ScottM47448

New to this sight. The first vehicle i ever drove and owned was a 1971 Cutlass. Unfortunately when your 16 you dont take care of your vehicle. It was always my favorite vehicle. 5 years ago i ran across a 1971 Cutlass S that was unmolested except for a cheap white paint job and all the chrome body trim was removed, all the trim was with the car though. It has been stored in my garage for the last 5 years. I start it occasionally and drive it around the block but thats it. It was manufactured in California and had been out west all of its life until i bought it, no rust. I plan on doing a complete restore to as close to original as i can. May be a few more years but thats the plan. Does anyone know how to decode a cowl tag?

hookem horns

Welcome. Post a picture of the cowl tag (and the whole car) and you will get plenty of help.

m455sx

please post pictures

Allan R

Yes, also post the VIN and it can be decoded too.

oldcutlass

Welcome, as you can see we love pic's.

ScottM47448

Finally getting around to posting pictures. I bought this car about 3 years ago. 1971 Cutlass S, 350 4 barrel. I hope to get going on it sometime next year. I know that the hood was replaced at some point, the mirror on the drivers door was missing but i found a replacement. At some point there was a fin on the trunk, the holes are there but it was long gone by the time i bought it. The exterior trim was removed but it was all still with the car. Also it got a cheap white paint job at some point in its life. The guy i bought it from wanted black interior so he had removed most of it preparing for new black interior. Luckily he kept everything and it was if pretty good condition. Luckily that was a plus for me because i was able to see inside areas that i usually couldnt see to look for rust. The only rust i found was some surface rust. Also has original wheels, not on the car though. Scott M

ScottM47448

My original post was wrong. I checked my records and have owned it for about 3 years

61reoldsman

I know this story ; boy buys 1st car ,drives car ,gets rid of car ,buys other cars ,marries kids,etc ,always thinks about having another one someday ,boy turns into man ,man gets old ,buys old car to get boyhood back ,enjoys being boy again ! Sound familiar ? ,thats me too - 1970 Cutlass S ........30years ......1972 Cutlass ,lovin it again .

61reoldsman

Oh almost forgot - BTW welcome to Classic Olds !

Allan R

Scott,
That VIN is one of the strangest stampings I've ever seen on a VIN.
3 - Oldsmobile
36 - Cutlass with V8 engine
87- 2 door holiday sports coupe
1 - 1971 model year
Z - Freemont California production
126818 - production sequence at Freemont

Do you have a picture of the cowl tag?

The thing you call a fin is actually the rear deck spoiler - option W35. sounds like you have a big job ahead of you.

ScottM47448

Yes i do have a picture of the cowl tag. I have posted it here before but i will post it again.

ScottM47448

What do you mean by the strangest you have seen? Scott M

Allan R

The way it's stamped. Most VIN numbers and letters are evenly spaced. the block of 3687 sort of stands out by itself. Doesn't mean anything - just an unusual spacing that differs from factory images.

ScottM47448

Could this car have been ordered with the spoiler? I looked for the broadcast sheet under the rear seat but it wasnt there. I have heard that sometimes it can be found above the gas tank, is this true? Scott

OLD SKL 69

Scott, welcome to CO! Looking forward to the pics of your restoration.

Allan R

Scott, yes the car could have been ordered with it. The option was available on the 71 Cutlass S (cost was 73.72). You won't find this on a broadcast card. It would be on the build sheet or window sticker. Two totally different documents. Since the car was built in Freemont, there's a good chance you might find the build sheet for this car; it may be on top of the gas tank, between the rear parcel shelf and the steel substructure, behind a kick panel or door panel etc.
The build sheet will look something like this:


The window sticker would look like this:

ScottM47448

I know the window sticker is long gone but i hope to look this weekend to see if i can find the build sheet. Thanks for the info. Scott M

m455sx

i have seen some freemont build sheets below package tray visible from trunk?

Allan R

True enough. One of our members found that in her CS. Only problem is that to get it out meant destroying the Build sheet. Over time it had glued itself to the rear tray.