Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » As requested '80 Olds Cutlass build thread 1 2 3

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  May 20, 2011 12:19 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  Alright guys as requested here is the build thread for my very first G Body. I think I have most of the parts together that I should be able to get the thing together over the summer which is my goal. So hopefully you will see quite a bit of activity in this thread over the summer.

  I got the car a couple years ago and it has basically just been sitting waiting for me to get things together. The car is a 1980 Cutlass originally equipped with a diesel motor that in some point was converted over to Pontiac 301 which is basically just a boat anchor at this point. With a bit of luck I found out the car has the original aluminum hood so that was a bonus. Oh and I got the car for free. I have a second car a '79 that I will be using for parts when I need them.

  I just recently picked up (see my other thread) a Olds 403 from a '77 Delta 88 Pace Car. I have a full set of seats out of a Pontiac GTP that will be going in the car. I have several sets of wheels to choose from. I will be using one of the TH350s from the cars I have. I have a 12 bolt rear from a '70 GTO sitting in my shop right now as well though it may not go in until next year. There was a set of racing springs in the trunk of the '80 when I got it. There is a steering column and wheel from a mid 70's firebird in the '79 that will get yanked to go in the '80 and I also have a Hurst V Matic 2 that will be going in.

  Upon a bit more digging both cars have the hydroboost brake systems that seems to be popular with the GN and GNX crowd and they also both have fast ratio steering boxes in them.

  There have been a few more additions that have come in recently a few more frame support bars, a 10 lb Nitrous bottle (still working on getting the other bits), and a few body work pieces to add a little more aggressive look.

  Pics to come in the next couple of posts.

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  May 20, 2011 12:26 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  Here is the '80 as it was when it came home. It had been sitting for year before I got it.

  

  goodies in the trunk

  this was after about 15 minutes of weed removal

  then Tiff dove in to help

  The wheels on the car I might use these...

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 20, 2011 12:31 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  Last summer I picked up this '79 for use as parts for the '80

  

  a very crusty nasty green interior with an F body steering column and wheel

  

  An Olds 350 under the hood, at least its better than that Poncho 301.

  

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 20, 2011 12:38 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  And here are some of the parts I have gathered for the project though not all will be used (obviously)

  Pontiac GTP seats (have the complete rear as well)

  

  A pile of parts and my old shop buddy that I sadly lost earlier this year

  

  The 12 bolt rear

  

  Olds 403 out of a Delta 88 Pace Car

  

  Hmmm or maybe these wheels

  

  and the steering wheel out of the Delta

  

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 20, 2011 1:26 p.m. SilverFleet HalfDork

  Cool.

  Honestly, what's wrong with that '79? It looks like its in pretty nice shape.

  2009 WRX (daily driver) 1987 Shelby CSX and 1979 Trans Am (money pits) AWD, FWD, and RWD in my driveway!

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  May 20, 2011 1:29 p.m. failboat Reader

  was the 80 sitting for a year...with the hood open?

  will be following, i like g bodies.

  boosh.

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  May 20, 2011 1:33 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  Honestly the '79 looks better in the pics than it is and the '80 looks worse. For one thing the entire interior of the '79 is crap, it is falling apart and and just really funky. It is so bad I don't even like to sit in the car. The '80 has a much more intact and cleaner interior. I also like the look of the '80 better and I HATE the landau roof on the '79 that does have some rust under it.

  I may actually save the '79 for a later build and swap on a Regal front end. Then that beast may get my injected 355 I have sitting there in the parts pile. Though I may swap the block for a 4 bolt main one so that I can run boost on that particular build.

  I have caught the G Body bug I am sad to say. I do have a savings setup for a GN in the future as well

  Nope the '80 had its hood closed that is just the growth that came up from below. It is all cleared out now. It took us about 3 hours to get all of the weeds from under the car and from out of all the places it had grown though we did find we had one nice solid car.

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 20, 2011 1:37 p.m. poopshovel SuperDork

  Moar girlfriend pics. pls. I had an '85. It was the worst car I ever owned, but probably the best looking in the sub $1k category, and the bench seat got plenty of use. Aaaah the good ole days.

  Build a man a fire, and he'll stay warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll stay warm for the rest of his life.

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  May 20, 2011 1:37 p.m. Javelin SuperDork

  Super Stock wheels or bust!

  Michael Pinto - 73 AMC Javelin 360 / GoKart / 86 944 Sport / 01 Grand Prix GT / 06 Mazda5 M5

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  May 20, 2011 1:42 p.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

  Yep, I wanna echo the "glad youre writing this thread" sentiment! An olds Gbody is on my bucket list! Looking forward to updates.

  Real cars only have one header!

