Oldsmobile Division only made 500 of those cars, and all of them were four-speeds. I inspected it in person. Many Oldsmobile enthusiasts say that the declining sales were in fact caused by the this is not your fathers Oldsmobile campaign. Show of hands, has anyone ever owned or driven a W-31 Cutlass and what was it like? These models were equipped with the Hurst/Olds 455 package. Additional Auto Museum Online articles on the links below.. Reference material for this article included..Oldsmobile Muscle Portfolio 1964-1971 by R.M. Its good to see that the W25 air induction scoops/air-cleaner are still present and hopefully functioning. Perhaps another slogan would have been more effective. Oldsmobile built the W-31 as "somewhat of an insurance-beater," or a "junior supercar" with engine parts "hand-picked" for a "blueprinted" build, he says. This is not an easy restoration by any means, but as they say, the bones are there, I had a 1968 ramrod my junior year in high school 1980 bought it after I totaled my 71 Torino cobra I paid 1600 for the ramrod the same as I paid for my Torino . Other notable components included a lightweight aluminum intake manifold, the W25 fiberglass ram-air hood, anti-spin differential with 3.42:1 gears (3.73:1 available), and heavy duty cooling. Is a restored a car harder to authenticate? There is a good amount of rust on areas visible in the photos, and you dont have any photos of the drivers side at all. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Of the above 442 production, these models were equipped with the W-30 4-bbl engine. Visible through the windshield. There are a few familiar names at the top of the chart, starting with, The average cost for a Porsche 911 oil change is. Pulling off the sheet revealed a Twilight Blue W-31 that Jimmy marveled was "original and hadn't been touched in years," right down to the original Goodyear Polyglas tires on stock rims. 1962 Chevrolet Corvette4 days$33,750Bid Now, 1978 Chevrolet Corvette5 days$2,100Bid Now, 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III6 days$2,750Bid Now, 1961 Volkswagen Samba Deluxe 23-Window8 days$100Bid Now. Additional items accompanying the car include a Protect-O-Plate, owners manuals, and a vehicle history summary from the reported original owner, photos of which are provided in the gallery. It became a model in its own right from 1968 to 1971, then reverted to an option through the mid-1970s. When Jimmy arrived at Andy's garage, instead of walking directly to look under the sheet covering the car, he made a beeline for a washing machine covered with car parts and paperwork. It was obviously a 350/325hp car with all the options. "Unless you have a paper trail, it's next to impossible to say this is a true W-31 factory car," he says. "A lot of people will tell you back in the day this car, with the 3.91 stock rearend, would keep up with the W-30 at the track. The car has obviously had paint work, the stripes are incorrect, the passenger rocker, rear wheel lips front fender rust really make you think this is a 149k mile car. John had a tri-power 1966 Olds 4-4-2 stolen, so he got this W-31 in a less flashy package. World's fastest mass-produced sedan with a top speed of 203 mph. Bidding will advance immediately to $. Lot #65,720. Of the above 442 production, these models were equipped with the W-32 4-bbl engine. The statistic that I uncovered was that there were 1,029 hardtops (Holiday Coupe) produced, the balance (200+) were post coupes or Sports Coupes in Olds lingo. As a longtime collector, though, Jimmy had a spare "255" carburetor. The transmission VINs need to be correct, and the factory tag needs to be on the right side of the transmission. On a true four-speed car, you'll see the slag on the edges of the opening. Most powerful production V-8 engine with 797 horsepower and 707 lb. Kia Motors is one of the leading automakers globally with a brand value of USD 7 billion. Find out where they were built. Here is an amazing one-owner, matching numbers, low mileage Oldsmobile 442 Holiday Coupe from 1970, the peak of Oldsmobile performance, available now from the MAXmotive Pittsburgh Showroom. Dimensions included a 112.0 inch wheelbase, 203.2 inch overall length, 69.5 inch width and a 54.1 inch height. This particular vehicle was a professional build automatic T-400 with 12-bolt rear, factory cold air induction, factory Ram Air hood, 4-core radiator and disc brakes. Senior year I had a six pack challenger paid 2500, Your insurance rates must have been off the charts with that lineup of cars . Of the above production, these models were equipped with the L-69 32-bbl engine. The carpet is typically faded but the dash-pad and instrument panel seems fine. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. The cost is going to be the same to restore and the 200k car owner knows its value is gone . In effect, an argument could be made that they were not targeting, and possibly turning away, their best potential buyers. Thanks to Adam F for this tip! document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I liked the under bumper hood scoops on the 68-69, just like the bad W/30. Not worth 8-9 K, It is strange all the cars on here that have such low mileage. I always wonder why they stopped making this model. The 1970 Oldsmobile W-Machines (W-30, W-31), all manufactured in Lansing, Michigan are considered to be the ultimate Oldsmobile Super Cars. Sign up for our free daily email and youll never miss another find: BF Auction: 1961 Volkswagen Samba Deluxe 23-Window, Pristine 1975 Cadillac Eldorado with 40,000 Genuine Miles. These are some of the most sought after muscle cars, by collectors and enthusiasts alike. Also, I would imagine that this W-31s road manners are pretty enjoyable, owing to a smaller displacement engine, with a stout horse-power rating and running through a manual transmission. Torque @ 3,600 rpm -mile: 13.94 seconds @ 105.5 mph Specifications Price Base price: $2,970.00 Price as profiled: $4,378.90 The W-31 actually started out in 1968 and was the Cutlass-based Ram Rod 350. At that point I asked the owner if he had any paperwork and he said yes. And here for your review, is just such an example from 1970. Its a nightmare. While W-31 is down on engine displacement, the power is no different than a 68 Oldsmobile 442 with an automatic transmission so whether this serves as a high insurance premium salve or not, it is hard to say. Sales began to drop and its a bit of a debate as to what the cause was. Oldsmobile created interest in Cutlass performance with offerings such as the 1970-71 SX, powered by a 455 V-8, and the 1970 Rallye, with a 350 V8 and its 325 HP under the hood. By 1970, the W-31's final production year, the body styles included either a Cutlass S (Holiday or Sports Coupe) or the F-85 Sports Coupe. "Not full restorations because I only have a one-car garage. Interior and a lot of the body tells me that. ClarkeCutlass and 4-4-2: Muscle Portfolio 1964-1974 by R.M. Of course if money is if no consequence. Oldsmobile Division only made 500 of those cars, and all of them were four-speeds. This W-31 is equipped with a four-speed manual transmission, definitely a nice find. The next two numbers afterwards should decode . Cars are made in every corner of the globe, but when it comes to Porsche, home is definitely where the heart is. LOL Seriously, though, having driven my girlfriends 2003 loaded Camry all over the country I can say without a doubt they routinely get you from point A to B without issue. this was a complete aluminum rear differential carrier but it was only offered in 1970. The Rochester Quadrajet, PN 7040255 and specific to the W-31 automatic and manual transmission cars, is very valuable. These models were equipped with the 442 package (only on Cutlass Supreme). While repairs tend to be more severe than average, the number of those issues is low, so, The extra power of the Turbo S can see it get from, The annual maintenance cost of a 2011 Porsche Panamera is. If he is authenticating a 1970 model and the fender doesn't look like this, that means it has been replaced for some reason, and an owner's claim of "all original sheetmetal" goes out the window. This is the VIN stamp on a W-30 engine block. RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks. The W-31 for the 68 and 69 year had a cast iron intake and #5 Heads. Research indicates that there were about 1,300 W-31s assembled in 1970 across all body styles. The large O in the upper left corner of this TH400 transmission tag tells you it's for an Oldsmobile, while the 70 in the lower left corner denotes the 1970 model year. The cars with A/C got the QS version of the 400 cid engine. If you want the purist 911 experience for the least amount of money, The GT3 RS, which joins the lineup this year, gets tuned up to, Price: 2022 Porsche 911 pricing starts at $101,200 and can reach. As can be expected for a purpose-built machine, production numbers for the W-30 4-4-2s are quite low. Minore was there to authenticate the car, which we recently featured in Rare Finds ("More Than Just a Car," Sept. '15). I can only do one car at a time, but the job gets done right.". You see, unlike today's completely insane muscle car marketplacewhere typical buyers of these 550 to 840 horsepower road kings age between 40 and 140, always pay their insurance bills on time, and seldom do crazy things