Help!! Difference between 85 and 86 442

Status
Not open for further replies.

Blackknight

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jan 11, 2013
11
0
1
Alberta, Canada
Hi guys,

I've always liked the Cutlass but for one reason or another I keep finding my way behind the wheel of Buick's. I'm trying to educate myself on 442's prior to purchasing one. Specifically the difference between the 85' and 86'. I know the 87' had the new front clip and was based on the supreme model rather than the salon. So any info outlining any differences would be appreciated. I jumped into a 82' Regal Sport Coupe and I found it hard to find parts (thank god for turbobuicks.com for the wealth of knowledge). I also restored an 80' Regal in high school not knowing it was a one year model so it was next to impossible to find exterior parts.

Thanks,

Cody
 

Evan11

Royal Smart Person
Apr 17, 2009
1,259
10
38
Southern Indiana
Not a lot of difference. 85 had egg crate grilles, 86 had the straight grilles, 86 had houndstooth seat material, & I believe they both had the 442 decals on opposite sides of each other. (85 vs 86). 85 also had the rare white exterior option. I'm sure there are a few other minor details.
 

L92 OLDS

Comic Book Super Hero
Mar 30, 2012
2,872
3,050
113
West Michigan
The 85'-86' was based on the highly optioned Cutlass Salon model (correction noted). Overall, the cars are very similar with some subtle differences including:

85' 442 exterior color included white (very desirable and very few made compared to other colors)
85' 442's got 5a heads. 86' and later have the suck balls 7a swirl ports
86' and later Vin 9 307's were supposedly tuned for torque
85' production numbers - approx. 3000. 86' - approx. 4273
86' had a very attractive blacked out front grill and rear taillights with red rocket instead of the cast center emblems.
85' and 86' came with the wide upper chrome beltline molding on the doors
86" had nicer interior fabrics in my opinion (hounds tooth grey, blue or burgundy)
86' was the first year for the walnut dash trim bezels. They look nice but the radio bezel rarely matches the rest of the interior.
86' was the first year for the roller cam set up on a Vin 9 engine
86' came with the KZF 200 4R trans. 85's came with OZ (same as Hurst Olds). Trans experts prefer later years for better calibration and internals
 

83hurstguy

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jul 28, 2010
39
0
6
Kansas City
Anubis pretty much nailed it, though both the '85 and '86 442s were based off the Salon. The Salon replaced the Cutlass Calais that was the base for the H/O in '83-'84 (not to be confused with the Calais FWD platform). As mentioned, in 1987 the 442 was based of the Cutlass Supreme.

Interior parts for these cars are getting hard to find mint and NOS. Repop interior parts are far and few between. Exterior isn't as bad, though it depends on your standards for how nice you want the car to be. If you're looking at a restoration project, it is much cheaper and efficient to wait, save money and buy a car that is nicer and has everything there. My car was far from a basket case, and it has certainly caused me plenty of frustration at times.
 

Evan11

Royal Smart Person
Apr 17, 2009
1,259
10
38
Southern Indiana
Yes I agree, 85 was certainly based off the salon as well, just like you say, the 87 was the only yr based off the supreme.
 

King_V

Master Mechanic
Jul 17, 2013
307
5
18
Sicklerville, NJ
Anubis said:
85' 442's got 5a heads. 86' and later have the suck balls 7a swirl ports

And as part of that, the 85 would have the A4 intake instead of the A5, and would have the non-roller cam.

In essence, the 442 held on to the complete package of non-roller stuff for one year after the regular 307s went roller cam/A5-intake/7a-heads
 

Gbarrie

Master Mechanic
Sep 15, 2012
286
1
16
So witch is the better car 85/86 ? never thought there was any difference.
Gbarrie.
 

King_V

Master Mechanic
Jul 17, 2013
307
5
18
Sicklerville, NJ
Depends on what you like I suppose.

Power-wise I think they're rated almost the same, though I think the power comes in a little lower in the RPM range on the 86, and it runs out of breath a little earlier.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

GBodyForum is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Please support GBodyForum Sponsors

Classic Truck Consoles Dixie Restoration Depot UMI Performance

Contact [email protected] for info on becoming a sponsor