edmck82

I've literally been stairing at the 442 shown on the 442.com website for more than 13 years. At one point I actually had a picture of it on my parents fridge. To be honest, I should have bought one when I was in High School, before the Barrett Jackson craze and $25K unrestored rust buckets started showing up I probably could have made out pretty well.

Anyway I started leaning towards to the Cutlass Rooflines after I saw this pic:



I thought: Would it be possible to have a Cutlass platform with all of the 1972 442 goodies? ie: 455

I than saw this picture:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chorwed...n/photostream/

In no way shape or form am going for a convertible but that pic instantly made my hair stand up. With a 72 Cutlass (the first pic) I posted with the right trim, etc. would I be able to achieve the look of the second car?

What's the best way to tackle this? I've seen restomods sell for $9K(the first one shown did). Economical while still achieving the look I want?

Thanks!!

-Ed

1969w3155

Could you get a '72 Cutlass Supreme as you have shown with the W29 option, no. Could you get a 455 4bbl with either an auto or 4spd, FE2 suspension...yes. From the factory 442 rear bumper no, dealer installed, yes. You could get it equipped pretty much as a 442, except badged/optioned as such (wrong body style).

GAOldsman

Um yes, I have one and it's documented. The cutout bumper was part of the option N10 which gave you dual exhaust. W30 or L75 automatically gave you dual exhaust (N10) but it could be had with a 350 if ordered. And the W25 ram air and hood could be had as well in '72 with a Cutlass Supreme hardtop coupe.

Back to the original post, the car in the link is gorgeous!!

edmck82

Not sure what the W29 option is. The first pic shows a Restomod Cutlass. The rear bumber and tail lights are off of a 442. I'm not looking for a dealer built car.

Although I sometimes don't agree with Clone Cars, I think for the sake of spending waaaaaaaaay to much money because it became a fad to drastically hike up the price of Classic Cars, I'll take a Cutlass Supreme/ 442 Clone.

So 72 Cutlass Supreme? Anything I should specifically look for? And the 72 had a 455? or was it the 350 Rocket?

Thanks!

1969w3155

I was thinking of your car when I posted, did not realize that your rear bumper was factory and not dealer installed. W29 is the 442 option in 1972. It was available on the 'S' body (fastback) but not the Supreme notchback body unless it was a convertible.

GAOldsman

Basically since the 442 was no longer a separate platform, this was the option you checked to have the 442 appearance and handling package. With it you got the FE2 (rallye suspension), 442 radiator grille, decklid and body side striping, black hood louvers, black grille, decklid, grille and fender 442 numerals and special hood paint stripe.

The '72 could be had with a 455 or 350 which was standard.

Allan R

Gee, who in their right mind wouldn't want this car??? Even though Black wasn't an option for paint color in 72, that car is SHARP!! Did you notice the 442 numbers are done over in black to match the car instead of being the red/orange color? The wheel/tire combo also give it a really nice stance.

edmck82

Agreed And that guy has plenty of pictures of this same car.

All - Whats the best way to achieve this (picture listed above) with a Cutlass roofline? Again, the picture above completely changed my perception of what I wanted out of a 72 Oldsmobile. Love the Cutlass Roofline but really like the 442 Hood, striping and bumper cutouts.

I just don't have $50,000 laying around for a car that (from what I've seen) doesn't even come close to the one listed above.

BTW- If you'd like to see more pics (they're mixed in) heres the link:

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/cho...gs/oldsmobile/



Thanks!!!

Allan R

Well first of all. Cutlass roofline? All these cars are part of the Cutlass lineup, even the 442. Only from 68-71 did the 442 have it's own designation. To achieve a look like the convertible you linked you would need to add an OAI hood (lots of repros to choose from if you aren't fussy about original - and since you're looking at clone - go for it) and you can have a vinyl repair shop make and install a "faux" convertible" top. GM, Chrysler made them on several of their high end models.
Google GM Fake convertible tops and you get shops that make stuff like this (in your color choice of course):

edmck82

I think I should have been a bit more specific I'd prefer a hard top. When I said "Roofline" I meant everything from the rear fenders back. There is a noticeable difference between a standard 442 and a Cutlass rear end.

