damascus

i have a bunch to learn on all things 'Olds'. it seems that there are so many different Cutlass models... S, Rallye 350, Hurst/Olds, 442, SX455, etc.

with the different models come a bunch of hood choices and stripe options.

would someone identify the hood below? it looks like a '71 hood. are the stripes part of a 442 stripe kit or a W-?? option? the stripes look good to me. thanks!

7172olds.jpg

damascus

i found some hood stripe information here: (i think it's a Y73 'GT' stripe)

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...eal-442-a.html

* "Hood GT" paint stripes were standard on the 442s and option Y73 on the Cutlass S.

* The panel stripes are option W42 "Dual-Stripe" on the 442 (in lieu of the GT stripes) and standard on the W30.

* The thin hood stripes were the Y73 "GT" stripes optional on the 442 and the Cutlass S.

don71

I'm learning a lot about these cars too. It seems they came with louvers and without. Also, they may or may not have vents or "grilles" in the back near the windsheild. So the combanations are a few. I believe the vents in the rear, regards to the car having air condtioning.

Then there is the OAI W-25 hood in its own class.

By the picture you posted it could be either a 71 or 72 hood, and does not have A/C. no grilles the rear.

The picture I posted shows an A/C hood with different stripe option. Sorry, I don't know much about the stripe options.

don71

Here is some more talk about the stripes

http://72.22.90.30/phpBB2/viewtopic....dd+hood+stripe

I don't know if yours is factory or not. I believe the one I posted is the Y73 GT stripe. Hopefully someone else can confirm for sure.

damascus

funny, you're on to something... the louvers - in the hood near the windshield - are not a function of cars equipped with or without A/C. at least I don't believe so. i've seen a bunch of '71 cars witout factory A/C with the vent louvers. the photo witout the vent louvers must not be a '71 car. could it just be a design change in the hood? a different model year?

Yellowstatue

Cutlass Supremes and Vista's have different hoods than the 442's and S...the Supreme and Vista hoods have the grilles at the rear of the hood and the others have chrome louvers in the sides of the bulge.. no difference with or without a/c

damascus

this car has the bulges in the side of the hood and the louvers near the windshield ~ ??

IMG_0465_Desktop_Resolution.jpg

Yellowstatue

I'm thinking someone has changed the hood on your 442 and put a Supreme hood on it... somebody else is going to say something more positive..I had a '71 hood with those narrow stripes on it and it looked good to me also..

Bluevista

What's the deal with the hoods then?


A recent thread said that AC cars have no rear vent louvers. My Vista has factory AC and no louvers. I replaced it with a rust-free louvered hood and I never even noticed they were different until I read the thread here and looked at the old hood. The car pictured with the vents and the louvers has no AC so that makes sense.
I've seen lots of AC cars with the louvers? Have they all had their hoods changed?, not very easy to add AC so I doubt that.

damascus

... and the car does not have A/C. BUT - it's a 442 'Tribute' car. (i know, right - crazy thing is i think it was an SX455 originally). anyway, i'm sure we'll come across the hood expert here soon!

Lady72nRob71

I might have even been the one to say that long ago... The assy manual states that non-A/C cars will have hoods with the vents at the back (to possibly grab air while moving and force it through the kick panel vents.)

The top chrome louvres on the sides are decorative only. They were used on the Cutlass S and W29 package Supremes (w/ no W30).

damascus

I've seen the same hood (twin chrome bulges) on a '71 442. This is possible, yes? Wasn't this hood available in addition to the OAI hood?

here is a '71 442 hood with bulges and air vents near windshield... it looks factory correct, yes?
197120Olds2044220Convt20005.jpg

Lady72nRob71

I have doubts about this, but my knowledge on the 71 lineup is limited...

I SUMMON JOE P. TO THE THREAD!!!

He will know.

BTW, those two houses look so similar - both have Buicks in the drives as well...
Looks like a "find the differences" puzzle.

