MartinH

I have my '69 442 convertible in the body shop to fix the years of poor body repairs performed by previous owners. It's a learning experience to say the least.

My questions are.... 1) How many body parts are common between the Cutlass and 442? and 2) How many body parts are common between the hardtops and convertibles (doors, hoods, fenders, etc)?

Bonus points question.... Are there any other GM A body cars that have interchangeable body parts like doors, for instance?

Thanks,
-Martin

allyolds68

If you're talking original, NOS parts, nothing interchanges, 69 is one year only. There are many body lines that are the same as 68 though.

68-69 Fenders are the same except for the hinge mounts (no difference between 69 whether convertible, hardtop or post.
68-69 doors are different because of the wing window and lock location. 69 hardtop and convertible doors are the same except for the door/body wedges
68-69 quarter panels are the same except the tail lights and the body vent in door jamb. 69 hardtop and convertible 1/4's are different as the body lines at the top are not the same. You can use the wheel arches as a patch panel between the two.

I only know 68's well where the 442 & S hoods are almost the same and the Supreme/F-85 are the same. For 69 that may not be true.

There is little to nothing in the body sheet metal that that interchange between other A-body lines. I would guess rockers are the same, but that would just be a guess

MartinH

Thanks for all the info. Really appreciated.

4speed455

I’m not that familiar with 69 specifically but on most years the Cutlass and 442 share the same body for the same body style and year. Things like piercings for emblems or trim may be different between different models but should physically interchange. For a convertible you should be able to use the doors, fenders and hood from a hardtop. The trunk lid is probably the same as used on four door models. For rear quarters it would be convertible only.

joe_padavano

Look, the 442, Cutlass, and F85 are just different trim levels of the same car. For the same body style, all the sheet metal interchanges within a given year. The front sheet metal is the same on all body styles from the firewall forward (understanding that there are two different hoods, but they interchange). Convertible and hardtop doors interchange. Bumpers interchange. Rear quarter panels interchange for the same body style.

acavagnaro

Your car should have the 'double hump' 442 hood which is different from the Supreme 'flat' hood. The 'double hump' hood was visually the same in '70 and will work on the '69 but the hood latch is different and will require some modification. Many people, myself included, have used the reproduction hard top quarter panels to replace rusted or plastic-filled convertible quarters on the '68/'69's. Takes some work but it's really your only option.