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That really sucks. At my age, I couldn't even begin to do any of the work I'm doing without the space, the lift and the heat and ac. I just can't crawl under a car any more and I can't stand the temp extremes. Back when I was young, I thought nothing of laying on a cold floor in a single car garage all night on a Saturday night changing out a broken rear end, just so I could go yo Rockford Dragway on Sunday and race the car. No way I could even consider doing that anymore!
Bad news for me-
I will probably be posting pretty infrequently going forward. I have just been diagnosed with Prostate cancer. It's a survivable disease and I sure as hell intend to fight but I just don't know what my energy level will be to work on the car, I plan to spend a lot of time on over the next couple of weeks but after that, who knows?
The good news is that I have a small tumor, the bad news is that it's worst, most aggressive kind. Pure dumb luck that we seem to have caught it early I will have CT and bone scans next week. I should know in ten days or so whether treatment will be surgery or radiation.
In the meantime, lots of changes. I had been invited to take my Viking Blue 70 442 to MCACN for a bucket list event for me. Not going to happen now as I have had to withdraw the car from the show. I will also be putting it up for sale right away. Watch for it on the showroom floor at RK Motors in Charlotte.
I had intended my current project car to be a nice driver for me but now, as soon as it's done, it will go up for sale too. I was going to paint it black with a white top and interior but if anyone here might be in tested, I will finish it in any combination you want - just be patient.
Thanks to all for your help along the way. I will post as I can. Maybe working on the car will turn out to be good therapy.
Things happen sometimes that puts everything in perspective and makes this hobby seem like a waste of time. Im sorry you have to go through this and my thoughts and prayers. You can beat this just try to stay positive.
No matter what you do with your cars, you come first. Yes this sucks, but you can beat it. Who knows maybe this purge of cars will restart a fire in you once you get better. And always remember you have a family of like minded nuts here for you always.
I know it sounds like the end of the world but you will be fine. One of the guys who works for me had his removed 6 months ago and within 3 months was riding his Harley. The toughest part was the first month but after that he was back to doing most things he liked. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I ruined my cervical spine 6 years ago and had to give up the project I was working on
Wow. Great work and making excellent progress. I know the feeling of the detail underneath, not everybody will see it but you'll know it's there. Keep up the great work and looking forward to the next instalment.
Thanks for all of the caring comments that have been made by so many of you. Prostate cancer is beatable and about 98% to 99% do make it. I am not going to be one of those guys. All of my doctors and all of my tests prove that the cancer has metasticized to several other parts of my body, including my spine. The docs are no longer talking about a cure, only extending my life. Treatments will begin in two weeks. Once they see how my body responds to drugs and radiation, they may be able to give me some idea if how much time I have.. If I can contribute anything to all of you, beyond any car wisdom I may have gained over the years - it is this: If you are over 40, get a regular physical exam ad for God's sake, make absolutely certain that the doc does a PSA test of your blood.
This thread is supposed to be about my car and not my medical issues so I probably will not post much further on the medical issues in this thread.
I have mad progress on the car and will try and post an update tonight.
I have 3 other cars I need to deal with: The two tone 70 442 hardtop I bought from Stefano a couple of years ago is immediately up for sale. I have not touched it other then to try and preserve what was there. I had only ever seen two other two tone 70 442's and always thought it would be a really unique and cool car to finish. I also have a red and white 70 442 convertible that went to the body shop Saturday. I can't sell either of the two convertibles the way they are - no one but me is crazy enough to buy someone else's incomplete project. I also have a third 70 442 convertible that I want to try and complete so I can give it to my son. Some will probably say I'm crazy to be taking all of this on considering everything but the truth of the matter is that I have to plan for my wife's future and I have an obligation to get everything cleared up. Doing all this work for as long as I am physically able also helps keep me physically active and my mind occupied. Both are good things now.
Failed to mention - the car pictured in my signature block has been sold. I took it to RK Motors in Charlotte. They put it on their showroom floor and sold it in less than 24 hours. You can go to their website under Sold Inventory and see the really cool pictures and videos they shot of the car.