Allan R

The hood stripes on your car are part of the W29 appearance package on "442" orders for 1972. We all know that the last real 442 was 1971. But something was needed for the 72 year to sport the image. So the W29 appearance package, with engine/tranny upgrade, striping, suspension etc was the quick answer. 72 was a leftover year to fill in the gap that kept 73 production models from hitting the road a year earlier due to the GM strike in 1970 that lasted 6 weeks. (It takes a long time to recover from something like that in the car industry). Stripes were originally desgined to be painted on and were ammended to be a decal for the 72 production year. (Part number 411625 - black - on your car) The hood striping also matched the body decal that ran mid height along the car and over the wheel housings.

The copper CS with the white center stripe is indicative of post 72 model years. It is not accurate for any of the 70 - 72 cars and was likely added by an owner who liked the look. It is the style of striping you'll find on 73-75. After 75 body style changed again and the striping did too.

RE: Bulges on the side of the hood. These "bulges" are part of the normal construction of this hood, nothing more, nothing less. Look closely at the fender of your car. Those "bulges" match the locations where the rubber hood bumpers are attached to the fender and are used to cushion the hood from the hinge point to the latch and front hood bumper points.

RE: Louvers. Cutlass S came standard with hood louvers in 1971 and 1972. You could also order this style of hood as an option on your Cutlass Supreme if you wanted it. This style of hood originally came from the factory with body color on the louvers with raised silver fins. It is a very attractive looking hood and tends to dress up the car a lot - giving the sport appearance that GM wanted on the Sport model. Lots of people swapped them over just for this reason. You would need the build sheet on your car to know whether it was ordered with this hood.

RE: Tribute car. I doubt it was a SX at one time. SX cars were only available in the Cutlass Supreme body style. The pic shown is clearly not a Supreme.

damascus

wow... i'm confusing myself! bulges, vents, louvers... crazy.

i guess that i should not put the Y73 GT stripes (photo - yellow car/post #1 above) on a 1971 hood. they were not offered until 1972 if i understand correctly.

is the hood (below) with the (2) louvered panels - and the small vents near the windshield a hood that was offered on a 1971 442?

forgetting the center stripe, this photo of a 1971 442 is the hood that i'm writing about - is this hood correct for a 1971 442?:

4135975_10.jpg
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

thanks again!!

Allan R

damascus

"...the Green 1971 442 you are showing looks really nice. Someone either kept it like a true Olds enthusiast or they've done a lot of resto work over the years. Post more pics of the whole thing including the engine, interior and trunk..."

the Green 1971 442 is on ebay... the link is attached. yes, it's super nice. i'm travelling to New York in October to purchase the rootbeer brown car above (photo hood up). i'll post pictures... it's a super nice car - and is a '71 442 clone/tribute car. it has under 60K on the odometer. the undercarriage is unbelievable... frame off restoration. all original metal. W26 Hurst dual gate shifter... 1968 F code 455 with C code heads... exhaust manifolds... more later...

http://www.youtube.com/user/rpf427

IMG_0514DesktopResolution.jpg
IMG_0517DesktopResolution.jpg

71 Cutlass

Were the louvers in the middle of the hood able to suck cold outside air into the carb, and function as a type of OAI hood, or are the louvers totally closed off?

My A/C equipped car has the vents in the back of the hood by the windshield.

mmurphy77

The 'louvers' on the middle of the hood are completely non-funtional.

71 Cutlass

So, the louvers are there just for the sake of "Being there?" What a waste of engineering time..way to go Oldsmobile.

Oldsguy

What? Do you mean like wings on the back of cars that can't go fast enough to take advantage of the down force generated by them. Oldsmobile wasn't the only manufacturer guilty of that. Sometimes in automotive design the purpose isn't functional, it may be just "for looks".

DATNFAMOUSRICAN

Have a quick question I have a 72 Cutlass (S) and the hood that came with the car has hood levers and the hood I found in a junk yard is a 70's hood and I noticed that it didnt have the latch on the hood like the 1 that came with the car can that 70's hood work on the 72 Cutlass?

droptopron

If you are talking about the brown car, an SX455 would be on the Cutlass Supreme body.
I believe the stripes in the 1st frame came on a '72 442 w/out OAI hoods.

