So I have acquired the rust bucket, a 71 cutlass hardtop, and wondering where to start I guess. The car started with a 350/350 and now has a 455 in front of the th350 trans. I anticipate on having to go through every component of the car from the frame and out. Objective; fun cruiser/daily driver/get to play with car parts. No heavy track use but I may make a few passes. I am going to get a 4l80e in it, and was thinking the best place to start was cleaning up and strengthening the frame. I assume this would also entail getting the trans to get the crossmember in the right place while I'm at it. At the same time, I have been eyeing a 2stage air compressor to have throughout the build and for other fun things, my current compressor cant pull off a sandblaster and is getting old. I'm thinking compressor, frame kit, and trans core to get me started. Sound like a decent place to start?

 

Nate, do you intend to do a thorough restoration on your Olds, or do you just want to drive it and tinker as you go? If you want to drive it you should just start with a tune up. Also, you might consider a 2004R instead of a 4L80e. It will bolt directly to your 455 without an adapter plate and there will be no need for an ECM.

 

I'd like to go for a complete restoration but not concerned with complete originality. I'm looking for rust free, clean parts, and some updates along the way. I dont want to tear it down to a million boxes of parts right off. I'm hoping to be able to lift off the body with as much of it intact as possible, cleanup the frame, drop the body back on and start on the next chunk, such as the drive train/suspension. But, that's why I'm here asking the pros for the best path with the least amount of wasted labor. I like the comfort of the 4l80e strength over the 200r4.