Good morning guys. Hope all is having a great Friday. As I watched the show OVERHAULIN' this morning, a few things popped in mind. I have ran across countless comments, both posititve and negative, regarding the customization of the Cutlass. Outside of this site, via youtube, the opinions are MUCH STRONGER and ofter use vulger language.

A little bit about me; I am a 30 yr old black male with both a bachelor and master degree. I have owned a '71 Cutlass Supreme Convertible for 5 years now. Ever since I was a young boy I have wanted a Cutlass. My dad owned a black '77 Cutlass, and boy was it sweet! To this day, I have kept my car original with the exception of the paint.

Reading negative comments regarding customizing old muscle cars has kept me from doing what I want to a car that I own. I was afraid to cut the dash, so I installed that sorry *** Custom Sounds head unit. I was afraid to install subwoofers, so I only installed 6.5 front components and 6.5 rear speakers. I was afraid to get custom wheels, so I purchased, sandblasted, and painted a set of matching ralley wheels.

After watching the show Overhaulin' it has now inspired me to do what I want to MY car. I'm not going to go crazy and cut the dash, but I am going to install two 10 inch Alpine subwoofers to match my Alpine mids and highs. I not going to buy 24" or 26" wheels, but I am going to put my ralley wheels in storage and replace them with a set of 22 inch wheels and tires.

We have to learn and understand that people like their cars a certain way, to each their own! Some like cars with no modifications. Some like cars with a few modifications. Some like a fully customized car. Personally I fall somewhere in the middle. I dont care for a hugh bass pounding stereo system, but I do like a little bass. I dont care for hugh monster wheels, but I do need a little chrome in my life.

This was not meant to be a ranting session. I just wanted to get a few things off my chest. I absolutely love this site and Oldsmobile cars. One day I hope to pass my car along to my son. And on that day I hope to direct him to this website. You guys have helped me alot with my restoration project. Many blessing to each of you! And HAPPY CUSTOMIZING!!!!

 

Hey Southern,

While I am one for originality, you are absolutely right that it's YOUR car and nobody should think they have the right to tell you how to do it. One thing I can recommend if you want to keep the stock appearance of the radio is the redi-rad. You may have heard of it but it hooks up to just about any AM or FM radio through the antenna and lets you hook up anything with a headphone jack, Ipod, CD player, etc. I just bought 3 for my two Olds' and my daily driver and it works great! Good luck with your Cutlass.

 

Thanks for the suggestion John. Nice Ninety-Eight by the way, really nice.

 

I'm the last person to bash someone for making custom changes to a car but i am still very oppinionated (is that even a word?) about this subject. When it comes to wheel size in a custom car it all about proportion and stance. If you are building a custom 2007 Tahoe then by all means use 22" wheels They fit the wheel well and are proportioned right for the vehicle. On the other hand a Cutlass has wheel wells that are too small for a 22" wheel and tire combo. It can phyically be done but they just do not fit the car.

 

Hello Southern,
I think you should do whatever makes your car your car.
Cutting the dash is not something I personally would do but it can be replaced, bolting on huge rims again not for me but they come off as easy as they attach.
Nice looking car and changing it for your taste can only make it worth more to you
and your son will enjoy hopefully the work you are doing.
Steve

 

It is if you spell it correctly.

As for the 22" wheels, what matters is the TIRE diameter. The A-bodies came with tires about 26.5" in diameter. They look OK with tires around that size. What you put on the wheels will determine how they fit.

Now as for asthetics, well, that's a matter of personal choice. I don't particularly care for "rubber band" tires on any vehicle, but especially not on 60s/70s cars. If you have to jack the car up to fit the wheels and tires, as many do, then the car looks like it's on tiptoes in my opinion. If you carefully select a wheel and tire combo, paying attention to tire OD, wheel offset, etc, the results can look good.

Of course, the other problem with most of the large diameter wheels on the market is they all look "ricer". I'm not a big fan of the "ninja throwing star" look on wheels.

Your call.

 

Taste is what it's all about. Blingy is rarely tasteful, but you can add some custom touches and the car still look good.

Far as a head unit, someone here has been modifying old underdash 8-track housings to put a nice CD head unit in. Amps and speakers are reasonably easy for a good installer to hide, and with a ragtop you want them invisible so some fool won't come along and cut your top to get the stuff.

I think the same way as Richard re big wheels. You HAVE to keep proportions right, otherwise the car looks ridiculous.

