What year is this sexy bitch?

I drive by this car often and it makes me drool every time. I finally stopped and snapped a pic today.

I LOVE everything about this car! I love the square headlights, the waterfall grills, the fastback, that taillights, the big seventy's bumpers... EVERYTHING!

If someone tells me you could get these with T-tops, I will not rest til I find one.

Seriously.

I'm guessing 1977? Is it only the 442 that looks like that, or does the regular Cutlass?

I don't care what it has for a drivetrain. It'll be getting a LSsomething and a six speed. Hotchkis everything, B-I-G brakes, 18" Coy's, and an ass whoopin' you wouldn't believe!

I need MOAR PICT SHURES!!!!!

Discuss.

77 and yes they could be had with t tops

I thought it was a 77...

What is this Gayness????


It looks like a Monte with those quarter windows!

Is that awesome glass on the black one 442 specific?

It looks like that sloped grille is 442 specific too?

Please, no LS in that. That needs 455 CI of Olds big block with the Mondello (RIP) catalogue thrown at it. It also needs the bumpers tucked in about four inches.

Meh. Boat anchor!

Ell Ess all the way!

What is this Mondello you speak of, though?

from 73 to 77 the coupes came in two different body styles

buickestate wrote:

from 73 to 77 the coupes came in two different body styles

Does that include the grills being different, too?

Do these cars share the 5 on 5 pattern?

Only the 442 had that nose on it. If I remember the one my dad had correctly, they are not 5x5 bolt pattern.

Oh, now we're in MY area. NICE FIND!

A few points!

These cars RUST...and RUST BADLY, even in Texas. Check around the wheel wells, lower fenders, quarter panels, and if heaven-forbid it has a landau/vinyl roof, they rust under there like mad. Also those big battering-ram bumpers tend to peel and rust.

The doors are HUGE and HEAVY, and the hinges sag.

The plastic trim inside around the windows, on the door panels, and on the seatbacks if it's got buckets, dry out and turn to powder....and are not reproduced.

For such large cars, they are actually pretty small inside. The roof is low, the windshield is short, and in general the later 78-88 G-bodies actually were roomier inside. Sitting in these 70's models is a bit of an odd feeling at first, with a somewhat low roof and a loooonnggg hood out in front of you.

Still with me???

Ok, now that the bad is out of the way, you can stick just about any engine in these you want. The vast majority of the ones left have Olds 350's in them, and they are bulletproof. The 260 was a downgrade engine....was totally gutless, and most have long since crapped out. The 455 was optional through the mid 70's, and while it is a smog motor, they make TORQUE like nothing else.

These cars handle really well, and ride smooth. Since the engines got weak GM worked hard on the suspensions, and they are known to be great road cars.

You can still walk into any parts store and get mechanical parts, and the parts are dirt cheap. It's body panels and trim parts that are hard to come by now.

T-tops were optional, but they were all Hurst/Hatch aftermarket units, not GM made, and they tend to leak, rattle, and can add to rust issues. Also cutting them out made the cars a lot more loose, and the doors harder to close. That said, on a sunny day or starry night, who cares!! I'd love to have one with t-tops, but just know the cars are not much fun with them on.

You can see the t-tops here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06WM8oLH87M

One other option was a HUGE metal power sliding sunroof, This solves the door seal and body flex issues caused by the t-tops, but they are RARE now.

These cars, which ran from 1973-1977, were known as the "GM Colonnade" coupes, and had thick roofs designed to meet federal rollover standards that never came to be.

There are two coupe versions, the formal roof, which had small quarter windows and a more upright rear window shaped in a "V", and a fastback roof which sloped further back and included the large angular 1/4 windows. The Cutlass Supreme has the formal roof, the Cutlass Salon had the fastback roof. I believe all the 70's 442's were based on Salons and had the fastback roof, but I could be wrong on certain years.

Also, the Salon has the angled-back grill, where the Supreme has the more upright grill, like the one in the video above.

If you can't tell, despite the rust and 70's quality issues, I like these cars a lot. They are currently undervalued and deals can be found if you look. I think the styling is great, with my personal favorite being the 73 model, which had a small front bumper, a rear bumper that flowed with the body line, and very cool recessed tail lights, BUT the 76-77 442 models also are lookers, with their huge decals and SSII wheels, and with the t-tops or huge power sunroof are COOL cars.

That's my 2-cents. Good find if it's not a rust-bucket!

-Mike

Info on Hurst/Hatch T-tops with links too: http://www.firebirdtransamparts.com/techinfo/ttops/hurst.htm

Here ya go....even near you, with T-tops and a dual-gate. http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/2382037950.html

Ok somewhat off topic but this Cutlass is near you and it's rare as hell. The last year for the 442 was '87, and the '88 GT is a VERY limited edition, part of the final run of Cutlass G-bodies, they have the bucket seats, floor shift, full gauges, rear spoiler and hood scoop from the early 80's Hurst models.

I looked for one of there for years. Figures it'd be way the hell up there near you!!

http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/2357004634.html

WOW look at that 70's interior! Have to wear sunglasses to sit in the car!

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/2437841201.html

I still love this one.....near me. ; )

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/2433202037.html

Hate the steering wheel though, needs the optional brushed-metal 4-spoker.

toomanytoyz wrote:

Meh. Boat anchor!

Ell Ess all the way!

What is this Mondello you speak of, though?

Mondello is, was, an aftermarket performance parts mfgr. & modifier who specialized in
Oldsmobile engines & cars.
They were quite potent!

