ScottHowey

I bought this car a few days ago. I'm wondering if I should keep it and fix everything, or try to get my cash back out of it and keep looking.

It was sold to me as a reliable daily driver. After spending a few days going over it it is NOT a daily driver. I'm a decent mechanic but I don't want a car I have to rebuild the motor or trans in. However if I bought it way under value then I will suck it up and put in the money to fix everything the right way. I am looking to you guys to give me a little perspective as this is the first Olds I have owned and I don't know the market on them, at all.

The paint is decent (its been repainted but was not prepped well, you can see sanding marks under the paint in some areas), chrome is good, bumpers are not totally straight, it runs a bit rough, trans is acting up (as soon as it gets up to temperature it slips when you take off from a stop, fluid is not low).
Interior is good, except for headliner has staining. Other than the mechanical stuff I described earlier, it needs tires, shocks, new hoses, and the brakes pull to the right.

Let me know if you need more info.
Here is a picture of it and the text from the ad I bought it from.

rustyroger

You have a nearly 50 year old car, very few cars this age are daily drivers, did you really expect it to be like a 5 year old Honda?. I'm not having a dig at you, I suspect you didn't really expect it to be ready for daily use either.
Maybe an expert opinion on the transmission could help you make a decision, if it is shot the expense of fixing it mighr be more than you are prepared to undertake. Bearing in mind the engine has been modified perhaps swapping the transmission for a more up to date reliable one such as a th350 or 200r4 could be an option. As for the paint and bodywork, you have a complete car without much rust (I assume, since you didn't mention it as an issue) but work to be done at a later date.
Overhauling the brakes, new hoses, shocks & tires shouldn't cost a fortune and something anyone buying a car this old might reasonably expect to need to do.

But it's your car and your money, I don't know the whole story, not even how much you paid for it.

However this is just the place to find all the expert help and advice from a huge pool of knowledge and experience you could ever need.
Of course, we are Oldsmobile fans and will have a enthusiasts viewpoint on keeping the car. I think I am speaking for many of us when I say please keep the car, fix it over time and enjoy the friendly help you will find here.

Roger.

tcarroll

The car looks nice in the pic but as soon as I saw it was a 4 door I lost interest. Sure a lot of guys will get up in arms with me over this but the market on a 4 door to me is... if you dont lose money you are doing well.

Best Todd

47 Convertible

Sell it. For more reasons than I can take time to list here. I've owned lots of different cars over fifty years and this one has all the signs of a money pit waiting to be filled with your dollars if you keep it. As a four door with 330 and 2 speed it will never be a sought after model and with modified engine it will not be a satisfactory daily driver. My experience with 60s Cutlass was with a 65 convertible with 330 and 2 speed. I painted it, detailed the interior, made a little money and was happy to see it go. Gotta wonder why Olds ever did the 2 speed.
Jerry

rocketraider

Ask Buick and Chevrolet. Two-speed automatics were their idea and design and midsized Olds and Pontiac got taken along for the ride.

That car should have a switch pitch Jetaway and your slippage problem may be as simple as a linkage and switch adjustment esp since it's had that aftermarket carb installed.

Rough running can trace back to the cam or even tuning. If the car's not using an excessive amount of oil (and by that I mean more than a quart every 800 miles or so) your engine is probably actually in pretty good condition. Find out how much cam is actually in the thing and then tune it properly. Now, if some SFB installed too big a cam, it's going to idle rough and have rotten low speed power, and no amount of tuning will get it out.

Getting your investment back on a 4-door? Probably not because they're not the most popular body style and the mindset anymore is investment. People can't be happy just having a nice old car to drive around; they're obsessed with making a fortune off it thanks to the damn auctions.

Does your kid like the car? Is he willing to use it also as a learning tool? If not, sell the Olds and get him a Honda.

And, as Roger said- it's near 50 years old. You cannot expect either perfection or modern-car reliability. The wear items are a non-issue; all cars need those. Brakes? Check adjustment, then check the hydraulic system.

s i 442

If we read your description and the sellers description they are far from the same.
Either drive it until it drops or sell it but its a 4 door and money will be lost if you stick almost any in to it.

MDchanic

1. You ask about selling it and getting your cash back out of it. How can we possibly answer that question if we don't know how much cash you put into it?

