heidi

I have a 1964 Oldsmobile F-85 cutlass with a 330 engine. It's my first car Ive had it since I was 14 and now I am 24 and would like to get it restored enough to be able to drive it around town. I don't know much about cars in general but would like to have the engine rebuilt and tuned up to a good drivable condition. I need a mechanic that can do this good and at a reasonable price. I live in Cameron park California near Sacramento. I also don't know what a good price is for a mechanic to rebuild the engine and how much I should be expecting to pay. As for problems with the car It runs but is very hard to get started as the starter only cranks after 5 to 10 turns. I then have to pump the gas pedal until it will be able to run idle which takes a lot of gas just to start it. The automatic transmission will only start in neutral and most of the time won't go all the way into park. It has oil drops leaking in the front as well as some transmission fluid. Also it's spiting a lot of black stuff and a liquid I believe to be gas out of the back exhaust pipe, the gas gauge only go's from empty to full,The front headlights don't light up,and maybe a few more minor details. But other than that I don't know what else to say about it as I said I don't know much about cars so I don't know what's exactly wrong with it. I also read that the rear axles on these Oldsmobile models were made out of weak steal that can break and cause bigger problems and that it's hard to find replacement parts. I don't know if any of you can help me but if you have any advice or can point me in the right direction of a mechanic who can help. It would be much appreciated.
I also have a lot pictures of my car if you would like to see some.
Thanks Heidi

citcapp

Welcome to the site Heidi. Sounds like you have the makings of a nice car. I am to far away from you to recomend a mechanic or shop. Someone from near your area will chime in and give you some ideas. Good luck

heidi

Thanks pat for response I also have a question about wither or not to keep this car very original stock or to build it into more of a hot rod because I've seen some cars like mine online that have been made into hot rods. I've also been told it’s not a very collectable car and maybe that’s why I've seen more of these made into hot rods. I don’t have much money to put into the car so If Its going to cost a lot to make It into more of a hot rod then I can't do that as I wouldn't be able to come up with more than say 2,000 and that's if I'm lucky so any way I can save money and still get It fixed up is good. At this time I'm unsure on what I'm going to do with it and any opinion would be helpful.
Thanks Heidi

Impin'

I'm new to this site, am no expert on restorations, but have been around-in-and under cars all my life. From the sounds of things, your car is mostly suffering from age and probably from sitting more than moving over the last 10 years. You may/may not need a rebuild.
With your budget of $2K......

I would start with a tuneup and some diagnosis of where the leaks are coming from. Your leaks are probably (hopefully) just due to old gaskets (valve cover, oil pan, etc.).
I would start with the basics on your headlight problem. You need to make sure all wiring is intact (no cuts, etc.) your bulbs are all seated correctly, you have no blown fuses, and that your system is grounded properly.

I know you said you don't know cars, but some of the things I've mentioned just take a bit of patience and following instructions/manuals.

Get yourself a few DIY automotive books and start with simple things like the battery, air/fuel/oil filters. As you do this, your confidence levels will rise.

As far as finding a good shop, you'll have to visit and talk to the owner/mechanics to get a feel for their knowledge and morals. You should also find a local club and ask people about their mechanic suggestions. A good place to seek out others is at local car shows.

Good luck.

f-85

X2

Also feel free to ask any questions here. We are more then happy to help.

P.S. pics please

2blu442

Heidi, Gene (64Rocket) is in Union City California, down in the Bay area. You might try contacting him to see if he could recommend a good mechanic. I believe he has a couple 1964 Cutlass's. John

Oldsguy

Heidi, welcome to our site and post some pictures too!

heidi

Dear Gene,
Thank you for for your response and I would love to have your help. I have been told by most everyone I know to sell my car because it's so old that it's not going to be reliable and it's gonna cost to much money to put gas in and that older cars have more problems. Told that I should sell it and with the money I get from selling it buy a used reliable Honda or Toyota but I just don't want to sell it.You know about cars do you think this is a car that can be made more reliable and at a price that won't kill my pocket book. I don't know if this is a car that shouldn't be driven around and run up the miles on either. I probably wouldn't be driving it everyday but It would be driven around a fair amount. As for restoring the car I would just like to make it into a good driver. I don't want to do a lot of detail work on it. I don't even need it painted for now. I would just like to put what money I can get into it running good. I recently had a mechanic work on it but he charged me a total of 1,300 bucks and now its leaking oil trans fluid in the front and oil and gas out the back and it's just as hard to start up.I will post a picture of the invoice he gave me. Other problems with the car include no working headlights, speedometer doesn't do anything, and the gas gauge only goes from empty to full. Your help is so much appreciated
Heidi



