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This thread will document the restoration / minor restoration-mod of my 1968 Cutlass S convertible. It is a rust free California car I bought from Dave442 and had transported to Texas.
Here are photos of the car in California and after the arrival in Texas.
First order of business was to restore the set of 14x7 SSII wheels that I also bought from Dave442 and get street worthy tires on the vehicle.
I took the wheels to Unit 14 Powder Coating in Plano, TX, to have the wheels stripped, blasted and powder coated. I am not sure of the brand of powder coating that they use, but the color was called "Argento" and seemed to match the "Prismatic Powders Forged Charcoal" sample that they had on hand which I found mentioned in another thread on here. Since the Prismatic Powders would have been $50 extra per wheel, I went with "Argento" in their standard brand, and I am happy with the results.
I had to order new center caps and a few replacement trim rings from eBay and beauty rings from OPGI, but I think that the new BF Goodrich Radial T/As in 225/70-14 look pretty good on the car now.
The wheels turned out very nice and is a big improvement to the car. I like the current color of the car with the tan top. Would look great with a tan interior. But it is your car and money and you should do as you like.
Good Start! Good luck with the rest of the project! What else do you have in mind for it?
Thanks!
It is currently a 350 2bbl with a Jetaway transmission. Besides the wheels, I replaced the spark plugs, distributor cap and wires and adjusted the carb to get it running pretty well. I am looking to make it a reliable, fun driver with a mild street build on the engine.
Here are the current plans:
1) Finish getting it drivable (make it street legal and fix the pretty bad oil leaks at the valve covers and transmission.)
2) Replace the Jetaway with a 200-4R
3) Upgrade the rear end from an open 2.78 to a 3.23 or 3.42 posi
4) Convert the front brakes to disc
5) Ensure that the suspension is solid (replace bushings, bearings, ball joints as needed)
6) Rebuild the engine (see details below)
7) Repaint - undecided on color
8) Refresh the interior
Things I am debating doing:
1) Rear disc brakes - seems like overkill
2) Upgrade the power steering to a quick ratio unit - pretty likely to do this
3) Full suspension upgrade all around - seems like a good idea from a peace of mind perspective, but it's not cheap and I am not sure it is really worth it
Engine rebuild ideas: Edelbrock Performer RPM (7111)
Holley Sniper and Ignition (or maybe just a 4bbl Holley 750) New cam - Either Erson cam, E540121, 214 duration & 0.478" lift or Crane Cams, PowerMax 804542, 216/218 at 050, 0.484" / 0.512" lift Roller timing chain
Bore .030 over Forged pistons (aiming for 9.5:1 to 10:1 compression)
Upgrade the valves to 2.070/1.625
Port / polish the heads
Last edited by NTXOlds; October 26th, 2020 at 06:03 PM.
Reason: CORRECTED TYPOS
The wheels turned out very nice and is a big improvement to the car. I like the current color of the car with the tan top. Would look great with a tan interior. But it is your car and money and you should do as you like.
Thanks, Glenn. And thank you for the Dallas area info.
The original color was Jade Gold Metallic with a white top and parchment interior. I think that this top is actually white, it is just old and dirty. It needs to be replaced.
I want to repaint it in a period correct color, but I am unsure which. I am leaning towards Nocturne Blue Metallic. It think it would look great with the white top and interior (and maybe a white W36 stripe even though it is not correct for a Cutlass.) The other options I am considering are Peruvian Silver and Juneau Gray Metallic.
Alright, it may not seem like much, I passed a major milestone - my Cutlass is now street legal and fully registered and tagged. I found a nice set of classic 68 Texas tags, and I upgraded the exhaust to duals and went with Flowmaster FlowFX mufflers and short chrome tips. The car has a proper, dual exhaust rumble now. I would say that there is very little droning at cruising speed, but it is probably loud enough under hard acceleration to annoy my wife. Haven't confirmed that yet.
On the engine side, I replaced all of the plugs, wires, cap, rotor and points. The car is running pretty well most of the time, but every now and then it will die at a light and require me to crank it with my foot to the floor to get it restarted. I know that the 2bbl carb really needs to be rebuilt, but I hate putting any time, energy or money into that carb when I plan to swap it in the near future for a 4bbl. I may have no choice, though.
I also changed the filter and gasket on the Jetaway, but it is still puking fluid from the front seal. Luckily I have an appointment next Monday to get a TH350 installed.
