Back in town, not much to update. I took the old headliner out and got all the insulation and crap out and found a few rust holes in the roof. Their not that big, I'm sure theres more I haven't come across yet but its too damn cold to be digging around looking for pin holes in a car roof. I expected roof rust, there was some crunching under the top, it sucks but should be repairable. The rear window ledge is what really worries me, its very soft and crunchy. Anyway, pics:
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Well, despite the cold and lack of money/parts I got something done! Its actually pretty hard to come up with anything to do. Brakes are done, trans works fine, engine runs great, speedo works, gas gauge appears to have started working, all the lights work, seats are in seatbelts are done, tires are good, ect. Realistically, I need to do a road test and then register it. Of course it needs interior work but I need more cash for that.
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You'll be on the road before you know it.
Keep up the good work.

 

Thanks! I sure hope so. Of course now winter is setting in here in upstate NY, so she won't be regg'd until spring. I figure its been sitting 25 years, another 3 months can't hurt

 

Sounds like it may be time to get the snow shovel
out and make a few bucks for Spring.

 

Heh, its an idea. Luckily I have a coupe "assets" in the south that are already spoken for. I expect $4500-$5500 coming my way in the next month or two. I'm debating on dumping it all into the Cutlass, or putting some in the Cutlass and buy myself a 79 camaro with a 350 and a 4 speed, and T tops I'm gonna start working on growing that mullet

 

Camaro sounds like some fun to beat on
while working on the Cutlass.
Oh, and I still have your bumper.

 

Completely forgot about that! Ugh, if theres anything I need to improve the appearance of the car its a rear bumper, I don't even know how mine could get so ugly. I'd also need paint and various other things, but the rear of the car is all those silly little ricers will see anyway, might as well start with a bumper

Once the cash starts rolling in I'll get in contact with ya about that. I've decided to sell my beloved 76 280Z instead of shipping, I paid $1650 for it, can't turn down a $3000 offer.

 

Don't worry guys I haven't given up or anything I'm just waiting on money. The car is at a point where the rest of the work is buying and replacing parts, shes pretty much road ready. I actually have a line on a good deal for a 69 parts car, it was nice until a tree fell on it, I'm expecting to get it this weekend. If that works out, I'll have pics! I'm also considering pulling the stock 350 Olds in favor of a fuel injected 5.3 LS series motor but not totally sure yet.

 

Guess whos back? its been a couple weeks but I got a lot of news. Long story short, a guy driving past my house stopped and said he had a 69 Cutlass parts car that a tree fell on that he'd sell me cheap, so I picked it up yesterday. Had to drive 120 miles each way (what are the odds he'd pass my house that far away?) but I got it. Its got 63K original miles, it was bought new by a little old lady who back 20 years ago pulled out in front of someone and got side swiped. he bought it for parts but it was too nice to strip so he drove it with the driver side damage for 5k miles. A tree fell on it and officially ended the cars usable life but it has tons of good parts including a nice black interior ( a little dirty) and a lot of the stuff under the hood like core support and whatnot has a lot less surface rust than my car so it'll help clean up my engine bay too. The parts car is all original down to the hubcaps (like my 69 was before I got working on it) and even has the warranty envelope in the glovebox! He even threw in a couple Cragar's knockoffs that'll fit the front and match my fat rear wheels and tires

Anyway, pics!
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Hmmmm..........that color combo reminds me of something.

 

When I first saw it your car's color combo is what came to mind! However, yours is a lot nicer . I actually really like the gold color, the black top and black interior really set it off. I don't believe the frame is actually bent but I'll have to do some measurements and crawl under there. if the frame isn't bent, and I had another 69 shell, it might be worth it to replace the body but I think at this point its best as a parts car.

 

Heres some pictures of the car the day it happened. Big tree that just barely got the car. 2 feet over and it woulda missed it. better than coming down straight on top of it though, that would have made the car scrap, right now its a good parts car. The truck was okay by the way, it has a small dent on the tip of the bed side about the size of a baseball but thats it.

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Looks like you got a new interior and nicer wheels for the front! good job on letting this one fall in your lap.

 

Yep, and that interior is nice too, all black vinyl. gauges are like new, everything on the steering column is tight and firm like brand new. I turned the key and it clicked like a brand new car, unlike my other one that feels like its smothered in glue. I still can't believe how I ended up with the car, what are the odds?

BTW, anyone know how hard it is to remove the dash? both cars are A/C cars. I've been searching but all I find is people asking that question but no one seems to have an answer, or theres dead photo links, no real writeup to speak of or even what to look out for, where the bolts are, ect. but it seems unanimous that its a pain in the ****.

 

First of all, get someone to discharge the A/C if it has freeon in it. Not something to mess with

 

Will I die or go blind if I'm exposed to Freon or something?

 

So damn cold here in NY I didnt get too much done but I got the back seat out and started getting the interior panels off. I cleaned up the glass and leaves and whatnot too, and poked around under the hood. the plugs look good, carb looks decent, it should run with a little work. the battery terminals look almost new so I believe it was running a couple years ago before the hurricane in Jersey. I found a receipt in the glovebox, he had the transmission rebuilt and U joints done in 1994, but the kicker is that the odometer was at 63,044 miles and it currently has 63,358 miles. So basically, the transmission only has 314 miles on it! So thats cool. Here are some pics from today, you can see how clean this car was (and is). Damn shame that it was wrecked, 63K OG miles, all original, garaged most of its life. I also got some outside pics of the car accident impact and how the inside looks. These cars are incredibly safe, the interior is barely affected!