on public roadsthe muscle car move of the 1960s was a first-time-around deal. What does it cost to authenticate a 1970s Oldsmobile muscle car? Larger engines, high end wheels are a few of the modifications. Our featured automobile is the 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass W-31. "That's when I got really charged up over those cars. In addition, a W-31 would never have had a 3-groove pulley because A/C was not available with that motor. In 1968, a full 52 percent of America's population was under the age of 25. The 68 Ram-Rod used the standard 4-Barrel Distributor. The upholstery is in poor shape which belies the 49K mile claim; it looks worn from use more so than age. At its introduction, the Cutlass was Oldsmobile's entry-level model; it began as a unibody compact car, but saw its greatest success as a body-on-frame intermediate.The Cutlass was named after the type of sword, which was common during the Age of Sail. . W-31 fender emblems. Neat car. The Oldsmobile Cutlass was a series of automobiles produced by General Motors' Oldsmobile division between 1961 and 1999. This was the era prior to the Federal environmental and safety regulations taking effect. The factory chalk marks aren't usually there anymore. There were 165 3rd Gen sold in the last 5 years. For 1970, 3,100 W-30s were built. In 1970, Oldsmobile Division came out with an aluminum W-31 intake similar to the one used on the W-30s and made by the same foundry. How hard would it be to change out the clutch or even rebuild the tranny for that $22k ask? This would include a six- to 10-page detailed vehicle report with breakdowns on cowl tag info; date codes on the engine, transmission, rearend; and all the important pieces that make a W-30 or W-31 car what it is. A special edition Hurst/Olds paced the Indy in 1972. There really is no book that I can pull out and unequivocally say this is the way it was done. Available was a four speed automatic. Chevrolet, Pontiac and Buick had been doing this and Olds joined the movement. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The car will move, but the clutch is shot. He also includes a burb stating that this Olds is a 49K mile example. The manufacturer estimates that about 200 Taycan cars cannot be built per day. Oldsmobile people would actually go just to look for me. Then in 1971, GM mandated a decree that said there had to be crush zones built into the fenders, so from 1971-1972, all fenders have built-in crush zones. There was no crush zone in it and ran the whole length of the fender. Can I look at it?' Curb weight is 3,342 lbs. Of the above production, these models were equipped with the W-30 4-bbl engine. It seems that many 442s from the era have automatic transmissions, not sure of the breakdown with the W-31. "I was shocked when I saw it," Jimmy McKeague said. Realizing that Jimmy was the right person to restore and save its history, Andy sold the W-31 to him. On the positive side, All that lightweighting paired with the zestiest powertrain results in a. W-31s have a lot of rare engine parts on them. Missed updates will be sent once your connection has been reestablished. The tach in the dash currently isnt the original OEM tic-toc-tach. Believe it or not, the hardest things to find these days are N.O.S. Vehicles with Similar 21.55 HP/Weight Ratio If the passenger side is rusted (front fender, rocker, quarter) you can be pretty certain the drivers side is just as bad. The 1970 W31 350 shared its gold paint and number 6 cylinder heads with the Rallye 350's L74, but major W31 upgrades included an aluminum intake manifold, high-speed crank damper, lumpy. If everything checked out, then negotiation would definitely occur to the satisfaction of both parties. Kids with heads full of Hendrix, Joplin, and Dr. Leary took the wheel of high-horsepower youth machines for the first time everwith often tragic consequences. i owned a 1970 olds w31, had the marked w31 engine/w hurst 3spd auto with dual gate, bought from Lyle Rudolf in Mad city, Wisc, all paperwork incl, absolute mint condition, no rust, perfect interior, pd 12k, sold a few yrs later for 16k, last time i saw it , it was on the front page of the Wisconsin state Journal with a school bus buried in its azz end all the way up to the rear seat, should have never sold that damn car, regret it ever since, for resto purposes, i would give possibly 8-9k for that 31, i think that would be fair, by the time you put it back to mint,it will be worth its true value. An N.O.S. Believe it or not, the. Tim Murphy (right), a longtime friend of Minore's (and a "1969 fanatic"), helps him remove the air cleaner on Weaver's W-31 to check the date code on the air cleaner and the number on the carburetor. Still dont know how fast that was. I started buying cars in 1980 and through the years they almost all had at least 70k and yet somehow all these cars have half that 30-40 yrs later V-8 and its 4.057-inch cylinder bores. Meriden, Connecticut's Stephen Minore is a self-professed "Oldsmobile nut" with a particular interest in the 1970 W-Machines. As 19sixty5 suggests that this car looks more like 149K vs. 49K. