Back Again For The First Time
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Registered User
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1
From: Tacoma, Washington
Back Again For The First Time
Hey all,
This is DJ here. I live out in Tacoma, WA (about an hour south of Seattle). As of June, 14th 2013 I'll have my BA in Communications from the University of Washington. Since I was little I've been an Oldsmobile fan, you could say it was genetic.
My dad's uncle (his father's oldest brother) was a lead mechanic at the Russ Dunmire Olds dealership on S. Tacoma Way. This meant everyone on my dad's side of the family had Oldsmobiles since uncle Don could work on them. When my dad's uncle passed away in the mid-70's, his son (my dad's cousin) and my dad had a deal to both buy the last "Big-Body" Cutlass Supreme to be released for 1977. Well my dad followed through and got a brand-new, 1977 Cutlass Supreme in silver, with a black interior. He was smart and got bucket seats (sadly not swivel buckets) and an all-metal roof since the damp weather does nothing but breed rust under the Landau top. When I was born three years later, I came home in the Cutlass, went to my first day of kindergarten in that car, it was also the first car I really learned how to work on.
Sadly, since her first resuscitation in 1997, she's had to sit a few times. Once for a destroyed transmission (my fault, driving like a moron), and now as a result of my full-time student status. You all know how spendy these cars are when you have a job, even more so when you don't! Now that graduation is looming close, and possible job prospects are in the air, I want to get my baby back on the road again. In doing some basic online searches, finding straight answers, and performance setups is proving a bit difficult. My expectations to start with are pretty realistic, though I'm not ruling out some unique aspects that I would like my car to have so she not just only stands out amongst the other domestic muscle, but other Oldsmobiles as well, maybe even some imports.
Another note, as a result of focusing on school, I've been out of the engine/car upgrading scene. My terminology may not be 100% correct, but I hope my "vision" will be somewhat decipherable. So here are the basics of what I'd like to do...
My big goal is to have a big, 18ft-long, 7ft-wide, 4,300lb car that has some good handling for the street, highways, and back roads. I don't expect (or want to beat) a C5/C6 Corvette/Z06, but it'd be nice to hang with one, or the other cars in that class. It would also be nice to roll up next to a Subaru WRX STi, Mitsubushi Evo, modded Honda or Nissan (no GT-R) and scare them into submission with my exhaust.
Engine:
–Take my long block Rocket 350 and get it up to about 400-450hp (to the pavement) and as much rpm that the 350 can realistically achieve/handle
*needs everything, would love as many NOS Olds performance pieces, but Mondello works too, trying to stay as true to Olds high-performance as I can
*all new equipment has to fit under the hood and in the engine bay
*a proper ignition and carb to feed this beast
Exhaust:
–Great headers and true duals (car is currently branched) and keep the add-on Flowmaster 40-series I already have
Trans:
–Upgrade the standard TH350 to the equivalent of a sport-shift automatic or swap it to a Corvette/Camaro sourced 6 speed manual
*something that is good for driving around town and on the freeway, might run the 1/4 every so often, but the streetability is key
*also not sure about the best gearing ratio for either trans', want good pull, but also good top-end, no clue how to do that
**ANYTHING Hurst that can be used, wil
Rear-End:
–A proper rear-end and axles to handle all the extra power and torque
*still unsure about whether LSD or full-posi is best route to go
*also unsure about good rear-end gear ratios
Suspension:
–Firm but not rough, this needs to handle far better than stock, but it's not a race car, never will be
*been eye-balling Tein's adjustable suspension systems (and EDFC) they have for Lexus, BMW, and Benz sedans and estate cars
*ALL bushings will be replaced
Brakes:
–Upgrade to disc all the way around
*not sure if going with Baer, Brembo, etc. would work best
*or go with a hi-performance system from the ZL-1, ZR-1, or CTS-V coupe/sedan/wagon if the price is comparable to aftermarket offerings
Wheels:
–I know this will affect the suspension, brakes, trans, etc., but the final product will not be sitting on 24's. A classy stagger and stance will be sought, possibly 17"/18" up front, 18"/19" in the rear
Steering:
–The car has a great turning radius for its' size, but it could be more firm
*some sort of GM sourced/based system
Crazy-town:
–Build the engine and subsequent systems to handle the addition of a single turbo and inter-cooler at a later date
So yeah, that's my goal in a nut-shell. Any advice, links, etc. is greatly appreciated. Please feel free to ask me any questions, I'll do my best to answer them as best as possible. I love Oldsmobiles and can't wait to just get my engine built and transmission made to handle the new power increase. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings.
Best,
-DJ
This is DJ here. I live out in Tacoma, WA (about an hour south of Seattle). As of June, 14th 2013 I'll have my BA in Communications from the University of Washington. Since I was little I've been an Oldsmobile fan, you could say it was genetic.
My dad's uncle (his father's oldest brother) was a lead mechanic at the Russ Dunmire Olds dealership on S. Tacoma Way. This meant everyone on my dad's side of the family had Oldsmobiles since uncle Don could work on them. When my dad's uncle passed away in the mid-70's, his son (my dad's cousin) and my dad had a deal to both buy the last "Big-Body" Cutlass Supreme to be released for 1977. Well my dad followed through and got a brand-new, 1977 Cutlass Supreme in silver, with a black interior. He was smart and got bucket seats (sadly not swivel buckets) and an all-metal roof since the damp weather does nothing but breed rust under the Landau top. When I was born three years later, I came home in the Cutlass, went to my first day of kindergarten in that car, it was also the first car I really learned how to work on.