 

Even though I'm one of those "**** retentive morons" when it comes to my own cars, I like the following signature line from one of our site members:

"Make it into what YOU want, Not what some **** retentive moron thinks it should be."

 

Cutting the dash really isn't that big a deal. The section of dash panel that has the radio opening is replaceable albeit not easily. Don't know that you could do it w/ dash still in car, but very easy w/ dash out of car. Point is, you can put a DIN chassis radio in w/ a very neat, clean professional install & if somewhere down the line you wanted to replace w/ a shaft radio, buy a crappy dash assy & use the panel section from it. My kid's red car is done this way, has a pretty impressive system but w/ relatively low visibility. PM me your email if you want some pics of a very decent sound system layout, I have never tried posting pics (but I did eventually figure out how to do a sig line pic!)

For the record & what little my opinion matters - I'm a stock / resto mod kinda guy. I like to retain the flavor of originality but increase the performance & usability of these cars. Do what makes you happy w/ the car, but do it properly & hopefully w/ some taste!

 

One thing to keep in mind with the changes you are talking about, you put money into a car like that to make it worth less. I don't look at my car as an investment (its a hobby) but check out EBay auction results to see the return on your $$ when you go for oversized wheels & the like.

 

Hey Maybe we should start a club like the "Land Yacht Club"

More to the point of the thread.

It's your ball and you bat ....................do what ever cranks your tractor.

 

It's replaceable on a 68-69 but not on a 70-72 dash without changing the whole plastic part of the dash. These aren't that easy to find and many were hacked for aftermarket radios years ago. Personally I like the companies that install late model guts in your stock radio housing. No dash cutting, it looks completely stock, and the new radio can still connect to an MP3 or CD player.

 

I personally have 2 trains of thought:
1 Was the car bought for an investment? If so then the **** retentives are correct!

2 Was it bought as a toy? If so then what ever you want goes for your own particular tastes, thats what rodding is all about!!

Sure you are going to get oppinions, but who cares! The only person you have to please is yourself. There is value in that!

 

Unfortunately my friend, there are many people who are afraid of change even when it's not their own cars.

I like to say there's leaders, and there's followers. Most are followers.
They like to press their will to remain "within the mold" onto others.
Chip Foose, Nickey Chevrolet, etc didn't get where they are at today by selling run of the mill cars.
I think many more are wanting to do unique things but their voices are overshadowed by naysayers.
Granted, I don't like EVERYTHING Foose makes, but I enjoy his inspiration to customize.

What people forget is even Automobile manufacturers have trial and error.
So there will be some hideous customizations before you will find the cool ones.
The problem is, many aren't willing to step off the porch to try something different and ridicule anyone who does.

Awesome. That show is an inspiration to many.
It's YOUR CAR , not anyone elses. So do what YOU WANT with it.
Life is too short trying to please other people's tastes......everyone's varies.
Car shows with every single car being 100% stock bore the crap out of me.

V V V SEE THE SIGNATURE BELOW V V V

 

I say go for it. I did the same thing that your talking about. The first tme I did my car I went back to stock except for the exhaust because that what everyone thought I should do and it was nice but not what I wanted. The next go around I built it the way I wanted it to look. My car went from being faster than it looked to looking faster than it is. I have a 4" cowl hood, racing buckets, big tires, and a 6 point cage in a car that I hope to run 12's with this year. There are a lot of people who laugh at this but thats what I wanted and what I could afford. I would love for it to be a low 10 second car but I can't afford that and a family at the same time. The main thing is it's mine and I am having a great time with it.

 

Thanks man. She's almost done. Starting on the dash right now. She'll be ready for show season this year for sure. Cannot wait to start cruising her around!

 

Put it anyway you want to as long as it is stock

 

It's your ball and you bat ....................do what ever cranks yur tractor.

Whaa?!?!? How the heck do you crank yur tractor with a ball and bat?!

I am of the O-P-I-N-I-O-N.......yea, that's gotta be close....

But seriously folks,
I have had and continue to have many of the same feelings while restoring my 65 Delta 88. Original was single exhaust. I can't live with that having been a hot rodder all my life. Duals it is. Original did not have A.C......still thinking about this one, but leaning toward A.C. Original paint is turquoise mist........not crazy about it, but it's growing on me.
My point? It's a journey. As long as you are enjoying it, it is your journey, and while you may take a few questionable turns here and there....well that's what make's it interesting.

Also just bought a 63 Starfire. I LOVE EVERYTHING about this car!!!!
Except the paint (white) and the interior (blue)
......and so another journey begins!!