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  May 20, 2011 1:43 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  poopshovel wrote: Moar girlfriend pics. pls.

  Here is the only other I have of her working on the car so far, and she is my fiance now actually (with good reason).

  

  When I brought the 403 home I used her Tacoma (my Ram has a canopy) and when we took the engine out she got up in the bed of the truck to remove the carb so we could put the lift plate on. She loved it and now gets mad if I do anything on the cars without her.

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 20, 2011 2:18 p.m. Type Q Dork

  rebelgtp wrote: Honestly the '79 looks better in the pics than it is and the '80 looks worse. For one thing the entire interior of the '79 is crap, it is falling apart and and just really funky. It is so bad I don't even like to sit in the car. The '80 has a much more intact and cleaner interior. I also like the look of the '80 better and I HATE the landau roof on the '79 that does have some rust under it.

  It's interesting what people like. I actually much prefer the look of the '78 and and '79 Cutlass a lot better than the quad headlamps on the '80 or the restyle that came after that. If it were my project (and I understand it is not) I'd put the 79 front end on the the better car.

  I was never much of an Olds enthusiast. In recent years, they are starting to grow on me. its probably nostalgia. I grew up in Lansing Michigan, not too far from Fischer Body plant where I believe a lot of the those were stamped out and painted.

  Tough times don't last. Tough people do.

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  May 20, 2011 2:34 p.m. Cole_Trickle Reader

  Very cool man.

  Hit the Pace Car!

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  May 20, 2011 3:16 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  Yeah lots of people seem to like the '79 nose better and I do like it but there is something about the quads I like. Also '80 is the year I was born so you know nostalgia.

  Well I was just out at my yard remembering heck there was an '81 Cutlass out there and someone put a 307 in it, and those had an aluminum intake that would fit my 403. Sadly it got crushed day before yesterday . However with some digging I found an '85 Riviera with the same motor and intake so they are going to test the motor and see if it is good then determine if they will sell the intake separate.

  I then sat around and talked with the head guy out there for a bit and found out the G Body Elky they had in the back had been running a hot motor. They are going to check the rear end for me and see if it is a stock rear or something else also going to check if it has a posi and the like.

  FINALLY on my way out I wandered by the wheel stack and what to my wondering eyes should appear but four shiny Crager, SS's at that. They want $200 for the set with tires though the tires are shot from what I was told (won't hold air even though they still have loads of tread). They are staggered with wider ones for the back, either 14s or 15s I'm not sure.

  look like these here...

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 20, 2011 3:29 p.m. Timeormoney Reader

  rebelgtp wrote: She loved it and now gets mad if I do anything on the cars without her.

  You sir, have won the lottery.

  Today I had some friends help me change my oil, now my car is covered in hello kitty stickers. I'm 37

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  May 20, 2011 4:09 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  Timeormoney wrote:

  rebelgtp wrote: She loved it and now gets mad if I do anything on the cars without her.

  You sir, have won the lottery.

  That I most certainly did. She is actually 10 years younger than me though we have more in common then most women my own age. She is also not the typical spoiled little princess I was finding at the college. She works hard and appreciates me more than I could have ever hoped for. Heck we met because of our common interest in photography and found we had more in common including a love for old cars.

  Now back to the car build. The yard is also going to check for a rear sway bar under that Elky for me. I would love it if that turned out to be an 8.5 under there

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 20, 2011 6:30 p.m. Rob_Mopar Dork

  rebelgtp wrote:

  poopshovel wrote: Moar girlfriend pics. pls.

  Here is the only other I have of her working on the car so far, and she is my fiance now actually (with good reason).

  

  When I brought the 403 home I used her Tacoma (my Ram has a canopy) and when we took the engine out she got up in the bed of the truck to remove the carb so we could put the lift plate on. She loved it and now gets mad if I do anything on the cars without her.

  Sure sounds like you found a keeper. I met my wife in college and she was into cars. Been together ever since. And she's still into cars.

  If those junkyard Cragars are 15's and the chrome isn't beat that's not a bad deal. If they are 14's take a pass. Not much selection left in 14" tires.

  My first "real" car was a '78 Malibu. So I have a soft spot for the late A/G bodies. I like the later slanted Cutlass nose. Tried talking Dad into a Hurst Olds version when they were new. His response was "Yea, I might want that one too, but that doesn't mean I can pay for it." Since he and Mom were still raising us I can't argue with that logic.

  Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!

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  May 21, 2011 8:15 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  Yeah I had not thought about that but you are right about the 14s. Besides I am really leaning to either cleaning up those aluminum ones currently on the car or just running the gold super stock wheels.

  With this car I am kinda getting addicted to the A/G body cars. I REALLY want to find a GN now.

