jturkey69

agreed!

dk-52

This thread is better than Seinfeld re-runs!! Coltonis, your cracken me up, Dan

68Tom

Sorry, I'm finally catching up on your thread. After being thoroughly disgusted with the state of my 442, I took a break from the boards.

Make sure you hold on to those bolts. If you lose them, they're a nightmare trying to replace. I'm guessing there's brackets that attach to the 2nd side. That's the way it is on my '68 400. If you don't have the right ones, stuff doesn't align. It's not fun trying to figure it out either.

I probably live pretty close, so if you ever need some help give me a holler.

car_designer

Coltonis, this is a great thread. Looking forward to the next update?

Any updates on the "experiments with paint"?

This thread even motivated me to start a project thread for my '72 Sports Coupe.

Coltonis

Bah!, been trying to post this for like two weeks - keep getting distracted.

Yes and no, I was all set and ready to pull the trigger then I decided I wanted to expand my testbed. Its still in the works just have nothing to show for myself atm.

And then there were pictures.

HAR-harrrrr! Thar be sail panels off the port bough! (Yeah right, like you didn't already know I was going to use my pictures of "sail" panels as an excuse to talk like a pirate!) Three fixtures belay such a panel me hearties. Ye best harken fore ye end up a picaroon.


The first screw is hiding just under the window belt line. There is also a blind spring clip attaching this front side of the panel.


Last but not least is a screw in plain sight towards the back window. You can see daylight through the screw hole in this picture.


Found an interesting tid-bit of documentation stuck to the inside of this one. I have no idea what this means but looks to say "51" and "LAN" (maybe some sort of upholstery code and Lansing?)


This is that blind clip I mentioned earlier. It simply has to be popped out, but you really gotta be gentle pulling cause its only grabbing the cardboard. Brilliant!


I decided the sound deadener needed to come out in as few pieces as possible in case I would need to use it as a template later on.


Fantastically crusty seat belts also coming out at this juncture.


With the deadener removed it was a bit like one of those I-Spy book pictures, remember them? Well I spy a "single apologetic token"....


...

...

Oh come on you barely even glanced...

...

...

Ok fine...

...

Thats right its a SORRY! game piece. BONUS!


Oy, after all that fun I was off to clean up that murder scene in the front passenger side floor panel. The best method I found was scraping with my trusty steel spackling knife and then shopvac-ing it up.


Whatever this stuff was its - not - normal. After two years of sitting in my carport shielded from the elements and baking at 110F, its was somehow still "juicy".


DOH! That would be a freshly un-hidden rust hole.


Well its clean, though I wouldn't get all Nyotaimori up in here...


A few more of these and we'll be able to play air hockey on my floorboards at 60mph.


Second only to A/C in importance for Arizonians = Sun Visors.


No tricks here, just those three little screws.


I find it interesting how well the chromed metal held up over time versus the spring metal.


The seam seems to be seperating a little. (Don't worry folks I got a million of 'em) Not to mention there is enough dust on the top side that I'm considering taking it out back to fill some of the holes in my yard.

jturkey69

ROFLMAO!!..Just what I needed for the rest of my month...always looking forward to the commentary, and tips,tricks, and bonus surprises!!! Makes me wonder whats under our carpet, seats, etc.

car_designer

I know what that is like. Within a week or two of buying the Cutlass, I knew I was going to paint it Aegean Aqua. Well, I have changed my mind 5 times since, 4 times within a month.

I finally think I have made my decision, but the paint still isn't on the car yet.

Coltonis

Yeah, that Aegean Aqua is beautiful. It would prolly be my choice for my own car if I wasn't already picturing it in red all this time. I really wish the rally red wasn't so orange cause it was also a special order color and it would be cool to keep it original. As it is though I don't think I could stomach it, so I'm going to switch it to Matador Red.

