Cars Inwards Yards: 1970 Olds Cutlass 4-4-2 Clone Flora On Craigslist Amongst W-30 455 Engine, W-25
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But already owning a 1970 Olds 442 convertible, I felt the urge to at to the lowest degree acquire as well as bring a human face at the car. Yeah, I’m that guy, the 1 who answers your automobile advertising amongst a lot of questions as well as no existent wish to genuinely purchase some other car, particularly some other projection car.
I called the number as well as the gentleman on the other terminate of the draw of piece of occupation was friendly as well as willing to respond my many questions. He told me he was selling it for his married adult woman as well as that she had gotten it after her manly somebody parent passed away. Her manly somebody parent owned the automobile for a duet of decades, during which he had meticulously restored it, as well as and then for some unforeseen reason, he parked it inward the woods out behind his home. The story was intriguing as well as I had some concerns, but the seller assured me the automobile had a electrical flow registration as well as it was inward his wife’s name. So amongst this reassurance, I plugged his address into my GPS as well as was out the door.
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| Years of sitting inward the mud had taken its toll on the lower body panels equally good equally the frame. This, combined amongst the fact the automobile wasn’t an master copy 442, made the automobile a wretched alternative for a restoration. |
Complete "clone" 1970 Olds 4-4-2
The previous possessor had simply lately passed away as well as his missy was treatment the estate, which included close 15 vehicles. Most were older classics or musculus cars, as well as past times this fourth dimension most of them had been sold off.
I could tell past times looking at the 442, it had been at 1 time, a prized possession, garnering the owner’s attending as well as care. The automobile was consummate from bumper to bumper as well as everything looked to hold out original. I was exclusively able to tell the automobile wasn’t an master copy 442 past times decoding the VIN as well as the information plate. It was obvious to me that the previous possessor was an accomplished mechanic amongst an oculus for detail. The exclusively thing that didn’t brand sense to me was why the automobile had been relegated to the elements, where it sat for close 10 years, rusting away.
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| Although it looks rough, the interior is inward fairly decent shape. The presence of the bucket seats, centre console, shift linkage, steering column, as well as sport steering wheel, all add together value to the purchase equally these parts are all highly sought after past times people restoring these cars. |
Loaded amongst options
The automobile was consummate but it was originally a Cutlass Supreme that was properly converted to a 442 “clone.” It was sporting an original, W-25 OAI hood, a 455ci Oldsmobile engine out of an before model Olds, bucket seats, centre console, sport steering wheel, master copy SSII rally wheels, as well as a 3.42 posi-trac rear-end. I also industrial plant life 442 emblems properly located on the fenders, trunk, as well as dash. The exclusively 442 parts it was lacking were the boxed-in raise trailing arms as well as the 442 emblems on the hood.
When I arrived, I had no intention of buying the car. I was just, equally they say, kicking tires. Which inward this case, were all flat. But the automobile was total of great, hard to abide by parts. I industrial plant life it also hard non to brand an offer. I didn’t genuinely depression ball the owner; rather I gave a fare offering based on the total of the parts on the car. I also gave the seller a standing offering that would hold out proficient for 1 week. That would allow the seller fourth dimension to abide by some other buyer at a higher price, field nonetheless having me equally a backup should the automobile non sell. The offering had 1 caveat: the seller had to sell me the master copy OAI air cleaner correct as well as then as well as there.
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| Believe it or not, my whole ground for wanting this automobile was the OAI air breather, seen hither nonetheless on the car. The vacuum operated flapper lid is resting on the roof of the car. It was missing the manifold oestrus riser. |
More to offer
My offering was twofold. First, the seller was moving out of Earth fairly before long so I figured that I could acquire the automobile at a reasonable cost if no 1 else picked it up, as well as second, I alive inward a newer neighborhood that is governed past times a Home Owner’s Association or HOA. And if you lot don’t already know, HOAs have got rules close having cars sitting on blocks inward the driveway. I genuinely didn’t wish the headache of listening to the HOA. But I did have got a necessitate for the master copy OAI air cleaner nonetheless sitting on top of the engine inward this car.
Much to my surprise, the seller made a reasonable counter offering to which I replied, “If the automobile ran it mightiness hold out worth that price”. Low as well as behold, an hr afterwards nosotros had the automobile running. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 battery from the owner’s store as well as a drinking glass jounce total of fresh gas was all it took. After years of neglect, it was inward definite necessitate of a tune-up, but it ran. So nosotros shook hands as well as I gave the seller a deposit.
