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Funny how I am now beginning to restore my gem. I started to restore my first 442 back in 1985. Funny how back then Year One was basically your only option for parts. And the Year One catalogue from Bach then is very similar to today’s Fusick catalogue (in size only). Joe Mondello had his motor parts but Year One was king back then. Thank God for competition.
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Back in 1985 restoring was much different for us. For starters, used Olds parts were plentiful in your local junk yards. Also I can remember walking into my local GM parts store (aka NAPA) and picking up door weather-stripping for my '69 El Camino. It was literally right there on the shelf.
I think the biggest difference is that we did not call it "restoring". It was just saving up money to by parts to keep are labors of love street legal.
... back in 1985 ... Year One was basically your only option for parts ...
Yes, the aftermarket is huge today with a lot more choices.
I learned about Fusick in mid-1975 when I got my 1970 442; their parts were done well. Year One came along at least five years later and I was disappointed that, although they advertised parts for Olds and they fit our cars, many were correct for only Chevrolet.
Back in 1985 restoring was much different for us. For starters, used Olds parts were plentiful in your local junk yards.
Yep, and I also bought stuff from the Olds dealership - when I could afford it.
Originally Posted by chip-powell
I think the biggest difference is that we did not call it "restoring". It was just saving up money to by parts to keep are labors of love street legal.
Not just street legal, for me it was keeping my only means of transportation running.
I started to drive in the mid 70's and didn't know what new parts were until I was in my 20's. My cars lived through wrecking yards and primer gray was a paint color.
I think the biggest game changer has been the internet. Information and technical advice is much easier to access provided you can filter out the chaff and bs. The biggest aspect is the ability to source parts from so many previously unaccessible sources.
I restored my '57 VW in 1991 and I'm sure I drove the few highly knowledgeable mechanics in the area nuts with my visits and questions. All great guys and very helpful though. Fortunately my car was fairly complete and most of the parts were useable/restorable but even then I was very much aware of how hard some parts could be to find.
With the internet I watched the progress of the discovery, identification and restoration of one of the 1938 Beetle prototypes. Hard to believe, but NOS parts correct for the car were found and used thanks to the power of the 'net.
Finding the local VW community was easy even in my relatively small town on an island. It was a decent size and full of knowledge. There is no equivalent locally for Olds enthusiasts, so again...thanks to the 'net...we have sources like CO, thankfully!
Oh yes , I remember the days of restoring cars before the internet ..
Your biggest sources of parts were swap meets , junkyards , Hemmings , and marque publications .
You had to send out numerous SASE's to potential sources . And don't forget about all the expensive long - distance phone calls .
I agree, today the internet is a real advantage. Back in the day, all I had when I first started playing with cars was the combined brain trust of friends my own age, a Motors Manual, a Craftsman 100 piece tool set, and pure will and determination. We believed man made it, therefore man can fix and/or make it better. Sure we screwed up and broke stuff in the process, but somehow the car was always back on the road eventually, most often times just before work on Mondays.
I still have a copy of an early Year One catalog. Looks like it came off a mimeograph!
The junkyard crawl was my fav pastime in 70-80s It really got interesting when I lived in the northern valley of Cali. We saw cars in junkyards that were gold. Some that could be put together and driven out of the yards with min work. Some were drivable and could be bought whole for a few 100. What the dry states considered junk was amazing to a rustbelt mechanic.
Growing up in the rust belt I was amazed how clean west coast metal was.
That's where I acquired my 68, way back in 85 (private sale not boneyard). It was a complete time capsule only being 17 years old. But it was a column shift bench seat car. What to do...I went down to one of my frequented yards and bought a complete bucket seat conversion "kit". Bucket seats, console, steering column, and speedo out of a 68 including the floor brackets. $25 for each seat, $45 for console/shifter don't remember the rest but it was about $120 total which was a lot for me then. The SS2 wheels were $100 for 5 with trim rings and good clean centers. Bought a 68 S/442 hood and a door $50 each rust free!...the good ole days for sure!
We saw cars in junkyards that were gold. Some that could be put together and driven out of the yards with min work. Some were drivable and could be bought whole for a few 100.
Yep, that is exactly how I got the 1971 convertible. Bought it out of a Mom-n-Pop salvage yard in Brazoria, Texas for $700 and was able to drive it home - just barely. It was basically a POS used car, with emphasis on used.
