So I bought this 1970 cutlass sport coupe few days ago. My plan with it was swap a Mild 455 into it with the th350 that’s in it. I also just ordered some coilovers from aldan Front and rear for the big block. Well I posted about it on a FB group and they are saying it’s a very rare car since it’s a 6 cylinder and seems to be all original and runs great ( just want that big block power). So according to some sources and internet research they only made roughly 400 of them. So what’s this car Actually worth is my main point Of this post or is it just rare but not sought after making it a perfect candidate for the 455😬 thanks

 

I would say it is rare because a six cylinder is rarely seen. As far as desirable, maybe for that real unique collector who wants something like that but not worth extraordinary amounts IMO. I think most people want a bit of power.

 

Interesting for sure. Used to be a stick? (short brake pedal) Now that would be really unusual- 6 and stick in a Cutlass S 2 door hardtop- not the usual stripped F85. I personally would love it as a 6-stick, but I'm weird that way I guess. It's your car do what you like...

 

Rare does not always mean desirable. Save the original drivetrain and swap whatever best fits your needs.

 

Agreed - it's already been changed with the manual trans being removed at some point. Keep the original drive train stored away and do with it as you like. If someone offers you crazy money because they have to have a 6-cylinder 3 speed car, great. But don't keep it all stock so people can ooh and ahh over it if it doesn't make you happy!

 

Yours is not a Sport Coupe, it's a Holiday Coupe. Sport Coupes have the "post" and a metal window frame on the door. Holiday Coupes are hardtops. In the 1970 model year, Olds built 2836 F-85 Sport Coupes, 484 Cutlass S Sport Coupes, and 729 Cutlass S Holiday Coupes with the six. Rare? Yes. Desirable and valuable? No. Some things are rare for a reason. Now, if this were an I6 car with a three-on-the-tree manual trans, it would be kind of cool. FYI, the six cylinder cars have a different VIN than the eight cylinder cars.

 

If you want to make a non-numbers brawler, this car is good for it. It's got a tiny engine, and it's green.

The original engine should be kept for reference, maybe you'll run into someone who wants a spare, or a museum that wants that engine.

 

It's rare all right. Few were made and fewer survive because they've all had the I-6 yanked out of them and replaced with a 455 by now. As pointed out above, some things are rare for a reason.

My take? Do as you please but for the sake of history, don't do anything that can't be undone.

 

In the engine pic, I see a hose from the valve cover to the brake booster. Strange, don't think there is any vacuum there.
Also, since it is a chebby six, would it have the chebby bolt pattern for the trans?
I don't think the trans of that era had dual pattern trans.

Gene

 

Actually, the ST300 used in the 1966-69 cars with I6 DID have a dual bolt pattern. I'm not sure what's in a 70, however. Here's that Jetaway for kicks.

 

Good catch on both items.

It looks like the PCV valve is connected to the brake booster; or conversely, the brake booster is connected to the PCV valve. Either way, neither of those system are working correctly as they both need to be connected to a manifold vacuum source.

Since that is a Chevrolet engine, with the engine swap a trans swap or an adapter plate would be needed.

 

Joe,
I'll be down there Friday evening with a car trailer and a wad of benjamins to take your 68 home with me... To make room for the new project of course.

 

Rip out that 6 banger and put a real engine in it and don't look back. Its your car and it only needs to make you happy. Build what you want and enjoy the hell out of it.
You might want to think about upgrading the brakes as well if they are drums all around.

 

I had an old friend that was trying to buy a corvette once. The owner kept telling him how it was worth so much more because it was so rare (it wasn't anything special). My friend looked at him and said "it's pretty rare that I **** in my pants, but if I do it still doesn't mean it's worth anything!"

 

Is this really rare and sought after ?

Is it really rare? Yes.
Is it sought after? No.

 

Whats rare is that it made it this far and still has a 6 in it.

 

455 is a great idea, go for it. Some other stuff will need to change. Just off the top of my head (that wasn't mentioned above):

• 455 gets a TH400 or it will break the TH350.
• 455 will lower car and spring rate
• 455 will need a 1-1/8 sway bar
• 455 will need larger radiator
• 455 will need a 3/8 fuel line front to rear

Best of luck on your journey. Can't wait to see how this evolves!

P.S. Secure the positive battery cable. It looks funny going through the A-arm like that.

 

Great car and great condition. You may want to thank that inline 6 for the cars current condition... With that said, drop that big block in there and don't look back.

They are rare for 2 reasons not many wanted them with its original setup back then and even less want them that way today. So to find it relatively unmolested save for the trans swap, is sweet. Having already been modified I see no reason to stop now. As it was likely most valuable with the complete power-train intact. Why hold back, have fun, make the most of it... the ride looks like a big muscular bulldog till you open the hood and see a kitten. I say give it the performance it deserves.

Either way congrats and enjoy the car. Cool find no matter what.

 

well it has h.e.i. so either the engine is newer or the dist has been changed.also the single hose heater core is "cool".

 

The rear, top shock mount is not made to take the weight of the car. The sheet-metal will break rather quickly.

Before installing the coil-overs, weld in a large piece of plate to distribute the load.

 

Neither are any of the other shock mounts.

 

Aye, the top-rear is only the first point to go. Coilovers are a poor idea all around for a car that will be driven (non-show-car).

 

Well, retrofit coilovers that use the factory shock mounting points are a poor idea.