  Oh and this week I hope to get enough area cleared out in my shop to FINALLY get the '80 in there and start tearing out the interior.

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 21, 2011 10:12 p.m. Rad_Capz Reader

  Cool project! My last Olds was an 88 Cutlass Suupreme Classic. I'm going to be taking off a stock rear swaybar I have on my Malibu now. It did seem to make the car handle better by reducing body roll and understeer. I don't know where you are but if you want it for free send me a PM. I'm in SO FL if you can pick it up or want to see how much it would cost to ship.

  The 2nd gen TA tilt steering column is an item you can sell for pretty good money. So is the Formula steering wheel and the wheel adapter, horn button, and horn button support. If you sell them on Ebay list the parts individually but all at the same time and mention the other parts in your descriptions. The Formula wheel can be recovered so they sell as cores even if the rubber was fried by the sun at the top. You'll probably end up with 200-300 dollars, maybe more.

  Got any idea on paint scheme? Those gold wheels would look nice on a H/O type of paint/graphics car.

  Oh ya, the GN rears? Keep searching high and low for a reasonably priced one. I found mine (after searching years) on Maluburacing.com for 350.00 without gears. Although they're refered to as GN rears they were also used in other G bodies, as an example all the T type cars came with them. They are usually $$$ though if you find one. 700-1300 seems to be the going rate for complete ready to install ones depending on whether they've been rebuilt or not and what condition they're in.

  John Paige

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  May 22, 2011 12:16 a.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  In reply to Rad_Capz:

  Yeah I was surprised to find that TA setup in that '79 when I picked it up. I actually want to use the column because I am switching over to a Hurst floor shifter. The wheel though I will be putting up for sale especially considering I have the one from the Pace Car that I will be using.

  So far I am actually just thinking a basic black paint though I am still trying to decide between a regular gloss black or I found a local supplier of Blitz Black. There might be some accents done with silver or something. The trim will be blacked out and the bumpers might get a silver coat, I have just never been a huge fan of chrome bumpers unless we are talking about something from the 60's or earlier. Interior will go over to a black and grey two tone with some aluminum parts as well.

  Yeah I have been looking for a reasonably priced GN rear for the car since I drug it home. One day I will find one for the right price, which will not be half a challenge budget. Actually I just ran across a G Body El Camino at the yard that has a built up 7.5 with 3.08 gears and posi. The car was owned by the head guys friend and he said it was a good solid rear so I may pick that up this week. He also told me that he has apparently found some yard out east that specializes in cars like the GN and he can check on a rear from there for me.

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 23, 2011 4:56 p.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  Had a couple parts dropped off today. A 10 lb NOS nitrous bottle and a bolt on hood cowl. I wanted to go with the bolt on because I wanted the similar look to some of the old muscle cars where the scoops basically just looked bolted on by the factory. Anyway it is basically only going to serve the function of venting under the hood. It will go on the steel hood while the aluminum one will remain flat.

  I also decided to grab that 3.08 Posi rear to get me by until I can either scrounge up a 8.5 or get new guts and a posi for my 12 bolt.

  Basically the cowl is a smaller version of the one on this car here...

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 23, 2011 5:27 p.m. Rob_Mopar Dork

  I vaguely remember something about the GN rear being in the Olds 307 powered G-bodies.
  

  I think back in the '80's it was referred to as an Olds rear more than a GN rear. But back then the RWD Cutlass was still king of sales too.

  Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!

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  May 23, 2011 7:45 p.m. SilverFleet HalfDork

  In reply to Rob_Mopar:

  I believe some Cutlass Salons and 442's (81-87 body style, btw) had that rear. I remember pulling one out of a mid 80's Salon back in high school for fellow GRM'er Pseudosport's Monte Carlo "PseudoSport"

  2009 WRX (daily driver) 1987 Shelby CSX and 1979 Trans Am (money pits) AWD, FWD, and RWD in my driveway!

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  May 24, 2011 11:14 a.m. rebelgtp SuperDork

  From the factory I think it was mostly just the GN, the T Type and 442 that came with the 8.5, even the Monte SS only got a 7.56 rear out of an F Body. Though I would not be surprised to find it under just about any G Body car no matter how lowly, that is why I crawl under ever G Body I run across that is for sale or I find in a scrap yard. There is a beat to crap T Type for sale on the other side of the state from me for a few hundred bucks though it has no title and the original turbo motor is gone.

  "Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle."

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  May 24, 2011 12:37 p.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

  I forgot about the FEX olds...seriously thats my inspiration for the gbody i will one day build.

  The FEX3 Darth-Vader Olds concept:

  sooooooo hot, want to touch the hiney!

  Real cars only have one header!

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