Its hard to see how nice that car is from your signature pic. I went to their website and looked it up. WOW! That car is perfect! Absolutely beautiful. They seem to market the cars very well and looking at a couple others they also seem to have only nice cars. The video is awesome too and the sound of the engine and exhaust puts you right there. The paint and body is laser straight and interior is like new. A perfect example of a 48 yr old car that looks like it just came off the showroom floor. The next owner has one beautiful, correct Olds 442 conv.
I moved on the back of the car, mostly for the tail pipes, details and for what I believe id the worst part of the entire build - putting a new gas tank in by yourself! I truly envy the Ford and Mopar guys - open the trunk, drop the tank in, screw in few bolts and call it a day! With Olds tanks, nothing ever fits right and nothing goes in well. It is the worst.
Now that I'm done complaining (mostly anyway( on with the work. I was concerned that I would have trouble putting the tailpipes in after the tank so I did that first. Still not sure if it was the best choice or not as you run into tight clearances either way. I used the ILT 2.25 inch complete system on my last car and was really happy with it. I know that Gardner is very highly regarded with this group but I think the ILT system is just is good and nearly half the cost. I loved the way the car sounded with their stock mufflers. I thought it was perfect. Got just the tailpipes in for now. They are not in final alignment. I can't do that until the rest of the system goes in.
Moved on to the tank. It's a Spectra from Rock Auto. Again, it's the same one I used before. The first time i ordered, the tank I got form them had some minor shipping damage. I contacted them, sent a couple of pics and they immediately shipped out a new tank. They were great to work with. I got the tank set with new sending unit (never reuse the old one) and hoses. Also use one of Patton's (70Post) famous tank pads. (Thanks Patton) I stenciled the tank while it was on the work bench. It's much easier then after it's on the car and you're working over your head. Finally, after much cussing and fussing, its in.
I am done under the car for awhile and will move on to the interior next. Cowl pad, heater box, ac box and various wiring harnesses are next up.
BTW I have had a very difficult time getting photos to upload. It's been very hit and miss - mostly miss. I use Internet Explorer as my main main browser. I decided to try FireFox and it's night and day different. The photos load almost instantly. What a nice change.
Couple ,ore pics of the finished job and some details I added. Put the frame tag on correctly this time. I couldn't bring myself to do it on the last car.
Failed to mention - the car pictured in my signature block has been sold. I took it to RK Motors in Charlotte. They put it on their showroom floor and sold it in less than 24 hours. You can go to their website under Sold Inventory and see the really cool pictures and videos they shot of the car.
Hi Randy,
The irony is that I had called RK Motors the morning that your car was posted for sale, and when I returned home, your car was sold! I posted my experience under general discussions W30 within the past week. Your Viking Blue convertible was gorgeous and I wanted the car but I had already been obligated to the court and my client. Harry
Last edited by twilightblue28A; November 24th, 2018 at 05:59 PM.
Regarding Randy's 1970 Viking Blue Convertible that was sold immediately, the same day I called in the morning, I must add the following:
I received an email message with photographs describing Randy's car. I called immediately, spoke to the receptionist requesting to speak with someone about Randy's car. I explained to the receptionist that I was calling regarding the 1970 442 convertible. The receptionist explained that somone would return my call. There seemed to be a delay responding to my request. I received a response regarding my inquiry about the '74 Ford convertible that I had called about. I clarified the purpose of my call (we both laughed) and I left promising to return the sales call. As soon as court was adjourned for the day, I left court and called, Randy's car had been sold. I had no idea that the car belonged to Randy until later. I still wonder that if I was able to speak with sales immediately, if the outcome would have been different.
I do know that if I had known that Randy was selling his car, or Randy knew that I was looking for a car, the outcome would have been different!
Randy, good health to you. I can relate. Harry
Last edited by twilightblue28A; November 24th, 2018 at 05:54 PM.
Thanks for your nice comments on my blue car. You are correct, had I known that you were interested in the car, the outcome would absolutely have been different. Given my situation, I had hoped for a quick sale but was stunned at how fast it actually happened. RK told me it was not record fast but very close to it.
I am back from a previously planned vacation and hope to get started back on the car in this thread yet this week. My goal is to get the engine painted, linked up with the trans, put back in the car and then get all of the accessories back on the motor over the next few weeks.
