ok just curious if anyone can tell me if a car with the build date of 10/71 but is titled and is a 1972 would have a 1971 spec motor or a 1972 spec motor?

 

72.
The new model year typically comes out in late Aug/early Sept. so a build date of 10/71 is right on with it being a 1972 car.

 

well what throws me is in 72 they were supposed to have a coolant recovery tank. this car does not or has never had one so it leading me to believe its a 71 under the hood? which i would like better because it would have a higher hp rating. could the engine id tnumber tell me anything? it has f heads on it is why im asking. were they still putting those on 1972 engines?

 

Mine never had a tank either if that helps and it is for sure a '72

 

?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!

Are you 100% sure? What are the casting numbers that surround the center exhaust ports? If so the heads were added because they were ONLY factory installed on 1970 W30 engines and have been sold for between $3000 and $6000 for just the heads.

 

By 1972, the Feds required that the engine and the model year in the VIN match. In fact, 1972 was the first model year that Olds put the engine code in the VIN, so there is ABSOLUTELY no fuzz on what the car came with from the factory. F heads were only used in the 1970 model year. E heads can become F heads with a little Dremmel work.

 

This car sat in a barn and belong to an old man it has not ben tampered with i promise. this is why i was curious and asking these questions. and i know all about the e heads and so on. since i have bought this car thats all i have ben doing is research. and no dremel work because these heads have another identifing feature that id rather not talk about that cant be copied.

 

The '72 I used to own did not have a coolant recovery tank. I'm guessing it was an option in '72, not mandatory.

How can you be so sure? Even if the old man was the original owner, people forget things -- especially little things. Honestly, do you remember whether or not some mechanic ever replaced, say, the fuel filter or coil on a car you owned 20 years ago? I don't. I have the paperwork in a file cabinet, but there's no way I'd remember stuff like that. Even if I did the work myself.

"Not tampered with"
So are you telling us this '72 car came from the factory with those '70 F heads? You better come up with a good story for anyone to believe that. Like maybe the car sat around on the dealer lot for too many months, then his teenage son took it out for some street racing and put a piston through each head, just like in Fast and Furious. The dealer had a couple spare F heads laying around, so he installed them and sold the car as new to an unsuspecting -- and lucky -- buyer. Works for me.

 

Brian's right. Memory gets cloudy and stories get embellished. Non-car people often make honest mistakes. For example, a person not savvy in the difference between factory-installed and dealer-installed parts may assume that a car as delivered by the dealer is exactly how it was delivered from the factory. This is not correct, but people are't aware of the nuances.

 

thanks for the info guys. the old man has ben next door and best friend to my father inlaw for longer than 1972 so i have two memories to work with and i have picked both their brains since i bought the car i beleive them. also i have ben a master ase tech for 15+ years. i know my way around classic iron and mechanics very well. aside from that i do understand what your saying people do forget things but cant for the life of me figure out this head deal i have not pulled the tank yet to check for build sheet maybe that will clue me in. oh ya just bought a 71 conv that sat since 1974 has those rare wheels on it ss1 i think and a spare with the old bias ply tire still.. it has a build date of 5-71 and the grill is diff along with it has a ten bolt rear and the 72 has a 12 bolt.

 

I mean nothing personal against you and I'm glad you're posting for answers, but quite frankly your original post pretty much says you don't know your way around classic iron despite your credentials and claim. Sorry if that is a bit raw, but we have very good reasons (as previously said) to doubt the "facts" as told.
There is no doubt in my mind that even if that car is wearing F heads that it did not come from the factory with them. Sure a dealer could have added them, but that is as far as the possibilities go.
We'll be more than happy to help you find answers, but please understand you may not like the answers and there is no amount of "certainty of memories" or "belief based on credentials" that will provide any real proof.
That's just the way it is in the real world, and is not a personal judgment at all.

