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Howdy! My fiancée and I moved into her parents' old farmhouse, and long story short, I found an old '64 Cutlass under some pallets and mattresses in the storage building! We contacted her parents about it, and apparently its been in there sitting since the late '70s. They're going to look for the paperwork and have no issue with me trying to restore it! My biggest hurdle right now is trying to move it away from the wall! Any tips would be appreciated!
Wow, that is really cool. A genuine "Barn Find" and a desirable model to boot. Air up the tires and see if it will roll. There are some good resources for this car here on the site. Here to wishing you the very best with it..
As per Joe's comment, here's a front-on perspective of the grille design, OLDSMOBILE emblem/logo location (hood versus grille), bumper, turn signals, etc. between '64 & '65...
Air up the tires you can reach. Get some planks to lay under the car, use a floor jack to raise one end and roll it away on the planks. One end at a time, back and forth and you'll be away from the wall.
As per Joe's comment, here's a front-on perspective of the grille design, OLDSMOBILE emblem/logo location (hood versus grille), bumper, turn signals, etc. between '64 & '65...
1964 1965
Thanks for the info! I tried decoding the VIN inside the driver's side door on http://www.v8cars.hu/oldsvin/vin.php and it told me I had a '64. Still learning!
Take a picture of the VIN & post it here for more assistance. Also, take a picture of the cowl tag (sometimes referred to as a body tag) and post it here. Pop the hood and look on the firewall just below the windshield on the driver's side. It will look similar to the below image.
And, if your serious regarding anything remotely akin to a rebuild, tune-up, brakes, and the knowledge to fix anything on this beast, buy an original paperback 1965 Oldsmobile Chassis Service Manual (CSM) - it is the authoritative bible for the car. Steer clear of new reproduction copies & digital copies - they lack clarity, lack detail and often have pages missing. There are a fair number for sale on eBay in various conditions. Here is a pretty decent nice condition CSM...
Interestingly it’s got 64 & 65 parts.
Rear of body, hood, grill all look to be 65 parts.
Front wheel well trim, dash, steering wheel and interior door panels and air cleaner are 64.
it will be interesting as to what the data plate in engine bay says.
Interestingly it’s got 64 & 65 parts.
Rear of body, hood, grill all look to be 65 parts.
Front wheel well trim, dash, steering wheel and interior door panels and air cleaner are 64.
it will be interesting as to what the data plate in engine bay says.
My Father-in-Law worked in a body shop that his father owned on the property, and got the car from him. Probably was just a beat up and abused '64 that got spruced up with some available '65 parts. I'll have to check the data plate when I get home.
OK, both the VIN and cowl tag are 1964, so the car has had a 65 front end swapped on and also the 65 side trim added to the rear quarter. The car was originally Tahitian Yellow (paint code K), built in Lansing, MI the fourth week of Jan 1964, with a black interior and power trunk release.
OK, both the VIN and cowl tag are 1964, so the car has had a 65 front end swapped on and also the 65 side trim added to the rear quarter. The car was originally Tahitian Yellow (paint code K), built in Lansing, MI the fourth week of Jan 1964, with a black interior and power trunk release.
Really, not a big deal anyway. I came up with an electric rear fender antenna instead of a electric trunk opener - sidebar conversations. Hope the young man can get it rolling again.
I came up with an electric rear fender antenna instead of a electric trunk opener - sidebar conversations. Hope the young man can get it rolling again.
"S" in ACC group 1 is power trunk (vacuum, not electric, that year)
"T" in ACC group 2 is power antenna
Very cool! Glad Joes got you some info.
That looks like a very fun project. Now see if it runs!
As for getting it away from the wall...is there room in the barn to get a decent truck in there and just pull it sideways?
Or maybe use a come along...
Other than that you'll just have to air up the tires, wiggle it back and forth and slowly move it away from the wall.
These old tires are too rotted out to try and reinflate. Ill have to grab some used wheels out of the pile.
Some photos of the dash and driver door panel.
The car isn't quite parallel to the wall. I can get my legs between the passenger front wheel and the wall, but not the rear end.
I cleaned some small spots on the driver seat and hood to see the actual colors. I think the seats are either navy or black.
What a cool project though.... lots of good knowledge on here. I second getting the correct manual and paying attention to the hood springs and door springs as well. One of my door hinges broke and the spring came out right after I got it...
Good luck!!
Last edited by mattking; May 27th, 2022 at 12:20 PM.
May 25th, 2022, 04:34 PM
