choust1

Hello -
I am new here and wanted to introduce myself. I am Chuck from Seattle, WA
I own a 1972 Olds Custom Cruiser (my third 72-73 Custom Cruiser) and a 1967 Cutlass Convertible.

The Cutlass has a bit of a story. It was one of 50 new convertibles loaned to the Miss America pageant for a parade in New York City in the summer of 67. After the parade the cars were to be available through Olds dealerships as new, but with some miles on them (similar to what they do at various Golf tournaments these days). My Dad selected this car from the list as a surprise 6th anniversary gift for my Mom. The car was supposed to have a couple of thousand miles on it; when it arrived at the dealership it barely had 300. A year later I was born and we (including the Cutlass with 2k miles on it) moved from Mass. to SoCal. It was kept garaged as a third car for most of the 70s and early 80s. I got my license in 1984 and it became my first car. I still have it today. Original CA black and yellow plates, rust free, with 151,000 miles on the clock.
Oh...it is Saffron yellow inside and out with black roof, dash and carpet....and factory equipped with the highly desirable optional 250 straight six! lol. Ya, "I could've had a v8!"

Allan R

Welcome to C.O. Chuck
Cool story on the 67. So is this going to stay in survivor condition with that massive 6cyl torque monster or do you have plans for a restoration?

As always, descriptions of the car are nice but pictures are better. Let's have a look at your rockets!

oldcutlass

Welcome, as Allan said we do love pictures.

choust1

Here are a few pix. When the six dies I am tempted to drop in a 330. For now I am making do with that asphalt pounding 250 i6 and 1bbl carb. :-)
Here are a few pix of the car. The photos of the car with the wire wheel covers were taken by a 16 year old version of myself in 1985, lol. The photos with the repro SS1 wheels were taken two years ago by a 42 year old (unrestored, lol) version of myself.
The car is due for paint, chrome and some light body work.
Any opinions on the wheel treatments? I have a set of all three factory '67 wheel covers (and the original 14" wheels).

90customcruiser

Welcome to the club, how lucky can one guy be? I always liked the Saffron package, I don't really know what market they were trying to play to, but it seemed to be available from Ninety Eight on down. Only my opinion, but the 6 makes it more intriguing. I had a '65 Le Mans convertible with a six in it, who knows what happened to that over the years. Wasn't in great shape either but I loved it. With that Cutlass and the Custom Cruiser, I'd be happy for the rest of my life.

citcapp

Glad to have you aboard. Nice drop top now lets see some pictures of the custom cruiser

RAMBOW

welcome aboard from another seattleite!

I've got a good running 330 that would slip right in for that 6 when youre ready... stop by and take a ride before it gets pulled!

Love the 67! More pics of both!

choust1

The Custom Cruiser was a one family (Dad to daughter), I bought from daughter. An original CA blue/yellow plate car. Her Dad was a GM engineering exec, I have all the original paperwork including the internal GM docs for the employee discount etc.
It is a heavily optioned car. 108k original males. 100% original paint, wood, interior, etc. NO RUST, no body or paint repairs. The original paint is tired and in need of a respray. Otherwise the rest is in great shape. Attached are some pix (I have removed the tacky driving lights on the front)

Options:
Power Windows
Power Locks
Power Seat
Power Tailgate
Exterior Thermometer (rare)
Cruise Control and Tilt
Air Conditioning
AM/FM Stereo Radio (with dual rear speakers)
Electric Clock
Roof rack
Deluxe wheel covers
Third Seat

choust1

Note the optional deluxe chrome armrests (only available on Olds clamshells).

choust1

Thanks 90! I love the color combo...especially on a convertible. It looks light and lively. With the wire covers it looks a bit conservative, like Doris Day should be motoring up in it. lol. The SS1 wheels make it look a little tougher. Definite personality change.
She was "born" with the base cutlass full wheel discs. Pretty simple. I prefer the wires or the deluxe Cutlass Supreme full wheel disc.

The_Jeremiah

welcome, nice to see another person whose not on the east side of the usa! (no offense guys), Im in Ellensburg Washington myself.

90customcruiser

Yeah, it reminds me of butter cream frosting for some reason. I like the wire caps myself, I had mentioned on my post that my '90 Custom Cruiser had been delivered to the dealer with the aluminum rims. Now it has wire caps with the ancient Oldsmobile logo emblazoned on them, as well as the hood ornament. I want to get a set of stock wheel covers, and maybe even "recover" the original wheels if the price is right.

Allan R

Very nice looking car! I was super impressed with the shots of the doors showing absolutely zero rust. Interior looks great and not often we see these with the 3rd row seating. Glad you took off those fog lights. Ever think of putting matching white walls and some 15" spoke covers on it? I think it would look stunning! Try giving it a power polish to see how much it brings the paint back. I'd be a little afraid of what a body shop would do to that car seeing as the wood grain looks immaculate.

