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Look on the firewall, under the hood near the brake master cylinder. It will be on the shelf just above it. That's the trim tag. Take a picture and post that, then folks here can help key out what your car's paint and some options from the factory.
Look on the firewall, under the hood near the brake master cylinder. It will be on the shelf just above it. That's the trim tag. Take a picture and post that, then folks here can help key out what your car's paint and some options from the factory.
thanks 2blu
ill read up on how to post a link
meanwhile I believe it reads
ST69 (hard to read maybe -293R ) LAN 223456 BDY
TR 930 65 B PNT
12B
shes black now and depending on the overall paint quality, I might leave her black. I’m interested in the hood stripe color options that came on black 442s, also what decals and badging came on 69s
the hard to read part is 33667 which represents V8 Cutlass convertible - same body for 442 as far as Fisher Body was concerned 1968-'69
your VIN number for a '69 442 would be - 344679Mxxxxxx with the last 6-digits within a couple thousand units of 223456
Last edited by hurst68olds; March 27th, 2022 at 06:35 PM.
What baffles me are the numbers after ST 69 and before LAN. They should most likely be 33667 since it's a Lansing car but could also possibly be 34467. I can kind of see 33667 but it sure is covered up!
Hood stripe options for the '69 4-4-2 include the Y73 hood stripe (actually a double stripe around the raised sides of the hood back to the hood vent inserts (manual section 1-4 page 401 of the Product Information Manual (PIM), aka the assembly manual), or the W42 hood special painting (manual section 1-4 page 400 of the PIM/assembly manual) which incorporates the outer hood stripe outlined in the Y73 option with the inside area defined by the inner Y73 hood stripe the color of the outer hood stripe. Recommended color usage for paint stripes on a black car include white, blue, gold, and red (Manual section 0 page 185 of the PIM/assembly manual).
As others always say, I highly recommend you purchase an assembly manual (nice ones available through a member on this site, just do a search at the top of the page; the assembly manual shows badging and decal info as well as how the car is put together) and a real or reproduction chassis service manual that you can have by your side when you are working on your car. Both are invaluable.
Randy C.
'68 4-4-2 convertible (Best Of Class at the Reno 2011 Olds Club of America National Meet)
'69 4-4-2 convertible (a nice driver)
I appreciate all the replies. What a great group
its comforting to know there’s so many knowledge guys that are willing to help I’ll have to get the manual sounds like the olds bible
i looked up that topaz - geez what a nice looking color, I might have to shift my priorities on what to do first. I’ll be able to figure it out once I get my hands on her, should be this week
the car comes with a 400 long block, casting nr 396026 G, heads are unknown at this point I was told the previous owner took out the replacement 400 and installed the 455 - can any of you gurus determine if this block came out of a 442? The blocks were different than other olds 400 blocks from what I understand it’s definitely worth bringing the block home with me right? I don’t think my average local bone yard would have a 442 block anymore- correct?
1968-'69 400s have a "G" along with the casting number behind the water pump (other than the 442 very few cars came with the 400 engine)
the block's VIN pad is located below the head next to cylinder #1 - the original to your 442 would be stamped 39M2xxxxx (3 + matching the last 8-digits of your VIN)
1968-'69 400s have a "G" along with the casting number behind the water pump (other than the 442 very few cars came with the 400 engine)
the block's VIN pad is located below the head next to cylinder #1 - the original to your 442 would be stamped 39M2xxxxx (3 + matching the last 8-digits of your VIN)
good info
I was told the spare block was a replacement but I’ll be able to verify this now
You may be disappointed in your driving experience if you replace the 455 with an original G-block 400. Unless the 400 that came with the car is its original "born-with" engine, I don't know that I'd bother. There's no substitute for cubic inches!
Hard to beat Topaz with a black top! Here's a picture of mine shortly after getting it painted several years ago (original Topaz metallic). I didn't have the top on it yet in this picture but the top and interior are black. Sounds like a twin to your car (originally). Personally, I think the gold/black combination looks fantastic on almost anything from the '60's but I do admit it's a bit of an acquired taste. If I had a dollar for every person that has told me 'you need to paint it red!'...No Way.
You may be disappointed in your driving experience if you replace the 455 with an original G-block 400. Unless the 400 that came with the car is its original "born-with" engine, I don't know that I'd bother. There's no substitute for cubic inches!
Yes that's an excellent point, I'm not sure what i'm going to do with her just yet.
I'm still waiting for the seller to tell me it's ok to come pick her up. Once I get my
hands on her I'll be able to figure out what I'm going to do and prioritize the list.
but yes great point why bother to put back in a non matching 400,
if i did it may even reduce her value.
i spoke to a body shop here in Los Angeles area and they're quoting me 12 to 15,000 dollars for a good quality paint job
It's hard to believe that price. It's not like she needs much if any body work
Get an itemized estimate in writing. You and your bodyman may differ on how much massaging is necessary. Nice paint ain't cheap, and of course we know the price of everything has gone up.
i spoke to a body shop here in Los Angeles area and they're quoting me 12 to 15,000 dollars for a good quality paint job
It's hard to believe that price. It's not like she needs much if any body work
Changing color from black to Topaz
That is on the low end for a quality paint job. A quality job is 90% labor (and that's not counting any bodywork or rust repair) and proper materials will easily run $1500-$2500 depending on color and quality level. Do the math.
Yes I guess that's a fair point, I've never had hired a body shop to do a quality paint job before
so I have no reference, still that seems a little expensive to me.
But it is what it is, my repaint to Topaz will be pushed down the stack
Yes, $12-15k should be considered low. I can tell you I paid substantially more than that ~5 years ago and I also didn't need much in the way of bodywork. Keep in mind there's a difference between what you think is straight versus what a pro considers straight. Even without having to do extensive rust repair, a real pro will take a lot of time to make a decent body 'perfect'. You get what you pay for.
My only regret is that my car went from a semi-regular driver before paint to a garage queen after. The only times I'm comfortable getting it out on the road now is when I know 'the masses' won't be out. I live more in the country so that makes things pretty easy.
One more thing, for what it's worth; if it were me, I'd stick with a 400G and not join the masses who've dropped 455's in these cars. It depends on what you're looking for. If you want the most hp you can get and are looking for bragging rights, go 455. However, if you want a hard running street car that is different than what almost all non-Oldsmobile people expect (while staying true to the displacement level for the model year), go with the 400. Aside from the pistons, pretty much every component will interchange with the 455 so there's no shortage of parts. You won't make as much total hp and torque but you'll make plenty to have fun with the car.
March 27th, 2022, 12:59 PM
