paulolds

I first heard about this 71 W30 Convertible in 1988, when I got a call from Merlin Cumming. Merlin had recently acquired the car from a fellow who bought it out of an Alberta Wrecking yard to take the engine for his boat. Merlin described the car as a red 70. He had called be about sourcing some parts. Although I never met Merlin we stayed in contact over the years and discussed the car. In a conversation in 1999 he said the car was a 71 and he had run the vin through GM Canada and had gotten a response.
The car was in fact a 71, special ordered and sold new through Corner Brook Garage Ltd in Corner Brook Newfoundland. The car is a special order paint code finished in the 1970 Rally Red or closer to Hugger Orange. I had worked in Corner Brook in the fall of 71 and again in 72 and recalled seeing an Orange 442 several times, I was more taken by the stunning brunette driving it.
The car must have made its way to Alberta in the late 70’s and by 1984 was put out to pasture. Merlin acquired the car in 1987 or 88 without engine and stored it away in Sicamous BC with the intention of restoring it someday. We spoke every year or so right up to 2008 but never met.
In October 2009 I got a call from Merlin’s wife Charlene who told me he passed away the previous July from injuries sustained from a freak bike accident. She had found my name among his car notes and called me to see what she could do with the car. I told her I had never seen the car but would be willing to see the car, now in Revelstoke BC, to give he an opinion on its value.
The car had been stored outside for many years and under a tarp. The floors were badly rotted and the top had long vaporized. A Pontiac engine was in the engine bay and hadn’t been run in years. Everything else on the car was intact. Merlin had once asked me what the car would be worth in Restored condition and I had told him $50,000 (about 1999). He had written this down in his notes along with my name and phone number. Charlene thought the car was worth $50,000 in 2009.
From 2009 to 2012 Charlene and I exchanged emails about obtaining a title, what it would take to restore it and other subjects about the car. In the fall of 2012 she said she was taking offers and would I like to make one. I could not at the time as I was up to my ears in business and not ready to take on a project of this magnitude.
I heard from her again in early April and she said “make me an offer”. I made an offer close to the number I gave her four years before as an opinion of value (low 5 figures) and we settled with another $1500.
I went to get the car on Friday May 10, the next day I started a deconstruction to locate a build card and found one in the driver’s side bucket seat. I am now on a hunt for the original motor which may still be in the central BC area.

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Hauling it out of the SEA CAN where it had been stored for 3 years.

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paulolds

This is an update on various progress from the past three years, a lot has happened but I wanted to wait until I had a complete story to tell.

The GM Canada Docs"
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Build sheet found in drivers side seat back.
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Trans tag and Vin:
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There will be weekly updates throughout the next year.

paulolds

Once the car Arrived at my shop I started the de construct, All the old upholstery was removed and dumped as the car came out of the trailer.
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I had to put on some Olds wheels so I felt I was making progress, Just prior to power washing.

Jamesbo

Please keep us posted of your progress

Diego

If anyone knows 1971s, it's Paul. This car's gonna be spectacular!

rcorrigan5

That's an interesting project. I sure hope you are able to locate the original engine. That would be real sweet!


Randy C.

oldsmobiledave

Congrats Paul.

What yard in AB was the car in and are you sure the engine was still in the car when it went to BC?

Dave

paulolds

Dave
I have no idea which yard it was in. I had always believed there was no engine in the car, when I bought it it had a 455 Pontiac that had been installed but never completed, this may have been the engine that was going to go in a boat. I traced the info on the Pontiac Engine and it was a 455 out of a 1970 Grand Prix sold new in Quebec in 1970. As to when and where the Original Olds Engine came out of the car is a mystery.
Possibilities are:
Newfoundland before car was driven to Alberta
Quebec where the GP may have bben wrecked.
Alberta where both the 442 and the Grand Prix ended up.

My guess is the latter, the Pontiac engine although seized had all the appearances of a never completed installation, coincidentally I did sell it to a guy in Abbottsford who was going to rebuild it as a boat engine.
I did extensive searching over two years for the engine and or additional info on the car at least tracking back to the second owner in Newfoundland who was the one who brought it to Alberta. I have a very special 455 thatis going in the car, more on that later.

Paul

oldsmobiledave

Looking at the option sheet I am surprised to see that the optional 3.73 gear set was ordered. It just strikes me as an odd option for a rag top.


