Does it make a deep "clunk" up front when you apply the brakes quickly? You may want to take a close look at the control arms and bushings. Also if the ball joints have been changed, the steel rivets are generally replaced with small bolts... they may be loose. Do you have a paper copy of the chassis service manual? There is a lot of the inspection criteria in there. The original manuals have good pictures in them that don't always reproduce well when scanned.
When I did my front end, I changed out all the wear items at one time. I figured while I had all the labor to take it apart and put it back together.... why do it again soon!
The control arm bushings I used are poly graphite, and they have stood up well. also stiffens up the steering a bit more than stock. (they have kits for all the front end bushings and bumpers)
Maybe if one of the folks on the forum lives nearby they might be able to look over your car and give you some pointers as well. A couple beers maybe...

 

You can check the front end your self with a little help from a friend and utube is a great place to see how to check if I confuse you here

1. Place the floor jack under where the shock mounts to the lower control arm ,jack it up so that the one front tire is about a inch off the ground .place a bar under tire and pull up and down on the bar while a friend looks at lower and upper ball joint ( this is were a video can help you understand what's is good and bad

2. Place both front tires off the ground and have a friend once again check as you slightly rock the tire left to right up and down and check all the joints on the steering

There are a lot if videos be safe if you attempt any disassembly of front end parts ask questions watch videos and learn as you go.
Most repairs can be done with basic knowledge and tools but a helping hand doesn't hurt .
The brake swap will take time in theory is a few hrs of work but getting lines and brake pedal dialed in can be frustrating
Never under estimate springs!! I work with suspension parts daily and they still make me nervous.

 

Hello All! What is the "Oil Filter Gasket?" The one at rock auto doesn't seem to make sense. Why wouldn't the oil filter come with the oil ring that all oil filters have - and why would you need a gasket?

 

Spin-on oil filters always come with the rubber sealing ring on them. The gasket you are referring to may be the one that goes between the oil filter adapter (the thing that the oil filter screws onto) and the engine block. The adapter is bolted to the block and there is a gasket to prevent leaks.

 

I built my first engine 1967 Olds 442 E block when i was 19...... almost 41 years ago. I built it on a budget with little knowledge. I built it on the floor of my mothers garage as i had no motor stand lol.There were some guys at a local auto parts place that helped me alot, explaining what i needed to do. I had most tools I needed but had to rent a few, which was pretty cheap back then. There are some places you can rent some speciality tools now for free! Put a deposit on them and get it back when you return the tool. Theres alot of good suggestions for you here already. First thing is safety as in the suspension, you dont want it coming apart on you if your having to drive the car. If you have another car to drive then thats a good thing while your working on this one. Its a nice looking car!! Buy a Chiltons or Haynes auto repair manual lots of info there to help as your working along with the internet. There are alot of guys here with an amazing wealth of knowledge that will help you. If your going to do this yourself, and I think you should because its FUN! It helps you understand whats going on with the car. But some work can be dangerous as well. You definately need at least 2 jack stands and a floor jack if possible. Never get under the car using only the bumper jack!!! Alot of people have, and got away with it but its very dangerous!!! Others have died doing this! So safety is paramount! Use jack stands, there not very expensive. Front suspension work can be dangerous. If your going to do ball joints, bushings, springs, that spring can come flying out and do some serious harm to you, or worse if you dont know what your doing or have proper tools. It sould also hurt an observer ie. wife,gf, kid, friend etc... I personally tie a fairly heavy nylon strap or chain through the spring and around the frame until i know the pressure is off the spring. Others may or may not do this, thats their choice.
By the way that motor started on the second revolution and ran great, i was amazed. But only thanks to the guys that helped me and guided me made that possible. Ive been hooked ever since. Ask alot of questions, read everything you can Im sure you will love it as much as me and everyone here does
Good luck have fun be safe
Steve

 

Steve, I appreciate the tenor of your response, it is light and friendly. Thank you! I am building my hand tool set now, looking at a multimeter and a pry bar next. I am not sure I want to buy the tach/dwell because I want to change to an electric ignition, and it's my understanding the dwell is for points. Anyway, I've picked up a good craftsman tool set that includes 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive ratchets and sockets, a set of screwdrivers, a set of pliers, vice grips, adjustable wrenches, a spark plug socket set, SAE line wrench set, a grease gun, a timing light, a good wrench set, a Pittsburgh 20/150 torque wrench and that's about it for now. Any other suggestions for tools?

