Ausraven

Looking good mate!

car_designer

I haven't been working on the car much lately because I've been too busy enjoying it. But I have done a few small things. The only one that shows is the valve covers I put on.

I think they are from mid-70's 455's, but not sure. I bought them a few years before I even owned the Cutlass, but haven't had a clean engine to put them on so they have just been sitting.

I finally decided I had an engine I could put them on.

Engine003_zps82662055.jpg

Engine004_zps6ad12815.jpg

sammy

The valve covers look good on there Paul.
I have the same set on my 72 S with a 73 350 under the hood....
I may be wrong, but I think they were avail in 73 and 74....cannot remember

Ted

Allan R

Ted, you remember correctly. They were 73/74 only.
Paul, now it's starting to look like an engine. You know it's time you maw do the water pump and replace that fuel pump....

I see you have the TCS on the intake but it's not hooked up? You planning to use it or was the wiring and tubing just removed for the VC install?

car_designer

Allan, since you know the source of those valve covers, were they 350, 455 or both?

I can't remember if the TCS was on the car originally before switching to the Performer intake or if I took it from a parts engine as a filler for an extra hole in the intake. Either way it has not been connected since I have owned the car.

Thanks for the compliments guys.

ent72olds

Nice Paul! Love those covers!

Allan R

Paul, they were for both 350 and 455. The TCS on your car was 350/455 also for 1971/72 only.

car_designer

Well, even though things are still busy around here, I have managed to start working on the Cutlass again.

The current projects are a new exhaust system and 4-wheel disk brake conversion.

This time I am going to try and take pictures as I go instead of after I am done like I normally do

So to make things easier, a friend has offered to have me bring my car over and use his lift to work under the car. He's also offered to help with the brake work since he has installed a few of these kits before.

Here is the car not long after starting to work on it. All the boxes around the car are parts for the Cutlass.

CutlassAtRM013_zpsf08cf8c2.jpg

The first step was to take off the old exhaust to give us more room to work under the car. The Cutlass already had dual exhaust, but it was plain 2". One thing that surprised us was that the whole system was welded. After a bit of work with a grinder, it came off in a few pieces.

CutlassAtRM014_zps379e3cf5.jpg

One nice thing about being able to walk around looking under the car is that you see things you would not normally. It looks like there is an oil leak from the oil filter housing which nicely rust proofed the front of the exhaust and the headers.

And finally the wheels came off, the master cylinder was emptied and a rear bleeder valve was left open to let the system drain out.

sammy

What exhaust are you going with Paul?
Gotta love the hoist! I find that life is much easier with one....as you will too I am sure!We all need a friend like you have

Ted

OLD SKL 69

Looks good Paul. Gauges really stand out.

car_designer

Ted, I'm going with the Pypes 2.5" exhaust system with X-pipe. I searched a few forums and from what I read the system seems to fit a Cutlass nicely. I also spoke with someone who has installed a system on a non-Olds A-body and said the same thing.

car_designer

Last night I got to work on the Cutlass for a few more hours.

A few stubborn fittings and nuts and bolts slowed us down a bit, but all 4 drums and the rear metal lines are off.

We also started working on taking off front end parts that need to go for the disk brake conversion.

sammy

I just installed the Magnaflow 2.5 with x pipe....I needed to move the x back so it would not hit the tranny mount, and build the two downpipes.Enough bending that I sent it out to be installed. The Pypes setup hopefully is an easier fit.....

Joffroi

As mentioned, I have the 3" Pypes set up on my 72 Cutlass Supreme and love it. I've had Magnaflow and flowmaster on past cars and the pypes is my favorite so far.

sammy

Did you have the same problem with fit with the Magnaflow system?

Joffroi

I put the magnaflow set up on the 68 Cutlass S I had it it didn't really have any problems that I can recall. I brought it to a shop to install and they didn't mention any issues.

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Dude, you car was already pretty loud hahaha

i hope you get those door panels installed so you dont blow your ears out!

car_designer

I already have headers on the Cutlass, so hopefully that will help with the fit. I bought everything from Pypes from the reducers to the tailpipes.

Tony, the Delta is louder than the Cutlass, so I wanted to fix that. I really don't find the Cutlass exhaust is very loud.

And do you mean these door panels?

interior003_zpse4795267.jpg

interior004_zpsdac41b6f.jpg

car_designer

I've made some more progress on the Cutlass the last couple of days.

