Hi my name is Jake. I'm 33 and have been involved in restoring cars since I was 18. My dad and I are currently building my mom a '71 cutlass supreme conv. This car was very complete when we picked it up but is missing a few key parts. Hope to meet some people who can help...thanks jake

 

Welcome aboard Jake

Where ya from?

Let us know what you're looking fer and post some pics pronto.

 

Welcome to CO, we hope you can get some help here. Good luck.

 

Welcome.

 

I live in a rural town in Utah about 2 hrs. South of Salt Lake City. We have a lot of friends in the car building hobby that have made this a great thing to be a part of but this is our first olds. The main parts we currently need are an ash tray door(black) and the car has factory cruise control but the button unit on the signal lever is broken and hanging by the wires. Any help with people to contact or even a company who may reproduce these parts would be great. We've been going through year one and opgi for most of our small parts needs but haven't had any luck in this department.

 

Welcome Jake! I'm a "newbie" here, and the people have been very helpful and kind, and know their stuff! Don't be afraid to ask them questions! Good luck! Gotta love Cutlass!!

 

Try this company http://www.fusick.com/ They have a lot of Olds parts

Good luck on your build and post some pictures of you car

 

Welcome, When you finish your mom's you want to finish mine.
Hope you enjoy your car/project.
Larry

 

Jake, welcome to to the site!
After a few more posts here and you will be able to post your needs in the parts wanted section, where they would get a lot of attention. Include pictures, too! We like pictures...
The ash tray door should be easy, but the turn signal lever with cruise button will be harder to find in good shape. These are not repro'ed either. Is it broke or did the screw come out that holds it in the column? I think this part is the same for other Olds in the 70-72 year range. I am sure someone has one; I got one from someone here last year. Cruise was not too common back then...

 

ya the cruise control button housing is broken off about a 1/4 in on the end right where it attaches to the signal lever. i will double check if i might be able to mold some sort of end to make it work. thank you for your input and i plan to get involved heavily with this site. i enjoy meeting new people and learning about different cars. i will gets some pics posted asap. i have a '55 chevrolet 2dr sedan that my dad and i built when i was in high school.

 

welcome to classic olds!!!

 

Post a picture of the broken end and I will see if I can think of a way you can get it back together. With as rare and costly as these can be, an attempt at repairing your old one would be a good idea. You can still be on the lookout for a replacement.
You came to the right place if you really want to get involved!
I bet your '55 was a great father and sone project!

 

here are some pics of the '71 cutlass supreme convertible my dad and i are working on. these are of the day he picked it up and a few pre-dis assembly pics. i will post some up to date pics after i upload them from the camera.

 

here are a few more pics

 

Welcome
I'll be following along in your rebuild as I am currently rebuilding a 71 cutlass supreme vert. Maybe we can trade valuable info back and forth as we go along. Here is where I am on mine.

 

Not a bad looking project, might want to put a small patch on the top before you go out. Like your garage signs. Keep the pictures comming and good luck on the build

 

That poor car... It has surely seen its better days, but given that yellow beast in the background, I assure it is in good knowledgable hands!

Looks like you need a top, whatcha think?
It appears the hood is not original, as from what I remember, the vented hood was used if you did not have factory A/C...
The 8-track player is way cool...

Keep us posted on progress. Perhaps start a resto thread in the 'major builds' section.

This site and the service manuals will be your best sources of resto info!

Colby - that bare interior shot looks WAY too familiar! hehe... That was a project I won't forget...

 

Welcome to cruise control central.

I disagree with Rob, the car doesn't need a top...it's a convertible.

It sure has a lot of options, what is the strange matching shaped device next to the hood latch release deal under the dash?
I want one.

I think with factory cruise you got that vented hood to help cool the cruise unit, yeahhh...that's the ticket.
Mine is wrong too. It was cheap, close, and rust free. The guy didn't charge me for the rust.

I installed an 8-track last winter, sounds bad compared to new stuff but the cool factor more than makes up for it.

 

This is an example of another good introduction thread that has evolved into a really great discussion with some good information in it. Moved to the Cutlass forum with a 2 day re-direct.

 

Welcome and good luck on the resto. Here are a couple more sites to check out for parts.
http://www.supercarsunlimited.com/
http://www.thepartsplaceinc.com/ocatalog/part.asp

 

the thing next to the hood latch lock lever is a button called night watch...we have no idea what it does though...anyone have any idea what is does and was it a factory option or dealer? thanks again jake

 

I think that's a rare option that dims the headlights automactically, not sure how many were made with that option but I'm sure not many. Joe could probably shed more light on this subject (no pun intended). I'm amazed my 70 Cutlass SX conv didn't have that option on it, it was pretty much loaded up to the tune of $5400.00 in 1970, no one said it was cheap being a cut above the competition. I'm digging around for that ashtray door. I'll let you know if I find it, I have 2 dashes but the ashtray doors are not still on them. This is when it's pain having so many parts spread out all over the place. But I'll let you know if I find it around here. Oldsdroptop

 

Night watch was a headlight off delay. The circuit was activated by pushing a button after stopping the engine. The headlights would turn off after one minute. It was connected through the oil pressure switch so the delay only worked when the engine was off...
In 72, it seemed to have been factory installed on the 88, 98, and Toro only...
The old "autronic eye" (sp?) was the funky headlight dimmer system used in earlier models.

 

Lady n rob , and oldsdroptop thank you for your input on my question about the night watch. It's great to learn new things about these cars. Now I'm excited to try it out. We have the body ready for paint but are waiting for my mom to decide what color she wants to paint it lol. It's a factory copper color (not sure of the name) with white top and white interior. We ae keeping the top and interior white but she has kicked around a light pale yellow for the body and now is rethinking of keeping the factory color. I myself like silver, or the lime green factory color. Any thoughts of color ideas you guys may have would be welcome. thanks again for the great input and a great website.... jake

 

Nightwatch, what a cool name, thanks for the explanation too youse guys. I've heard of it but didn't know it was located there. Now I need one I think, I'm slowly but surely turning the Vista Cruiser into an option pig. I was looking at the '71 showroom brochure and the full size cars had the exclusive new "G-Ride" system, cool name too, everything these days seems to be a "G" something.

I really like that copper color myself, especially with the white top and interior. The contrast between the light and dark really makes everything pop. But It's your car and your decision, I mean your Mom's.
Just remember that Mom's decisions are always right no matter what, it doesn't really matter you think if you know what's good for you, works that way with wives too.

 

Welcome, to CO. There's plenty of knowledge on this site and the people are great.