geckonz08

My first n only Olds was a 1937 sedan .A friend n I wanted to go touring for xmas --warm time here in New Zealand at this time
A young chap --about our age at the time --needed the money to go to university. He wanted $240 for it .A bargain even 20 yrs back.
The olds was black --were they all?? and had only 6 owners .
We toured NZ for 3 months picking up american (mainly) hitchhikers --sometimes as many as 8 in the vehicle .
The favourite trick was to use the dashboard accelerator **** and swap drivers whilst still moving along the highway.-
Have some pics somewhere which I will try to locate --people all over the vehicle and taken in a town the day before the police forbad us in their district --we were evicted ,hangers on n all .
Today the vehicle is in Southwards car museum looking a picture

Longhorncutlass

Bought mine sight unseen from a guy in Ohio who I don't know (I live in Texas). Saw the car on the internet, but not on ebay. Mailed him a check and had the car transported to Houston where I saw it for the first time when the transport truck dropped it off at my house. I don't advocate buying a car this way, but I really lucked out. Car was just as nice in person as in the internet pictures!

projectheaven

I travel across the country alot so I found my cutlass while I was out of town.I was in Los Angeles and seen a ad on san francisco's craigslist.The guy didnt have a picture posted but I still was interested in it.I seen the ad on my blackberry from the airplane and called him during takeoff and told him I was flying from L.A. andI would be there in 2 hours.As soon as my wife picked me up we drove to the guys house and he had it covered up.When he pulled the cover off I knew i wanted it.I tried not to act happy but it didn't work.I gave him the $1200 that he wanted and called AAA to tow it home even though I could of drove it.The guy said it didnt run good and the tranny was bad but I still wanted it.So I got it home and put tranny fluid in it and corrected the fireing order and I was doing burnouts 1 hour later.

tndrtgr

In 1970 my dad wanted to buy my mother a new car. He really liked the look of the Toronado. We all went down to the local dealership to look at the cars. We were walking around looking at the cars when I spotted her. I immediately got my father's attention and showed him the car. He said it was nice, but we are here to get your mother a car. I told him that with this car my mom could get my sister and I to school much faster than with the Toronado. He looked at the car and then looked at my mom. She said that she liked the look of this car better than the Toronado. So we drove home in 1969 Hurst Olds that has 12,000 miles on her. I told the salesman that the Hurst Olds was going to be my car when I grew up, of course I was only 5. When I was 9 years old my dad bought a Quarter Midget for my sister and I to race. We pulled it behind the H/O. Of course it was metallic gold. When I turned 16, I started driving it to school. In 1989, the Olds Dealer had a few of the local Oldsmobile Club's cars on display to kick off Hot August Nights. My car was parked on the ramp leading into the building. I was standing in the building with a group of people when I heard one salesman talking to another saying how he sold one just like that in 1970. He said that the buyer's daughter told him that someday that car would be hers. He said he often wondered what ever became of her and that car. I leaned over and said "I told you it would be mine someday!" Boy was he surprised.

The picture attached was taken in 1989 as I was driving through Washoe Valley, Nevada. I still have her and the only time she will be sold is at my estate sale. I have done all of the Body work and Paint on the car. The engine is the 3rd one. The engine blew sometime in the early 70's and was replaced through warranty (bad oil pump). In 1990 I was driving from Elko to Reno and grenaded the engine. One rod went through the oil pan and the other ate a 4" whole into the block (Parts made a great hard luck trophy for our club).

I hope to have her back on the road in the next 2 years. -M'Lisa
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Oldsguy

All good stories. I am really liking this thread.....

JSGD1966

It was in my family since 1967. My Grandfather bought the Cutlass which was originally a rental. It had a nice options package, power top, windows, steering, brakes, tilt wheel, bucket seats, automatic on the floor, posi rear and factory a/c. The engine is the ultra high compression 330 with a single 4bbl. Soon my parents bought the car from him and had it for a few years. Costly repairs prompted them to trade it in on a Ford. My Grandfather heard this and drove straight to the dealership and bought the car back! My Grandmother then drove the car after that. I grew up appreciating the car from the back seat as a child. I remember I was never allowed to put the back windows down. When I turned 17, I worked hard making barely $5 an hour at a local restaurant washing dishes and I mowed lawns every summer for three years and bought the car from my Grandparents for $1,000. Every penny I had, but it was mine and totally worth it. I have had it ever since and have slowly been working on it. It even made a little debut in a movie, Girl, Interrupted. Not my kind of movie, but it was filmed locally and they were looking for period cars. I called them and I was in. My plans for the car have shifted many times over the years. Should I keep it original, make a resto mod or should I make it a pro touring car? I settled on just making it "mine". A combination of everything. I decided to pull the two speed auto trans and replace it with a 3 speed TH350 with a shift kit, replaced the 3.08 rear with a 3.55 and a set of Kooks headers. The 330 will stay but will be freshened up with an aluminum intake and mild cam. Other mods to come but want to keep the emphasis on reliable fun. I have taken it on the HOT ROD Power Tour with my Dad and had an absolute blast! I now am 35 with a wife and three daughters 10, 5 and 1. They all love the car and enjoy summer drives with the top down. I look forward to making another generation of memories in the Cutlass and someday will pass it along again.

Keieljun

Mine truly is my father's Oldsmobile.

Or it WAS, anyway. We knew this baby would be mine since my age was still in the single-digit range, so Dad put it in the shed for 34 years - I never knew dust could get that thick!

