Hi all, My son is writing a paper for a school assignment and he is writing about his 1968 olds cutlass s. He was wanting to know what engine choices were available that year along with horsepower ratings or any other info. As the paper progresses we will be looking for additional info on transmissions, head and tail light and other options. Thanks for your help.

 

Hmmm. What's with the "we" stuff, Dad?

If HE is writing this paper, why isn't HE doing the research, asking the questions, looking for additional info on transmissions, and all the rest? Why isn't HE online here right now instead of you? If he's old enough to own a car, he's old enough to use a computer and to research and write his own paper!

 

Because as Dads this is what we do! I thought about posting the question as he is looking up other sites. Plus I am learning about this car also.

 

We want to read the paper when it's done. We'll be glad to critique it!

 

wildaboutcars should have all the answers that you (or your son) may need.

Jaunty was an educator in a former life and as such takes an interest in acadamia related topics

 

Such as spelling the word "academia" correctly?

Sorry, but that was hanging right out over the plate. Put an "m" in front of your spelling, and you have a nut.

You're damn right I take an interest in matters of academics. We ALL should. Parents shouldn't be doing their kids' homework!

 

In my opinion as dads we guide and point, it's his responsibility to do the work.

 

Well it looks like this subject got more than I/we were looking for. My son IS doing his own paper with some guidance from his dad, as he has a little learning disability! All he wanted to know was what engine options came with his car. I did not know the answer, so I said i would help him find the info. As a parent I think it is important that we help, not do our kids school work. All i was trying to do here is help him find information. Can anyone help us? Or is everyone hung up on who is doing the paper? This is a comparison/contrast paper and he already found and wrote the info on our 69 chevelle on his own.

 

He answered your question. Plus you can go to 442.com or a host of other sites.
Or perhaps Joe P will chime in and set the record straight.

Good luck on the project!! Hope HE gets an A!

 

As said above, wildaboutcars.com has a lot of literature. Free to join.

 

This is Cole I am the one writing the paper. Thanks for the information, I will check out these 2 sites today.

 

Here is a link:

http://www.oldsmobility.com/old/tuneup.htm

 

Cole, to get the best rundown of available engines and other options, you should look at the SPECS guides, which are located here, in the "Dealer Literature" category.

Sorry if some of us have been a bit standoffish, but most of us are "old guys" who did our best to make out own kids do things for themselves, so that they could learn as much as possible, and are used to making our kids "work for it."

- Eric

 

Here ya go, straight from the 1968 factory literature. Be aware, however, that this brochure was printed BEFORE the W-31 option was released, so that motor is not on the list of available Cutlass engines:



This link has copies of the 1968 Salesman's Specs book, but again does not have the W-31 in it.

 

Thank you for the extra information. I will check these sites also. And my parents do make me work for it. I paid for the car with my lawn mowing money and i am paying for most everything to rebuild the car. I have already rebuilt the motor, paid to have tranny rebuilt, Rebuilt the front end, disc brakes and now I am working on the inside. I need more lawns to mow.
Cole

 

Jeez guys, go easy on the kid and his Dad. Here it is on wikipedia which is all he needs (see right side of page).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Cutlass#1968

 

Just a side note my dad and I are rebuilding this car in our garage and driveway ourselves. Only having other people do work that we can't. I have learned a lot working on this car. I am the only one in my class that knows anything about cars.

Cole

 

You've got more energy than my kid, that's for sure.

Grumble... Kids today... Grumble...

- Eric

 

Forgive us as we are used to seeing coddled kids whose parents feel they must do everything and allow the kids to sit on their butts playing video games. Not saying that's you. I appreciate a good father and son project and I highly respect you for taking the initiative to fix up as well as foot the cost of your project.

Now, please some pictures posted of your project for us to see.

 

Just for the record, The Old Car Manual Project has that because Wild About Cars gave them permission to use it (and anything else) from the WAC site.


I beg to differ. Wikipedia does not have *all* of what was asked for. And for any discerning researcher should know (we are talking about getting an education here), Wiiki (a secondary source of information) should never be used when the primary (in this case "factory") information is available. To anyone that does not understand that, I'd be happy to explain it.

