Eric,

What finish should be on the inside of the rear wheel wells on your W30? I've seen restored cars with just about every alternative: undercoat, black paint, black paint with body color over spray, and all body color.

Brian

 

It is a matter of what you want to do. I am not an expert and I have to look into each detail as I go and even then I am not exactly right. Mine will be the same color of black as the under side of the car with no overspray. The black will be just slightly less glossy than my frame. I will also not use any undercoat. As far as correct to be like it left the factory, I can't answer that. I have had low mile original cars with all different ways from the factory. This car had no undercoat originally.

 

Eric, what did you use to paint the brake calipers? I used a paint kit by Duplicolor, it is a glossy black and i'm not to happy with it.
Gary

 

I spent more time on mine than i should have. I first painted them with a brake cast color from eastwood. after that I taped off all the machined surfaces and painted them with Eastwood Zinc Phosphate. I was going to use a matt black paint but I was out, I just grabbed the Zinc Phosphate because it is about the same. Now the machine surfaces look like they are bare steel.

 

I still need to get them turned to be sure I have a good set with life left.

 

I don't think I am going to use the sway bars that I had powder coated. I think i am going to paint a set dark grey like the shocks. Anyone know what they were when the car came new? I know NOS is black but I don't think that is how they were when the car was new.

 

I ran into some roadblocks. I do not have the bolts and hardware back from the plater and don't look like I will have them back any time soon. Hard to put together without bolts. I thought I would start on the engine but the machine shop is backed up till September at the earliest. Looks like I will just have to start taking the body apart.

I also ran into an issue with a hospital bill. I tried to get them to send me a bill for over a year. They would not send it to me and I forgot about it. Now 2 years later, I get a bill. Not only did I forget about it, it is also 2 times what I thought it was going to be. I told them I will make them wait 2 more years to get paid but they threatened to send me to collections if I make them wait that long. They even have in there records that I was trying to get a bill 2 years ago but there system also shows that one was never sent. I plan to see if they can cut the bill down. If not I will just send them $10 every now and then just to be difficult for them. Sorry for the rant.

 

Eric, there is always something to do in the mean time! No problem on the hospital bill tangent. I ran into something similar a coupe of years ago. It was a technical issue where the administrator did not file some paperwork correctly. Long story short, that becomes my problem, and it goes to collections because I am stubborn and want to prove I am right. what a nightmare!

 

after read your deal with the heath bill I was going to tell u to send a dollar a month and they can't do u nothing because u are trying just not vary hard, put u will be trying harder than they were for 2 years
cars looking good and boy are u doing it fast
keep up the good work ray

 

I moved the cars all around so i could work in the body. I started pulling the interior out. The floor pans are great! I knew the bottom side was nice but the top is also nice. There is a very small amount of pitting on the passenger side of the transmission hump but that is all. I found more money under the carpet, nothing newer than 1981 when the car was parked.

 

Does your car have power trunk, or is that the rear speaker wire?

 

It is a speaker wire. The car has an AM with 8-track so it got the rear speaker.

 

Ok thanks, I think the power trunk wire is run the same way.

 

eric could u post a pic. of the rear speaker gill and may-be do u have an extra one to sell
thanks ray

 

They didn't have speaker grills. At least none of the cars I ever seen with a rear speaker had one. The package tray just had an area of holes in the backing of the mesh. I will take some pictures of that area of the package tray.

 

NDERISE: no grilles! just as jensenracing states. the reason no grilles, as the speaker bolts to the bottom of the metal package shelf and the package shelf trim piece covers the speaker. there are two types of rear trim, one smooth (no holes) and the other is open mesh.

 

Ray,

Here are some pictures of the speaker area. Were there any grills available as an option? If so, mine didn't have one.

 

I guess the one with grills were dealer installed are an accessory u could install yourself I know I install some of these when I worked a the dealer but being I did it 40 year ago I don't remember what they look like thanks for the info. and the pics. keep up the good work with your car. will be at the nationals on the 23 of this month would u have any decent 70 front fenders u my want to sell.
thanks again ray

 

What side? I have some but I would have to look at what I have.

 

I need both sides must be 70's, I will take a fender that would need a lower patch but must have a good inner brace behind it, I do have a very good r h 71 -72 fender if u would like to do some swapping
thanks ray

 

I will have to be sure but I think I have a set from a 442 with good braces but need the lower patch. Are they going on a 442? if so these would already have the correct holes. I will look at them tonight. Do you have an email address I can send pictures to. I will have room to bring them to the nationals if you like them.

 

Yes they will be going on my 442, would u be interrested in the 71-72 i have.
Email is rayderise@yahoo.com i think u my already have my email
thanks ray

 

I know I had it but finding it is not always easy for me, lol. I will get pics and send to you.

 

I think these are the speaker covers.....

Ted

 

Are these GM parts? I think it would look funny with a grill on it because it would only be on one side. I guess it wouldn't be that much differant than the defogger grill on only one side.