Thanks for the info, Mike.

Not a fan of the 73-5's with the round headlights and funky side bubble body lines...

I would LOVE that black/gold one near you! The car is a Grant wheel and 18's away from being perfect! If I only had the moolah.

toomanytoyz wrote:

Thanks for the info, Mike.

Not a fan of the 73-5's with the round headlights and funky side bubble body lines...

I would LOVE that black/gold one near you! The car is a Grant wheel and 18's away from being perfect! If I only had the moolah.

Keep the Super Stock II mags, install a 4-spoke steering wheel, and find a good set of period Hurst/Hatches for it. Done.

In '72 you could still get a 455 with a 4-speed stick in these. That'd be wild!

Can't fit big brakes behind 14's or 15's! I plan to autocross and roadcourse it...

toomanytoyz wrote:

Can't fit big brakes behind 14's or 15's! I plan to autocross and roadcourse it...

Autocross it? They weigh as much as our wagons.

I've never seen a '77 Cutlass with a metal rear bumper, I thought they came with a wooden 2X6 from the factory.

I agree with J, BB Olds Bill.

Joe Mondello was known as Dr. Olds to Oldsmobile enthusiasts.
http://www.mondellotwister.com/index.htm

81X11 wrote:

toomanytoyz wrote:

Can't fit big brakes behind 14's or 15's! I plan to autocross and roadcourse it...

Autocross it? They weigh as much as our wagons.

Uhm... That hasn't stopped me from autocrossing my wagon...

toomanytoyz wrote:

I plan to autocross and roadcourse it...

OH MUH GAWD!

He's breaking them faster than he can buy them!

Hell, he barely even drove the Subaru before it blowed up. This poor Olds has NO chance.

He drove the Subaru? I thought he just took it home, then to the dyno, then to the blow'd up.

He drove it to the dyno.....

I always loved the 77s Love that grille and the one on the Grand Prix too.

I did get to drive it. A couple times. I think. I can barely remember...

77 cutlass's are butt ugly,.

phantom 309 wrote:

77 cutlass's are butt ugly,.

There's Mr. Sunshine! I'd wondered where he'd been........

Hey Mike whats up Buddy?With Bills luck with vehicles maybe we should discourage him from
buying classics like the 77 Cutlass.
Jim Gordon

Agreed! He's not allowed to buy that black one down here. That one is all stock, gorgeous, and needs to stay that way! Ha!

I've got my 80's Cutlass, my next Cutlass wish would be a 71-72 notchback coupe or convertible. Those were made better and rusted less than the 73+ models, and cost less than the 68-70 models.

I keep drooling over this one near me: http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/2380378002.html

Ouch, now that hurts!

You buy one friggin' bad luck import...

toomanytoyz wrote:

Ouch, now that hurts!

You buy one friggin' bad luck import...

You get used to it.

Signed,

A VW owner too stupid to change

Could be worse, you could have bought a Ford.....

Won't do THAT again, either.

I sure don't miss our '94 Aerostar...my one Ford experience, since it was nearly given to us by a neighbor and had low miles.

What a turd, and I had it spotless and detailed, added better wheels, a good stereo, and it looked new. Something was ALWAYS breaking or leaking, it was gutless, and it either looked like a Dustbuster or a doorstop....depending on who you asked.

I traded it for my 89 Custom Cruiser. Best trade I EVER made!!

No Fords for me again! Would not wish one on my worst enemy.

-Mike

I've owned 2 Fords, a Lincoln, and my darling wife came to me complete with a 1968 Cougar, So I've hit the Trifecta there. Have never driven the Cougar, it's a barn car waiting for me to resurect it.

The Fords were fairly good to me, the first was an 89 Conversion van with color TV, bed, high top, etc. 12 MPG Highway and 15 City!!! It was a brick and the 89 5.0 HO was useless above 75MPH. Put about 115K on it and at 130K I lost compression in one piston right after I dropped 2 grand on a new tranny and new tires.

The second one was an Explorer I bought off a friend and drove it a month and bought a 1A2. Put 6k on it in 6 months and sold it straight up for what I paid for it.

The Lincoln I traded a VW bus (first water cooled year and a total POS) that I put about 20 miles on until the freeze plugs blew out of the block.) and some cash for. The ex-wife destroyed it but it was a nice riding car with a TBI and 5.0 (1985).

Need to do something with the Cougar (like drop and LSx in it )

68 was a pretty year for Cougars. Nice styling. Does that Cougar have sequential rear turn signals? I always loved those. The new Mustangs have them now, but they kind of blink-blink-blink because of the reverse light design, where the silid red 60's T-Birds and Cougar lights seemed to be a "rolling" light. Very cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bUNpuHmVr4

I forgot that when I met my now wife she had an 87 Thunderbird. It was clean, but only a V6 and the a/c of course was dead. As soon as she and I got serious I gave her my much-newer 93 S-10 to drive and sold her T-Bird to buy my '85 Grand Prix LE. Now that was a wonderful car, and I wish I still had it.

Oh and as for your Vanagon, those crack me up. We still have a lot of those here, Austin being such a liberal and hippy culture, and I used to "try" to make the a/c on those work when I have the shop. Terrible design, does not work much above 90. I had to test drive those Vanagons and, especially with the automatic ones, was amazed at how you drive them. It's the only vehicle I can think of that demands to be floored all the time. I mean you have to put pedal-to-the-floor just to try to stay with regular traffic. That said I like pop-roof camper vans.

-Mike