Wow! Purrrty!! Looks awesome without 10 years of dust on and in it!

 

Damn those colors look great on that car. So happy for you. So glad it is in your hands. Good luck with the 400. I am loving the fact that it is a coupe. Glad it is in good hands.

Thanks for spelling Armor All ha ha. Everytime someone doesn't want to spell I go... huh? Is it really that tough to spell??? Funny world anymore. In a Frankenstein voice. SPELLING GOOD...

 

LOVING that car!!

 

Nice !!

 

Not much to update as I've been sick all week, but we did go out yesterday and get a couple small things done.

I pulled the dryrotted tire off and got a new one mounted, so I didn't have to mess with it anymore. Pushed it out of the garage to unbury the block which will be sent off to the machine shop this week, then once back in the garage we hooked the battery to it and checked all lights systematically. Still a couple things that puzzle me, but Ive not even begun to dive in and get to the level of research I'm known for..ha.

Once the light check was done, it was put up on stands and is now ready to be brought back to pre-barn state. I did verify, it is a one legger. Depending on cost, I may go ahead and slap a Posi unit in there, but Dad is already advising against it as we're aiming to maintain as much as we can of its numbers matching status. I figure, with the paint and interior being completely different, Posi wouldn't hurt it any more than those would.

 

Wow, what a great find, Nice!!

 

Unless you have a build sheet to show the rear posi option was not selected, no one would ever know the car didn’t originally come with one.

 

I hear Fremont cars had them above the gas tank, so when that gets pulled I'll be able to tell.

With the block and heads going to the machine shop this week, I'm gonna make it a goal to get as much done while they're gone as I can.

There's a much longer list of wants vs needs, and depending on what the machine shop says, I may get to address some of the wants as well.

 

Posi / limited slip will not hurt the car value it will only make it that much more enjoyable to drive. Pay close attention to the rod bearing clearance if you plan on driving it hard. If you don't get the clearance correct you will spin rod bearing!!
Do you know your diff gear ratio? 3.42 is a nice street gear and balances highway & street performance.

 

I noticed those were pretty tight, ha. That's another reason I don't want to abuse the snot out of it. I'm building it, so just running decent will be a win..haha.

I do not, but I do plan on going out and marking the tire and yoke and figuring it out that way. I was hoping there'd be a tag, but I've not seen one..

 

Decent running is subjective, I would run a rev limiter with stock clearances.
Looking forward to seeing the car completed.

 

There should be an axel code near the vent.

 

Here’s where the 2 letter code is located on an O-Type rear.

 

I will have to check that out, thanks.

 

Also, I was cleaning the bench off when moving the heads up to the front with the block for pickup, and took a look at the distributor as I remembered hearing it was a noteworthy item.

The numbers I pulled off of it are: 1111933 9C19

Is this anything substantial?

 

You WILL want a posi in that thing. Even with a posi your rebuilt 400G will spin through 2nd gear - more if you put original style/size rubber under it. A single leg rear end will be NO fun.

 

I definitely WANT to put a posi unit in there, just not quite sure if I should.

We'll see what kind of damage the engine shop does, and if I've got the extra coin I just may make the executive decision and do it.

 

Anti Spin rear won't get any cheaper. When you get the engine back in and running, you'll wish you had done it while the car was down, waiting for the engine. You may want to consider a different rear end ratio. Now would be a great time to get it done.

 

Very easy to drop a rear end later as finances allow. Any kind of power and single drive rear will be a tire spinner. My 70 442 came with a factory OAI hood. Dual Gate. Rally Red. 2.78 open rear end... Changed that so fast. 2.78 open really?? I have the original invoice and build cards in my storage. I will get them out eventually.

 

Yeah, I just went through a rear end swap for the Sure Grip in my Dodge police car before I sold it. I changed the entire axle and rear suspension in a weekend on the concrete floor of my small garage. Sure, it messed my back/sciatica up for a couple days, but I may or may not have done a small burnout in the garage when I was done..haha

I agree, it would make more sense to swap it in now while it's not movable, but my wallet is ultimately what'll dictate that

 

I saw that you mentioned you were planning on spinning the rear to estimate the ratio but I didn't see if you posted the actual ratio. I believe there were two basic size ranges for the O type rear, which your car should have. I'm pretty sure the 'small' size topped out at 3.23 and then the 'large' size went up from there. You can add a posi unit to either one but you're limited in ratio to the ranges that fit into the two categories.
You could add a posi to the original unit or just swap it out and keep the original in the garage. God only knows how many A-body rears are available on the cheap that will slide right under there with no effort/modification. You could get radical but with the goals you've mentioned for the car, sticking with something in the 3.23 range, or maybe slightly larger (numerically) would be best. You should be able to find these almost anywhere. Of course, you'll probably have to go with a Chevy style with the c-clip axle retainers but not a big deal (your O type axles are bolted in).