 

Oh no you did NOT just refer to the Ram Rod engine as "W-31" for 1968!
[*goosenecks at you*]

:-)

"Wikipedia does not have *all* of what was asked for. And for any discerning researcher should know (we are talking about getting an education here), Wiiki (a secondary source of information) should never be used when the primary (in this case "factory") information is available. To anyone that does not understand that, I'd be happy to explain it."
=========================
Reminds me of Colbert's word "wikiality" - where, since the wiki is editable by the masses, if the editors assert that the population of African elephants has tripled in the last 6 months, it must be true.

So.... what does that make the error-riddle FAQ files thing that predates the wiki Olds info? "Better than nothing" [maybe] comes to mind...

 

I will post pictures soon. Thanks for everyones help.

Cole

 

Hey, it's JUST a small block, after all...

My rule is that anything under 400 cu in isn't a real engine.

 

OK I'll bite, when is a 455 going into the 62 wagon so it will have a real engine. Maybe a Tornado drivetrain in the back?

Larry

 

Yeah, I knew someone would bring that up as soon as I hit "submit" on that post.

There actually was a 62 F-85 with a Toro drivetrain for sale in JWO a while ago.

 

Ya know what, I know where there's a 68 F-85 with a chevy straight 6 in it. I'll have to get some pictures of it, its been setting in field for awhile.

 

Good for you , the next generation of "Olds keeper".
Id like to see pics too.

 

It may be an Olds straight 6, but in the unlikely Chevy scenario that would have been a major waste of time and effort.

 

Same engine. Olds used the Chev. I-6 through the '60s.

- Eric

 

Yeah, I saw that car on the road over ten years ago, its driver was a little old lady.
It was a basic 2 door post coupe with automatic trans being the only option.

 

Actually, 1966-1971, then again for 1973-76, until GM bought back the rights to the Buick V6 that they had sold to Jeep/AMC. Interestingly, there was no six cylinder option for the 1972 model year. That would make a great trivia question.

Oh, wait...

 

Did they put the 6 in Cutlii in the '70s, or just the Ωmega?

- Eric

 

Both

 

Harrumph. I knew that Cheb. put the 6 in the Malibu in the mid'70s, but thought Olds only put it in the X-body.

Thanks.

 

Did not know that Olds used a CHevy 6.

 

Yup. When they walked away from the V-6 and the smaller F-85 platform, they started using the Chev motor.

Pontiac developed its own OHV I-6, and Buick, as far as I know, walked away from the V-6 and the small "Special" platform at the same time, and just didn't offer a 6 (except maybe in the Apollo?) until the late '70s.

Cadillac had no 6, but GMC had its own V-6 in the '60s.

- Eric

 

The I6 was the only six in the GM passenger car engine lineup in the 1970s until the Buford V6 came back in 1975. The Pontiac OHC six was based on the Chebby design (though the block was a different casting). It even used the same displacement - growing from 230 to 250 when the Chevy did.

The Buick V6 tooling was sold to AMC/Jeep in 1967, bought back in 1974, and reintroduced in the 1975 model year cars.

The GMC V6 was a 60 deg design available in displacements of 305, 351, 401, and 478 cu in. Only the 305 was used in light trucks; the larger versions went into medium duty and heavy duty trucks. The same architecture was used to build a 637 cu in V8 (still with 60 deg bank angle, so balance shafts were needed) and the famous 702 cu in V12. There was also an ill-fated diesel conversion of these gas motors called the ToroFlow. Sound familiar? Sadly, this predated the Olds diesel, and apparently GM didn't learn a thing from that earlier disaster.

 

... And, if I recall correctly, the V-6 heads were also used on the V-12.

- Eric

 

I have a 71 or 72 bottom of the line F85 Driver's Ed? car.

Manual Trans 3-spd on the tree
wondered why it had a 350 Olds and not the Action Line [Chivy] I6...

Base engine that year was the 250-2bbl Olds V8.

Straight-6 cars I believe had the battery on the RH side, thus rusting the OTHER side of the radiator support- a good donor for the V8 cars that need the LH side replaced.

 

Pontiac went great to performance lengths on the OHC 6, none of the other GM I6's compared.