So a friend of mine has an opportunity to purchase this 1971 Cutlass, it's been in storage for a while, it has 55,000 original miles, one owner, any ideas on desirability value or the rarity of it? Here is the build sheet, thanks in advance!

 

Super Stock 4 wheels, eh?
Tell your friend to run away. Fast.

 

What's the reason to run sway

 

Judging by the detail of the information provided below and the rare 4 spd and SSIV, I would appraise it somewhere in the range of $1,395 to $46,995. Thank you.

 

LMAO 🤣
That's funny!

 

Is this friend able to see said car in person?
1971, 4 speed 350 car is rare, so yes desirable.
Silver/Black is sharp.

Condition and originality will drive price. If its real nice, rust free, numbers matching, it wont bring top dollar 442 prices, but it wont far off.

I'd like to see pics of it with the "SSlV" wheels. Thats most likely a typo and it has SSlll wheels.
I was unaware SSlV wheels were available in 4.75x5" lug pattern. Thought these were only available on 88s & 98s w/ 5x5" center to center.

That's not a build sheet. Its the window sticker or Monroney sticker. They can be faked but this one looks real.

 

Thanks for the input...so, myself and my friend are going to get eyes on the car soon...do you think the build sheet is under the rear seat, and what else should he be looking for?
Engine block #s... anything else?

 

The partial vin will be on the block, under plug #1. Not sure its on the Muncie trans but it does have date codes.
Automatics have the vin. Google all of this for locations and what they should look like before viewing the car.
Hundreds of threads here on this too.The partial vin is on the frame but hard to see.

Original carb distributor alternator etc. If swapped are the OEM parts available?
Is the POP card and original paperwork available? Original and spare keys.
Most important is to have a clear title. 71s don't have a "title" like 73 and up but check for a current or expired registration in the owners name that can be signed over to you. That can make or brake a deal.

All metal rust free? Door, trunk, and hood seams. Frame, body, floors, trunk floor, rockers etc. Where the dash meets the windshield is a trouble spot.
Check the vinyl top for bumps around the front n rear glass. Bumps indicate rust. The front fender dog legs are a trouble spot. Ive seen desert dry cars with rust there. Not a big deal but a repair that isn't exactly cheap.

Examine the front and rear frame horns for accident damage. Look at how the sheet metal aligns. If its way off that could indicate previous poor accident damage repair.
Look for silver over spray on things under rubber seals etc. Disturbed fender and core support bolts. A shitty repaint can show this too so dont automatically assume its accident repair.

 

As for a build sheet it could be under the rear seat. If its a Lansing car it wont likely have a sheet. You may find a line card under the rugs?
More important is that the block and trans match. Thats where the value goes down if they don't.

Is it a Supreme or a Cutlass. The vin will tell you this. Cant see it on the window sticker.

 

It says right on the window sticker that it was built in Lansing, so there will not be a build sheet in the car.

The VIN is purposely obscured. Why?

 

Since SuperStock IV wheels were never offered on the A-body cars (they only fit the full size cars), this window sticker is likely yet another fake. That clearly brings up questions about the legitimacy of the rest of the car. Either run away, or go into this with eyes wide open and someone who has a clue evaluating the car.

 

Thanks for the input....I really don't think the sticker is a fake....that with the orignal title screams to me as legitimate.

 

Well, the factory wouldn't have put SS IV wheels on a sticker for a Cutlass, since they don't bolt up.

 

Ok.
So...you are saying that the bolt pattern is different from 1971, the year on the car ...the ssIv wheels?

 

Not even close. What I am saying is that SuperStock IV wheels only came in the 5x5" bolt pattern for the full size cars. The A-body cars used the 5x4.75" bolt pattern.

 

No, what he is saying is that the car does not have SSIV wheels as it's physically impossible, thus the window sticker is an imperfect reproduction and is FAKE.

As such, any of the zoom zoom go boom boom baby options on there (and there seem to be a lot of them, like wtf is a ralley suspension package) are on that fake sticker to inflate the price from the grocery getter it was into almost 442 land. Expect a steady stream of how the seller is trying to justify 442 money with bolt-on, aftermarket stuff. To quote a member here "I hope he gets kissed first because he is definitely going to have sex."