 

okay i do know more than most when it comes to autos and and classic gm's. and how does me asking if anyone else has ever run into a situation about what motors were shoved in their car at the factory make me a dumbass? i have seen motors end up in cars that we not supposed to be there from the factory. have you? i was merely trying to find out if anyone else had noticed this about their car but i guess not because most are clueless about stuff like that. here is a pic of my parts car i just bought it was a goldmine of factory 1971 parts. new gm weathersrtiping still in box new factory tune up with plugs still in box new speakers new in box. bought it from a guy that has had it parked since 1974 he owned a body shop and stripped it down to paint and replace everything. even has new steering wheel in the box plus many other things it was piled high inside the car and trunk. also has the 5 ssiv poly wheels with the spare still in the trunk with a factory bias ply tire and carpet tire cover.. got this car cheap...

 

i see now why your being like you are wmachine... your from ohio.... explains it all....

 

Nobody said you were a dumbass except you. I said it wasn't personal, but I guess you want to take it that way. That's nobody's fault but yours. We're willing to try to help, but we're really not interesting in trading insults and would appreciate it if you would try to be objective.
The answer to your original question is that a car built in 10/71 is a '72 model and will have a "72 spec" motor *from the factory*. And that is known by anyone who knows their way around classic classic cars as you claim you do. Yes, I have heard all kinds of stories about factory "exceptions", and by far the vast majority are *not* true. "Anything was possible from from the factory" is at the top of the list for falsehoods. And the true exceptions are never that radical.

 

Hey F-Head dr425x...

I personally invite you to the Northern Ohio Chapter of the OCA All Oldsmobile car show in Alliance, Ohio on August 22nd 2010.

 

There is absolutely no fuzz on this. A car built in 10/71 will have a 1972 VIN, which is why it is titled as a 1972 automobile. The VIN is VERY clear on what model year the car is. If this car does not have a 1972 VIN, then either the VIN tag or the cowl plate have been changed.

And yes, I have also heard MANY stories of supposed "factory" installations, also just about all of them untrue. The best was the guy at the Pomona swap meet who swore to me that the "X" in the VIN derivative on the non-matching block in a 1969 442 meant "factory experimental". It really means the motor came from the Fairfax, KS assembly plant, which only built full size cars, not A-bodies.

 

Me too!!!!!

 

so typical of a moron from ohio.... you guys crack me everyone one of you complete dumbasses think you are a know it all. such sad meaningless little angry people are in ohio... and as for the invite no fricken thanks... i would never step foot in that armpit of a state ohio... complete s**t hole with complete a holes without brains.... admin please remove my account not interested in being a member here i can get dime store opinions and closed minded crap anywhere.. goodbye and good day!

 

Good bye and good riddance.

 

shortest membership I have ever seen. I think you guys from Ohio are OK, so don't hang you heads and cry over this

 

Gee, I wish I still knew everything, the way I did when I was younger...

 

He did the proper thing and fell on his sword.

 

Actually, I think he took is sword and went home...

 

dr425x - I would escape this pop stand full of dicks & post your question/facts on www.realoldspower.com There should be many helpful people there that can confirm your findings and affirm your knowlege of classic iron.

 

Wow,

I thoughr Randy, Joe and W gave him sum good advice.

And I kinda like Ohio humor a la Redgoat.

 

:d :d :d

 

That was a rotten trick,sending him over to Realoldspower! Everyone knows you can't post there! The 'register' page isn't even hooked up to a URL! ---bil

 

What's really rotten is that if he goes over there with this same line they will eat him alive, spit him out and eat him again. They'd make us look like the Good Humor Ice Cream man...

Y'all are mean.






And I'm trying to figure out how I missed this thread when it started. I might have looked at the OP and figured anyone who didn't know that was beyond
my help.

 

He will be safe-that place is like a store with real good stuff,but is never open.You can look,but you can never get in the door! I'd bet he has his face pressed against the glass,wishing he was inside! ---bil