Just bought an 88 Cutlass Supreme

[2drx4]

Hi everyone.

I had an 87 Cutlass Supreme years ago. I never really did anything with it, then it met an unfortunate fate. I missed that car and bought a not overly mint 88 last week.

Now I realize I know nothing about these things other than they're made by GM and the doors are really heavy.

It looks better in pictures than in real life.

I will have lots of reading to do and stupid questions coming up.

 

[2drx4]

I guess it's not technically stock. The P/O's son deleted the smog pump system and the A/C. I'm not sure if the A/C was NFG, or if removing the smog pump complicates having it.

Also he pulled the vinyl top off. I'm not sure if that's because he planned to replace it, or if he was going to delete it (assuming that's a thing?). I will need to look into this because the missing trim and some of the cosmetic issues associated with this annoy me.

 

[g0thiac]

Also he pulled the vinyl top off. I'm not sure if that's because he planned to replace it, or if he was going to delete it (assuming that's a thing?).

As he should. All they do is make rusting a problem. If it’s just a summer driver, then for sure you can always add it back.

Enjoy the new Cutlass, and also welcome too haha 😌👌

 

[2drx4]

As he should. All they do is make rusting a problem. If it’s just a summer driver, then for sure you can always add it back.

Enjoy the new Cutlass, and also welcome too haha 😌👌

I prefer the look without the vinyl honestly. I'm just not sure what you do to finish it correctly without it.

And I'm definitely enjoying the car. It's proving to be in remarkably good mechanical condition despite sitting for over 10 years.

 

[69hurstolds]

You will need to obtain the anodized rear window trim for a non-vinyl top, add some window studs for the trim clips to hold all that on, as well as obtain 8 "umbrella clips" to keep the rear lower pieces on. The rubber trim around the vinyl top quarter windows isn't as wide, so if you can obtain some non-vinyl quarter windows, you'll be further ahead. Also, any and all exterior clip studs would need grinding off. Smooth out the rest of the top's rough areas as they didn't finish the vinyl top cars as well back there, and repaint and it will look like it never had a vinyl top on it.

I've never had to do this myself since I've only owned one G-body with a vinyl top and never messed with it, but just from what I know about living vicariously through others' pains doing this job. I don't think I'm missing anything, but it's just more time consuming than hard.

 

[2drx4]

You will need to obtain the anodized rear window trim for a non-vinyl top, add some window studs for the trim clips to hold all that on, as well as obtain 8 "umbrella clips" to keep the rear lower pieces on. The rubber trim around the vinyl top quarter windows isn't as wide, so if you can obtain some non-vinyl quarter windows, you'll be further ahead. Also, any and all exterior clip studs would need grinding off. Smooth out the rest of the top's rough areas as they didn't finish the vinyl top cars as well back there, and repaint and it will look like it never had a vinyl top on it.

I've never had to do this myself since I've only owned one G-body with a vinyl top and never messed with it, but just from what I know about living vicariously through others' pains doing this job. I don't think I'm missing anything, but it's just more time consuming than hard.

Thanks. I think the car actually came with the correct trim pieces, or most of them, for the conversion. I just skimmed a YouTube video on it and it looked like some of the pieces I have are for that. I'm not totally sure though, it came with lots of stuff and since it was the P/O's son's project there wasn't much explanation about what any of the other stuff was. They had smoothed out the seams and did a decent job on the one side, the other has had moisture enter it so it will need to be redone. Overall the paint is garbage on the whole car, as I said it looks way better in pictures than real life, and there is some rust that isn't ideal. At best it only deserves being made mostly straight and then rattle canned unless somebody wants to do a full on restoration, and that won't be me, or I don't plan for it to be me.

 

[LeftLaneOnly]

Did you put new tires on it

my ten year old tires...I was lucky that day

 

[2drx4]

Did you put new tires on it

my ten year old tires...I was lucky that day

That's a good one.

And yes, I did. Now in the build thread I started for it. I've had enough bad tire experiences to not push it.

 

[airboatgreg]

Welcome from SW Georgia. Lot's of info here.