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Greeting to you all, I'm 26 years old I just bought my very first (antique) 1968 cutlass s (holiday) i I have no clue what I have or don't have. I put the tag if some one could be kind enough to decipher that. all I know is I always wanted to add an old school car to my line up, I currently have an M3, cls 65 amg, ruckus, and of course a YJ. so please help me I'm desperate, According to the owner the car needs transmission, he also gave me a lot of extra parts, like new fuel tank, radiator, trim, etc I don't know, so where do I start? does the engine looks good? theres a letter 5 what does it stand for? I don't really have a budget however, I don't want to break the bank, I'm not looking to build a car show, I do however want that premium stuff. Please help, God Bless you all!
Last edited by kercus05; November 27th, 2017 at 07:39 AM.
Welcome to the site, at a glance you have an Olds small block with period correct heads, an aftermarket HEI distributor, and what looks like a holley carb. Seems to be a pretty solid start for a project. I see a clutch pedal so assuming a standard trans. Why does the PO think it needs a trans?
I see two pedals under the dash that seems to indicate a clutch pedal on the left, so manual transmission? if so the tranny possiblilites are good.
#5 head is correct for a '68.
First order of business is to assess just how much of a car you have and determine what it needs to be a running driving car again. Pick up a 1968 chassis service manual asap and study it. you can find them on ebay or maybe someone here has one to sell u.
data tag shows your car was originally Jade Gold (S) with a black vinyl top (2)
black vinyl bench seat (950)
your learning curve will be steep, but your young and have lots of time. lol
it is indeed manual transmission, 3 speed, according to the PO he blew it, and yes it is a haley carb.. whats the talk with 350 is that what I have here if not is it better (should I be looking into engine rebuild or upgrades and for the trans as well)?
Take time to make a good assessment of what you have. Make a list. Their are probably some Olds people in your area that can personally help. Check out if you have an Oldsmobile Club of America chapter in your are. Stay in touch with this forum. It is the best.
Wayne
If I could find some old brain to pick in my area that would be gold. I'm in Atlanta, I will pick him or her up. feed you steak, wine or beer whichever tickle your fancy. lol.. I am super excited!! I couldn't sleep last night, looking at the people project and then I stumbled on to this forum.
Welcome to the site, at a glance you have an Olds small block with period correct heads, an aftermarket HEI distributor, and what looks like a holley carb. Seems to be a pretty solid start for a project. I see a clutch pedal so assuming a standard trans. Why does the PO think it needs a trans?
The buckets in that car are not from an Olds, look like late model Ford. I think a bench seat and a floor shift is cool. I would not buy anything until you know what you need. Are the missing radiator, fan, etc... with the car? You may not need a trans, just a clutch repair, howevr if you do a 4 speed would be a good choice.
I'd Ike a 10 oz. bone in fillet and an 22 y.o hard body to cook it.
Seriously, I know you're excited but My 2 cents would be to slow down and see what cha got before looking at/for stuff a] you may not need b] may not work with your car
You've come to the right place for advice. Now take it. Get the Service manual
The buckets in that car are not from an Olds, look like late model Ford. I think a bench seat and a floor shift is cool. I would not buy anything until you know what you need. Are the missing radiator, fan, etc... with the car? You may not need a trans, just a clutch repair, howevr if you do a 4 speed would be a good choice.
Yes the radiator, fan and the other parts came with the car all brand new. Ok, I guess I need to look for a trustworthy shop in Atlanta.
I'd Ike a 10 oz. bone in fillet and an 22 y.o hard body to cook it.
Seriously, I know you're excited but My 2 cents would be to slow down and see what cha got before looking at/for stuff a] you may not need b] may not work with your car
You've come to the right place for advice. Now take it. Get the Service manual
3 = Oldsmobile
36 = Cutlass
87 = Holiday Coupe (two-door hardtop)
LAN = built at Lansing
03D = assembled 4th week (D) of March (03), 1968
TR 950 = black vinyl split bench seat
Paint S = jade gold lower body color
Paint 2 = black vinyl top
Here's a '68 paint chip chart. Jade gold is third one down on the right. Hard to see much in this image, but it was apparently a dark color.
3 = Oldsmobile
36 = Cutlass
87 = Holiday Coupe (two-door hardtop)
LAN = built at Lansing
03D = assembled 4th week (D) of March (03), 1968
TR 950 = black vinyl split bench seat
Paint S = jade gold lower body color
Paint 2 = black vinyl top
Here's a '68 paint chip chart. Jade gold is third one down on the right. Hard to see much in this image, but it was apparently a dark color.
thank you sooo much.. is there a way or website to check the build sheet, like what options were installed?
Build sheets were not meant to be part of what a new car purchaser was given when he bought a new car. Lansing-built cars in particular are famous for not having build sheets left behind in them as that plant was apparently more meticulous about this than the other plants. Build sheets were not kept by the plant after the car was built. They were usually left behind in the car or thrown in the trash, depending on the plant, so there is no repository of them today, and there are certainly no websites that have them, at least not for Oldsmobile.
Oldsmobile did not keep production records prior to the 1977 model year, so there is no way to find out anything about the original history of your car, such as an original invoice or the dealer which sold the car originally. It's sad, but, at the time, no one thought such records were worth keeping.
November 27th, 2017, 07:16 AM
to cook it. 
