It wasn't on '69s. They have color-matched plastic ones. I had 2 '68 HTs, one a Canadian built 442, the other a H/O. Both of them had the metal like you have. I hadn't really thought about that difference before. I also had a 68 Cutlass. Don't recall seeing it on that one (but it was a very long time ago).

Wow. Another '68 with factory headrests!

 

I have seen seen that interior chrome on one other '68 442.

 

My '68 H/O Holiday has those stainless headliner trim pieces as well.

 

Has anyone ever seen a '70 W-30 with the disc brake delete option?


It has never ceased to amaze me how some cars were optioned back them, some of the combinations were mind boggling, but always interesting.


Was told by the original owner of a very low optioned 4-speed car - no p/b, p/s, a/c, or radio - that he did order power windows on the car so that he could lower all the windows when it got warm without having to pull over.


A '70 442 that I bought back '83, which my brother now owns, had almost every option, both luxury and performance, but was ordered with buckets and automatic shifter on the column. When I asked the original owner why he did not order the floor shifter/console, he told me that when he went to the dealership to look at the new cars, there was a 442 in the showroom that had a console. When his kids got into the 442, they went over the bucket seats and stepped on the console door to get to the back seat. He determined that the console would had been broken within the first week, so he ordered his 442 with the standard column shift.


When I got the 442, my kids would go over the bucket seats and through the center opening to the back seat. Always reminded me of the story that the original owner told be me about the console and ordering the standard column shift.


After both original owners told me their stories, it made perfect sense.

 

That's funny my kids do too - in my Marauder as well

 

I know this is an old thread but this is on the back of my W30.

5nUPiXx.jpg

Is that for the factory air shocks or an aftermarket setup?

 

The super lift shock absorber option, G66 was available as an factory installed option for a sum of $48. You would need some paperwork to see if it came with your car originally. The 70 CSM shows the setup installed on B and C bodies...I have a car work sheet from 1970 for a w30 that shows it was available on the w30

 

I had a '68 442 with that setup. Don't know if it was factory, but it sure was a neat installation. Anybody remember if air shocks were on the option sheet for '68?

 

G66 Shock Absorbers, Superlift Rear ...........$42.13

 

And a bargain at twice the price!

 

Air shocks were pretty much available in all years. That's why the rear bumper has the hole for the fill valve behind the license plate. Some years (like 1966, for example) there was actually an on-board vacuum-powered compressor that could fill the air shocks, but most years just used the valve in the bumper.

In 1964-65, RPO G66 was $40.35. For 1966, G66 was dropped and replaced by G67, automatic level control, $78.99, but N.A. with the 442 option. THIS is the rare one! In 67, G66 came back for the bargain price of $39.50, but N.A. with Turpike Cruiser or 442.

In 1968, G66 was available on the 442, for $42.13 (ironically, exactly the same price as for G80 anti-spin) and continued through 1970. The option does not show up for the 1971-72 model years.

 

I parted out a 1972 Cutlass that was a U code car. I purchased it from the original owner who ordered the car to pull her airstream trailer. That car had air shocks that were original to the car. I do not know if it was dealer or factory installed.

 

G66 does not show up in the Salesmen's SPECS booklets for 1971-72, which tells me they were not factory installed. Delco DID sell the kit over the parts counter.

 

Didn't Hurst also offer air lift shocks for the 72 and later cars?

 

Thanks, Joe!

 

Kinda like this:



Of course, that was not a normal RPO from the factory.

 

OK, I have to correct my previous posting about G66 availability. It turns out that Superlift shocks WERE available from the factory in the 1971-72 model years and beyond. My mistake was that I was looking at the SPECS documents in alphabetical order, but starting with the 1971 booklet, the G66 option was moved to the RH side of the page under "Special Use Equipment". Still $42.13 in 1971. Interestingly the RPO code got changed to G86 with the 1972 model year and price dropped to $41.00. This continued with the styling change in 1973.

Sorry for the mis-information.

 

Delco P-500. Available from your Dealer if you wanted the extra convenience. It would let you adjust the air shocks from inside the car. The compressor used engine vacuum. This one is from the late '60's. Later ones had a different style control.

 

1960's type on the left, 1970's type on the right

 

I was looking for a "rare options" thread as I've been curious about dad's 70 442 with a power bench seat. I saw a page one statistic of about a 1% production on this thread. Honestly, with about 20-something years of dealing with Olds muscle, I can't recall coming across a power bench seat option very often, if ever. The car is a triple-green #'s match stocker. Anyone's two-cents on the power bench seat option? I overhear dad bragging about how rare the car is at car shows, but I don't think that option "makes the car", let alone justifies a measureable uptick in the car's value.