 

Personally, I would install a 350 engine.

 

Good to see many here are in the “make it as you’ll like it” camp.

I stand with all of them, my ‘66 98 has original block & heads, but my Dad bought it new so keeping it stock is a little nod to history. If I crack the block or otherwise lose that engine, I wouldn’t hesitate to put in another 455. I don’t think I’d ever go the LS route, but I have no problem with anyone who wants to.

My Starfire has a ~1970 E-head 455 which is plainly not numbers matching. I could not care less. It’s an Olds big block and the fact that it doesn’t match gives me artistic license to do other fun stuff like add Outside Air Induction or add HEI, just because it’s fun and may be better.

If you have the room, keep the 6. If not, let it be recycled.

Cheers
Chris

 

Sure glad to see advice given to the owner of a two year old post.

 

and your post was just as helpful?

 

I wonder what OP actually did with it. You'd think he might have posted again by now.

 

could you give some details on the outside air induction? I am thinking of doing the same with my 425 with a quadrajet and holley intake.

 

Have a quiet beverage of choice and go here:

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...g-cars-139103/

I enjoyed the project a lot, like the look, enjoyed working with factory parts but have not concluded that it makes a whole lot of difference. One of these days, I’ll have to do a A/B test run from my house to, say, Napa, and back - once with the OAI on and once with my dual snorkel and see if there’s any actual difference.

The tricky part is drilling very large 4” holes in your inner fender far forward enough so that the reproduction Olds OAI pieces don’t interfere with your tire’s turning radii.

If you do dig in, let me know if you liked the approach. I was aiming at a sort-of factory look, not just aftermarket silicone stuff.

Cheers
Chris

 

Chris,
Do you still have this car?
If yes, please post some pics of it head-on at say a 15foot distance to get an overall look at the OAI scoops. Think product option sheet, poster, or magazine style
Steve

 

I still have the car. After I finished the project, I never took any glamour or magazine style shots, I was really just interested as to whether OAI would make any difference.

It didn't hurt, but as I said, I'm not sure it helped either.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from doing something similar, just trying to say that it you may not feel it all that much in the driver's seat. Do it for the fun value of the project and keep modest expectations.

Since this car has a non-factory installed 1970 engine, it also has HEI, an internally regulated alternator, 800 CFM 170-series qjet ('75 & up), front discs, and so on. I'm not a real stickler on 1966 stock since it ain't gonna win any originality awards. Lately I've been playing with oversize rubber seals and sound deadening materials to see how quiet I can make it. It's a lot of fun to experiment to see how good it can get.

The Starfire is in storage for the next few weeks. In my region this time of year is convertible time so I'm playing with my 98. In the name of regular use, I'll dust the Starfire off soon and I can get some shots then. I wouldn't represent that it looks right, or even factory, but it's fun.

Funniest reaction so far was from my non-car-knowing sister. She asked if the OAI scoops were "front exhaust". Uh, no.

Cheers
Chris

PS: One of these days I have a dream about reproducing an Olds promotional picture of a '66 Starfire in San Francisco at Bay & Hyde, but I have no idea how to pull it off safely...

 

I happened to get my '66 Starfire out of storage this morning. Here's what a an Autumn Bronze '66 Starfire looks like with OAI hood scoops:

OAI scoops are not factory. They were never offered on a Starfire, but it made for a good covid project.

The Cutlass / 442 under bumper scoops feed 4" diameter plastic hoses which connect to factory looking 4" cloth hoses which go right into a Spectre dual intake air cleaner. The connector between the Spectre (female) inlet and cloth hoses are 2 4" plastic (male/male) downspout connectors notched just a bit to make a tight fit on both sides. I decorated the Spectre chrome air cleaner with Olds Stickers, but I'm not taking the faux-factory any further than that.

Here are a few more shots:



OAI scoops must be forward enough of the front wheel turning radius to not interfere when you turn the wheels. Then drill a giant 4" hole in the front lip of your inner fender. Get it as far forward as you can.


It's a little dark, but zoom in & you'll see the black under bumper scoops. These are reproduction pieces intended for Cutlass / 442's, so I had to fabricate the mounting brackets, which I didn't do all that well.

I needed to relocate the bulb holes for my side lights to allow the intake ducting to clear the lighting fixture rears. Fairly simple matter of a couple of corrrect size holes drilled into the top of the cast-chrome light fixtures. And on the driver's side the ducting is very snug agains the battery. Very snug. Like I had to re-orient my + cable a bit inboard instead of straight back.

Side View:

The modification is there, but to me, it's subtle enough.

Hope these are the shots you're looking for.

Just to finish it out, I enjoy the modification - not too showy, fun, period and even uses (reproduction) Olds parts. On the performance side I'm not too convinced it makes much difference, but have never A/B tested it either.

Cheers
Chris

 

It'd be interesting to see the underhood plumbing too.

 

Dig way down in the older thread and you’ll see some underhood shots, nothing super clever, but it’ll show the work.

 

That's awesome. Is the air cleaner assembly something you could still buy?

 

Recently picked up this 1970 Cutlass ‘S’ with the factory installed 6-cylinder. The Cutlass was also ordered with power disc brakes, bucket seats, automatic transmission, and anti-spin rear axle. No console or power steering.

 

I believe the spectre air cleaner is still available.

 

Hi Chris.

I had trouble seeing those scoops, so I lightened the shadows under the car...

Nicely done!

Best,
Gary