'83 Cutlass Cruiser Build Thread

[Blake442]

Well, I went out to my storage container yesterday and grabbed my wheels for the wagon as well as some other parts I had stashed in the back of my Malibu.

I decided to use my slotted mags that I have, so I took advantage of the nice weather we've been having and I cleaned them up. Now I just need to get some tires and lug nuts and I'll be good to go.

Aside from a little curb rash, they don't look too bad considering that I got them for free...

 

[pokertramp]

Well, I went out to my storage container yesterday and grabbed my wheels for the wagon as well as some other parts I had stashed in the back of my Malibu.

I decided to use my slotted mags that I have, so I took advantage of the nice weather we've been having and I cleaned them up. Now I just need to get some tires and lug nuts and I'll be good to go.

Aside from a little curb rash, they don't look too bad considering that I got them for free...

Funny you posted those. A Cutlass I want to buy in the junkyard has the exact same rims on it. They are 14 inch and all 4 tires are flat.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Nice slot mags! Just polish them up with some fine sandpaper and Mother's Mag Wheel Polish and you're all set! Do you have all the center caps and the right lug nuts with the long shanks to go with them?

I will also say that they won't work with the wood grain. Too much of a clash of automotive cultures. The wood grain would be better served with a set of 442 chrome 15x7 rally rims instead.

 

[Blake442]

I really lucked out on these rims, and I love slotted mags. They're 15x7 up front and 15x8.5 for the rear. They were on a customers truck that came in for a restoration at work. He went with some fancy billet wheels, and gave the rims to my boss, and my boss gave them to me. There's a little curb rash on the front two, but free is free...

Actually, I had just gotten done polishing them! They were really bad, and I just ran over them quick with a red scotchbrite pad and gave them a quick rubdown with some Wizards metal polish. It's already nite and day from how they looked before. I'll polish them again once I get the new tires mounted on them. I do have the center caps, I had just taken them off to make it easier to clean. The caps aren't in very good shape, and I'm reluctant to paint them, so I just cleaned them up best I could for now. Unfortunately I don't have any lug nuts for them, as the ones I have are SAE and that's why I was able to rock them on my Malibu for a bit. I'll have to pick up some metric ones at the store.

I know what you're saying about them clashing with the woodgrain. Once the car is painted, it'll just be green for a while, and I can rock these. Then once/if the woodgrain goes on, I'll probably paint my 14x7 SSII's to match the body color or maybe pony up the dough for some chrome 15x7's.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Hey, you can't argue with free! A lot of what is on my Cutlass was free or junkyard scrounged. I tend to help a lot of people with their cars and get a lot of leftovers when they clean out their garages or upgrade their cars. The way I look at it, the more parts you have, the more options present themselves. After all, ugly and functional parts you own are better than pretty parts you can't afford and don't own.

 

[350_85cutty]

i say you keep the original nose, but make it look like that green/woodgrain one the "Griswolds" look, that grain of wood too, and i'd keep the roof rack cuz if someone asks you what you need it for, you reply "to haul *ss" and I love the SSII's mine are 14's with a fatter tire and they look super bad especially with the white letter tires.

 

[Blake442]

Yeah, scrounged parts is my middle name (actually it's Blake)... About 90% of the stuff I needed I had laying around from all my assorted G-bodies I've owned. It helps to loom around anytime you hear of a car getting parted out!

I'll definately be keeping the four light header panel. I was going through a phase where I thought that I needed to change it out. I do like the '78-'79 one a tad better, but not enough to have to dick around with swapping them.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I am the same way about the 87-88 2 door Cutlass header panel. Yeah, I like the look better, but for the money they fetch complete, I am happy with my old fashioned sealed beam headlights. With the money saved, I can go out and buy more important things-like a nitrous kit or the rest of my 5 speed swap!

 

[Blake442]

A little update for today...

Well, I gathered my tools and some parts that I knew I would need, and after work I went over to my friends place to fire up the wagon from it's winter slumber, and get it out of the barn and into the shop.

When I first arrived, I unloaded my stuff, grabbed the keys, and walked towards the barn, only to notice that the electric fence is hooked up. He hadn't mentioned that it was on, so I cautiously checked it. Nothing. So I went to unhook the wire, and once one hand touched the wire, and the other touched the post... I discovered that it was on the hard way. After I got the fence turned off and opened up, I slid open the barn door to find that both rear tires were flat. Fantastic. I got them filled, put the battery in, and suprisingly enough, the car fired up after just a few cranks.

Staying running was another story. Not only that, but the pin that holds the column shifter linkage in place had fallen out, so everytime I tried to shift the gears, the damn thing fell out, and I'd have to crawl under the car and slide it back into place. I think I did this about 20 times in total.

So I get the car running and pulled out of the barn, but then it died, and I had to jump it with my truck. I finally got it going and backed it up the 100 or so feet from the barn to the shop, and then it died again. Go get the truck again, and then got the wagon to start. As I was unhooking the cables, it died again. Get it running again, and it was actually idling in gear, but the shifter linkage had slid out again. I said screw it, and just went for it, not wanting to risk the car dying as I scrambled to unhook the battery. My trusty $15 jumper cables paid the ultimate price, as the negative clamps on each side caught and ripped off. Oh well, small price to pay considering I didn't have to push the damn thing into the shop with two low tires... all by myself, no less...

All said and done, it took me over an hour just to get the car into the shop. My back had started bothering me earlier in the day at work, and all the monkeying around I had to do to get the thing inside didn't help any. Once everything was moved, my back hurt so bad the very thought of working on it nearly brought a tear to my eye. On the plus side, I was able to get myself re-aquainted with the project and got a good idea of everything left to get it on the road. That and I swept the floor in the shop.

But hey, at least it runs... :lol:

 

[Phoenyx]

Woodgrain would work, but if you do that, then you gotta run some stock steelies with hubcaps. Gonna be a cool sleeper. 8)