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Hi, new to forum. I’m starting resto on 1975 Cutlass Salon. Bought it new in 1975 married a few months later and it’s in our wedding pics from 1975. Golden anniversary is in 2025 so hopefully I’m done in time. Is cutlass forum closed??
Thanks!
Hi, it’s not much to see currently, pretty ugly but pretty solid too. Texas & Arkansas all it’s life. Hasn’t been on the road in probably 15 years or so and has sat for most of last 30. I’ve been collecting a lot of NOS or really nice used cosmetic pieces for it over the years, but still have few yet to find.
Welcome- 74 Salon owner here. Lots of knowledge on this site. Post in parts wanted for needed parts. Several guys here have our parts.
Be glad to help if I can. Best of luck getting another 'forgotten years' coupe back on the road!
I had no clue about 'restoration' when I fixed up my Salon in '89- I was only trying to fix the rust, which was more prevalent in those years. Fortunately for me, many NOS GM body panels were still available then. Family members doing most of the work kept it affordable. Only after it was 'done' did I realize that she looked decent, and I started buying the NOS trim, chrome, etc. that sets her off.
I could go on and on about the challenges of finding parts for my 74, but I'll try to be brief. While I'm sure it may be as difficult as restoring earlier, more obscure models, the fact that GM purposely destroyed old parts inventories to make room for newer parts only adds to the difficulty. It took me several years to find correct NOS door handles. An OCA friend has been looking for years for them for his gorgeous 73 442, and still doesn't have them. The front end is indeed 74-specific, although the 75 Cutlass is almost identical otherwise. Depending on which of the 6 Cutlass models (7 if you included the Y76 regional option), the front end/rear tail combination was different (iirc Cutlass, Cutlass Supreme, Salon used one nose/ bumper combo, while Cutlass S, 442, H/O and Y76 had the turn signals in the bumper, and different nose/grilles). (Following the parts book is a nightmare lol)
As these cars are heavy, they are/were usually the first ones out of the scrapyards, so there are relatively few left to scavenge, despite the large numbers produced. (I've never done much yard hunting, but I've heard from others).
There are a few dealers who have some NOS for these years, but to my knowledge not many. Ron M has everything Cutlass and a good bit of 73-77 NOS, and Brett (Palladin) here has a good selection of 73-77 used.
I haven't bought much recently, but any time I see NOS or used 73-77 stuff on evilbay or elsewhere it seems awful pricey compared to when I was picking up NOS emblems for 10 bucks..lol
I can get more specific on some things but maybe that'd be better served by PM..
BTW, I am NOT an expert- but I've had this car since '77, and I've learned a little about this particular year.
Hope this helps.
