442 Project: Looks can be deceiving

[rogue_ryder]

Thanks for the replies and comments! I’m outta town for a few weeks and will be doing some more fine tuning to the engine to get it running spot on and take it in for the emissions test and get it registered.

Here’s some more pictures of the work I’ve done:

Dropped the axle and tank. Cleaned both and then reinstalled with new control arms and an upper tie bar. The upper bar is an UMI bar and the control arms are unbranded $179 eBay specials but they fit and worked perfectly all for 1/2 the cost of UMI.

Also swapped in an Eaton posi (actually a NOS US GEAR unit that shares the same P/N as the EATON a score at only $200)

ProForm Chinesium Rear Diff cover, looks cool and should add a touch of rigidity to the axle.

New brakes and axle seals

New Springs cheap Moog Springs that I believe are for a 70s A-body or even a Vega/Monza I went with the recommendations from SouthSide Performance. Lucky for me the car came with new Bilstein shocks so that saved me some bucks, I'm very happy with the ride quality and performance of this combo.

Cleaned up the frame too!

The front really looked awful and was tired and original so it all had to go.

The Blazer upgrade! (Thanks to timo22). After some cleaning/painting and installing new unit bearings.

Lower control arms got cleaned, painted and some new energy suspension bushings installed along with new ball joints

Upper control arms from southside machine complete with screw in tall ball joint to correct suspension geometry to be equal to C5 vette! $360 for the control arms and ball joints.

Re-manufactured Blazer calipers that I painted up Gold and rotors (centric brand) with some cheap $70 Unit Bearings

Rusty cross members cleaned up too

I replaced all the tie rods with half moog and half proforged (mix up in ordering) and was disappointed that the profoged is imported stuff. The billet adjustment sleeves are trick, but in the future I will only get Moog TREs.

After getting it put back together it looks pretty good. I swapped on the GNX wheels cause I like the look better than the 442 wheels but don’t worry I’ll be saving those.

 

[rogue_ryder]

Now you just need to get rid of the Texas plate. We have too many Texas plates......😛

You ain’t kidding!!!

...Was it some Gas Monkey Garage wanna be dealer trying to flip it?

If it were a dealer I’d have been down in Dallas getting all my money back! Just owned by one of those “car guys” that doesn’t know how to turn a wrench. Dude is just an *ss monkey who owns a garden center and probably should stick to selling shrubs.

Good idea on rebuilding the 12si alternator for more amps, should last a long time. Most of the aftermarket 100+ amp Chrome alternator's are 10si based and don't last long term, ask me how I know. Ken at Everyday Performance is great to deal with, he did my non CCC Qjet. Can you posts pics of the exhaust, the head pipes where they go into the collectors specifically? I hope the paint job at least looks good and the car is rust free, wow the little stuff is brutal on that car. In the end, you will have a very nice ride.

I definitely will get some better close up pix of the collectors when I get back home in a couple weeks.


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[rogue_ryder]

Very nice work! Do you have the model number for those dash speakers? Looks like they fit perfect. How is the sound quality?

Kicker 43dsc3504 3.5” 80 watt I got em on eBay for $35! Sound quality is great imho, definitely waaay better than any stock speaker this size.



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[olds307 and 403]

Wow, those sbc down pipes look like they fit pretty good. If the Thornton shorty headers were available a few years back, I would have gone this route with sbc down pipes. Almost nothing swaps from the sbc to the Olds V8. The car looks great and you should be a around 200 hp with the headers and upgraded exhaust, the stock cross over was a joke even with the cat back dual set up. Can hardly wait to see close up pics.

 

[Longroof79]

I just followed this thread now. Wow!! You've certainly taken care of a lot of annoying problems and then some. It amazes me how many hacks there are out that claim to be mechanics. This poor car was crying out for a new owner. Nice upgrades....nice car.
Nice work so far. I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it.

What's the old adage about turning a sow's ear into a silk purse?

 

[rogue_ryder]

Wow, those sbc down pipes look like they fit pretty good. If the Thornton shorty headers were available a few years back, I would have gone this route with sbc down pipes. Almost nothing swaps from the sbc to the Olds V8. The car looks great and you should be a around 200 hp with the headers and upgraded exhaust, the stock cross over was a joke even with the cat back dual set up. Can hardly wait to see close up pics.

I put the flange pics up in the Exhaust Thread:
https://gbodyforum.com/threads/cutlass-supreme-exhaust-system-questions.66156/page-6#post-638673

Really hard to get in there and take a pic, but the good news is everything is sealed up and doesn't leak at all! I'm going to leave it as is for now, but in the future might modify the xmember to get the exhaust tucked up more under the car.

Last weekend I was able to get some new emissions parts installed (PCV, EGR, Charcoal Filter, etc.) and got the car's timing set right. I took the car down to the Emissions stations and I passed everything EXCEPT the gas cap!!! The thing that Pi$$ed me off was the cap was a brand new Stant I got from RockAuto.com a few months back. I had to go over to Autozone and get another for $15, run back to the emssions place and have the car run through again (free retest). I passed the 2nd time through with even better numbers than the first time through! Unfortunately the clowns at Aircare Colorado made me miss the County Clerk (registration place) so I have to wait until this Friday to get my plates.

 

[olds307 and 403]

Awesome, the exhaust turned out fine. I think those Thornton Stainless Headers will be my next set, My Sanderson's have seen better days and are 10+ years old. Hopefully the exhaust gives your swirl port 307 HO the boost it needs.

 

[SoFloG]

Tuned in. Looking optimistic!

 

[rogue_ryder]

Every gauge is working and I relocated the O2 sensor closer to the flange on the down pipe. I was running too rich at idle and moving it up is letting the car idle with the screws 1.5 turns out instead of 4.

Timing is set at 21*:

With all the new emissions parts, proper timing and carb settings I think she’s running as good as could be expected.


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[ItsnotaGN]

I put the flange pics up in the Exhaust Thread:
https://gbodyforum.com/threads/cutlass-supreme-exhaust-system-questions.66156/page-6#post-638673

Really hard to get in there and take a pic, but the good news is everything is sealed up and doesn't leak at all! I'm going to leave it as is for now, but in the future might modify the xmember to get the exhaust tucked up more under the car.

Last weekend I was able to get some new emissions parts installed (PCV, EGR, Charcoal Filter, etc.) and got the car's timing set right. I took the car down to the Emissions stations and I passed everything EXCEPT the gas cap!!! The thing that Pi$$ed me off was the cap was a brand new Stant I got from RockAuto.com a few months back. I had to go over to Autozone and get another for $15, run back to the emssions place and have the car run through again (free retest). I passed the 2nd time through with even better numbers than the first time through! Unfortunately the clowns at Aircare Colorado made me miss the County Clerk (registration place) so I have to wait until this Friday to get my plates.

I had the same ting on the Monte a few years back. It ran clean enough (There may have been some E-85 in the tank) to fast pass, then they failed it for the gas cap. Off to Autozone in Castle Rock for a cap, back in 15 minutes where you can't just test the new cap, you have to go through the full dyno session. Don't et me started on when the 18 yr old kid bounced my FJ60 off the rollers.....