Disassembly is now done and it is on to putting on the new parts and putting others back together.

CutlassAtRm021_zps4471c906.jpg

CutlassAtRM019_zps2e225bef.jpg

My friend first thought this might be an 8.2" differential, but I did a quick search online and it I'm thinking this is actually the "irregular" 8.5".

Can anyone confirm which rear end this is?

CutlassAtRM020_zpse4121d24.jpg

This could have ended a lot worse, but luckily it broke in a "good" way. I was taking out the set screw for the spider gear shaft (not sure of the proper name) but only a short piece came out. In the end, we managed to get it out by turning it with a pick on an edge of the break surface.

CutlassAtRM018_zpse240d377.jpg

And just to finish off with a bit of bling...

CutlassAtRm022_zpse282fe72.jpg

car_designer

One thing I forgot to mention was that the rear rotors will not fit over the rear axle hubs out of the box. I'll be calling the company that makes the kit next week to see what options I might have.

My friend who is helping me with the installation said he had the same issue with his Chevelle since he has an O-type rear end.

car_designer

And the issues continue.

The passenger side axle was a challenge to get out. It needed a bit of persuading.

Now it won't go back in. I can get it into the spider gear, but it seems to be about 1/4" away from being seated.

Any advice how to get it in all the way?

Allan R

Paul, your differential is a 10 bolt corporate - same as my 72. Only now mine is a posi with 3:42's

When I put my axles back in they slid in pretty easy. Yours might need a tiny bit of persuading like they did when they came out. Did you change out the axle seals and bearing by any chance? Try wiggling the axle as you push it in.

EDIT: you shouldn't have had to do anything to the spyder gears to get the axle out.

car_designer

Allan, I've changed nothing on the axles. Just pulled them to switch the backing plates.

It was getting late, but we had a quick look into the axle tube on the troublesome side. Where the bearing and seal sit looks good, but in the next narrower section, it looked like there was a bit of a ridge from about 5 to 8 o'clock.

Tomorrow, we'll see if we can try getting it in, but worst case, we might have to look into that ridge.

Would all the 10 bolt corporate axles be the same? The rotors in the A-body disk brake conversion kit did not fit the axle hubs (large diameter into the back of the rotor, not the part that goes all the way through). I had a friend machine them to fit the axles.

I know someone who had the same problem with the rotors on an O-type.

Allan R

The 71/72 10 bolts were the same axles and tubes. Don't know if that extends to later models. Should be the same for all the 71/72 GM A body brands. But earlier than 71 was the 12 bolt O axles.

Not sure what you're describing in the axle tube, but if that axle fit in there from the factory, it should have no trouble fitting in there now. The position of the bearings and seals didn't change.

Can you post a picture showing the problem area?

car_designer

I'll try to get a picture, but it was too dim last night and the camera wouldn't focus inside the tube.

car_designer

Ok, lots of updates now that the brake project is finished.

The day after my last post, I went back to work on the car and tried putting the axle back in one more time. Guess what, it seated fully this time. We were going by 2 things to tell if it was seating properly. The first was the oil seal at the end of the axle tube and the second was the position of the axle inside the spider gear. On the driver's side (the good one), the end of the axle was almost flush with the inside of the gear. On the passenger side (the bad one), it was about a 1/4" in from the gear surface. Well, once we finally had the seal in place, the axle was still sitting 1/4" in from the gear surface. After looking at a few things, I was standing behind the car, under it and noticed that the smooth section on the axle tube near the differential housing was narrower on the driver's side than the passegner's side. We ended up measuring and realised the passenger's side axle tube is a 1/4" longer. There is the key. Once we figured that out, we realised everything was actually good.

So it was finally time to get back to the brake work.

car_designer

Before I post the progress on the disc brake kit, I'd like to make a few comments the Right Stuff 4-wheel disc brake conversion kit.

First, even if a kits says for A-bodies, don't expect it to fit an Oldsmobile without and issues.

The first problem was that the inside of the rotors, would not clear the hub. I am not talking about the opening on the outside side of the rotor and the little round section on the end of the axle. This was the inside of the rotor not clearing the section of that the bolts are mounted to. Luckily, a friend with a machining equipment was able to open up the whole very slightly for a good price and after, everything cleared fine.

Second, on my car at least, 15" SS wheels (I'm guessing both SSII and SSIII) will not clear the rear calipers. I will either have to add spacers (probably 1/2") and longer studs, or will need to look at aftermarket wheels.

