Hey guys, so after about 4 years of dreaming I've finally got myself one, 72 cutlass supreme convertible,a real steal at $3500. But it runs great! Me and my Dad drove it all the way from Baltimore to tidewater VA after we bought it. It's a 72 cutlass supreme convertible with the 4bbl carb, 350, and th350 trans.

I believe most of it is original paint. I know it has the original interior except for the driver's seat that has been reupholstered. It was garaged for the past 20 years and never driven in winter, so the frame is real solid. The floor pans are also solid as well as the trunk. AC/Heat, radio, lights, it all works perfect.

There is some bad, mainly rust in the rear quarters and lower rear fenders. The steering is pretty loose and there are holes in the exhaust. Horn doesn't work. These two things are what I gotta fix before inspection.

Now, I already have questions for y'all

1) Exhaust- Rather than repair the existing system (its an old aftermarket system thats got to go) I want to get an all new exhaust system. Now I'm in college right now so money is not falling off the trees but I got a fair amount to spend. After reading some other threads how do you guys feel about American thunder exhaust with dynomax mufflers? That's the way I'm leaning right now.
2) Headers- With a new exhaust would it be easiest to just go ahead and put ones on as well? If so, suggestions?

I'm sure I'll have more questions later, but I'll keep y'all posted with updates . I'm a happy man right now

 

Congrats on your new car. I have a 71 they are alot of fun. Before you go to far, If it has been sitting go over it real careful. Esp. Brakes,Fuel Lines, Belts and Hoses.
Also check out that front steering pronto sounds like a rebuild but steering is important. There are threads about what happens when it gets put off too long.
Larry

 

I got my first Olds in Feb of 1987 (68 Toronado).
I know how
happy you feel.

 

$3500 ....you got a deal.

I wanted a Convertible 69 or 70 so I could do a 442 tribute out of it.
But , it wasn't in the cards I guess. Good luck on the restoration.

Don't get caught up in the OER or OEM market of gotta have it #'s matching
unless it's a rare vehicle that will repay the investment. Alot of companies are
charging upwards of 300% increases since 2006 in parts.

I've found it's cheaper to raid newer vehicles for better technology and modern amenities.

 

Triple white convert with a/c...nice!

Welcome to the world of Oldsmobile ownership.

I see we have a couple things in common...Oldsmobile and we both like to dream

 

Congrats on the find. Welcome to the site.

 

That is what I wanted.You would be real lucky to find that deal in Maine!Welcome to the site you will love it.

 

Nice Ride! Enjoy it, and make it what you want it to be!

 

Nice find and good price. Welcome!

Wayne

 

Welcome and good luck with the car! I have a 72 convertible I will soon be redoing. The loose steering might just be bushings (mine was) get the newer stiffer ones to replace them. What a difference in handling! Not much money, but a bunch of work!

 

Is that the Baltimore Craigslist car? Sounded awful cheap at $3500.00. Those convertibles make real nice cars and aren't hard to work on or find parts for. I would recommend going over the car especially that loose front end. It might be as simple as a tie rod end or idler arm, but get it fixed A.S.A.P. for safety's sake. The exhaust shouldn't be a tough one---if the manifolds are bad (cracked, rusted) they are easy to find (I've got some spares), if you want headers, do yourself a favor and get decent coated ones---the cheap non-coated won't last as long and sometimes don't fit as well. Local or do-it-yourself exhaust systems are also readily available and should not cost you a fortune. Welcome aboard and good luck!

 

Looks like a good car to start with. Frame, trunk and floor good you're off to a great start. Congrats!

 

I have video of my American thunder exhaust with Flowmaster super 40 mufflers if it helps with anything

http://www.oldsmobilecentral.com/201...er-exhaust.php

 

nice ride! congrats

 

Welcome to the site!

To answer your questions...
1. the american thunder is a nice kit- hangers are nice & stock style, and the tails are a real nice fit(at least the 2 1/2" pipe kit i used was). Especially nice when you use mufflers other than the flowmasters, as you said you were planning.

2. headers...
Have you ever installed headers before? They are defiintely challening on an olds, moreso if you have never installed and "clearanced" (read beat them to fit with a hammer) a pair.

If you are on a budget & have never done headers before, i would suggest buying american thunder kit- then take it to an exhaust shop, let them install it & fabricate you new downpipes from your exhaust manifolds & skip on buying & installing headers till a later date.

If you've done headers, and know what you will be up against (lifting engine, clearancing pipes, etc) then Go for it, you can pretty much do the whole exhaust in your driveway (if you already have headers to bolt up to). Kind of a pain, but it will save you some money.

Only suggestion to add to the american thunder kit, is throw away the C-clamps, and go down to your local napa (or summit/jegs catalog) and order stainless steel band clamps.