When you go to replace your leaky valve cover gaskets make sure you clean out the oil return holes at each lower corner of the heads, especially the rear ones!
When you go to replace your leaky valve cover gaskets make sure you clean out the oil return holes at each lower corner of the heads, especially the rear ones!
Engine rebuild ideas: Edelbrock Performer RPM (7111)
Holley Sniper and Ignition (or maybe just a 4bbl Holley 750) New cam - Either Erson cam, E540121, 214 duration & 0.478 lift or Crane Cams, PowerMax 804542, 216/218 at 050, 0.272/0.284 lift Roller timing chain
Bore .030 over Forged pistons (aiming for 9.5:1 to 10:1 compression)
Upgrade the valves to 2.070/1.625
Port / polish the heads
I was gonna post that I liked the duration on both those cams but the Crane seemed a bit short on lift. I looked up the part number and see that what you said is lift is actually advertised duration, and the lift is actually .484" / .512". I like that much better.
I was gonna post that I liked the duration on both those cams but the Crane seemed a bit short on lift. I looked up the part number and see that what you said is lift is actually advertised duration, and the lift is actually .484" / .512". I like that much better.
Oops. That was quite a typo. Thanks for catching it.
Now that you know the proper lift, do you have an opinion? This Crane cam is what I put in my '66 4-4-2 back in the '80s when I rebuilt a '66 425 out of a Starfire for it. That engine had a very strong mid-range and pulled hard from idle to redline. I am inclined to use that cam in the 350, but I am not sure how well it will perform on the smaller engine.
That Crane is one I was looking into when I was upgrading cams, but Harold Brookshire convinced me to get his grind on a 110º LSA instead. The specs are similar and I would have no issue using that Crane cam in a 350 build.
That Crane is one I was looking into when I was upgrading cams, but Harold Brookshire convinced me to get his grind on a 110º LSA instead. The specs are similar and I would have no issue using that Crane cam in a 350 build.
Is the grind what you have listed in your signature? It sounds similar to the Crane and Erson that I listed. Your overall setup sounds very much like what I am trying to achieve. How happy are you with your engine / trans / rear diff combo? How responsive is your car around town, and how does it behave at highway speeds?
Back on the cam, the reason I chose the Crane when I built my 425 years ago was that it seemed to have a pretty small overlap for the lift and duration compared to what else I could find (this was 33 years ago.) It seemed like a great combo for the street.
On the engine side, I replaced all of the plugs, wires, cap, rotor and points. The car is running pretty well most of the time, but every now and then it will die at a light and require me to crank it with my foot to the floor to get it restarted. I know that the 2bbl carb really needs to be rebuilt, but I hate putting any time, energy or money into that carb when I plan to swap it in the near future for a 4bbl. I may have no choice, though.
It sounds like the choke might not be opening all the way causing it to flood when running at idle too long. That or the idle-stop solenoid isn't kicking in like it should be. I encountered a warped air horn on my 2-bbl that was caused by too much torque on the air cleaner wing-nut. It was pulling up on that "bridge" that the air cleaner hold-down stud threads into and pulling the sides of the air horn inward causing the choke flapper to stick. A couple of taps on the stud boss bridge (after removing the stud) with a hammer fixed it. I too am nursing the last life out of my 2-bbl until I can swing a rebuild along the same lines as what you have planned (I already have a 200-4R / 3.90 posi ready for more power).
It sounds like the choke might not be opening all the way causing it to flood when running at idle too long. That or the idle-stop solenoid isn't kicking in like it should be. I encountered a warped air horn on my 2-bbl that was caused by too much torque on the air cleaner wing-nut. It was pulling up on that "bridge" that the air cleaner hold-down stud threads into and pulling the sides of the air horn inward causing the choke flapper to stick. A couple of taps on the stud boss bridge (after removing the stud) with a hammer fixed it. I too am nursing the last life out of my 2-bbl until I can swing a rebuild along the same lines as what you have planned (I already have a 200-4R / 3.90 posi ready for more power).
Good luck!
I was thinking that the choke is sticking, too, since it does not happen all the time. I just want to keep it running reliably enough to get the driveline and suspension sorted out before rebuilding the engine over the winter months even though it is almost always convertible weather in Texas as long as its not raining.
