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Well I've been a member on the forum for a number of years now, almost 10, since about the age of 16 and have mainly used it as a source of information as I have done work on my car over the years. I bought my first Oldsmobile, 1971 Cutlass Supreme Convertible, at the age of 16 from my neighbor. I had always loved the car as a kid, and as my neighbor got older the car was parked and sat for a number of years, slowly becoming less and less of what it had been. I was able to strike up a deal with him and bought that back in 2009, my first car. The car was a darker blue with a white top and now had a gray spray painted interior though still running the engine needed some love and suspension squeaked more than the bed frame at an hourly hotel. I spent countless nights, weekends and every dollar I made working on that car and getting it back in good shape. Though I've had it for 10 years I never did a full "frame off" restoration or anything on it and always seemed to be one piece here and then the next piece there, so while no show car it looks so much better than it did and I'm more than proud to stand next to it. I did have a slight mishap in my college years I will admit and ended up having to make some front end repairs, i.e. new hood, front fenders bumper........but man did that show me that they really don't make them like they used to, car pulled out in front of me and I locked up the tires, totaled the other car but didn't even bust the radiator in my Olds. However creased the fenders and hood pretty good in a couple spots.
Just like that I became an olds guy in my teenage years in the 2000's, talk about born in the wrong generation!!!
Well like I said I was bitten by the bug, so 2 years ago I made my second purchase. As usual I am taking my weekly glance through the local classifieds looking for anything olds/cutlass related that I could potentially use/need or even find a deal on something and came across a 1971 cutlass S that someone wanted to sell. Nothing to write home about but the body seemed to be in good shape from the pictures and figured it would be worth the ride to check out, only and hour and a half away. Body was good to go aside from a few small spots in the trunk pan, had small olds motor and trans that wouldn't shift out of first in drive but the body was good. With an olds 455 sitting in the shed that I picked up as a package deal with a 71 olds cutlass cruiser (not vista cruiser) out of Kentucky for parts cars from the previous mentioned accident, I figured lets give it a go. Now in full swing with my second 71 Olds I figured I might as well chime in and be able to share my work on the new one and be able to get some help and advice from some guys that have been doing it much longer than me. I'll also be sure to share some pics of my original one too!
I kept everything very stock with the convertible, but the new one will have a little more pep in its step, along with the 455 pairing up to a 5 speed tremec!
I look forward to sharing the project with everyone! I am by no means a professional mechanic, body man, etc. I do all work out of a shop we built in place of a shed at my Father's property and have taught myself just about everything from sites like this, YouTube videos, GM assembly manuals and a good old Chilton book. Just want to share my projects with all of y'all and hopefully get some help along the way!
I'm located in central South Carolina if we've got any other guys nearby in the SE let me know!
The pair right after getting the hard top terrible picture I know, I'll find a better one to post. Nice and Clean The current project
Welcome to the group... Good luck with your project... Since you spent 10 years lurking, it's quite obvious this site did have something to offer and keep you interested...
Nice cars... I'm glad to see a younger person interested in cars almost twice their age.
Your cars probably have twice the cylinders & 3x the cubes than the cars most of your friends have.
Keep at it. It is a great learning experience & a hobby that is slowly fading away.
I started young & the knowledge I gained from my car hobby has helped me solve many mechanical challenges over the years, as well as guiding my professional career.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Welcome to being an active member. I like the vert color choice but have mixed feelings on that stripe width. The 33687 will be a nice project for you and they're actually quite easy to work on. Looking forward to your build.
Now make sure you don't let anyone smack into your cars again
January 22nd, 2019, 12:59 PM
though still running the engine needed some love and suspension squeaked more than the bed frame at an hourly hotel. I spent countless nights, weekends and every dollar I made working on that car and getting it back in good shape. Though I've had it for 10 years I never did a full "frame off" restoration or anything on it and always seemed to be one piece here and then the next piece there, so while no show car it looks so much better than it did and I'm more than proud to stand next to it. I did have a slight mishap in my college years I will admit and ended up having to make some front end repairs, i.e. new hood, front fenders bumper........but man did that show me that they really don't make them like they used to, car pulled out in front of me and I locked up the tires, totaled the other car but didn't even bust the radiator in my Olds. However creased the fenders and hood pretty good in a couple spots.
