Posting for an associate of mine…

1966 Oldsmobile 442 Sports Coupe (post coupe). Target Red with white vinyl top, red bucket seat interior with console, vacuum gauge & dash-mounted tach. Correct L69 400ci tri-power engine with dealer-available W-30 package (aka “Track Pac”, 1 of 93 dealer W-30 kits). 4-speed manual transmission, posi rear end (believed to have 4.33:1 gears), OAI system, battery mounted in trunk, manual steering and brakes, radio delete. Very original and correct car.

VIN & trim plate decode as follows:
VIN: 338076M352102

33807 = Cutlass V8 / 442 Sports Coupe
6 = 1966
M= Lansing Assembly
352102 = Build Sequence number

Trim Plate:
05A 4
ST 66-33807 LAN 10131 Body
TR 965-8 R-6 Paint
2LG
5V

05A = 1st week of May, 1966
4=?
66 = 1966
33807 = Cutlass V8 /442 Sports Coupe
LAN = Lansing Assembly
10131 = Body sequence number
TR 965 = red vinyl interior 8=?
R-6 Paint = Target Red 6=?

Trim Group 1 = NA

Trim Group 2
L=Hole & mounting plate for floor shift manual (1966)
G=Console - (D55)

Trim Group 3 = NA

Trim Group 4 = NA

Trim Group 5
V = 442 trim

Using the Cars & Parts 1 to 6 scale, I feel the car is in 2-/3+ condition. Below is my assessment of each major area of the vehicle.

Body: The body is solid and straight with only 1 ding (driver's door), all body panels appear original. The top of the passenger fender had an antenna at one time: the opening has been covered with a snap-in steel plug painted body color (see pictures, link below). The roof appears to be rust-free and the vinyl top is in excellent condition. There are only a few bubbles of rust under the paint: all are less than ¼” in diameter. Two are at the leading edge of the hood, a few on the leading edge of the driver’s rear wheel well, and on both sides of the vinyl top trim piece on the C-pillar. All of these are very small: it look a lot of searching to find them.

Underbody: The frame and underbody is clean and undercoated years ago. No rust on the floor or trunk pans at all: 100% solid.

Paint: The Target Red paint is a good 5-footer: it has a lot of shine but has some light orange peel, as a crack at the top of the body feature line on the passenger door and has 1 shinkage spot near the handle on the passenger door. I believe the paint is enamel. The paint is at least 13 years old: the door jams and trunk were repainted at the same time. The paint on the underside of the decklid appears to be original. Overall very nice, but not show-quality.

Chrome: All of the chrome & trim appears original: as such it is in fair condition. Some of the trim has small pits & front bumper could use rechromed. Rear rear bumper was re-chromed with a decent-quality job many years ago and is very presentable.

Interior: The red bucket seat interior is original and in very good condition: all components are present and working. The seats sit very well. All factory gauges work. The seats have some sun fade, the headliner needs cleaned and the chrome around the gauges & on the armrests is dull. Radio delete. Some of the paint on the top of the console is chipped. The current owner tastefully added Autometer gauges under the dash (water temp, oil pressure, voltmeter).

Engine: The engine appears correct and original: block casting number is 390925, intake casting number is 393238 and the passenger side head is stamped V116360, denoting the heads as 1966 400ci 442 heads. The Rochester carbs appear correct. The engine starts right up, runs healthy, idles lumpy (assumed to be a W-30 cam) and show no signs of smoke or strange noises. I took a bunch of pictures of the W-30 specific hardware and shared them with Joe Donnelly (1966 W-30 expert): from what he could see in the pictures he feels these components are OEM Oldsmobile parts.

Transmission: 4-speed with correct 4-4-2 shifter. Owner says it shifts well.

Rear Axle: It is believed to be a 4.33:1 with limited slip differential. There is a faded original sticker on the backside of the decklid, denoting it as being originally equipped with limited slip.

Wheels & Tires: 15” steel wheels painted body color with dog-dish hubcaps, no trim rings. Tires are modern Futura GLS radials, 245/60R15 front and 275/60R15 rear.

Here is a link to many pictures of the vehicle including the W-30 specific components:
http://s1106.photobucket.com/albums/...e%20442%20W30/

The current owner bought it from Classic Auto Showplace in Troy, Michigan in 1999. It had a Virginia title and a recent repaint. Very little is known about the history of this car prior to 1999. It is not known if the W-30 conversion was completed by a dealer or owner. The car appears to be a well-preserved survivor, or a mellowed restoration. The odometer reads 23,xxx miles: it is not known if this is accurate. The current owner has kept the vehicle clean and garaged: it has only been driven on nice days. It is ready to cruise and needs no work.

