Autobahnzerreisser

Hey.
I'm from Germany so my English is not that good, sorry. I'm very happy that a specific Oldsmobile forum exists because German Muscle Car communities are very rare. I have a 71' Cutlass S with 455 Rocket in it. Unfortunately there are some battery charching issues and I already replaced the alternator because the coil in the inside is melted together to one piece.
Where can I find the voltage regulator because I want to check whats wrong with it?
And another question which is a little bit embarassing: I don't know what car the engine is from. It has an F on the block in front of the intake manifold. How can I definately identify my engine and much more important do I have to add lead additive to the fuel?

citcapp

Can't answer the question on the voltage regulator someone else will have to chime in on that

The 455 was used in several types of Oldsmobiles and there isn't any way to identify what it came out of except if it came out of a toronado then it will have a lower intake and a larger oil pan with a dimple in it for the axle shaft. The Heads if original can help identify the year. There is a letter on a pad above the number one cylinder on the drivers side could be a C,D,E,F,G, GA, H, or J. Let us know what the letter is.


If you do not drive your car much you don't have to add a lead subsitute no harm will be done to the engine.

Oldsguy

I think on the Cutlass models the voltage regulator was on the firewall just slightly to the left of the windshield wiper motor. Here is a photo of one from the bottom side which is closest to the firewall, the top side looks like a box with the contacts just showing out from the edge.

Welcome to CO.

edit: And here is a picture I picked from the gallery, I think this car belongs to wireman. The relay is almost in the center of the firewall just above the air cleaner.

Autobahnzerreisser

Thanks a lot guys!
I'll check the letter on the engine tomorrow.
@Oldsguy: Is it the thing in the red circle?
My garage where my car is standing is little bit away from my home so I have to look after it tomorrow...

Oldsguy

Yes, that should be it. Nice looking engine.

Oldsmaniac

In 71 the 442 had an internal voltage regulator, if your 455 Cutlass is original it may have the same setup.

Autobahnzerreisser

Thanks. Battery case is very rusty and i dont know how to replace it and wiring is a dessaster... But I guess it has a lot of power I drove it 10 meters after that the battery was too low for the automatic transmission to switch gears...

Autobahnzerreisser

It's not a 442 it's a Cutlass S but the engine might be from a 442 I dont know. I heard a rumor that 442 engines have a darker blue paintjob than torronado ones, is that true?

68Tom

I believe a word to the wise: always change out your voltage regulator when changing the alternator. It's not that expensive and is a safe way to ensure you're getting correct power. I almost had a battery explode because of a bad regulator.

Also, get some new battery cables and a new battery. There's no point in risking a fire.

If your battery tray is severly rusted, you can buy a replacement from Fusick. www.fusick.com I'm fairly sure shipping one to Germany isn't too expensive. You can also get and original style AC Delco voltage regulator and reproductions of the original battery cables from there as well.

And welcome!

Autobahnzerreisser

Thanks man,
at the moment I'm running an alternator of an Opel( it is or was a German GM Make) 3.0 Liter l6 engine with 110 amps which should be enough or might this cause any trouble?

csstrux

Assuming I remember correctly the car likely came with a 65/75(?) amp alternator, but a 100 amp would have been available with a heavy duty charging system. I may be getting ahead of the game though. Amps is force, voltage is speed. As long as your voltage is in line the heavier amps will not hurt the car, just charge the battery more quickly than before. That or better handle a gazillion watt stereo.

P.S. Welcome to CO

Autobahnzerreisser

Thanks! That last sentence I did not understand, sorry. Can you explain it again?