The interior is like the one currently selling on eBay (Item number: 320238939285), but mine's got a couple miles short of 100,000 miles. It's a driver now, but it's completely restorable. The few things that need to be replaced in a frame-off I already have in my personal warehouse for when that day comes.

dynamic88371

well my dad had one in high school his was a 4 door hard top and would tell use about it so i got online and found a same as his but it was a 2 door for $1500 so i sold my dad on it and we drove to a town close to chicago in a weekend got it back to houston and by the time x-mas got close i had it running good but really it needs a frame off restoration done to it but now i dont know id really like to keep it but i dont have the time for it and the body need a lot of work rust but not to bad i think but i just came across another 60 olds that was really nice and it has renewed my intrest in it but i want to put a lot more hp then what my 371 has in it now and i want to swap out the 2 speed auto for a 6 speed man and make it a sleeper so my cuz is helping me with a 455 he knows a guy that wants to get rid of his 455 and i think i can get it for free he said its out of a hurst olds so i dont know what i want to do just that i want to do it now so any help i could get i could really use right now

nohn

I owned a 69 Cutlass back in 1994 that cost me only $400.00. I was young back then so I didn’t know what I had at the time. That car was sitting in a driveway covered in dirt and spider webs, it was so dirty you couldn’t see through the windows. I had it for a good 7 and it ran like a champ. It had a few things that needed to be fixed like the right quarter panel and the smell of gas that filled the car when it was running. I got pass the gas smell by lighting incense while I was driving. Yes really dumb but I remember I was young and fresh out of high school. I didn’t know anything fixing cars so that is how I fixed the bad smell. Any way I sold the car to a friend and he took better care of it then I did and that was the end of that car.

Now this is my second time around with one of the best but underrated cars in the world. Now I am a proud owned or a 69 Cutlass Supreme. My wife and I looked in the all the old car news adds we could possibly find. We looked at a 69 Cutlass convertible, but the seller was asking $17,000. The car was in great condition and needed very little work. I wasn’t happy with the price and it had too much new stuff on it. I wanted to be able to work on the Cutlass that I get, so it will have my blood, sweat, and hard earned money in it.

So after I returned for a 6 month deployment I was on the hunt again. I checked on EBay, news paper, and Diablo dealers and no luck. A friend told me about Craig’s List and that is where I found my lady. I called the seller and asked all the questions and it sounded like a great deal. The car was in Sacramento, CA. and I was living in San Diego, CA. which is about an 8 hour drive. I talked to the Boss (my wife who is stationed in Naples It.), emailed her the pictures that were posted online. She gave me that ok, I called the seller and he said a guy was coming by to look at it in an hour and if the guy doesn’t by it he will call me. He called me a hour later and I told him I will be on a plain on Friday. That was going to be 3 days after out phone call. He asked for a deposit which was fine with me so I put it in his bank account.

I flew to Sacramento and stayed at a friend’s house and the next morning I bought the car for $5,700 and drove her back to San Diego. The only problems I ran into on the way home was my IPod and cell phone batteries died on me. Thank God the car drove like a champ. Now we I have the car here in Naples, It. I have been here for over a year and I am proud to say 75% of my project is done. My car is currently at an interior shop getting new Italian leather seats, carpet, and door panels. When it is finished I will post before and after pic’s of the interior work.

Aussie67Delta88Custom

My girlfriend and I are into 60's Aussie GM (Holden) cars and are the founders of our States HD HR Holden Club ( if you wonder what they look like go and have a look at www.hdhrholden.com ).

About 2 years ago we had a 65 sedan, 66 wagon (modified), my girlfriends 67 Sedan ( only done 31,400ish miles & has 53 trophies to its name ) and my 68 sedan (sports 186ci motor with GMH's first 4speed on the floor !) project... when we were coming home from a Club run one day I said to her "I'm going to sell them all" ( all but hers that is ). She thought I had lost my mind.

That week I listed the 65 on Ebay and 7 days into the auction my father calls me and said that he'd had a look a cool cruiser that day in a neighbouring town ... Lochsport.

I asked what it was and he said it was a 67 Oldsmobile. Then he said the magic words - pillarless - 4 door - Big Block - right hand drive converted ... and I was interested !

No, I didn't really know Oldsmobile as a brand, but a couple of weeks later a couple of mates and I went for a look.
The idiot son of the previous owner had rolled the Olds out of the garage and into the carport so that he could store his 2 damaged Datsun rally cars in the garage ... the carport was about 200 yards from the beach !
My father said it was for sale from a deceased estate and that the seller was pretty dumb about the whole thing so he thought we might get it for a steal ... maybe $4000.

A couple of days after we saw it I sold my GMH 65 and had the $4000 so I called him and asked him to make it happen. Unfortunately someone had got in the seller ear about how rare these cars must be in Australia and so he called me back to say the bloke wanted $5800 now !

I asked for the sellers phone number and called him up... after telling him what a great household his fathers treasured Olds would be going to he agreed to sell it for $5500 in 3 weeks time.

3 weeks later I had organised a long backed tilt tray tow truck to fetch the Olds and went with him to pick it up ... 2.5 hours each way... cost me $450 cash but it was worth it.

I have had my 67 Delta 88 custom about 18 months now, with it leaving for a workshop last November and I cannot wait to get it back on the road with its new 455, auto, LPG only fuel system, & new paint and chrome.