In a somewhat strange parallel to Cpstpenn's project, once I get that done, this car is going into temporary storage. My plan had been to restore this car and then sell it so I could start ion the next one. My wife and I have decided instead that we are going to build this car for my son. We want him to have one of my cars and this one seems like the best candidate. It will likely be the last one that I do.
We have actually already done some work on the next car. It is a Matador Red, white top and interior 70 442 convertible. It is already at the body shop. A lot of the body work is already done but we will be pulling the body off the frame. The body shop will keep the body and I will be bringing the frame home to start the process all over again as it needs pretty much the same work as this one did. Not sure I'm going to do a thread on it as I don't want to bore everyone.
It's been a while since I last posted but I have been working on the car.
Out with the old and in with the new.
What's going on here. Why remove a perfectly good rear end? After my wife and I decided to keep this car and eventually give it to our son, I decided to make a few changes. I had a pretty nice 3.23 posi sitting in my parts stash foe "some day" so I decided that some day had arrived. I did exactly the same cleanup and restoration work on the posi rear end as I had done on the 3.23 open I took out so I won't repeat that here. I did find the number "4" that several others have found (pretty bad job on that but they weren't perfect from the factory, right? Also found the green paint daub on mine although it was in a different place than I have seen on other's cars. Also found later on in the blue differential section of the Assembly Manual, that the green daub is actually supposed to be about where the 4 is on posi cars. I'll get it right next time.
The next step was the brakes. Laid out all the new parts and drums. I had painted the drums with VHT Cast Iron paint and then shot just the top surface, without any masking just like the factory with Ford Semi-Gloss black paint.
Finished product
Unfortunately, in the process of all of this I discovered that the "nice" SSI wheels I had counted on for this car have at least 1 or 2 wheel stud holes wallowed out in each wheel. They are so bad that the lug nuts will go right through them!. They will work for shop wheels but are not fit to ever be on the road again. Not sure yet how I will replace them but will probably end up wiith SSII's instead.
This great new photo system dropped my first picture. I guess going forward I better review all photo posts just to make certain that doesn't happen again.
Thanks guys, for your comments. I really appreciate it.
Got the engine painted, mated back up with the transmission and back in the car.
You may have noticed some things missing or wrong with the engine - exhaust manifold bolt locks, wrong hardware, water pump, etc. It is pretty likely that the engine is going to have to come back out so I just wanted it in the car to give me as much shop space as possible. It will come back out largely because of some old paperwork I found for the car. It is likely to have a Crower 56919 "ultra Beast" camshaft in it. Advertised with a 112 lobe center, .520I and .542E lift, 304I and 316E duration, this cam is intended for race use with heavily modified engines with 10.25 compression and high stall torque converter. This is definitely not want I am building or want. I doubt it will work well with stock everything so I am going to need to take it out at some point.
This will likely be my last post on this project for the next 12 months or so. As I noted earlier, my situation has changed since I started this car and I now need to shift to other project priorities. I have already started working on the next priority - the Matador Red convertible. Not sure if I will do a thread on that one or not. Thanks for following along so far on this one. Hope to get back to it soon.
Sir I don’t know you personally, but I wish I did! The fact that you're dealing with a serious health issue but looking after your missus and leaving a legacy for your son and even worrying about fellow Oldsmobile enthusiasts and their health speaks volumes about you! That kind of stoic determination must and hopefully will be rewarded by whatever name you call God. I don’t often pray but I will pray for you to make a 100% recovery and be the one miracle everyone talks about.
Sorry for posting this when I am sure you wish to talk about something else but I just read through this whole thread three times to make sure I read it right and was so hoping I missed something .
As for your work , absolutely breathtaking, just amazing attention to details thank you for sharing and inspiring others to step up their game in all facets of life and work.
My deepest respect and continued admiration sir
Last edited by Eddie Hansen; January 10th, 2019 at 07:18 AM.
