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I live in New Zealand and had been looking for a classic sort of car for awhile now.
And one day I came across this add for an 69 Oldsmobile 442. So I went and had a look and brought it.
My car is a 400ci manual with a few options, power steering, aircon, posi, tilt steering to name a few. At the moment I’m just enjoying it for what it is and I’ll see where things go. I understand it’s not the best engine, but it’s had a rebuild a couple of years ago and gets along ok for now.
So nice to meet you all, I’ll have a few questions to ask in the future.
Welcome aboard and congratulations on your acquisition. Nice to hear it's got a manual trans. Don't get discouraged by what you may read here about the 400G. It may not have posted the peak power numbers of some other Olds big blocks but it was a reliable and durable street performance engine. Mine served me well in my '69 442 for 30 years with no problems.
I always wonder how available maintenance items are for classics down there?
Voltage regulator, dist. caps, gaskets, etc.
Most basic parts gaskets etc are available off the shelf. We have quite a large following of classic and American cars in NZ. If it’s not on the shelf it’s a week from the States via summit or some other site. But im open to any advice on where to find parts going forward
Welcome aboard and congratulations on your acquisition. Nice to hear it's got a manual trans. Don't get discouraged by what you may read here about the 400G. It may not have posted the peak power numbers of some other Olds big blocks but it was a reliable and durable street performance engine. Mine served me well in my '69 442 for 30 years with no problems.
You must of had a great time with the car over 30 years, I’m glad to hear it’s looked after you well! I’m hopeful mine will do the same once some basics are sorted
Welcome to the community! Always great to see new enthusiasts joining the 442 family. While catching up on posts, I came across https://casinosanalyzer.com/free-slots-online/Jumanji. it actually gave me that same nostalgic vibe as working on classic cars. Enjoy your time here!
Last edited by CassianPratt; Oct 30, 2025 at 10:25 PM.
If you have not driven a G Block 400ci engine before beware. This engine is not a high revving engine. It does all the work between 2500 and 4200ish RPMs. Dont try to wind this engine out like a small block Chevy. You will blow it up. The secret to the G block is to keep it in not above the power band when performance shifting.
Keep the oil fresh. I use 15w40 with high zinc content and "Prolong" additive.
If you have not driven a G Block 400ci engine before beware. This engine is not a high revving engine. It does all the work between 2500 and 4200ish RPMs. Dont try to wind this engine out like a small block Chevy. You will blow it up. The secret to the G block is to keep it in not above the power band when performance
I only rev it 4500 - 5000 as I’m trying to be nice. Maybe that’s too high? On another note I’m parked up at present due to a leaking rear main seal, I’ve used a ford 460 one as a replacement. Hopefully will be back on the road for the long weekend coming up.
No list here, but if you do a search several restoration vendors will pop up.
Shipping cost will be your enemy.
Some of the vendors are better than the others.
Here's a few better ones:
Fusick
Year One
The Parts place
Original Parts Group
Inline Tube
Classic Industries
The classified section here has plenty of parts for sale. You can place a want ad as well.
eBay is another source.
FB Market Place I'm told is good but I'm not a FB'er.
IMO...5000 RPMs is pushing it on a long stroke G block 400.
I always tell people driving the 400G was like driving a modern turbo diesel truck. Tons of grunt down low but the engine was never designed for high rpm breathing so it runs out of steam early. I never pushed mine above ~4500rpm. No need to. Lots of fun from idle to 4k though. Yes, you can build the engine to breathe better at high rpm, but in stock form with C heads, you're asking for trouble above 4500.
And for some hard to find restoration pieces, I reach across the aisle to Ames Performance Pontiac.
Theres a punch of things that are the same between the GM brands of the 60’s.
Just do your homework.