I bought a cloyes timing set and gasket as the first project I am going to try to tackle. Then I want to rebuild the carburetor (save for the edelbrock set later). From there I will replace the suspension parts as needed (I found a local shop that does a lot of classic car stuff (the owner has a few) so I feel like I can trust their assessment of what should be replaced), and then I'd like to replace the rear gears - even with the two speed in it (because I don't have 2 grand for the 200r4 I would like), and then I plan to replace the drum brake system with disc (at least in the front).

Any other insight? I wish some of you all were closer because I love talking about this and this method is rather tedious - and can be redundant and potentially irritating to those who perceive I ask the same question a lot.

Talk to you soon!

 

Where are you located ?
I don't know if I missed it ,but there maybe several
members near don't know tell you ask !

X2 on floor jack and stands I personally have several of each in my garage

 

I always tell new folks at work that they can feel free to ask the same question as often as they want because I know there is a lot to learn and they can't absorb all the information in one session. If they keep asking and I keep explaining they will eventually absorb the info, plus asking multiple times may mean I explain it differently each time, so it is presented in a different fashion that they may understand more readily.

Bottom line, keep asking and we'll keep answering.

 

Hello again, sounds like your getting a nice assortment of tools. If you plan to change the timing chain you will need a harmonic balancer puller. Also a harmonic balancer installation tool is very helpful although you can beat it on with a wooden block and large hammer. The installation tool is one of those you rarely need but very handy if you do need it. I dont personally like hammering them on. Perhaps this tool can be rented, ORileys, Autozone,Advanced Auto, ?Car Quest. Most of these generic autoparts stores rent speciality tools. I dont recall the size of the crank bolt through the harmonic balancer ?1 1/6,1 1/8? not sure maybe someone else will chime in on this. Anyway you will need a socket to get it off.
My personal thought is thats alot of miles on that motor, even if its running good now. If you plan on hammering the throttle much it may not last long. If it goes you could spin bearings. If you spin the main bearings you'll have to have it align bored. If you have it alignbored then you will need an undersize timing chain. Thats what happened to that first motor i rebuilt. If you build the motor now perhaps you can avoid that problem and have a fresh motor throughout that you know is good and strong. Just a thought.
Otherwise thats the only speciality tools needed to install timing chain that i can think of except perhaps a lifter puller as sometimes the lifters dont want to come out.
Where are you located?
Good luck
Steve

 

Thanks Steve! I guess I'll take it easy on the car (most of the time) until I can really get into the engine. I am located in Weaverville, NC. You?

 

College Station, Texas
Man its cold!!!

 

Duh! What was I thinking, the lifters don't need to come out to change the timing chain. Sorry, but if you change the cam then they need to come out. Theres a lot of guys here that know so much more than me and will be willing to help

 

Hey guys, If I just decided to change out the rear gears with the current transmission (because it's going to take me forever to save 2 grand), how would I go about choosing it? Would I just find a gear set that works with that rear end? How do I know what gears will work with my current rear axle? Will I have to change the whole axle or could I just buy the "guts" and swap them (or have them swapped because I don't know what I'm doing)?

Update:

Jegs.com has a few brands of rear differentials that are offered for GM. I just chose the Auburn brand for pricing. Is that a good brand? Are there others you would suggest? Should I buy something used?

Here is a link to the differentials I was looking at: http://www.jegs.com/p/Auburn-Gear/Au...44447/10002/-1

BTW I noticed of all of the Oldsmobiles listed only the F85 seems to go back the 1968, the cutlass supreme only seems to go back to 1971 (example: http://www.jegs.com/i/Auburn-Gear/10...rentProductId=) Is there a big enough difference where it won't work?

Thanks everyone!

