I just finished installing new custom tail lights in my '65 442 and wanted to show them off! Opinions?

 

Hmmm...doesnt work for me but interesting...kinda pontiacish...but its whatever you like..

 

Nice job but not my cup of tea. I agree with 442scotty that it is kind of pontiacish or better yet gtoish. I like cars of that vintage pretty close to stock bodied with American Racing Wheels. It is your car and you are free to do as you please.

 

nice job on the body work, what lamps did you go with?

 

Nice clean install. I would have went with 3 on each side. 1) Because I like the look & 2) To ensure the brake lights would be bright enough to be seen.

Either way, awesome effort.

d1

 

Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't been inundated with readers telling me I ruined a good 442, since a lot of the guys on this site are pretty much purists. I found my post car in a salvage yard in SW Kansas; there were sooooo many parts missing from it, and what stuff was there was in really sad shape. Lower rear quarters, trunk floor, windshield and rear window channels were all rotted, transmission hump was almost non-existant, firewall was full of butchery, not a straight panel on the body, including the top, and it had Chevy motor mounts slobber-welded into it. Poor car had had a sad life. I had hoped to come up with a good set of original tail lights and side chrome for it, but after checking around and pricing all that stuff, I decided to make a custom out of it, figuring no matter what I did to it, I was improving it's future. I'm a poor boy and I do all my own work. I've been thru another 442 hardtop donor and a Cutlass hardtop donor getting parts.

I, like defiant1, would have liked to have three slots on each side, but couldn't find anyone who makes them. Hagan is about the only outfit I found who make flush-mount taillights, so was a bit tied to their styles. I went with the LEDs to make sure I had the rear lit as well as possible, but will most likely also run a third brake light. The lights do have "pontiac-ish" look to them, but I think when it's finished, it'll be passable. For those who do like the look, it wasn't a bad swap to do....went together pretty well. I've removed most of the chrome and all the insignias from the car, smoothed the firewall, customized the side scoops, will run painted fiberglass bumpers, bar grille, 7" & 8" reversed painted steel wheels, dog dish hubcaps, redline tires. I've got a reworked Toronado 455, 4-speed and 355 posi under it. It'll be light metallic gray with dark metallic gray Z28-type stripes on the hood and trunklid. Interior will be button-tufted naugahyde and velour-like material.

 

The only fault I see is the size, but then I tend to like big taillights. Find a suitable piece of chrome trim to run from one light to the other, and the look won't really be that far off from the 65 tailpanel- without all the pitting!

 

I really wanted bigger lights too, but couldn't come up with any I liked. The "plan" is to either have some pinstriping between the lights or graphics that resemble the tailpiece design.

 

The install looks very well done. Far better than I could do myself.

Seeing that they are LED I'm sure they will be plenty bright enough from behind for brake & signal lights.

 

Aw, we're not that hard to get along with. Just kinda like the original look better. Here's a suggestion: frame out the area around the new lights in red with a silver outline to give it a cosmetic look of the original yet still keep the functionality of your LEDs? Just a thought. I think the LED lights look kind of lost due to their small size IMO.

Well, you deserve kudos for taking on a monster project. If your goal is customization, you're well on your way. I for one will be on board with saying THANK YOU for breathing new life into a car destined for the crusher. Keep up the good work!

Can't wait to see it finished. Be sure to keep posting pics of your progress.


One more thing: It's not purist to say this, I think its necessary. DON'T put on a 3rd brake light no matter how good your bodywork skills are (and they look really good BTW). A TBL was never intended for that car, and there's no legislation that requires it to my knowledge on a restoration/customization project for this vintage. I think it would detract from the look of the car. Besides, no one's gonna be able to keep up long enough to see it work

 

well done good story i would have done the same if the car i started out with was also that poor to begin with, once again, well done friend cant wait to its completion!!!!

 

Wow, thanks for all the kudos on my bodywork. I'm no great shakes, and I have to do things two or three times to get it right, but that's just time. I just finished streetrodding a 40 Chevy business coupe, had to replace all the floors, rockers, lower cowl panels, rear quarters, and the pan under the trunklid, and I couldn't weld when I bought the car. It took 4 years, but sure learned a lot doing it. This Olds is different, since the metal is 1) flatter, 2) thinner, and 3) GM had started unibody stuff, which causes all kinds of problems in gaining access to the backside of the panel.

I would have liked for the car to be in better shape. I loved my original '65 post car, and looking at the cars the guys on this site have rebuilt brings back great memories, but since this one was in the shape it was, and post cars are so hard to find, I drug it home. And, since it seems like NOBODY customizes a muscle car, I thought it would be different and a kick to do.

