i have a 86 442 that i bought for 200 bucks locally on craigslist. the car was literally just a shell and was said to have no title but i have the title from the previous owner so i am 99% sure i can get that all taken care of. the car was stripped, the interior consisted od the original front seats and the dash, nothing else, no motor and had been sitting under a tarp for years, exposed to water.... i orignally bought it so i could get the rear end and transmission out of it for my regal and cut the t tops out of it for my calais. i bought it at night time and told the guy on the phone it was sold without even seeing it know the rear end alone was worth the 200. the next day i am at work thinking to my self i have a 442 t top cutlass at home, i am a nut for t tops! so i get home and start going over the car expecting the shell to be shot from being neglected for all of those years, last registered in 92 and it shows around 50k... first thing i look at is the flor boards, solid since there was small drain holes drilled in them, next rockers, solid as a rock, body mounts had surface but solid, frame solid... next which i was putting off because i figured it for sure had to be rotted, the t tops... once again solid! there was a new gm oem full quarter on the passenger side and there is rust on the drivers side wheel well, not that big of a issue though. since then i have dropped my 355 chevy (hush its all i have and i want efi) not running yet but its bolted in, just need time. i have a near complete gray interior, exhaust is on it, i have my 17 eagles on it and i have replaced the entire front suspension with poly bushings, moog problem solver tie rods, ball joints...... i put a 120mph speedo in it but still have the stock one also. part of me says keep it stock minus the motor but i also think that not having the numbers matching motor i can never do 100% full factory resotore and honestly there are plenty of better examples of stock 442s out there so i am leaning at making it the way i want it, this is where i need opinions. my plan is to get it running, plenty of power with the current motor and i have efi setup i may put on later. i want to use the factory theme paint in a dark burgundy with gun metal on the bottom instead of silver, work on suspension, throw a set of lightning rods in, hurst hood scoop, hurst air dam, no spoiler (dont care much for the hurst spoiler) and MAYBE find a GN motor for it someday..... this is far from stock and need to know if people are gonna think i butchered a 442 or if they will see it as being saved from the crusher....?
looking for opinions on what to do with my 442
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Do what you want, it's your car. I'd prefer a S/C V8, over a turbo V6 though, just my opinion. I like the direction that your going with it. I don't care about G-Body 442s not having the original engines, they suck anyway.
i just like the turbo motor becuase it was original equipment in that era of car and you can build some insane power with them. i use to be only carbes small chevy motors with no a/c cruise.... now i still like the chevy motors but want efi, a/c and cruise lol. funny how things can change over time. to me the ultimate 442 would have a gn motor, the lightning rods, the hurst exterior parts, 120mph speedo, t tops(imo) and a nice paint job.... all of the best stuff. oh i have electronic climate contol to put in also, not sure if that was a option on a 442 or not?
Build it however you want. It's not a big deal if the original motor is gone... they suck anyways.
I blew the bottom end apart in mine and threw it in the back of a truck I was junking. So much for numbers-matching... :lol:
I'd put a 455 in that thing and, oh wait, that is what I did...
I blew the bottom end apart in mine and threw it in the back of a truck I was junking. So much for numbers-matching... :lol:
I'd put a 455 in that thing and, oh wait, that is what I did...
a 455 could ber in the future. i guess the motor is the least of my worries. its wether take it to stock or go all out custom more or less?
just picked up the rest of the 87 442 gray dash/console bezels, 442 door panels badges i was missing, and a hurst hood scoop with the trim piece on the hood. if i can get a hurst air dam and lightning rod setup i am gonna be looking good in no time. i need to wrap the motor up here real soon so i can go get the title in my name, i have to have it inspected since its from out of state 🙁
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