Project: 87 442

[pimplogic]

Just here to throw some ideas off your heads guys.
i need a reliable car to get back and forth to college, fun to ride in,
and can hold its own in the snow.

This is what i have,
87 442- $400, no engine, no trans, 8.5 rear with 3.73's
Thm-350 trans, homemade double hump Xmember
Good interior, minus moldy carpet.
Console
Rally Gages
steel rims
ac deleted

My plans
Olds 403
LongTube headers
H pipe
Hooker Aerochambers
Ram Air Hood
Aftermarket heater
Side exit pipes after rear tires
Classic "Pencil tip" Chrome tips
15x8 repro 442 rallies on the rear
15x7 repro 442 rallies on the front
(need help on tire size)
Maybe a Hurst Dual Gate shifter. $600 is a little steep.
And 442 emblems all around, not the stickers REAL emblems.

Budget is around $2000
$1000 for engine and trans and exhaust
$1000 for wheels, tires and non neccesary stuff.

Any ideas will be appreciated, thanks for looking

 

[86 regal]

it all sounds good but i have a hard time spending a bunch of money fixing up a car to drive in the snow, maybe its different where you are but in mn salt sucks!

 

[Oldsmoletick]

I wouldn't want to drive too far with 3.73's and a th350, it kind of sucks, I find myself cruising around at 50mph most of the time so I keep the revs down, lol. Either switch to an OD transmission or regear to a 3.08/3.23/3.42 or whatever if you are going to drive it everyday.

 

[MR442]

Same on the gearing with the 350 trans. you will get bad MPG with the 403 and 350 . Rear wheeled cars go fine with winter tires and weight in back for winter . If you been driving them from years that is. Way different then front. And if a solid car driving in salt will kill it .

I never put a build down and am not now . But for a budget minded college student . THe possible repairs you will have by not rebuilding as you go could get $$$. Find a running beater Gbody . Then will have all need to swap later. If possible.

Would be a real fun car thats for sure. Its up to you.

 

[hunter_alexander]

Here is my thoughts.

SELL THE 442, and get a different car.

Or keep the 442 while you fix it up and get a daily driver for the snow.

Either way, get a different car for winter. lol

A 403 th350 and 373 rear will be murder on gas, be hard to drive in the snow (of course why would you want to drive a 442 in the snow is beyond me) and the money you spend getting it road worthy will be wasted.

Since you say a 2k budget, use that to get a good daily driver, and fix up the 442 the right way.

Thats my 2 cents.

 

[pimplogic]

Well i was just putting all of this down on paper before i actually got to buyin crap, i absolutely hate front wheel drive cars, all the ones i seem to have could never beat my old cutlass with the 307, man i miss that car. but more realistically i could save all the parts i want from the 442 (gages, consoole, buckets, blah blah and drop them into a beater cutlass and call it a day. the body is rusty underneath and would really take some major cleaning, grinding and welding to get right. honestly this car isn't much of a 442 since it has no t tops and only has the posi 8.5. :|
well nothing lost here eh.

Still if i get another beeter olds with the 307 oldsmocrap i'll proli do true duals, LT headers, the Aerochambers and side exits just for the hell of it. . im kinda jealous of all the G bodies driving around Dayton, they all look like crap.