I have a '69 Cutlass S with the 2bbl 350 and, like you, plan on quite a few upgrades in the future. I also debated nursing the 2GC along or rebuilding it. The choke wasn't functioning and made starting difficult. Other than that, it idled and ran remarkably well. I decided to rebuild it.
I watched a few YouTube videos and read the CSM rebuild section about 5 times. Got a rebuild kit from Mike's Carbs and a new choke pull off vacuum canister from eBay. The rebuild is really simple if you take your time and categorize all your parts properly. Only took a day or two. Choke now works great and starting only requires one full press of the pedal.
My point being, if you're going to live with the 2bbl for anything more than a few weeks, rebuild it. It's cheap (~$25 for the rebuild kit) and easy and makes the car start, idle and run MUCH better.
Nice car and good luck.
I have a '69 Cutlass S with the 2bbl 350 and, like you, plan on quite a few upgrades in the future. I also debated nursing the 2GC along or rebuilding it. The choke wasn't functioning and made starting difficult. Other than that, it idled and ran remarkably well. I decided to rebuild it.
I watched a few YouTube videos and read the CSM rebuild section about 5 times. Got a rebuild kit from Mike's Carbs and a new choke pull off vacuum canister from eBay. The rebuild is really simple if you take your time and categorize all your parts properly. Only took a day or two. Choke now works great and starting only requires one full press of the pedal.
My point being, if you're going to live with the 2bbl for anything more than a few weeks, rebuild it. It's cheap (~$25 for the rebuild kit) and easy and makes the car start, idle and run MUCH better.
Nice car and good luck.
Thanks. That is good to know. I have rebuilt several Holleys back in the '80s, but I have never tackled a 2bbl Rochester. Taking it apart and replacing gaskets seems easy enough from the YouTube videos I have watched, but if there is anything else wrong with it, I am not sure that I would be able to tell.
Everything you'll need comes in the rebuild kit. If the pump assembly is toast, you can purchase that separately (Mike's is a good resource) for not much $$. Like I said, my choke pull off was dead so I found one on eBay. I ended up reusing the original thermostat (spring). It's slightly lazy but still works fine and will definitely last as long as I need it to. Everything on mine was in pretty good condition so all I really had to do was disassemble, thoroughly clean and reassemble with the new gaskets/parts.
I guess the only major problem you could run into would be a warped air horn like one of the other guys mentioned but you should be able to diagnose that prior to disassembly.
Everything you'll need comes in the rebuild kit. If the pump assembly is toast, you can purchase that separately (Mike's is a good resource) for not much $$. Like I said, my choke pull off was dead so I found one on eBay. I ended up reusing the original thermostat (spring). It's slightly lazy but still works fine and will definitely last as long as I need it to. Everything on mine was in pretty good condition so all I really had to do was disassemble, thoroughly clean and reassemble with the new gaskets/parts.
I guess the only major problem you could run into would be a warped air horn like one of the other guys mentioned but you should be able to diagnose that prior to disassembly.
Very nice project and congrats on getting it street legal. I have been working on a similar 1968 Cutlass convertable myself. I am here in the D/FW area and wanted to make sure you are aware of a great group that meets once a month, The North Texas Oldsmobile Club - you can google the link. (I don't know if I can post it on this site: http://clubs.hemmings.com/ntexasoca/)
The club is involved in many activities throughout the year, including picnics, car shows, cruise nights and charitable events. Each year we host an annual all Oldsmobile car show which may be one of the best organized car shows in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
NTOC meets on a regular basis, normally the second Sunday of each month. The meeting is announced in the NTOC newsletter. Contact an NTOC member for a complimentary copy of the newsletter or additional information. Many members utilize this opportunity to get out and cruise to the meetings in their classic Oldsmobiles. "The Rocket" is the monthly newsletter of the NTOC and is sent to all members. This publication provides regular communication to all members, including club meeting information, feature stories, technical information, club president's message and listings of items for sale and wanted by club members at no charge.
You are a few steps ahead of me, earlier is spring I finally got it started and drove it for the first time in a long time on Father's Day! Street Legal and then replacing some wiring is next on my list once I get another couple of rims (I sent you a PM)
Good luck and give the club a try if you are interested, right now the meetings are virtual but it really seems like a great group with lots of Olds knowlege.