2. Is the transmission slipping, or is that the proper operation of the switch-pitch converter?
Set up a temporary switch inside the car and drive it, actuating the converter as you drive, to see whether that's really the issue.

3. Brakes pull? They're drums. Have you actually looked at them? Maybe you've got some worn or dirty shoes. Maybe you've got stuck adjusters. Maybe they just need an initial adjustment. Drum brake cars will pull when something is a little bit off. That's the way these cars were when they were new.

4. Every car you buy needs tires, shocks, belts, and hoses, as well as plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points, and condenser. If a given car doesn't need one of these, that's just a lucky break.

5. "Runs a bit rough?" "Edelbrock cam, cam kit, intake manifold, Holley carb?"
What cam? What carb? What intake? What's a "cam kit"?
Maybe you could tell us exactly what parts were installed, and exactly what's wrong, and we could help a bit.
People love to install Hot Rod parts in their cars that don't work together or with the original engine, and then wonder why their cars run like crap. What's your engine's compression ratio? Has it been modified internally? If it's got a cam, then there's an excellent chance that the rev band of the cam incompatible with the switch-pitch converter or with its settings.
As a general rule, buying engines that have been modified by someone else is a Bad Idea, as someone else is always an idiot.

6. A Cutlass is a mid-size, not a full-size, so the seller's IQ (with regard to any modifications he may have made) is already suspect.

- Eric

Oldsmaniac

Buyer's Remorse? Hmmm as said a 50 year old car is expected to need things and I do not want such a car as a daily driver. I have had this type of a car as a daily driver and it would always be something going bad. It is a perfect car for a kid to learn on. Make him do the work and you supervise. If he is not interested then send it on its way. A lot of the problems such as paint, tires, appearance etc should have been thought about before the purchase. As for market value, I think it would be pretty low being a 4dr.

oldcutlass

Since you purchased this car for your son as a driver you need to talk it over with him. If he is willing to learn and participate, it will make a great father and son project where you can maintain a great relationship with a common goal and keep the lines of communication open with him for a few more years. The project will be a lifetime memory cherished by both of you forever. It may take a few dollars in parts, but the experience, time spent together, and memories are priceless!

The issues you have expressed with the car sound mostly minor and can be broken down in multiple short term projects where as he can still drive the car in between.

If he doesn't want to do this, sell the car and get him an inexpensive hoopty and send him on his way.

71rocket

WOW, some Debbie downers here. You have a very nice looking grocery getter and I'd treat it as such. Live with the little defects and drive the wheels off.

If you bought this car to flip, sorry.

tcarroll

Another option for you is to part it out. Depending on what you paid for it I have bought cars strictly to part out because I know certain parts will fetch me so much money and so i know for the price I offer I can make a little money. You would need to research what parts for this this are going for and what parts will interchange with a 2 Door.
also this could take up to a year plus storage space to get your money out of it. A little more food for thought.

Best Todd

Octania

I was just lamenting the other day how I let go that old '67 I made into an ElCamino like pickup. 4-dr is perfect for that. I don't even have a photo of it now.

Hmmmm....
Maybe you should sell that worthless 4-dr

66400

As a multiple Corvair owner you should find a 66 f85 very simple to maintain/repair as compared to Corvairs.

And since when is owning an everyday driver is intended to be an investment? Be it a 66 f85, 2004 Honda or whatever!

Henry

ScottHowey

I do like the car, so does my kid. He specifically requested a four door (he wanted a '67 Impala 4 door, but too much $$$) which is why I bought this car for him. Daily driver? Well I'd just like to jump in it a few times a week to run errands or go to the local cruise night. My kid won't be driving it by himself for about a year, as he doesn't have his license yet. In the future he wants to take a long road trip with his buddies. Whether or not its in this car we shall see.

I am not afraid of the small issues it has, brakes, shocks, or even the rough running. The rough running isn't a radical cam. I know what a radical cam sounds like. The cam has to be a mild/stock grind judging by the idle. It feels like it may be running on 7 cylinders. It may be as simple as a tune up. I haven't had enough time to get into that yet.

The trans issue is what worries me the most. Leaving from a stop or very slow roll it doesn't go anywhere then jerks as the trans catches. Maybe its an adjustment? The PO has a TH400 he is offering me for $300.00 but after reading some of the ST300 to TH400 swap threads I think a 2004R would be easier and better so I don't know if I'll pick up the TH400 or not.

