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That is quite the quandary. Keep it all stock for the sake of restoration or put a nice aluminum intake and headers on and gain up? I guess it comes down to what your gonna be doing with the car? Showing it or driving it or both?
Got some time this weekend and installed the vinyl top and detailed the trunk with more paint along with spatter paint. I know some people dont like the vinyl top but I do in this case and that is the way the car came. I dont plan on driving in the rain or snow so I don't foresee any issues with moisture underneath. I scuffed the whole top area with a 220 grit so the contact cement had a good bite then it was off to the races. The hardest part is the first glueing and placement. Its very important to have it where you want before contact so things are even and you have enough overhang. The install was a bit stressful but I think it will look good when all done. I mocked up with some stainless trim to get a peak at what it will look like.
When I painted my trunk floor earlier, I didn't go far enough thinking it would all be spatter paint but thanks to Joesw31 he got me some pics of his original trunk areas which I tried to duplicate. I continued with more paint on trunk floor and then spatter paint like factory.
Anticipating motor to be completed soon.
That is quite the quandary. Keep it all stock for the sake of restoration or put a nice aluminum intake and headers on and gain hp? I guess it comes down to what your gonna be doing with the car? Showing it or driving it or both?
Depends on what you want out of the car. A slow "muscle car" is not fun for me but some people just enjoy showing a car and having it be completely stock.
I enjoy driving more than having the car sit at a car show for hours. The faster, the better.
Agree, I think its a must when doing a restoration.
Defiantly removing any dings and polishing a must. Did you do it yourself or have it done? I had mine done was a little pricey but definitely makes a huge difference.
I have a some buffing wheels for small parts but the big parts take some experience and the right equipment. I sent everything out to be done. It cost $1,000 which I believe is below the average. I'm happy I did.
Sure thing: I have one of the original SSI wheels for the car which is in need of total restoration. Right after my purchase of the car, I called my friend Paul(My442) to show him the car. He offered me a set of 5 SSI wheels that really are in beautiful condition and that was my first part purchase 4+ yrs ago. I plan on using those rims with Firestone wide oval radials. I like the look of steel rims with caps also so who knows what the future holds?
Hey Paul. I think you were looking for what front and rear fixed glass trim clips to use to get the trim to fit tight to the glass. I just installed my trim and the fit was good. Look at my build thread for the post I just did on which clips I used and how deep my glass was.
I installed the drip rail trim over the new vinyl to kind of finish the top install and possibly keep the vinyl in place. Three pieces per side that were polished prior. I was a little nervous installing because I have never have replaced these pieces. I've taken plenty of them off and I did also on this car but installing especially over the vinyl was tough. I started with the A pillar. I was looking through the Fisher body manual a while back and it referenced a tool by Kent Moore to install these pieces. I found the tool on Ebay quite a while ago and bought it. I had and still have no real idea of how to use it. I experimented with the A pillar and quickly dented the piece. I was pissed. I spent 1/2 a day getting that dent out and sanding and polishing the trim back. I then tried again this time with my hands only squeezing and tapping with the heel of my palm. I was able to get them both on but one has to be very careful because this stuff dents and scratches very easily. The tool is probably good in the right hands but those aren't mine. I could kind of visualize how to use the tool and thought I could figure it out but it can easily destroy this stuff so I did it the hard way and thats that.
I just got back to Colorado and am jumping back on my 442. I’ve not been up on your thread lately but am back in my routine of following all the excellent work on the forum. Wow! Amazing work! Love the vinyl top. Not sure I would be comfortable either attempting to replace it myself! My 69 Buick Skylark has a black vinyl top on a Champagne Mist body. Looks right! Guess I will get out of my comfort zone when I tackle my convertible top! I see that Jimmy is tackling one on his new Pace car project that I will follow closely! Glad to be home in my garage and back to wrenching. Keep up the great work!
Would it be possible to do your own comparison? Make a couple pulls stock then put on headers to get actual numbers?
I’ve done a back to back before on a very similar build, 27hp and 35lbft of tq difference.
However now the delay is a carb that’s far from correct.
It was done by Everyday Performance. This is the third one I’ve had on my Dyno that wasn’t even close. So I decided to speak with Ken there myself to find out why. He explained to me that his modifications are limited mostly to the idle circuits. He expressed that he does not have a Dyno, he does not have any other references regarding jetting and rods for any other combinations other than stock. Again his mods are very limited fuel wise.