 

Talk to monzaz or 507olds

They are great guys to talk to about this

I think you would be fine but would need to watch your rpm depending on gears , please check with one of these two or both they can even walk you through the swap

 

1 install an HEI destrubuter 2 bring the car to a good shop and make it safe to drive. 3 rebuild the 2GC carb, its about the easiest carb to do 4 pull the pan on the differenchal and count the teeth on the ring and pinion. 5 look for a turbo 350 trans and start looking for the swap info, collecting parts. 6 look for an 4 brl intake n carb collecting parts 7 do a compression leakdown test and see if your motor wants a 4bbl 8 install true duel exhaust off your manifolds 9 start looking into suspention/brake upgades and collecting parts 10 do the chaine along with intake and carb if your leakdown test is good

 

I think The Auburn is probably a good unit but its not rebuildable from what i understand. The Eaton is more expensive but it is rebuildable. I think there is also a Yukon brand thats rebuildable, looks like the Eaton but i dont know anything about them. As Oldstata says talk to 507Olds or Monzaz. If you click on one of their names you can PM them. Or maybe they will chime in here, both very knowledgable guys.

Steve

 

If the rearend on your car is original, it is most likely an O-Type 12 bolt. This is an 8.5" rear made by Olds from later '67 through '70. The cover has 12 bolts but the ring gear has 10. The parts you see in Jegs or Summit (posi carriers and gears) will not work with the O-Type. In '71, Olds went to the "corporate" 10 bolt rear, which is what most of the parts in those catalogs will fit. It is an 8.5" 10 bolt ring gear but it is not interchangeable with the O-Type gears as the inner opening diameter and the bolt circle are different.

You can go to this site to see some new gears for the O-Type: http://www.richmondgear.com/pdf/Rich...n1.pdf#page=32
The selection is not very large, so your best option may be to locate a different rear with the gears you want and a limited slip carrier already installed.

As stated before, check with 507olds or monzaz for parts for your O-Type (or any diff, for that matter). They are both very familiar with these and have access to parts for them.


With that said, I think your first mod should be putting in a TH350 transmission as they are cheap and easy to find. The TH350 has a lower first gear ratio, so this would give you the acceleration equivalent of swapping 2.56 rear gears in your car for 3.66 gears. In addition, you will have 3 gears instead of 2, which will increase your acceleration ability tremendously.

 

Update! I took the car down to a reputable local shop to have all the front suspension checked and the owner of the shop said everything was in great shape, with what looks like moog replacement parts and monroe shocks. He said the only thing that should be replaced eventually is the front springs (though he recommended not to replace them because he said the front end will sit up a ways). His recommendation was based on visual evidence of bottoming out, but I took the car down a rocky road that hit bottom a few times (which may be what he saw). Anyway, the front suspension is in great shape.

Upon reflection on the electronic ignition, I reviewed the thread here and found that about half were for it and half were against it, saying there are other things to spend money on.

I have had the rochester 2bbl rebuilt and it's running pretty good, although the car seems to demand a rich fuel mixture to run very well at all.

I have a friend that has a complete posi rear end out of a 85 Camaro Iroc Z with 3:73 gears, strange axles and c-clip eliminators that he said he would give to me if I would be willing to take it for the $50 he has in it and rebuild the bearings, etc for it to function like new. It has disc brakes - and I plan on putting disc on the front so that may work well. Any thoughts on this?

I am very pleased with the news from the shop regarding the front suspension. Oh, he did say that the u joints had a little play in them on the drive shaft. I guess i can replace them when I change out the rear end. Anyway, you can ignore my first post. Thanks everyone!

 

The hei you can grab from any local scrap yard around 40 bucks maybe a new module 30 bucks but yes with a stock motor there really isn't any advantage

On the rear end from the 85 I don't think it's just a bolt in I would think that done bracing would need to be moved to mount but others will chime in and correct me if I am wrong

Looks like manifold , carb and timing chain would be next on my list

Have you done a compression test yet just for a good starting point to see where your motor is at?

 

I have not done a compression check. I don't know how to do it or where to go to have that done - the shop I took the car to was a suspension / alignment shop and I'm not sure how much engine stuff they do.

