BUILD THREAD 1987 Olds 442 Project Build
- Thread starter oldsofb
- Start date
I shall dub him "Mr. Blister." Because he always shows up AFTER the work is done. 
At least you can start on dem brakes next!
At least you can start on dem brakes next!
Something I was messing with in the middle of getting the tires.
I installed these bars on a cutlass I had before the 442. When the car went, I kept them. They're from a piece of 1" OD iron tube I bought from Home Depot. I cut it into sections, flattened the ends in the vise, and drilled 3/8 holes in them. Instant brace kit.
They're beat up and paint chipped from kicking around the floor under my work bench, but they'll clean up fine.
I made mine long enough that they sandwich the factory braces and adjoining attachment point everywhere but one spot.
First thing is jack up the car and place stands under the frame to eliminate body flex.
I drill and place my first bar in the passenger side, upper corner.
From there I can see where the lower center will fall.
I use and angle locator to make sure all the bars mount with the same angle to make sure they look uniform.
I eyeball where the top center hole should go and drill and mount.
From there, I had enough mounting points to drill and secure the rest. As stated before, all the points but one are at overlapping sheet metal areas in hopes of adding rigidity to the structure.
All done. **EDIT I cut the outside bars longer and put a bow in them at the center so they fit around the back bars they cross**
I'll probably just leave them in place until the day comes that I clean and detail the entire trunk.
Hutch
I installed these bars on a cutlass I had before the 442. When the car went, I kept them. They're from a piece of 1" OD iron tube I bought from Home Depot. I cut it into sections, flattened the ends in the vise, and drilled 3/8 holes in them. Instant brace kit.
They're beat up and paint chipped from kicking around the floor under my work bench, but they'll clean up fine.
I made mine long enough that they sandwich the factory braces and adjoining attachment point everywhere but one spot.
First thing is jack up the car and place stands under the frame to eliminate body flex.
I drill and place my first bar in the passenger side, upper corner.
From there I can see where the lower center will fall.
I use and angle locator to make sure all the bars mount with the same angle to make sure they look uniform.
I eyeball where the top center hole should go and drill and mount.
From there, I had enough mounting points to drill and secure the rest. As stated before, all the points but one are at overlapping sheet metal areas in hopes of adding rigidity to the structure.
All done. **EDIT I cut the outside bars longer and put a bow in them at the center so they fit around the back bars they cross**
I'll probably just leave them in place until the day comes that I clean and detail the entire trunk.
Hutch
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Your pics and videos have been invaluable to me as I build my SS. Just wanted to say thank you. 🍻
I got the C5 and Explorer Brake parts out and coated them in 2 light coats of G2 Caliper Paint.
I made a make shift hanging stand and gave everything 2 light coats.
I've used this stuff before on my Trailblazer SS, so I know this system works. It's been on my truck 150K miles now. I think the end product turned out great.
I even added some Olds vinyl to mimic the Corvette calipers look.
Hutch
I made a make shift hanging stand and gave everything 2 light coats.
I've used this stuff before on my Trailblazer SS, so I know this system works. It's been on my truck 150K miles now. I think the end product turned out great.
I even added some Olds vinyl to mimic the Corvette calipers look.
Hutch
Maybe should have done the caliper decals in red to match the stripes AND keep from looking too dirty the first 2 miles. Just a suggestion?
Thought about a different color, such as a Silver and Red to match the stripes. In the end, I liked how the TBSS calipers came out so much I just duplicated it. They actually stay quite clean.
Hutch
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