Another question: I have the bucketseats option with the centerconsole. Is there normally some sort of coverage which protects the gap of the shifter from dirt or other stuff falling in there?

csstrux

The gazillion watt stereo is a common phenomenon here in the well... pretty much any where anymore where a kid owns a car... The first thing they do is get a fart pipe, some rims, and a BIG HONKEN stereo that you can hear from a quarter mile off. I drive a tractor trailer combo. I am not sure what they are called in Germany but they are called Lories (sp) in the UK. You can not discerne thunder from the background noise in one of these thing when they are in full swing, but I could hear this kid in a mid eighties caprice long before I could see his badger red and white donk azz. un-believeable. The big stereos use a lot of power... the bigger alternator can handle the extra draw.

The console will not likely have any gaping openings, I am not sure exactly what you are asking as far as that goes, but if you post a pic could may be help out a bit.

Chad

Oldsguy

gazillion=10x10x10x10x10........lots of zeroes. Actually it is an American slang term.

Autobahnzerreisser

AAhh!! Now I got it. I use giant stereo system to compensate the higher amps the alternator put out. It's funny but in the back of this car is a wooden box with 2 12" Infinity subs. I'll rip this sh*t out as well as the blue leds in the interior. I still dont know how to fix those holes in the dash where the killswitches for those ridiculous lights are. At the moment I feel like owning a Honda Cutlass WTF....it's really a shame what the former owner did to this classic...

Oldsguy

Yeah, that is kind of a fad here right now. Mostly with the import cars but we also see it with American muscle cars. Too bad, as you said, the classics deserve better. The stereo is so loud it vibrates everything that isn't welded to the frame. I would hate to be the owner after a car that was previously treated that way and have to track down all the little rattles, ticks, and other loose pieces of interior.

Autobahnzerreisser

I guess it's like getting a dog from an animal shelter...

Rdrokit

Welcome to the forum. Also here in Thailand some of the Thais can really f_ck up a classic. They chop tops off to make convertibles, add multiple lights so the car looks like a moving Christmas tree and paint jobs put on with a roller and brush. Of course there are some, especially in the club I belong to, that want to restore them to classic condition.

Autobahnzerreisser

In Germany we have 95 octane fuel but we have about 6.5 percent of bioethanol in our gas. Can this be harmful for the gaskets in the engine?

When can I actually post in the other forums?

csstrux

Not sure what bio based gasoline will or will not hurt, but you can post any where you want now. Happy hunting.

Autobahnzerreisser

Hehe thanks...

Oldsguy

Don't think the bio based fuel in small amounts will hurt. I think some of our fuel is 15% ethanol here in the US and haven't heard of any complications.

wolfman98

Nobody answered your question about adding lead to the fuel did they? did not see that response but if your motor is a 71 455 and valve seats are original then I think that you should add lead from what I have been told from guys on this site.I have a 69 455 and need to add to my fuel plus I am adding octane booster since the octane in high test here is only 93.

Autobahnzerreisser

Thanks. I will check the letter on the head to identify the year of my engine tomorrow.
I've put 95 octane unleaded fuel in it to check if the engine starts and the alternator charges while I'm fixing the wiring. Is this already harmful? And would it be harmful if I would put lead additive in it and it already has the newer valve seats?

Rdrokit

Don't worry about using unleaded gas in your car. I had a 1964 Dodge with the original big block motor and ran it for 2 years on unleaded 91 octane before I could afford to rebuild the engine. When I pulled the heads the valve seats were OK and the valves did not sink into the heads because the seats were not hardened seats.

wolfman98

If your motor has the newer valve seats then you do not need to add lead. The reason for adding the lead substitute is as a lubricant for the older type valve seats. The newer type are harder and do not wear as much as the older type. 95 octane is ok for your car but adding an octane booster will help with the performance of the engine. I remember back in the late 70's buying premium gas at any gas station and it was well over 100 octane. A lot of the guys who drag race around here use gas that has octane levels around 112-114. This is too high for just regular driving but if you could increase it to 100-104 that would not hurt the motor from what I understand. There are a lot of guys on this forum who have forgotten more than I know and they may hopefully offer their opinions on fuel addatives.

Autobahnzerreisser

Thank you for the answers...
I already posted in the electronics forum but I need a quick answer.
Is a 1-wire alternator an alternator with only a plus pole? In German it's called 1-pole alternator...

