New member, returning to my roots

[Jeff L]

Great intro and welcome from AZ. Good luck getting back into the G body world! You will find plenty of good info and leads in finding the right car here for sure.

 

[clean8485]

Welcome to the site from the great white north. There are lots of good folks here. As others have said, your best bet is to find a clean solid car with zero/minimum paint/rust issues, and look after any mechanical issues. That way, you should have some fun with it.

 

[dgmeadows]

Thanks guys for the welcome. As I have considered buying "fun" cars over the years, I've seen a lot of undercarriage pics and learned about that horrible road salt stuff they use up north. I have noted that parts for the 78-80 Cutlass are not as readily available as those for Camaros and Firebirds. I might consider a 68 Firebird with lots of interior work needed, as I can buy a complete interior for that car, but I know that is not the case for the 78-80 Cutlass.

As to what my plans are, I will definitely drive it - a lot - no garage queens for me. But, it will be a sporadic cruiser only, not a daily driver. I've got 2 trucks for the everyday stuff now.

I have come across some decent deals on 79 Hursts and 80 442s that appear to be in good shape, but I am not sure I want to go that route. While I dreamed of owning a Hurst when I had the 79 Calais, I really liked the individuality of a non special edition, true "sleeper."

Of course, in 78-80 government emissions and mpg mandates hampered the HP. I would want to do some tweaking to improve the performance. Whether that is a cam and carb upgrade on a 305, or an engine or transmission swap, who knows?

On one hand, it would be fun to find another brown Calais and tweak it like I wanted to in my teen years, but never had the money to. On the other hand, I've always really liked the red/burgundy interior, especially with bright white, charcoal or silver exterior. I guess I will just have to see what I can find.

 

[Rktpwrd]

Welcome from another 78-80 Cutlass enthusiast!
I own two, both 80 Cutlass Calais models. While us "A" body guys are definitely outnumbered on here, there is still a dedicated following of our oft overlooked cars.

Parts are a little more scarce than our 81-88 brethren, but there are still plenty of good deals, usable parts and even a decent amount of interchange with other G's.

I love the photo of your '79 back in the day, I hope you continue down the G body path and find another one that satisfies your quest.

You mentioned above white with burgundy interior? Sounds like you might be looking for something similar to my "Project Olds Cool".

My other '80 is a much more ambitious long term project, nicknamed "The Juggernaut".

Hopefully these pics will help provide more motivation for you to get back into them.
Good luck and welcome again to the forum!

 

[moby92]

That is beautiful 79 Cutlass Calais, you must had great school days driving that.

 

[dgmeadows]

That is beautiful 79 Cutlass Calais, you must had great school days driving that.

Yes, it was quite the cruising machine with the T Tops. I had good friends with: a 72 Cutlass Supreme, Atlantic blue, Rocket 350, a 78 Monte Carlo, a 68 Cougar, a Capri RS 5.0, a 280ZX, and one female friend bought my grandmother's car - 1977 Malibu Classic, Burgundy on Burgundy with Chevy Rally wheels. None of the cars were new, but all were well kept. Still, most requests for rides were in my Cutlass, I assume due to the T Tops.

I almost got the Malibu, but told my Dad I really wanted T Tops and buckets if we could find one. I was a good student and had voluntarily worked since age 13, so Dad said he'd see what he could do, and Dad delivered.

 

[Texas82GP]

Yes, it was quite the cruising machine with the T Tops. I had good friends with: a 72 Cutlass Supreme, Atlantic blue, Rocket 350, a 78 Monte Carlo, a 68 Cougar, a Capri RS 5.0, a 280ZX, and one female friend bought my grandmother's car - 1977 Malibu Classic, Burgundy on Burgundy with Chevy Rally wheels. None of the cars were new, but all were well kept. Still, most requests for rides were in my Cutlass, I assume due to the T Tops.

I almost got the Malibu, but told my Dad I really wanted T Tops and buckets if we could find one. I was a good student and had voluntarily worked since age 13, so Dad said he'd see what he could do, and Dad delivered.

I'm just curious, what's your location? There is a member on here in metro Detroit with a very clean blue on blue Monte he wants to sell and its a great deal in my estimation. Don't know if you would have any interest in a different model g body......

 

[Andebe]

I've lurked here off an on for a while, but the urge to return to my G Body roots has gotten stronger, so I am spending a good bit of time re-educating myself about the car I loved in my teens and early 20's, as I am seriously contemplating getting another.

My avatar has a partial pic of the 1979 Olds Cutlass Calais my Dad was cool and generous enough to give me as my first car when I turned 16 in 1984. I can't figure out how to make it a complete pic, so I will try to add the full pic to the thread. Metallic brown, stripe delete, camel interior, 305 V8, T-Tops (Cars & Concepts). While my Dad was not a mechanic, my grandfather and great uncles on my Mom's side were all mechanics at various GM dealerships in and on the east side of Atlanta in the 50's - early 70's. Due to their influence, my taste always leaned to GM's, and particularly to the "other brands" - Olds, Buick, and Pontiac. I have nothing against Chevys, Fords or Mopars (I actually own 2 Dodge trucks now), but from a body style perspective, the Cutlass, Regal, Gran Sport, Lemans, Firebird, GTO and Grand Prix always appealed to me more.

While my brother beat up and switched out numerous cars over his first 5 years of driving (Dodge step side, 1980 Celica GT, Buick Regal, Honda Prelude, etc.) I drove my '79 Calais from 1984 to 1993, all through high school and college, but as I was preparing to get married, it was clear that I could not keep up with the maintenance my old Cutlass was going to need. While the motor was still strong, and the transmission was even better as we had upgraded to a THM350 rather than rebuilding the stock (which I believe was a THM200) at about 170K miles, suspension parts and steering linkages were failing, the headliner and interior needed work, the ubiquitous dash cracks had appeared, and my focus was on finishing school and getting married, so I gave up my old friend for something more practical.

I've regretted it often over the years, especially when I see another G-Body on the road. A guy where I live now has an early 80's Regal GN in pristine shape. It always brings a smile when I see it on the road. My oldest is finishing high school (private school, more expensive than in-state college) and I am starting to see some breathing room in the bank account, so I am seriously contemplating the purchase of another 1978 - 1980 Cutlass in the near future. This site seems to be one of the most informative and accurate that I have found, so I look forward to learning more from the members here.

The first cut is the deepest...Rod Stewart

 

[pagrunt]

My short memory sucks so I cn't remember who posted it, but one of the guys in New England area has a 442 Salon 5 speed for sale. Its looks like a very nice car.

 

[Opie Knievel]

My short memory sucks so I cn't remember who posted it, but one of the guys in New England area has a 442 Salon 5 speed for sale. Its looks like a very nice car.

I think Red78Calais4speed is the member you're thinking of.