I have that Y71 thermometer on my car too. BTW, who put those Chrysler chrome indicator lights on the fenders? I thought they were cool on my buddies car, but soon realized they aren't fibre optic style and can burn out just as easy as any other light. You planning to keep them?

Looking at your pics takes me back to the days when I had a 73 CC. I sure miss that boat.

choust1

Hey Allan.
Thanks! The doors and jambs made me crazy when I saw them. Spotless and no "Ziebart" rust proofing holes! It has been 100% garaged in CA and the laser straight rust free body was a big Seller for me. The original owner passed it on to his daughter in '95 with just 60k miles on it. She was retired herself at that point and decided it would be the perfect tow vehicle for her travel trailer. The paint on the tailgate was destroyed by gravel and rockets ricocheting of the trailer. (see pic). So I think I will need to repaint her at some point.
I am going to order a set of dual band whitewalls for this car. Attaching a photo of them on my 79 Collectors Series. They really jazz a car up. I am working on detailing the car and have polished the deluxe wheels covers and they look amazing. I think they will look great with the whitewalls. I *Hate* the ugly turn indicators. When the car gets painted they will be removed.
~Chuck
BTW. the tires are from Diamond Back Tires: www.dbtires.com They can create any whitewall any width you want. Tri band Toronado tires? no problem. They aint cheap. The set for the Custom Cruiser are going to be $239each + Shipping, $1100 for four delivered. But they are a great dress up for the car. The set show in the pic is actually an exact repro of the optional dual band tires available on 70s Lincolns. They also have the reverse dual band whitewall (narrow band toward the center) that were optional on the 70s cadillacs.

choust1

Nice to meet ya Jeremiah. Not far at all in Ellensburg. Sweet Omega

choust1

Hey Rambow.
Here's a shot of the fancy polished ceramic manifolds that are replacing some crappy (and noisy) headers on the Custom Cruiser 455.

Allan R

I just saw those pics of the vert and Wow! It's nice. Also learned by doing a quick check that yes indeedy the Cutlass 6 was available in a vert model (model 3567 - retail 2770 base in 67!!) What threw me was the bumper/backup lights. I had always thought the verts were supremes and had the backup lights in the bumper and taillights over top of each other. I'm so glad you posted these pics of an original car so I could see that.

Now for wheel dressing? My preference on those pics would be the SSI's. They really dress up that car nicely. I know you said it's due for body/paint work. Q: is that a slight lateral dent on the passenger side door? If it is that saffron color really hides imperfections nicely. You have a really elegant looking car there.

I think that wear on the clamshell is more from it moving up/down. The pattern is more like it was rubbing the rubber on the bumper? I'm sure you'll take the necessary precautions and spell out the details you want the body shop to focus on when she goes for the resto spray. Glad to hear you already got rid of those fog ights and have plans to remove the blinkers. The prices for those whitewalls aren't that outrageous -all things considered. I remember those 79 Signature series Lincolns. My buddies dad was a lawyer when I was growing up and he had new Lincolns every year. One of them was a Bill Blais (sp) signature series with dark blue body, tan roof and tan leather interior. It was a remarkable car to ride in.

rcorrigan5

Chuck,

Welcome to this site from just down the freeway a ways! That's a great story with your '67, with all of its history and nearly all of it being with your family. I like the color combo as well. Personally, I'd keep the 6-cylinder with the car because of your family history (and I'm assuming the car is pretty much all original anyway). With your car, I see the money being not so much in the engine as it is with the canvas top.

Show us your Custom Cruiser as well!

Randy C.

PS: I just saw your CC pictures, too. That's a great Olds combo that you have!

choust1

Here's some pix you guys might like.
This car sat in indoor storage from 1990-2008. In 2009 we performed a mechanical and engine compartment restoration.

choust1

Allan R

Randy, I never get tired of looking at that 442 of yours. You sure about keeping that tire roasting 6? If the $$ is in the vert option I'd be inclined to upgrade to at least a 330. It would be even more awesome with a 400 though. Of course that means changing the trans too.

choust1

I am biased, but I think they make an excellent Oldsmobile pair. The sporty convertible for Dad, and the enormous luxo wagon for Mom. lol.

Allan R

I have to say in all honesty this is the first time I've seen one of these engines in a Cutlass. Nice job! That's a long time to sit in a garage - sounds like my car. How much does that block weigh?

choust1

If not valuable, it is at least somewhat unique. I would never sell it so value makes little difference to me.
I'd have to sift through four file folders of original receipts (Dad kept everything). However I am pretty sure that I remember seeing that the straight six was an extra cost option (at a very small price). Can you imagine PAYING to delete the standard V8 for a six? My Dad and I talked about it years ago and he said he would have preferred to have had the v8 but my Mom really was stuck on that color combo.
Believe it or not it is remarkably peppy. NOT fast, not a car that burns rubber, but a nice (and very smooth) engine. No idea of the weight?

choust1

[QUOTE=Allan R;501592]Q: is that a slight lateral dent on the passenger side door? If it is that saffron color really hides imperfections nicely. You have a really elegant looking car there.

