My daughter and I are resurrecting a 1972 Cutlass. My father had it stored for 31 years. The car comes from California and is solid. It has a 350.

My daughter is all about retro. She's 17 and is scratching her head trying to determine how she'll transport her 3/4 Bass in the car she loves.

So far, we've primed the engine (oil), rebuilt the carb, bought another carb/manifold, changed gears once again by purchasing a Fitech 400. The last thing I want is for the car to stall while crossing a busy street because I didn't set the choke correctly.

 

Wow, the car looks like it was just restored. Good move going W/ fuel injection. I spent more on old carbs that cost of FI and plan on FI on my latest project. You'll find lots of knowledge on here and leads to parts if you need any. Glad to hear anytime someone younger is interested in these Oldsmobiles. Is the corvair yours too?

 

Welcome, very cool.

 

I hear you on the stalling issue. The last time I drove my dad's '71 Cutlass convertible back in about 1998, it stalled coming out of their neighborhood onto a busy thoroughfare where cars routinely come over a blind hill with excessive speed. I got it restarted immediately and without incident but it was a bit nerve-wracking.

 

Welcome to the website. That's cool that you are doing a project with your daughter. Maybe one of these days I will convince my girls that Oldsmobiles are awesome...

 

Everyone asks about the Corvair in this picture . It was in the same garage as the Cutlass. The Corvair got the bad draw.. the roof was leaking on it's side. It was in deep rust trouble - some of it from 31 years ago when it was tucked away. I was driven to elementary school in that car. I really liked it.

The Cutlass is not unscathed by the "less than perfect" storage. Someone (likely my father) put plastic sheets over the top of the car - apparently to protect it. The sides look great but the top has some surface rust and discoloration of the paint from capturing the moisture - you can kind of see it on the deck lid in the picture. I'll be looking for a painter after we rattle out the drivetrain. We're also looking for 15 inch ralley wheels if anyone wants to sell.. (I know, 14s are plentiful )

So far we've started it with it's original quadrajet (after rebuild) and it runs shockingly well. We dressed up the points, primed the crap out of the oil pump, put a tune-up kit in it, replaced the gas tank and sender.... I have video of my daughter's face after it first started. I'll go to my grave with that smiling face burned in my brain.

Has anyone here gone to roller tappets to use current motor oils? I'm concerned about the camshaft wear and no zinc in the oil?! I realize we can add zinc.... I'm also deeply concerned that once I get started on performance mods I'll get two-foot-itis. Yeah honey, the car will breath better with headers and dual exhaust - and oh yeah you'll be happy we had the heads re-worked......
Speaking of headers, that may be a reasonable option with EFI because we don't need the passenger side plumbing for heat off of the exhaust manifold.

So far no leak on the main seal. I'm holding my breath because if we have to do that, this engine will get a lot more than a new rear seal (see above).

Ironically enough, we're sticking with the points... sort of. I have a friend who makes hybrid electronic ignitions. The points do switching... they "tell" a transistor when to do the "heavy lifting" - a big transistor loads and collapses the coil. The device has a switch that has three positions: a) transistorized, b) use points (in case of EMP armageddon or some other transistor failure) and c) "kill switch" - won't run.

Speaking of kill switches, I'm very concerned about theft. Who's got ideas for me on this topic? My daughter will be making this her daily driver (except bad weather). I'm thinking I can disable the car so it won't start but I'm all ears on tracking the car should it be towed/dragged away.

How hard/expensive is it to upgrade to power locks?

Thank you all for the warm welcome. My daughter thanks you as well.

 

Have you considered taking an auto body course with your daughter at a local vo-tech? Most vo-techs allow high school students to enroll in classes and they usually offer night classes so you could do it around work and school. I repainted my 71 98 by taking an auto body course at the local vo-tech and it was great fun!

 

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...onversion.html

Welcome above is a link about the conversion.

 

If you use an oil that has zinc in it, most of us use Valvoline VR1, Brad Penn, etc... you should be fine leaving the engine as is.

Headers are a good upgrade or you can just go with dual exhaust. The heat riser is not absolutely necessary and can be removed or welded open.

If you search the parts for sale section, you can probably come up with the 15" wheels you seek.

Seems there are a ton of tracking devices you can explore on Amazon. Kil switches are ok, but these cars are easy to hot wire.

 

Subscribe to sirrus satellite radio for your tracking device. An extra $5 a month they can find your car unless they steal the radio then you might find the thief not the car.

 

New cam break-in is critical but I don't think it is an issue with an already broken in factory cam with moderate-low valve spring pressures. I don't run any special oil in mine and I haven't had any problems.

 

This is intriguing. After your post I talked to her about that and she was receptive. I do have a compressor, air tools and spray guns but know little to nothing about body work and painting (except that WD40 is a painter's nemesis). It's one thing to do something together like this project but when you walk into something both in the dark, I think it adds something special. hmm.. I really wish I could talk her into viking blue . ....but I digress.

 

I did not know this. I have been in cyber security in the energy industry and one of the rules of thumb is to provide multiple layers of security. I'd like to do that with this car so that if it's stolen, I've got a better chance of getting it back and hopefully catch the bad guys. Lojack (expensive), satellite, etc.