I have joined the Oldsmobile Club of Australia but have found them to be more into the pre-50's vehicles so I created www.oldsmobilesdownunder.com and have found many 60's Olds enthusiasts online and on Ebay.

My Olds' progress can be seen at - http://groups.msn.com/MyAussie67Olds88

enough from me for now

Oldsguy

Gary,
I like that engine! No alternator, no power steering, no A/C. Looks cool with that little belt from crank to water pump. I realize that is just a Dyno set up but still I love it. It really shows off the engine for what it is. Too bad they can't shine like that when they get in the engine bay of the vehicle.

Aussie67Delta88Custom

Dan,
Yes it was an interesting visit... but I like the look of it now it's painted better .
Thanks for checking it out.

pontchief

I found mine for sale at the HAMB, but he wouldn't sell it out of USA

Later he put it on eBay and when it was 24 hours left, he mailed me, that I could bid on it.

I bought it for 7500$, the price at the HAMB was 10 000$

This car will be finished next year.

Picture from eBay



Transportation from Columbus Ohio, shipped out from NJ.



Transportation from Oslo Norway's capitol to North Norway.600 miles




Today

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esisson

When I started this thread I had no idea that there would be this much enthusiasm from classic Oldsmobiles owners and fans. I just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to share their own personal stories. You guys and gals rock! I've really enjoyed reading each one.

Without a doubt, I've learned from you all that fixing up an old car has nothing to do with how much $$$ is spent, but that the rewards of aquiring/restoring/owning/driving a classic Olds far outweight the challenges that one experiences during the restoration process. Damn I'm getting philosophical!!!

Again, Thanks for all the stories keep em coming!!!

real442

I found my 68 442 convertible by accident. I was talking with a guy that was doing some work for my parents and we started talking cars. He told me he had a car he needed to sell and I asked him what it was. He told me I figured there was no way I could afford it untill he told me he wanted $1300. for it. I looked at it that night. It was a 68 442 convertible 4speed, power steering, 12 bolt posi rear, power top, power antenna with 74k on it. It was never apart and never repainted. He had the protect-o-plate, window sticker, and manual with the original owners info in it. His uncle bought it new and sold it to his brother in the 80's who gave it to his son in 93 who sold it to me. I bought it for $1000.00

Modern Motoring

Craigslist, I looked at a 63 88 convertible down in Stockton. It was clean and original, but didn't run worth a crap, it would go about 50 to 200 feet and sputter out. It was priced a bit high @ 13.5k since it didn't run and I would have to tow it home.
A week later I found Marge, my 63 98 convertible. She was up in Minden Nevada. She was topless at the time, ran OK, but the steering was shot. The owner wanted 10k and I offered 8.5 and he took it! Filled up the tank with gas and back down to Sacramento she went !

Oldsguy

pontchief, how do you like the big engine in that older car? Just wondering.

Redog

Well I'm reading all these stories and I have to expand mine now.

Went to Vegas in 1999 for a week with the wife (ex wife now) and I had a rental, a 1999 Oldsmobile Alero. I loved the car, I thought I was driving a V6 all week. We took that car to the western ridge of the Grand Canyon, Death Valley National Park, My Zion National park, and of coruse the Hover Dam. I just wanted to drive the car.

After our week in Vegas and 1000 miles on the rental, I poped the hood and to my disbeliefe, I was looking at a 2.4 twin cam 4 cyl motor This little 4 banger had more ***** than my 3800 Cougar 6 months later, the Cougar's 2nd motor deceied to die with only 65,000 miles so I went car shopping.

The Alero was on the list, esp after I found out they offered a 3.4 liter V6 motor. Test drove the car, and almost didn't buy it. Loaded the car was $22,980 and I didn't want to pay $450+ a month for the car. I tried to walk out of the dealership and they stopped me and asked if I'd take the car if they got the price down. Well they did.

The Alero's story is fast forwarded to 2005. I'm getting more into drag racing now and the stall launches at 2500 RPM's didn't do the tranny very well. I blew the weak 4t45 tranny on a launch, but all the car did was slip. I finished out the day and drove the car the rest of the week. Friday of that week the car started slipping and missing gears a bit and a huge puddle of a thin clear liquid was under the car everyday. This was due to the 6" x 2" hole that was blown out of the driver's side axle housing. $2000 and a week later, the car's back on the road.

My mech told me to buy another car for racing and not to race this car all the time anymore. Look for a "framed" car, because of the strenght it will have for more power. I was looking all over the place. My wife suggested buying an Olds for this. I was looking for a "G" body car, but not neccessaryly an Olds.

I drove all the way up to the New Jersey sticks to look at a 1988 4 door Cultass and was only in OK shape, but ran pretty good. It was on eBay and the guy wanted $800. I told him I'd bid on the car, I did, and the bidding when over the $1000 I wanted to pay. I found the Delta on eBay, with a fresh paint job, but not insured or reg'ed for a year or 2. The guy was still driving it around. He wanted about $1600 of the car. I haggeled a bit but I really wanted the car. I got it for $1450 and he took it off eBay after I sent him the money. He had over 20 watchers, but he told my wife when we picked it up in Lodi, NJ that he was willing to sell the car to me since I took the time to come up and look at it and test drive it, and he knew the car was going to a good home.

