I'm going to look at a 1969 W 31, 4-speed tonight and need some pointers to verify its authenticity. The ad says it needs a complete restoration but the car is "complete". Seller is claiming 43K original miles.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Numbers matching 2 block 350 with 5 heads. 397742 casting heads says here. Sway bars front and back, yuuuuuuuuuge harmonic balancer. Intact OAI system going into the fenderwells in front of the wheels. No red inner fenders. No AC. I don't think the 69 had the aluminum w-350 intake I have heard of. Sport mirrors on some years. Apparently there is less sound dampening per the oldsfaq, but who knows. 6 blade fan with clutch. Standard distributor 1111975 supposedly and exhaust 2 1/4. Carb supposedly 7029255

 

No sport mirrors in 1969. Cast iron intake, same as on any other 1969 350. The "less sound deadening" is simply deletion of the under hood pad. Typically manual drum brakes though manual disc brakes were a rare mid-year option for 1969 cars. Yes, carb should be '255. Note that the 1968-69 carbs DO have primary metering rods and 0.074" primary jets. Type O axle with 3.42, 3.91, or 4.33 gears. The balancer should look like this:

 

LANSING built "9M" VIN & "LAN" body tag

 

Thanks guys That's a good start.

 

Well, turns out the seller is not available tonight to show me the car so we're going to try to hook up tomorrow. He told me it has the original carb., distributor and air cleaner. Brakes are 4-wheel manual drums. It is a power steering car which is nice with a stick. Motor has never been apart and he ran it up and down the street several years ago. He was busy so I was not able to ask about the rear end and trans. He has original owners info and some documentation on the car. He has the service records up to 39k miles. He is certain the mileage is correct. Says it sat in a cargo container prior to him buying it 12 years ago for 22 years. I'm not really a 69 guy but this one has peaked my interest and is close to home so I have to check it out. Right?

Any other info you guys can come up with, please share.

 

You're from the rust belt. Rust/rot, proper documentation, OEM W31 parts, and a clean title would be my major concerns.
Remember the only thing that really makes a W31 special is the drivetrain and OAI parts. Otherwise, it's just a Cutlass.
If all of the ancillary engine parts are there it's worth more. If not its a negotiation point cuz W anything date coded parts don't grow on trees.
Keep all this in mind if you need to sell it can you prove its provenance.

 

wow, lots of bad info provided here, including from Joe. disc brakes were NOT available. One car was made with manual discs and tested by a magazine back in the day. But no go from the factory as an RPO.
rear sway bars and the corresponding suspension were NOT standard. it was an option.
hood pads WERE put on these cars.
the "less sound deadening and insulation" is false, unless documentated with a window sticker. a broadcast card, if found, will tell you nothing w-machine related. Of the five 69s I have/had, including the W-31 in my sig, the trunklids all sounded the same when closed. That "tin-y" sound is how they all sound. fwiw, mine had all the jute on the carpet, but very little tar paper underlayment on the floor pans under the carpet.
There will be a return fuel line. The only other 69 small block cars to get that are a/c cars.

 

I'll defer to experience, but we've had the discussion here before about manual discs as a mid-year option in 1969. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a W-31 expert. We've definitely had folks with 69 W-30 cars with manual discs.

 

yep. discs on a 69 W-30 were possible. Since this thread relates to the 69 W-31, I referred to no discs for that model for 69.

 

One other thing to check, the washer bottle will be on the passenger inner fender on an OAI car. If the car was faked and they moved it, then the small screw holes will be left on the drivers side. I think the hardest thing to find if making a fake W31 is an original black drivers side inner fender that never had the washer bottle on it.
Glenn

 

Hey, Cinnicnnati did you ever go look at this car?
Yes or no please close the loop here. It makes the weak search engine somewhat work.
TX
Steve

 

Washer fluid reservoir is correct.

Yes I did. All born with W parts seem to be correct. Needs extensive sheet metal work. I haven't given up on it yet but the asking price and what I'm willing to pay are far apart. To be continued....

Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

Keep after him. We hope you can own it.
It's amazing what people think rusted junk is worth. It shouldn't pull crazy premium dollars. Non-rusted but well-worn junk is a somewhat different story. Your ~30K ahead with a baked out desert-dry car.
I blame evil bay, Barret Jackson and drunk bidders with more money than brains.

Obviously, you would restore this car just because you want to, not to make a profit. Think of the time and dollars needed even if you DIY.
If it needs extensive metal surgery it likely needs a frame and firewall too. cha-ching cha-ching cha-ching.....
Whats a finished restored or nice original 69 W31 worth? Whatever the next guy pays.
If hes asking 5-7K run to the bank. You can part it and never lose money. If hes asking 20K pass him the pipe while continuing to run.

 

I agree with droldsmorland have been offering big money for cars that need full restoration some of them within $ 500.00 of asking price with no sale.
So still looking for a W 31 1970 Holiday coupe prefered.The trek continues
Alain

 

I believe I purchased the w31 that was being discussed here. I couldn't pass on this car. The engine, transmission are matching to the car, 3:91 manual brakes, bench. It is missing the 255, has a 67 pontiac carb. It has a 70 w30 waterpump??? The rear quarters are bad, the wheel houses, surprisingly, are useable. The frame is perfect! Still has the born with windsheild....could be a correct 43k car. All wire clamps are still on radiator hoses, and they are rusty, 4 core, clutch fan. I'm including a pic of the transport co. Unloading.

 

any more pics?
called the ad a few times and never got in touch with the owner.
good luck with it!
tim

 

Nice, keep us posted on the progress

 

Will do, have other projects(dont we all) in the works.

 

Congrats on the purchase. Welcome to the W-31 club.

 

Congratulations, legendary car.

Your interior reminds me so much of my Supremes with some slight differences. My bench has a built in center armrest for one, but what really got my attention is how small your doors armrests are. Like half the length of mine... Looks like the factory took that weight savings thing seriously... No frills all go, love it !

Best of luck.

 

Welcome to the 1969 Cutlass S, Glade Green, Black Interior, 4 Speed, W31, club!!!!

I sent my email in a PM.

I sure hope I can help you get this beauty back on the road, I have restored/preserved mine and have learned so much about this exact car. (I would love to help/share)

Ryan W31.

 

Here are some pics that I took when I looked at the car. I'm tearing up a little.... Glad it went to a good home and look forward to seeing it brought back to its glory days.

 

Sweet. Along for the ride. What a cool car!

 

Great pics, I have the car sleeping right now and letting it slowly wake. Did you notice the 2 groove A/C P/S pulley? I think this car being a "plain jane" had manual steering and swapped out at one point, hence the ac dash vent.

 

I did not notice that. Is there any evidence on the firewall that an evaporator box was removed? My 442 was an AC car and you can still see the outline on the firewall. (need to fix that one of these days)
You really should contact Ryan once you get into it a little more. He'll be able CSI the hell out of this car.

 

No, never any ac on it, not on a w31! The dash replaced a damaged one.

 

Oh, OK, I misunderstood.

 

Thanks Ryan! I may take you up on that. BTW, do you happen to know what the date span of the 255 carburetors ran?

 

thank you for posting some pics Rick.
Good luck with the car mister-twister, and I, too, will offer some help if needed....
here's my original paint ( 90%+ ) Berejik W-31 ....I am sure some of you guys know if from the previous owner.

 

Wow, Mister-Twister, you have the A team on board to help with any questions. Doesn't get much better than that! Tim helped me with my restoration and has love and knowledge of these 69's. Gotta love the Olds brotherhood!

 

so that's the "top secret" car, not sure why some didn't share info. looks like the alt pulley has been changed too. I've been somewhat kinda looking for an S post, but I have enough going on right now. Not to mention things to fix on my 31.

 

That is a nice car and thanks for the offerings. I dont know who owned the car previously, but I know about the Berejik history and the dealership moving alot of those w cars back in the day.

 

I don't understand your comment. Was someone keeping it a secret and not sharing info?

 

it was either this one or another one, unless that other one is this one. it wasn't you since you were interested in it still, I get that.

from the pics shared, this one is rough, bodywise. kinda reminds me of mine, before I sunk ridiculous money into it.