Now, with all that being said, the kit is a nice kit. I went with the 4-wheel disc brake conversion kit and the Show n Go an Show Stopper upgrade packages. Basically these add powder coated calipers, cross-drilled and slotted rotors and braided flex hoses as well as a chrome booster and master cylinder.

In the end, if you are not using SSII or SSIII wheels and can have the rotors machined for cheap, I'd say it is a good kit.

I have not had much opportunity to drive the car since the snow has already arrived.

Overall installation was not too bad. The lines can be a bit challenging to get around headers, but fit nice once in place. Other than the rotors, parts seem to fit well.

Here is a rear set up in place.

CutlassAtRM023_zps67927b93.jpg

And a look at the back.

CutlassAtRM024_zpsdccf24db.jpg

I didn't get any pictures of the front fully installed.

And finally the bling of the kit.

new_master_zps80f7c2e9.jpg

I need to do a bit of cleaning up under the hood before next summer.

I'll try to remember to post an update in the spring on the brake system, once I get to drive the car more than a couple of blocks.

I'll update the exhaust part of the project in a couple of days.

car_designer

Part II of the project was a new exhaust system and rear bumper. They are completely unrelated and nothing to do with each other

new_bumper_zpsd43566e6.jpg

The tailpipes need to be realigned, but they were good to get the car home from my friend's place where I was working on it.

tips_zpseecc82a3.jpg

And the most important part of an exhaust system, the sound.

JCMC64

You should of read me restore thread first!! I went through the exact same thing. I originally ordered same kit as you, but returned it due to several issues (not related to fitment.) I then pieced the kit together again on my own using the same components as Right stuff kit, but at half the cost. I too had a machine shop turn the rotor area you speak of, and all went well after.
The instructions from Right Stuff actually due warn that you might have to shave the axle area in question.

Well, I had to deal with this exactly too! You wont believe this, but the 14" rims actually clear better than the 15" SS ! I know because I have set of both and experimented with all sorts of rim setups. I ended up using spacers too on the 15", and didnt even need them on the 14", believe it or not. The 14" inch are more squared off where the calipers would sit, where the 15" are more of a shallow C shaped where the calipers seat into the rim. I used longer studs too. I bought 30 splined Moser axles to replace stock 28 splines...I made a mistake in not having the Moser axles turned where the D\S rotors hit (same as stock problem), so now I will have to have the rear rotors shaved when replacing...that is the better answer, to have the axles turned a 32nd or so, and not the rotors every time...when doing a Right Stuff 4 disc setup

You just need spacers and longer studs, and SSII\III rims will fit. With narrow std spacers (5\16), The clearence issue is just the tip of calipers where bolts are, and std spacers will give you almost 1\4" clearance there...and obviously more from there with wider spacers. My setup right now is running 275 60 15s , smaller spacers and all is good. I might experiment with larger ones down the road. BTW, with this setup I still have an inch of clearance from the wheel well lip. Plenty of room in the future for bigger fattys in the rear, even while using spacers

JCMC64

PS...another thing to try is shaving down the calipers tips where the bolts are...I have done this too with another setup. Its only a small area to shave down- a 1\4" area or so that jets out toward the rim. The other area around bolt hole has enough clearance.

car_designer

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will try to remember these in the future.

The system is on now, just need the spacers and longer wheel studs then I should be good to go.

And as for price, for the price I paid for the system, I can't complain. I had a friend who has dealt with Right Stuff for several kits and I got a great deal on the full kit including the chrome booster, master cylinder and prop valve. Also went with the upgraded rotors and braided lines.

JCMC64

No worries...your car looks awesome. Paint is sick!

Me too...also SS lines front to back

car_designer

Thanks for the compliment. And I went with the SS lines too.

car_designer

Now that spring/summer has finally arrived, I'm back to working on the Cutlass.

No pictures yet.

So far I've replaced the upper taillight lenses, backup light lenses, installed new sunvisors, wired up the fuel gauge (and it works!) and installed longer wheels studs and spacers so that the 15" SSIII wheels would clear the disk brakes I installed in the fall.

JCMC64

What size spacers did you end up going with?

car_designer

I went with 1/4" thick spacers. I have not driven the car yet, but just spinning the wheels while up on jack stands I couldn't hear any rubbing.

car_designer

I guess I'll start with a review of the stuff that was already done but untested. The 4-wheel disc brake kit works great so far. I've put about 500 kms on the car so far and they feel good and stop the car well. So far the wheel spaces are working out well and I really like the way the car sits with the lowering springs and the SSIII wheels.

