erikh425

Hello all,

This has been one of the boards that I have trolled over the years due to my interest in classic muscle cars, but never really had a reason to join or start a thread. Over the years I have had several older cars and some newer that I tinkered with. I had a 47 Plymouth 2dr with a SBC 350, a Fairlane basket case that I ended up selling for parts, and a couple of newer sports cars that make me really hat cars that are run by computers. In the last 10 years or so I have been into rebuilding bikes. Mostly Honda CB750's from the late 60's early 70's, and a couple of HD Ironheads that I had a love/hate relationship with. I am thinking of getting back into cars so I can incorporate my 6 year old son into a hobby and take him with me when I take the car out. Motorcycles are more of an individual thing and I am thinking it would be nice to take the family out for a drive in the evening or on a Sunday.

Recently I have been looking into buying a late 60 Olds Cutlass. I don't have the money for a 442, but in high school a buddy of mine did and it was a beast. Maybe I am looking to relive those long lost years So that brings me to last week.

I found a 68 Cutlass S hard top. I really don't know the mileage. It has a 455 with a TH400 transmission. Overall the car is in decent condition and the owner seems pretty honest. He told me about alot of issues up front that I may have overlooked. The body is straight and the panels line up nice. The car looks to have been redone within the last 10 years, but the paint is not the best and the interior is showing wear. It is also missing some trim, but runs and drives pretty nice. Here is what worries me:

There is a knock that appears to be coming from the bottom of the engine. The owner told me about it up front. He said he bought it 3 years ago with the knock and was going to rebuild it when it blew. I really have no clue what it could be. Maybe the crank journals or bearings?? I have helped people put engines together, but not done it myself. I am under the assumption that it could run for a while like this, or could go at any time. There is also a leak near the driver side windshield where water comes in. I wouldn't have known this if the owner hadn't told me, but I figure it can't be hard to track the leak back. I crawled around underneath and in the trunk and did not see as much rust as other cars I have worked on (I moved from the salt covered roads of MN)

I am still tossing it around and looking for advice as to what else I should look at. It is that car that I have always wanted, and for the price I could afford to buy it and pay someone a few grand to rebuild the engine for me. If anyone wants to talk me into it, or out of it, please do. If anyone lives in SE Georgia and knows these cars/engines and wants to look at it with me that would be great too.

That's my long winded post. I will keep you all posted and post pics when I find a car to call my own.

Thanks for having me,
E

Sampson

Welcome to CO from Nc. Sounds like a pretty good project. You have come to the right place for advise. There is a lot of Olds knowledge here! Good luck.

Oldsmaniac

Assume the engine has a rod knock and needs a rebuild. Windshield needs to be pulled and rot holes repaired there. If you are ok with this then go for it.

oldcutlass

Welcome to the site. I also would assume the engine is toast. Since you would be restoring this car through your wallet, my advise is to find one already fixed up and personalize it.

OLD SKL 69

Welcome to CO! I agree with the advice you've already received on the engine. Good luck with your decision, hope you can get it for a good price.

erikh425

Thanks for all of the advice. I am still mulling it over. In the past I have bought bikes with roached engines knowing that I could rebuild, or have them rebuilt the way I want them. I figure if I can get it for a good price (like a price of the car with a non running engine) I will be fine. I am going to continue to do some research and see what it would cost to totally rebuild the engine. I talked to a mechanic today in town that I know and he was of the same opinion as you guys. He did say it may be the flywheel, but hard to tell without seeing it
Anyway, thanks for the welcome and the advice. I will let you know if I decide to bring her home.

Erik

allyolds68

The problem with these scenarios is the owner has usually been watching too much Barrett-Jackson and they think they're are sitting on a $12k car that needs a $1500 engine. They'll sit on it for a couple years before they realize they have a $3000 car that needs a $4000 engine. Unfortunately by the time they come to this realization the car will be worth $1500.

I know you didn't ask for an opinion on price but....well, I had to offer my 2 cents.....

I guess the upside is you can probably find a running used 350 for less than $1000 to get you by

erikh425

I hear ya. I am working on this being a $4000 car that needs a $3000 engine. Otherwise I am sure a $10,000 car that is good to go will come up. The difference is that to buy a $10k car I will need to sell a bike. I can get a $4k car in the garage and nickel and dime myself to death quietly (I am married)

Thanks again,
E