 

I'm kind of an Olds neophyte, but I haven't seen speaker grilles used on the '70 Cutlass. I've owned a 70 Chevelle SS since 1975. Chevy did use a rectangular grille on the package shelf even with a single (passenger side) speaker. But the package shelf is solid cardboard. I'm also wondering about the grilles you pictured Sammy, they're like ones I bought aftermarket when I was compelled to remove the factory speaker from my Chevelle and install a pair of something that was promising to be just great but is now long forgotten (hey I was just a kid).

GM seems to consistently use blue wire to the rear speaker like Eric photo'd. I guess Olds just used a single wire and the body for the other conductor. Chevy used a blue/black wire pair.

 

Hopefully somebody may chime in who may know..

Bought one from a fellow member and one came from a guy around here.
They do fit my 70 Cutlass, but I removed them because,like Eric eluded to, they looked kinda of weird on the package shelf.
I bought a new shelf instead.....


Ted

 

Well no one who apparently knows anything has chimed in yet, so I'll share the information from the factory publications. The Assembly Manual, Section 1, page 132, does not show a grille used with the rear speaker. The speaker is retained with special bolts, (which are currently available from InLine, OPGI, and others).

The factory Shop Manual Figure 15-13 shows no grille used with the fabric over hardboard (mesh) rear package shelf. They do illustrate a grille when a plain hardboard package shelf is used. I thought all the Cutlass' had mesh. Does the F85, for example, use plain hardboard (cardboard)?

 

briane:

yes, however if the rear speaker option is ordered than it would have a mesh style rear package shelf. My Brass Hat F-85 had the rear speaker option and it had the mesh shelf! No grille.

 

grill were a dealer install option to the customer, I use to install them they came as a speaker kit with the wires, speaker and the grill

 

I should clarify my comment above, since a knowledgeable person had not yet chimed in, as someone who doesn't know much I though I'd go ahead and butt in.

Dave can you further explain the use of solid versus mesh package shelves? So if the vehicle came from the factory with a rear speaker it was fitted with a mesh shelf (and no speaker grille). If no factory speaker, the F85 received a solid shelf? What about Cutlass S, Supreme, 442?

Can someone tell me what the original rear speaker magnet looks like? Chevy had a small magnet in a rectangular frame like that illustrated in the Olds Assembly and Shop Manuals. Also pictured for Olds in the 1970 Delco Radio Service Manual. However I've seen a couple of high dollar restorations with a medium sized round magnet and no frame. My own car had an aftermarket huge magnet speaker in it when I got it. I replaced it with one from a 70 Chevy Dealer speaker kit.

Ray, on the Olds Dealer rear speaker kit, what did the grille look like? How about the magnet? Is the wire a single conductor or conductor pair?

Sorry to perpetuate hijacking Eric's restoration thread.

 

briane: not real sure as this was not high on my list of "product quality control issues" or "high warranty items". Any Cutlass S and up models got the mesh shelf no matter if an option requiring it was needed. All base models lower than Cutlass S got the solid shelf unless a rear seat speaker or rear defroster option was ordered.

 

My Arlington built 71 Cutlass Supreme SX without a rear speaker from the factory had the solid cardboard parcel shelf. It is my understanding, only the mesh was used with a rear speaker, regardless of model.

 

I got the rear end together. I am sure I don't have the colors exactly right but it will work for me. I will work on the brakes next.

 

Awesome! Very nice work Eric. Looking forward to seeing the blue on blue. Might have to steal that combo for mine if it ever gets painted.

 

I still don't know for sure if that is what I am doing. I won't do black and I don't like white but white is starting to grow on me. I would just like to keep from going with a 3 color car. I have NO plans to sell this car after it is done but if I ever needed to I think the white would be more desirable than the blue on blue. I plan to look at some at the nationals and see what I like best.

 

OK guys.... Don't laugh to hard. I don't have tons of experience with dashes but I had no idea that you could pull the wire harness with the dash. It always took me forever to pull dashes out. I thought I read somewhere where someone did it that way so I looked at it harder. I can't believe how much easier they come out this way. I only ever installed one dash and it took me a weeks vacation to get it right. I think I could have it in in less than a day now.

 

ha, I did the same darn thing! car is coming along great.

 

Sorry Dave, but I beg to differ. My 1972 Cutlass S (Lansing Fisher build date - 1st week of April 1972) came equipped with a solid cardboard parcel shelf.

No laughs from me! I found that out exactly the same way. Just pulled a dash at the bone yard recently and realized what you did AFTER I got it out.

That upper left side post caused me some worry (access) until I found out it was not fastened with a nut on the post. Coming along nicely Eric. BTW, why aren't you using the powder coated sway bar?

 

Eric,

Eric your W30 is the same color as my 1970 Chevelle SS, code 28 which Chevrolet call Fathom Blue. I have a black interior. You also see 28 often with white interior which of course looks very good. I think, however, the blue interior would be nice as well as unusual. Actually I don't believe I have ever seen that combination. (I have often seen the blue interior in cloth with the lighter blue exterior Chevy called Astro Blue).