Allan R

The 70 hood is completely different than the 71/72. The 70 has a relatively 'flat' front contour, which helps is fit the longer flatter grills. 71/72 has contoured front to fit around the taller grills, plus the front styling on the hood looks quite different. I would say that if you plan to try fitting the 70 hood on a 72, pick up the rest of the front end from the 70 or nothing will fit right. BTW the 71/72 has a plastic 'stone guard that surrounds the grills and is not part of the hood. The 70 hoods have a bolted on 'hood tooth' to cover the gap between grills. You might be able to get away with it, but I'm not sure how it would look without modifying something.

Have a look: (both of these photos have w25 hoods, that doesn't matter. What you need to look at is the hood profile where it meets the grills.)

1970 hood


1971/72 hood

DATNFAMOUSRICAN

The dented up hood is the on the 72 Cutlass (S) and the other 1 is a hood I found in a junk yard for $20 and it looks the same but doesnt have a hood latch is why im believe it to be a different year hood 70's model!

Allan R

No. The hood you got for 20 is a 71/72 hood. It's the hood that was typically found on the Cutlass Supreme, that's why it doesn't have the 'faux louvers'. It's a direct bolt in replacement for the one thats all bashed up. All you have to do is unbolt the hood latch from the damaged hood and bolt it into the new one. Easy fix. For 20.00 you got a great deal.

DATNFAMOUSRICAN

Thanks for the info and support Allen and I have another question I found a add on Craigslist this guy has a hood like the 1 thats dinged up with the levers but its a 442 hood & grill for 71/72 Cutlass for $150 and would I have to replace the regular stone shield with a 442 stone shield???? or the 1 I have will work???

Allan R

Ok, there's some things that need to be cleared up. There's no such thing as a '442 hood'. The one with the 'faux louvers' was one of 3 different hoods manufactured by Olds for the Cutlass lineup in 71/72, and is commonly misrepresented as a 442 hood. It could be had on the base Cutlass, Cutlass S, and 442. If you're talking about an original OEM OAI hood and 442 grills for 150.00 I'd be all over that like a transvestite on a new pair of nylons. Those hoods in really good original condition are worth thousands of dollars just because they are OEM. Don't be fooled by the repro bolt on just fibreglass, or the 'pin on' fibreglass with no air box

The grand daddy of what is most revered as a 442 hood is the W25 OAI. It has a functional air box, fibreglass top and metal subframe. Here are a couple of pics I took from the Thorntons website showing the proper configuration for a true W25 hood:
Top - note functional air scoops and chrome twist locks.
442_Hood.jpg?t=1301363047

Bottom view - note wire mesh over air box. Metal subframe with cutout for hood latch (just like your brown one). These hoods sell for almost 2500.00 reproduced + tax+ shipping. If you can get one for 150????
442_Under_Hood.jpg?t=1301363150

You do NOT have to touch the stone shield on a 71/72. There is no badging for 442 on it like the 1970 model; there are only rocket emblems. Plus, the stone shield for 71/72 is designed for all 3 of the hoods. It's the front reveal on the hood that has to match the grill and stone shield. The 442 grills for 71 and 72 look similar but have reversed color patterns and different color numbers. Check the pics below:

1971 (note black grill with silver surround - black and silver numbers)


1972 (note silver grill with black surround - orange numbers)


If the hood and grill on CL is a 'faux louver' and the grills are real 442 grills for 150.00 that's still a heck of a good deal (new repops go for 325.00 +). I'd take it if I was looking for a new hood and some classy looking front end hardware

DATNFAMOUSRICAN

FOR SALE IS A GOOD SOLID HOOD OFF A 1971 OLDS CUTLASS / 442 WITH GRILLS STILL IN HOOD AND CHROME TRIMS AND HOOD LATCH.

SELLING AS IS AND WILL NOT SEPARATE THE GRILLS FROM HOOD $150.

And here is a pic of the hood to me could be a 442 hood IDK but looks like the same hood that I have on my 72 by the levers?

so tell me what ya think and this is the only pic but he supposed to be sending me more pics of the hood and grills

72 w29 all green

Ok so this hood is from a '71 car and IS different from a '72 in that it has those two sets of "vent holes" at the back of the hood whereas the '72 hood didn't.

