1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442

Here is a 72 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible with 442 dress up. This car came to us from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The car was a true basket case has the parts were brought in the building this way. The car must have a story to tell and when the old paint was stripped to bare metal and the interior was removed it was found the car is a build of actually two cars and the weld seam was found behind driver’s seat area. The car was to have body work completed and checked out. The usual amount of rust was found and previous body work discovered. Not a big deal, but the car had to put together first to check body part alignment since it was welded together. Who ever did this did a good job with correct alignment. The rust was cut out and new metal welded in place. The rear quarters had some rust and the front fenders were banged up and rusted in spots. Factory parts are always better than reproduction parts so the original fenders were saved and repaired.

Once the body work was smoothed out the body was painted black and sanded down so a silver factory 442 stripes could be painted on. This was a good place to tackle the mechanical aspect. The motor had been rebuilt by the owner a few years ago but no external parts were on the motor. Out came the baskets of parts and it was put back together. A MSD distributor was bought and the original Quadrajet carburetor was found in a box and sent off to be professionally rebuilt and restored. Finding the correct radiator proved to be a chore and once all parts and pieces were put in place a test start up proved successful and the 350 Olds engine ran good. Once this part was complete the fenders will be put back on and the body stripes will be laid out and painted on.

The 442 was put all together and test ran. The rebuilt motor by the custome ran well. The original interior cleaned up fairly well. From sitting a long time the brakes needed some more work and will be repaired by the customer. The car is now a slick looking true muscle car again and new wheels were being order up by the owner. No doubt in a short time this car can be seen cruising the streets of Chatanooga, TN