So I sold my first car first Cutlass . The wife says one is enough and really wanted her parking space in the garage again. The good news is that now I have a little money to play around with to invest in my second cutlass.

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So ClassicOldsombile, if this was your ride and you had some "play money"... what would you want to do first?

Background:
Found this car from the original owner. It is numbers matching but the 2 speed auto transmission is beginning to slip some.
Do you...
a) Rebuild it to keep it numbers matching (if so, got a link to a rebuild kit?)
b) By a new 350 Transmission (Would this one fit?)

Forget transmission, do ______________ first!

Fill in the blank.

 

c). Replace drivetrain with a 455/TK600 combo.

Seriously, save the Junkaway if you want, but at least go with a TH350. A 200-4R would be even better (if you have the old trans out, you MIGHTASWELL...).

Yes, the one in the link will work.

 

But I actually LOVE manual Transmissions with BENCH seats... 6 speed would be VERY cool, perhaps pricey.... I love the 68's almost as much as the 69's....

 

For me I would have to have all the chrome back on the car and grill.

 

If you want to drive it a bunch, long trips and such. I'd spring for a 200R4
If its just a weekend cruiser save some $ and go T350.
Then...... get some wider wheels on the back of that thing!
Seriously cool car!

 

Install a TH350 but ask the wife if its OK to keep the powerglide in the shed.
If you ask me what is next after that, some rims...

 

Would the 350 I have linked be the way to go?
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-700301/

How much does a garage usually charge to install a transmission. Trying to see how much "play money" I'll have left to work with.

 

Yeah, the trans needs to be addressed, but otherwise I'd want to accessorise a bit. I'd be very happy if I had a car like yours as is, but it looks a little bare to me. I like the look of hood scoops on these cars, maybe some paint lines. How's the interior? Maybe freshen it up if needed. With your extra $$ you have the opportunity to make this car stand out and reflect your personality.

I'm new to Olds' and definately not a purist, so my appologies to those who may be rolling their eyes at the moment.

 

Guess you don't have a friend with a lift. Assuming that's the case, I would pick up a BOP core for around $50 bucks (watch craigslist) and take it to a transmission shop and have them rebuild and install. The rebuild shouldn't cost more than 2-3 bills. A transmission shop should be able to go thru a 350 in their sleep. I have never had one installed so I can't speak to that.
The tailstock on a powerglide may be different so you may need to have your driveshaft modifed. That might be another 50 or so.

 

Maybe I'm lost here but why would I get a core rebuilt if I can just by a new one for 700ish? http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-700301/

 

i bought a th350 core, rebuilt with a transgo stage 1 shift kit, and a new 2200 stall converter for $800. my buddy swapped the tranny's in the car for me for $200 (really cheap) but i was able to use the same driveshaft with no alterations. as long as you go with a short shaft th350, u shouldn't have any driveshaft issue. i would also swap out for some new wheels and tires. then, i would let a body shop tweak that front end, grill, trim, and get your hood all leveled out. but other than that, from what i see, looks like a pretty solid car. i would attend to the exterior before the interior, personally.

 

Repeat after me:

"It's NOT a Powerglide..."

I guess this is my new crusade, since the W36 thing has run it's course

 

This

 

I'd concentrate on making it a 100% road worthy, drop in a TH350, a 200r4 can be a bunch of money to do right and spend the rest on the car itself, like springs, bushings, front end parts, brakes, anything that is questionable. The little things can add up to a lot, but they sure make the car ride good and feel good.

 

Great ideas guys and I'm 90% sure I'm going to go with the buying a new 350 (saving the original one in the garage somewhere) to start things off. Since I know nothing about this part of the car (yet) I just want to make sure on what parts I need.

Is this 350 what I want and will I need any other parts to go with it.

After I get that, can I just bring this to a mechanic and they can do a quick switch?

 

rebuild trans.........new rims ............DRIVE IT!

 

My wife told me I couldn't buy the Vette I was looking at because I already had an "old car" and she didn't want to hear any more about it. So that was that. I never uttered another word about it and it never came up again....until I drove it home.

I asked: "Did you hear me mention the car after that?" No. "Did I whine and complain that I wanted it?" No. "Was it you that said you didn't want to hear another word on the subject?" Yes. "Then don't give me **** for listening to you!"

My friend said he'd never do that and how did I manage to pull it off? I told him he could do it too. He asked how. I said "When you wife is not looking, find where she puts her purse. Go get it, reach in and get your ***** back". Funny, he didn't laugh.

 

My ex wife hated my Delta, but she's the one that told me to buy it. When the Delta was totalled, she was happy that is was gone, but pissed that the money was gone too.

