i recently got rearended in my 1987 cutlass supreme, base model. {got hit by a huge lexus lx470, missed frame, but caused 3000 in body damage} i decided that i would try a body swap so i purchased a 1985 salon t top{t- boned another car at 60} for cheap and am planning on trying to swap the body from the salon model to my frame because the salon's frame is bent

does anyone out there know if the fuse panel on the firewall side of my base model 87 will bolt up to the interior side of the salon without wiring problems or should i try to salvage the original off the salon

my car already runs with no computer, aftermarket carb and distributor so no more feedback-computer issues

the salon comes with power windows and locks and gauge cluster as opposed to my base with no gauges or power options




any advice is helpful


after this i get to decide which title to use
any idea which will be cheaper for insurance and plating

 

Sorry to hear about your misfortune...
I have always believed drivers of those things have their noses too high in the air to be able to see where they are going... Cell phones make it even worse.

The 85-87 design went through very little change.
My guess on your existing fuse block is that it will physically fit. Of course, salvaging the Salon's may be good cheap insurance if it does not.
Also, since you are adding more power accessories, I would grab all of the option wiring harnesses and relays from the Salon.
The gauge wiring is not really needed, except the tach wire. To swap to rally gauges you just need to rearrange the wires in your existing connector (easy).
The experts at oldsgmail.com would be able to give more advice and resources for the gauge swap.

Since the Salon had frame damage, hopefully it was isolated to only the front section and did not bend the body any.

I hope you got some good insurance dough from that moron who hit you!

On the flip side, this IS a good time for a complete frame-off (or is that body-off?) restoration!

 

thanks for the tip on the olds, however i am still a teenager so the male police officer sided with the attractive blond and i was sited for some made up violation and therefore void of any insurance money

and also because i am only 17 and working part time while in high school i am a little too shallow on the pockets for any restore, however the tranny out of that body and the rocket 350 my dad warped the heads on are being rebuilt and put in it

its my daily driver, and for the mods i listed above i was pushin 200 horse even, with 18 mpg with 2:73 gears

runnin high 14's

ill post pics and updates on this as i go,

plannin on doin the body swap this weekend in my driveway

 

I would be fighting that in court for sure.
If someone runs into the back of someone else, it is usually their (the behind driver's) fault for going too fast, not watching where they are going, tailing, alcohol, etc. In TX, it is almost an automatic assumption that way.
According to my last defensive driving instructor, the only exception around here would be like if I whipped in front of someone and nailed the brakes, giving the behinder no reaction time.

Anyway, I hope your swap goes okay and keep us up to date with the progress.
That 350 combo sounds like a great addition to a G-body!

 

Sounds like the cop was thinking with the wrong head

Call a lawyer

 

still no update, the rain here in omaha is like a constant right now, i hear it might be some of the left over storm from the hurricanes

 

still no pics, my camera is on the fritz, but i have found some more body rot on this car, which is notorious around here, the two body-to-frame bolts that are one set forward of the rear of the frame are completely rotted and i have to swap floor pans from my 87 over the the 85 becase the t tops leaked

so far the body is ready to lift off the frame, all wiring is disconnected as is all steering linkage tranny linkage gas lines, e-brake cable and rear bumber cover

any ideas on what would be the best place to lift from?

so far the plans is to run 2 by 4s on a tranny jack and lifting from the trunk pan and then right under the firewall.

is that neccesarily a good plan?

 

That sounds about right... Use several TOUGH heavy 2x4's screwed together.
Check this link - it shows exactly where he lifted the body.
http://tlentz.oldsgmail.com/frameoff.html
Now HOW he fifted it is unknown to me... I think he used jacks, going up one cinder block at a time. The challenge is to get the body up high enough so the rear frame arches will clear the floorboards. Flattening the tires will get you another 3" or so...

Bum a cam off a friend - the pictures of the progress would be cool to see!

 

im going to get my buddies digital cam tonight,

i don't know how long before i get pics up though, my dad bought a 1970 buick skylark with a 472 late 60's cadillac motor and he just pulled the vavle stem locks through the retainers while at the local drag strip( these motors barely make it the end of the 1/8 mile with 4:90 in the rearend and huge slicks)

so we are also in the process of puting a built olds 400 in it

i am beginning the think the three grand to fix the whole back of my car would have been worth it

but then again, im gonna have t tops

and buckets with a floor shifter




oh that reminds me, i want an overdrive, did they make overdrive floor shifters? all i have seen is three speeds, if they did anybody know where i can get one?

 

OD floor shifters were available to the best of my knowledge.
Look for them in boneyards from wrecked 85-88 Cutlass RWD 2DR's, as the OD were available then (more so in the later years).
The stock 200R4 OD tranny will bolt right in your project, as long as the bell housing is BOP drilled.

 

i have the frame out from under the car, cut it up with the torch and got pictures of all of it, still have do the whole thing to my car and get some floor pan rot fixed, i have pics, should be up in the next couple of days

it took 10 hours to get it all apart, its nap time

 

The shifter you have should work on the car. You will however lose the low gear only position. So that is not something that I would be in a big rush to get. How are you coming on the rebuild otherwise?