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Protecto plate. Data tag. Driver side head casting #. Here's the hood, with the tach on it. The car was at one point painted white, with black hood stripes, but it's originally GREEN. Both interior color code and exterior color code confirm this as the legit factory color. Color aside, the hood tach is what confuses me. Here's the tach again. I've sourced this to 1970-1971, as far as I can tell. I don't know if this is a dealer install, or something that would have been done as a factory option, but I believe it was a option that could be ordered. Here's the frame, body off.. The rear end is a 10 bolt, I'm not sure what the ratio is, but the trans feels like it was a 3 spd.
It actually runs and drove to the welder, for the floor pans. Rocket emblem in the gap between grille faces.
Ok, new to the site.. So, thank you all!
i recently acquired, via a flat out trade for a old boat I had..
A 1971 Cutlass.. What appears to be.. An F-85, minus the ROCKET badges, with matching front quarters, via paint comparison.. It could be a "Holiday" coupe, but here's where it gets weird..
This is car has a Tach hood.. Yet there is no "Buick", "Pontiac", or other manufacturer detail in the gauge face of the tach. It sits outside the cabin, in front of the driver, and is shaped like a Buick hood tach, but has an Oldsmobile Emblem on the hood mating surface.. This cutlass also, has heads casting #409147.. And a 10 bolt rear diff cover. I am having floor pans put in it, so I have access to the underside of the car and the full frame out of it.
Looks like 72 headlight surrounds (that was the only year they were painted black) and grilles. Very common for cars with minor front end damage to have whatever could be sourced put on as replacement parts as 71 and 72 grilles were interchangeable.
No Cutlass that I am aware of came with a hood tach, so that is either aftermarket or transplanted from a different vehicle.
Last edited by Fun71; September 2nd, 2017 at 07:45 PM.
The day I got it. I was told it say in a barn for 15years, with the windows down, which was why the floor pan was rotted out.
That explains a lot.. Very little on this thing has been molested. All the factory wiring is there, I chased wires to the tail lights to confirm, as the owner (about 70 yrs old) told me they didn't work.. We cleaned the contacts.. And wallah! They did. After being told the tail lights were inoperable.. We scuffed the contact points with Brillo.. And boom. Lights! All the lights WORKED! Highbeams!! Popped off the air cleaner lid..
Found this little Velcro pouch.. Inside the air cleaner.
Guess what was in it?? THE ORIGINAL OWNERS KEYS TO THE CAR AND HIS HOUSE!! (At least I think the house keys are... House keys..??)
But the car keys ARE for this Cutlass!!
Originally Posted by Fun71
Looks like 72 headlight surrounds (that was the only year they were painted black) and grilles. Very common for cars with minor front end damage to have whatever could be sourced put on as replacement parts as 71 and 72 grilles were interchangeable.
No Cutlass that I am aware of came with a hood tach, so that is either aftermarket or transplanted from a different vehicle.
Everything I have seen underneath the doesn't suggest any wreck. Even my welder (a classic car guy too with 25 yrs experience) said it was one of the straightest frames and looked completely unmolested underneath aside from some tie rods and sway bar bushings.
*Shrug*
I don't know. I haven't found a build sheet, but if someone ran the VIN down for me that would help explain some. I DO know that the car came from the Arlington, Tx. plant. And WAS sold in Georgia, as I have a carbon of the Cert. for registration in Georgia.
This thing is an A/c car, still the Fridgidaire R-12 Compressor, and has the CLOCK on the far right of the triple gauge cluster.. That's the Rallye Pack cluster right?
Last edited by OldDuke6; September 2nd, 2017 at 08:09 PM.
Well not all front end wrecks bend the frame, but maybe it wasn't wrecked. The headlight surrounds for 71 and 72 are the same, just that the 72s are painted black. Someone could have easily painted the surrounds because they liked that look. As for the grille, I don't remember if the 71 F-85 looks like that or not. Could be all original with painted surrounds.
Well not all front end wrecks bend the frame, but maybe it wasn't wrecked. The headlight surrounds for 71 and 72 are the same, just that the 72s are painted black. Someone could have easily painted the surrounds because they liked that look. As for the grille, I don't remember if the 71 F-85 looks like that or not. Could be all original with painted surrounds.
But that tach is from something else.
Oh no, I'm not arguing that it's anything other than a '71. Everything including the paperwork I have says so. I wholehearted believe it is.
This is thing is just confusing to me, because it has Heads with casting #409-147a
Looks like 72 headlight surrounds (that was the only year they were painted black) and grilles.
The grills are correct for '71 Cutlass S. Usually if the front end damage was bad enough that the headlight surrounds were replaced, the grills seem to be replaced with incorrect '72 versions. Core support looks like a '71 as well, but that driver's door damage...
Last edited by VI Cutty; September 2nd, 2017 at 09:32 PM.
No mo floor. Say buh bye floor pans! Front Quarter Panel Lower Full floor pan with Braces.. & $$$$
Originally Posted by VI Cutty
The grills are correct for '71 Cutlass S. Usually if the front end damage was bad enough that the headlight surrounds were replaced, the grills seem to be replaced with incorrect '72 versions. Core support looks like a '71 as well, but that driver's door damage...
The Drivers door is caused by the rot in the front quarter panel. The bottom of the panel is completely gone, and thus has relaxed the panel enough to flex backwards into the door gap. The bushings are shot as well on the door, but I'll get to that when the time comes. For now the main focus of restoration is the metal work. Patching everything, as I am trying to keep as much original sheetmetal as possible to keep down on costs, but the floor.... Oh man, the floor.. *Sniffle* Aye, she was a lost cause, and had to gutted, like a fish.
it's a '71 V8 Cutlass Holiday Coupe "3287" (hardtop) assembled in Arlington, TX
originally painted "lime green metallic" (paint code 43) with a green bench seat interior
the hood tach was made by DIXCO - sold aftermarket (or in the parts department at Ford & Mopar dealerships - they were also used on the Yenko Deuce Nova) - the original face can help determine its origin, is it 8K or 10K?
it's a '71 V8 Cutlass Holiday Coupe "3287" (hardtop) assembled in Arlington, TX
originally painted "lime green metallic" (paint code 43) with a green bench seat interior
the hood tach was made by DIXCO - sold aftermarket (or in the parts department at Ford & Mopar dealerships - they were also used on the Yenko Deuce Nova) - the original face can help determine its origin, is it 8K or 10K?
Its the tri-color 8K. I'll get more pictures next weekend when I head over to check on the status of it, but if I remember right, looking up through the hood, there is a Oldsmobile Emblem on the bottom of it.
I have no idea what has been done to the car, but it's like... For a lack of better words, Automotive Archeology.. Digging into this thing is starting to illustrate that someone might have been hot rodding it.. It does sound like it has a Cam in it.
Doesn't make sense.. Unless someone back in the 70's tore this thing apart and was street racing it..
Originally Posted by hurst68olds
correct NO W31 for '71
the number 7 heads are normal '71-'72 heads for the 350 (all Oldsmobile 350s are "ROCKET 350")
I don't know the significance of 7A ???? maybe hardened valve seats ???? - someone will know
Exactly where the one on mine is.. About halfway between the gauge face and the larger hole.. Some other worn embossed numbers too. Never seen it before on a Oldsmobile so I figured it's be worth the inquiry.
September 2nd, 2017, 05:36 PM
Aye, she was a lost cause, and had to gutted, like a fish.