I have the timing chain and gear set, looking for a water pump and a gauge set (oil pressure, water temperature and tachometer) to monitor the engine.

I am afraid to do the intake/carb yet because of the MAW potential (MAW address the cam, then the bearings, then you might as well do the lifters, push rods, rocker arms, valves, valve springs, etc, etc, etc.) when I take off the intake manifold. One of my friends advised i wait to do any of that until I can tear down the engine and "do it right." The only thing is that seems like i'll be saving forever and she'll just sit and rot in the meantime.

I don't know what to do. I guess I should get a compression test done - potentially a leak down test, but I don't know where to go for those tests without getting ripped off (a lot of places will charge an extraordinary amount for simple tests that other will charge what they are worth). Maybe someone can help guide me as to what this test consists of, and what I should expect to pay if a reputable garage were to do the test for me.

Thanks everyone!

 

Craftsman (Sears ) has a compression tester kit I think it's like 65bucks

It's simple you mark all spark plug wires and pull out all spark plugs install tester in one cylinder at a time crank motor I believe 4 revaluations make sure you have a battery charger on it

If all readings are with in 10-15% of each other that's a good sign

You could always get a nice core motor build it and when ready drop it in so you can still play while building

 

Glad your front end was good, like I said I believe the previous owner/s had spent some money on your car by your picture album.


Have you also checked to see how much play is in your timing chain before tearing it apart only to find that was taken care of also?

 

Good point!! can you help me remember how. I think you pull the distributor cap rock the crank bolt back and forth and if the distributor has excessive play is how you tell ? Again it's been along time


Oh I think it was how far you could move the crank tell the distributor moves

 

Or you can pop the fuel pump off.

 

Merry Christmas to all!

oldcutlass, oldstata,

When we changed the points, the gentleman that was helping me (really doing it for me) said the distributor had a pretty significant amount of play in it. I don't really know what that means, but if it rocks back and forth, is that an indication of the condition of the timing gear set? When pulling the fuel pump off was referenced, how will that tell me the condition of the timing set?

Also, is it worth getting a leak down test? If so, would you find a local mechanic that works on old cars to do that? If not, I will pick up the compression tester and see what happens.

I tell you what, if the timing chain is in good condition and everything else is in good order, this car is really a dog. It has pretty good pick up, but it's like taking off in second gear from the light - very slow to pick up. It runs good, and it has great power when accelerating from say 50 to 80 or so (i never go above that) but from light it really is a dog. Would compression problems contribute to this phenomena (slow to get going but great drive speed pick up)?

I'll get the compression checked and get back with you all. Thanks again!

 

Merry Christmas !!!

On the distributor having play I would think that the gear is worn where it meets the cam ?

Basically how I was shown how to check the timing chain was to pull the cap and see how much you turned the crank tell the rotor moved in the distributor

Any mechanic should be able to do the compression / leak ( the leak down tho usually requires 100psi of regulated air to do so this might need to be out sourced ) down test not just on old cars ,but in my opinion you could buy the test equipment for these for under 200.00 and I would think they would charge around 100.00.
With owing old cars some tools are good investments
Again I love tools and any excuse is good enough for me lol

 

oldstata,

How do I turn the crank? Is this a two person job? Do I need to put a huge socket and ratchet on the crank pulley while someone observes the distributor function? I love tools too, but I have to balance my tool purchases with my parts purchases! I spent a large part of my "car money" on the car... now everything comes in a few dollars here and there. I have about 60 dollars saved right now to buy the next thing. I thought about picking up a gauge set (water temp, oil pressure and tach) and install that so I can monitor things while I am saving money for more parts (and tools, as funds allow). I already have the timing set, so I may just replace it, the experience will be fun. I will probably replace the water pump in the meantime with a high capacity water pump. Anyone know which pump I should get? After that I may look into the rear end my friend has to see if that will work or not. If not, I guess I'll have to save my pennies for the next thing. You all probably will not hear from me for a while, since it'll be forever until I can afford a rear, the transmission, engine parts, etc. Money is so hard to come by these days. I guess I didn't go into this thinking I'd be able to do it all right now anyway. Thanks!