IMO Aegean Aqua looks best with the black stripes. Like this one:


This is the color combo I'm fairly decided on for mine though, Matador Red with Black stripes:

(I swiped that pic from another guy on here who's links all went dead)

Though I just did some searching and found this Rally Red W-30 with black stripes:

This one doesn't seem quite as offensively orange as I remember from the last time I looked. I think it may be because the last example I was looking at had white stripes, the black seems to keeps the eyes from going blurry when you look at it - LOL.

Now look what you've started...

They are all just sooooooooo preeeeeeeetty....

-droolz-

car_designer

lol, sorry about that

Matador Red was also one of the colors I was considering, but not the one I chose.

Jamesbo

Coltonis,

I have always enjoyed your adventure. Keep us posted

1969w3155

Oddly enough, if I had a '70 W machine in Ralley Red, I would prefer white stripes. But it may have to do with passing up on a non W '70 442 about 30 years ago, that had a factory W25 hood and white stripes. He wanted $1300.00 for it, why that was just too much! Once again my excellent 20/20 hindsight is working!

MI455

Need more updates! :P

jturkey69

Couldn't agree more!! I truly wish I was in your mode of tearing down to rebuild!

Econow

How is the resto going?????
Like to see any pictures you have

Coltonis

Doh! DNS servers are silly things... pics will be back soon I promise!

oh and maybe some new ones...

jturkey69

glad to see your still in the game bud! looking forward to your progress as it gives alot of us motivation that we lack...or dont have much time for, although I'm sure you are also very busy as well. Thanks for everything so far...

on a side note, i recently ran across what could be your proverbial twin online in the Expedition portal forums as he works on his first gen cummins 4x4 trying to turn it into an expo rig. he goes by lstzephyr, and lives in Tucson...red cummins 4x4 now with a cap, and usually a dirtbike in tow or hitch-haul.

Cratethis

Great thread! Keep up the good work!

Coltonis

So having pretty much ran out of things to take apart up front I moved my sights to the back side (Like my girlfriend always says, Typical Guy!). Just what do I find back there that needs to come off first?

-"I'll take 'Large Tanks of Highly Flammable Liquid' for $300 Alex!"


While I was crawling around down there I noticed that the frame's rear cross member looked "funny".


I have looked around for pictures of this piece of the frame on other guys builds and it turns out the beam is actually kinda funny shaped normally, but i don't know, I think mine might be a bit more "limp noodled".


I still want to check the frame measurements if I ever get the body off too, but: Any Thoughts?


I also found where to fill my car's bicycle tires. What? Your car didn't come the rare factory optioned complimentary bicycle?


After hi-jacking another thread at "nail-clipper"-point, I came to find that this is actually the factory location for filling up the factory GM Super-Lift Air Shocks. Which my car may or may not have had since my fill port is an aftermarket "T".


Though the clippies on the frame rail leading down to the shock area are a dead give away that at one point somebody had some kind of air shocks installed in the vehicle.


Only thing aside from the tank straps that needs to be disconnected for the tank to drop are the two fuel line hoses. And unless you happen to be equipped with Go-Go-Gadget-Ratchet-Wrists, you will be tugging on these just long enough to acquire 3 bloody knuckles and then slicing them off with a razor blade (like me).


Keep in mind that I knew way ahead of time that my tank "should be" completely empty. I would not recommend doing this with any appreciable amount of gasoline in the tank under any circumstance - in fact I was surprised to find a slight bit of fuel still sloshing in the bottom of my (cap-less) tank as I lowered it which made me more nervous than Tiger in the playboy mansion.


This was an awesome little Cap-A-tiller! that came out to help me work.


Drop it like its HOT! No build sheet though


Here are some more shots of that worry-some frame piece without the gas tank in the way.






Also of note, was this super-cool-bad-***-and-down-right-bitchin' routing method for the brake lines. There is no way an Oldsmobile Engineer could have ever conceived such a "winning!" route. (...Thats right WWCSD!)


