Hi!
My grandparents are kinda pack rats, almost to the point of hoarders but the good thing about that is they tucked things away, grandma decided to keep the 442 in a shed for pretty much the entirety of probably the last 30 years due to the latches on the convertible top not being able to close all the way. That is, until I finally got my own place and a garage to store tools and the car in.
I posted a few pictures of the car on reddit and was told to come here in search of more dedicated people in the world of oldsmobile.
Im very excited to have a group of people i can talk to about the car and how to care for and restore it.

 

Welcome to the site, post some pictures on here when you get a chance.

 

I miss-read the Guidelines on newbies and thought i wasnt supposed to post pics of cars in the newbie forum! I know she's rough but this is it

 

Needs a little Love that's all... Welcome to the site a lot of good info here..

 

Welcome. The 2bbl carb came on the 442 with the Turnpike Cruiser option, this gave you a 9 to1 compression with 290hp and 2:56 gears. The sportiness of the 442 with the gas mileage of the regular Cutlass.

 

absolutely bring that car back to life, you won't regret it.

 

Thanks for the pics. How far are you going to take the restoration?

 

considering its all original and technically one owner id like to restore it to as close as it looked from the factory

 

I'm with you on restoring it to as original as you can. I believe you will get the best value possible out of your car that way. There are lots of '68 A-body people on this site with a considerable amount of expertise so don't be afraid to inquire and ask any questions you have about your car. We will be happy to answer them. Good luck with your restoration and enjoy your car to its fullest!

Randy C.

'68 4-4-2 convertible
'69 4-4-2 convertible

 

For 1968, the package was moved to the 4-4-2…

It was built to cruise at high speed comfortably and efficiently and according to the Car Life road testers, it did just that, while posting 19.26 MPG at 60 MPH and 17.22 MPG at 70 MPH on the GM Proving Grounds. Unfortunately, mileage figures for the 4-4-2 were not included. It should be noted that the test car had 2.41 rear gears, which is listed in much of the Oldsmobile paperwork I’ve seen, yet the story stated that 2.56 gears were planned for the production models.

Additional options on the test car included: a UHV Transistorized Ignition; power brakes, windows, steering, seat and antenna; Rocket Rally Pac, vinyl top; tilt wheel; AM/FM radio; rear speaker and lamp-mirror group. A set of 195R-14 radial tires were also installed in place of the standard 7.75 x 14 white stripe nylon-cord tires, but radials were listed as an option for the L66.

Motor Trend tested the Turnpike Cruiser alongside a 4-4-2. With the 2.41 rear gear, it was reportedly running at 2,200 RPM at 65 MPH and the 4-4-2 with 3.08s was turning 3,000 RPM. Average fuel consumption for the TC was 15.7-18.1 MPG and for the 4-4-2 it was 12-15 MPG. The Turnpike Cruiser posted a 0-60 time of 8.7 seconds compared to the 4-4-2’s 7.1, and a quarter-mile E.T. of 16.5 at 85 MPH versus 15.5 at 91 MPH. Passing times 50-70 MPH were 5.8 seconds for the TC and 4.3 seconds for the 4-4-2. Listed weights were 3,850 lbs. for the 4-4-2 and 3,860 lbs. for the Cutlass.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2017/0...pike-cruisers/

 

Sorry, but there's no way a 2bbl car with a 2.56 rear will have more value than one converted to a 4bbl and a better rear axle ratio. The Turnpike Cruisers are rare for a reason, and most of the surviving ones have had the carb and intake swapped for the same reason.

 

Welcome to the site. You won't regret joining this site. I started my project before there were cellphones. Keep at it because you have a nice car to restore and you won't regret all the work and time you put in when you're tooling down the highway with your top down someday. The guys on this site have helped me out so many times so make sure you put your questions out there.

 

Welcome, '68s are my favorite year. You've come to the right place for lots of help and opinions. IMO, I'd keep the 2'bbl intake and diff and put them in a box, upgrade the rear gear to something in the mid '3s w/ posi and slap on a Performer intake, cam and valve springs and call it a day. I'd even add an OAI kit for the keck of it. You'd have 95% the performance of a 4-bbl 442 and keep the TC-unique parts for whoever wants to buy it in the future. Or if budget and space allows, store the entire motor and drop in a 455 disguised in 400-bronze paint (only a Olds-head would know the difference).

Question: What did Olds do to reduce the CR of the 400 to 9:1 for the TC cars? Dished pistions? Larger combustion chamber heads? Combo?

 

Olds used the same CC heads and varied the compression ratio with different sized piston dishes.

 

"For 1968, the package was moved to the 4-4-2…" I noted that it was an option on the 442.

 

We had a 68 442 with the TC package. It also had the speed minder speedometer. My dad insisted on leaving it stock. When it came time to sell, a lot of potential buyers could not believe it was a real 442 because of the 2BBL. It probably went for $5000 less than a "normal" 442. He now has a 68 with 4bbl 400 and 4 speed, 3.73s and it is a lot more fun to drive. The TC would blaze one rear tire for an entire block though! I would also recommend putting the TC parts in a box for when you eventually sell the car, and put in a 4bbl and higher ratio gears. Keep the Air cleaner and heat pipe, as these are unique to TCs and different from the 2bbl in B bodies.

 

If this car has original paint, then it also has it's original Y70 pin stripe.

 

My buddy has one of these, changed it over to a four bbl and added a 3:23 rear to it. It was actually for sale at the 1996 Homecoming in Lansing. He bought it shortly thereafter. The guy that had it, was going to chop the roof to make a street rod out of it, but decided not to, as it was too nice of a car.

 

2 barrel or not, what a sweet project. Very envious, 68 is my favorite cutlass year.