Olds64

A one wire alternator doesn't have a voltage regulator that mounts on the fire wall. It uses an internal diode.

Autobahnzerreisser

But I got it right that a one wire alternator has only a plus pole, have I?
The car used to have a regular alternator with a plus and a ground wire but there is a ground fault so I want to avoid a difficult search using a 1 pole alternator which only is connected to the plus.

Olds64

Stimmt.

A one wire alternator only has one + terminal on the back.

Autobahnzerreisser

I surved a little through the forum and also through sales departement.
Somehow I noticed that cutlasses especially from 71 and up are extremely low in value compared to a chevelle or lemans. I paid 8000$ for my 71 cutlass S with the original rally rims bucket seats and 455 that is said to be from a 70 442 with edelbrock carb, intake and cams. The condition is pretty good only a few tiny surface rust bubbles and the interrior is also ok. Did I pay way too much?

wolfman98

Was that $8000 Euro's? Even so I don't think you paid too much because of certain variables. The first being that the car is in good shape with a 70-455 edlebrock intake etc etc. The car as is IS worth more in Germany than it would be in America because it is not very common. The American muscle car fenom is just catching on there and to have a car that may be considered desireable is worth more than it would be in a market flooded with similar cars. It's the supply and demand factor that you need to consider.I know that cars are more expensive here in canada whether they are new or classics.

Autobahnzerreisser

No fortunately it was us dollars...but i think it's strange that there are cutlasses in descent shape that go for 3k or something and I think thats really a shame. I never found any on ebay or cars.com this cheap when I looked for my car but here in the forum the prices they suggest are ridiculously cheap. Why is a Chevelle that much more expensive than a cutlass and whats up with that mopar hype in the states?

Rdrokit

Are you happy with the car? If so you didn't pay too much. I think you got a good deal as your car is rare in Germany. I paid 8500US for my car and am very happy as it is the only 2 door 65 Cutlass in Thailand. I think Chevys and Mopars are more expensive because they are more in demand as these were the cars that people relate to as being muscle cars (think fast). Buick and Oldsmobiles were cars that our parents owned (in the 60s) so now a lot of people relate to them as not being muscle cars and muscle cars are the cars that are bringing the big money.

wolfman98

You hit the nail right on the head there. It is hype that puts up the price of certain cars. Just as an example in the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" you had the Shelby GT 500 called "Elanor" and now you can't find one for under $100,000 U.S. A lot of them you see call their car Elanor or just like Elanor. Even GT 350's are expensive and a lot of these cars are fakes. They call them "clones" I call them fakes. For awhile everybody wanted a 56 Chev Bel Air to turn into a hotrod now you can't find one and if you do they want too much for them.Some of the prices I have seen for 396 or 454 Chevelles and GTO's plus the Dodge mopars are way way way up there so if you can still find a cutlass with a 455 and th400 tranny for under 10,000 then I would not complain and hope that it does not catch on for a while cause when it does then everything will go up. NOS parts will be worth their weight in gold. I saw an ad for a Chevelle SS parts car with no motor and tranny for 25,000.As far as Olds muscle cars go I am trying to keep the secret.

Autobahnzerreisser

Thank you guys, now I'm relieved. The fact that their is a big block under the hood even though its not numbers matching makes it worth more money, right? I asked because I had the choice beetween my cutlass 455, a 71 Nova in poor condition and a 66 belvedere 383 2bbl in good condition. Hope I chose the best...

wolfman98

Absolutely you chose the right vehicle , the 455 rocket is miles ahead of those other guys

ent72olds

I tell ya, for a German, you have a pretty good grasp of the english "slanguage"....

Autobahnzerreisser

How embarassing!! I guess that manifests the grave influence that MTV, American Chopper, Barrys Speedshop etc. has on my clean English from back in school

wolfman98

And who says that TV is not educational