pauliev

Greetings All -

Last week I introduced myself to the forum, having purchased a 1972 Cutlass S (Photo Album) in Pompano Beach FL (about 200 miles from home). Yesterday I drove it home. Let me tell you, there's no better way to learn your car than a 200 miles first drive! The car ran great the entire trip and the AC worked flawlessly.

However, a 50 years old car is not without issues. I thought I would start a thread to document those issues, and others that I find along the way, as a means to keep track of them, their repair status, plus any projects, upgrades, etc rather than just making a spreadsheet or keeping a notebook.

I'm going to start with my initial punch list. These are in no particular order of priority or complexity:

1. Wheels/Tires. The front tires on the car are oversized and rub. A LOT!
2. The GEN light came on last night when I turned the headlights on. No indication of charging system malfunction but also I have not done any testing/troubleshooting yet
3. Exhaust needs to be upgraded and sounds like it's rubbing as well
4. Front grill mounts and trim are cracked
5. Left rear taillight is not working (this should be an easy one - lol)
6. High beams don't seem to be working correctly (could be related to #2)
7. Wind noise inside! It's been 30+ years since I've owned a car of this vintage this could be normal
8. Right side view mirror is not correct
9. Front seat springs are not springy

That's about all I can think of at the moment. Today I'll try to run through some basic charging system tests and take a look at the lights and see where I stand there - plus I'll get that pesky taillight fixed. Might as well start with picking some low hanging fruit!

PS: I looked up the VIN and learned that my car was manufactured in Framingham MA which is about 15 miles from where I grew up. Kinda neat to have a car that was born in the same state as me

Warren Seale

REF #5. If the bulbs and sockets are good then, as in my 72, there is a connector inside the trunk just above the taillight that had a bad connection. I separated the connector and cleaned up the contacts with some electrical spray cleaner then pushed the connector halves in and out about a dozen times to scrub the metal surfaces. That did the trick for me.

70sgeek

I essentially did the same thing with my '72 ragtop when I purchased it in 2016 (you can probably still search my early threads for info/pics). Drove it home about 150-ish miles from the Deland (near Daytona Beach) area in mid-summer 90* heat on 30yo Sears Road Handler radials, fortunately with OEM a/c blowing cold the whole way. Radio non-working but everything else as good as 40+yo mechanicals could be, with a reported 54k original (as then currently titled) miles on the odometer at the time - but for routine maintenance items most all else was still untouched. The body had already been apparently restored very well back in the late 90's so I rebuilt/upgraded all the mechanical systems over the next 6-8 months (also searchable in earlier threads) to its current specs.

looks like you have a great foundation to work from - enjoy!

pauliev

Thanks for the tip! It turns out that the wires that feed the assembly were completely disconnected and taped up into the harness - my guess is when they painted the trunk the disconnected everything, taped it off and forgot to reconnect the left taillight.

While I was working back there I checked the reverse lights and license plate light neither are working. Reverse light bulbs were blown and I can't check the license plate until PB Blaster frees up the screws - lol

pauliev

So - did a quick and dirty alternator test - started the car and checked voltage at the battery - only got 12.4 volts at idle

Then checked voltage at the positive connection on the alternator and also was getting only 12.4 volts there at idle

I think that's enough evidence to tell me that the alternator needs to be replaced

RetroRanger

Re grills, if you dont know your grills are for a 72 supreme, the S grills are not reproduced but can readily be found used. The S grills are horizontal slats VS the egg crate style. NBD either way just an fyi many people use the s or supreme grill.

what size tires on the front? I have 255-60-15s w only slight rubs at extremes no rubs in normal every day driving. The rub could be worn springs.

pauliev

Thanks for the info - the front tires on my car are 245-60R-15 so I'm assuming that is smaller than a 255-60-15 (I'm tire illiterate) - also I thought the grill might not be correct (going from memory of my first '72) so I'll be on the lookout for a correct grill!