Oooooooo... yeah... about that... Well maybe if I stomp on the brakes really hard it will pop back out to its original shape.



Remember that gas tank that had a little bit of fuel left in it? ...Well I didn't like the idea of it just sitting there for some reason - that just seemed... dangerous!

So I, in the wee hours of the late-night/morning, devised a plan to empty said steel fuel container.


...
...
...
...



And I mean honestly, what could POSSIBLY go wrong here???


My girlfriend didn't buy me my custom made <Mythbuster>Am I Missing an Eyebrow?</Mythbuster> T-Shirt for nothing!






*No Oldsmobile enthusiasts were harmed in the making of this post.

67 Cutlass Freak

Great build thread. I too have enjoyed your witty banter. It's kinda funny to watch you struggle with stuff that I sorta take for granted. Like having access to good air tools to conquer or destroy any and all fasteners. I have no patience for WD-40. When all else fails I break out the Arkansas blue wrench. I do the same thing as you and bounce around a lot. I tend to throw back a few beers while I'm workin' though. You should clean out that fuel tank real well and if there's any rust inside you might want to have it boiled out at a radiator shop. They also make a sealer for inside. I've never tried it so I really can't comment on how well it works. In any case you should put a desiccant on a wire in there to absorb any moisture and seal it up real well 'til your ready for reinstallation. I get the feeling it might be a while. Once again I want to commend you on your initiative to take on a major project like this. You have made the narrative just comical enough to keep us all interested in some really boring stupid stuff. The way I read this though, it's kind of a how to for dummies that might inspire others with limited skills to attempt just such a project. Sorry that may have come out wrong. I'm really not calling you a dummy. One thing I found that helps me with my project is organized documentation. Your photos are great reference, but I also compiled three big binders with; all receipts, all instructions that came with any parts and a detailed to-do list. I also have a big photo album. The to-do list has helped me to stay focused and not bounce around as much. It allows me to redirect my attention to other areas if I'm waiting for parts or more money to buy more parts or if I just get frustrated and tired of working on that specific PITA item. You have a lot of work and expense in front of you. I hope you don't get bogged down or frustrated and can just keep plugging along. What are your plans for the drive train? I hope you can find a good machinist. Do your research. Building an Olds engine to make good power, and last, is not like a Ford or Chevy. If you need anything like a new oil pan you should speak up. There's a ton of good people here on this board that would be willing to help you that probably have ten oil pans in the storage shed, like me. You see us Oldsmobile guys are all a little goofy in the head. That's what everybody keeps telling me anyway.

Seff

I'm glad to see that this project's moving again - it has indeed inspired me to get an Olds and waste some time. :P

car_designer

Another good update.

Big Blue 72

Great thread Coltonis! I read through it tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it! I too think you are a dummy (joking). I admire your ingenuity and creativity in problem solving; there is a thin line between being resourceful and being a redneck and you tread that line proudly! I think that your thread has inspired me to do a rundown on my car's story/build thus far as well. Keep building and wisecracking! Let me know if you will be at any shows in the valley and I can high five you for your commentary cause it is Legen... wait for it... Dary!

P.S. You watch too much T.V. ROFL

tj78_

Any summer updates? You're not keeping us hanging till winter are you???

442_Mustang

Ditto....^

Jamesbo

X3

Coltonis

Its August - Consider yourselves up to date.

That will be all. As you were.

Coltonis

LOL, but seriously I do have some stuff I will try to post up pretty soon hopefully before the end of this weekend. (I'm just sooo lazy, you see.)

Lady72nRob71

Oh come on... It has been over 100 here since June and I am still making headway and posting proof...
Of course that means getting up EARLY on the weekends to enjoy the upper 80's steam - just what I hate most.

troyh

AWESOME pics! Wish the beast was is that good of shape. My wisconsin car has great air conditioning thanks to all the rust holes.

scubastever

But its a DRY heat , as far as i hear anyways..