Hi.. new to this forum.

My Dad recently passed away and left me a few cars. Getting ready to restore one, kind of as a tribute, and I'm thinking the Olds will be my best option.

From what I can tell it is a 74 Cutlass hard-top coupe with a 350 cid V-8.

What HP does this hold?

Does anyone have any pics of one of these? I'm having a hell of a time finding any kind of information regarding a 74. I heard this was an ugly year for these but can't tell, all the pictures I have found vary in appearance.

BTW, my other resto options are:

55 Chevy Truck
72 Duster

Any thoughts?

Thanks for any help!

Dave

 

Sorry for your loss, but congrats on the new cars.

I'll bet if you dyno'd it, between 130 and 160 HP

 

Ouch, my 4 banger has more HP than that.

For some reason whenever we would talk about it he referred to it as the '442' and said it would be in the 500HP range. I know he did some internals, but to bring it up to 500HP would take a lot. Unless of course it isn't the original engine.

Where do I look on the engine to find some #?

Thanks again,

Dave

 

The engine might only put out 130 to 160 hp but it will have around 270 ft/lbs of torque, which is the true measurement of power. Your 4 banger doesn't compare to that; it only gets that "fake" horsepower rating from screaming so fast.

Here's some pics of a '74 cutlass:




More can be found here:

Cardomain

It is unfortunately kind of not great looking.. It's your call, but if were up to me I'd probably find a different year Cutlass or restore that '55 chevy pickup instead.

 

To be very honest, I think the '72 Duster would probably be worth more money after a good restoration. The reason I say this is that MOPARs have been going for crazy money on the auction block lately, the Duster is the little brother of the line and will probably ride the wave, be more marketable especially if it has the smaller engine, particularly the slant six, and as you mentioned many Olds enthusiasts aren't as crazy about the '74 Cutlass although I sort of like it. But since you mentioned a tribute to your Dad, you are probably not going to sell the car but keep it, maybe you could make enough off the Duster now to finance a good restoration of the Cutlass. And the '55 truck? Go over to the Hokey Assed Message Board (HAMB) and sell it. They love that stuff over there.

 

That's actually not a bad idea what Oldsguy said. You can probably get top dollar for the Duster while Mopars are still hot (nothing lasts forever). Roll it into the Cutlass. It's a thought. I like the '74's. You don't see many on the road around here anymore. Mostly 68-72. Tom.