 

I know it probably seems like the majority of oldsmobile enthusiasts on this site are purists, I for one, am not. I believe in building a car to reflect your interests, ideas, and goals. I like some old school ideas combined with new technology and upgraded comfort and safety components myself, but I really like my car to reflect my personality, not everyone else's. In fact my license plate holder says: No, you didn't have one just like it!

Les

 

good job, looks cool too. you solved the pitted back panel issue,pitted center bar, and expesive repop tail lites that we are having. i agree with allan that with some creative pinstriping you could frame the tailites, hand paint the 442 script and an olds arrow in the center

 

what are you going to do with the front grill? am interested !!

 

I'm a poor boy and I knew I couldn't afford to get all that potmetal chrome rechromed or replaced and, honestly, I wanted the car to look unique, so I thought, WTH, I'll just build a custom. I've done some customizing of the side scoops too. The only trim on the sides will be what is around the windows and a small piece of stainless that runs just below the windows from the front of the doors back along the rear fenders. (I may do some kind of graphics down the beltline on the sides.)

I'm not doing anything too drastic to the grille, but have ground all the letters off the center bar, smoothed it, then roughed up the two chromed strips above and below the center bar, and primed them all. Will paint the three bars the same color as the car, with all the background blacked out. I'm retaining the front chrome trim on the front of the hood and the fender eyebrow pieces. Car will have painted 'glass bumpers too. Here's a pic of the grille as it is, and one of the side scoops.....both in prime.

 

I agree with the other poster who voiced concern over potential visibility issues. I believe you said they are LEDs, and hopefully they are bright, but I do agree with your intention to add a third brake light. As a motorcyclist, I can attest perhaps better than most that people drive like idjits these days (maybe they aways did?), and the move visible you are, the better.

 

aliensatemybuick: I agree with you on the visibility thing. I don't really want to put a third light on the car but, as you said, there are a lot of idjits out there who pay absolutely no attention where they're going.....especially today in the world of cell phones!!!!!!...and with 'glass bumpers, I don't need to be a##-bumped. When I was building my '40 Chevy, I used the original tail lights with blue dots, and was a bit squeamish about visibility there too, so I added a third light in the back window. I plan to do the same thing with the 442 also, not mold it into the body.

 

Interesting ! I too have thought about getting rid of the pot metal.
Excuse my poor picture mods. Just thinking here.
I like what you've done can't wait to see more !

 

You ruined a good 442! I am one of those guys on our site that is a purist!

Just kidding. I think it looks good. We look forward to seeing pics of the finished car. Definitely alot better than I could do. My body skills end at sanding and spray painting.

 

Olds64: I started reading your post and I thought, "Oops, here we go...I'm gonna hear about it now!".....then I finished reading it and breathed a sigh of relief. It'll take me a while to finish the car, but will post new pics occasionally; I don't know how guys can build a car like in 6 months or so, guess it's because they know what they're doing, huh? It took me 4 years to finish my '40 Chevy, and I'm guessing about 3 on this one, been working on it a bit over a year. I'm a guy who enjoys the "doing" more than the "having it done"...I'm almost 66, and I believe it's good for my gray matter to keep learning new stuff.

Everybody, thanks for the encouragement!

 

Keep at it. You will have an AWSOME crusier once you are finished.

 

Interesting ,very.
I doubt many would have attempted this restoration --you saved a life.

 

geckonz08: Thanks. As I said before, I loved my original '65 442...had a lot of good times with it, but restoring a '65 today is an expensive undertaking, with not being able to get new sheetmetal, the cost of re-furbing the chrome and putting one back together original. I'm retired, so my finances aren't a bottomless pit; I already have a '40 Chevy street rod I finished a couple of years ago and, since the car was in such sad shape, I figured the answer to the problem was to "rebuild", not "restore" it, and I am having soooo much more fun customizing it than I would have just restoring it. Just my thing.

 

looks very cool! more pics please - a nice 3rd and 4th brake light is very nice and symmetrical

 

I'm glad you saved the car, most would just walk past it, and be happy.
I saved my 46 and I'm very happy.
All the best
Spider

 

ozspider: There have been times that I've wondered if I'd made a mistake, trying to make a "silk purse out of a sow's ear", but I'm far enough along now that I can see she might make a car again someday. My '40 Chevy was in just about as bad of shape as my 442, but it was well worth the effort in the end.

It seems that's my lot in life, to take something nobody else wants and see if I can resurrect it. I've got a '71 Bultaco 250cc dirt bike (Spanish bike) that I bought new, rode for 8-9 years and sold it. It sat...and deteriorated...in an open shed for 18 years, and I found it again, bought it and restored it. It's only got 900 miles on it.