I’m putting this out there because I’ve seen many posts over the years that this place supplied a Qjet that was “setup for my combination”. Maybe a misunderstanding but they’re not. Again the reason he asks for cam specs in particular is for idle circuit mods, nothing else.
This carb was ungodly lean and had a few other issues as well right out of the box. We’re basically starting from scratch here. Very sorry.
Thanks.
Last edited by cutlassefi; Jun 12, 2022 at 07:22 AM.
I’ve done a back to back before on a very similar build, 27hp and 35lbft of tq difference.
However now the delay is a carb that’s far from correct.
It was done by Everyday Performance. This is the third one I’ve had on my Dyno that wasn’t even close. So I decided to speak with Ken there myself to find out why. He explained to me that his modifications are limited mostly to the idle circuits. He expressed that he does not have a Dyno, he does not have any other references regarding jetting and rods for any other combinations other than stock. Again his mods are very limited fuel wise.
I’m putting this out there because I’ve seen many posts over the years that this place supplied a Qjet that was “setup for my combination”. Maybe a misunderstanding but they’re not. Again the reason he asks for cam specs in particular is for idle circuit mods, nothing else.
This carb was ungodly lean and had a few other issues as well right out of the box. We’re basically starting from scratch here. Very sorry.
Thanks.
When I spoke to Ken about my carb we talked about a stock rebuild and I’m guessing that is pretty much what he did? I didn’t think a cam change would effect carb performance enough to require rods/jets/needle/seat change or whatever? I now know better. Hopefully an easy fix? Having a dyno in this case is key. I could have just had it rebuilt and not on dyno and I would have spent more time trying to get it right or disappointed. At least after this I will know how its running more or less and wont have to guess too much. I know you are trying to get the best performance from the motor and if the carb is the weak point then I’m sure you will get what you can from it.
Last edited by scrappie; Jun 13, 2022 at 07:24 AM.
Carb update;
He ground the tab that limits the travel of the secondary air door. They open too far now.
Secondary spring not adjusted to factory spec.
Choke pull off not adjusted properly.
Throttle blades did not open all the way, will
adjust to correct.
I’ll now have some alternate style secondary rods to try as well.
My guy will also check float level etc.
Ken@Everyday Performance offered to fix the problems, but also mentioned that it would most likely take multiple shipments back and forth. Needless to say I wouldn’t recommend that path.
Next is the distributor, also done by Everyday Performance. Dwell changes by 5-6* when you rev it, without the vacuum advance connected. Also points adjustment is very touchy.
I know it seems like I’m picking on him/them. But quite honestly I’m tired of having to explain why I ALWAYS need to go back into these things, even after guys have spent a bunch of money with these and other “rebuilders”.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by cutlassefi; Jun 22, 2022 at 05:56 AM.
Thanks for your honesty Mark. I can understand your frustration and I think being transparent about things helps everybody in this case. The carb is unique and a valuable piece to this puzzle. I should have researched builders a bit more to make sure it was in the right place. I think perhaps not in this case. I thought I was making things easier by having it rebuilt before I sent it to you. Lesson learned.
Thanks for your honesty Mark. I can understand your frustration and I think being transparent about things helps everybody in this case. The carb is unique and a valuable piece to this puzzle. I should have researched builders a bit more to make sure it was in the right place. I think perhaps not in this case. I thought I was making things easier by having it rebuilt before I sent it to you. Lesson learned.
Strange, Ken did a nice job on my distributor build. Sucks to hear about your issues.
I haven't had a lot of spare time lately but I'm picking away at stuff. Mark said he should have my motor back on dyno next week. I'm hoping things go well.
In the mean time I'm trying to get some sort of order that won't make it harder after motor is back. I have some cutting and buffing to do and Ill probably start that before interior. I wanted to get an idea how the clear would sand and I have the hood tooth sitting around and sport mirrors so I started there. If the rest of the car looks like the mirrors I'll be happy.
I started putting my dash back together and I experimented with a chrome paint for that which I'll live with. When it came time for the dash vents and ac delete, the chrome paint would have been real hard and I know the Molotow chrome paint pen or similar stuff is another option. I decided to give the Bare metal foil adhesive a try. It took some time and isn't perfect but I think its the next best thing to vulcanized plastic chrome. Check it out. Foil piece by piece
1970 Oldsmobile Sport Mirrors are the sexiest side view mirrors Ever. Same for the Outside Air Induction hoods.
Once again your attention to detail and your post's prove what a True Oldsmobile man you are. Absolutely one of my favorite threads here.
Thank You for posting every step. 👍👍👍
