Build Thread-85 Cutlass Brougham-New Pics Added!

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Unfortunately, I do not have the cash to buy a whole new setup for my car. If I was doing it all over again today, I would probably choose a different route. I will be using B body spindles and calipers with 1LE F body rotors, and S-10 idler arm and pitman arm. The S-10 pieces lower the center drag link, and it is an experiment I am trying. This is NOT an idea I got from someone else, but rather something I figured out by myself. I may very well be wrong, so please. No one else try this thinking I am recommending it. I will not be responsible for the results if it does not work. It may also require cutting the jounce bar mount down or notching it for clearance. I really don't know yet as it is still in the theory stage.

As for Global West, Their stuff seems to be of nice quality, but their customer service leaves much to be desired. Their instruction sheet was full of typos, which I found quite maddening considering the amount of cash I spent to buy their arms. Their website does not feel first rate either. I also asked for offset cross shafts, and they do not appear to have used them when they built mine. Maybe they did, but they look like they are in the stock position.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Today's junkyard scores: I finally managed to pull a headliner to reupholster. Not what I wanted to do, but the weekly junkyard run was costing me $20 a week ($80 a month buys a lot of other things!), and I can't afford to keep looking. I also scored the ultra rare 87/88 power seat track-the one with three motors instead of a single motor and the shitty nylon transmission! Getting it was an ordeal. I first used my BFH and a screwdriver to punch holes in the floor pan as it was about 4 inches deep in putrid, fetid water. Oh, it also was full of broken glass. No matter, I NEEDED this piece to complete the car. After about 30-40 minutes of draining, it was ready to go. Since it was a power track, of course it was not in the ideal location for removal. So, I had to use a 13mm open end wrench on 4 of the 6 bolts to get it free, all the while dodging the putrid water and broken glass as best I could. Now when I finally got the seat out of the car, I still had to remove the track from the seat. It was a warm, sunny wind free day, so I had the headliner next to me waiting to go and check out. Imagine my horror when I heard thunder and the wind picked up-right in the middle of hand wrenching the track off! Suddenly, the 30% chance of rain had become 100%! I finally got it off and had to try and get to the yard office with a stiff wind and a light, delicate headliner board on my wheelbarrow before the storm got in. Just as I got in the door I saw the rain coming across the yard. I had made it with mere seconds to spare! However, I was still 30 miles from home and it was pouring rain. I sat in the office for probably half an hour before it let up enough that I ventured outside. I pulled the truck up to the door and loaded the seat track in first, then covered it with some of the boxes that were in the bed. Then I put the tools in, and then the headliner- facing topside up. I criss crossed the bed with bungee cords, and headed home in the rain. However, the board was dancing about a bit, so I pulled off the side of the road and added another set of bungees across the bed to further keep it in place. I also noticed that the brown foam on top of the board was washing away in the rain. So, when I got it home, I hosed it off real good to get the rest of it off. Now all I have left to do is strip the old material and install the new.

 

[breeaad]

I replaced my headliner in my t-top car about 10 years ago. Although it has been a long time, I have put maybe a few thousand miles on the car during that time. So the other day I was nosing around the car in the garage and saw it was sagging again. I was thinking "already???". I guess 10 years I shouldn't complain!!

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

A new little tidbit of information for anyone doing the 87/88 seat track swap into an earlier car: The switch is different and will not interchange. It sucks too because I have a mint early switch and no later switch. So, I guess I will be trying to find a tri motor switch from a Cadillac or something and then try to adapt it to the G body bezel. As always, I will post my findings in this thread when I have something definitive.

 

[Blake442]

When I parted my '87 Cutlass Salon, I left the bottom half of the power drivers bucket in the car because I couldn't get to the bolts, and didn't have time to dick around with it to get it out. 🙁
It didn't work anyways, but I ended up just taking the upper half of the seat. I parted the car at school, and only got about 5 hours worth of time to get everything I could off of it before they wanted it out of the shop. They didn't like us auto body guys spilling into the mechanical shop...
I wish I could've just kept the damn car... There were still a lot of parts I wanted to take off of it.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

If parts stores are sausage fests, then Jo-Ann Fabrics is a Donut fest! Anyhow, I bought my headliner fabric today. Using a 40% off coupon my mom had, I bought 3 yards of navy blue for $20. Sadly I had to get the darker of the two blues they had as the roll of the lighter dark blue that would have matched better did not have enough left on it. I am about 30% done with stripping the shell of old foam, so I should be able to upholster it in a day or two. Also, the headliner itself only really needs about 2 yards, but the extra yard was to give me some overlap to fold around the back, and some extra material to do the visors with. The good news is that this means I have all the major stuff I need to do the interior! I still need to find a passenger's side window switch, a 87/88 seat switch (or it's parts bin equivalent), a pint of vinyl dye, and rear seat belts, but none of these things are really keeping me from moving forwards. I figure I should be able to scavenge the last of my needed parts next week after class. I also still have to figure out how to pull an A/C compressor clutch in a junkyard so I don't have to pay for one when I get a compressor, and I need to find my missing trim clip as well as a Chevy cruise control diaphragm bracket to finish the last of my luxury crap. It would also be nice to find a intermittent wiper switch and an Olds sport wheel in blue, but I guess it is all in due time. Classes start next week, so I won't have as much time to work on it any more, but at least it is mostly finished.

 

[mr evil]

If you're thinking of selling your power seat switches and or your old seat motor, I might like to buy it, assuming you have it and it is working?
Also, I may have a diaphram bracket here somewhere, I'll have a look tonight if you like?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

The original seat track assembly no longer works. Otherwise, I would not replace it. As for the switch, I assume it works but hadn't had a chance to try it. It's been sitting in a box full of switches for many years and I don't know if I ever tested it. It only works on the old style track with the nylon transmission. As for the cruise brackets, I am out of money right now but would prefer to pull them off a complete car so I can get all the bolts and such with them. It would also allow me to note the proper assembly procedure when I go to install it on my car.

 

[mr evil]

No probs, thought I'd ask 🙂

 

[78mali350]

just fyi this is probably one of the more impressive builds that have gone on this summer, you have done a ton of work to this car and it's the most imformative thread I have ever read. great job and keep it up. you only have a week to go!