Very nice project and congrats on getting it street legal. I have been working on a similar 1968 Cutlass convertable myself. I am here in the D/FW area and wanted to make sure you are aware of a great group that meets once a month, The North Texas Oldsmobile Club - you can google the link. (I don't know if I can post it on this site: http://clubs.hemmings.com/ntexasoca/)
The club is involved in many activities throughout the year, including picnics, car shows, cruise nights and charitable events. Each year we host an annual all Oldsmobile car show which may be one of the best organized car shows in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
NTOC meets on a regular basis, normally the second Sunday of each month. The meeting is announced in the NTOC newsletter. Contact an NTOC member for a complimentary copy of the newsletter or additional information. Many members utilize this opportunity to get out and cruise to the meetings in their classic Oldsmobiles. "The Rocket" is the monthly newsletter of the NTOC and is sent to all members. This publication provides regular communication to all members, including club meeting information, feature stories, technical information, club president's message and listings of items for sale and wanted by club members at no charge.
You are a few steps ahead of me, earlier is spring I finally got it started and drove it for the first time in a long time on Father's Day! Street Legal and then replacing some wiring is next on my list once I get another couple of rims (I sent you a PM)
Good luck and give the club a try if you are interested, right now the meetings are virtual but it really seems like a great group with lots of Olds knowlege.
Thanks for the information. I have downloaded the membership form, and I intend to join for sure.
I got my Cutlass back from the transmission shop this week, and as many of you suggested, the TH350 makes the car drive so much better. I am still experiencing some fueling issues, but it is still very drivable.
Since the engine is painted red even though it is a numbers matching 68 350, my guess is that it has been rebuilt at some point. The fact that the engine appears to be stock with the 2bbl carb makes me think that very little was done to it other than perhaps a rebuild to stock specs. The engine feels reasonably strong and it doesn't burn oil.
I decided to do a little investigation into this, and I used a borescope to check out a piston. Here are a couple of the photos. From what I can tell, these look like the factory-style pistons for the 9:1 2bbl engine. Looking at the edge of the piston, however, I did not see any kind of notch. This piston was smooth around the entire perimeter except for one area where the piston looks a little damaged to me.
My questions for you are:
1) Does the dishing look like the 9:1 piston to you?
2) Did factory pistons all have some sort of notch in the edge?
3) If so, do you think that these are likely cast .030 replacements?
4) Does this look like damage to the edge of the piston?
I also ran a quick compression test on this cylinder only, and it came out to 130-135 psi both before and after a tablespoon of oil.
It has ben quite a while since I updated this. I am not sure it really qualifies as a "Major Build or Project" like some of the others on this thread, but it is major to me, I suppose.
Over the course of the last 8 months, I have been working on reliability and drivability. Today I finally reached a milestone - I am done with the engine until something breaks.
I started by replacing the 2bbl intake and carb with an Edlebrock 2711 and Holley Street Warrior 600 CFM. I know that there are much better carbs available, but it is cheap and will get me by until I either rebuild the engine or get the itch for EFI. The inside of the valley looked really good, so I am guessing that it has been cared for really well or has been rebuilt. I was thinking that it had been rebuilt since the engine has been painted red at some point, but the red is coming off of the block revealing the Olds Gold underneath. Now I am not so sure.
I had completely replaced all of the stock ignition components with new parts, but even though the car ran much better than it had with the 2bbl (which had been professionally rebuilt but still bogged like crazy), I decided to upgrade the ignition. I just completed installing an MSD Ready to Run distributor, MSD Blaster 3 coil and MSD 8.5mm wires. The engine is so smooth and strong now. It idles beautifully at 850 RPM, and it will spin the open rear diff with ease with 3/4 throttle from a stop. And the engine pulls hard to the redline. I have no need to race this convertible, but it is nice to have some power on demand.
Along the way, I also fixed the valve cover gasket leak. It took two attempts to get the cheap chrome valve covers to seal, but switching to Mr. Gasket valve cover studs and Fel-Pro rubber gaskets finally stopped the leak. I also installed a set of AutoMeter gauges, replaced the alternator and all of the belts and hoses. I also replaced the factory idiot light sensors and followed Joe's instructions for wiring the carb's electric choke to a PS127 replacement Oil Pressure Sending unit. Such a clever solution! https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...g-31892/page3/
This may not sound like a lot of work over the course of 8 months, but it took countless trips to the auto parts stores and a whole lot of weekends along the way.
I appreciate all of the great advice that this forum has provided both in direct answers to my questions but also as a great reference guide.
