Hey Guys,
I've been looking for a Vista Cruiser since I was a little kid. I finally stumbled across this little gem in the rough last weekend and it was surprisingly affordable given the way the price of these cars have skyrocketed recently.
This vehicle is loaded with a 455 TH400 Combo and a Third Row Seat. Power Door Locks, Power windows and just about every option that was available. There is minimal rust on the front corner of the hood and the trailing edge of the front fenders. The Floors, Cargo area and Spare Tire well are completely rust free.
It also has the perfect amount of patina that I can drive it around town for a few years until I get around to a full resto. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it.
I'm glad I found this forum to share my experiences and gain lots of valuable knowledge from other Olds enthusiasts.

Just picked this up yesterday. 455TH400, 3rd row seat, P/W, P/DL, Minimal rust.

Floors and Tire Well are rust free.

Only rust is in this corner of the hood and the fenders

I've been wanting one since my 7th grade classmate's parents bought one in 72

 

Great find! Vacation mobile as I recall. Load up and go kids, we're going to Florida!

 

Welcome to the site, congrats.

 

good score the Vistas seem to rust out first

 

Congrats! Glad to see it went to a good home!

1972 Vista Cruiser

 

Nice! Saw that car on craigslist and can't wait to see the build. Here is some inspiration. After some suspension and brake upgrades along with a few other changes, I used mine as a daily driver like this for a little over three years:

Then I tore it apart in 2016 to build it into this:

Not sure what your tastes are, but I think your car would look great laid out on air ride or at least lowered on coil overs with its current patina. Great find on a cool car.

 

Congrats, please keep your progress updated on the forum!

Good luck!!!

 

Nice find..

 

Nice!

 

Awesome!! I am a wagon fan hardcore. I also owned a 455 4 barrel 72 Vista Cruiser. Yours is not a stripper mine was.I still love window roof wagons. I have owned a few Vista's. I have a 66 Sport Wagon currently. I like what you said. I searched for a long long time trying to find one It is super cool to see that car go to a good home.

 

Thank You,
I saw your build and all the great updates along the way. Great Job. Pretty classy. I'm thinking for now I'll just clean up my interior, bag it and toss some 18s on it. I'll definitely post my progress.

 

Welcome.

You have good taste in wagons and good taste in websites!

 

I think you got a great buy. Good luck with your car.

 

Well done. I saw that car on CL and hoped it would go to a good home. What's your plan for it?

 

Im jealous..... great find

 

Welcome. Beautiful Olds!

 

Great plan. This is exactly what I did with mine. A set of 442 grills will make a huge difference in the look of the front end as well.

 

Welcome to the group... Nice score, especially since you can drive it until you start your restore...

 

Thanks Loaded68W34. That sounds like a really good idea. It'll give it more of a Sporty look. 71/72 Style vs. the 70?

 

Yes, I used 72 442 grills but removed the 442 numbers and used my vista "Oldsmobile" script in the 442 grill.
In this pic , you can see the two areas where I had to remove the grill slots to fit the script studs:


This is the best shot I have showing the script in the grill. The 72 had a piece of black plastic behind the emblem that covers most of the 442 number mounting holes.

 

Such a cool car! Sounds like it found the perfect home with you!

 

PERFECT as is. PLEASE.......NO 20's, NO LS conversion, and NO slamming it to the ground. Drive it, enjoy it, and smile about it. Watch real close around the roof/vista glass junctions. Looking for a flat roof if you know of one, '64-'72.

 

Ohh yeah baby!!! Love it!