Tj Pal

Was 455 available in 1972 cutlass supreme? Thanks for the help.

2blu442

Yes. If it was factory there would be a letter U in the vin tag. There's another member here named 72455 who has one of these cars. You might check with him if you think yours might be one too. He can share what to look for on your car. John

RetroRanger

John pretty much summed it up a U or X in the V signifies a 455 car in 72...not much else to look for.

to add a 72 442 could have come w a 350 in it as well where as 70 and 71 442s only came w a 455

72455

Thanks for the plug John 👍

Yep..I'm the guy he's talking about. Thanks to the contributions from various members here and doing a lot in my own, I've learned a lot about my 72 Supreme, so if you need any help or info, I'll see what I can do.😀

Here's a couple pics of mine...

Tj Pal

Thanks for all your help guys. A friend of mine has 72 supreme with a 455 in it and we were trying to find out if indeed that eng was available in a cutlass for 72. I’m relatively new here. I recently purchased a 64 F85 with a 455 in it. I’m sure I will need some help in the future! Thanks again for all your help.

Fun71

Be aware that back in the 70s and 80s it was common to swap a 455 in place of a 350. No one cared about originality back then, and for gearheads looking for more power a 455 swap was a no brainer.

joe_padavano

The power teams page in the SPECS booklet for each year will tell you exactly what was factory available that year. This is the page for 1972.

11971four4two

For factory 455 in 1972 Cutlass Supreme Codes are ...... Letter in VIN
U = 455 with TH400 auto transmission
V = 455 with M20 4 speed manual transmission VERY FEW OF THESE WERE MADE

X = 455 "442 W-30" NOT a Cutlass Supreme

joe_padavano

Actually, the "X" code in the VIN does not mean "W-30", it means the L77 engine. Keep in mind that there were a very, very tiny number of 72 H/O hardtops that were built with the L77 and are not 442s.

11971four4two

Interesting JOE
All the HO 72 hardtops I have seen are U code in the VIN
Were the X code ones TH400 auto trans or were there 4 speed ones as well???

joe_padavano

All 1972 H/Os were automatics.

Zacc

My Supreme is a u Code with the 455. and TH400 trans. Runs like a clock!
Zacc

Allan R

Your block casting will be 396021 F and the heads should be GA for a 1972 455.

Rickglick

I love the hood scoop and that you painted the grille center black. Custom without being gaudy. Very sharp!
Here's mine:

72455

Thank you for the compliment, but I can't take all the credit. What you see is how it was when I bought it. I only added the wheels (came with the car) and tires. Besides, my hot rod pales in comparison to your beauty! Your photo captures it perfectly!
I hope you take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy it, cuz I know I would 😀

Rickglick

Thanks! I do enjoy it-230k miles! I did a lot of mods. you can see in my gallery.
That photo technique is called 'light painting'. It's taken in complete darkness. you open the apeture on the camera for about 8 seconds while waving an LED light over a certain area. you repeat the process about 50 times and then layer the shots. takes a long time, but the result is sort of '3D'.