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1985 my wife and lived in Antioch (Nashville) TN. I saw an ad in the local paper for 1965 Oldsmobile. My dad had a 65 when I was a kid and I remember riding in back floor board with my knees over the transmission hump. So, I call the number for the ad, an elderly woman answered and my wife and wound up driving to see the carin Frankin, TN. It was close to dark. She wanted $1800. As I approached the car I saw the 442 badges in front of the rear wheels. I tried not to get excited, thinking it wasn't a real 442. I asked her if it ran. She said she hadn't driven it in years. I had brought a portable compressor, battery, gas, and ether. I opened the door and water ran out! My heart sank, but I saw the 442 badge next to the swivel ashtray On the dash. More adrenaline. I asked her if it was ok if I pulled the floor plugs to drain the water. She agreed. The water hadn't been in there long enough to rot the floors. Next I put the battery in, aired up the tires, poured gas in the tank, gave it a shot of ether, turned it over, and womb, it fired right up and continued running with a few more squirts. I test drove it. The first turn at 30 mph the whole car shifted left, I thought the frame was bent! Turns out it had its original thin white wall polyglass radial tires. All the belays were shifting in the tires as I turned. I drove it home after paying her the $1800. It had its original burgundy mist paint, two speed power glide, bucket seat black interior. It is a two door post. Original 400 with 78000 miles. It was purchased new in Franklin, TN at Walker dealership. I have the original trunk tag that was spewed to the lid. I still haven't completed the restoration. The car has not seen rain since the day we bought it. I have the owners manual and protecto plate. I have installed an original power steering box since it didn't have it originally. The interior is perfect after I installed new carpet.
Hello Stacey - I live in Paducah. Would Like to make contact with you.
I bought it from my brother 22 years ago. He bought it in Houston, Texas from the original owner back in the early 80's. I started restoring years ago but life (and two jobs) got in the way. I just moved it from the front attached garage to the new detached 3 car garage in the back and put it in the bay with the 2 post lift. There it will stay and the restoration will be resumed now that I've retired.
Here it is below as I was just starting on disassembly at the beginning of the "false start restoration". It's not going to be a frame off! Only 47,700 actual miles, 455 with Ram Air, Turbo 400 with Hurst Dual Gate, PS,PB, PW, AC and 10 bolt posi. It survived the last 4-5 years fairly well. It has been an "off" more than "on" restoration.
Here it is as of Wednesday of this week when I moved it to the back garage! The work begins!!
Last edited by OLE442; August 30th, 2019 at 05:41 PM.
Reason: re-aaranged
What option included the two air intake scoops below the front bumper, as below?
Its right in that photo (for a '68 or '69 442): W30. On a Cutlass or F-85, option W31 in '68 & '69 included this under-bumper Outside Air Induction (OAI) system. '68 H/Os also had this OAI.
Note that it appears that this '68 in the photo above appears to have the taller / narrower '69 scoops. Not surprising since that "W-30" decal is also for a '69 ('68 W30s had no such decal by the side marker light, although the '68 W31s had the twin piston "Ram Rod 350" decal in that vicinity).
65 442 Convertible 31 years. Still not finished. Finally finished the rear interior last summer. Life sure does get in the way of this stuff doesn't it?
My first Olds, a 67-442 arrived yesterday, just in time for my 60th birthday today. This car has been a dream for me since I was 8 when my dad bought a new 67 Cutlass, red on red, the 330 with the 2-speed automatic in the center console, and bucket seats. My brother and I had begged my dad to get the 442 package back then, but I'm pretty sure my mom had substantially more influence on why we ended up without it.
My first Olds, a 67-442 arrived yesterday, just in time for my 60th birthday today. This car has been a dream for me since I was 8 when my dad bought a new 67 Cutlass, red on red, the 330 with the 2-speed automatic in the center console, and bucket seats. My brother and I had begged my dad to get the 442 package back then, but I'm pretty sure my mom had substantially more influence on why we ended up without it.
WOW, that is really nice. I love the color combination! Enjoy....
Thanks OLE442! It was sunny and 60 here it St. Louis yesterday and I was able to take my wife out for about an hour drive. She was impressed, and that's saying something because she's not a car enthusiast. She told me I picked a winner. That made me feel good after spending almost a year looking for the right car, trips to 5 states looking at cars that didn't pan out for one reason or another, and trying to stay within a reasonable budget. Love what I finally found!
That's a beauty for sure! Love the color combo. My dad had a 69 gold LeMans with a black vinyl roof, it looks even better on your 442. Definitely a keeper!
About 3 weeks. Prior owner, for 25 years, his son, and grandson trailored from the other side of town to keep it off our now salt covered streets. I wasn't in the market, but he called me at the end of summer and asked me to be the next care taker. Looking for a bunch of stuff for it now.
21 years this May, bought at the end of my junior year of high school. Sat with a spin rod bearing from 2008-2013 because “I was going to restore it someday”, and then was a hand shake away from selling it. On a whim, had it flat bedded to my parents’ house from the state police barracks I’d been storing it in and pulled the pan to find that missing bearing. From there it snowballed, and in 1 month’s time, had a ‘76 350 transplanted in, new brakes, new suspension, rotted floor pan cut out and patched, tightened the final hose clamp on a radiator hose and drove 200 miles to my house. It now only gets wet when I wash it. The 350, while stock, starts instantly on the ‘86 CCC, and with the entire suspension and front brakes being non-stock and mostly non-Olds, it’s damn fun to drive. I hacked and welded the factory exhaust crossover and ran it into the factory post-cat dual exhaust split to make a custom H pipe. In the coming weeks a set of Thornton shortie headers and full true dual exhaust will go on. I cut out all fender/door rot, welded in new stuff and painted it (drivers door corners and rear fender). The interior is 8/10 with the exception of the headliner. It has new carpet, nothing is ripped or torn; this spring it’ll get a new headliner. The paint is trash, but that’s ok as I want to drive it without worrying. The underside is rust free, spotless, and painted.
January 28th, 2019, 01:02 AM