After the Delta was gone, she hated the Alero. She wanted me to sell it and I said 'no' and she hated it even more, but oddly enough, she's trying to get it in the divorce, trying to leave me with no car, with a car I owned outright 2 years before we were married. Then I find out she wants the "increase" in value of the car since we were married to the time of our divorce, so I guess that means she'll own me about $1,000 and I'll get to keep the car

Bottom line, If I can afford it and not hurt the household money, I'm going to do what I want to do. Nobody, esp a woman, is going to tell me what I can and cannot do anymore

 

So is this going to work? Lol

 

And still alive to tell the story folks.

 

If I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a #s matching car I would do nothing that would destroy originality. There aren't many left and you seem to have an investment there.
If you are only going to do a few miles each year I would have the transmission fixed by a good reputable shop and try to lay my hands on anything missing.
If you want to enjoy driving the car and putting on some miles (what it was built for after all) then put an up to date engine/trans combo in - I'd choose the 200r4 - but keep all the original parts so it can be put back to original again.
It's your car and you can do whatever you want to it, just offering my opinion.
Great looking car btw!.
Roger.

 

Yes it will work, you will need all the parasites that go with it, dipstick and tube, converter, dust cover, misc lines and hoses, and you may have to do something with your shifter.

 

Is there a kit that includes most of that?

 

There is a very angry lady in Nebraska for very similar reasons. The verbage and length of the discussion is also similar....but I took it one step further and had her take me to the seller's house to buy it
Still alive to tell the story.

 

Love it! It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. I went through a similar thing when I bought my Charger R/T. I liked the Charger she liked the Pontiac G6. I came home with the Charger. Was she happy, not at all. She was mad as heck for about 3 weeks. Drove the car and really liked it.....

 

Man...that took some courage, or a few shots of something strong...

 

I say rebuild your trans now since you plan on keeping it anyways, just another thing to store and that coming from someone that has his numbers trans in the corner of his garage . Save more cash anyways having yours rebuilt and will not have to buy other things to get the 350 in like the dipstick and all that. Then buy some wheels and gas and drive and enjoy it. use the extra money as an insurace fund for when you do have issues or know what you really want... Just my.02 cents

 

I thought about that, but I can't find the rebuild kits that have everything I need (or maybe I just don't know what I need )

 

Just take it to a tranny shop and have them do it and get a warranty. You will prob be less money having yours rebuilt then the cost of just the 350 you want to buy and you will still have to pay to have it installed and buy extras. Just call around and see what you find. Ask other members in your area if they know of a good shop and you should be fine. If no one knows of a shop I am sure you can find reviews on line. I know there was a map on here that lists everyones locations. Good luck and hope you get her out topless and enjoy her

 

You need to check with your local transmission shops, I had a 2 speed rebuilt in an old Falcon I had and it was close to $1200. Sometimes rebuilding obsolete transmissions can be expensive. One other thing to conciser, are hard on transmissions, I owned a 68 back in the 70's and I blow up 3 of them in one summer and they weren't junk yard units they where rebuilt's.

 

It's 2011

Overdrive transmissions came out like ~30 years ago.
Put an overdrive trans in the car and you won't ever regret doing it.
3 speed auto's are ancient relics and are far beyond outdated.

Classics deserve to be driven more, and gas prices are high.
An overdrive trans is one of the single best investments you can make.

Stick your #'s matching parts in a shed somewhere if you think it's going
to be worth keeping it as an investment if the car is rare.

 

Well, this case just got more interesting. Took the car to a transmission place today to get quotes on everything and see what they thought might be the problem. I got a surprise call back with the repair guy telling me there already was a 350 transmission in my car! How I couldn't tell this... don't ask me. They said it looked like there was just a backing hose on the transmission that they needed to replace and they took care of it, test drove it.... and said it ran great (well as good as any Olds that has been pretty much sitting for 15 years.)

Con: Looks like I don't have the original transmission.

Pros to this: $0 bills! I may have a lot more in my "play money" budget now. I don't have to worry about where I'm putting a transmission in my garage for storage either.

 

Good deal, Get some wheels and detail, drive and enjoy it

 

Speaking of wheels, I forgot to mention I have drum breaks everywhere . Do some rims require disk breaks?

 

you should be fine, usually the disk brake cars need certain rims of certain vintage but get a nice set of new rims that are at least 15 inch and then you will have more choice of tires.

Look around the site for pictures, some folks like 18-20 inch rims on these cars others like me prefer 17 and smaller - purely a personal preference item until you get too big or too small where it negatively affects safety and performance.

 

Are you sure it was originally a 2 speed?

 

Now I'm not, I asked them to check the casting number but when they called, the car was already off the lift.

 

Come on you know you secretly like 18" wheels

 

SShhhhh

 

I have 17s and think 18 in the rear would look good