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Sorry...I should have been more clear. Was the U code 455 the same in the '72 442 as the one in the '72 Supreme?
WARNING: This is a SWAG.
I owned a 1972 (Blue, White Stripe) U-Code 4-4-2 (purchased 1976 in Palm Springs, California while residing in California). I think the California build added to my grief at the time, as well. I nearly lost my mind trying to "convince" myself I had something "special". From what I recall I had nothing more than a Plane Jane 250hp 455cid + TH400. At least between myself & everyone w/ more knowledge than myself, I convinced myself it was a basic everyday 455cid. Hey, it was sorta rare though since most 4-4-2 that year had the 350cid as I recall. While my answer is unlikely definitive, I think every U-Code 442 came w/ the basic L75 250hp 455 cid + TH 400 which was identical to what could be ordered on the CS. Holy Snot Rockets that was 50 yrs ago.
It is imprecise to consider an engine to be "a U code engine" and it is typical of the shortcuts taken by hobbyists to easily categorize something more than it is. The letter in the VIN was federally required starting in that year and represents a combination of engine, transmission, and powertrain. Sometimes, the same engine was used in multiple letters. The L32 2 barrel 350 was used in both H and J, and the 4 barrel version used in K and M, both regardless of transmissions.
The L75 engine, according to the specs, was used in both U and V applications, with the difference being the transmission. This does not jibe with the automatic 455 being rated for 250 and the manual being rated for 270, unless there were variations for application inside the L75 standard. We know this happened as there have historically been different cams for transmission application within the engine code for W-30s.
So, it's better to refer to the engine by the L** designator and use the VIN letter as a shortcut. All that being said, within a body platform, the VIN letter meant the same thing. All A bodies, regardless of trim, that had a U coded VIN, had the L75 455. As Norm pointed out, a different model's VIN could mean different things as it was a different car. Also, as 442 was a trim and handling package in 72, a Cutlass S had the same engine as a 442 as a 442 was a Cutlass S. Similarly with the Supreme convertible to the 442 convertible.
There is a guy that I believe deliberately puts his car show placard over his K VIN W-30 clone at a yearly show to hide his shame.
No? Really? This is straight out of the dealer specs book.
Enlighten us, O Master. Tell us why the book is wrong and you're right.
The book is not wrong; it's your understanding of it that is. This is particularly funny because you provide a cropped picture as evidence which is literally the same image I had in my previous post. Tell me you didn't read my post without telling me you didn't read my post.
If you look at the larger image, you will see that the A bodies had one list of VIN codes that meant one thing, and the big cars had another. Thus, your statement of a U code A body getting the same engine as a U code B/C is wrong. The A body got the L75 and the the B and C got the L74.
The U code 455's used in the A bodies were 250 hp, no matter if a Supreme, a Cutlass, or a 442. The V codes were 270 hp due to a different camshaft, and it was the same in the A bodies whether a Cutlass, a C.S., or a 442. All of the 455's in '72 in the A bodies were 4bbl, dual exhaust.
In fact, if your U code Supreme was a convertible, it would be essentially the same car, minus trim and suspension, as a U code 442 convertible. Your hardtop Supreme has the same body, chassis, and powertrain as a U code H/O hardtop, too.
Look, Olds frequently confabulated the engine RPO codes. Note that the table in the SPECS booklet calls the 270 HP MT engine the "L76". That's the only place I've seen that designation for the 1972 model year. Also note that the L77 motor is shown as 300 HP for all transmissions, despite the fact that there were different cams in the AT and MT versions (the AT version got the same cam as the L76 motor, but saying that your AT W30 only had 270 HP would have been fatal). I say we stop worrying about it.
Last edited by joe_padavano; Oct 6, 2024 at 07:05 AM.
