I haven't done a build thread in many years but here I'll try to keep track of the journey of my now two Cutlass projects.

My friends grandfather bought this car for parts around twenty years ago. I found it shoved off to the back of his shop and forgotten over a decade ago and have been trying to buy it ever since. Finally in early 2024 they agreed to sell it to me and I can finally breathe some life back into it. It might not ever be a proper show car, but it will hit the road again and I plan to have fun with it.

Here is how the car was sitting.





Left to rot and taken over by rats I don't remember when I first spotted it but it caught my eye and I immediately started after it. I hated seeing it sitting there wasting away.
In April '24 I finally got the chance to pull it out of there and bring it home.


Loading it up with four flat tires and a winch that gave out midway through was a fun time.

I could not breathe inside the car it was terrible.

Outside for the first time in twenty years.

Got it home and cleaned out, it has some rust holes in a few spots and you could throw a cat through the front floorboards but all in all it appeared to be in decent shape for a $600 car.
After gutting the interior minus the dash I started on the engine, opening it up because I couldn't turn it over. This 350 has not had a good life.





I found cylinders 5 and 7 pretty rusty and locking everything up. I did manage to clean them up and get it to spin but the pitting in the cylinder wall and every coolant passage being blocked with solid rust led me to look for another short block. Which I found surprisingly easily in my local auto yard.


Two days and some minor heat stroke gets me this beauty

Only Olds parts in the yard. Hiding in a Buick. 1974 350.

I will be rebuilding the heads I have and using them with it. I got this engine home and was ( and still am) still in the middle of getting it back together when I discovered the frame of the car is bent in the front passenger corner putting the front wheel at a pretty bad angle.
Could it be pulled out? I don't know, might see about that eventually.
So I started looking for a frame and as luck would have it a friend messaged me a car he had for parts. I've never been one to turn down another project so I jumped at the chance.

It is a '72 Cutlass and just a little rough by my standards but what started as just parts for the '71 has turned into making a good car and a good enough car out of what I have now.


Sitting in my friends yard for I don't know how long. Was last inspected in '88 though.




It is rusty but not rotten and the frame is straight so good enough for me.

It also has a 350. It spins and I have power, I want to hear it run before I tear the car down.

Well if any of this makes sense that's mostly where I am right now. I have a new job taking up most of my time at the moment but still getting things done here and there.

Currently the plan is to use the good frame and any good parts I have for the Supreme as it is the one I can get street legal. The '72 will get the bent frame and will drive again but might not be as nice as the '71.
I have plans for it, it will be a fun car not just shoved off in the weeds somewhere again.

Eventually I'd like to take both to car shows together. I just like the idea of showing both body style cutlass together even more since you very rarely see them or Oldsmobiles in general in my area.

 

Thanks for a very entertaining read snaggle, ambitious stuff from my perspective, but hopefully right up your alley. Best of luck and keep us posted!

 

Always great to save some!

Are you sure the Supreme is a '71? Looks like a '70 front clip on it with a '71/72 rear bumper.

 

I think you are on the right track with using the 72 as a parts car. Get the 71 Supreme running before doing any work on the 72. If the 72 doesn't have a title don't even bother trying to make it road worthy and just part out what you don't need to finance the repairs on the 71.
In any case you have a cool project ahead and I wish you good luck!

 

Yeah it is a '71 with a '70 front clip. That threw me off at first but I like it so I'll keep it that way if I can.


Thanks! Yeah the '71 takes priority. The '72 won't be road worthy but it will be drivable and that's good enough for me.

 

Progress is slow but getting there. Finally getting the heads apart for the '71, valves were a little more stuck than I was anticipating but I have them free now.


First time needing an air hammer for valves.

And that would be why.

No pictures yet but I found a steering column from a Tempest for the '72 and have mostly pieced the steering back together. If I can get a day or two without rain I'm sure it'll be running before long. All that is left is some simple wiring and I believe cleaning or adjusting the points. We'll find out soon enough.

 

I’ve been fiddling with the 72 as I gather bits and pieces for the 71. I changed the fuel pump and swapped over the hei distributor from the 71 and it runs, poorly so far but runs.
For how long it had been sitting torn apart I was pretty surprised by that.


Seats are from a '94 Mustang.

Converted the drum spindles to disc.

I didn’t think the “parts car” would be the first to get powered seats and disc brakes but here we are.
I was expecting to not fit in either car very well as I'm a tall dude, but it's worked out pretty comfortably after all.

I got it thrown together enough to bring to a local car show last weekend. People seem to love it which was cool to see.
I doubt what I’m doing to it will be as well received here but it’s still better than parting it out or it continuing to rot away in a field somewhere.



Haven't been lucky enough to find doors yet but I'm still looking.

