Rellim51

Just bought a 1970 442 and I'm not sure what I have. I can't find a good body tag decoder, can y'all help?

ST70 34487LAN274574 BDY
TR 937 28 28 PNT
10D

Thanks for your help!

rr69ho

This is pretty much what you have with a 4th week of Oct. build date

Twi-light blue, Not sure of interior color 937

Allan R

ST-70 : 1970 model year production
3 - Oldsmobile Division of GM
44 - Model line - 442
87 - Body Style - 2 door Holiday coupe
LAN - Lansing Fisher Body Works where the car body was built and interior installed.
274574 - Body number assigned by Fisher Body Works (Lansing). Not related to VIN
TR 937 - Ivory themed interior with Strato Bucket seats
PNT 28 28 - Twilight Blue lower/upper paint color
10D - Time build date at Fisher Body Works. D = 4th week of 10 (October) 1969. So you have a reasonably early production 70 442.

NOTE: Not all 70 442's came with the W25 hood, but they all came with a stripe package. The picture shown by rr69ho has a black vinyl roof, which would be PNT code 28 B.

Love to see a picture of your car. BTW, the VIN should start like this: 344870Mdddddd where each d = a number. Only the first d cannot be 0.

If you want to verify the engine being original to the car it will have the VIN derivative on the engine stamping pad just below and to the front of the #1 cylinder head. VIN derivative should start out 30Mdddddd. 3 - Olds, 0 - 70 model year, M - Lansing, ddddddd - matches the VIN's last 6 digits. The TH400 Transmission should may have an OD or OW tag.

Rellim51

Thanks for the great info! I bought the car yesterday but I have to wait till the ground dries up a little before I can go pick it up. I was originally going to use it for parts but I don't think I want to part it out now so I'll probably tinker with it a little and put it up for sale. The owner said it had the original motor and trans but I haven't checked for the vin number on the block yet. The numbers on the heads are correct for a 1970 455 so it might be a numbers matching car. Here are some pics. It's definitely a project.

D036CB44-C9B8-4922-915D-145AA2D0DC11_zpsyrvvhq3p.jpg

32CFF598-3726-496D-AFA1-80A051B4E6C1_zpslsxbgy8v.jpg

34420FDB-604F-473B-AC5B-D66E1FDF681B_zpstv3myzrq.jpg

4F9F0381-4E2E-4EB3-99AE-AB0A423B9246_zpsmrkwripi.jpg

596949BE-2B77-4FC8-98AF-969E4D2D108B_zpse55gcx8o.jpg

tru-blue 442

A 70 with a 69 front clip and 70 front bumper? Ambitious project, good luck with her.
Does anyone know what year that radiator top plate is from?

Allan R

Unfortunately the first impression is rode hard and put away wet. It looks like the PO already started parting it out. I'd be really cautious about the engine as it appears the oil filler cap has been missing for how long?

I think that rad top plate is also 69.

Rellim51

I'm definitely not an Oldsmobile expert but the grille and front fenders look like 70 to me. What are you seeing that makes you think they are 69's?

Rellim51

Definetly rode hard. I had the same thoughts when I noticed the oil cap missing. It's supposed to run but I have my doubts.

So, what's a rough, 1970 442 numbers matching (potentially) car with a good title worth? $1500?

rr69ho

Honestly, and I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but I'd think hard about parting the car. You're going to be looking at A LOT of $$$$$ to fix it up. Just my opinion from experience.

Good luck with everything.

Rellim51

I agree, I have no intentions of restoring this car. I originally bought it for the drivetrain but now that it looks to be numbers matching, I think it should stay with the car. My plans are to make it a roller, clean it up, possibly get the engine running if it will, and sell it.

tru-blue 442

The front grills are 69 for sure. Without the front fender moldings,
I couldn't be sure of the fenders, 69 or 70. Or a pic of the very front of the hood.

Rellim51

You're right. Looks like 69 Cutlass grilles. I don't have a good pic of the front fender marker lights but from what I can tell, they look to be 70's.

tru-blue 442

The engine should have E code heads and if you look at the right rear
of the transmission there should be a small aluminum tag that would
have an OG stamped or if the yellow paint was still there,(OG), would denote a 442.

Rellim51

Thanks for the info! I'll look for those when I get it in the shop.

joe_padavano

The front fenders are DEFINITELY 1970-72 fenders. 1969 fenders have a COMPLETELY different shape and would not line up with the doors - not to mention the different wheel opening. The bumper is a 1970 front bumper. The grilles are 1969 Cutlass grilles. The valve covers are a funny color, so you had better check the engine casting numbers. The moldings on the leading edges of the front fenders actually look like 1971-72 moldings.

shamusj

That's definitely not going to have the new car smell inside!!

Olds442redberet

I like it!

I have a friend here in Alabama who is restoring a car in much worse shape than that one appears to be in. But he's a bodyman by trade.