[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG][IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg[/IMG]

heidi

Maybe the mechanics opinion will help with explaining the condition of the car. Although I don't know if he knew much about the car. He said the engine was a 307 and it's a 330. I only know that cause Ive been doing my research online. But still I really don't know if the work he did was worth the 1,300 bucks and I don't want to spend that again and have it come back to me with the same problems I just can't afford it. Anyways hope it helps
Thanks Heidi

heidi

I hope the pics I posted worked I had a body tag picture on there with a lot of codes that I couldn't totally figure out and another picture of the original 007 black and yellow plates which I think is very cool. Here's a couple more. Hope you all like them
Heidi

csstrux

If the were mine I would keep it. the unit appears to be clean and aftermarket does (as far as I can tell) support it. I would get something done about the bad hub asby, and the brake cylinders. A couple of cylinders with low compression should not severely effect the operation of the car, Depending on how low it is. Most of the cars I had from this era were chevies, so engine and trans swapping was an entirely different situation I think. I am guessing here but would imagine you could get an updated engine ie 350 to bolt in. As complete as the car appears I would just do the safety stuff and enjoy the car while saving up for mechanical upgrades either as needed, od desired whichever comes first. Old cars are going to be quirky, and sometimes annoying, but that is part of their charm as well. You have a gem in the rough so to speak, enjoy it. Dont wory about other peoples oppinions, as soon as you get it all shinny and pretty lookin everyone will be asking for rides in it, or borrow it. Hippocritical yes, but that is what most people see...shiny paint= good car. That or someone wants to score a sweet deal off you i'm not sure which. I'm what could be best described as a parts changer, with a tiny bit of knowledge, so am not going to question the mechanic too much. That said were I him I would probably have pushed for replacing the (bad?!?) wheel cylinder, and would suggest that be a priority. From what I saw otherwise, without seeing or knowing the car, I am guessing he did his job and charged accordingly. Labor is not cheep and it sounded like he spent some time on it. I hope something in here calms some of your concerns or was helpfull. Welcome to olds, old cars and the site. I wish you well and many happy memories. Welcome

64Rocket

Heidi,

PM me your info and I will contact you.

Gene

2blu442

VERY nice car Heidi, I especially like the pictures of how clean the interior is. Hopefully you can get a trusted mechanic to fix the little odds and ends it needs. After than it should be a safe dependable car to drive. I would encourage you to keep it. Maintenance to keep the car up isn't very expensive and it won't depreciate in value like a newer car would. As you can tell, I've rationalized fixing and keeping old cars for a while! John

gthmcty1

Heidi that is a great looking car you have there, as far as not knowing much about cars you can always come here and ask questions, we will be more than willing to help as much as we can!

if I were you I would definitely keep the car that is a clean foundation to start with, the things you mention can easily be fixed, I second the thought of starting with a tune-up and going from there. Once you start doing the little things on the car just like "Impin" said your confidence level will build, dont give up just yet.

heidi

Alright so I got some repair manuals for the car and don't know exactly where to begin. Most of the car lingo in the manual I don't understand. So was hoping that with the information that I already posted about the cars problems I could get some help on some simple tasks to start on or any suggestions on how to figure out where I need to begin. I was also wondering If there's any how-to video's or shows that I could watch to get more help but all Ive seen of that was on newer cars and I know older cars are built differently so If anybody knows about any how-to video's that could help me out that would be great too. Thanks very much
Heidi

heidi

I found this old TV ad for the cutlass on u tube very cool.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niafr...layer_embedded

csstrux

like the vid. As far as a first step goes, I would look at that starter. I am guessing you have smaller hands, which will be a plus. They are fairly simple to replace. Do you have any friends with tools stands and a jack? the job should not take any more than 1/2 hour, so would be a good start for confidence building. They are tucked up in a relatively tight spot so meaty paws like mine are a bit of a problem. after that I would look at the shift mechanism. I am not familiar with the assembly, but with the manual, you should be able to find the way to adjust it so the car fully engages the park positoun. That is likely why you have to put it in neutral to start the car. That or a slight adjust ment of the switch itself. but I am guessing the other from your prior post. The carb is likely to be the cause of the smoke issues, as well as your needing to pump it till she is warm. It sounds like you have a couple things going on there. Sticky or non functioning choke, and running rich. That is more technical. I have never rebuilt one, so can't help there. I would take it one step at a time. Is this your daily driver?

heidi

This is currently not my daily driver. I want to fix It up enough for It to be my everyday driver however I still don't know how much work or money that will take. In my previous posts I put some pictures of the invoice I got from a mechanic I had work on the car. I didn't understand exactly what he had said needed attention on the car. I thought there was something about the brakes that needed to be fixed and I don't know If It's safe to drive around with all the problems It currently has. As for the transmission Its a automatic I think It's called a jetaway or something but your right about It not going all the way into park. When I turn the key It sometimes doesn't crank and I have to turn It a couple times before It will crank and start. I though It had to do with the transmission not going In the right gear so I've been moving the gear around trying to get It In the right position till It starts but I guess those are two separate issues. I will check more on how to replace the starter and adjust the transmission. Thanks for your suggestions
Heidi