I then got the bad news with the Delta It needed a center link, rear wheel cyl, 2 front tires, and something else to pass inspection in PA and I was told that since the title was a New York State transfer, it needed to pass emissions in PA and could not be exempted. After $800 for inspection, and an exemption form My pissed off wife drove me down to pick the car up. It hasn't needed anything for the past 2 inspections, and in Jan 09 it will probably just need rear brakes and rear tires.

My mech helper hated the Delta, it was down there a lot to fix little things that were wrong, so he decided to only put in 2 quarts of oil after replacing the manifold. I didn't know that was why the oil light kept comming on, I thought it was the oil pump. After changing the oil, the motor blew a few weeks later. 6 months pass, while paying for a wedding, trying to find and build a 350 Olds to drop in the car. Got lucky and found one that didn't need a rebuild right away with a 400 tranny (which is being rebuilt right now)

The Alero will be getting a new bottom end from GM in a few years with a set of "stage 1" heads (milled .020 for 10.1:1 CR, 3 angle valve job, LS1 springs, Virton seats, gasket matching on the intake side) and a cam, haven't decided on stage 1 or stage 2 yet, probably a stage 1, stage 2's lift is .556/.560

I love them both the same. I hope my new mech will let me do some of the work on the Alero's new engine like my old mech let my do the work on the Delta's 350. It was a PIA, but a good learning experience and fun at the same time

garyboehm

This story is so sad that I almost hate to share it...almost. My wife and I ordered a 69 442 and took delivery in the fall if 1969. We enjoyed the car for two years, until kids and a shrinking budget caused me to trade it in on something more...ah...family oriented. It was a 4 speed, factory air, 8-track Meadow Green over Gold (which must have been special order - according to the books I have now, Meadow Green over Gold wasn't possible).

In 1999 I started to look for a 69 442. All I could find were finished cars that I couldn't afford, rust buckets, or non-factory air cars. In 2001 a new co-worker told me of a guy that had a bunch of 'Cutlasses or something' not far away. My wife and I drove all over that area, but couldn't find anything. The co-worker finally got his number and I called him on a Friday afternoon. I told him I was looking for a 69 442, factory air project car. He said he was looking at one right in front of his shop. I said, no you don't understand, a 69 442 factory air project car. He said, right, it's in front of me. I told him I'd be there in an hour. My wife and I met him, and we bought the car. It had a 455, auto tranny, interior was shot, but the body looked good, only one rusted out section on the left rear quarter. He and his wife were in the business of rebuilding cars, and we struck up a deal. He would make this car into a driver, new interior, & paint. Then I made a fatal mistake, over the next two months, I paid him 100%. They were about our age (old enought to know better) and I thought I could trust him.

Two years later, he had not touched the car, it still sat in front of his shop. I had since gotten the title, and found out that I was the official second owner of a Texas car! Neither he, nor the young man that bought it from the original owner had changed the title, so I'm second.

Then I made my second fatal mistake. I told him that I wanted to take the car to the Woodward avenue show that was coming up in several months. He said he wouldn't let me. LET ME! HUH? Then he said not unless we did a frame off restoration. I asked him what that would add to the price, and he said $800, and add two weeks. TWO WEEKS??? Anyway, I thought it might push him, so I said do it. In about 1 month I drove by and he had taken the body off the frame, sat it on rims, and I couldn't find the frame. After several months, (forget Woodward) I asked him about my frame. He said it was in a frame shop, I asked which one, and he said he wouldn't tell me, because I might cause trouble. (Yup, he got that right!). After about another year, I decided it was time to pull the plug. I contacted a lawyer, and was advised I was wasting my time. The guy probably didn't own anything. I'm sure all the cars in his yard were owned by someone else.

The lawyer sent him a letter, but it didn't do any good. So I contacted the Sheriff, and was told it I wanted to 'take' my property, I'd have to do it when he wasn't there. So, I gathered up all my male kin, 9 of us, and we loaded my body on a trailer. When we got there, there was a rolling frame sitting next to my car. My nephew said, 'Isn't that your frame?'. I don't think so, I said. He said 'I think it is'. I said, maybe it is! So we took it too.

The next morning, the guy called me, calling me every name that's unprintable. I told him I'd swap frames.

After several days dealing witht the Sheriff to make sure the swap happened, I took his frame and swapped for my frame. He gave me my front fenders that day. I asked him for the rest of my parts, but he refused.

So for the past 2 years I have been slowly replacing the parts, and licking my wounds over the money I lost.

The frame has been powder coated and is now being re-assembled. The body work is almost done. In about a month I'll have the body on the frame, then I'll start on the interior. I bought a 400 engine a year ago, and it has been rebuilt and painted and I found a rebuilt M22 4 speed.

When this car is done, I'll have more money and emotional energy in it than anyone in their right mind would do. But I'm determined to drive this 442 one day and spit in the eye of that thief!

cutlassinvt

i found my cutlass sadly sinking past the hubs out behind an old barb/junkpile/garage, you know the kind of place. it was 5 or 6 miles from the nearest paved road. long story short, i ended up buying it and a battery, few gallons of gas and a set tires and rims borrowed of my buddies monte carlo drove the beast home. i puttered with and drove for about two years and sold it to my best friend, just recently i bought it back from him with a new motor/trans from a 70 covertable that some retard had broke in half playing in a field. shes been a daily driver from day 1

Jolly Green

Wow, Gary, that sucks bigtime. I probably would have ended up in jail. I have a low tolerance for thieves. You got some patience. This is a good lesson for us inexperienced guys.