Fun71

Yes, 245-60-15 are slightly narrower and shorter than 255-60-15. Both my 70 and 71 had no issues with 245-60s in front but on the 70 the 255-60s rubbed on turns. As said, a lot will depend upon the suspension and ride height.

pauliev

Thank you! I will turn my sights to shocks and springs instead of wheels and tires - might as well do front and rear while I'm at it

pauliev

Update: With regards to item #2 did some initial testing which seemed to indicate the alternator might be bad. I took my car to the local O'Reilly's and had them test it before purchasing a replacement alternator and all tests passed which tells me either my multi-meter is crap or I don't know how to use it. Maybe both - lol

For now I will back burner the charging system but keep an eye on it. The GEN light coming on last night is a bit of a concern

Fun71

Check the voltage regulator, assuming your car has an external regulator mounted to the firewall (my 71 does but I don't know about 72s). Also check to make sure all wiring is actually connected and tight.

pauliev

Thanks - I know my battery and alternator connections are good - I will look at the others and test the regulator as well - thanks for the assist!

bccan

Try “Full Fielding” @ the voltage regulator connector, it will help determine health of alternator, simple procedure, all you need is a piece of wire or a cotter pin to jump 2 terminals. Try searching topic, I’m sure there’s plenty of info.

​​​​​​….

gs72

make sure the belt is tight.

pauliev

Well - The GEN light issue reared it's ugly head again last night. I had taken the car out yesterday to my mechanic to schedule an appointment for springs/shocks and exhaust to be done - had no issues at all

Later in the day I went to go out and the GEN light came on and the car wouldn't start without a jump

I have not done any follow on testing with regards to the voltage regulator so that's next on the list, in addition to checking if the ground is tight. I know for certain that the battery terminals are clean and tight and the positive connection to the alternator is tight as is the belt.

pauliev

Well - It's been a while since I've updated this thread. Mostly because there hasn't been much to update until today. I dropped the card off with my mechanic specifically to deal with the suspension and exhaust since I really don't have the means to tackle those jobs in my driveway.

Turns out the source of the rubbing tires was primarily due to the aftermarket tubular upper/lower control arms the previous owner installed being the incorrect parts for my car. They force fit them and even had to modify the front sway bar links to put it together. I have replacement control arms on the way - at the moment it's not been determined if the springs are damaged in anyway. Shocks will be replaced regardless.

Also, what I thought may have been the exhaust hitting the floor boards turned out to be improperly seated rear springs - fortunately those and the shocks are relatively new - are now properly installed and will not need to be replaced

Once again the charging system tests out fine and I have been told that a dim generator light is not uncommon due to the voltage regulator connections being routed through the gauge cluster. This is a bit outside my knowledge but I trust my mechanic and since the battery, alternator and starter have all passed multiple tests I'm going to believe him. Most likely going to change the instruments in there now for the rallye pack so I can have gauges instead of lights and a tach

Was going to run the dual exhaust without headers just because of the usual fitment/installation issues that come with headers. Was considering Flowtech 31150 but they seem to have not got the best reviews so my next choice is Hooker 3901-1 which might require a bit of tweaking but based on what I've read so far fit better overall

I found grills on Facebook marketplace and those will be delivered tomorrow

That's where I'm at so far. Clearly the most important issue at the moment is the front suspension. Once that is resolved I'll see about the exhaust and continue to monitor the charging system. I know the GEN light is going to annoy me even if there is no real issue associated with it so I suspect new gauges to be in the near future plans

More to come

Cutlass Fan

My 72 S had Supreme grills in it when I bought it used in Jan 1973. There was no evidence of front end damage so???

pauliev

The decision, for me, to change the grilles is simply personal preference. I find the appearance of the horizontal lines more appealing than the egg crate look of the Cutlass Supreme grille.

pauliev

Well - It's been a while since I've updated this thread so here's the latest:

The new front end components have been installed (upper/lower control arms, ball joints, bushings, sway bar links, shocks, springs, etc) and after a fresh front end alignment the difference is night and day!

I have decided to replace the wheels & tires in favor of the factory Super Stock II wheels. I found a set that included trim rings, bezels and center caps on eBay for a reasonable price - they need to be sand blasted and repainted but that's not really a big deal. I'm going to have them done in black. While I like the current wheels being painted to match the body I think the SS II wheels in black will complement the stripes and pinstripes nicely

I removed the chrome trim from the doors and fenders - I never really cared for the look anyway

Upon closer inspection the stone guard needs to be replaced as well so that's going to delay the grille replacement a bit

Every time I drive or do a little work on the car I love it even more. I keep finding little things here and there that need to be addressed (windshield washer tank was leaking, radio doesn't work, etc) and it's rewarding to get those things back to working order.