New Guy; First Oldsmobile; LOTS of questions
October 4th, 2011, 10:05 PM
#1
New Guy; First Oldsmobile; LOTS of questions
Hi my names Jarrod and I purchased my first Oldsmobile 2 days ago. It is a 1979 Cutlass Supreme Brougham 189k on the odometer w/ the 403 4 barrel carb??? Please correct me if I am wrong i know little to nothing about old cars yet and that is why I am here. To learn. I found the car on craigslist for $1400 and picked it up the same day. Don't know if it was a good deal or not and really don't care. Just happy to have a nice G body to get to work on. Not sure if I want to restore to original or go muscle. Either way there are a few things that need to be done in order to get the car road worthy and this is where the questions start.
Engine: The engine starts without hesitation and idles very smooth even from
cold start. The problem is if I put the car into drive and hit the gas before the car has ran a bit to warm up it will sputter and cut out. After the car has ran a bit and had time to warm up it runs smooth as a top with no clicks or clatters. Now since I am familiar with working on carbed engines (courtesy of my 1991 Suzuki Katana) I am assuming it is one of the following; Electric, Carb, vacuum, fuel pump??? If I am completely off base here please feel free to let me know. I checked all vacuum hoses and all seemed airtight and crack free. I checked all spark plugs and wires, Spark plugs were just put in and wires were firing good. I know I need proper tools, i just dont have the garage for it yet. So with that said, Do you think a good tune up and dyno run with fix this issue and if so how much should I expect to pay for someone who knows old cars to tune it up?
Brakes: The brake issue is pretty simple to explain. I could hit the brakes
one second and they work like a charm and the time they might be very loose and I can push them all the way to the floor. Its back and forth there is no rhyme or reason. there is brake fluid spilled all around the engine compartment underneath the reservoir and when i took the lid off the rubber seal was not sitting perfect. After i readjusted it the brakes worked perfect for about 10 mins and then right back to how they were before. Any Ideas?
I looked at pads and rotors, both look good.
Body: There is quite a bit of rust but its not swallowing the whole car yet.
Prevent this I would like to get the body work done asap. First, on spots that
are clearly only surface rust, would it be OK to sand and chemically treat the spots then cover with primer until full paint job can be done so as to prevent further rusting. Or is that a completely stupid idea. Secondly the doors on the bottom edges are in pretty rough shape as one could expect. Would I be better off buying different doors and having them repainted or having the old ones fixed by way of welding (bondo is as much of a cancer as rust in my opinion). What have you guys done and how much have you spent doing it.
2011-10-04_22-41-25_289.jpg
2011-10-04_22-40-35_721.jpg
2011-10-04_22-40-29_511.jpg
2011-10-04_22-40-04_215.jpg
Anyways, here are some pics of the car, all feed back are welcome. Also wouldn't mind hearing what you guys would prefer to see, Muscle or Original (with engine upgrades of course) The stock rims are in such great shape and so completely awesome looking its making me think Original...I dont know
2011-10-02_16-26-35_812.jpg
2011-10-02_20-56-51_533.jpg
2011-10-02_20-56-58_855.jpg
2011-10-04_22-39-05_751.jpg
2011-10-04_22-37-50_886.jpg
2011-10-04_22-36-57_449.jpg
Engine: The engine starts without hesitation and idles very smooth even from
cold start. The problem is if I put the car into drive and hit the gas before the car has ran a bit to warm up it will sputter and cut out. After the car has ran a bit and had time to warm up it runs smooth as a top with no clicks or clatters. Now since I am familiar with working on carbed engines (courtesy of my 1991 Suzuki Katana) I am assuming it is one of the following; Electric, Carb, vacuum, fuel pump??? If I am completely off base here please feel free to let me know. I checked all vacuum hoses and all seemed airtight and crack free. I checked all spark plugs and wires, Spark plugs were just put in and wires were firing good. I know I need proper tools, i just dont have the garage for it yet. So with that said, Do you think a good tune up and dyno run with fix this issue and if so how much should I expect to pay for someone who knows old cars to tune it up?
Brakes: The brake issue is pretty simple to explain. I could hit the brakes
one second and they work like a charm and the time they might be very loose and I can push them all the way to the floor. Its back and forth there is no rhyme or reason. there is brake fluid spilled all around the engine compartment underneath the reservoir and when i took the lid off the rubber seal was not sitting perfect. After i readjusted it the brakes worked perfect for about 10 mins and then right back to how they were before. Any Ideas?
I looked at pads and rotors, both look good.