66 Olznut

Back in 1999, I was working at a local tow yard, and we just lost a contract so the boss transferred me to another local co. A few weeks later, he calls me up and tells me he has a car in the yard that I would be interested in. Sure Dave, last time you said that it was a 1970s-sumthin land yacht. So I decide to go check it out, and there it was, sitting on the auction line, a '66 Olds F-85 442. Original Cali car, still has the black n yellow plates with frames from "Century Olds Van Nuys" on it. Has a Cutlass front clip. No motor, half an interior. But the body is straight as an arrow, the only rust is at the bottom of the front and rear windows. Auction day came, the bidding was hot with all the junk yard and scrap metal buyers there. He bid on it for me, made it to $320. It got saved, he then calls me to come get the car, then to my shock, he just hands me the paperwork on the car and tells me it's mine for helping him out throughout the years! So yes, I got a free 442. It's now in the body shop getting painted. In Jan, I found a '66 400 short block from ebay and got it for $330, and it was only 2 hours away! Just had it checked by my motor guy and it's good so we're going ahead with the rebuild on it. I'm going for a modern cruiser. It's gonna look stock for the most part but with some modern goodies to keep it fun, comfy, and reliable.

wj67442

I found my 442 thru a friend who told me there was a 1967 442 sitting in a barn out in Long Island, NY and its been there wrapped up since 1970 when the guy who owned the 442 moved to England and stayed there..his brother had the car..i took a ride out there and did i luck out, it was a matching numbers 67 442 post coupe, the 442 was in good shape, no rust or dents...the paint was faded and the rubber dry rotted..and the car needed work..the engine only had 48,000 miles and the guy gave me all the original paper work ( bill of sale, built sheet, window sticker, and warranty book )..since i always been a 442 guy ( i had a 66 442, 68 442. 70 W-30, and my wife had a 71 442 ) putting this 442 back together was no problem..today my 442 is classified as a number 1 car, the 442 looks today just like it came from the factory in 67..

#1CutlassSupreme

I was working as a bank teller and there was this older customer that used to come in and occasionally drive his 72' Cutlass Supreme. He was one of those guys that didn't flash or spend his money and he was such a penny pincher that he even cash $0.23 rebate checks from his meds.

The first time I saw my Cutlass was in 2000 and I fell in love with it the moment I laid eyes on it. I asked the old guy to sell it to me numerous times and he refused. He was the second owner and only took the car out on the occasional weekend. (He had it for 15 years and only put 50,000 miles on it.)

In 2005, I got a new job and was leaving the bank and the day after I quit he showed up at the bank asking for me. The manager called me and told said that a guy came into the branch looking to sell me his car. I got his number and met up with him the next day.

He said was fed up with high gas prices ($2.19) and didn't want to spend the money on the gas anymore. He said he was selling it for $5,000 Firm and I told him that I only had $4,000. He was reluctant to sell, but I reminded him about how many times I asked him about that car and he finally caved. He made me promise to take good care of it though before he would release his kung-fu grip of the keys.

well...16K later in restoration costs...I guess you could say I've taken pretty good care of it...(Took care of my kids' college fund too.)

oldscsc

Found it in an ad on Autotrader in Maryland. Long story short (really long story) drove from Kansas and brought it back.

The_Jeremiah

I have to say, you guys have some pretty amazing stories, especially tndrtgr. Thats pretty much the story we all wish came true for us. In my own personal experience, it seems the faster i said i was gonna drive something when i got older, the faster the car was sold to someone else.

rhurstolds74

Back in 1974 my parents bought a new 1974 Cutlass supreme DBSX region edition car. It was wedgewood blue with a white landau top. The interior was white, and had the swivel buckets. I immediately fell in love with that car, and apparently never got over it. Unfortunately, time was not kind, and we sold her in the 80s'. In 1985 I was scanning the local Auto Trader and saw an ad for a 74 Hurst/Olds. I won't tell you about the condition, except to say I overpaid when I gave him $600. As soon as I got it home, I started working on it.... for about 15 years. One of the first things I did upon getting it was to pick up a Hemmings, find out about the H/O club of America and join. Since then, I've been to every H/O nationals since '95 and have driven the car to Lansing, MI., Norwalk, OH., and Joliet, IL. I plan on driving her to Arizona next month for this years show.

In '92 my then wife and I bought a new Cutlass Supreme International. She wanted that model as it had the 4 bucket seat interior, and we had only seen it in the catalog. There were 2 in Florida, one was used, and selling for full price, the other was 100 miles away. We bought it sight unseen. We had that car until we divorced, sold it, and I found it in a junkyard about 5 years later.

Next I found a 1988 Supreme classic with 21K miles in 2000 in a used car lot when I stopped to look at a beat up El Camino SS on a whim. Real nice car, ( the Cutlass)but had senior citizen dings on the sides. I still have her.

I then found a 1987 442 with a blown engine going to a A/C supplier for parts. I looked at it for a month befoe I stopped. Totally complete, with t-tops, I bought the car for $260. I still have her, and will be starting on it eventually.

One Saturday, I drove to Hollywood on the heresay that there was another H/O like mine in South Florida. Never found it, but on the way home I did find a '75 Cutlass salon with a perfect interior. Original paint, and moderate rust, it's waiting its turn patiently.

