Ok first of all I love the g-body 442s so I'm using a Cutlass because I didn't want to cut up a 442. And when it's dun it won't be original anyway I always liked my g's but felt they were all well for the most part grossly under powered so about 14 years ago I was working at a body shop in Toms River. One morning when I came in I was looking at the carnage that was towed in over the weekend and there she was. Backed up to the dumpster and blasted in the right front a light blue metallic 87 Cutlass. I went out at morning break and gave it a good once over and fell for her good solid frame and floor with the exception of the hit because yes she was bent! But buckets console windows locks tilt Cruse Oldsmobile V8 and a power moon roof o thought this car is me! A roll cage will go right around that moon roof.
So I made a deal with the head of towing and he gave me the car with a clean title 2 weeks later another one shows up in the yard wight with a burgundy gut 87 I talked to towing again this one is an in pound no reg no insurance DUI so he got the title for towing and storage and the project was on!
First I tore off the old sheet metal to see just what I had on impact the motor mounts and the trans mount broak there was a dent in the firewall from the right side manifold and the right valve cover cracked the heater box (still like that) both front rails we're aiming straight down and the a/c compressor took a hit the brackets laied back and the compressor dented the valve cover but it ran great so I chained it up on the shop and my brother and I fixed the rails in about an hour back on my own I changed the mounts and got the pullies and brackets off the other car I was hot on it back then and the following weekend I swapped the nose complete and gutted the parts car of anything I thought I may need like the doors
A few weeks later I sold the parts car. Witch still ran and drove lol to another Toms River body shop that needed a quarter panel for an 85 442 I don't remember time line exactly but over time a long time it went through a lot of changes 455 olds th350 th400 4.11 posi trailing arms all kinds of work fix this change that always a project never a driver in fact I still have not driven the car with reg and ins to this day I guess life just gets in the way I bought a house had 2 kids just life anyway I can't find the pictures I took back then but from here out I will and I do have some from the last few years
So this build thred is my take on what a 87 442 should have been and I don't care about the (9) that's not in my VIN
So I made a deal with the head of towing and he gave me the car with a clean title 2 weeks later another one shows up in the yard wight with a burgundy gut 87 I talked to towing again this one is an in pound no reg no insurance DUI so he got the title for towing and storage and the project was on!
First I tore off the old sheet metal to see just what I had on impact the motor mounts and the trans mount broak there was a dent in the firewall from the right side manifold and the right valve cover cracked the heater box (still like that) both front rails we're aiming straight down and the a/c compressor took a hit the brackets laied back and the compressor dented the valve cover but it ran great so I chained it up on the shop and my brother and I fixed the rails in about an hour back on my own I changed the mounts and got the pullies and brackets off the other car I was hot on it back then and the following weekend I swapped the nose complete and gutted the parts car of anything I thought I may need like the doors
A few weeks later I sold the parts car. Witch still ran and drove lol to another Toms River body shop that needed a quarter panel for an 85 442 I don't remember time line exactly but over time a long time it went through a lot of changes 455 olds th350 th400 4.11 posi trailing arms all kinds of work fix this change that always a project never a driver in fact I still have not driven the car with reg and ins to this day I guess life just gets in the way I bought a house had 2 kids just life anyway I can't find the pictures I took back then but from here out I will and I do have some from the last few years
So this build thred is my take on what a 87 442 should have been and I don't care about the (9) that's not in my VIN