(Looks I'd like to achieve) :

http://www.amcarguide.com/wp-content...ss-supreme.jpg

vs.

http://www.highoctaneauto.com/images...d_psfrntgb.jpg

See the difference?

Allan R

Well, as an FYI, BOTH of those are classified as HARDTOPS. The difference is one is called the 'notchback' design (Cutlass Supreme) and the other is the 'fastback' design (all other 2 door Cutlass models). With all due respects, your descriptionmakes no sense at all. 442s were offered on the CS and Cutlass platforms. What you're trying to describe is the roof line and quarter panel/trunk differences between Cutlass Supreme, and Cutlass, Cutlass S models. (fenders BTW are the front panels that the hood bolts to) If that's the case, it sounds like you're looking for a CS and you want to make it look like a vert with an OAI hood? I stand by my original comment. That's how you'd do it short of just buying a vert.

edmck82

Just trying to learn So a Cutlass Supreme?

Allan R

Yes, Cutlass Supreme. It was the 'top of the line' Cutlass model. My apologies if I came across rudely. Your comment "see the difference?" kind of got me going. I've been around Olds since 1967 so I guess I didn't need to see the difference to know it. But on the + side, you now know what body style you're trying to clone on your project. Belated Welcome aboard to C.O. There are lots of guys here who may have other suggestions for you on the cloning project.

Good luck with your search and build. I'd encourage you to review or research Oldsmobile history to help understand this brand better. As far as describing car parts, I'll be more helpful with understanding what you're looking for and 'read between the lines' of your posts. Knowing what some parts are does help a lot when discussing or asking questions though.

midrange

Depending on your location, this one here would make an excellent starting point.
http://saginaw.craigslist.org/cto/2977123800.html

It's not mine, but for $2700, I've thought about it.

Allan R

That's a nice car for the money. Has the front / rear bumper-ettes, PS AC too. Wish it had buckets though. 71/72 are almost identical cars, major differences - grilles, tail lights, and lower wide trim.

GAOldsman

So edmck82 your basically looking for a 1970-72 Cutlass Supreme Hardtop Coupe aka 34257 body style. The '70 has a hood with a "tooth"



and the '71-'72 changed the design where the tooth is part of the front fascia. So it is probably better to stay with a '71 or 2 for that reason. Yes I am biased



As a matter of fact the Cutlass Supreme Hardtop Coupes can be found just about everywhere at every end of the price spectrum so depending on your budget there is one for you out there and it's probably pretty close to your location.

By the way welcome aboard the C/O and I hope you find what your after. As far as '72 Cutlass Supreme HT Coupes go; mine is the only one that I've seen besides a '72 Hurst Olds with a W25 (Ram Air) hood from the factory. So in my humble opinion they just don't look right without one

edmck82

A big thank you to everyone!!! Looks like I'm on the right track. The vehicle listed on CL looks like a great start and that's where I'd like my price to start out at. I find it funny that the hood alone (W25) is the same price as that car

GAOldsman

Try pricing an original one

Olds_71_442

I got a authentic W25 hood for $1000. But I lucked out on it. There was some damage to it, but nothing I couldn't fix. And now it's primed and sitting on the car as we speak.

GAOldsman

Yes you did luck out on it Great score

Olds_71_442

The guy told me about it on a Sunday morning and I had to wait until the next Saturday to pick it up because the original owner was out of town. I didn't sleep for a week, hoping it would still be there by Saturday!

I've been giddy about it ever since. I've been waiting 13 years to find one.....even an aftermarket one would have been awesome, but this was just amazing to me!

vette442

You could special order Code 19 Ebony Black in 1972. I bought this '72 Supreme in early 2000 in N. Ohio for ~$2800: U code 455/4v, factory dual gate, rallye pack, FE2 suspension, A/C and original window sticker. Had a sport wheel, SSIs and wide oval RWL tires when new too. Sold it in 2001. Wish I had kept that one in retrospect. It needed some work but wasn't all that rough.