In '05 a year after Olds shut down the last of its production lines, the Alero, I saw an Ebay ad from a dealer in Ohio selling a final 500 Alero. Since I had emiled GM saying I would never buy another car from them, I saw a loophole. After talking with the salesman, I decided I needed a new car for trips, and though I missed out on that car, I did get #408 in the final 500 series, The 92nd to last Olds to ever be made. I bought it sight unseen and first saw it at 1 A.M. when the transporter delivered it to me.

Lastly, like I needed it, there is the '73 Hurst/Olds that I am currently spending most of my time on. I found it in Orlando and bought it on the basis that with under 1,000 made, I couldn't let it get parted out as it was going to be. Someone took most of the paint off with a grinding stone, and there were more body issues to contend with. It was back-halfed AND had a 1/4 panel replacement in it's past. Fortunately I found a beautiful parts car and the body is now awaiting paint. The frame is perfect, and has been restored along with the front end, rear axle assembly and brakes. It is new, and waiting to be reunited with the body as soon as I find a competent painter. By the time I am done, it should look almost new, God willing.

So there you have it, my winning Olds poker hand. A 73, 74 and 75 Cutlasses and my 87 and 88 Cutlasses. I guess that makes the Alero my throwaway card.

edj1993

I saw this nice'63 Super 88 coupe on e-bay and of course did not bid on it cause it was 800 miles away. It didnt meet reserve so I started talking to the dealer who had it. Some guy had traded it in on a new truck and the dealer didnt want to mess with it. After many pictures sent and phone calls, I made the trip from Indiana to Gulfport,MS with my brother in his suburban. After driving the car, I bought it and we brought it home on a uj-haul trailer. I have wanted a '63 cause that is what my grandmother had when I was a teenager and I fell in love with her 4-dr hardtop= I blew the doors off of lots of my buddies cars with that thing when I was 17.
The car was restored a few years back and is beautiful green with a white top. The car could be driven anywhere and runs great. I am concerned about finding parts though. Anyone else out there have a ;63 ??

344870M

It's November of 1981 and my Dad is bugging me again about this Olds that is for sale. I am 20 years old and already have a '66 Starfire. Anyways the car has been sitting on this lot since the beginning of the summer and it was priced at $5000. My Dad (who I think wanted the car more than I did) kept an eye on it and on this day told me that the car was finally down to $3695. He knew this because the price was always written in shoe polish on the windshield.

He talked me into going out and looking at it. It was cold and dreary that day. We pulled onto the lot and there it was. A 1970 W-30. She was dark blue with black stripes and a black vinyl top. "RAM AIR 3695" was written across the passenger side windshield. We looked inside and it was a 4 speed. GREAT! I've never driven a stick, why would I want this car? I knew everything there was to know about '66 Starfires and just enough about other Oldsmobiles to be ignorant. I knew W-30 meant performance option but how "performance" I had no idea.

My dad told the dealer we needed to take it for a drive. The dealer (an untrusting fellow) had to accompany us on the ride. Up the road from the dealership was a stretch of highway just over a 1/4 mile in an uphill grade. It had become an unofficial drag strip of sorts. My Dad (a nut) took the car down the road, stopped at the light, then slowly turned right, onto the highway. I was in the back and the dealer was in the passenger seat. Dad brought the car to a complete stop....and just stood on it! I had neverheard gears "slam" before but slam they did. And between those slams the dealer was yelling at my Dad "You break it, you bought it!" "You break it, you bought it!". Meanwhile I'm in the backseat wondering just how friggin crazy my Dad was. By the time we got to the top of the hill my dad had wound her through all 4 gears and was slowing her down. We turned around and headed back to dealership.

My Dad talked to the dealer for a while, asked me what I thought, and he told the dealer to inspect, repair whatever was needed, and we'd give him $2500 cash today. I think the dealer was afraid Dad might come back and take him for another test drive because he agreed.

I followed Dad home. Him in "my" car and me in his truck. When we came to an underpass my Dad stood on it again just lighting the tires up. What a sweet echo.

I didn't notice how fast we were going on that test drive but my Dad did. He said we just hit 107 before he backed out of it. He said if you're gonna buy a car like that, it had better run. I eventually learned how to drive a stick and I remember the first time I jumped on her. It is scary quick in it's response. My Dad; who is not an Olds guys but a car guy, did not know what a W-30 was either, but by the time that day was over we both did.

EKi

I spent about 2 years looking for a car that would fit in my budget. As my budget grew over the years (to about $4500) the amount of good cars grew also. One day I was looking for cars on craigslist when I saw a 1967 Delta 88 Custom for sale in New Hampshire (I live in Maine) for $4000. I immediately knew I had to have this car. The ad was four days old so I called right away, the guy was nice, but said he had just sold it. All was lost, I was sure I would never find a Delta 88 like that anywhere for that price and that close.

Two months later I was still looking for a car scanning eBay for oldsmobiles (still thinking of that Delta 88 custom that got away), when I noticed an ad for a similar 1967 Delta 88 Custom. Reading further, it said it was in New Hampshire! I read the description and looked at the pics and became more and more confident that this was the same car as on craigslist. I emailed the seller and tried to get him to sell it outright so I could inspect it first, but he said he wanted to sell it on eBay. I thought about it for days, as it was my first car (I'm 20) and it was a lot of money for me. Finally I placed a bid taking a bit of a gamble as I had only pictures to go on. Lucky enough I won the auction and the car was mine for $3900.

