1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Broham

[chitown906]

So as a few of you already know, I'm a new owner of a Cutlass and I am having a few issues with my car. The car sat for about 2yrs and wasn't driven very much prior to that point (67k) an older woman drove it and has only been in the ownership of 2 other people other than myself . The car has a rear suspension issue, I really don't know much about these cars but from what I was told it needs a spring in the rear, and I was wondering if there was a place I could find aftermarket springs maybe some that would give me a slight drop? Also how difficult is it to do suspension work on our cars , and what types of improvements could i do that would be cheap but also efficient? Also my trans shifts great in every gear but Reverse, I was told that it could be something that is dirty within the trans but I can't remember the name of the said part, but it's supposedly some solenoid or something of that nature . I'm really just looking to fix it and make it my project car that I will grow with over time rather then dump money into it when I'm still learning about a car this old .

So any and all information would be greatly appreciated, both with what I have listed and to fix those said issues, or even stuff that I could do to improve my car on a budget .

Thanks for the help in advanced .

Chi_Town

 

[-83MONTESS-]

For springs look at MOOG, Summit, Jegs, etc. I would do a transmission fluid flush and put a new filter in there while your at it. Chances are its either low fluid level or dirty filter so you may as well do the flush.

 

[rhuarc32]

http://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/Universal_Coil_Springs.asp Awesome resource for looking at springs - not 100% up to date but still very helpful.

G-body specific reference

http://www.maliburacing.com/coilspring.htm

 

[rhuarc32]

Oh, and agree on the flush and filter for the trans. Also check your shift linkage, last time i had a problem like that I had a loose piece that was not letting it sit perfectly in reverse.

 

[chitown906]

Is there a write up for either help tohe slhift linkage issue? I guess from what my friend told me he got it to go into reverse once and it took him dumping it while rev'ing the motor up so I really don't know if that gives you a better idea of wats going on? But I figured I should share that as well.

Also I'm looking for maybe some personal info on those here that may have done mild improvements on their cars with a suspension upgrade.

 

[rhuarc32]

If that's what it takes to get it in reverse a filter change MIGHT help you, but likely you are looking at a trans rebuild. as for suspension upgrades the springs chart in the second link I gave you is very helpful. BMR and UMI offer great rear control arm products that are easily done in a home garage/driveway. Add some poly sway bar links and bushing and you'll see big improvements that will still ride great. You'll get a wide range of opinions on shocks, but bang for the buck wise it's hard to beat just installing new ones like monroe sensa tracs. Others might handle better but for a wide range of driving at a decent cost they are hard to beat.

 

[chitown906]

If the trans doesn't shift after i do what my friend had told me to try and do a trans tune up, I'm going to just look at a 700R4 or maybe a Turbo350 and find myself one that is already bolted to a motor so i can just drop it in as a whole . I really don't see a point on rebuilding these trans in our cars , to me it would almost be a waste of money. And I'll have to look over the link and see if i can gather any information on pricing and what not .


Chi_Town