate on the value of my car based on the information you have and that posted in the forum??? All I am looking for is a base line of information because I do not have a clue since this is all new to me. Can you or anyone else help me in this area????

Thanks,

Bill R.

ReasonOne

Engine code should be somewhere on the oil fill tube, just above the engine unit number. It contains a prefix code, an engine unit number and sometimes a suffix code. Letter C should be cast on the cylinder heads.

Trans code for the Turbo 400 automatic is stamped on a metal tag located on the right side of the transmission. Model ID code for the Turbo 350 is stamped on wither a metal tag or on the servo cover.

4-speed Manual trans ID code is marked in paint on top of the case. Production code is stamped on the right side of the case ahead of the extension. 3-speed code is located on the right hand side of the extension housing.

Rear axle code is usually stamped on the right front side of the axle tube.

Bwrumfel, I couldn't begin to speculate on the car's value. There is so much more imformation required such as documentation, history, mileage, condition, pictures, modifications, drivetrain options and so on. Any documentation from the original owner would be VERY useful, so if you can get it - do so.

Joe_padavano, you are correct. Rare does not necessarily mean desirable. There were so few of these made for a very good reason. my father tells me the majority of these cars were used as racers due to the weight savings. If bwrumfel could trace the history back to the first owner and establish some semblance of a race history he would probably be laughing.

joe_padavano

As I said:

GothamCity

New to forum guys, but I am ready to learn all about mynew car. Owner says the car is Cutlass S with 442. He says it has a 455 in it. From what I can see it ain't the 350 rocket. This is the vin 3G77H2R169145 it was column shift but he has a bm floor shifter installed. It's a 2 door post coupe I think

Oldsguy

Welcome to our site. You should introduce yourself in the introduction forum on the top. Lots of people might miss you down here under the 442 forum if they aren't following this particular thread.

texasred

442 was an option in 1972, not a seperate model. If he does not have a build sheet, there is no way to tell it is a true 442 unless it is a W-30 which has a 'X' in the VIN for engine.

There are some things that every 442 with a 455 should have:
cutout bumper, dual exhausts and chrome tips
special hood, body-side and deck-lid striping
Heavy-Duty Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars
Boxed rear lower control arms

And the VIN should match the engine number...heads should match the year. Find that here http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...es/Head_ID.jpg and http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/Block_ID.jpg

C.J.

GothamCity

thanks for the info. i know for sure the the rear bumper is not a cutout, has dual exhaust no chrome tips, car is in primer...so what I think is I may just have a clone..

texasred

Anything can be changed/swapped. My car isn't a 442 but has all that on it from a 442 parts car. Your VIN says it was a 350 2BBL from the factory.

There's basically three types of Olds owners. Those that:
1. Don't care...it's a ride.
2. Total restoration. Every nut and bolt part number must match.
3. Restification. It's MY car and I'll make it like I want to.

I'm #3...but I understand #2. If you are #1, then ya shoulda bought a Ch#vy!

C.J.

GothamCity

I heard that, my 442(clone) will definitely be driven..and driven hard!!!

W30post

New to this forum also but a lot of people recognize my name from other sites.

I too have a 442 from 72 in a post coupe. I will look tonight but I'm fairly certain that it is a 3G77 for the 72 cars body tag. I know the VIN has this.

My car is a W-30 car and the X in the VIN is the only documentation I have that said it is a 442 car. As for value, I htink they are worth what anyone will pay, if you accept to sell it. My post coupe is defineately different from the hardtops and I agree is not the most desirable for most people. I like mine because it is different and the vent windows do help out for a little more airflow for the driver.

Let me know if I can help any.

As for the ratings of 1, 2 and 3 above, I fall somewhere close to a 2 but with some drivable modifications.

Oldsguy

Welcome to our site, I encourage you to introduce yourself as well. I do recognize your username from another site and look forward to your participation here. I think I have seen pictures of your car over there, right? Very nice if it's the one I remember.

W30post

Oldsguy, Yes my car is posted a couple places. Later this week I hope to get some good pictures of it to post on here.

Sorry to get this thread off track. I introduced myself in the General Discussion thread.

vette442

Hold on - just saw some bad info here. If you have a '72, it will have Ga on the heads, not C. Also, the oil filler tube stamp is just a unit number. The two letter code was on a paper tag that is usually long gone. See below for where to find the VINs on the engine and trans.



Terry