When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My guess is that he was going to say saffron yellow with a black vinyl roof. What that has to do with a question about the motor, as the title to his thread suggests, is anyone's guess.
My dad swears that he ordered the car late in the model year. He says that he ordered a big block 425 with special pistons that ran on regular gas. I have a friend that says that would not have been possible. The engine was backed up with a two speed powerglide tranny. Is that possible?
The 2 speed transmission used in Oldsmobiles was a Jetaway/ Buick ST300 and was not available with a BBO. If the car came with a BB it would have been a 400 and the transmission attached would have been a T400. Both these automatics hsd switch pitch variable vane torque converters. The option your dad speaks of was a Turnpike Cruiser came as a 400 BB/T400 transmission and highway gears.
He did say that it had a "Special highway gear" so what you say now makes sense. So the tranny was a two speed with a highway gear for mileage and was made by Buick? Thanks for your responses.
I should have kept that car. My dad encouraged me to sell it when gas went to .46 cents a gallon...
1967 Cutlass Supreme Holiday Coupe in Saffron Yellow with a black vinyl top. Cream interior with a bench seat and black carpet and dash.
I can't find the original sticker, but remember the price was $3,600.00.
Not my era of expertise but I know some engines for export or industrial uses could be had with low compression two bbl carbs set up for regular gas. I don't know if the 425 was among those engines.... Just a thought.... Tedd
He did say that it had a "Special highway gear" so what you say now makes sense. So the tranny was a two speed with a highway gear for mileage and was made by Buick? Thanks for your responses.
Not with a big block, if he had the 2 speed the engine would have been a 330 like 1000's of others.
Many, many people have claimed to have factory-built 1965-67 Cutlii that were "special ordered" with 425 motors. In HALF A CENTURY of these claims, there has not been one shred of proof that the factory actually built such cars. Memory often gets cloudy over 50 years or so.
The existing factory literature shows the 400 motor as the largest offered in the A-body cars in those years, even in the special police-only packages. Many people have swapped the 425 in place of the 330 or 400, but obviously that was not done by the factory.
The two speed automatic is NOT a Powerglide and other than having two speeds, it has NOTHING in common with a Powerglide.
The ST300/Jetaway WAS factory installed behind the BBO (400 motor) in the 1965 and 1966 model years, in both the 442 and the police packages. When the TH400 became available in the A-body cars in the 1967 model year, the ST300 was only used with the small blocks.
The 1967 Turnpike Cruiser package was a 400 (not 425) motor in the Cutlass Supreme only. It was only offered with the TH400 three speed trans. Note the description of RPO L66 below:
Note that the standard rear axle ratio with the Turnpike Cruiser package was the 2.56:1, but 2.73 and 3.08 were optionally available.
He did say that it had a "Special highway gear" so what you say now makes sense. So the tranny was a two speed with a highway gear for mileage and was made by Buick?
Just for clarification, the standard (and only IIRC) transmission available with the Turnpike Cruiser package was a 3-speed THM 400 automatic. I believe the standard axle ratio was a very long-legged 2.56. The philosophy behind it all was to optimize torque and enhance efficiency for high speed highway driving.
Also, although the 400 was equipped with a 2 bbl. carburetor, compression remained at 10.5 and premium fuel was required.
Last edited by BangScreech4-4-2; July 10th, 2017 at 09:13 AM.
Awesome info, thanks... It looks like he ordered the Tunpike Crusier package for his Holiday Coupe with a 400ci with the TH400 with the highway gear. It was a fun car to cruise in and had a very fast top end speed.
I just talked to him on the phone again. He is 84 now. He said he wanted it to run on regular gas and they told him he had to get the BB with special "scooped" pistons.
I'll also point out that in 1967, there was no version of the 400 motor available from the factory that ran on regular fuel. The only 400 pistons available from Olds were flattops that yielded 10.5:1 CR. There were never "scooped" pistons for the short stroke 400 motor.
Olds DID offer a low compression conversion package for this motor for export use. It basically was thick head gaskets.
July 9th, 2017, 04:00 PM
