ram455

Been looking for a '73-'74 W-30 for over a year and a half now with very little luck.
I figured I would expand my search and found this for sale close to home.
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/3734085686.html
Being a non numbers matching car i'm thinking the price is a bit high.
What do you all think.
I'll be looking at it this weekend.
Is there any way to tell if it's a real 442 and not a clone? Don't really know much about '68-'72's as I do about the '73-'75's

Thanks,
Ron

Al Graaf

I would get as much advise as I could from all the guys here before I made a move. Nice looking car.

dfire25

The first 3 numbers of the VIN MUST start with 344. If they don't then it's not a 442.

Is that a crack in the dash or just a shadow? $22500 does seem a bit high for a 71. I have a 71 and I would love to sell mine for that much! The seller might be starting high to see if he gets someone on the line. I'm guessing $18000 would be a good price for it. Anyone else agree?

stevengerard

well its a nice looking car and probably a great driver, as said make sure the VIN starts with 344, non matching motor takes a hit on value but it is a 455. the 4-speed adds to the value. I'd agree a bit high but again it isn't easy fixing one of these cars up. Its usually fun but usually costs more than you'd expect so there is a value to buying a car already completed or mostly done.

72notchback

That is one nice looking 71. If it checked out in person I would think the asking price is pretty close. The engine compartment makes me think there wasn't a lot of short cuts in that resto. I too noticed what looked to be a crack in the dash. Weird, but it goes into the metal so it must be a shadow or windshield crack but don't think it is the dash.

stevengerard

I think that's a shadow from the tree or something - like the tips of a branch as it does show on the plastic and the metal and its on both sides, driver and passenger. If that was a glass crack you would see it in the other pictures as well.

droptopron

if it decodes to be a real 442 and has the correct 442 parts on it other than the matching #'s block that is at least a $20K car all day long by me if it shows that well in person.

Mr Shifty Sidney

There were not many 4 speed 442s made in 71.

Don W

z11375ss

Think of it this way. If you like the car and it proves out to be a real 442, what's 3 grand? IMO, it's worth 20k. Very, very nice looking car. Have it inspected by an independent. I would snap that thing up in a second if I was in the market. LOL, putting it on here may make you miss the sale!

Jeff's Classics

Using the Hagerty valuation tool, a #3 condition '71 442 is worth $20,200, but says to add 20% for a 4-speed so you're looking at close to $25K. In the pictures this car looks to be at least a #3, maybe closer to a #2, but the non-original motor will hurt the value a little.
As others have said, do some homework, verify that it's a real 442 with the correct options and color combination, and try to find a knowledgeable other to look at it with you. Then you can truly decide what it is worth to you.
Good luck!
Jeff

455 Olds 442

Hard top vs. convertible, the oil filler cap on the rocker covers says no filler tube, kinda interesting to me, looks clean and tidy. Look for oil leaks and suspension issues. If none then it looks really good around $20K to me. Hmmm, $5000 to get it to Australia, could be tempting. Let me know how you go!

jozw30

Dual snorkel air cleaner is there. I know it's a 71 only thing, but not sure if it was a 442 only part....thought it was.

Hard to tell, but does it look like it has a 70 fender on it?

Is the hood a GM piece or a quality repop? If its the cheap fiberglass version that may affect value too.

Would be nice if just one person would put the correct stripes on a 442.......sorry, pet peeve. At least they didn't slap a wing on it just for fun.

Nice car if mechanically sound and not loaded with bondo.

ram455

Well thanks for all the replies. I've been a mechanic for over 35 years so evaulating the condition won't be a problem. It will be the first Olds for me since I had a '74 W-30 34 years ago. I've had plenty of 70's muscle cars in that 34 years but all have been chevelle's or camaros so I don't really know much about the 442's or there current value. Most of the value guides in my opinion over price the car so I try to stay away from them.


jozw30, that's funny cause the first thing I would do is put a wing on it. HaHa! I love that look. Why do you say it has a 70 fender and is there any way to tell if it is a factory hood?

Well I won't be able to see it till next weekend so I'll have some time to do some more research. Any sugestions on where to get some more info besides here.

Again thanks for all the help and keep it comming!

Ron

jozw30

Nothing is wrong with the wing. My 72 W30 has one & it wasn't even a factory option in 72. I thought long and hard about finding another decklid and not putting it back during the resto. But the story from a previous owner was that the original owner had the dealer add it, so I kept it.

My comment was just that it is refreshing to me to see one without it. See them on most convertibles these days. It's really just my opinion.

Same thing with the W30 stripes. The thinner 442 stripes look good to me, I like to see a regular 442 dressed like a 442.

The horizontal rib along the inside of the fender looks flat to me. It's really hard to see, so it is probably just my eyes. The fenders in 71 & 72 had bumps stamped into that flat rib to force the fender to fold at those points in a frontal collision.

Again, it's hard to tell.

Good luck and let us know if you get the car.

Joe

droptopron

Just for ref, a factory hood will be a fiberglass top bonded to a metal frame. There is one guy that reproduces them that way and if the car has that it prob wouldn't effect the value too much. Other repros would either be all fiberglass or fiberglass top riveted to a steel frame.

69HO43

If I were to put money on a guess, the ram air was added sometime after the car was delivered. The 71 442-only standard dual snorkel air cleaner was not part of the W-25 option, it would come with a single snorkel. Not saying you couldn't use the dual snorkel base for ram air, it's just that it didn't come that way from the factory and scaring up a 71 dual snorkel air cleaner is tough.

From the limitations on the pictures, it looks a lot like the 442 emblem on the dash looks like its been there forever, and the chrome bead strip around the dash pad looks like it could be original. Most "cloners" don't remember this little detail about the dash beading.

I'd bet the car is a real 442, but I'm not so sure on the ram air being original. Probably a peg leg too as posi didn't get much love on many of the 71s I've seen. But who knows.

I'd probably go 18-20K. It still needs some TLC.

vette442

The code NH dual snorkel air cleaner was used on all 1971 442s that did not have the OAI setup, and it was also used on all 1972 455/M20 cars (W29 or not) that did not have OAI.

Terry

p.s. - that looks like a very nice driver 442 if you're not hyper-concerned about numbers-matching originality of the block.