 

[quote=kanskidoo;
It seems that's my lot in life, to take something nobody else wants and see if I can resurrect it. I've got a '71 Bultaco 250cc dirt bike [/quote]

I seem to have the same condition, I could have saved lots of money and
bought something nice many times over the years. But too hard to do.

Not on topic but a pic of the "Taco" please.
And of course more pics of your progress on the 442.

 

+1

I dig the GTO tail lights for that era so I think it's cool.
It's your car and your money, so do whatever you think is cool.

I personally think they would have been slightly better if they were bigger,
because I ride, so I'm all about rear tail light brightness.

EDIT: Now I saw where you made it 4 on each side, and I think that's a better look personally.

 

kanskidoo
My 46 Olds has lots of rust, and have to make lots of parts for her, but I would not have it any other way.
It makes her a one off.
If she was in good nick I would not have choped the top.
I think it's up to us to save the old girls.
Wonder on more, be happy I am.
Spider

 

Spider: I feel just like you in that when you build something that is your idea, it makes it a "one-off" for sure, and not like what everybody else has. That's REAL hotrodding to me. Sometimes, people tend to be followers.

My '40 was a hunk of rust when I drug it home too. If it had been a nice car, I might not have been so quick to cut it up. Enclosing a pic of what it used to be. More power to you on chopping the top on your '46. I'll tackle most stuff, but I've watched a couple cars being done, and top-chopping is beyond my skills. Lots-o-cyphering goes into that.

nonhog: Enclosing a couple of pics of my Bull. It too was a rust bucket, had more muddobber nests on it than paint when I brought it home, but believe it or not, after 18 years of sitting, I WD-40'ed the clutch and throttle cables, put in some new gas.......and it fired and ran...still had the same spark plug that was in it when I sold it. The tires that are on it are the original knobbies.

 

Kanskidoo,
I want your Coupe, then I'd chop it and drive it all day. I would love a 39 Ford Pickup,
all most found one, it turnd out to be a 4ton truck.
Spider

 

Have you located some fiberglass bumpers for a 65 Cutlass yet? Who makes them?

 

Spider:
I considered having someone chop the 40's top, but it's a business coupe, and there isn't a lot of room in it anyway. My experience with chopped tops is it really limits headroom, and I'm tall, so I left it as is. No regrets, but I do like the "looks" of a chop.

rcdynamic88: I bought a pair of glass bumpers for my 442 from Rocket Racing and Performance. The bumpers were made by Glasstek, but price didn't seem to make much difference between the two. Both are online. Nice quality, and really light. I think I paid about $220 a bumper, ready to ship.

 

Hi Kanskidoo,
I love you coupe as is or choped, if you did chop it, all you do is lower the seat.
Still i'd love it, or a 39 ford pickup.
Allthe best
Spider

 

Spider,
I like your '46 too, the chopped top really changes the look. I'm sure you have a time finding parts for that car. My twin and I used to share a '48 DeSoto in high school, and we put a grill from a '46 Olds in it....really thought it was cool. I had a '39 Chevy business coupe after I graduated from high school, but always loved the '40's better; they were a little rounder and had better lines, and the headlights had begun to mold into the fenders. When I decided I wanted to build a street rod, there was never a question what it would be.

 

Dear Mr Kanskidoo,
Yes you are right I do have a time finding parts, being down under.
But i'm lucky I can make a lot of the parts my self.
I'm about 85% finished biulding a Ewheel/bead roller.
I'm a Fiter & Turner by trade and have access to a lathe and a mill.
I have my own welding machines ( arc, mig, tig and oxy ) so it mkes life easier.
One of my favorite sits is metal meet at allshops.org
all the best
Spider

 

Spider: I sold some stuff to a guy in the military in Germany, and he has the same problem you do....getting parts. I think he said he had one of only two '65s in Germany. That's gotta be a trip! When I was building my '40, I could get new sheetmetal patch panels for it, but I've found on this 442 that I have to build most of the body skin pieces since no one makes that stuff. (Chevelle floor pans will work, I guess.) I worked in a machine shop years ago, can run a lathe, mill, etc., but do not own those machines, however I have a buddy who does, so I use the hell out of him. I only have a mig welder, but for most stuff, it gets the job done....at least nothing has fallen off the '40 yet. I'm a guy who likes to do his own work, and find I can figure out something that will work...it's better than paying some "pro" to take my money and not do it as good as I could.

Will take a look at the allshops.org site.

 

first off it looks good man.... some people don't like custom work on their vehicles its all about original parts?? but i am a custom kind of guy looks great

 

I think about your car every time I walk past my pitted pot metal on the back of my car.

Any updates?

Possible to get a shot directly from the rear?