-Christian

- 70 442 W25/W35 #s match.
- Rallye #s match.

 

Mine has the the power bench seat and same color as your #45 Aspen Green

 

I know this is an old post but were there deluxe front shoulder belts too? My car has shoulder belts and surely it cant be one of 16

 

I encounter that a lot at car shows.

Anyway, with the stats I have from the GM Heritage Center, it shows 0.9% of 4-4-2s had the power bench. Please keep in mind this isn't total production as it only goes through June 1970 (July is missing), but it's reasonable to estimate that under 200 4-4-2s were made with that option considering there were about 161 built through June.

 

The AS1 number (16) is 12 the 4-4-2 convertible and 4 for the Cutlass Supreme convertible and are NOT complete production - it's through June 1970.

 

The AS1 option discussed was for the convertible, which normally wouldn't have any shoulder belts. Yes, deluxe front shoulder belts were available for the convertible, too: option A85, 3.6% of F85 convertibles (488 total).

Coupes (all models) received shoulder belts as standard in 1970. So no, you aren't special. (unless your car is a convertible)

 

Ok I somehow missed the convertible part....rats haha!! Well I still have all the B85 trim in near mint shape......so I'm somewhat "rare"

 

Power bench was not all that rare. I have a setup for mine that will go on it.

Jumping back to that G67 auto level control, on another division it was one of the things that came with the SS package on Chevrolets. Oddly enough, it was incompatible with cruise control simply because they occupied the same real estate on the left inner fender.

Once I get the house done and garage built, I'll start on the 442. I have ten years of semi-rare goodies to stick on that thing. From a conversation Mr. Roth and I had, it IS possible to stick a safety sentinel into a rallye pac 67 dash, you just have to get creative. I figure those two, cruise control, and an FM radio ought to make that dashboard look lively.

 

I have yet to see a car come up for auction that isn't fully loaded with these "rare" options. Seems that the first thing anyone does anymore in a resto is to pile on every option in the book. Kinda defeats the whole "rarity" thing...

I'm sure I've mentioned previously that my 68 W-30 really is loaded with options, and is totally unrestored (and currently very trashed). I guess I'll have to document that before I start the resto, to lend credibility to the fact that these options were all factory installed (power seat, power windows, UHV). On the other hand, both my 70 W-30 and 69 H/O are totally devoid of options, and will stay that way. Who wants a 70 W-30 with AT, PB, and A/C - and the less radical cam?

 

x2

 

I intend to document what I add, in the event I would ever sell it. Most expensive option was customer added, anyway, by design.

 

Hey now, stop picking on me!
Actually, I agree with you. While I do like the automatic transmission, I've got a more radical cam instead of the correct one, the A/C does nothing but get in the way and weigh a lot (and doesn't work right now), and my power brakes are why I'm currently not driving it (gots a leak).

 

In reading this post it looks like the 1969 442 car I am selling (in classifieds) may be more rare than I had thought. The following options:

N33 Tilt
N34 Custom Sport Steering Wheel
C57 Force Air Ventilation
VE1 Rear Bumper Insert
B80 Exterior Drip Molding

These are just the ones I can verify that are installed. I have not found any build sheet for the car.

Sean

 

My father was an Olds salesman and I remember going to the auto show with him and seeing the '65 4-4-2 for the first time. They had applied tape racing stripes to the car for the show and seems to me my Dad mentioned they came from Olds. Any chance this was a factory option, or maybe just something they offered to the dealers?

 

Yes I have seen old photos of 65-67's with a stripe off to one side of the car. I have a photo somewhere and I know 442bro.com shows it too.

 

Obviously it's been a couple of years...but I think the stripe was black and white and yes, applied off to one side.

 

It is technically not an option, but 3 speed M/T 70 442 verts are pretty rare (46). I had a chance to buy a Twilight Blue one with A/C a couple of years ago - my biggest Olds car regret to date.

 

costpenn,

I know of a 70 442 Twilight blue convert three speed that was recently converted to a 4 speed. There can't possibly be many around so I wonder if it was the same car?

 

I owned a azure blue 70 442 convtert that had a 3 on the floor back in 77.

 

About 1980 I saw a 1970 Azure Blue Convert 442 with 3 speed. It was on a Sunday at a small used car dealer. Went back a couple days later and it was gone. Never saw the car again. Probably was turned into red 4 speed convertible.

 

What is a rim blower steering wheel?