Terry

Allan R

Yes, I believe that. Maybe I should have stated that Black wasn't one of the colors shown or listed on the palate for 1972 Olds A Body cars. There were several special order (at extra cost colors) in 1972

GAOldsman

You could have them (the factory) paint it any color under the sun, if you had a dealer that knew the right avenues to take. Take my '72 for instance, '72 Caddy Ice Blue Firemist lower and St. Moritz Blue Firemist top. There is a '70 W30 that is painted mopar Plum Crazy Purple for another example.

Joffroi

stumbled upon this thread and couldn't help but notice my car in the first picture :-)

Although you seem to already have your questions answers, if you have any questions about my ride, let me know. Here is another picture. It is a 442 clone.

GAOldsman

Joffroi that is one bad@** Cutlass you have there Did it originally have a vinyl top?

Allan R

Joffroi, I just really noticed that your car is a very dark metallic dark blue. How awesomely deceptive.

Olds_71_442

I've noticed it was a dark blue a few times. Only to see it a couple more and think it was black.

One of the best looking Supremes I've ever seen, by the way.

mike's88

edmck82

Did you buy it off the guy from Texas? I was floored when I saw pics of it. Like I said, it completely changed my perception of Cutlass' and 442's. Do you have any other pics? If I remember correctly from some of the Google pics you have bumper cutouts?

Everyone else - Does anyone have pics of the Cutlass with the N10 bumper cutouts?

1969w3155

Cutlass or Cutlass Supreme?

Allan R

Like these?
The N10 came standard on the W30 cars. If you wanted a cutout bumper, you could order it from the dealer and install it yourself or have it done by them. FYI for the trumpet exhaust tips to fit properly Olds had a special hanger different from typical dual exhaust hangers. The only other cars that I'm aware came with N10 exhausts from the factory were the Rallye 350 and the W31

1969w3155

N10 was the option code for dual exhaust, and was needed for the 442 cutout exhaust and tips. W31's did not come with the 442 bumper and tips, but came with option N10 Dual Exhaust System.

edmck82

Cutlass Supreme

Were there any styling differences between the Cutlas Supreme and SX?

vette442

No styling differences except the SX badge - all SXes were Cutlass Supreme hardtops or convertibles.

1969w3155 made a correct point - N10 is not the option code for the cutout rear bumper, it was just the dual exhaust option. A base 350 Cutlass with the standard rear bumper and turned down tailpipes still has the N10 dual exhaust option. The cutout rear bumper was optional above and beyond that depending on model (442s, SXes, and 1972 455 cars had the cutouts by default).

vette442

71sxbluerearrtkpl.jpg

GAOldsman

Allan R

The SX package was only offered on the Cutlass Supreme. So in terms of basic styling? No.

edmck82

Thanks for the pics!

larrybasu87

Hello everybody, I saw this thread and wanted to add a question:

I recently bought a '72 "442" convertible (see photos) and after reading many of the threads on this site as well as talking to a couple local Olds guys am uncertain what exactly I've got. I'm the third owner - the guy I got it from is a local collector/dealer who bought it out of Corona, California. According to him the hood and rear fender were added at the dealer on delivery in '72. The engine is a 350 which was rebuilt w/ a performance cam, a Crane Race Gold set up, Edelbrock manifold, etc. The rear is a 10 bold Moser posi. The VIN is 3J67K2M192535 which seems to be correct to me.

It looks as though the front fenders have been replaced (the fender-hood alignment is off a bit and the "442" numerals look to be spaced too far apart). The car came in Saturn Gold and has been repainted (notice the stripes aren't quite right either).

Regardless, the car drives and looks great so I'm not complaining, just curious. I appreciate any insight and opinions you may have.

LarryB