Good luck!

dnmfranco

not only are the center grills 69 but the head light housings as well are 69

Allan R

The bad part is that car looks like it's a #5 for condition. You'd likely be able to get more money for the parts than for selling it whole. The fenders do look like they're 1970 which is a one year production item. They don't appear to have crumple ridges in the horizontal part of the inner structure. There's always someone looking for 1970 fenders because all the aftermarket and GM old stock has crumple ridges. Check the rear end for limited slip tag and gear ratio on the passenger side axle tube.

Rellim51

So, what's a #5 car worth?

Olds442redberet

Actually, The car as it sits now is only worth the sum of its parts. The car sat for a while, and outside at that. It had a lot of moisture trapped inside, which really does some damage over time.
The motor may have some value if it can be rebuilt. The rear end has value based on the gearing and if it is a posi or not. The fenders have value if they can be repaired. It has an air cleaner and fan shroud which have value. The hood and rear deck lid are worth a couple hundred for the both if they are rust free, otherwise they'll end up in the scrap yard. How's the frame? I am selling frames for $350.00 right now. And the list goes on.
The car is really rough. But I would probably pay $1500.00 for the car, which is still a gamble IMO.

steverw

Do you have any of the interior? Front buckets, back seat, console? Any other parts with the car? Back windshield?
Where are you located?

Steve

Koda

Only way I'd consider a restoration on this car would be to rebody it. If it will run, it's still got some soul, but if the engine and frame are hurting like the body is, it's going to need a miracle.

Rellim51

The guy said he threw the seats and console away and some kids shot out the back glass. I'm in north west TN.

Rellim51

It's no where near rough enough to need a rebody. The floors are fairly solid and the quarters don't look that bad either. I do high end restorations and street rods for a living, in my opinion, it's definetly buildable

tru-blue 442

It would be great to see it saved. I have an extra back glass, but how
to get it to Tennessee in one piece, I wouldn't know. Have you got it home yet?

Rellim51

Not yet. The brakes are stuck so it doesn't roll. I may go work on getting them freed up and getting the wheels on it today.

Allan R

X2

Maybe post some pics that show the body condition better. There are typical rust areas on these cars that can easily defeat the cost of a rebuild. Having the brakes seized may or may not be an easy fix. The PO threw away the seats and console?? I seriously don't think so. Prolly had them stolen or sold them. That would tend to make me wonder really hard about the condition of that block.

pacekar

where in north west Tennessee?

Koda

Oh sure, it's definitely possible. Is it financially worthwhile? With all due respect, your expertise (which is more than mine) of doing it for a living would imply that someone else pays for your work. How much body work do you think it would take in terms of dollars? Fully restored, I'd call a 70 442 automatic nothing special at say 25k. Assuming you can get the car for 2k, is there more than 23k of work, parts, and paint needed to get there?

73aussie455

I wish there were 442's and the odd w30 hidden away in barns, on lots or farms here. There would only be a couple of handfuls of these in Australia period. The ones already here seldom come up for sale, and if they do there are hordes of guys after them.
My only chance to own one would be to import a rough driver and do it up, bearing in mind all the parts are going to have to come from the US, or import a nice restored one.
My Delta88 is only one of 3 hardtop 445 equipped in Oz, and its nothing really special.
One day I'll have my stick shift 442...
Apologies to the OP for the off topic.

Rellim51

The story I got was, while he was serving in Desert Storm, some kids shot out the back glass. After several years, the seats were in bad shape and he threw them away. Who knows what happened, that's just the story I got.

Rellim51

Sharon,TN

Rellim51

That's a good point. My personal projects I work on at home are definitely budget builds so resale/investment is always a consideration. As with most all high end shops, the stuff we do at work is never built with resale/investment in mind, it's all about quality. Those type of customers don't care what they can sell it for, they just want the nicest car possible.

Koda

I'm pleased you insist on doing quality work; it's hard to find good craftsmen today. My personal Olds, it was abandoned mid project and had all the body work done. Even with that and some interior work, and being complete, it will need probably 15k put into it to restore it, and that's not counting the untold thousands I have in parts for it, hah.

Best thing to do is to find something easily restorable that will be worth something, but that's getting hard with all the easy prospects drying up. Maybe this car will get saved; I hope it will.

pacekar

you are not to far from me im in dyersburg tn

Rellim51

I looked yesterday and it does have E code heads! Where would the VIN be stamped on the block?

Allan R

Look here just in front and below the #1 plug. Easy way to see what you've got is take a picture with your cell phone. That way you don't need to unbolt anything. If the stamping pad is grimey, just clean it with a cloth or scrub brush - not sandpaper or you may lose some of the stamping definition.

tru-blue 442

Rellim, also take note of the numeral 7 on Allan's post. On the small block
engines, you will find numerals, on big blocks, you will find letters, A,B,C, etc.
The vin #'s will be in the same place on the pad as shown above on both.
If you come across any D,H or F's let me know....

Rellim51

I'm not sure what those letters mean but I have an E on mine.