Hello all, my names Dave. I have a 69" 442 convertible in restoration phase and wanting to put the vehicle back to original. I just ran the vin on this site and it comes back invalid? Can someone help or give me info where I can find interior/exterior colors,motor etc... Year one gave me info that doesn't seem correct from I.DS. tag inside the engine compartment. ST 69-34467 BF 00087 1 BDY TR 947 52 A PNT 11A 263309 570360

Thanks in advance! and any info will be much appreciated!
Dave

 

The Chassis Service Manual will give you a lot of this information, as well as a Product Information Manual (PIM; more commonly referred to as the assembly manual). If you buy a Chassis Service Manual, get the real thing and not a disc. Real chassis service manuals can be found online for a reasonable price. For the assembly manual, check with "Hairy Olds" on this site. He makes clearly visible and readable (perfect or nearly so) copies of the manual you would want. He includes pages that you won't get with online copies. As well, copies bought online have been copied so many times you would get copies of copies and they are sometimes terrible at being able to read part numbers and see detail.

Here's a rundown.
ST 69 = style/model year = 1969
34467: 3=Oldsmobile; 44=model series=442; 67=body type=convertible
BF = assembly plant = Fremont CA
00087 BDY = Fisher Body Number (has no relationship to the vehicle identification number for your car)
TR 947 = interior color and front seat type = parchment interior with bucket seats
52 A PNT = lower body color (52 = crimson) and convertible top color (A = white)
11A = time build code = November (11), first week of that month (A)

Your VIN should start with 344679Z------ with the dashes all being 6 numbers that indicate the plant sequential number for your car, and again the sequential numbers in the VIN do not have anything to do with the body number on your trim tag. You might have used an incorrect VIN decoder and that's what gave you the invalid code. VINs changed starting with the 1972 model year to a different number of letters and numbers and that has caused confusion with VIN decoders.

Another source for a nice little booklet that provides a lot of information for your /69 4-4-2 is "4-4-2 By The Numbers", put out by Supercars Unlimited. You can go online to order it if you want it. Be patient with Supercars; they don't answer their phone anymore and it may take 5-7 weeks for you to receive your order, but it will arrive. The owner of that business, Greg Rollin, appears to be having some medical issues. I have the sense that he only doing online orders now and he runs the business by himself so it takes him awhile to respond.

Randy C.

'68 4-4-2 convertible (Best of Class 13B, 2011 OCA Nationals in Reno NV
'6 4-4-2 convertible (a nice driver)

Randy C.

 

Welcome to the site. Randy provided you with awesome info. Post some pictures.

 

Thanks Randy, kinda in a little dilemma here, the car is column automatic and doesn't have a center console, bench seat? whats up with that? odd ball 442?

 

I will post pics possibly tomorrow or sometime this week, very odd though, car did not have bucket seats and no sign of ever having them. Column automatic and would like to know what engine came in the vehicle also.

 

Here's the VIN# if that helps 344679Z108348

 

I guess it could have had buckets, one other thing with this car ir the back seat is red along with the side panels and appears to be unmolested?

 

I won’t begin to add to what Randy may be considering as response other than to say I hope you purchase the 1968 CSM tonight. Look on eBay buy an original used CSM.
Tonight.

 

That was actually very common back in those years. Also an open differential behind a 400/455 engine. Who with any sense would do that, when a limited slip was maybe a $40 option.

 

My '68 4-4-2 convertible came with a bench seat and automatic on the column. It's somewhat unusual but could be ordered that way. I have the original window sticker for my '68 and, with the bench seat, the first owners (my parents) also got $68.46 credit for having the bench seat. I suspect the same was true for the '69 model year.

Randy C.

 

What site? If it's a site that caters to modern (post 1980) cars with a 17-digit VIN, yes, those will always give an "invalide VIN" message.

I keep this site bookmarked.

https://www.v8cars.hu/oldsvin/decode.php

Very handy. Here's the result for your car.





Keep in mind that, for the era of your car, there was nothing the VIN could tell you that you couldn't determine by just looking at the car except the plant where it was built.

 

Hi Dave,

If you order the Supercars Unlimited softback reference guide "4-4-2 By The Numbers", it will tell you a lot about your car. It goes into VIN and trim tag breakdown, production figures, engine colors, engine unit numbers, engine blocks and how to tell if the engine in your car is original to it, cylinder heads, intake manifolds, carburetors, exhaust manifolds, water pumps, distributors, transmissions and how to tell if the transmission in your car is original to it, and differentials.

Your car originally came with the 400 cubic inch engine and with the turbohydramatic transmission should be rated at 325hp. An original 400cid block for your car should have a casting number of 396026G and is visible at the front of the engine block between the intake manifold and the timing cover.

I would guess that the red back seat and side panels in your car are replacement pieces, replaced for some unknown reason. Either a previous owner was going to recover them at a later date or planned on changing the interior color to red. In any case, the original color was parchment.

Pictures!

Randy C.

 

Bucket seats were standard equipment in the 442 from 1967-1971. As Randy noted, the bench seat was an available credit option.

In 1967, the RPO A52 bench seat was only available in the Sport Coupe at the $68.46 credit. The A65 Custom Sport Bench Seat (with center armrest) was available in the Holiday Coupe and Convertible at no charge in place of the standard buckets. Keep in mind that for 1967, the 442 was based on the Cutlass Supreme only.

In 1968 the 442 became a stand-alone model line. RPO A52 was the only bench seat offered in the 442s, at the $68.46 credit. 1969 was exactly the same.

In 1970, the 442 convertible was based on the Supreme, so RPO A52 bench was available on the Sport and Holiday Coupes at the $68.46 credit and RPO A65 Custom Sport Bench (with armrest) on the convertible at no charge.1971 was exactly the same.

And while this continues to surprise people, ordering the optional automatic trans in the 442 (as opposed to the standard equipment floor shifted three speed manual) got you the column shifter, even with the standard bucket seats. You also had to pay extra for RPO D55 console to get the floor shifter.