Thank you so much for the incredibly kind words and prayers. I truly appreciate it. I don't want to turn this into a cancer thread but I am doing well and have no pain at this point. I do what the doctors recommend and pray for the best even though the odds aren't good. I have switched to a different car that needs to be finished first
I have followed your work for about as long as I have been on this forum. You do pretty spectacular work yourself. Thanks again
Hard to believe it's been 9 months since my last post on this thread and almost exactly a year since my cancer diagnosis. I don't want to dwell on that since this an Oldsmobile forum not a cancer forum. However, I do want to provide a quick update and, most especially to thank everyone who has provided their thoughts and prayers over my situation. Prayers, and fantastic doctors, seem to have helped. In April I was declared in remission with all tumors completely gone. How long I will remain in remission is an absolute unknown. It will return and when it does it will be much more difficult to beat back again as the treatments I am receiving now are the best available. It could be 6 months or it could be 10 years, there's just no way to predict as every man reacts differently to this disease and it's treatment.
Enough of that, on to the cars. Much has happened since my last post. I refuse to let my situation stop me so I have continued working on my cars although at a somewhat slower pace. I pretty much stopped work on the black car and switched my attention to a different one that I wanted to finish first. It's a Matador Red, white top and interior 70 442convertible. I bought the car as someone else's failed project. It has PS, PDB, AC Sport steering wheel, AM/FM with rear speaker and the accessory light package. It was built in Linden, NJ and sold new in York, PA. I am fortunate enough to have the build sheet for it. During the build, i added the OAI hood, rallye pack, bucket seats and console (it was a bench seat car) and SSI wheels.
Much of the body work was done and was reasonably good although my body shop made it better. We took the body off the frame and had the inside and underneath media blasted. Afterwards, when a bright light was passed under the floors it looked like a constellation of stars from inside the car! We also found the pretty typical rust under part of the windshield and an untypically rusted windshield header bow. I had the entire floor replaced with a single piece from AMD - it worked out great. The rot under the windshield was cut out and the header bow was replaced with a new one.
The rest of the build went very much like the one that is the topic of this thread so I saw no point in starting a new build thread for it. I included a couple of pics of where the build is now. I pretty much just need to get the new interior in it. I will put it up for sale as soon as it's done but if I don't find a quick buyer, I intend to send it to the Mecum auction in Kissimee in January. I will post a few more pics of it next week as I complete it.
Hard to believe it's been 9 months since my last post on this thread and almost exactly a year since my cancer diagnosis. I don't want to dwell on that since this an Oldsmobile forum not a cancer forum. However, I do want to provide a quick update and, most especially to thank everyone who has provided their thoughts and prayers over my situation. Prayers, and fantastic doctors, seem to have helped. In April I was declared in remission with all tumors completely gone. How long I will remain in remission is an absolute unknown. It will return and when it does it will be much more difficult to beat back again as the treatments I am receiving now are the best available. It could be 6 months or it could be 10 years, there's just no way to predict as every man reacts differently to this disease and it's treatment.
Enough of that, on to the cars. Much has happened since my last post. I refuse to let my situation stop me so I have continued working on my cars although at a somewhat slower pace. I pretty much stopped work on the black car and switched my attention to a different one that I wanted to finish first. It's a Matador Red, white top and interior 70 442convertible. I bought the car as someone else's failed project. It has PS, PDB, AC Sport steering wheel, AM/FM with rear speaker and the accessory light package. It was built in Linden, NJ and sold new in York, PA. I am fortunate enough to have the build sheet for it. During the build, i added the OAI hood, rallye pack, bucket seats and console (it was a bench seat car) and SSI wheels.
Much of the body work was done and was reasonably good although my body shop made it better. We took the body off the frame and had the inside and underneath media blasted. Afterwards, when a bright light was passed under the floors it looked like a constellation of stars from inside the car! We also found the pretty typical rust under part of the windshield and an untypically rusted windshield header bow. I had the entire floor replaced with a single piece from AMD - it worked out great. The rot under the windshield was cut out and the header bow was replaced with a new one.
The rest of the build went very much like the one that is the topic of this thread so I saw no point in starting a new build thread for it. I included a couple of pics of where the build is now. I pretty much just need to get the new interior in it. I will put it up for sale as soon as it's done but if I don't find a quick buyer, I intend to send it to the Mecum auction in Kissimee in January. I will post a few more pics of it next week as I complete it.
Quadruple WOW Randy! That just screams well done. More pics when you get a chance!!!
Thanks Joe, coming from you that means more than you know. I need to focus on the interior. When that's dome, I will add more pics from underneath and under the hood.
October 19th, 2018, 08:12 AM