Me and my grandfather went to get the car in February and there was 4 feet of snow on the ground. When we got to the guys house he had six old cars lined up in his yard and a couple in his garage. He said he had a ton of spare parts from another olds that would go with the car (the trunk was loaded) The car started right up even though it was 20F and that gave me confidence it would make the 150 mile drive home. It turned out to be the best three hour drive of my life with a constant smile on my face.

The car has a 330cid engine that the original owner had replaced in 1971, I suspect it has been rebuilt since then. Options include: A/C, AM/FM Radio, Power Antenna.....

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Got to love that rear bumper.

Cutlass&Co

Haveing waited twenty years to buy my fist American Muscle Car (1970 Dodge Coronet 500) in 2005, being in a good position finacialy it was time to buy another.
Having the wife on side also helped.
I have only ever love the Chrysler product, but this time it was time to go off on a tangent.I wanted somthing other than a Ford or Chevy.
I found a 1972 Cutlass S in California on Ebay, contacted the owner and won it at the reserve price.
Thanks to U.S customs after a 6 month wait it will be here next month.
I have a new 74' 455 and TH400 in the garage ready for it.
The wife tells me I have been more nervous and excited about the Cutlass arriving than the Dodge, I think she's right!
I really feel the Cutlass will shatter my core belief in Mopars.

344870M

Here are some pics of the cars.

Jamesbo

I bought my first 69 Cutlas convertible in 1973 for $3,000 from a car dealer whose wife had driven it. It was a great car until my wife totalled it.

Later, I saw a 69 442 convetible and bought it for $2,600 from a friend of mines Granddfather who had purchasered the car new from Mitchell Motors here in Atlanta for $4,363. My friends grandfather bought the car for my friend's aunt who drove it through High School. Then my friend and his FOUR BROTHERS DROVE IT THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL and admit to doing everything possible to destroy it. [Like backing down hills in Reverse and dumping it into forward to lay rubber for a few miles]

I dove it to and from work for 60 miles for10 years. Then let me nephews drive it through High School.

Are we counting that's 6 High School boys driving one 69 442 convertible.

When I restored it, I redid everything but the back seat. I thought it should be preserved as a "shrine"

I still have it with #matching engine that really has had very little done to it but water pumps etc.

They are just really GREAT cars.So I just keep buying them.

p.s. My wife's Jag Xj8 vanden plas needs a new fuel line at 60k miles and it's a POS but "she who must be obeyed" etc,etc.

74omega

My family are die hard hot-rodders, my dad a Chevy/pontiac man, my uncle a die hard know it all Pontiac man, my brother a super die hard know-it all Ford/pontiac man.

I was the outcast and was a IMPORT MAN!! owner of Nor-Cals cleanest 1G crx, and owner of rare, beloved #750/2000 Galant vr4.. All I ever owned were DSM's or Honda's..

I ended up selling the Galant vr4 and was FED up with smog tests. I wanted something I could make FAST and not worry about cops/smog. I took my $3000 budget and hammered craigslist.. My criteria was V-8, A/C a plus, minimal if no rust, and a complete possibly unmolested car. I quickly found out $3000 does not get you much of a 75' and under muscle car..

After about a week of looking at rust buckets and blatantly mis-represented cars such as nova's,firebirds, grand prix's, I about gave up..

I checked my local Craigslist one more time, then BAM an ad that was titled "44,000 original miles" caught my eye I checked it out and here I see a 1974 Omega v-8,a/c.. runs great 44,000 original miles $2800 OBO. I go to check it out and was SUPER happy with someone who was finally honest about their car. It met all my criteria and more, being a bucket seats, center console car. I bought it for $2200. I am the third owner the second owner owned it for 3 months. The original owner traded it in at a used auto place for his grandkid to get a Honda civic becuse he did not want the omega with current gas prices! The guy I bought it from bought it from the dealer, put duals/edlebrock carb, gauges on it, then got a DUI, Lost his job due to the DUI and needed quick cash.

I WIN!!! In the week and a half I owned this car I love it..My buddy owns a muffler shop and I had the full exhaust redone out the back with nice chrome tips (instead of dumped before axles). lots more to come.. I still own my MINT 1G crx though..

ABob

Im quite excited. I will be receiving my first Olds soon. It is a graduation present. Unfortunately my Great-grandmother it getting to that age when she can no longer re-new her license. So I will be receiving her 1976 Olds Cutlass Supreme. It was originally owned by my uncle "Cork" who bought it new. when he got tired of it my great grandmother got it for some reason.

It's been garaged since the day it was bought and has been only lightly driven. 69000 original miles. w00t! Im hoping to have it look as nice as some of your guys' rides. Heh, you'll have to excuse the lingo, I've been a ricer for quite some time.

But the plans for the Cutlass are restomod in nature

Oldsguy

Good deal ABob! congratulations to your acquisition and your graduation as well.