The c-clamps work, but htye make it a bear to ever take stuff apart again because they crimp the pipes. The band clamps seal tight, but won't crimp the pipes.

After instlaling in your driveway, i'd still suggest driving the car to a mufflershop and paying them a few bucks to fully weld headpipes & reducers.

Hope this helps some!

 

Very nice find and welcome to the Best GM line.

The easiest way for me to install headers was mentioned earlier, jack up the motor a little bit. Don't forget to unbolt the tranny mount also - might as well change them while your at it. Don't believe all the "headers don't fit Cutlass Supreme's" . Welcome again to Team Torque

 

Okay well I'll probably go with the American Thunder and save the headers for a later date. Also, judging from posts I definitely go over that steering before really driving it anymore.

Also, I do have a long term project in mind for it....my great grandfather's rusted out 1970 Olds 98 with a 455 is sitting in our backyard (where it's been for 15 some years), but the engine is in definite rebuild shape. Engine swap anyone?

Anyway, thanks for all the welcomes! I'm happy to be aboard!

 

Welcome to our site! Great find!! I love the 72, lol! Mine used to have the red heater hoses also. Don't know why. Now she has the "correct" GM black hoses....

 

Nice find make it a tribute 442 car and you'll have to change your username LOL!

 

Very nice find, a very good start!!! Welcome and good luck!

 

Welcome to CO! Great find on the convertible, and looks to be a fair price. Good luck on your "forevermore" restoration..........i.e. they are never finished...........believe me!

 

Very nice find for your first Olds! Looks really good,and you can fix it while you drive it.(But not at the same time) Spring is just around the corner!
College,triple white classic Olds droptop,sounds great! Welcome to the site! ---bil

 

Nice! Welcome and good luck.

 

Nice car! You will be able to drive with the top down very soon. Or put on your parka and goggles and do it now.

I would make sure the tires, brakes and front suspention are in good shape.

As for the exhaust...you don't need no stinkin' exhaust - run open headers!

 

As for the headers----I put on a set of Hooker Competition (coated) following the instructions (did I really say I followed the instructions?) and never had a problem. Believe it or not, I did both sides in one afternoon and did NOT have to raise the engine. They went in like they had eyes---I did have to remove and re-install the oil filter housing but that was it. I learned long ago to buy GOOD headers. I hear all the horror stories and wonder why my installation went so smooooooth. I still swear by my motto: "Good parts ain't cheap---Cheap parts ain't good". Until next time..... Dave.

 

Wow! GREAT FIND!! CONGRATS!! GOOD LUCK w/ everything! you've come to the right place for advice!

 

Cool, when I get to headers I'll definitely keep that on mind. Just curious, (probably a dumb question) but why are coated headers better than others?

 

Prevents excessive heat from being generated and potentially melting nearby things (from what I understand)

 

Sweet deal. I am also in the market for exhaust. What do you think about x-pipes from pypes exhaust?

 

Welcome to the forum 442dreamer. Good looking car in triple white. Good luck with the project.

 

I really don't know a whole lot about exhaust, but x-pipes are for more horsepower and H pipes give you a better sound, is that right or an overly simplistic explanation? As for me, I only have a 200 horse 350, so for right now I'm not really going to get into building the engine and increasing horsepower and mainly go for aesthetic things from the get to; interior, body and paint. So for me I just want something that sounds solid and deep, but not too obnoxious, rather than getting something for simply power.

 

 

X pipe and H pipe both do the same thing. They balance out the exhaust pulses coming from each bank, which is supposed to help with the scavenging effect. They both are supposed to increase low end torque & higher end HP.

They both do that job, the X pipe tends to be slightly more efficient, however it dramatically changes & quiets the exhaust note.

The H-pipe smoothes out the exhaust tone a little, but really doesn't change it that much from the "classic" sound we are used to.

The thing is, Both the H & the X pipes really don't do that much for a street driven car. They are at best worth a few .10ths at the track going wide open... vs the same with standard non balance pipes.

On the street that wouldn't even register on Butt Dyno.

So it comes down to convenience (availability) and your desired sound.

Personally, on a stock (low) hp motor, i do not like X-pipes. They make a v8 sound like a V6. Now on a High HP car with a big lumpy cam, x-pipes have kind of a cool sound, but its still not the stereotypical muscle car sound.

H-pipe, weather on a stock or built up both will have pretty close to the usual sound, but without a some of the "rasp" that you get with unbalanced dual pipes.

Hope this helps.

 

Rambow-Yeah that helps tremendously, sounds like for me H pipes are more along the lines of what I'm looking for. Thanks!

 

Hell yeah. H pipe search in progress. Dont wanna loose the sound.

 

Youve just joined the Club!