Body: There is quite a bit of rust but its not swallowing the whole car yet.
Prevent this I would like to get the body work done asap. First, on spots that
are clearly only surface rust, would it be OK to sand and chemically treat the spots then cover with primer until full paint job can be done so as to prevent further rusting. Or is that a completely stupid idea. Secondly the doors on the bottom edges are in pretty rough shape as one could expect. Would I be better off buying different doors and having them repainted or having the old ones fixed by way of welding (bondo is as much of a cancer as rust in my opinion). What have you guys done and how much have you spent doing it.
2011-10-04_22-41-25_289.jpg
2011-10-04_22-40-35_721.jpg
2011-10-04_22-40-29_511.jpg
2011-10-04_22-40-04_215.jpg
Anyways, here are some pics of the car, all feed back are welcome. Also wouldn't mind hearing what you guys would prefer to see, Muscle or Original (with engine upgrades of course) The stock rims are in such great shape and so completely awesome looking its making me think Original...I dont know
2011-10-02_16-26-35_812.jpg
2011-10-02_20-56-51_533.jpg
2011-10-02_20-56-58_855.jpg
2011-10-04_22-39-05_751.jpg
2011-10-04_22-37-50_886.jpg
2011-10-04_22-36-57_449.jpg
October 5th, 2011, 02:55 AM
#2
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Northeast Connecticut
Posts: 780
The drivability is the choke mechanism needs adjustment, or the carb needs to be rebuilt. Hard to tell without physically seeing it. If it appears to have been done recently, then adjustment might be all that it needs. If not, then rebuild and reset everything to the factory specs. Better to do it once and not need to fiddle with it constantly.
The brake issue sounds to me like a defective master cylinder. Brakes are the one thing that you should always pull all 4 wheels, and check condition. Bad brakes can be bad breaks when they leave suddenly, and something is in the way where the car is pointed. When in doubt, spend the time and money to rebuild them completely. A bad transmission will only leave you stranded. Bad brakes can kill.
Same goes for the steering and suspension, check everything for worn part, and repair as necessary. I have seen many very nice looking cars that are in very poor mechanical condition, but the owners put all the money into what shows, but not into what makes it go, steer, or stop. A car that is mechanically sound and safe will get you to your destination alive, even if it isn't pretty. In life, we have lots of choices, don't make the wrong ones.
The brake issue sounds to me like a defective master cylinder. Brakes are the one thing that you should always pull all 4 wheels, and check condition. Bad brakes can be bad breaks when they leave suddenly, and something is in the way where the car is pointed. When in doubt, spend the time and money to rebuild them completely. A bad transmission will only leave you stranded. Bad brakes can kill.
Same goes for the steering and suspension, check everything for worn part, and repair as necessary. I have seen many very nice looking cars that are in very poor mechanical condition, but the owners put all the money into what shows, but not into what makes it go, steer, or stop. A car that is mechanically sound and safe will get you to your destination alive, even if it isn't pretty. In life, we have lots of choices, don't make the wrong ones.
October 5th, 2011, 04:00 AM
#3
Connoisseur d'Junque
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: The Hudson Valley
Posts: 21,183
+1 on all the above - couldn't really say it better.
As for the rust, that looks like it needs to be sandblasted clean to me (yes, I know it can warp the metal if the pressure is too high). It's just too crunchy to sand, and too much to try to cover. When you do, you'll find holes. They may be pinholes, or they may be bigger. You will be able to slow down the rust at that stage, but you will not be able to stop it without extensive panel replacement.
In the end, it may be better to just leave it and drive it 'till it disintegrates.
- Eric
As for the rust, that looks like it needs to be sandblasted clean to me (yes, I know it can warp the metal if the pressure is too high). It's just too crunchy to sand, and too much to try to cover. When you do, you'll find holes. They may be pinholes, or they may be bigger. You will be able to slow down the rust at that stage, but you will not be able to stop it without extensive panel replacement.
In the end, it may be better to just leave it and drive it 'till it disintegrates.
- Eric
I'd go for keeping her as original as possible.
October 5th, 2011, 10:04 AM
#5
Old(s) Fart
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 47,298
Jarrod,
Welcome. Be aware that the 403 was not factory available in that car, so if it's really a 403, it's been swapped. The largest Olds engine available in the 79 Cutlass was the 260 (except for the 350 in the Hurst/Olds that year).
Welcome. Be aware that the 403 was not factory available in that car, so if it's really a 403, it's been swapped. The largest Olds engine available in the 79 Cutlass was the 260 (except for the 350 in the Hurst/Olds that year).
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