And now onto the changes since last fall.

The car now has a Vintage Air system installed. It works as well or better than the system in my one year old daily driver. The only negative is all of the ducts behind the dash. They make any behind dash work challenging, but the benefits are worth it.

During the winter I bought a used 455 and had it rebuilt in time for the spring. I also had the th350 in the car rebuilt to handle the new engine. I've driven the car for about a week and there were a few bugs to work out but in the end the car was running well, but warm.

It still had a flex fan so I decided to buy a new fan clutch and install the clutch fan I got from a friend. Surprisingly the car ran warmer with the clutch fan. While I was at work this week, my Dad offered to switch back to the flex-fan and after doing the switch take the car for a test drive.

Unfortunately this did not seem to help and worse than that the car died on him and when he got it restarted there was noise coming from the engine.

He had it towed back to the shop that did the engine swap for us and they found a broken valve spring and bent push rod

Hopefully they will get the spring and push rod replaced early this week then I bring the car home and install a new aluminum radiator that should hopefully solve the cooling issues I've been having with this car since I bought it.

car_designer

Time for an update: The Cutlass has not been behaving lately.

The 455 has been in the Cutlass for about a month and a half and it has been running warm or hot ever since.

A couple of weeks ago I bought and installed an aluminum radiator with a pair of 14" electric fans. A day before heading to Cincinnati for the OCA Nationals I took the Cutlass for a 2-hour round trip test run and it ran nice and cool the whole time.

Day one of the trip to Cincinnati was pretty good until we got to the town where we were spending the night. The idle got really rough and I had to drive with both feet to keep it running at stop lights and only at stop lights.

Day two was even worse and by the end we were stopping every half hour or so to let the engine cool off and even pulled the thermostat about an hour away from the hotel.

We made it, but started to work on the car right away. Luckily I met a great, helpful group of CO members who offered advice on things to try and do to fix the overheating as well as offering help to do the work. We also met a very helpful show volunteer who not only offered suggestions, but also helped us do some of the work.

While at the show the following was done:

• Bought and installed the lower deflector below the rad
• Installed the rubber flaps at the top corners of the rad
• Installed new thermostat

Next we checked and adjusted the timing but it still ran the same.

Once all of this was done and the car was still running hot we looked at other possibilities like running lean. With the help of Tim, a volunteer at the show, as well as "Run to Rund" we determined that not only did I have a SBO Quadrajet on the car, it was an emission one designed to run lean. Not good on a big block.

I ended up buying a Edelbrock Performer 750 CFM carburator. We installed it Sunday morning. Right away the idle was a lot smoother and the exhaust note even sounded deeper. Good signs! My Dad and Tim took it for a test drive and returned to report it was running good.

We packed up and started the drive home. Ten miles later I was pulled over at a gas station when the engine hit 225*F. This time I walked around and felt the wheel centre caps. The fronts were warm but I could hold my hand on them. The rear were too hot to touch.

Maybe we are on to something now. Dragging brake making the engine work harder, especially on the hills could make it run warmer. I took the car to a shop and asked them to look into the rear brakes.

My Dad and I both had to be back home 2 days later so I had to leave the car at the shop with plans to pick it up the next weekend and drive it home.

Unfortunately the report was that the brakes are fine and on a test drive the wheels did not heat up and the engine ran fine

In the end, I finally decided I could not drive the car home this way, because 770 miles is a long drive if something goes wrong again.

We went back down this weekend, rented a truck and trailer and towed it home.

At least now it is home and we can work on it ourselves at home.

Now to figure out what is wrong!

jensenracing77

Sorry to hear about the troubles. I have been wondering how things went on the trip home. You sure have a beautiful car and it was great being able to meet you and your dad. Maybe things will be better for the nationals next year if you can come.

JCMC64

Sorry to hear all the issues, really sucks. These 455s and running hot are a common issue when issues aarise with them. I've read quite a few threads up here on this issue. I immediately started thinking possible carb related problems/ or timing when reading your dilemma as many of the threads I've read after all the things tried, I remember these causes the most. Do a search up here and just read for couple days first, other users documenting their running hot issues. Many have gone through this and documented fixes. It might help save some coin. May the force be with you.