BUILD THREAD theoldsone 442 build

[theoldsone]

Yup that's right! Finally one of my own. 1986 Oldsmobile 442 & T Tops! My previous Cutlass body which was a 87 supreme brougham was a gem from the outside. But underneath lived a nightmare of damaging rust and decay. Structural rust issues making it difficult for me to get over so I decided I wanted another body for the restored frame to sit on and what I ended up with was this.

I was looking for a nice clean car without major repairs needed some was ok but living out here in PA it's almost impossible to find unless the car was moved over state lines. This car is that car. Not only that a true 442. Outside it has its flaws (which I will take pics of later) but everything wrong with the 87 this car doesn't have. Quarters are excellent, Doors, wheel tubs, frame, floors, surprisingly rust free. Yea the deck lid will be replaced and the front clip was replaced at one time but either way those parts are also rust free. And it was all for a steal.

 

[Texas82GP]

Congratulations! The search didn't take that long. You are going to have one nice car when you are done.

 

[RunAwayNJ]

Nice - it's great to see another 442 saved from what could have been a trip to the junkyard. We did the same with ours - got it rough, fixed it up and kept it on the road. It's going be one awesome ride when you are done. Plus you can't beat T-tops. At least for the short term I'd invest in a car cover - every t-top car I've had leaked.

 

[Injectedcutty]

Yup that's right! Finally one of my own. 1986 Oldsmobile 442 & T Tops! My previous Cutlass body which was a 87 supreme brougham was a gem from the outside. But underneath lived a nightmare of damaging rust and decay. Structural rust issues making it difficult for me to get over so I decided I wanted another body for the restored frame to sit on and what I ended up with was this. View attachment 52390
I was looking for a nice clean car without major repairs needed some was ok but living out here in PA it's almost impossible to find unless the car was moved over state lines. This car is that car. Not only that a true 442. Outside it has its flaws (which I will take pics of later) but everything wrong with the 87 this car doesn't have. Quarters are excellent, Doors, wheel tubs, frame, floors, surprisingly rust free. Yea the deck lid will be replaced and the front clip was replaced at one time but either way those parts are also rust free. And it was all for a steal.
View attachment 52391

Sweet, makes me happy to see it become a survivor....like a pheonix rising again! All of us know you will put the hammer down and get it looking nice for that cherry frame you have waiting! Can't wait to see the progress!
Scott.

 

[theoldsone]

Thanks for the support! Hopefully I can get her to a body shop as soon as it's registered. Yea she runs and drives too but I wouldn't trust to drive it around too much just yet. Bleed brakes, Change oil, and wash her up should be just enough to get the ball rolling. The T tops most likely leak, how bad? I can't say it's bad but I don't know yet. The interior is Rough. Center console ok. Seats good. Plastic panels good but that's about it. Mostly Every thing else will be coming off my 87 to this one.
I will reupholster the door panels and rear seats to match the pro car seats I have and color match everything. The initial plan was black with the Chrome accents on Windows, wheel wells, and rockers. Now that it is a 442 I have to do the right thing. My plan is to keep the Chrome accents on the tops and windows but that's about it. Paint it a single stage black (got to stay with the classics) and Flat black 442 decals. Keeping it black with flat 442 decals won't break up the body lines and almost keep it under the radar as a 442. Where am I going to find flat black decals? I don't know yet...

 

[Texas82GP]

Look into Phoenix Graphics for the flat black decals. Your plan sounds good.

 

[olds307 and 403]

Congratulations, you found one! I like your plan and a good parts car helps a lot. You can either go Euro front or sell it to help fund the restoration. Weird how the trunk lids go, especially with rest mostly rust free, mine was the same. I would change the window sweeps to keep your doors rust free. Do not drive it in the winter, if you care about rust, we are light on the salt here and driving just two winters did a lot of rust damage. I like the ghost decal ideas, you might want to hide it is a 442 if you race anyone with that swirl port 307 HO. I wish Olds would have added all the parts off the FE3X concept onto the 442, 30 HP makes a big difference and 5 SPD manual would have been nice too. My plan was to buy that nice 87 442, buy one of the three swirl port TBI intakes, get a sbc 305 set up with a bored out throttle body and mill the heads to bump compression a bit and do some bowl porting with 1.72 ratio roller rockers to try to confuse people it was a factory set up. I would also have gotten rid of that awful cross over pipe and had a custom Y pipe bent up and maybe Sanderson 1 5/8" shorty headers.