No dents on the doors. The right front fender and bumper have a dent (placed there by ME at age 14 in 1982!!). Thats a story and a half...but I have lived with it for almost, gulp, 30 years.

Allan R

Actually the Cutlass had 2 standard engine choices in 67.
1- the 155 hp Action Line 6 which you have, or
2 -the 250 hp Jetfire 330 v8 regular fuel.

The extra cost options for your car were the Jetfire L73 and L74. the L74 was the high compression engine rated at 320 hp @ 5200 rpm; 360 ft/lbs torque @ 3600 rpm and the L73 was lower compression rated at 310 hp @5200 rpm; 340 ft/lbs torque @ 3600 rpm

My understanding is that when you look up the VIN of your car, it will start out like this: 33567 instead of 33667. Back in the day when either engine could be standard, the VIN would tell you which engine was in the car - 6 or V8.

3 - Oldsmobile division
35 - L6 Cutlass
67 - convertible model

In some circles the term 33567 would be the chassis designation with further delineation of 67 being convertible.

Summary: Your Dad didn't pay for a delete. He got the car with one of it's standard engines. BTW he sounds like a very meticulous and well organized man to have kept all those records intact. You have a rather rare collection of car provenance so don't lose it.

choust1

Right you are Sir! I just checked my VIN: 33567 7m312603 So what does the 7m portion stand for?

Allan R

7M312603 breaks down like this
7 - 1967 model year
M - Lansing Michigan production
312603 - Production sequence number (not related to body number on cowl tag)

Post a pic of your Cowl tag - it should be fairly easy to decode.

OLD SKL 69

Welcome to CO! Nice cars Chuck, thanks for the pics.

choust1

Thanks for all the info Allan. Very interesting.
I will try to get a photo of the cowl tag in the next couple of weeks. Leaving for a week in NYC tomorrow morning.
The car, not surprisingly, is a low option car: PS, PB, AT, AM radio (now original AM.FM), heater but no AC. bench seat.

rcorrigan5

I love that 6-cyl engine. It's so different from the V8s we seem to always see in cars like that. That would be a real neat car to see at our annual South Sound 442 Club car show at Griot's in Tacoma in July. The '67 would also be interesting to see at the annual Olds Club of America Puget Sound Olds Club show, usually held in the Seattle area in late July or early August each year. So unique!

I'm hung up on the '67 but the CC would also be a great addition to either of those shows. Although the SS442Club sounds like it is all 442, it is not. All models are welcome.

The '67 is an exciting car. I find that 6-cylinder intriguing and certainly different from most anything I've seen in my Olds world!

Randy C.

lil_no

Welcome aboard Chuck. Those are nice cars you have with great stories.

Great people here with tons of Olds knowledge. Again welcome.

The_Jeremiah

Haha, it will be a sweet Omega eventually, right now its more like a sweet pile of parts! Love the 67! keep an eye out for parts for me over there! Im sure theres more 67 oldsmobiles sitting around than omega's... and thats sayin something!

choust1

Well thanks for that randy. I've always felt a little embarrassed by the l6. So much of the interest in 60s cars is focused on the high horse muscle cars like the 442. Whenever I tell people I have a 67 Cutlass it seems the first thing they ask " is it a 442?"
I don't really care about the value of this car. It's a member if the family. I have great memories of Mom driving us all down Laguna canyon highway (without seatbelts on) to Laguna beach in the early 70s, stopping to buy fruit from the hippies in VW vans along the road. Then getting my first ticket at 17 with my buddies in Palm Springs spring break 1986.
To me that is way more valuable than a big block. :-)

Allan R

I wouldn't be. Finding one with the L6 is actually a fairly rare find nowadays. BTW I just went back and was looking at the rebuilt engine installed. Didn't notice before, but the shape of the oil pan is also very unique.

jdana24

Welcome to CO. It's always good to see another member from Seattle, and if the pictures are any indication, maybe another from West Seattle. Are you from around Alki, or did you just take your picture from here? The folks on here are good people and will be able to answer most any question, as long as you keep feeding them pics, as mentioned above. Also, I'm with Randy on the 6 cylinder. I think you should keep it original. As they say, they are only original once, and you won't see many cars like what you have.

choust1

Hey Jeff. Thanks for the welcome and, yes, I do live and work in west Seattle.

citcapp

The Washington contingent of CO members is getting to be good sized. We need to start thinking about a picnic car meet sometime in the near future

jdana24

I'd be in for this, or at least a cruise-in one night (when we get good weather).

rcorrigan5

I'm up for an Olds show cruise night as well. Again, the South Sound 4-4-2 Club has their annual Olds picnic at Griot's in Tacoma sometime in July. That's a great show and a great time. All might consider making it there. We've had up to about 60 cars in the past and it would sure be neat if more Oldsmobiles showed up. You don't necessarily need to have a 4-4-2 - all Oldsmobiles are welcome. And Griot's opens their shop for us as well. It is a lot of fun, on an informal basis!

Randy C.