And it is GOLD in both senses! Nearly rust free. A set of tires is 700 now.
Well, rust free has varying meanings depending upon your geographic location. Chris Witt used to say a rust hole was something you could throw a cat through, so by that definition this car was pristine. At the time it was a toss up between spending $700 for the convertible or $700 a new computer with the super fast 286 microprocessor and 287 math co-processor.
I loved the Paddock catalog. They used GM part numbers for their catalog part numbers. Since I worked in a GM dealership at the time, that saved me the effort of looking up a number, and got the part with my employee discount. And since the Paddock was about an hour and a half drive, I got the big heavy stuff (floor pans, floor pan braces, etc) right there at the store, saving on the oversized shipping.
at the same time, you had to be careful what you bought from them. Sometimes what would fit a Olds, wasn’t correct. It may have been used on Pontiac or chevy, but would function ok.
Bigmikey I will paw through it and look for some back in the day prices and post accordingly. I have a bunch of others too several Year Ones, Steel Rubber, Ecklers, Mid-America even a classified ad from 89-90 where I stupidly passed up on a nice number matching L69 stick car cus I didn't know WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT....$4500! kick kick kick.....hummm wonder if it's still parked in the same garage....just down the road. If so add another zero to it.
I stupidly passed up on a nice number matching L69 stick car cus I didn't know WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT....$4500! kick kick kick.....
Back in the early 90s I passed on a pristine 1971 442 for $5500 because I preferred the Supreme notch back body style over the S slope back body style. Oh well, who woulda thunk a run-of-the-mill 442 would be worth a mint so many years later.
Back in the early 90s I passed on a pristine 1971 442 for $5500 because I preferred the Supreme notch back body style over the S slope back body style. Oh well, who woulda thunk a run-of-the-mill 442 would be worth a mint so many years later.
In 1985 my Dad and I bought my first car. It was a rust free '69 El Camino SS 396. We paid $1200 for her, and then promptly tore her apart for a year long rebuild. It seamed expensive at the time (to me that was 2 years savings). But, that price just sounds insane when I think of it now.
JC Whitney was the go to catalog for me in the 70's, if your seats were torn you hunted junkyards and newspaper classifieds. Parts stores did not carry restoration parts. Its easy today if you have deep pockets....
I passed on a 71 W30 vert, Bittersweet black stripes with brown bench interior & black top with original paperwork mid 50K miles. Asking $9500!!! circa 92-93. It was in decent shape rot free clean chassis matching drivetrain but needed rugs seat covers and a repaint, it wasn't a stick...so I passed...stupid me! Properly painted in 93 = $8-10K at most. $20K total in 93 money, today = 100K+ If all there and documented. I was also right in the middle of a new family so 10K wasn't quite in the budget.
In 1984 I was looking for my first “real” car. My uncle, who was a ‘67 Corvette guy, brought me to his buddy’s house who was selling his ‘70 Chevelle LS-6. He wanted $6200 but my uncle assured me that I could have the car for $5500. It was all there and in pretty good shape. I was going to sleep on it. On the way home we stopped by his business partners house to check out his Corvettes. I’m not a Corvette guy but he had some pretty impressive cars on his property. There was a car in a corner of the building under a cover. I asked about it - and we took the cover off. It was a ‘70 W30. Auto, A/C, 8 Track. Blue with white buckets. He was storing it (hiding it) for a friend who was going through a divorce. He was smart enough to have the car titled under his sisters name lol. It needed some work but was mostly all there. My uncle said - “forget about it Kid - it’s an old mans car”. I knew what the car was and I rattled off some specs. I gave the guy my number and asked him if he give it to his friend and have him reach out to me. About 3 weeks later I got a call from the owners brother. He said I can have the car under 2 conditions - #1 the car is $5000 firm and you can never say where you bought the car from. Well, that was my 1st W30. No regrets over not buying the Chevelle - even if it was a numbers matching 4-speed LS6. Unfortunately I had to sell my beloved W30 due to my career choice. But I am extremely fortunate after chasing a “field find” W30 and it is my current project. I’m actually having fun hunting for parts. My uncle, who is in his late 80’s and still has and drives his ‘67 Vette comes over my place and gives me a hand from time to time. And he still calls me “Kid”.
At the time it was a toss up between spending $700 for the convertible or $700 a new computer with the super fast 286 microprocessor and 287 math co-processor.