 

So.. in doing some quick research, it appears that the last few posters seem to know their stuff.. it seems it is impossible for a 71 to have those ssiv wheels from the factory.
So, next question is. Why put something that is obviously wrong on a fake window sticker
Stupidity?

 

Also... according to char gbt ..this is what was said about a rally sport package.Yes, it absolutely did. In 1971, Oldsmobile offered this under Option FE2, officially marketed as the Rally Sport Suspension package.

​While it came standard on the high-performance 442, you could check the option box to get it on other mid-size A-body models, including the Cutlass, Cutlass S, and Cutlass Supreme.

​If a 1971 Cutlass left the factory with the FE2 package, it received a much tighter, more aggressive handling setup than the floaty base suspension:

• ​Heavy-Duty Coil Springs: Stiffer front and rear springs that slightly firmed up the ride height and reduced body roll.
• ​Heavy-Duty Shocks: Valved specifically for better control over bumps and cornering.
• ​Front Stabilizer Bar: A thicker 1-inch solid front sway bar.
• ​Rear Stabilizer Bar: A 0.875-inch rear sway bar. (Note: Standard Cutlasses didn't have a rear sway bar at all, and their lower control arms lacked the necessary mounting holes and internal boxed reinforcements to hold one).
• ​Boxed Lower Control Arms: To handle the twisting forces of that rear sway bar, the FE2 package swapped out the standard open-channel rear lower control arms for reinforced, boxed steel arms.

​How to Tell if a '71 Cutlass Has It

​If you are looking at a car today trying to verify if it has an authentic FE2 package, look for the factory boxed rear lower control arms and the rear sway bar bolted directly through them.

​Keep in mind that there was also an F41 Heavy-Duty Suspension package available in 1971. While F41 gave you firmer springs and shocks (often ordered for trailer towing or rough roads), it did not include the rear sway bar or the boxed control arms like the FE2 Rally Sport setup did.

 

Yes, including the first person to reply to this thread.

Joe Padavano, Koda, and Fun71 are more reliable than Ai.

Just because someone throws a bunch of desirable parts and options into a Cutlass doesn't mean they are an Oldsmobile expert. Luckily, scammers and get overs f up all the time. But if the prospective buyer doesn't know sh*t anyway, they wouldn't realize it till it's too late, or ever. Many a fake Oldsmobile have past from owner to owner without realizing it wasn't really a 442 or what have you...

 

I get all that...and i recently discovered ai ...to he honest, it's a cool tool to gather info
appreciate everyone's input...just trying to gather some information for my friend on this vehicle.
I'm sure these guys are experts....what make this a bit confusing is that the seller is an 80 year old lady, who's husband over the car. Who also owned a very reliable car dealership for over 50 years. Def not the scamming type.
To be continued when we can see the car...the car has been stored in a warehouse for last 15 years...
To be continued I guess

 

I'm leaning toward this being a real window sticker, based on what's shown. This window sticker MIGHT be a fake, but if it is, it's one of the best fakes I've seen to date. I wish I could get a closer look at it, though, as well as the car itself and match up the numbered items to see if it really is what it says it is.

The only thing I've seen "wrong" with it, if it is a legit window sticker, is there is a typo in it. I know it may be a shock to hear, but there are some people that tend to think GM never made any mistakes. It has the P05 SSI wheels on it based on the price of the option. The SSIV, which can no way ever be an option on a Cutlass due to the bolt pattern, was 11 bucks and change more than what's shown. One of them has to be wrong.

The reason I would like to see it closer is that for me, it's hard to tell the letter/number alignment. It appears the hammer strikes to print it were random in pressure, thus giving credence to it being printed on an IBM printer of the day. They were very FAST printers and blasted out the window stickers left and right. While possible to get straight lines throughout the entire document like maybe on a new printing machine, I've never seen a real window sticker without at least some misalignment in the letters, however slight. Some worse than others. I've seen about 1,000 or more window stickers in my day and fakes always have a tell somewhere on it. Obviously a typo makes it immediately suspect, but further investigation is warranted to see if it was an actual mistake or a repro that almost passed muster.