 

I love everything about mine too.. BIG....POWERFUL
A week after I got mine I found a set of NOS Foxcraft fender skirts for $50 on E-bay, what a difference they make in the looks of the car.

 

I find it so funny when people put the big sub woffers in and don't tune them right and all you hear is the trunk lid rattle. I have never been inside one, but I can't imagine that it sounds all that great with the trunk metal rattle.
Gene

 

Like many have said its your car, and I really appreciate those who put their heart and soul in a car no matter what style they do. Now the hot trend is day two cars - three years ago no one would do that. I agree you need to take into account the long term affects of what you do. I thought I'd never be the **** retentive stock moron I now am but I am with the W30, my next 442 - probably not.

I also have strong feelings about rim size - I think anything bigger than 18s on these cars just doesn't look right - I'm not sure I would even put 17" or 18" Torque Thrusts on my car but again many people do and I would never knock them for doing it - next year they just may be on my car.

I also have a very strong opinion on the radio, I see you have a convertible as do I. In all reality the only way you will hear a decent sounding radio in your car is if you make it loud enough for everyone within a block to hear it and I just think that is disrespectful. I don't mind the occasional loud stereo driving by, but it just kills me when I hear a really really loud radio - its noise pollution, I rather hear the rumble of the V8, Heck I'm getting old as I even changed the muffles on my marauder because they were too loud, all my neighbors could hear me driving off in the morning, just not cool. That being said put a nice stereo in the glove box or under the seat so you don't cut up the dash, if your door panels aren't original cut em up - they are replaceable or put in the kick panel speakers they sell. The only way to get a good sound from the back in a convertible is to cut up the sides above the arm rest, otherwise you only hear the rear speakers when the top is up if mounted in the original position. Though when I was a kid a guy in our neighborhood had a 71 Eldo with 4-way JBL speakers sitting right on the back seats

 

I think the **** retentive moron line is offensive and very uncool, name calling never got anybody anywhere. Some guys like factory stock numbers matching cars just like some guys don't, you can be an **** retentive moron about being able to modify your car too, look in the mirror Aceshigh.
You're getting to sound like a broken record and it's getting really tiring, If you want to be a one man crusader go buy a white horse, a suit of armor and a sword then go to Spain and fight windmills.

 

The irrefutable fact is, it is your car to do with whatever you want!

Why did you buy it is the question you need to ask and answer. Was it for investment, to drive and enjoy, what?


If for investment, then keep it as original as possible. Even then, the probability of getting out of it what you have put into it is not a sure thing.

If to drive and enjoy, then why deprive yourself? It is your car, your time and your money. Who gives a damn what others think/say!

 

GAWDAMIGHTY WHAT A SEXY BEAST! HUBBA-HUBBA!











What's next Aces- a ProTouring LS powered Ben Hur chariot?

 

Okay, I digress.

My signature was offensive and I've edited it to a more appropriate wording of my intent.
I'm a bit of a bull when someone comes at me head on so that's just my personality type.

If you all took offense to the original context, I apologize and happy motoring.
My intent was just to encourage others to follow their own creativity.
I've seen many bash change here openly, so mine was the voice of opposition.

It never said to follow mine.
Rocket Raider that humored me. lol

 

Glad ya enjoyed it. As I've said before, you're a worthy adversary, even if ya don't look good photoshopped in a skirt!

Said the man who is trying to decide if he has big enough cojones to wear the kilt as his Highland Scot forebears did... and if his bank account can stand it. Even cheap Scotsman skirts ain't cheap. Then time you add all the other stuff to complete it, you've dropped a couple grand- and 2 stacks can go a long way on yer old car.

 

Enjoy your car in everyway you want. I personally hate most if not all of the Foose cutomized Cars, I've seen from the show. The Low Low profile, parking lights always removed, Horrible giant Foose custom wheels, and Boom Box in the trunk crap. Also I'm no fan of the really Odd paint Jobs. With that said, I Like the Hot Rod Look best seen in the late 60's and early 70's. Thats what I stick with. So its just a personal choice. Have Fun.

 

x2

 

Stock is boring. I enjoyed my '67 for a couple of years in completely stock form but the truth is, it was getting a bit dull with the 330/glide. Great cruiser and always got good comments but I'm more in line with shows like 'Overhaulin and Hot Rod TV. I like customized/modified cars. I would not do it to a '67 442 but I would to a Cutlass.