Figured I would go ahead and start a thread on the new car. It's a 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme that is in surprisingly good shape. I'm almost tempted to just fix a few minor issues with the car and drive it as is, but the point of this exercise was to find a car to install my turbo-ready LQ4 engine in and drive it as my one and only daily vehicle. I searched for cars in the price range equal to the value of the '66 T-bird I was selling and the back-half kit I also had up on Craigslist. That was $1500, and it returned a host of mid-80s Camaros and mid to late 70s large 4-door cars. One thing behind this project is the need for a mid-sized car that I can comfortably put two kids in the back seat or haul my dog and I to and from school (4 hour trip) each day. Camaros have proved impracticable for this task and the full-size cars are way too much extra steel to drag around on frequent long trips. However, a 1979 Malibu popped up one day and I was intrigued. I had never considered G-body cars before, although I appreciated the Monte Carlo SS and Grand National, they were either out of my price range, or in too bad of shape to be a worthy beginning to my project. This had to be a running, driving car to begin with, but I was on to something. Turns out, the 1978-91ish G-bodies aren't very popular due to their battering ram bumpers, therefore they sit for sale for long periods of time and are priced lower than later cars in worse shape. It only took a few days and I found it:
1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Olds 350/350, Runs, drives, all electrical works, t-tops (they don't leak!), body is straight but needs paint, interior is CLEAN and complete minus headliner, suspension, wheels, tires and brakes all good. The guy wanted $1500.
I sold the T-bird and back-half kit and had $1200 in my pocket, my buddy picked me up and we went down to see it. After crawling all over it and taking it for a drive I was surprised at how good of condition it was actually in. I came back and offered the guy $1,000 "cash" (it's always cash, but it's fun to say that when negotiating). He balked at that and said $1,400. I told him I could do $1,200 but not a penny more. Turns out he had a dental bill to pay and reluctantly agreed to sell it to me at that price.
On the drive home this is what I discovered about the car: it is very, very comfortable and rides well. Needs a minor adjustment to the alignment. The car is SLOW. Engine doesn't make much power and the rear gear is terrible. Should be 2.73 or 2.97, but I wouldn't be surprised if a 2.30 gear snuck in there at one point. I'm going to have to figure that out, because I can live with 2.97 gears for a while, but 2.30 would not work with the build plan...and the budget doesn't appear to have money for a gear swap. Also, the kick-down cable is disconnected and the trans likes to shift into 3rd ASAP and stay there. Makes driving a bit of an exercise at times. I slapped some new wiper blades on the car ($22), replaced the accessory belts ($10) because the previous belts were WAY too big and proved to be ineffective. The state took $147 of my hard earned money for the privilege of purchasing a car and transferring the title.
Total Build Cost: $1379
1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Olds 350/350, Runs, drives, all electrical works, t-tops (they don't leak!), body is straight but needs paint, interior is CLEAN and complete minus headliner, suspension, wheels, tires and brakes all good. The guy wanted $1500.
I sold the T-bird and back-half kit and had $1200 in my pocket, my buddy picked me up and we went down to see it. After crawling all over it and taking it for a drive I was surprised at how good of condition it was actually in. I came back and offered the guy $1,000 "cash" (it's always cash, but it's fun to say that when negotiating). He balked at that and said $1,400. I told him I could do $1,200 but not a penny more. Turns out he had a dental bill to pay and reluctantly agreed to sell it to me at that price.
On the drive home this is what I discovered about the car: it is very, very comfortable and rides well. Needs a minor adjustment to the alignment. The car is SLOW. Engine doesn't make much power and the rear gear is terrible. Should be 2.73 or 2.97, but I wouldn't be surprised if a 2.30 gear snuck in there at one point. I'm going to have to figure that out, because I can live with 2.97 gears for a while, but 2.30 would not work with the build plan...and the budget doesn't appear to have money for a gear swap. Also, the kick-down cable is disconnected and the trans likes to shift into 3rd ASAP and stay there. Makes driving a bit of an exercise at times. I slapped some new wiper blades on the car ($22), replaced the accessory belts ($10) because the previous belts were WAY too big and proved to be ineffective. The state took $147 of my hard earned money for the privilege of purchasing a car and transferring the title.
Total Build Cost: $1379
Comment