buyer1al

Hello, I am about to order emblems & see about getting my car painted but wanted to do some homework first. My car looks like it had trim down the side at one point and don't know if it's supposed to be there or not. It is supposed to be a 72' Cutlass but the vin tag has been replaced at some point and I wanted to make sure what it actually is. Btw can't figure out how to post more than 1 picture. Thanks, Jason

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jaunty75

Post a clear photo of the body cowl tag, which is attached to the firewall in the engine compartment on the driver's side. It will have codes on it that will make it possible to determine what you have.

That's assuming the cowl tag isn't missing or hasn't been changed, either. Why was the VIN tag changed?

buyer1al

I will do it. Great question on the vin tag. My guess it that at some point someone replaced the dash and the tag was done at the same time. Thanks, Jason

redoldsman

From what I can see of the grill, it looks like a 72.

buyer1al

Here's the tag

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smash72

And here's mine I think we have the same 72 Cutlass A Body Sport Coupe. Our numbers are real close

buyer1al

Ok, yeah that is pretty close. I was trying to find out from the pros anything possible about it. Specifically should it have body side moulding, which emblems and if the hood is correct or not.
Thanks for the help,
Jason

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orange442

Is your VIN tag from a 72? Post all but last 6 digits of your VIN to verify it is 72 and goes with the cowl tag.

Kevin45

Why would the VIN been replaced, unless it was a stolen car? THe VIN had better match the title.

buyer1al

I have no suspicion of the car being stolen. It looks like the vin tag was replaced as part of a restoration process. There is no title as the vehicle is pre-1979 model year.
Thanks,
Jason

jaunty75

Decoding it comes up with the following

72 = 1972 model year
3 = Oldsmobile
36 = Cutlass (not Cutlass Supreme - there would be a 42 here instead of a 36 if the car was a Supreme)
87 = hardtop coupe
R = Arlington, Texas assembly plant
21061 = Fisher Body sequence number (not decodable further)
TR 942 = Green vinyl bench seat
A52 = front bench seat
43, 43 = indicates that both lower and upper body color are Pinehurst Green
04A = build date (1st week of April 1972). This is a little unusual in that normally this date code is not right next to something else like it is on your tag, which has "0086" after it. I'm not sure what that means.


If you can tell us what engine is in the car as well as what type of carburetor (2 or 4 bbl), assuming the engine is original, we can tell you pretty much what the VIN of your car would have been.

From what we know now, it would be

3G87?2RXXXXXX

Where 3 = Oldsmobile
G = Cutlass
87 = hardtop coupe
? = engine and carburetion
2 = model year
R = Arlington assembly plant
XXXXXX = production sequence number at the Arlington plant. No way to determine this unless the engine is original as there should be a VIN derivative stamped on it, and the last six digits of that would be the same as the last six digits of your VIN (thus making the car "numbers matching"). So it IS possible to completely reproduce the car's VIN if the engine is original.

Also, even if the engine is not original, I believe the VIN or a VIN derivative is elsewhere on the car, such as on the differential or on the frame somewhere. Others will know for sure.

joe_padavano

If the original VIN tag was removed and reinstalled as part of the restoration process, that's perfectly legal under 18 U.S.C. Section 511. If the tag was "replaced" with a different one, well, that's a problem. I would suggest that you refrain from using the words "VIN tag" and "replaced" in the same sentence, especially around the DMV. "Reinstalled" is fine, however.

buyer1al

Ok, the engine is the 2-bbl carb and I think the vin is right on thanks to all you guys help. So would it be a Cutlass or Cutlass S? There are S emblems on the interior door panels and looks like some were on the front quarters also. Thanks again for everyone's help

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jaunty75

A 2-bbl carb would mean a 350 engine and VIN code H. It's difficult to read the VIN in that photo, but it does look like it begins 3G87H2R, so that's right for the car. The last six digits are 170017, but apparently those don't mean anything for this car as the VIN tag was changed.