Price: $24,000 SOLD

The owner does NOT have internet access: for more information email me at gearheadkeith@gmail.com or to schedule a showing please contact Bob (owner) at 586-216-6982. The car is located in Warren, Michigan (north side of Detroit). Owner will consider delivery up to 500 miles from Detroit for a reasonable fee.

 

wow, I want it!!!!!!!!!!

 

he's giving it away at that price. It will be snapped up by a dealer so quick his head will spin.

Wish i had the cash.

 

How do you know the package was dealer installed? I see one red flag and that is the lack of a battery vent in the trunk. While a customer install job may have omitted that detail I doubt a dealer install would have.... Nice car for sure.

 

The owner has no documentation for when the W-30 components were installed on this car: they could have been installed by a dealer or a customer. They do appear to be original Oldsmobile W-30 components and not reproductions. We know it is NOT one of the "original 54" cars build by Oldsmobile in Lansing in June 1966.

 

I saw that car around 10 years ago in Madison Heights.

 

Dealer installed is the most common reference for non OEM W-30 cars. It's just a term that's used to distinguish the difference between the original factory W-30 cars and the add on Track Pac kits.

 

It's also a term used for undocumented cars where the owner is trying to get more money.

 

I dont really follow that because a true dealer install would be expected to be done correctly and neatly and completely. From what I understand customer installs were done hastily and were often incomplete and sometimes done shotty. They just wanted to go racing. Without documentation in my opinion such non factory cars should not be termed as Dealer Install. It could be misleading.

 

OK,whatever,I've been dealing and owning these 66 OAI cars for over 30 years,so what do I know?

 

Ad changed from "dealer-installed" to "dealer-available" W-30 package.

 

Perfect in my book. I am working on a 67 Trac Pac car.... I know its not a factory W car and although it appears to have been an era install job I have no documentation and would never say it was a dealer install or customer install cause I just dont know.

 

FYI, to anyone who missed it before it sold- the asking price WAS $24k

 

Dealer installed "Induction Pkg." were not necessarily done better. Many racer/dealer installations used a blue wrench to cut the duct holes. This car has nicer holes, but did not use the correct 396986 brackets from the ducts to the "baffles" of the core support, nor have the bumper correctly modified for the "bezel" mounting bolts.

 

Does that car have two tachs? What is that on the console? ditto for the left side of the dash. If so, why two tachs?

 

I believe the console has a vacuum guage, not a tach.

 

The console unit is a vacuum gauge but a factory tach could also have been installed there.

 

incorrect.

 

64-65 consoles were equipped with tachs, 66 consoles were equipped with vacuum gauge, 67-69 manual trans consoles had a block off plate where the gauge housing was mounted.

Henry

 

Thanks for that info, I assumed the tach was also console mounted in 66 early and the sidemount tach later in the year and toward the end the indash 67 style rally pac. Was not the vacuum gauge or tach optional in the 64 and 65 console cars depending on choice?

 

No vacuum gauge in 64-65, only used in 66. When ordering a console, it came with a tach. That goes for both consoles.

 

Got it!

 

That makes me feel a little better about my 67. not in the same category as this, but I was starting to feel bad that I overpaid.

 

Not quite done. Full size didn't get the vacuum gauge, even in '66.

Interestingly, the sales literature just adds to the confusion.
'65 Cutlass console description say "tach", no problem there. But the Starfire/Jetstar 1 console description says "tach" for the auto and "performance guage" with manual trans. The "performance gauge" is the vacuum gauge. I've seen many 4-spd '65 SF/JS1s consoles and they all have tachs.
In 1966, *all* of the console gauge descriptions say "performance gauge". The only vacuum gauges I've ever seen have been on 1966 manual shift Cutlass consoles.

 

I currently own several 66 Cutlass and 66 442 Automatic console cars and they all have vacuum gauges.

And I do not ever recall seeing a 66 Olds A body Automatic console without the vacuum gauge.
Henry

 

That's interesting, Henry.

 

Just to confirm, this car has a tach mounted to the left the gauge cluster on the dash and a vacuum gauge on the console. This is correct for a 1966 442.

Thanks for all the interest and discussion about this car. A sale is pending for the car: the seller is waiting for the funds from the buyer to clear his bank. Should the deal fall through, I will update the ad accordingly.

 

Update: This car has been SOLD. It is now on its way to its new owner, a serious Oldsmobile collector in SE Utah.