My new '81 Cutlass

[Huxly]

So, I'm a long time lurker, first time Poster, and I just bought my first G body today, an '81 Calais, 305, Buckets, console, ralley gauges, the body is pretty well done, needs a few things, the frame looks almost new, and the interior is garbage, and i took it all away for a Whopping $475!
I dont have many pics at the moment because about 45 minutes into the 3 hour drive home the diff blew up , so Ill share the pics I have, we're getting the car home on tuesday, and more pics will come, progress wont be extremely fast, as im 18 and working at Wal-Mart haha,
Joel

 

[Huxly]

One more pic, kind of depressing :|

 

[LSCustoms]

congrats and yeh, more pics

 

[HDFXR1991]

Ah..... a fellow '81

Good job!

 

[cutdog815]

So, I'm a long time lurker, first time Poster, and I just bought my first G body today, an '81 Calais, 305, Buckets, console, ralley gauges, the body is pretty well done, needs a few things, the frame looks almost new, and the interior is garbage, and i took it all away for a Whopping $475!
I dont have many pics at the moment because about 45 minutes into the 3 hour drive home the diff blew up , so Ill share the pics I have, we're getting the car home on tuesday, and more pics will come, progress wont be extremely fast, as im 18 and working at Wal-Mart haha,
Joel

Nice want to sell lol jk :lol:

 

[Huxly]

Haha, had you offered me $100 20 minutes after it happend you'd have a new cutlass! but I think I'm gunna keep it still, I just need to get it home! its being stored 120KM away at $35 a day,

 

[3XBrownCutty]

holy sh*t! $35 a day!! Robbery!

Like the 78-9 h/o mags. nice olds!

 

[motorholmes]

Good score! Rear ends are cheap and they're everywhere. Probly cheaper to buy a whole rear drum-to-drum than goof with that one.

I wish I could find a sweet Cutty for under $500!

 

[Huxly]

Thanks guys, I really like the wheels too, need to get some better (non-bald) tires though, and yeah, rear ends aren't too bad, about $250-$500 from most of the local ads, but I'm looking for a whole parts car, this thing has quite the hack job for electrical, and almost the whole interior needs to be replaced, so I think a second car with a junk body is my best bet

 

[dogsht]

Welcome and congrats. A parts car can be a good buy as you can get what you need and sell whats left often costing you next to nothing. Such as the rear end for temporary if you cannot immediately find what you want. Swapping the whole rear drum to drum is much easier and more idiot proof then going into a rear. The rear end thing is an opportunity for one of the single best upgrades anyway. Have your local salvage yard do a computer search for you and or you should also use http://www.car-parts.com to find a whole MCSS rear end drum to drum. It will have either 3.42s or 3.73s may have a posi and may come with the rear sway bar, which you might not have. If it comes with a worn out posi, new clutches are about $90 which is way cheaper than a new posi.

The only downside is that the 81s still came with a crappy old three speed. With only a three speed non overdrive the sweet acceleration gears of 3.42 & especially 3.73 can be a bit much. Thats assuming you will drive it on the highway as it will spin a lot of rpm and eat more fuel. Which leads us to the next ideal upgrade; a 200-4R like GM put in the Grand National, 442, & later MCSS. With it you get to have your cake and eat it to. You get to enjoy the acceleration provided by say 3.73 AND not have to turn stupid rpms down the highway additionally getting the best fuel economy. On top of that you get a lock up converter which down the road allows you to have a high stall yet still drive and get fuel economy and not have heat issues because of the lock up feature. This becomes a great advantage for a hot street car if and when you start powering up the engine and using more cam etc.

On the tires check out http://www.tirerack.com. for info pics specs & pricing and compare it with shipping to what you can get locally at Wall Mart and especially Sams club if you have or know someone who has a membership. The somewhat rare Olds ralleys you have look good so you may want to just use them or at least until you get bigger rims down the road after you have more important upgrades finished such as the rear & transmission. What tires are cheap look good and have the ideal sizing for your Cutty with the small 14" rims? BFG Radial TAs. Your car factory had a small skinney short 195/75/14 25.6" tall non performance old mans white wall tall tire. I suggest a 205/70/14 25.4" tall up front with a 245/60/14 25.6" tall in the rear. A little wider lower profile tire for improved straight line traction cornering and more performance musclecar looks. They also have the same height so that your speedometer and odometer remain correct. Have fun gbodys are a great platform from which to build a great car for cheap.