Hello.

I am getting ready to start restoring my 2nd 442 and wanted to be able to get opinions from other enthusiasts so thought I'd join the forum. I got my first one completed about 13 years ago, just before kids. I tried to keep it as true to stock as I could.

My new one is a rare one. It is a 68 442 convertible, w30 4 speed with stripe delete. I know this for I have the window sticker with the specifics.

1st dilemma - original motor is long gone (was told blown up) so they put in a 455 (#'s say it was out of a 72 olds sedan) that has been rebuilt just before I got the car. They did keep the D heads from the original motor which I was thankful for. I have a 400 motor out of another 442 (68 I think, maybe a 69) that will have to be rebuilt. My initial thought was to use the 455 and paint as a 400 and just be honest about it. I want to do this car right given what it is so I'm now leaning towards the 400. Thoughts?

Thanks,

John

 

Despite the extra cost, I would be inclined to use the 400 block. The car will never be all original again, but the 400 would make it as authentic as anyone could make it. But that is just me - I like the "numbers" to be as close to "matching" as possible!

Randy C.

 

Are you building it for yourself or building it to flip/sell? If you're building it for yourself, I would use all the correct '68 400 components (heads, intake, exhaust manifolds, etc) with the 455 block. The 455 will absolutely destroy a G-block 400 for performance. Detail it correctly, nobody will be checking the block casting numbers, and you'll love the way it runs, especially with the big w30 cam.

If you're trying to build something for auction/or super-correct resale value, the G-block will probably help value a touch, and you won't be worried about it being a turd on the street since it won't be yours for long.

By the way, this thread is worthless without pictures.

 

Here are a couple pictures of the car the day I brought it home. It has been completely disassembled. Though the paint looks good, it was terrible. There were so many runs in it and several bad places. Looked good from about 10 feet.

 

I've heard the term "period correct" for a restoration that was missing the numbers matching drivetrain. I believe that would be the 400 engine with as many bolt on parts as possible to match what would have come on the W30 from the factory. That's what I would build. I do have a 1969 W30 in the same boat. I've talked with an owner from the early 1980's when it had the correct drivetrain, but that was all gone when I found the car. So I've been collecting parts over the years to match as closely as possible to what it used to be. My 2 cents worth

 

With it being one of 127 W30 Stick verts Id put it back to period correct.

 

Welcome to the site! This looks like a fun build to follow . It looks like your wheels are the correct Argent color - yes?

Do you have any pictures of your previous build? Personally, I love the '68s. I wish I had taken more photos of my original '68 Cutlass S when I painted it and swapped-in bucket seats, back in '80 and '81. Alas! I'm making up for that by taking hundreds of pics of my current '68 442 restoration

 

Yes the color is correct but they are 15in instead of the 14in wheel. I have the original set that I will put on. Here is my 1st one.



My 442 Easter morning

 

Welcome to CO. Nice car

What's the option code? I've never seen any proof that there's a such thing as a W36 stripe delete option code in 68. If the option code is Y74 then that's the Y70 (GT side stripe) delete which was required in order to have the W36 stripe

It's hard to tell from the pics but it looks like it's painted rallye red which is different than the 68 Scarlet. When you look up the PPG paint specs I've been told it comes up as rallye red. I had mine matched to the underside of the original trunk lid.

Here's mine BTW. Not a W30 and not much of anything original. It's a lot of fun to drive though

 

Killer pic Mike!

 

Awesome!

 

If you are keeping it put all the correct W parts on a 455. If you plan to sell it build a G block 400.

 

Here is the window sticker with options. It does show Y74. The window sticker was in the owners manual. Yes the color is off so the plan is to fix that.

 

1968 442 convertible - check
W30 - check
4-speed - check
UHV - check
rocket rally-pack - check
wood wheel - check

& it's SCARLET? doesn't get much better than that!!

 

what rear gears were in it when new?

are the fenders original? where are the emblem holes?

 

Thats about as good a documentation as you can get. Definitely not a W36 stripe delete. Your car would have had the vertical stripe from the factory.

 

The guy I bought the car from didn't know what he had and thought he was sticking it to me. The paint job was horrible up close and it was a shell when I bought it. The car survived a tornado after just getting it back from the paint. He tried to tell me only the fender was damaged but in actuality the roof collapsed on the car and was resting on it. The lucky part is that it didn't touch the pillar. The fenders are original from what I can tell but the holes were filled with bondo. He put a 3.08 chevy rear end because he wanted better gas mileage so he said but luckily he had the original O with 3.42 which was an ordeal.When I was originally looking at it I thought I knew what it was but wasn't positively sure. I bought it thinking a quick fix up and resale. I went back a couple days later to pick up more parts he found and he gave me the owners manual. The window sticker was stuffed in the back. When I saw the proof (first it was justification to the wife, see told you...) you can't imagine the feeling...


The funny story to this is less than a week before I bought it my son (days from age 5) flipped a coin in a water fountain in the mall. I asked him what his wish was and he said that he wanted me to get a red car. I laughed it off yet a week later the owner of this car (seeing mine in a show) called me asking about parts, one thing led to another, he wanted to sale and I wanted to buy. Wife wasn't happy since we had a month old daughter, it's been 10 years and I'm ready to start working on it.

 

There are only a handful of 68 W30's that are documented including the GM of Canada cars. I've never seen a 4 speed convertible with the original window sticker. With the right market and restoration it's over a $100k car. It's should be more given it's rarity but 68's just don't bring the money the 70-71's do. The Saffron one that Ebbs owned was sold without paperwork and then supposedly the new owner "found" the paperwork somehwhere after the sale. It couldn't have been anywhere in the car or Ebbs would have found it. Regardless, that car is an automatic and no where near as valuable as this one. I believe it recently was a "no sale" at auction at a little under $100k.

 

good to see another 68 w 30 just finished mine last year one owner auto, stripe delete car.

 

Beautiful car. W30 conv w/auto is a rare breed...

 

As indicated by the window sticker, the Y74 side stripe that runs 3/4 of the length of the car is deleted when ordered with the W36 fender stripe or, in this case a W30, where the fender stripe is standard. A rare car.