Cutlass S. The second character being a "G" in the VIN tells you that. I should have been more precise in my decoding of the VIN above. If it were a base Cutlass, the second character would would be an F, if it were an F-85, it would be a D, and if it were a Cutlass Supreme, it would be a J.

Below is a page out of the 1972 Olds Dealer Specs Book. Your car is the second one listed (Hardtop Coupe G87 ... $3086.60 base price). Note under "Standard Equipment" in the left-most column that the base engine was the 350 2-bbl, which is what your car has.

Note also that your car could have had option N34, the well known Custom-Sport "Steering Whool".

oldsman72

Welcome to the site Jason! That's a good looking car. Good luck with it.


That's great info jaunty75. I appreciate it for my own reference.

buyer1al

Wow, awesome! Thank you. So, all being said.
Hood correct?
Trim down side?
Cutlass & S emblems on ft quarters, Cutlass only on trunk?

4speed455

Why do you think the VIN has been tampered with?

1969w3155

Why would you think that there is no title due to the year? You should have a title, and the vin on your title should match the one on your car, law enforcement doesn't look kindly on that.

Allan R

Hood is correct for 1972 Cutlass S with AC
Trim is mostly correct - just missing body side moldings on fender, doors and front quarter panel.
Cutlass and S emblems on fenders (quarters are the rear panels behind the doors) Cutlass on deck lid and Glove box.

Need to work on getting the pictures oriented for better viewing. Sideways is a bit tough at times

Boiler_81

It depends on the state. Some states no longer issue titles after the car is x number of years old.

70cutty

With no title, how does one claim ownership of the car?
What's to stop somebody from stealing a car and claiming it as his?

you may not need a title to transfer ownership, some states allow bill of sale only, but I think all the states issue a title no matter how old the car is.
Shoot, I have a 1929 ford tudor and it has a pink slip.

Boiler_81

I have no idea how to answer you questions as I don't live in one of those states. Here is a page from AL which indicates a title is required for a car newer than 35 years. http://ador.alabama.gov/motorvehicle....cfm#titlefaq1

jaunty75

Here's the go-to page for this sort of info:

http://www.bipac.net/page.asp?conten...olbox&g=SEMAGA


boiler_81 is correct. Alabama does not require titles on cars 35 years old or older. I could not find anything in the document about how to prove ownership of an older-than-35-years car, but I admit I didn't read the whole thing.

pogo69

same here in CT as long as it was previously registered in CT and the signed bill of sale is all you need, mvd can always change at any time though

MDchanic

Then you think wrong.

NYS began issuing titles in 1972 or '73. If your car registered in NYS is older than that, then no title. Period.

- Eric

buyer1al

Wow, let's pour some Decaf No titles exist in Alabama on pre 1979 vehicles. It's not a guess on my part, I am a licensed dealer and a a Designated Agent to process title documents thru the Alabama Dept. of Revenue.

Thank you Allan R for the info!! I will work on getting my pic posting knowledge up to snuff.

buyer1al

Is year one a good place for emblems and body side moldings or can anyone suggest better?
Thank you,
Jason

Allan R

The body side moldings aren't reproduced for the Cutlass S - yet. However you could probably pick some up from some of the guys who part out these cars.

You're in Alabama? Check with Thomas Johnson (Olds442redberet). He's also in Alabama. If he doesn't have them, check with Scott Winn (oldspackrat) or Eric Jensen (jensenracing77) - they're both in Indiana. One of them will probably have what you need. There are likely others on this site who have those parts, so you could always post in the 'Parts Wanted' section of the site.

As far as reproduction parts vendors? I found that Year One is relatively high priced. Here's a link to a thread where we discussed this question before. Note that in some cases you really need to shop around and do some comparison shopping to get the best bang for your buck. Where is the best place to buy "correct" replacement Oldsmobile parts?

buyer1al

Thank you guys!!!