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Ok, see if I can start a poop storm.. lol.. kidding. So my understanding is out of 54 cars produced in 1966, we have like two of the known 17 cars maybe 3, to have the original running gear.( engine, transmission, TT rear end) So if said value of one of the two original drive train cars is say 130k.(I don’t know as there is no sales history that’s consistent at all) So what will a true factory 66w30 with a non original 400e block, non original trans and rear end be deducted in a sales scenario? One would think 15-25%? Opinions and thoughts appreciated..
How is it even possible to be certain that a '66 block/heads/trans/rear are indeed original? Realistic date codes on correct drivetrain items, a "T" suffix on the engine unit number on a head, and a "TT" rear are musts, but don't prove they're original. A P-o-P, if available, only authenticates a head.
OK, time for this novice to quiet down, and let the experts to chime in.
Regardless of answers, here's the beautiful '66 F-85 W30 at the R.E. Olds Museum. Makes me salivate!
The one at the museum isn’t original drive train either. Like you said POP and owner history along with the guys that have followed these cars gor years is about it. So that begs the question of values ? The car at the museum is a beautiful example.. I talked to the owner at length some time ago about the car, he donated to the museum.
So what will a true factory 66w30 with a non original 400e block, non original trans and rear end be deducted in a sales scenario? One would think 15-25%? Opinions and thoughts appreciated..
I say 15 - 25% is very realistic, maybe even 15 - 20%. Out of the three drivetrain pieces, the TT rear end is the rarest item for sure.
TT was the code for the 66 W30 only 4.11 rear axle. There has been some speculation that they had stronger axles noted by a yellow stripe.
I thought that was part of the sales package was 4;11 gears and stronger axles, stiffer valve springs, 308 cam etc? Thanks for any clarification Mike..
Didn't know that it was W30-only. I wonder how many got lost? Oh, never mind. That was a Model A.
Funny store many of us all know about. The man that raced Mr Black , car number 15. He tool that TT rear end and put it out for the trash guys to pick up. Back then we just found another rear end we didn’t save ****. I say funny story it’s not but it’s amazing that that’s kind of stuff that happened and he lived at home. He told me the story and I know several others know it include Mike Richards. His dad got tired of looking at it so he put it out by the trashcan and there it went
TT was the code for the 66 W30 only 4.11 rear axle. There has been some speculation that they had stronger axles noted by a yellow stripe.
Where would this yellow stripe be ? & Thanks for clearing that issue up.
I have another question if you don't mind. I see a very few of the 66 442 w30 had red fenders is this correct. I thought just 67 ?
Last edited by zl1 camaro; Mar 5, 2025 at 09:46 AM.
As Andy noted, back in "the old days" the 66W30 was just an old worn out car with minimal "amenities" in most cases. The notoriously weak 8.2" rear did not hold up if you ran slicks (or encountered wheel hop). It is easy to find photos of the Rund car with Vance feverishly working on the diff between rounds. I blew the TT in #13 in 1973 and went to a Type O and then the Type F ten bolt [9" Ford, 31 spline axles, nodular case] in 1975. I had to get the lower brackets from a GM rear, and fabricated ears for the upper control arms. I tried both M20 and M21 Muncies and then went to the 2.78 first gear Ford Top Loader trans, later the 2.88 BorgWarner AS10T10Y with G&G midplate. The point of all this is to note that when you used the 66 W30 as the factory boys intended, you did not keep it in a zip lock baggie with all original parts and paint dabs. Today we tend to look at them through a different lens. However, it is somewhat telling that the ones kept close to original with a tractor supply engine rebuild and scrawny tires are disappointing to drive [for those who are looking for performance more like today's supercars] and get flipped every year or so.
and it was type P , Nodular iron case , 4 pinion posi case with 8 bolts ..right?
No 4 pin posi units I know of in a 66 W30. It's commonly thought that the 4 pin unit came out in 67 but I had a very late, 07E 66 442 3x2 that had a 4 pin unit in it. It looked to be be original to the car. I'm not positive but I think there were 2 different 2 pin 66 units, a small pin and a larger pin unit. Maybe my Dad, Run To Rund can elaborate on this. Dad?
