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I have an appointment this Sunday to look at this 1968 442 that is for sale within driving distance from me, which is a rarity. It is for sale by owner who says he has owned the car for 50 years and is the 3rd owner. So far, I have received a picture of the VIN# plate and the data/cowl plate, and they both indicate a 442 with "34487" numbers. Car is a Fremont built car - "BF" on the data plate and "Z" on the VIN# plate, and they look original and unmolested.
Obviously, I will be doing further verification when I look at the car in person. I noticed from the front end picture that there is an "S" on the nose of the hood as well an Oldsmobile emblem on the left front of the hood, so I'm thinking that this is a Cutlass S hood that, at some point, replaced the original 442 hood that would not have had the nose "S" emblem or the left front hood Oldsmobile emblem. Does that sound correct?
Here are a couple more pictures of the car. I'm guessing that the car may have had a front end collision at some point, and the hood was replaced. The current owner, who says he's the 3rd owner, said he has not had any accidents with the car since he's owned it, but that he bought it from an older couple when he graduated from high school 50 years ago, so who knows.
It looks like the repaint that the seller says took place about 10 years ago was a different color than the "PP" code on the data plate which is Silver Green Irid. Steering wheel is not correct, and is some kind of after market type. The mag wheels are, obviously, not original either. I can replace the steering wheel with an Olds one, I'm assuming, and the same for the wheels, but the hood is a different matter in terms of availability and cost, not only for the hood itself, but also the repainting which would require attempting to match the existing paint color. Owner says engine and transmission have been rebuilt and front suspension bushings have been replaced.
If you are purchasing the vehicle as a driver/ cruise night car just leave the hood as it is. If you are purchasing the vehicle as an investment that's a different story. Nice looking vehicle.
The owner is asking $30k. I'm torn because 442s in decent shape don't come up for sale very often near me that I can check out in person. I've been looking for a 442 for going on 5 years, and every time I find one there is some flaw in the car that eliminates the car from being considered. I detest flying, so I can't jet all over the country to check out cars that are far away, and I just got burned on an inspection that I hired a, supposedly, knowledgeable person to do on a 442 that was 2500 miles away from me, and the inspection was garbage. A 442 is on my bucket list and has been my favorite classic car since I was a teenager, but as you can probably tell, I am getting frustrated.
Sorry, I can't answer your question on the hood emblems. But worst case scenario, if it bothers you remove the emblems and repaint the hood. It is a beautiful car, and if that is the only issue I'd buy it. If you're afraid it has front end damage have a local shop put it on the lift and inspect the undercarriage for evidence of damage. John
Is the trunk lid correct? I'm more familiar with the 69 442 trim. The emblem by the trunk lock and lower script? The car looks sharp, I would just check out the body for rust repair, collision damage and that the numbers are correct.
The trunk lid looks correct to me. The hood is correct except for the "S" emblem and the "Oldsmobile" emblem, which can be removed, holes filled in and hood repainted if you desire the absolute original look. This is pure speculation on my part but, when I talked to the Olds dealership owner of the '68 4-4-2 I have back in 2011, his first question to me was if it was a Lansing car or a Fremont car. He breathed a sigh of relief when I told him it was a Lansing car. His dealership got cars from both Lansing and Fremont and he detested Fremont cars for lack of quality control. It makes me wonder if the Fremont car you are looking at came from the assembly plant with the Cutlass S hood! My '69 is a Fremont car and I did see some difference between it and the '68 with regards to quality control, primarily in lack of fasteners and things that change with options.
Randy C.
'68 4-4-2 convertible
'69 4-4-2 convertible
It looks like the paint has been stripped off of the trunk trim across the bottom. It should look like the attached picture. As well, the exhaust extensions are incorrect but correct ones are available from several suppliers. It appears to be a nice, straight car. Hopefully, if there was front end damage, it was properly corrected.
The only difference between the Cutlass S (Sport) and 442 hood is the Olds script and S emblem.
The two ornaments were applied only to the S model.
The 442 didn't get them because the 68 442 was a 442, a distinct model, not a Cutlass.
If a 442 has the badges the hoods been replaced or someone installed them.
The Cutlass Supreme and F85 got the non power bulge "flat" hood.
Similar scenario for the tail lights. S & 442 were the same, Supreme and F85 were same.
I looked at the car today. It was "meh". I couldn't see the engine pad stamp vin derivative number due to the power steering pump bracket and hoses being in the way, which is a first. Engine casting number is correct as were the "C" heads. Something under the hood was making a weird noise, but I couldn't identify where it was coming from. Owner did 'fess up to having replaced the hood 10-12 years ago when the car was repainted because the old one "had too much Bondo", so he was ok with a Cutlass hood instead of a 442 hood and didn't care that it had the Cutlass emblems on it.