 

Yes, you can put a socket on the crank bolt and turn it back and forth while observing how far the crank moves until the rotor starts to move. There should not be much play. It's easier to turn it with the spark plugs removed.

 

I use a big ratchet and socket, a friend showed me this trick a few years ago when we installed my cheap ebay hei has been great by the way

With a socket and braker bar you should be able to see if you move it at the same time or inches before moving, but if you plan to change it that works to
I would also plan to pull your pan and check for the nylon teeth that I've been reading about that wear off the timing gear and get stuck in the pick up tube

 

Hello everyone! I have spent quite a bit of time perusing Rock Auto and I've found that there are different "versions" I guess of the same parts. How can I tell which one is right for my car? For example, there are several water pumps, some look longer at the pulley than others, and some just look slightly different. In the case of Rock Auto, I cannot take the core in to compare. Would you suggest pulling the part when it's time to change it and take it to a local shop to compare? Of course, I won't be able to buy parts ahead of time if I do that...hmmm. What do most of you all do?

 

There are three water pump sizes I can't remember where to measure from maybe some one can chime in to clarify

 

Sounds like you are well on your way w/your car. That shop you took it too is great, I would consider them your friend. As mentioned earlier if you can find people who are local to you and will help you that's best. The guys on this site are great but it's really hard to diagnose/recommend long distance. You can go to swap meets and car shows and almost every body loves to help- It doesn't necessarily have to be a Olds guy, anyone with a older car will probably have a lot of knowledge. Us old guys love to talk to someone interested in our type of cars!

 

Thanks oldstata! I'll wait to see what others may say...I'd hate to buy the wrong part and have to send it back...

I would love to meet some car guys around here. I have my contact information here and I've talked with a couple people, but where I am (kind of in the boonies / mountains) it is difficult to find car shows, though there are a few, albeit only in the spring/summer/fall (and I just bought this car in August...).

A question for you all: do you use gauges for your car (like aftermarket gauge sets)? If so, what do you use? If you do, can you attach pictures? I am looking to install a temp gauge, oil pressure and a tachometer so I can keep an eye on the vitals of the engine until I can get into it (and even afterward). I know they come in different sizes and styles, but I thought I'd peek at a few that have had it done to get some ideas. Thanks everyone!

 

Wise Performance is in Weaverville according to their posts... might want to look them up.

 

kitfoxdave,

It looks like those guys are totally focused on drag racing - not what I am interested in - I am looking to run with the factory mustangs and camaros and that's about it; besides from the looks of their stuff, their products would be out of my price range anyway. I may contact them to pick their brain a little, but I doubt my boring "lightweight" questions would be of much interest to them. Thanks for the info though.

 

Car guys like to BS with other car guys, pick their brains and listen to their experience. Listen more than talk, and you will be amazed what you learn... Throw a couple beers in the mix and that is when the best stories come out! Learn from their mistakes, we do not have enough time on this earth to make all the mistakes ourselves!
Make YOUR car, how you want it, and enjoy the heck out of it! Just remember a lot of times the STOP is more important than the GO!

I used the sunpro small triple gauge set. (I had a clock delete in the panel and made a cluster of three gauges using some aluminum sheet painted black to match other instruments and covered over with thin lexan.) Looks decent and works good! Total spent was about $25...

Dave

 

Thanks for the advice Dave! Do you have any pictures of what you did with the gauge set?

 

Here ya go, Sunpro tach and oil pressure, voltage, temp gauges. Inexpensive and reliable.

 

here are a few pictures of my "gauge cluster" it is not installed at the moment, but these pictures may help more if you decide to go that way.


The spacing on the mountplate was as close as I could get the gauges next to each other and still use the hold down clamps that came with them.


IIRC I ground down a wood spade bit to just cut on the outside edges which worked fine in a drill press on aluminum.


painted black, installed the sunpro's and then put the instrument panel piece back in.


It still works fine after about 10 years!

 

Hey Oldcutlass, is that a wood steering wheel in the picture?