I paid $4500.00 for the car.

Thanks for the input guys, its helping allot.

chip-powell

Since you said that your son will not have his license for about a year, and the car only cost $4500 (I say "only" because in classic car terms, that's nothing), this sounds like a great, take your time, year or two father/son project!

Take it from me...you will both learn allot, the costs can be spread out over time, and you will both have fun (even on the days when you're cussing the car with rust flakes in your eyes).

I say keep her.

tru-blue 442

Agree 100 percent.
To meet your goal as a daily
on a shoestring, you guys could
make a weekend project by finding
a good used 350 turbo, replace the front and
rear seals with a new filter and gasket on the cheap.
Straight bolt up. Use the same drive shaft. Just make sure
it has it's kick down cable and proper dipstick and tube.
Floor jack, some jack stands, a few hand tools and your're there.
Good luck with your decision. Looks like a nice one, be it a more door.

rocketraider

That honestly sounds like a throttle linkage and converter switch adjustment issue. Nothing insurmountable.

If the switch pitch stator is stuck in low angle at idle the car will be very sluggish getting underway. In this case I think the throttle linkage is probably misadjusted allowing the vanes to remain in low angle until the car gets moving, and when the switch passes the contacts that change angle it momentarily flashes the vanes to high angle and you feel a marked difference in acceleration. Likewise, if the switch is misadjusted enough, high speed action may also feel sluggish if the converter doesn't switch back to high angle when it should.

The chassis manual adjustment procedure assumes the car still has factory intake and carb. With the Edelbrock stuff in place you'll have to use a test light and trial and error to adjust the throttle linkage and set the switch.

EZ way to understand switch pitch- at idle and greater than about 45 degrees throttle opening, the vanes should be in high angle for better performance. Between off-idle and 45 degrees vanes should be in low angle for better fuel economy.

jag1886

It's a 50 year old car you are going to have to spend at least a couple of grand on it. It's a great car for a kid to beat the crap out of and has plenty of sheet metal to protect him, just make certain he never leaves home without the seat belt on, that car was a none collapsible steering column which can be a killer. Ask me how I know.

chrisneu68olds

It is the perfect car to learn basic mechanics since it is about as basic as it gets. If not to fix newer cars he can at least grasp the concept of broken belts, what that grinding noise is when hitting the brakes, or get an idea of what that spot is in the driveway. Oil? Transmission Fluid? Coolant?

Daily driver is sort of relative I guess; my daily drivers in high school 20+ years ago almost always had something wrong with them and tinkering was a constant. Daily driver these days means jump in and go, no excuses or problems.

ScottHowey

Today my kid showed one of his buddies the car. He jumped in and fired it up. He was pretty excited to show it off. I think we are a go on keeping it.

rustyroger

Glad to hear that .
If your boy and his buddies are going cruising in it you might find 4 doors isn't such a bad idea. There's a reason most bread-and-butter cars were 4 doors.....
And a 2 door might be priced out of reach, as long as you think in terms of the car being a hobby that will cost a little money to enjoy rather than an investment you want a return on you and your boy should have plenty of fun. Perhaps you could consider the fun you guys have as the return for your investment. .


Keep us posted please, and remember help is only a log-in away....


Roger.

Oldser 1

I would've loved a car like this for my first car,I had a choice between a camaro and and an el Camino I chose the el camino but if this was one of the options I woulda been all over it good choice my dude

SeanMiller063

Awesome car keep it rebuild it! Maybe when he gets a bit older he'll build a 455 for it

popeye1978

According to the rating system & prices on Old Cars Report, it sounds like you have something between a 4 and 3 in terms of condition (3 is better condition than 4) -- depending upon how you evaluate the gremlins -- and the range for those conditions is $2200 to $5000

I'd say keep it and fix what bothers you the most as you can afford it -- I keep a monthly budget, including a "fund" from where I withdraw monies for the car and attempt to top-it-off to my desired amount with leftover from paycheck -- and you can use everything you learn with this one as a learning experience for the next classic, if you choose to buy another one sometime

lsutigers93

All the 4-door hate LOL...