Now it is time to focus on the suspension and brakes.
I got my car back from the shop where I took it to get the rear differential replaced, knowing that it was beyond my skillset. I went ahead and have them do some other work I had intended to do myself, and overall I am happy with the results.
The carrier from @monzaz that I bought from @boese1978 is fantastic, and major kudos to both Steve and Jim for being very responsive when we had difficulties finding the right carrier side bearings. Both of them are great guys! You can really feel the difference between the 2.78 open and the 3.42 posi in acceleration.
The quick ratio steering box from OPGI was also a great upgrade. The steering is both stiffer and much more precise on top of the faster ratio.
ive done both those too 3:42 posi and fast ratio! Both nice updates to the car
im the same way re time to complete simple projects, because its not a daily driver we have the luxury of time which can mean, research, sourcing parts, waiting on delivery, planning, and oh yeah actually getting the work done!!
@RetroRanger Thanks! I work on the car for fun, but when it starts feeling like work, it is nice to take a break.
Next up is the suspension. The CSM shows the specifications as 9 7/8" for the front and 9 11/16" for the rear. My car is sitting wonky, so I measured.
My measurements:
Left front - 9"
Left rear - 8 1/2"
Right front - 9 9/16"
Right rear - 9"
I am certain that the rear coils are shot, and the retainers are visibly broken. I plan to replace the rear coils and retainers with Moog parts and measure again. I am hoping that the front are good enough once the rear changes the balance. I am also replacing all of the shocks with Bilsteins.
Hey NorthTx; Good Progress! Like Retro says, if it's not a daily driver, they sometimes take a while, while pennies are saved and planning takes place. Regarding your Red engine - Years ago my '68 Cutlass S threw a rod bearing while I was still in HS slinging pizzas. Dad had it rebuilt for me (thanks again, Dad!) - back to OEM spec . The shop painted it Chebby Red - Ugh!
You continue to make progress, and that's a Good Thing. But I'm confused about a statement you've made. What "retainers are visibly broken?"
Hey NorthTx; Good Progress! Like Retro says, if it's not a daily driver, they sometimes take a while, while pennies are saved and planning takes place. Regarding your Red engine - Years ago my '68 Cutlass S threw a rod bearing while I was still in HS slinging pizzas. Dad had it rebuilt for me (thanks again, Dad!) - back to OEM spec . The shop painted it Chebby Red - Ugh!
You continue to make progress, and that's a Good Thing. But I'm confused about a statement you've made. What "retainers are visibly broken?"
Thank you! I honestly feel like the car is very road worthy now with new carb, ignition, transmission, steering box, rear diff, all new front drums, refreshed rear drums, new rear axle bearings, new fan clutch, new alternator, new belts and hose, and new tires. The radiator is a bit crusty, but the car stays a steady 190F even on the hottest days. The gas tank probably needs replacing, too, but the fuel in the inline glass fuel filter looks pretty good still.
Regarding the retainers, I meant the coil spring seat / insulators.
Regarding the red engine, I have completely convinced myself that the situation is as you described. Something happened to the engine that was easier to fix out of the car, and it got a fresh coat of Chevy red in the doing. With all the gold showing through, I just can't believe that any machine work was ever done.
I will replace the springs and shocks soon, but I am not messing with any bushings at this point. Everything looks pretty good, and the suspension seems tight and doesn't make any weird noises.
Now I am struggling with the proper order of business. The engine bay is a bit of a mess. Ideally I would yank the engine now and clean up and repaint the engine bay before trying to get the car repainted over the winter, but I really want to wait for the new small block Edlebrock heads before pulling the engine. Since that looks like spring to summer now, I suppose I would get the car repainted in the meantime and just be very careful not to scratch the paint when it comes time to pull and reinstall the engine.
The interior is also in need of a full refresh, but it sounds like it may take a long time to get the parts. It is probably better to do it after getting repainted anyway.
Regarding the retainers, I meant the coil spring seat / insulators.
Gotcha! Mine were completely gone, so I wound up replacing with reproductions. I got them at the same place I got my springs - Eaton Detroit Springs. Great source, if you've not already purchased yours elsewhere. EDS used to supply GM back in the day - don't know if they still do.
October 5th, 2020, 10:20 AM
It needs to be replaced.
. The shop painted it Chebby Red - Ugh! 
