vistacruiser1971

Here is a 1971 Vista Cruiser with a 455 engine and a 5 speed overdrive transmission added. Car runs and drives well. Buckets and console have been added. The car has a blue interior. The buckets are black and could use new covers to match the interior. It is 8 passenger. It is a California car with little rust. It has its original California plates. Rear seats are original and old. The car needs paint for looks. It needs tires to be daily driver. Price is $4750. Will orgainize with your shipper to load. You are most welcome to come and check out the car locally or have a friend check it out. Call (310) 534-5048 to arrange a visit.

Fastbrianman

Nice looking prioject. Where are you located and what is your zip code for shipping caculations please. Thanks, Brian

vistacruiser1971

I am in Los Angeles area zip 90717. I am planning a trip to Tenn in the next few weeks; however, this car needs tires and the shipping charge is likely cheaper than gas. It is hard to keep your foot out of a 455 on Route 40 and shipping might also save some tickets..... I also have a decent set of doors with power locks and windows if you want to go all the way. Los Angeles is a big city I am in a little place called Lomita which is south of LAX and a little west of Long Beach, CA. not far from the coast.

I have the original; owners manual, new vehicle owners policy dated
7-23-71 , the protecto plate, and the purchase papers from orig dealer, Bill Burch Oldsmobile in Alhambra, CA. I have a copy of the pink slip of second owner which is son of original owner. Also have a big stack maintence records for the car just about for its whole life. The car has current California plates which are the same ones placed on the car back in the day.

If you want more details, I can send you photos of any part of the car you want. Maybe it is better to give me your email address in that case. I figure you know that you can purchase bucket seat covers and foam ready to go that will match the interior and make the front seats new.
Regards,

vistacruiser1971

I have reduced the price of the 5 speed Vista with buckets to $3500.

vistacruiser1971

I am now down to $3000 for the wagon. Also have available seperately a set of power doors with both power windows and door locks installed from the factory.
This car is too nice to part, but now close to drivetrain value. Has lots of paperwork
and the original California plates.

Vega

What transmission is that? A T-5? TKO? A 5-speed behind a 455 sounds interesting

vistacruiser1971

I am not sure about the manufacturer of the five speed trans. However, it looks like the trans bolts right up to the Olds 455 without some adapter plate if that helps. It runs very well and shifts easily.

morepwr

That thing is cool!

leepear

I bought the Vista Cruiser today and it is now in my garage. Interesting car that will be fun to play with.............tons of original documents on the car and I have never seen such detailed maintenance records.

Lee

stevengerard

lee now you can put that extra hood on it - or was it a 70 oh well.

leepear

Jim included an original 71 oai hood with the Vista Cruiser deal so it will be a ram air car with 442 grilles. I need the grille side with the 442 numbers.

morepwr

Good for you!

vistacruiser1971

Yes, car is sold. Glad it went to a good home. I wonder how long this thread will stay on the web site before it is removed. Really didn't want to part that car because it was so clean rust wise, has a boat load of records and still has the original CA Plates. What a great combination!!

Allan R

The thread will stay here forever. Just it will move on down to obscurity when it's not viewed. The only way to remove a thread is request that from an administrator and I can't see any reason you would want to do that. Glad Lee picked it up and has great plans for it. Maybe you could keep in touch with him to see how the progress is going from time to time

vistacruiser1971

Hi Allan: I was really just wondering, this is the first sold piece on this web site. I was really thinking more along the lines of disk space and wondered if the capacity was such that the site needed cleaning. It is no problem I agree to store the info. Ten years from now we can see what this car sold for back in the day. It was a very clean body and glad it went to someone that appreciates the car. Lee is local and I know him so I am sure I will see the car when he gets it on the road. The only thing keeping it from a driver is shot dryrotted tires at this point. However,
I think he will paint it and make it look much better. I realy enjoy this web site as I am a long time Olds fan, hate to say the number of years..... Best Regards

leepear

Thanks for the kind words. I have already played with the car today although I don't have the correct tires for the car. For now it has 275X60X15 on the back and good tires on the front. Unfortunately, with a .7:1 fifth gear a 2 something rear end I am lucky it is a 455 car with good torque. It is a slug but will probably almost be at idle at 65mph in 5th.
Lee

Allan R

Hey Vista, it's not the first car or item sold on this site. 'Don't worry bout it".

Aron Nance

Congratulations on the VC buy, Leepear! Do not know why I didn't see that blurb, or I'da bought it and shipped it to Texas in a heartbeat. What a combination. Hope to see more of it in the future. Again congrats!

citcapp

Lee,

Congrats on the new toy. Now that you have it in your garage we need details. Like what kind of 5-speed, Your plans, new lower ratio rear say like 3:08 of lower.

Don't make us wait to long for info

leepear

I will report back. Not sure about the 5 speed yet but I think it is camero type late 80s. I will try to figure it out. Has a Hurst shifter.

Lee

vistacruiser1971

Ok Allan, I won't worry about disk space anymore. Hi Aron, we met at Reno. The ad has been on the site for a couple of months. It is good that it went to a good home. Lee is in California so the plates will stay current, that is good news. It is a very original car except only for the 5 speed. Lee, just think about the great gas mileage at idle while on the freeway!! We bought it with the 5 speed so don't know where it came from. It does run well.

leepear

Here are the pictures of the 5 speed conversion of the VC. Please let me know what type of transmission this is..........Thanks Lee

leepear

I have not received any information yet on this transmission. Only so far it is not a 70ish olds bell housing. Please help if you can.

Lee

oldsmobum

It is a borg warner t-5. Exactly what you'd find in an 80's v8 or 90's v6 camaro.