 

I've heard that stainless headers have come down quite a bit and a pre-bent A-Body Ready system sounds very appealing. I don't like the exhaust manifolds particularly.

With the Fuel Injection Unit, an electronic fuel pump and an ignition, We have lots of options for disabling the car. I think if we attack two out of three, we'll defeat 99% of would be thieves. Unfortunately, you're right about the vulnerability on most of these old cars 'cause all you gotta do is get power to the ignition and you're off to the races.

 

Thanks for the link. I found several "after market" options that look appealing. I had no idea! I may consider windows as well. I'm not sure we need original equipment switches or other parts... Probably won't be a show car.
I'll be sure to post my findings and results as I (ahem, we) put these parts on the car.

 

If you use an electric fuel pump, put a toggle switch in an out of the way place to the fuel pump. A thief would get the car started but would probably not get out of the parking lot. You could do the same thing with the power wire to the coil.

 

Never say never. Our family dynamic is taking the Dynamic to cruise-ins and a few shows in the area as one of the few Oldsmobiles present, not to mention one of none of the big boat bodies from the early 60s. We're not hunting for trophies but for the fun of talking about these old Olds.

Your car comes with a pedigree of family ownership and about to be undertaken workmanship. That's worth at least one cruise in or car show.

 

As I've mentioned, my daughter is extremely retro. We've had the car around the block for a shake-down run but the first place she wants to go to with the car is an old "drive-in" restaurant where all the classic cars hang out. I'm sure she'll enjoy much time chatting at the local "cruise nights" and swap meets. So, I guess you're right. There's so much to do though . The thought of getting it to a respectable state is daunting when I see photos of cars guys have done here like yours). By the way, that car looks phenomenal.

 

Yeah, there was a Sonic restaurant in a small town where I used to live that would hold "cruise-ins" on Saturday evenings in the summertime. They had a pretty ideal location since they were on an outparcel of a strip center and the adjacent part of the parking lot hardly ever filled up with shoppers, especially later in the day. It was all pretty casual, no registration, no entry fees, no judging, just local car enthusiasts of all stripes showing up, hanging out and admiring each other's rides. The snob factor was pretty minimal. Most of the people there were pretty approachable and enthusiastic to share information about the modifications and restorations they had made. That sort of environment would probably great for you and your daughter to get some ideas and get to know some fellow enthusiasts in your area. I wouldn't worry too much about making the car perfect before you go, just go and enjoy the scene.

 

The Cutlass looks in good condition, did your Dad buy it new? If the Quadrajet is running good, why change it? If anything, maybe add an electric choke. If the Cutlass is equipped with all drums, you may want to think about upgrading to front disc brakes using OEM parts. Have the brake lines been changed? If the Cutlass has the standard 2.73 gears, at least using 14" rims will not numerically lower the overall ratio, if you are looking to keep performance on par while retaining it's excellent highway cruising capability.

 

Go ahead and take it to shows. At least yours is all one color. I take mine multi-color and rust.

 

x2

If your car runs you should drive it to the cruise-in.

 

Human: I can totally see her fitting into that scene. I'm a little mystified because she's into classical music (bass, cello, violin) and artsy stuff (she wants a pottery wheel). ...But that love for the "retro" in her is strong.
AnthonyP: My dad bought it in California in the early 80's. The car was assembled in Fremont, CA. He drove it for a bit and garaged it in the midwest. We rebuilt the quadrajet and I actually had my hands on an electronic choke but the neighborhood we're in has an entrance/exit that is very dangerous. My memory of cars with chokes is that even when running well.. they just didn't respond as well when they were cold as an FI car. I have horror stories about being stalled in the middle of a busy street. I'd never forgive myself if I screwed up the choke and.....
The brake lines look great. All we did was swap the Master Cylinder and bled the system. We'll be replacing the rubber and yes it has disks on the front. We may also change the pads and shoes. I've seen the glue holding brake pads puke after 40 years.
You're right, the build sheet says 2.73 (if it were more my car than hers, I'd be looking for a taller gear ). That's a good point about the wheels. I'm hunting for 15" rally wheels but maybe I should leave it be (at 14" plain rims or 14" rallys). My original thinking was that taller rims are better (handling, ride) and tires easier to get...

 

She sounds like a very cool, well-rounded kid. I'm sure it will be fascinating to see where her diverse interests take her in life. I teach at a community college and way too many of my students think the world begins and ends on their iPhones.

 

Well said.

 

I love her dearly but I never said she didn't have a cell phone . She is an interesting person but why doesn't she have the same priorities as her mom and dad all the time?
I look forward to this project for many reasons but one is that I'd like to see her focus on a unique interest and see it through. It is a bonus for me to be along for the ride. It sure does help that she's so in love with the car including the green (it's not easy being green). Why can't she love viking blue?... see what I mean?
I am so impressed with the wealth of information here and the willingness of folks to help out. It's a great forum and is such a great "enhancer" to my daughter's project.
We'll likely start a separate project thread with pics.
Thank You! John

 

You're a good Dad Gamma John. Welcome.