Zackw

Hello, first time user and classic car owner here. Just picked up a 1970 442 W30 from the girlfriend's dad, though I think it may actually be a clone after doing some research. He's owned the car since 1983 and swears it's a numbers matching 442, but I have my doubts. Anyway, it's in need of some major work I think, but I have always wanted a project, and this thing will be a beast when done. He wanted $1500 for it, which I hope wasn't too much, but he needed help anyway so I don't feel too bad if I overpaid a little. Good thing is everything is on the car, except the middle grill section, and the glass is all in perfect condition along with most of the chrome. Interior needs completely redone and I gotta find some replacement buckets. The hood is also not the original fiberglass that was on it as the original owner busted it with a high rise intake. Anyway here are the photos for your review. VIN number (from dash) is 336770M326217. It has the 455 in it, and is an Automatic with posi rear end.

70 cutlass s

Welcome to the site.

The car looks a little pieced to gather. I going to say clone. After 40 years it happens. The cool thing its a post car.

Good project car.

cutlassgal

Well welcome to our site!! Another one from Ohio!! I don't think $1500 was a bad price at all.... I've seen them in worse shape, for more than that! Looks like a good project!! Some of the 442 guys will chime in soon, I'm sure. This is the best place to be for help and info!

Eric Anderson

Yeah it's a clone but it's a post car and they are awesome anyway, welcome to the site. Nothing wrong with a clone anyway I think they are more fun as they give you a little more freedom to mess around with them without the worry of destroying the value of a real one.

Eric Anderson

vin breakdown:
3=Oldsmobile
36=Cutlass v8
77=2 door coupe
0=1970
M=Lansing Mich. built
326217=production number

stevengerard

I would love to have a project car - good luck sure does need lots of work but that can be more than half the fun. Welcome to the board there is a lot to learn. Nice thing about this car is you can make it what you want it to be and not worry about originallity.

As far as your car goes it is a Cutlass not a 442 - that is what the VIN tells us - if it was a 442 it would start out with 344 not 367 but it is a post coupe so thats cool. It also has a 72 rear bumper but it looks like it will need a new one anyway and according to folks on the list the new ones are pretty darn good for the price. Looks like it was a column shift car at one time as the speedometer has the PNRDSL on it and the console is not an olds

Nilsson

Welcome from a fellow Buckeye.

Lets hope the snow leaves soon.

Ranzan

Sweet Post.........

70 cutlass s

Here are a few links of places where you can buy parts for your car.

http://www.paddockparts.com/Paddock/...B67FBFCD5BC2E4

http://www.thepartsplaceinc.com/home.asp#top

http://www.fusick.com/cutlass.htm

http://www.supercarsunlimited.com/

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,ca...0%2BOLDSMOBILE

http://www.yearone.com/

http://www.tamrazsparts.com/index.php

http://www.opgi.com/product.asp?catmainid=3

kaz442

If I was you, and before I spent any $ on that thing I would check out the extent of the rust. You know the quarters, trunk deck and fenders are toast but what about underneath them? Frame, cowl, trunk floor, floor, doors,and bottom of rear window? Might be too far gone to save. Will be cheaper and easier to find a cleaner body to transplant the drive train into. Does it run? Definitly just a '70 cutlass post with a '71 rear bumper and a '71-'72 hood. Sorry, but to me by the few pics posted it looks like a parts car.
JKaz

wmachine

Reluctantly X2.
Not something you want to hear, but the reality is that if it is too far gone (and there are some serious indications that it is), the sooner you find that out the better. A clean body to replace it would make much more sense (dollar-wise *and* aggrivation-wise) down the road. Same for the frame. Even then, you still may have your $1500 in parts to use, so all is not lost.

Jamesbo

Welcome aboard

Post some more detailed pics please

70 cutlass s

I wouldn't throw it away just yet. You do need to look it over real good. Make sure of what you have first before spending any money on it. You need to take real good look at the frame, floor, trunk, and window channels. See how bad and how much metal its going to take to make it hole again. More detail pics would help.

Oldsguy

Welcome to CO and good luck with the project. Sounds like some good recommendations too.

StickW31

For sure!!!!! Worst case is you buy this car for parts and find a better one to restore!!!

Good luck with the new purchase and welcome to the board!!!

Zackw

Well aside from those quarters, the rest is mostly just surface rust, or so it appears. It does have a small hole in the drivers floorboard, and the trunk is a bit flimsy, but nothing a few panels won't fix. The windows are all perfect and original, roll down/out with ease. Chrome all looks good aside from the bumpers, and everything is there. The owner routinely went out and oiled all the hinges and springs, along with cleaning the car.. I think the quarters just got so bad because the weatherstripping in the rear windows was shot.