P.S. I am infinitely jealous of your purchase. I wish I had only caught this thread sooner... What a deal good job.

leepear

Thanks for the information. Here is the rat rod cleaned up a bit with the paint shined up and big rear wheels. Been driving it as is and the 5 speed is a kick.

Lee

oldsmobum

Boy do I feel dumb for not catching this thread sooner... What a score.

leepear

You shouldn't feel dumb. The economy is so bad there are many good cars for great prices. I am getting ready to put the ram air hood on the vista rat. Not sure if I want to use the real ram air hood I got with the car or my full fiberglass race hood. I guess there is no need to lighten a vista cruiser because it weights a lot even with a 50# hood.

Lee

Rickman48

Don't worry about weight - it's all on the rear wheels + great for wheelstands!
I would worry about that trans, though, especially if you've a heavy right foot!
Not made for that 'torque monster' under the hood, was borderline in a V-6, if it was abused.
I talked that wagon around some of my friends, as it's pretty unique, but everyone's "bucks down" around here.
Good luck and have fun!!

leepear

It would be hard to break that trans with the current 250 something gears and the 275x15 tires. That trans has been in that car for a long time. The original records show a clutch replacement many years ago and even before the engine was rebuilt. The toque of the 455 is necessary now because it almost idles at freeway speeds in 5th gear approx 1200-1300 rpm at 65 gps tested. If someone wanted to make that car get out of the hole like a 442 they would have problems but I already have a couple of those if I want to burn tires.

oldsmobum

He does have a point that the t-5 is not renowned for its strength... But they can be built to handle A LOT of horsepower. Sounds like you have enough toys I would just drive it until it grenades and then build it up tougher.

AZ455

That is a great looking VC, I bet the 455 is fun with the 5 spd..

leepear

It is very unique but not a tire burner, more like a turnpike cruiser. Very strange to think you are in a station wagon and shifting gears. When I put on the ram air hood that came with the car it will be like driving a 442 but less power.

Lee

leepear

Here is what I found on the T5 in case you want to do a conversion on your car. Hopefully mine is the world class version. You can also use a Tremec TR-3550 5-speed Transmission for a conversion.

Second hand or eBay you'll find plenty out there, just try and look for a 1983 to 1993 with an input shaft diameter of 0.668" rated at 265 ft/lbs or more, this will ensure that it's the stronger version of the T-5. 1994 to 1995 can be used except you will have to get the slightly longer bell housing as the input shaft is longer. T-5's with the 0.59 diameter input shaft transmission are only rated at a maximum of 240 ft/lbs.

If you look at the aftermarket then all are available ranging from $1000 for a new, uprated T5 to $2200 or more for the T56 six-speed.




Borg-Warner T5 Dimensions

A = 19.5 inches
B = 7.2 inches
C = 14.5 inches
D = 24.7 inches
Weight = 75 pounds
The T-5 was designed and manufactured by Borg-Warner until 1997, where the company's manual transmission operation was bought by Transmission Technologies Corporation (TTC) who also acquired Tremec in 1994. TTC is a joint venture between DESC group and Dana Corporation and is the leading manual transmission manufacturer. (www.ttcautomotive.com). The T5, 3550, 3550TKO and T56 are all manufactured by this company.

Not all Borg Warner T-5's are the same. The first T-5 five speeds were introduced to market in 1981, in of all things, an AMC Spirit/Concord. In 1983, T-5s were introduced to Mustangs and are currently used in V-6 Mustangs. The T-5 is the only American made standard transmission to span almost 20 years of production. Because of the large quantities of T-5's produced, many parts are interchangeable. There are now over 200 different T-5 transmission assembly part numbers and still counting.

There are two basic kinds of T-5's, Non World Class (NWC) and World Class (WC). In 1983 and 84 Ford used Non-World Class T-5s to improve performance and gas mileage at the same time. The NWC boxes had 2.95 first gear set with 1st, 2nd, 3rd, gears riding on a solid output shaft. The counter gears spin on straight cylindrical bearings with a thrust washer in front. 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th gears used solid bronze synchros. Torque rating for the NWC was 265ft/lbs.

In 1985, Ford introduced the World Class T-5 installed with a 3.35 first gear set. No longer were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears spinning on a solid output shaft. Needle bearings were installed under each gear to reduce drag. The lower counter gears saw tapered bearings. All main shaft synchros were fiber-lined steel rings to improve ring surface area while 5th remains bronze. By improving the friction of the synchro ring, the synchro slows the gear faster making for smoother shifts. Torque rating remained the same at 265ft/lbs. and the overdrive was reduced from 0.63 to 0.68.

leepear

Just a quick update on the Vista. I have been driving it daily, mostly to the gym and store. The car has been trouble free after I replaced fuel lines, added a radiator overflow tank, replaced the alternator belt. The unusual thing is everything works on the car with the exception of cigarette lighter, courtesy light in the rearview mirror, glovebox light and switched light by the radio. AC compressor even kicks in and car idles up like it should. I plan to take it to the Pomona Swap meet next Sunday in search of a set of 14x7 aluminum slotted wheels for my other olds. Need a complete set vintage 1970. Will put a for sale sign on the Vista because I want to park inside in case I find some wheels. It is not really for sale because I have been having fun driving a beater olds again. My first car was a 1971 442 so when I look out the hood it is like I am 18 again. If any of the So Cal bunch is going to Pomona you can check out the rat rod vista. I will put my cell # on the sign. Lee

vistacruiser1971

Hello Oldsmobum & Aron, please check my new ad today for the 1969 Cutlass flat top wagon with the 3 speed stick. This car is also very nice and never had rust. Wanted to make sure you all didn't miss that thread. Regards, Trent