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Hi all, just got my first Olds. A 65 Convertible 442 and having an absolute blast. The car is in great shape with essentially no rust! I'm with the one of the other newbies who also has a 20 foot paint job (mine was done by the prior owner). We've been to a few cruise-ins in our area I still haven't seen another Olds yet! Not sure if there were just a lot more Olds sold in the mid-west vs. the west coast. Mom and dad had a 67 Cutlass that was sold long before I could drive. When I turned 16, I wish that would have still been around instead of the Cougar wagon! I'm really enjoying all the great threads out there. As I come across issues, it's nice to know there are so many out there who can lend a hand. Already looking at going back to the factory red that the car came in.
Welcome to the site, sweet ride. You'll find that most likely any show you go to, even with 100 cars, you may be the only Olds or 1 of 3 with the other 2 models being in the 70's.
Nice car! I remember when I was in San Diego in the Navy in 1976 I got a 67 442 and was really surprised how most of my sailor buddies didn't know what a 442 was. I came from Lansing so of course people around Michigan knew Oldsmobiles but people in California and other guys from across the country didn't know Olds at all. No wonder you are the only Olds at the swap meet.
Thanks all. Prior owner did a swap with the 455 from a 74 Delta. Bored .060 over and balanced with Edelbrock aluminum heads, 750 Edelbrock carb, vented front discs and a new T.C.I Turbo transmission. Car runs great and just dropped a Retro Sound stereo in so the music is rockin' too.
Thanks Doug. Prior owner put 15x8 wheels. 235x60 on the front and 245x60 on the back. Tire width is good but getting a touch of rub front right when going through dips. I've been checking out the wheels and tires thread for backspace. Tires moved in would have no issues with rub. As far as I can tell, original springs. Nice 65 you have too. Good to see representation with the mid-sixties.
Also, it has air shocks on the back.
Last edited by 65jeff442; October 17th, 2020 at 08:39 PM.
Reason: Adding a line about the shocks
Thanks Cutlass Fan. I spent most of the day driving around with the top down. 90 degrees here in the Sacramento area today.
That is a great ride you have there too! I'm starting to look at going back to the red color that the car rolled of the showroom floor in. The pics I've seen look great in red.
65Jeff,
Welcome & enjoy the car. On my iPad, I’d swear the car was Autumn Bronze. But Target Red is great. I’m familiar with both colors. For decades.
I was 18 when I got my first old Olds. I’m old now. But it’s been a great 38 year ride(s). I’m keeping a convertible and hardtop not too far from you north of SF.
As you get into it, go safety first. You’ll maximize the years you get to spend enjoying it. Here’s how: focus on dual master cylinder brakes before the killer stereo. Safe tires before brand new interior. That sort of thing. To keep it fun, it has to be reliable & safe. Cellphones & Uber are your friend if you’re not in shape to drive. But these days, yeah mask up...
Undoubtedly some of the components are old. Try to figure out what the weak spots are & fix them. Big Olds from this time (not necessarily Cutlasses) are subject to weakness in lower control arms. Be especially safe with tires, brakes and suspension. Aftermarket components can be a great way to go for handling and peace of mind. Much of your suspension swaps with GM A-bodies like Chevelles, Skylarks, Tempest/GTO’s, etc. Look in those catalogs for parts.
Slightly lower priority, take a Saturday & go slowly over the whole wiring harness carefully looking for burned wires or melted connector shells. If a wire shorts & melts it can cause a fire. Especially with 50 year old wiring & connectors. If the previous owner (PO) has replaced the harness, that’s a plus. You can get new parts to repair the harnesses from ClipsandFasteners.com. Don’t be surprise to find previous owner wiring hacks, cuts, weird connections and the like. Most people who keep these things “fix” them...
Usually people who restore these machines focus more on the _go_ and less on the _whoa_. Net, net, they accelerate beautifully, but stopped and turned less well. You can remedy that, but it’ll take time & parts. Until you’re really sure it’s safe, be a little careful.
Years ago I asked my older cousin if he wrapped his Grand Torino around a tree. He said “How did you know?” I didn’t, it’s just that the engines were way better developed than handling & brakes and lots of these cars got wrapped around telephone poles & trees.
The more modern version is that crappy econobox in front of you has way better brakes than you. Leave a lot of room and don’t worry about getting cut off in traffic. All those cars cutting you off are wishing they had a car as fun as the one you’re driving. Mentally they’re in traffic, you’re enjoying your old car.
Eventually you’ll want some emergency supplies in the trunk. The key thing is a fire extinguisher. Get that. Then maybe some oil, fuses, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and replacement belts. Plus some tools, rubber gloves, and headlamp. And water just in case you get stuck with a date.
Since you’re in Sac, GM Sport Salvage in Stockton may have some interesting parts for you. As will Turners Auto Wrecking down the 99 a couple of hours. When Covid is over, I suspect the
Turlock Swap meet will come back — maybe in Jan/Feb ‘21, or not - who knows.
When things open up again I can also recommend the Peterson Car Museum in LA. It’s cool. Happy to help from here if I can.
Hi Chris, thanks for all the great info. I'm pretty fortunate that the prior owner did a lot of the things you mention. Dual master cylinder is in place with some slotted front discs. Stops pretty darned well for an oldy but goody. Definitely giving lots of space to the driver in front. My first two cars were a 71 Chevelle and and 73 Firebird so used to giving that extra space. Now just coaching my 16 year old on cars without anti-locks.
The wiring is a work in progress. I started under the hood getting rid of a lot of stuff that consisted of wires leading to nowhere. Had a nice pile of short pieces on the shop floor. I'm definitely picky about wiring. I like things neat and tidy. Under the dash is going to take some time...
While the wiring was a bit messy (not terrible), the prior owner did a really nice job with the mechanics of the car. The front end was just redone and it steers great. No slop in the wheel and drives nice through some mild curves up in the foothills east of here.
Definitely need to stock up the trunk. Those were great suggestions. Never even thought about a fire extinguisher until now. That will be one of the first purchases.
Any pics of your current rides?
Thanks all. Prior owner did a swap with the 455 from a 74 Delta. Bored .060 over and balanced with Edelbrock aluminum heads, 750 Edelbrock carb, vented front discs and a new T.C.I Turbo transmission. Car runs great and just dropped a Retro Sound stereo in so the music is rockin' too.
I just noticed you installed a Retro-Sound radio in your new car. Must not have been paying close attention as I have read this column a number of times. Can you provide a review of your Retro-Sound experiance as I will be hopefully installing one in my 66 Cutlass convertible this coming spring. I did pull out the stock radio and speaker a couple of weeks ago. That was a learning experiance. I probably will purchase a Hermosa with the R-410N speaker. Any information would help. You can private message me if you wish as I don't want to side track your topic. I said before you found a very very nice Olds. Enjoy it.
October 14th, 2020, 05:40 PM