Perfect car for a responsible kid...sort the issues out (I'd throw a 200-4R in her if the rear axle ratio is suitable) and go to town with it!

brown7373

As much as I also prefer convertibles and 2 doors, a 4 door is much better if you are going to carry more than driver and 1 passenger. Getting in and out of the backseat of a 2 door is a pain. My first car I bought in 1969 was a 65 Pontiac Tempest Custom 4 door with a 326 2bbl and the 2 speed auto transmission, which sounds very similar to this 66 Cutlass. It functioned very well, hauling me and 5 paying passengers home from college on weekends.


Although now almost 50 years old, if the components are sound, the car can be made to be both safe and reliable. Front end components including brakes, engine and transmission can be made very reliable. I drive my 72 Cutlass daily, take it on trips and vacations, and it has over 200K on it.

Roan

I don't know why everyone hates the 4-dr cars so much; I just don't understand it. The only thing different between them in my opinion is that the 2-dr version makes it hard to get in the back. But then again, I own a '67 sedan myself so I might be biased. I'm glad you decided to keep the car.

1969w3155

My first car was a '66 Cutlass, it was no where near as nice as yours, and I bought it almost 40 years ago!

442craig

Hi Scott,

Glad to see you on CO. Corvairs and Oldsmobiles!

Food for thought. If you bought him an old Honda, chances are it would be ran into the ground and worth nothing in 4 years. The Olds will probably retain it's value if not rise a bit. Sounds like it is a great learning devise and a great father/son bonding experience. I'll bet the majority of the people on here are Olds fans because of their dads! (I know I am!)

Fix it and have fun and make great memories!

But I have to ask... why not a Corvair?

Take care!

Craig (corvaircraig)

ScottHowey

Hey Craig, small world. My kid insisted on a four door and I am not very fond of the four door Corvairs to be honest.

My son has three best friends. The four of them are always together. He said "a two door is stupid" for the very reason you guys have stated, the back seat is too difficult to get in and out of. I was all for it, knowing that 4 doors would cost me less.

ScottHowey

I took a big risk buying it without him, he is VERY picky. I told him it was totally ok if he didn't like it.
However, since he got to show one of the four friends the car in person, and Josh got to fire it up and rev that sweet sounding V8 himself...he is hooked! He goes outside several times during the day and just sits in it with his dog Max. I was worried, I have loved cars for as long as I can remember. Until now neither of my boys had shown any interest in cars.

Right this minute Josh (my son), his friend Seth (one of the four best friends), Joshua's sister (my daughter who has the Corvair) and her friend are all outside sitting in the Olds.

I am a happy Dad!

66400

I've loved the style of the 65-67 4dr Monzas and 500s since the first one I saw in Oct '64. Those cars looked great from any angle.

Henry

MDchanic

Ha ha. It doesn't get much better than that.

- Eric

ScottHowey

I didn't set out to get a non-Corvair. I was just open minded to whatever good deal came up (well except for a ford). If a good deal came up on a four door late model I probably would have it now.

lunaboy

the only way that car will be safe with todays driving methods; stop and go, lane to lane, and chasing each other to the next red light is with a disc brake conversion with dual master cylinder. Price that in with a new trans. If it has the low compression 2 barrel 330 at least you can use pump gas with no issues as a daily driver.

ScottHowey

Yes the late models are nice. I was referring to the early sedans. They have their place too...I'm not knocking them, I just didn't have the desire to own one right now. I knew my kid didn't want one. He was after a '67 Impala sedan at first.

MDchanic

Drum brakes work perfectly well, they just require more maintenance and will tend to fade with prolonged use, such as og downhill runs in the mountains.

There is nothing unsafe about drum brakes.


A dual master cylinder, on the other hand, is something I would consider darned near to a necessity.

- Eric

lazy394

Sounds like we have another petrol head in the making, as a kid I did the same thing sitting in my car waiting for the day I got my licence.

Don't sweat the 4 door thing either, here in Australia the most valuable locally made car is a 4 door Falcon GTHO Phase 111, these things have changed hands for over 750K !!!

Beside let him get his knowledge on a bread and butter car and when he is paying the bills let him aim for the more desirable coupes or coverts

Enjoy the journey

doc

I have the same car, except color...I went overboard w/ the front suspension mods, but the disc brakes changed my whole outlook on driving it daily, no comparison.

I cruise the interstates w/ ease (off ramps, too!)...makes for a fun daily driver.

Good luck & enjoy!

oldcutlass

The only thing bad about drum brakes besides the fade is hitting a puddle of water in the rain. They need to be careful and pump the brakes if they get wet.