Paul, from your vast knowledge of the 1971 W-30 convertibles is it common or uncommon to see the 3.73s ordered over the stock 3.42s?


My '72 4 speed hardtop was equipped with the 3.73 gears and still is.

Dave

Rocketbrian

Great story about a W30 that traveled from one end of Canada to the other. That is the second 71 W30 convertible I've heard if out of Newfoundland, the other being Sienna in colour. I'll be interested to read about your progress. Nice to have one so loaded up with options.
Congrats.

paulolds

Rocket Brian
There were two W30 converts sold in Nfld in 71, this one and the Sienna one, considering there were only 9 or 10 sold in all of Canada, Two going to Nfld is Awsome.
I have the only one sold New in BC as well.

Dave
Of the 84 71 w30 converts I have info on, 19 had AC so they had 3.23 gears, of the remaining the split is about 50/50 between 3.42 and 3.73..
I will bet the lower gears were sold as a compensation against lower compression.
My trip green car also has 3.73 and the majority of 4 speeed cars had 3.73. Although the 4 speed convert I had was a 3.42 gear car.

Paul

Mr Shifty Sidney

Looking forward to seeing the progress on this car. Not a lot of information on the 71 W cars out there. Thanks for sharing the story and pictures.

Don W

Texas442

Great Story. I still remember the pictures of your other red 4spd W30 conv before you started on it. This car will be awesome. I didn't know they offered Rally Red in 1971 until I met the owner of this car in 2005:

Stefano

Kool aquision for certain.

66-3X2 442

Congrats Paul,I know you will do a fantastic job as usual. Your red 71 W-30 conv.,is that the one you bought off 442.com?

Mike

oldcutlass

Congrats, I know a lot of us will follow your progress.

Rocket North

Hi Paul;

It was awesome that two 71 W30 rags were sold on the Rock!
PM sent.

Dick

RROLDSX

Looks like a fantastic find and a fun project. I will be following along.

Randy

paulolds

Its been 3 and 1/2 years since I acquired this car. About two Years ago I brought it to my restoration guy Mark Nicol at Mark Of Excellence on Vancouver Island. I told Mark that this was going to be a long term project as I had a lot of parts to source and there was a lot of work to be done by him. There had been progress, but its slow.
So I am reviving this tread with progress reports on the restoration.

Ready for Body Lift:

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With the body bracing and lift completed the tub was rolled away while work was to be done on the frame.

paulolds

Mark started the task of frame alignment and straightening.
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Using laser alignment tools and original spec sheets mark tweeked the frame back into factory specs. The car had not had a major hit but everything was out of spec due to un even storage or broken body mounts. The rusted mount locations would be dealt with next.

paulolds

A few contributors have referenced another 71 W30 I owned and restored. Here are before and after photos of that car.

March 2002 when I bought it.

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And after, June 2005 after full restoration.

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This is one of 32 4 speed convertibles built that year. Its now owned by a respected Olds Enthusiast in Virginia.

paulolds

This is my other 71 W30 convertible. Restored in 1994, this photo was taken at the Olds Nationals in Detroit in 2008. The car has its original driveline and componets. It was sold new at Dueck Chev Olds here in Vancouver and I bought it from the original owner in 1988.
It was delivered with steel wheels and dog dish hubcaps.
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And a recent photo taken the day it won Best Post war Vehicle at the Cresent Beach Concours.
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RROLDSX

Thanks for the eye candy! Incredible cars.

oldcutlass

Very nice, look forward to your current project completion.

anthonyP

Nice find. I guess the driver side fender and door were replaced at some point, as there is no W-30 emblem or holes for it, and the door has a remote chrome mirror instead of a sport mirror. Will be great to watch the transition back to new condition.

paulolds

Anthony
Yes the car was damaged on the front left and the door skin and fender had been replaced as well as grills. The passenger side did have its original front fender without the bumps and badging in the correct location.
Paul

Mascar Classics

Paul.......love your cars! The Green convertible is the most beautiful muscle car I think I have ever seen! It's amazing that it was actually ordered like that! PERFECTION!

paulolds

With the frame straightened Mark went on to repair the doors and fenders so they could be installed on the body for fit and alignment.

