The Car: 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with a Vin Y 307, TH200C transmission, 2.14 geared rear end, one into two bwurbler exhausts. The penultimate pretender, all sound and no fury, just a nonfunctional hood scoop and a flame paint job from being the equivalent to a ricer.
The Driver: 1985 Scots-Irish Fat Guy That Drives Like Your Grandmother
The Plan: To take this wannabe muscle car and turn it into a real muscle car, all grandma's beater on the outside, all screaming road demon on the inside.
What I've Done So Far: Basic maintenance and placeholder part swaps, getting the beast drivable. New shocks, new ball joints, new spark plugs and wires.I also stripped the entire aircon system, because it wasn't working and I'm not especially put off by heat. Plus, less weight! Most complex upgrade was replacing the malfunctioning clutch fan with dual electric fans, which resulted in it going from seriously overheating to barely tapping 200 when I hit the gas whilst going uphill and the carb burning rich. I also swapped the 60/40 front bench seats and their infuriating shitty power controls for a pair of Summit sport seats. Also comically oversized air filter.
What I'm Doing Now: A little something I like to call "operation: to hell with the ecm". I'm stripping the computer, the smog crap, the carb, and the distributor. In its place shall be a 650 cfm Demon carb my uncle sent me, a MSD 6A box, and a MSD Pro Billet w/ mechanical advance distributor. The Demon carb strikes me as a little overkill, but for the scant 50$ he asked I'm willing to fiddle with it. This is not an endeavor I am embarking on in the vague hope of getting a little more power, but instead an attempt to circumvent the major electrical and vacuum line overhaul I'd have to do to get the damn thing it not run hot and blow through gas at the rate of about eight miles per gallon while chugging around like it's packed full of fat children. Plus, as someone who has spent his entire life around and fiddling with complex electronics, I firmly believe that absolutely nothing should EVER have a computer in it unless it is absolutely 1000% necessary, and a carb V8 needs no computer malarkey.
What I'm Going To Do Eventually: Complete overhaul. Engine swap, burlier transmission, major suspension upgrade, rear disc brakes, aluminum driveshaft, not-hilariously geared rear end. Possibly a stealth centrifugal supercharger if I decide to get retarded with it. On the sooner end of things, headers and true dual exhaust setup, ideally bringing my Cutlass as near to a 442 as I can without slapping the emblems on it. Also new weatherstripping, because the current stuff is in horrible shape. I'm also going to get some of GBodyParts.com's sexy *ss brushed aluminum style dash overlays, because they look fantastic. Plus, I intend on doing the interior in a white/blue contrast motif, because it's a mixture of colors that I'm quite fond of.
Finally, a question: I'd rather swap in a new rear end with Posi and a sportier ratio, ala 3.43 or 3.73, sooner rather than later. Ideally without having to dick around with the innards. Are the any specific years and models of donor vehicles I should be on the lookout for at the junks that'd probably have what I need? I think I read that the S10 is a good candidate, but beyond that I'm kind of in the dark.
PICS TIEM
Before silly air filter
After
Electric fans~
Cheap yet functional mechanical gauges
Old seats. Comfy, but worn. Also infuriating.
New seats. Less comfy, but a lot more supportive. Also the first step in my white/blue interior contrast motif.
The Driver: 1985 Scots-Irish Fat Guy That Drives Like Your Grandmother
The Plan: To take this wannabe muscle car and turn it into a real muscle car, all grandma's beater on the outside, all screaming road demon on the inside.
What I've Done So Far: Basic maintenance and placeholder part swaps, getting the beast drivable. New shocks, new ball joints, new spark plugs and wires.I also stripped the entire aircon system, because it wasn't working and I'm not especially put off by heat. Plus, less weight! Most complex upgrade was replacing the malfunctioning clutch fan with dual electric fans, which resulted in it going from seriously overheating to barely tapping 200 when I hit the gas whilst going uphill and the carb burning rich. I also swapped the 60/40 front bench seats and their infuriating shitty power controls for a pair of Summit sport seats. Also comically oversized air filter.
What I'm Doing Now: A little something I like to call "operation: to hell with the ecm". I'm stripping the computer, the smog crap, the carb, and the distributor. In its place shall be a 650 cfm Demon carb my uncle sent me, a MSD 6A box, and a MSD Pro Billet w/ mechanical advance distributor. The Demon carb strikes me as a little overkill, but for the scant 50$ he asked I'm willing to fiddle with it. This is not an endeavor I am embarking on in the vague hope of getting a little more power, but instead an attempt to circumvent the major electrical and vacuum line overhaul I'd have to do to get the damn thing it not run hot and blow through gas at the rate of about eight miles per gallon while chugging around like it's packed full of fat children. Plus, as someone who has spent his entire life around and fiddling with complex electronics, I firmly believe that absolutely nothing should EVER have a computer in it unless it is absolutely 1000% necessary, and a carb V8 needs no computer malarkey.
What I'm Going To Do Eventually: Complete overhaul. Engine swap, burlier transmission, major suspension upgrade, rear disc brakes, aluminum driveshaft, not-hilariously geared rear end. Possibly a stealth centrifugal supercharger if I decide to get retarded with it. On the sooner end of things, headers and true dual exhaust setup, ideally bringing my Cutlass as near to a 442 as I can without slapping the emblems on it. Also new weatherstripping, because the current stuff is in horrible shape. I'm also going to get some of GBodyParts.com's sexy *ss brushed aluminum style dash overlays, because they look fantastic. Plus, I intend on doing the interior in a white/blue contrast motif, because it's a mixture of colors that I'm quite fond of.
Finally, a question: I'd rather swap in a new rear end with Posi and a sportier ratio, ala 3.43 or 3.73, sooner rather than later. Ideally without having to dick around with the innards. Are the any specific years and models of donor vehicles I should be on the lookout for at the junks that'd probably have what I need? I think I read that the S10 is a good candidate, but beyond that I'm kind of in the dark.
PICS TIEM
Before silly air filter
After
Electric fans~
Cheap yet functional mechanical gauges
Old seats. Comfy, but worn. Also infuriating.
New seats. Less comfy, but a lot more supportive. Also the first step in my white/blue interior contrast motif.