So are you looking for a correct hood for your '72 S or something close?

By the way, to add a little more info to this revived thread, a '72 'S' hood came with louvers that were both chrome and body color. The same hood for the W-29 (442) option WAS different: yes it was the same shell but the louvers were chrome and BLACK, it had pinstripes AND had an 'Oldsmobile' emblem at the left (driver side) front of the hood.

alek72us

This is how someone explained it to me also.

DATNFAMOUSRICAN knows what hood he is talking about. he isn't talking about the 442 oai hood. he is talking about the 71-72 442/s hood. he just keeps spelling louvers wrong he keeps spelling it levers. but no he isn't talking about as oai hood.

DATNFAMOUSRICAN yes that is the 72 442/S hood. if it does come with the 72 442 grills then yes its worth the 150$ price. if he is calling the louvers on the hood the grills then i would try to talk him down a little.

72 w29 all green

The hood in DATNF...'s picture is from a '71. It'll certainly fit a '72 but is slightly different as i described earlier.

alek72us

Sorry i did mean 71-72 442/s hood.

72 w29 all green what do u mean by 71 has two sets of "vent holes" in the back?

alek72us

Are u meaning the vent holes above the firewall. at the beginning of the thread they say that determines if the car had a/c or not? doesn't matter 71 or 72. or are u meaning something else?

Allan R

Sorry to disagree with you. The 'vents' at the back were on the 71 AND 72 hoods. I have a 72 and that is exactly how the car arrived from the factory. The hoods that didn't have the vents or louvers were typically found on the Cutlass Supreme (as in the picture he posted of the brown hood).

Both these hoods are interchangeable with ALL 71/72 Cutlass models.

DATNFAMOUSRICAN

Damn good info friends im learing by the day and keep finding nice prices for my car and im posting a few pics of my car on here n a sec stay tuned and tell me what you guys think also im having trouble in the trunk I thought about sanding the entire trunk out and using a spray that keeps it from rusting out and adding a few pieces here and there.........and the only thing I dont like about it is that damn driver side fender lol looks ok but the damn line is a little below the other 1 im thinkin its from another year model Cutlass!

Allan R

DAT, zit ok to callyou dat?

You definitely got a good fixer upper there. The 'damn line' you're talking about is called body side moldings. Good news! The one on the fender that you don't like is original and correct. Also, it doesn't matter what year (70-72) fender you have, they are all interchangeable on the Cutlass and Vista Cruiser. All aftermarket fenders (Goodmark included) don't have piercing on them because the emblems for the Cutlass, Cutlass S and 442 are all located in different places.

Bad news (obviously) the rest of the moldings are not original totally in the wrong place. They have probably been riveted on? If they are mac tac it's easy to take off without ruining the body sheet metal. If they are riveted, you decide what you want to do. I decided to take mine off completely. Unfortunately if you have holes, you'll have to weld them shut and smooth them down.

Are you going to put the vinyl back on? If not you'll have holes to fill from the moldings.

Might be a good idea to start a new thread on this car and project, since it seems to be going more into the aspect of your rebuild and general questions about the car.

DATNFAMOUSRICAN

Im thinkin about it but it might be a lil expensive ya know but I thinkin about getting rid of those body moldings but who knows and I need some info on how to do something to my trunk............and it ok to call me "DAT" Allan thanks again for the support and info and I also have a 71 Cutlass I will post pics of it tomorrow

72 w29 all green

Well maybe the factory slipped some "vented" hoods on the '72 'S' cars as well. All '72 'S', non-OAI 442s i've had since early 1980s had louvers but no vents at the rear and the Supreme just flat and plain as could be.

Allan R

Here's some info from the 1972 OLDSMOBILE engineering report that provides some of the details direct from Lansing. Also included the diagram for the 71/72 W29 clearly showing the rear venting. I'm going with the documentation.

engreport1972_0002.jpg?t=1301505941

w29hoodstripes.jpg?t=1301506164