Willidog

So there we were, my neighbor and me... he looks at me and asks me if my Cutlass might be a W-31. I couldn't answer him. We got to looking at the car and what it came with when I first got it. It had manual drum brakes all the way around, console shifter, heavy duty front sway bar, 350 engine with a 400 transmission. Is there any way to tell whether a car was a W-31 without the original paperwork? Somewhere that you can get a report on the VIN. Ford has what is known as the Marty report that gives all the options that a car came with from the factory, anything like that for Olds?

Lady72nRob71

Welcome, Willidog!

What year is your car?
If I am remembering right (for early on a Monday), the W-31 was a 350 with a ram air hood (W25).

So if you have a factory 350 AND ram air hood and air cleaner setup, you would have a W-31.
I do not remember what else to look for...

68/70 Cutlass

Did you ever find a build sheet?

Run to Rund

68-9 had under-the-bumper air intake scoops; 70 had the hood scoops.

joe_padavano

There is no way to trace the VIN on an Olds that old and even if you could, there is no info in the VIN that would tell if it was a W-31 or not. If we're talking about the 69, the W-31 should have under bumper scoops, sway bars front AND back (with boxed lower rear control arms), and a specially modified TH350. The TH400 was NEVER installed behind the 350 in the Cutlass, so that's not original.

Willidog

I knew the transmission was not factory original because it was a Buick transmission. The whole front clip had been removed by the time I got it so I couldn't tell anything about the air cleaner setup. Oh well, thanks for the answers. There was no build sheet anywhere in the car, I've had the whole thing apart.

olds68

Two other things that are hard but not impossible to duplicate on a true 68-69 W-31: It would have a huge dampener (twice as thick as stock) and the trunk lid would sound tinny when closed as there was no sound deadener. Any "W" for 68-70 had to be made in Michigan also meaning it would have the letter M in the VIN.

Jamesbo

Thanks for the information on a mystical subject. I have been told by a friend who has a 69 W-30 that the Front fender braces are also different, I beleive they're off a 68
True or false?

Willidog

That is another thing I was wondering, where they were made. Michigan makes it impossible for mine to be a "W" machine. Mine was built in California.

olds68

Well, I hope the discovery that you don't have a "W" machine isn't too upsetting. As far as Jamesbo's question about fender braces, I never heard that. I don't know why they would have to be different anyway. I have a '69 clone W-31 and the under bumper scoops fit fine with the standard braces.

hamm36

What are the markings/numbers between the driver side door hinges? On the flat part if you do not have power windows. Look close because they are there some where.
Let me know what is there.

Toro68

All W-Machines were built in MI. W-30s,W-31, W-32,W-34,W-33,ect