FATRATMATT

I never intended on buying my Oldsmobile the day I seen it. I was out just killing time and drove by a used car lot on US 1. The road had been under construction for about 6 months and was very hard to reach the businesses on the other side. They had a sign out that said to come in and look around. As I drove across 3 lanes of gravel and dirt I noticed it sitting in the front row on the end. I thought it was a Delta 88. I looked this car over for about 20 mins ( remember I was killing time) when the salesman walked up. He said he was sorry but he was the only salesman working that day. I asked him how much they were asking for the Delta 88 and he said that they didn't have a Delta 88 on the lot but they did have a Delmont 88 for sale. Up until this time I didn't know what a Delmont 88 was. I had never even heard of a Delmont. Anyway we went about the business of talking car, how it only had 56000 miles on it , and that it belonged to an older man who didnt drive anymore, ect ect ect. He then handed me the keys to the car. Looking at the keys it came to me that these were original keys,hmm maybe he was telling the truth about the older man who owned the car. I sat in the drivers seat for about 2 mins taking in that old car smell when I pumped the pedal 2 times and turned the key. It fired and ran at a high rpm right off the bat. After about 30 seconds I kicked it down and it ran just as smooth as ice. He said take it for a spin. My buddy lived around the corner so I took it over to his house to get his feedback on the car. He said the same thing "Whats a Delmont 88?" Thats 2 people who have never heard of a Delmont. Looking in the glove box of the car I came across a receipt for the tires which were on the car. The receipt said the tires were 5 years old and had only 3100 miles on them. Hmm maybe he wasn't kidding about the older man not driving it much. As i drove it back to the car lot I noticed that this car didn't smoke, didn't pull, didn't squeak, didn't rattle, it just drove staight down the road. Everything on this car worked windshield wiper, windshield washer, vacuume air vents, dome lights, cig lighter, everything. I took the car back to the car lot and made up a story about how I had to get to the Doctors office for a check up and that I would be back later. The first thing I did was run home and looked up a Delmont 88 on the internet. I couldn't find much on it except that it was only a 2 year run and that the front of the 67 and 68 are not the same and that Ted Kennedy ran a 67 off a bridge in 69. Wow a car with a little history. So I'm back in the truck headin back to the car lot with check book in hand. I paided a little more than I should have, (Under low retail at NADA) at least, but came away with a real head turning car, that will drive anywhere. I've only seen 1 other 2 door hardtop and it was in the junk yard. I've seen them on line for sale from time to time but not on the streets. I love that old car to death and someday will be an old man selling it myself.

442much

I picked up my Olds on March 22, 1979. It was the first car I ever bought without my dad. I had driven out to Calgary from Montreal for a vacation, met a girl and suddenly Alberta is my new home.

I was reading the Calgary Herald and saw an ad for an Olds 442. I thought I'd check it out. I went to see the car and loved it. Blue and silver outside and white inside. This car was loaded too. Years later I'd find out she was one of 143 made with the 455. One of six imported to Canada.

I asked the owner what he was asking for the car. He said $5000. I used all my negotiating skill that I'd learned up to that time. I looked at him slyly and said "OK".

Went to the bank and asked for my first ever loan. I was making $4.25/hr so I was really pulling in the dough. Guess what, the Bank of Montreal gave me the loan! $170/mo for three years. The car was mine.

http://v8cars.hu/73-77cutlassregistr...=4664fd557339a

March 22, 1979 (day 1)

car1979.jpg

In April 1979 I packed the car and headed to Montreal to show my dad and friends the great car I bought. I drove straight, only stopping for gas. I did the 2,236 miles from Calgary to Montreal in 36 hours.

The last cross country drive with the 442 was to Lansing, MI. where Oldsmobile picked my car to represent the year 1976 in the Oldsmobile Centennial Parade.

This car brought me to my marriage and brought my three sons home from the hospital and has an honoured spot in my garage

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viper771

Hey guys, i just came across this thread. Well I have a little bit of GTO in my story as well as my 422. Before my wife and I moved to germany for her 4 yr tour, we visted her family in Ohio. I was never into muscle cars (i have a 56 chevy) but her dad was/is into GTOs. He had a nice driving 69 GTO convertible, which is to be my wife's one day. She let me drive it, and I was totally hooked. We moved to germany, and about 5 mths later, I bought a rusty 68 GTO convertible project... that needs quite a bit of work. So fast forward about another 6 mths.. I kept buying parts off ebay while in germany, sending them to my sister in law. The guy I was buying parts off of had a lot of olds stuff, and olds cars he was selling. I left my 01 nissan truck behind in the states trying to sell it while we were in germany. This dude said he had a 442 he was willing to sell, after I turned down a 68 Cutlass S convertible project (I figured the GTO was more than enough to work on). I told him, it HAD to be a 442. So we struck up a deal... he had a 68 442 hardtop that was in good shape. Paint looked good, had a 455 in it, but interior was pretty much taken out. He would include all parts needed to make it a great driver. So he would take my truck plus a bit of cash, and my father in law would do the swap for me. He picked it up, and took it home.

About a year later, I got to see the car for the first time. It was A LOT BETTER than I expected it to be. Straight body, only rust was a tiny tiny hole under the rear part of the drip rail, and a rust spot on top of front bumper. I had a mountain of parts with it, and really did look good. I started it up, and it ran pretty good, even though it was sitting for awhile. What really sucks is that I only got to see the car about 3 times before we headed back to Germany So in a few mths, we will be back in the states, and I will be able to drive the 442 around FINALLY!! I was very happy with the trade and I love 442s!! I was kind of iffy at first, getting a car sight unseen, but it was prob the best move I ever made on a car.

By the way, the GTO project is pretty much what i expected.. but I had everything ready for it (new body, frame, rebuilt engine/tranny) for it to be drivable soon. Until then I can fix up the 442 and put the interior back in.

Oldsguy

Pretty good story and nice looking car! Why is the engine orange?