Need more cleaning but no rips and the foam and frames are nice
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Nice score.

 

The seets look good now but be carefull, they can dry up and crack. If they were mine I would rub some leather conditioner in and let it soak in before you put them In, then Periodically re aply to keep them soft.

 

Should be disposed of properly, contains cfc's. Also to what truth I am not sure, if in direct contact with skin will cause serious burns. Was told this from our shop teacher

 

Thanks! crazy thing is for once I didn't have to scour craigslist all day for months to find it, the opportunity came to me

Very good point, I'll do that before before putting them in. Will it work on Vinyl? I'm guessing thats what the material is.

ouch. Yeah I was reading up on it and apparently it'll melt the ozone layer and we'll all burn to death from direct sun rays or something and you get stuck with a big fine. I doubt the A/C has a charge but it has been driven in the past 5 years so I dunno.

 

I used leather conditioner on my 68 delta when I had it. Seemed to work just fine, just don't use silicone interior spray use a real conditioner.

 

When stuff falls in your lap like that, around here we call it "Clean Livin". You must be doing something right in life!

 

^^^X2! What a nice Christmas present.

 

Cool, thanks for the tip. looks like the local autozone sells some of that conditioner stuff that you rub on.

Maybe the Oldsmobile gods have shined down upon me for ressurecting the forgotten white Cutlass!

Absolutely, and to think, all I asked for this year was a little plastic build it yourself model car from Wal Mart. I got something a lot better than that


Buy the way, Merry Christmas everyone!

 

Santa brought me a much needed present this year, a car cover for the white car!
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Alright so, update! I got some of the interior panels out and the rear seat and seatbelts (except for two, stubborn bolts, but I brought my impact gun out for those). Then I was out of town for 5 or so days selling my Datsun and cleaning up storage units. Finally, fresh funds for Cutlass stuff hehehe. I've also decided that once I get the interior, rear bumper and front grill parts off of the gold car, I'm going to actually slap those cavalier seats in and drive it around for fun until I come across a good body-donor car. Why not? Maybe I'll get rear ended and someone's insurance will total it and pay me money lol

I checked two of the spark plugs and they look really good so I'm going to pull the rest, get some PB blaster in the cylinders and slap em back in and see if she'll run on gas down the throat of the carb, basically same thing I did with the other car. I'm also gonna put some brake fluid in it and see if I can get those working too.

 

Sounds like fun. I did this kind of stuff when I was a kid and never regretted it.

 

Exactly! Not really a downside except I'd be spending the cash to register it and put gas in it, but hey, I'd have to do that for any other car. Guys, I'm sad to report that the project is pretty much on hold until the weather clears up. Its been snowy and in the negatives, can't get a damn thing done. I'm hoping that in the near future we'll get another couple days there its 50+ and the snow melts and its warm enough to work. I don't have a garage (yet) BUT atleast its under a beathable car cover. Hopefully the city doesn't bitch and moan about it (excuse the language)

 

I've read this thread from beginning until now and I love it! It's cool reading about progress. I wish I could fix up my dad's 70 Cutlass, but my cousin totaled it a LONG time ago and it's sat outside on family property for probably 30+ years in Michigan.

 

Thanks! I try to post up progress as I go along but sometimes I forget the pics . Its fun getting feedback from people with the same interests. I try to document these things to be able to look back on it. I say, if the frame isn't rotted or badly bent, then get it running, driving, and stopping and drive it! The gold parts car was side-swiped and totaled 20 years ago, then a tree fell on it a few years ago, but it still has drive-able potential. Maybe I'll brave the cold and change the plugs today.

 

I think dad also said it is at the bottom of a pond. Haha.

 

Bummer One of my friends dad's says theres a couple of his bugs at the bottom of a couple of lakes in Michigan lol

 

So I bought something a little more modern, literally the newest car I've ever owned by a large margin. 1993 Mustang GT fox body. 5.0 with a mild cam, trick flow intake, bigger injectors, aluminum rad with dual fans, ect. T5 5 speed with a Hurst shifter and a stage 3 clutch because a Mustang or Camaro with an auto is a disgrace. Rust free, clean title. Off topic I know, but I'm pretty psyched about it lol

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Looks like you done good!

 

If you ever think about flipping it let me know. I have a mint 87 4 cylinder convertible that was my dads that I'm going to do a 5.0 conversion on.

 

Hmmm. I was planning on keeping it for a while but I will be selling it eventually. I'll send ya a PM if I decide to sell it. If something else comes along I might want to flip it quick. Ya never know

 

I'm in no rush but let me know if you decide to sell it. I'm not even sure if the hardtop wiring harness works for the convertible yet. I've been keeping my eye on the Syracuse and Rochester NY copart listings too. Ideally I'd like to find an 87 or 88 LX 5.0 convertible that's wrecked.

 

I hear ya, If I had a place to do a turbo LSX swap I mighta sold the drivetrain if thats what your after. But at the moment all I have is a gravel driveway and too much snow . But I can dream . The car runs great. I have a video of it Keep in mind she started right up in the 5 degree weather we were having. I let it warm up but the temp gauge doesn't seem to work. I might be buying an A pillar gauge pod soon