HouTXCutlass

Hey ya'll,

Here are a few pics of before and after. She now has no A/C. Even in a sauna like Houston, it's not bad with a drop top. Just go faster! Prior to the engine work, all front end suspension components were replaced including a fast ratio PS box. She also had a drum to disc conversion with new brake lines front to back, new springs and shocks front and back, 3.42 posi rear end, driveshaft, new gas tank, sending unit and fuel lines, new exhaust. I cleaned the underside with a needle scaler, power washed, painted and undercoated. While cleaning the underside, some rusted through sections of the frame were discovered directly behind the front wheels. One of the previous owners had filled the holes with silicone and painted it! That dumbass should have his hands smashed with a hammer! I never saw it prior to buying the car. I may not have bought her if I had, so it;s just as well. The left rear wheel well also had some rust through, so plate was welded over all the rusted sections, primed and painted. I was lucky enough to have a co-worker with an awesome 3 bay shop in his backyard and his son is the hotrod instructor at the local UTI campus. So all the suspension work, rear end, welding and underneath clean up was done at his shop. They charged $60 an hour for the use of the facilities, tools and labor. I was able to be there most of the time and be the helper/gopher. I also sandblasted and painted the control arms and any pieces being reused. We had 32 hours in it when it was all said and done. Having a lift to do the suspension and rear end was a blessing. I had planned on doing it on my garage floor, but when I was able to get it to a shop with a lift and help with the work, it was a no brainer. Even though it cost $$ to get it done, it was worth it to me. The engine work was all done by me in my garage. What started as a simple intake, carb and header install, turned into a 3 month excursion of “might as wells” fighting 40 year old nuts and bolts while laying on my 45 year old back in pools of sweat in 90+ degrees heat and humidity. It was great doing that work myself, but I don’t know if I’ll do it again. Famous last words.

Rob

citcapp

Looks great, nice work

mv213

You're doing great! The car is really looking good. Thanks for sharing the progress and pictures.

my72vert

Save those old parts, might be worth a pretty penny.

HouTXCutlass

Thanks, it's nice to get past this part. It seemed like I would never get there.

Thanks, I wanted to do a prolific resto thread like the one from Gearheads78 or the interior resto thread from Lady 'N' Rob but those are in a class by themselves. I do have a few more pictures that I'll put on a photobucket link one of these days.

Yeah, so much for my original intent of keeping it original. I have saved everything for the next guy who may want to go back to original though. Except for the Jetaway tranny which I donated to a local dirt track racer who is the only guy running an Olds.

dk-52

Lookin GOOD !!