Sadly, since her first resuscitation in 1997, she's had to sit a few times. Once for a destroyed transmission (my fault, driving like a moron), and now as a result of my full-time student status. You all know how spendy these cars are when you have a job, even more so when you don't! Now that graduation is looming close, and possible job prospects are in the air, I want to get my baby back on the road again. In doing some basic online searches, finding straight answers, and performance setups is proving a bit difficult. My expectations to start with are pretty realistic, though I'm not ruling out some unique aspects that I would like my car to have so she not just only stands out amongst the other domestic muscle, but other Oldsmobiles as well, maybe even some imports.
Another note, as a result of focusing on school, I've been out of the engine/car upgrading scene. My terminology may not be 100% correct, but I hope my "vision" will be somewhat decipherable. So here are the basics of what I'd like to do...
My big goal is to have a big, 18ft-long, 7ft-wide, 4,300lb car that has some good handling for the street, highways, and back roads. I don't expect (or want to beat) a C5/C6 Corvette/Z06, but it'd be nice to hang with one, or the other cars in that class. It would also be nice to roll up next to a Subaru WRX STi, Mitsubushi Evo, modded Honda or Nissan (no GT-R) and scare them into submission with my exhaust.
Engine:
–Take my long block Rocket 350 and get it up to about 400-450hp (to the pavement) and as much rpm that the 350 can realistically achieve/handle
*needs everything, would love as many NOS Olds performance pieces, but Mondello works too, trying to stay as true to Olds high-performance as I can
*all new equipment has to fit under the hood and in the engine bay
*a proper ignition and carb to feed this beast
Exhaust:
–Great headers and true duals (car is currently branched) and keep the add-on Flowmaster 40-series I already have
Trans:
–Upgrade the standard TH350 to the equivalent of a sport-shift automatic or swap it to a Corvette/Camaro sourced 6 speed manual
*something that is good for driving around town and on the freeway, might run the 1/4 every so often, but the streetability is key
*also not sure about the best gearing ratio for either trans', want good pull, but also good top-end, no clue how to do that
**ANYTHING Hurst that can be used, wil
Rear-End:
–A proper rear-end and axles to handle all the extra power and torque
*still unsure about whether LSD or full-posi is best route to go
*also unsure about good rear-end gear ratios
Suspension:
–Firm but not rough, this needs to handle far better than stock, but it's not a race car, never will be
*been eye-balling Tein's adjustable suspension systems (and EDFC) they have for Lexus, BMW, and Benz sedans and estate cars
*ALL bushings will be replaced
Brakes:
–Upgrade to disc all the way around
*not sure if going with Baer, Brembo, etc. would work best
*or go with a hi-performance system from the ZL-1, ZR-1, or CTS-V coupe/sedan/wagon if the price is comparable to aftermarket offerings
Wheels:
–I know this will affect the suspension, brakes, trans, etc., but the final product will not be sitting on 24's. A classy stagger and stance will be sought, possibly 17"/18" up front, 18"/19" in the rear
Steering:
–The car has a great turning radius for its' size, but it could be more firm
*some sort of GM sourced/based system
Crazy-town:
–Build the engine and subsequent systems to handle the addition of a single turbo and inter-cooler at a later date
So yeah, that's my goal in a nut-shell. Any advice, links, etc. is greatly appreciated. Please feel free to ask me any questions, I'll do my best to answer them as best as possible. I love Oldsmobiles and can't wait to just get my engine built and transmission made to handle the new power increase. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings.
Best,
-DJ
Registered User
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 129
From: Newport, WA
Nice plan
Hi there DJ.
I enjoyed the back-story on the car. I grew up in Gig Harbor. Although I came home in my Dad's new 67 Camaro....he traded the Camaro in at Russ Dunmire Oldsmobile for a new 69 442. My parents bought quite a few cars from Dunmire. I would imagine that your Dad's uncle probably worked on a few of them (or at least delegated the work
)
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation!
I enjoyed the back-story on the car. I grew up in Gig Harbor. Although I came home in my Dad's new 67 Camaro....he traded the Camaro in at Russ Dunmire Oldsmobile for a new 69 442. My parents bought quite a few cars from Dunmire. I would imagine that your Dad's uncle probably worked on a few of them (or at least delegated the work
)Congratulations on your upcoming graduation!
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,120
From: Mass
Randy C.
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,347
From: Albany, OR
Welcome to this site! Looks like a real ambitious plan you've laid out. I look forward to progress updates as your plan goes into action.
You should come to our Olds car show and picnic this July at Griot's in Tacoma. I've attached a flyer for you to view. It's always a fun time and there are usually 45-55 Oldsmobiles there each year, mostly A-body but we do get some station wagons, Toros and other models from time-to-time that really round out the show. One of our members is also a former employee at Dunmire.
Have fun and enjoy!
Randy C.
You should come to our Olds car show and picnic this July at Griot's in Tacoma. I've attached a flyer for you to view. It's always a fun time and there are usually 45-55 Oldsmobiles there each year, mostly A-body but we do get some station wagons, Toros and other models from time-to-time that really round out the show. One of our members is also a former employee at Dunmire.
Have fun and enjoy!
Randy C.
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