It did indeed use to be a column shift, which I may go back to, dunno. It also had a bench seat the original owner had taken out to put in some cheap plastic buckets. I was looking up prices for replacements, and all the glass alone was around $1200... so I'm probably going to get it anyway... just got the loan today for it. The main thing with this car is it has a lot of history for him. He brought home 2 of his kids from the hospital in it, and the g/f has wanted it since she was younger. He has all kinds of stories about how this thing has scared the crap out of him many times.

I know I might be screwing myself if it has some hidden problems, but I believe I could easily get my money back parting it out if it came to that. The main thing is the owner (g/f's dad) isn't doin too good right now financially, so I offered to buy it and keep it "in the family", so he didn't have to sell to some stranger and never see it again.

Oh, the car did run, he used to go out and start it regularly to keep the engine in good shape, however the battery died about a year ago and he had not messed with it since. The motor is a 455 with a quadrajet on top, it was rebuilt and only has around 30k on it.. though I am expecting it might need tore down again anyway.

Personally I don't find $1500 to be too much.. I have seen cars sold as nothing more than the frame and hollowed out cabin for more than that. While it may require a lot of work.. I think it will be worth it (to me anyway) to do whatever I need to get it back on the road, even if it is just to have her Dad see his pride and joy restored after not being able to do it himself.

70 cutlass s

Around the front windshield and rear glass are common places for these cars to rust. The trim does a pretty job of hiding it until you remove the trim.

Eric Anderson

IMHO With good glass and trim a running 455 and a posi rear plus everything else you will be ok if you had to part it paying 1500, like the others have said really dig into it and check it out good before you start sinking money into it, you definately don't want to put a couple thousand into it then realise you have to part it out.

Oldsmaniac

Am I seeing things or are the inners red plastic covered by black paint? If red plastic they are W30 pieces. Check things over well as this is a Lansing car and could be legit even if now it appears to be pieced together....check head letter for a F or H....if so you hit gold.

Eric Anderson

I was thinking it was the other way around but when you look at the one pic you also see some red peeking out on the wheel side. If this car had a w-30 transplant he did hit gold.

cutlassgal

........While it may require a lot of work.. I think it will be worth it (to me anyway) to do whatever I need to get it back on the road, even if it is just to have her Dad see his pride and joy restored after not being able to do it himself.


Well I think it's a wonderful thing you want to do... Kind of sounds like your mind is made up, so go for it!! If you have the time and money to put in to it. Sounds like a good project for both you guys!

joe_padavano

"A little"???

The 67-69 console with B&M shifter? The black-painted Cutlass grilles? The fact that the 442 emblems on the RH fender don't even line up?

The bigger problem is that the rust has already been bondoed once. Expect to find a LOT of rust once you start digging into it. You will spend way more money fixing this body than what it is worth.

mugzilla

what would some 70 era factory reds be worth...

$1500 ?

Zackw

Went out to look closer at the car, and it's definitely a clone.. the red on the inner fenders is a crappy paint job... oh well I guess.. I'll just add the missing 442 parts and make a full clone. However I also noticed the trunk is basically shot, and the cowl has a small hole in it.. guess I'll tear the car apart and see what I have left. Kinda bummed, but I still bought it as I woulda loaned him the money anyway.

Looked at the engine, it is a 455, but I couldn't see the block numbers.. it does have C stamped heads though. From what I got on a quick web search.. apparently the C's are at least a desirable set? It also has an Edelbrock Torker intake manifold. I had already planned on dropping a lot of money into it anyway, but not all at once.. I plan on this taking about 10 years maybe, just doing everything slowly as I get the money. So maybe during that time I'll find a cheap donor vehicle or something to mess with.

svnt442

C's are a great starting point and to some the MOST desirable factory heads to have on a BBO.

64Rocket

It is going to be a very big project. It's had a ruff life.
It also has the '71 hood on it, also drum brakes on the front.
Also non factory bucket seats.
Just need to find a donor body.
Gene

70 cutlass s

Yeah before you spend any money on this one since you want to take your time. You can look for a donor car. In between the the two be able to build a nice car.

MN71W30

Have you tried to get it running? I'd see how well it runs and then plan the next step.
Dave

My442

That car is too far gone.

It is a parts car now.

mike's88

I see it's a post body, but did they still come with vent glass in 1970?

joe_padavano

All post cars used vent windows through 1972.

oldsmanf85

That dash pad is fairly rare and seems to be in good shape. It was only used in the post cars with no upper vents. They had the vent windows instead.