When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Yet another (or is it again?) 1969 "W-32" with A/C...
Note that the ad never actually calls this a W-32 car, only that it has "W-32 options". Of course, it has incorrect intake, stripes, hoses, wheels, electric fans, etc, etc. For that matter, note the voltage regulator on the firewall.
But wait - he has "documentation that can be looked up from the VIN". Oh, well then.
Few weeks back, I mentioned to a Chevrolet bud that muscle-era Chevy-world was full of unscrupulous people. Looks like it's filtering over into Olds/Buick now.
No kidding. I missed the washer tank location also. The O.A.I. hose routing is about as convoluted as can be. The car allegedly has a 34467 VIN but there are too many issues to take that at face value. Of course, it's had a total body-off, so who knows what they started with.
Its not just the 442 spacing that is appalling, the routing of heater hoses is nothing sort of an abomination. I think one of the first things these "restorers/creators" is to throw away the special bracket at the A/C compressor that routes the hose to the water pump. Why do they have to route the hoses all over the engine compartment and then call it a beautiful restoration?
Few weeks back, I mentioned to a Chevrolet bud that muscle-era Chevy-world was full of unscrupulous people. Looks like it's filtering over into Olds/Buick now.
Well Diego- it never seemed to be as bad as in the last few years. There have been bogus Chevrolets since the cars were on the showroom floor- there was a running joke that there were more 1967 Z28 in this town than the factory built, and a lot of people had Z28 emblems installed before the car left the dealer. SS396 Z28? Sure, I bought one brand new! those emblems were on the car when it left the dealer! And by rights, they were.
At least up till now most of what you saw in Olds & Buick world were faked W30/W31 and Stage 1. It's spilling over into the more mundane 442/GS now.
I know a W-30 that was faked 20 years ago. Today we're much more savvy with more info, but I'm sure these things were going on. If there's money to be made, it will happen.
At least up till now most of what you saw in Olds & Buick world were faked W30/W31 and Stage 1. It's spilling over into the more mundane 442/GS now.
I'm with Diego on this one. This isn't the first 1969 "W-32" with A/C that we've discussed here. Then there's the notorious 1964 Faux-Four-Two "pilot car" that's been around for a few years now. 442 clones have been on the market for the last couple of decades. If there's money to be made, there will be people who will try to get it.
If there's money to be made, there will be people who will try to get it.
X 2
IMHO It's true in every hobby. I "use" to collect Confederate relics. Belt buckles, pistols etc. At a certain price the fraud begins to take over and ruins the hobby.
Twenty some years ago when I was looking for the car I have I didn't see many fake 442s. Most were legit. The issue I came across was, whether it was a Cutlass or a '72 442, most folks said the car had the "rocket 442" in it. Some did try to pass off the 350 as a 455 as well but very few tried to pass off a Cutlass as a 442. All W30s and Pace cars that I looked at were as legit as could be as far as I could tell — and I looked at a ton of them. Sure there were many cars painted like W30's but I did not run into anyone selling one that wasn't. There were a lot of pace cars and W30's here in Chicago at the time. I did look at a couple of '72 442 convertibles that owners admitting to have the 350. Unfortunately one SX convertible I liked had the 455 replaced with a 350 - owner claimed he didn't realize it. At the time I believed him as he genuinely seemed surprised and very disappointed.
Now with the available knowledge I feel 98% of people out there should have a honest idea of what they have. But that knowledge of what these cars are also creates the desire to profit, thus the fraud.
ok, stripes and tires not my cup of tea, and yes not represented but..... Nice looking car. All black with red interior. Nicely done already. Someone will get a nice car, just not what they think it is.
Side question, and I think Joe and I talked about it once before, but I've got a question on non-hood vented OAI and A/C, like on this car. Most of the bumper scoop OAI cars could not have A/C, so no problem by default, but the 68 H/O and apparently the 69 W-32 could. The right side OAI hose on this car looks like a AC 68 HO I saw a year ago, and the hose just goes over the back of the compressor and kind of squishes.
I'm eventually hanging a stock OAI setup on my 67 and wondering how to run the OAI hose in regards to the compressor.
The whole point of the title of this thread is that a 1969 W-32 with A/C is a "one of none" car. A/C was not offered on any O.A.I. A-body for the 1969 model year (except the 69 H/O, which did not use the bumper scoops and hoses, obviously). The 1968 H/O was the only O.A.I. car with bumper scoops and hosed to be offered with A/C, and the passenger side hose routing around the compressor is very tight on those cars. Here's a 68 H/O with factory A/C.
Ah ok, thanks Joe and Joz. I have pics and vid of a 68 at the HOCA nats, and this pic helps too. My bad on the w-32 with AC....I went and read the 442 faq for a bit yesterday, and even though there were tons of errors, I was hoping it was correct on that one, which it apparently is not. I only claim to be half an expert on the 67s; no claims to fame on any other years.
The angles between the snouts is wider on the 67. The 68 there appears to be about 120. The 66/67 geometry appears to be about 150. This may help point me at the *** end of the compressor better. I don't see any reason why a over the counter track pack kit could not be applied to an AC car, then or now, other than being a little silly.
Something like this? Not that there were any A/C O.A.I. cars in 66 or 67.
Yeah. Like that. There could have been an OAI 67 with AC if someone had taken their AC 442 and bought the 238 dollar track pack kit that came with the battery relocation stuff, the OAI setup, cam and lifters and springs, and a template to cut your core support. There may have even been a dealer installed OAI setup to an AC car, but I highly doubt it. I do not believe there are numbers for track pack cars. Of course, I do agree with you that there were no AC factory w-30 cars. I don't think there were any factory track pack cars either, just full w-30s.
Edit: That pic is a W-30 car. The OAI track pack package I think was also called w-30, but the package was the OAI stuff (and battery stuff) and the cam stuff. If I correctly try to replicate a track pack customer installed package, I would have the OAI, but a black oil cap, bronze valve covers, and black inner fenders. (Along with normal 442 TH400, normal Olds rear end, non-AIR C heads and some other stuff.)