I do still plan to fix all the rust.

The engine needs some adjusting and I still need to put in brake lines but after that is done I'll park it while I look for parts and put all my focus into the green car.

 

Kinda forgot about this, not much to catch up on. The Supreme is in the middle of getting brake lines and everything from the spindles out replaced. Should have that done tomorrow if I don't freeze.
Then it's out with the old engine and in with this one I found up in Arkansas. Someone painted it orange and hid in a C10. It's ugly but runs, hope to have that in shortly.


Peeled that sticker off as soon as I got home.

The "parts car" is moving reliably, only really lacking floors, a charging system and a fuel tank but I've been taking it to car shows and it's been popular so far.


Still so much to do to it.
Exhaust fell off taking a lap around the last show, classy.

I couldn't stand to see it crushed so a Pontiac followed me home over the weekend. It'll sit on the backburner for after these two but I'm keeping an eye out for an engine anyway.


1964 Tempest


Work has kept me busy and I haven't made much progress but I hope to change that with painting slowing down as the season changes. I'll be sure to take more pictures as I get back to it.

 

Love it!!!

 

You sir, are a glutton for punishment!

Your intestinal fortitude, however, is beyond question!

…

 

That Pontiac looks pretty solid. Good on you for saving it from the crusher. It looks way too nice to be junked.

 

Finally pulled the old engine (maybe original I don't know) out of the 71. It went easy enough, thankfully I live where rust isn't an issue most of the time.


Much easier to push with it out of there

Had a little oil in my water

I was expecting much more rust in there given the few gallons of water I got out of it, but I'll take sludge instead.
Plan is to strip this engine down and store it. It'll be rebuilt eventually.

Should at least finish with the brakes this weekend but I'd like to get the new engine in also. I'm tired of pushing this one around and I want to get it to a car show soon to surprise some friends of mine.

Overall yes, it has the least amount of rust out of the three but I feel like I wasn't far from losing the transmission I found in what's left of the trunk.



That's the worst of it though, everything else is minor rust.
And I have no idea how to hook that back up but I'll figure it out at some point.

I just like working on things other people have given up on I guess. Fixing it is half the fun of owning it.

 

You can probably get away with putting some carpeting in the trunk to cover the pin holes.

 

I am a Oldsmobile man and have a 71 Cutlass myself- but I am really turned on by that 64 Tempest- love the lines... That 71 Cutlass is a very "ambitus" Project!!

 

Yeah that's what got me. I bought it from the same guy I got the 72 from. I told him if nobody else bought it to call me because I don't want it scrapped. I just expected someone else to buy it haha, but I'm glad I ended up with it anyway.

The 71 is special to me. I'm not after restoration here, I just want to drive it. In the future I will tear it all down, fix every spec of rust and give it a nice paint job but for now it's been over twenty years since it drove itself. I think that's long enough to sit in pieces.

Great idea It's just weight reduction after all. Previous owner did want to make a drag car out of it.

 

Well the brakes are done and the engine is bolted in. Still a lot to do but I can put the hood back on and worry about it next weekend.



Had an exciting time making sure it would run. I should have expected that, but it didn't hurt anything.


Has great spark

I don't know if I'll get to it any after work this week, but I am glad to finally be making progress on it.

 

What the hell!!!??

 

Too much fuel. It spit gas out of the exhaust port and caught on sparks from the starter. Just a second or two of flame, didn't hurt anything.
I wanted to make sure it ran before I got it in the car and boy does it. It sounds good.

 

Hurt my leg at work so I’ve been struggling there let alone on the cars but I think I’m feeling well enough to try to get some more done this weekend.
That or I’m just going stir crazy.
Have exhaust manifold bolts soaking now, I’m hoping to have the engine completely bolted in and basic exhaust on soon.
Get that done and I’ll try running it again.

No fireballs this time.

 

Engine is in and secure. Didn't get to the exhaust, I know my neighbors love me.
Radiator and all goes in tomorrow after work. Then it's much like the '72, fuel system and charging.
Unfortunately, while the '72 had a mostly complete wiring harness this one is mostly missing so that'll be fun to figure out.

Almost have them both moving around on their own. My back welcomes the thought.
Throw some seats in it and a few odds and ends and I should be able to make it to a show with it soon.

The '72 should be getting a set of SS2 wheels soon whenever I can make it to the shop. Fuel system is almost done in about the sketchiest way possible, but I like to live dangerously.
One of these days I'll put the power steering pump on. I keep telling myself I will. Last big thing will be to clean up the rat nested alternator wiring, but I think I have a handle on that just need to get to it.

I keep bouncing around between the Oldsmobiles and my F150 also getting a new driveline. The Pontiac is starting to collect spiders, but I haven't forgotten it it'll have its day.