 

Be warned of old fathers who have had cars forever. Unless it's an oil change or putting air in the tires, it's sacrilege to do any periodic maintenance, and defiling the temple to upgrade anything.

 

Just spun the tire twice and got just about 3.25 revolutions of the yoke, which would tell me it has the 3.23 gear. Also went ahead and found the code on the axle tube which confirms the same thing.

 

Pulled the tank yesterday, and kinda had a "hey stoopid" moment putting us on hold until we can figure out what to do with all the fuel in the tank.

With the tank being out, I'm going to run new lines, install a new sender, and attempt to clean the tank out. From there, I'm kind of not really sure where to go next. We (Dad and I) are kind of at an odd spot because neither of us really know where we should start..ha.

I know I'd like to pull the front bumper and get it rechromed, replace shocks, spray some undercoating on everything, possibly replace the entire brake system (it works, that's my struggle) and figure out the extent of the leak near the pinion of the axle. Its not actively leaking, but looks like it had been at some point based on where there is an excess of grease.

 

I would encourage a complete rebuild of the brake system, to include a rebuild of the master cylinder and replacement of all the lines, and rebuild or replacement of wheel cylinders. I did on mine when I bought it 10 years ago. It's better than 50 years old at this point - just sayin... I upgraded the SE (3.23:1 Open) diff in mine to a TM (3.42:1 Anti-Spin).

 

I'll rephrase..im going to rebuild the brake system, I just struggle with the thought of it because it works. The last car I had was plagued with brake issues for probably the last 8 years I had it..and never could track down the culprit. (Fronts locked up too easily, rears didn't push out pressure, pedal felt clunky no matter what I did)

I'm torn on the Posi unit..the only one I've seen after market is $650+..before ring and pinion, and installation kit (plus having someone do it). That's worse than the Mopar stuff..which I didn't think could happen. 🤣

 

Were you able to find the build sheet when you pulled the tank?

 

I'm of the "if it's not broke don't fix it" line of thought - or it will be in hundreds of pieces in no time

save your resources for the engine & do it right - consider your options in regard to the condition of the radiator & transmission

......... and paint the wheels argent, if you are leaving the '70+ wheels on it

 

no, but the insulation (sound deadener?) Was there and somewhat intact. It kinda threw me off, honestly.

 

the car is 50+ years old and with all the changes and prior work it has been apart before
if there was a sheet someone else already found it

 

..apparently I'm needing some direction on the wheels. I know I will be needing a spare, along with a replacement center cap..but if they're not original, then it peaks my interest

 

the wheels you have appear to be 14x7.0" with "snap-on" center caps - I believe these started in 1976 ??

1969 442 had
* F70-14 tires w/red lines, white lines or raised white letters
* 14x6.0" wheels with hub caps, wheel covers, Super Stock I (chrome 5-spoke) or Super Stock II (argent) wheels

a sport coupe 442 with console, A/C, power disc brakes & what else was expensive & probably had wheels ?? are there brackets to hold the tire iron in the trunk?

 

a disc brake version of the SSI was introduced in the spring of 1969

 

I dont believe I have those brackets. As far as the wheels go, I know they've obviously been painted, as the car was initially blue. It also didn't have a console when it was born (originally a parchment interior, bench seat car) so it wouldn't surprise me if these were taken from whatever donor car supplied the interior.

They look good IMO, so if they're not original I can deal with it. I wouldn't mind Cragars, but they'd have to be 15s at least.

 

FYI, the posi carrier is not available anywhere at the present time.

So work on the important stuff, get the car driveable, and do the “nice to have” stuff later.


https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ar-end-155484/

 

I hear you about the brakes. Mine worked when I rebuilt/replaced the system, also, but it just felt funky. Now it is like new, again.

I have a NIB, without the box, 588, 28 spline, carrier that fits the Series 3 gear set. I wanted to mount (NIB) 3.42 ring gear to it that I had on the shelf for years, then I discovered the 3.42 set was aftermarket and made for the Series 2, 671, carrier. If you need/want the 588, I don't need it and would let it go.

 

Based on that chart, I have the 671. If I switch over to the 588, does everything else line up? (Aside from needing new r&p obviously)

 

Yep, everything will fit, though you will need to remeasure and shim the side-to-side fitment. I don't want to sell you a bill o' goods, though! Make sure you can find the R&P set first, otherwise the 588 will sit on your shelf like it has on mine.

 

I appreciate it, I'll take a gander when I get home and have a bit more time.

 

I thought you had an open diff? The chart posted are limited slip carriers only. If you are wanting to go with lower gears, it would be a lot easier to find a set of aftermarket (Richmond or similar) 3.42, 3.90, or 4.10 gears that are made to fit the 671 carrier.