All stock for now. 27 MPG. It came from the factory with the "handeling package" ... not sure what that is. It has sway bars. Do all Cutty's have sway bars from the factory? Also, why are some shifters on the floor and some on the column? Mine is on the column.
You have the F41 handling package. This is stiffer springs, thicker sway bars and the quick ratio steering box.
No, all Cutlass's do not come with this package or sway bars on the rear. All had a sway bar on the front though, just not as thick as the cars with the F41 package.
Also, the Calais and Salon were the ones that had the floor shift and console. It was a package you could order. You can covert yours to the floor shift/center console/bucket seats fairly easily if yours is a column shift.
Hope that helps, and Nice Cutlass. Looks pretty clean. 🙂
27mpg is extremely good for one of these even strickly highway with a 3.8. You are lucky for the f-41 and not haveing a vinal top. They need the f-41 at minimum just to corner decent. Poly end links are a cheap eazy to replace serviceable item that normally helps noticeably. Also if you want to keep the stainless steel lower trim panels pay particular attention to the clips on the pieces in front of the front wheels. Very few Cutty still have these as they break and then one day you notice your missing some stainless steel trim. You can get the clips at any dealership plus internet etc. If & when it needs tires BFG & Firestone Firehawk Indys make a 205/70/14 (25.4 tall) for the front and a 245/60/14 (25.6 tall) for the rear that give it a better look & road hold while retaining the stock 25.5" tire height. If you want something to fill out your wheelwells better they also make a 215/70/14 for the front/rear and a 225/70/14 for the rear.
Buckets and console shift along with the ralley guage pack really change the feel of these from Grama blue hairs car to a sporty younger persons car. Bucket seats can be found cheap as can ralley guage packs, consoles are a little more. All of these are simple upgrades to make. You can often find these parts on here or at Oldspower.com or from one of the gbody parts sellers and oh yea the salvage yard. The salvage yard is the cheapest and also helps save these parts/ cars from being melted down & disapearing so I am a fan of the salvage yard. Welcome to the board. Nice looking car btw the ralley wheels look so much better than stupid wire hub caps. Odd your car does not have the sport mirrors. Let us know your goals and you can benefit from the boards experience/resources.
Yeah it was my grandmother's car. Now she's too old to drive, so I got it. I believe at one point I remember a vinyl top being on the car, but the paint was getting really bad and around three years ago or so it was repainted (not a very good job, but ok for a while). Not sure if they removed the vinyl top then ... or maybe it never had one IDK.
Interior has the bench seat and like I said column shifter. Has the "Four Season" A/C upgrade (I have the build sheet) but the radio is AM only .. not even a cassette deck. The car is fairly clean and straight. Front left corner has a small crack with some paint missing from the bumper from a parking lot accident.
Needs to be waxed, steamed cleaned, and detailed good.
I'm a Ford guy so this is my first GM product. I've had 3 or 4 Mustangs in the past (all 5.0 5 speed notches), own a 1978 F150 with a 400M now along with my wife's 4.6L Mercury Mountaineer. I also love imports (RWD ones) and have been really big in the Nissan and Subaru scene over the years. I've owned several 240's, WRX, Miata, etc. ... so this will be a new learning experience for me.
It sounds to me like it was custom ordered when new. To have A/C, the rocker moldings, rally wheels, FE-2 suspension and a cloth interior in a car with only the AM radio is an unusual combination.
Yeah I didn't see anything on the build sheet about a vinyl top, but for some reason I remember it being on there when I was a kid, but I could have been mistaken. It's not bad, but it's not a show car either. It's a 20/20 car for sure. At 20 feet away and 20 miles an hour it looks nice 8) ... when you get up within 5 feet of it or so you can notice the paint's not perfect. But the average Joe wouldn't notice, I know a "car guy" would though.
Right now I'm going to focus on suspenision, wheels, tires, and driveline first. Then worry about cosmetics later.
Good plan. I took care of my underbody, suspension, tires/wheels, drivetrain first.
This fall I will repaint it and finish up the cosmetics. Its a long process, but your car looks good, so start updating all the worn out parts first. No sense prettying up a car if it isnt reliable.
jonnyslick, Sorry for some stupid reason I though you were like 16 and this was your first car inherited from gramma. Welcome to gbodys they are fun with tons of options and can still be very affordable to play with so to speak.
HaHa ... it's ok Vern. I probably sound like a 16 year old on here b/c I have like zero experience with anything made by GM. So I'm on a bit of a learning curve now .. once I figure out some of the basics I won't be asking such questions I've been bombarding you all with (right now I'm reading about the TV cable on our cars and how to adjust it) ...
But good group of guys here .. (you just need more corner carvers on here and less drag racers! j/king :lol: )
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