As excited equally I was, I also had 2 modest issues to ground with. First, I didn’t have got a truck as well as trailer, so I needed to hire a tow truck, as well as tow trucks tin hold out quite expensive. Second, my garage already had 2 classic cars parked inside, as well as at that topographic point was no room for a third. So this automobile would have got to sit down inward the driveway. Normally this would non hold out an issue. I tin unremarkably launder a automobile as well as topographic point a license plate on it. But this automobile had iv apartment tires as well as a proficient chip of rust as well as grim. This wasn’t going to hold out an slowly squealer to wearing clothing up.
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| At showtime glance, this 1970 Cutlass Supreme appeared to hold out an master copy 442. The grille along amongst the emblem on the hood molar dot the automobile is simply a Cutlass Supreme. Decoding the VIN tag confirmed the car’s truthful identity. |
How much to tow it?
After calling around to a few dissimilar towing outfits, I learned the divergence betwixt hook-up charges as well as the cost per mile to motion the car. Both of which apply, a double whammy. Hook-up charges are the cost of simply putting the automobile on the truck. They average $75.00 inward Birmingham, Alabama. And the cost of moving the automobile is $2.50 per mile on average. This automobile was located roughly 45 miles from my house, so I was inward for a rather large towing bill. My enthusiasm was fading fast.
After calling around to a few dissimilar towing outfits as well as getting this real rude awakening, I called a friend of mine who owns a local auto repair shop. He recommended a modest owner-operated towing outfit that he uses.
Shop around
The showtime quote from this smaller outfit was almost one-half the cost of what everyone else was charging. The actual quote given was $2.50 per mile, but without the hook-up charge. Of course, I at 1 time accepted it. I have got to admit, equally I stood at the seller’s home, waiting for the driver to arrive, I sort of expected a bum inward a 20-year-old truck to exhibit up. To my surprise as well as delight, an older, professional-looking driver amongst a novel truck as well as years of sense arrived, as well as correct at the agreed time. I appreciated the tending he took loading as well as unloading my newly acquired 442 “clone.” He treated this parts automobile equally though it were a novel car. I was fortunate to acquire his number. And I have got used his services a duet of times since.
When you lot drive a classic automobile equally a daily driver, you lot ever have got a towing company’s number programmed inward your jail mobile telephone phone. It’s non a affair of if you’re going to interruption down, but when you’re going to interruption down.
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| The craigslist Cutlass inward my driveway. Unfortunately, for the classic automobile hobby, most communities frown upon having cars similar this left out inward plainly view. |
Home is where you lot have got neighbors
After getting the automobile domicile as well as unloaded, I spent some fourth dimension talking amongst the neighbors. Apologizing for the automobile as well as letting everyone know that I would acquire the Cutlass moved equally before long equally I could. I am extremely lucky to have got reasonable neighbors. They all know I am a classic automobile enthusiast as well as are real accepting, fifty-fifty though I am the exclusively 1 inward the neighborhood who drives a classic car. No 1 complained as well as I received no letters from the HOA. Fortunately, for everyone, the automobile was sold less than a calendar week later.
Take what you lot need, sell the rest
I removed the OAI air cleaner as well as a duet of other modest parts from the automobile before selling it to some other Olds enthusiast from Tennessee. His plans for the Cutlass were pretty much the same equally mine, bring the parts he needed for his projection as well as and then sell the automobile to someone else.
In the end, a 24-hour interval of kicking tires paid off big. I was able to abide by a rare purpose I was certain I would never abide by as well as brand a footling coin field doing so. Just of note, this particular automobile wasn’t an master copy 442 as well as had footling existent value other than equally a parts car. The raise quarter panels were toast. The torso as well as floors weren’t much better. The seats were questionable. If anything, the topographic point frames mightiness have got been salvageable. I was able to sell the automobile chop-chop because of the hood as well as posi-trac rear-end.
As much of a shame equally it may seem, this automobile was also far gone to justify the expense of putting it dorsum on the road. So it was used to restore other, to a greater extent than desirable cars.
Scott Johnson,
— Junkyard Life contributor
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| This 1970 Olds 4-4-2 "clone" has many options – bucket seats, centre console, sport steering bike as well as a/c. |
About the writer: Being the boy of an onetime hot rodder, I approximate you lot tin say it’s inward my blood. As a shaver growing upwards inward the eighties, I used to assist my onetime human being launder as well as wax the menage unit of measurement car, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. On my 16th birthday I bought my showtime car, a 69 Ford Torino GT. I spent all my costless fourth dimension cleaning that onetime automobile as well as tinkering nether the hood. Now, to a greater extent than than xxx years later, I abide by myself doing pretty much the same, except at nowadays it’s a 1969 Cutlass Supreme that takes upwards all my costless time. And similar most of our readers, I also taste roaming the dorsum roads, looking for those infamous barn finds that everyone dreams about.
— Scott Johnson
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