The car came with an original right fender and a left fender from a 72. As this was an early build (FEB 1971) 442 it had the flat fenders with the crumble bumps.

I located a nice pair of fenders of a 1970 442 in the Seattle area and picked them up. Like all original sheet metal, they needed a little work.

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Pictures are a mix or left and right fenders, repair work was similar and both.

Next post will be the doors.

paulolds

Latest Update.
After mark finished with the fenders he turned his attention to the doors. The passenger door was an original , was straight but had some rust. I had acquired NOS skins for the doors so the plan was to ensure the shells were solid. Expectidly there were weak flanges and areas where the rust developed between layers of metal.

With old skin removed Mark was able to see where the challanges were:
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Measurements were taken to ensure the flanges were re constructed to the same size as originals:

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All areas of the door shells were blasted looking for weakness:
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paulolds

Areas were metals were boxed were particularly vulnerable and Mark removed the pieces to gain access to fabricate new pieces as necessary. The caged nuts for the hinges were one particular area:

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These were areas where the factory spot welds were cut to remove the inner reiforcement:

The drivers door had been hit in the past and the leading edges were too far feformed to make the shell re usable.
A good doner shell was selected from the 5 parts cars that Mark has in his back 40 wherever a piece of metal needs replacement:

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When all repair work was done, the door shells were primed with DTM.

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The NOS door skins were not perfect as there were minor dings etc after all these years of storage:
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The insides of the skins got better preparation that the outside did in 1971.
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anthonyP

The body work is coming along nicely and looks spectacular.

stevengerard

wow, nice find, nice start too! I'm looking forward to following this thread. After seeing so many of these nice cars at MCACN and in person at member's houses I'm already dreaming of redoing my convertible one day.

Olds442redberet

What a great story!
And what a great save. It takes a lot to commit to this kind of restoration. Lots of time and lots of money.
I can't wait to see more pictures.
Thanks for sharing.

oldsmobiledave

Paul


From your post # 28


"With the frame straightened Mark went on to repair the doors and fenders so they could be installed on the body for fit and alignment.

The car came with an original right fender and a left fender from a 72. As this was an early build (FEB 1971) 442 it had the flat fenders with the crumble bumps.

I located a nice pair of fenders of a 1970 442 in the Seattle area and picked them up. Like all original sheet metal, they needed a little work."


end quote


I have a couple of questions. Why are you putting 1970 fenders on a 1971? Am I reading something wrong? Is that a typo? It clearly reads 1970 fenders from a 442 in Seattle.


Second you describe Feb 1971 as an early build. Why is February 1971 considered an early build for a 1971 model year. I can see August & September being "early" but February?


Thanks


Dave

paulolds

Dave
Cars built ar the Lansing plant got the flat top fenders until about April May 1971. Good flat top fenders are more likely found from a 1970 442 or Cutlass. Because of the 67 day strike in the fall of 1970, W30 builds start in dec and were very brisk in Feb 1971, thus my reference to an early build.
I did have a typo there say I had flat top fenders with the crumple bumps. They do not have the crumple bumps and are correct for a Lansing built car up to April or May 1971.
Paul

oldsmobiledave

It was the 1970 & crumple bumps that was conflicting info & thus confusing me.


I was considering all 1971 production not just W-30 production & that is why I was not following the "early" descriptor.


I thought that the exhaustion of the flat 1970 version fenders occurred sooner but defer to your vast knowledge on the subject as being gospel.


Thanks for the explanations & the continuing updates.


My buddies early March built 1971 W-30 hardtop has 1971-72 fenders on it. The car was in a front end collision in the 1980s & had new fenders hung. He is going to be pissed when I tell him the bad news that he needs to look for 1970 fenders now.


Is it too early to call "shotgun" for a ride when it is finished?

paulolds

Here are five shots of the last work done on the doors, final outer finishing will be done when doors are fitted to car with the other sheet metal.

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Note flanging tool resting on door, this is used to get the flange to roll over and make a solid contact with the skin to flange.

Douglas Crowe

How are you able to get this documentation? I have a 1969 convertible that I would like to get some information on. What do you need a who did you send it to? Thanks for all the help

oldsmobiledave

GM of Canada documentation is only available for cars sold new in Canada. Was your car sold new in Canada?

Douglas Crowe

My 1969 442 with a u.s. built car.