 

[theoldsone]

Look into Phoenix Graphics for the flat black decals. Your plan sounds good.

Thanks I'll give them a call once the Holliday is over.

Congratulations, you found one! I like your plan and a good parts car helps a lot. You can either go Euro front or sell it to help fund the restoration. Weird how the trunk lids go, especially with rest mostly rust free, mine was the same. I would change the window sweeps to keep your doors rust free. Do not drive it in the winter, if you care about rust, we are light on the salt here and driving just two winters did a lot of rust damage. I like the ghost decal ideas, you might want to hide it is a 442 if you race anyone with that swirl port 307 HO. I wish Olds would have added all the parts off the FE3X concept onto the 442, 30 HP makes a big difference and 5 SPD manual would have been nice too. My plan was to buy that nice 87 442, buy one of the three swirl port TBI intakes, get a sbc 305 set up with a bored out throttle body and mill the heads to bump compression a bit and do some bowl porting with 1.72 ratio roller rockers to try to confuse people it was a factory set up. I would also have gotten rid of that awful cross over pipe and had a custom Y pipe bent up and maybe Sanderson 1 5/8" shorty headers.

I'm going to put my 87 euro header panel. You either hate it or love it. Some people prefer the older ones. I know I did at first but the euro stuck with me over time. The anemic 307 with be stored away wile my 355 sbc (I know) will push it around while I decide which way I want to go with a EFI 350 rocket. A solid roller would be awesome!

I am committed to fixing this car up so much more than my 87. My first step will be to get some decent wheels and tires. I know i have the 18" US Mags but thats the final touch, some beater wheels of the nova will do. Then register and insure, after that get her on a lift and look over the entire thing. Fresh oil, inspect/bleed brakes, make the interior some what tolerable, and maybe tighten a few belts i saw loose. Take a visit to a local body shop who deal with classics so they can hit me with a plush quote lol. Here are the "major" flaws on the car but no worries body shop will take care of this. Like Most T-Tops...

I know i said i wanted a rust free body...I consider this a mere blemish lol. Nothing tough. Now I did remove the tops and those seals are hard as a rock! gbodyparts.com here I come.

This 442 actually had a wing at one point and time, but where is it now? I don't know. I wouldn't have put it on the car either, I personally don't care for them too much. The trunk lid will be replaced with a nice one I found in the Junker. In the mean time while she's running ill put my 87's lid on it to keep water out of the trunk. Below are a few dents and dings too.

Now the good...
No rust holes on rockers, doors, etc.

And best of all NO WAVY BUMPER COVER!! lol

Next update will hopefully be seen running and a somewhat decent wash.

 

[QS442]

I saw that car for sale on craiglist for awhile. I would have betted that the car would of been parted for the rear and been another lost one. Glad you are putting the work in to save it.

 

[theoldsone]

Ok lets see whats new...

Crazy enough the car came with 8 wheels and tires and only three held air and one on the verge of blowing up. Came with a set of 15" 442 rallies and a set of Weld Wheel knockoffs. Decided I want to keep the "Welds" on and see what can be done to the SSIII wheels. I'll either restore them or just sell them not sure yet. The car came with stock wheel size 215/65R15 so I just went with two brand new 215/70R15 for the rear. I got the tires dirt cheap. Not wider just taller, meh whatever. So now its back on its feet. Of course the engine was all cattywampus. A caring hand hadn't touch the little old 307 in years! Just pet it "there there little 307" and it ran great. No not really. where do I start? The engine didnt want to Idle nicely so I did an entire tune up.

• HEI Cap and rotor
• Copper Plugs
• Wires
• Seafoam (1st time using it) 3/4 in gas 1/4 in oil
• After sea foam, Change Oil 10w40+ZDDP additive
• Fuel Filter
• Alternator belt.
• P/S fluid

After all of this and a little messing around with the idle and vac lines that were shot it ran great. It's crazy how this engine responds so much better than the last 307 in my 87. I want to replace most of the vac lines that are cracked and hard. And replace the ignition mod. For an aftermarket one. Pretty much all the EASY upgrades and tune up parts you can get for a little old lady like the 307.