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Forget the Olds, that classic brown for sale Camry caught my eye!!! There's a certain spot weld you have to look for where they spot-welded the four-speed transmission boot adaptor bracket into the transmission tunnel. Oldsmobile Decoding Oldsmobile Engine Color Cutlass Production Numbers Mopar Decoding Mopar Engine Colors Mopar Fender Tag Decoding 4-Speed Transmission Decoding Engine Decoding Mopar VIN Decoding VIN 1964 & 1965 VIN 1966 & 1967 VIN 1968 & 1974 Cutlass Production Numbers Subscribe to our mailing list Stephen's company is called Cas-Am Performance. "At the time, I was about the only Oldsmobile swap meet vendor around. If you win the auction, your card will be charged for the service fee and you pay the seller directly for the vehicle. Have you run across any earth-shaking discoveries in the authentication process? no way. "History really makes these cars become that much more interesting," Jimmy says. :) :) :). With the Urus, the company's $200K SUV that debuted earlier this year, the wait time is, Unlike regular cars, the reliability of supercars is hard to rate due to their limited production. I would like to learn more about both the earlier and later year cars, as my ultimate objective is, for lack of a better term, to become the Kevin Marti or Galen Govier of Oldsmobile authenticators. Assuming the VIN derivative shows it to be a 1970 block, and the #6 heads have the 2.000/1.625 valves, and the cam is the correct 308 degree cam, and it has the W-31-unique balancer, and it has the correct distributor, and the pistons are flattops, then there's a high probability that the motor is an original W-31. The Antique Automobile Club of America defines the Muscle Car Era as between 1961 and 1974, a wider range than many muscle car enthusiasts recognize. Sort of like Woodstock, a big experiment. BaT Auction Success Story: Powering Up with a P90D, Spring Carlisle Collector Car Flea Market & Corral. Then there's the more obvious. Hopefully a prospective buyer can negotiate a somewhat lower price. I look at the fonts. The 1968, 1969, and 1970 carburetors are W-31-specific, have their own W-31 part numbers, and are big-dollar items. I have owned W30 442s and several Hurst Olds through the years, and most recently a 70 4 speed Rallye 350. You've always got to be on the lookout for things like that, especially when you're looking at these high end cars. I ended up buying that car, and that's what got the ball rolling with my research on the W-31s. If it's a four-speed car, I look to make sure that nobody's tampered with it and installed a new transmission tunnel. The W-30 was an option of the Olds 442, while the W-31 was an option on the Cutlass. Learn how your comment data is processed. Sliding into the number one spot, the French brand was named the most reliable car brand of all, beating all other manufacturers to the top. The youth market was red hot. These cars are very rare and attract owners with erudite knowledge of Oldsmobile muscle. Note the telltale M in the sequence, denoting a real-deal W-30. Oldsmobile built 1,352 of these muscle cars for the 1970 model year: 1,029 as Cutlass S Holiday Coupe two-door hardtops, 116 as Cutlass Sports Coupes (a two-door post), and 207 in the F-85. Just 500 were made, all four-speeds. These Cutlass models were equipped with the Rallye 350 package. The Oldsmobile Cutlass first came on the scene as a 1961 1/2 model. Available on any F85, Cutlass, or Cutlass-S 2-door hardtop or pillar coupe for a measly $157.98, the Rallye 350 came only in eye-blistering Sebring Yellow paint which covered just about everything, including the bumpers, standard issue N66 Super Stock II wheels, fiberglass W25 hood (right off the big W30 4-4-2), and W35 trunk spoiler. The TH350 transmission was very special on this cars and is known as a JO coded unit. (Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online), Your email address will not be published. My inspection would be an all-day affair, so the fee would be in the neighborhood of $1,000. In spite of the clutch being shot, its not too tough a job to replace. I wanted to see how things were put together. I know where there are a number of excellent condition, unrestored 4-4-2 W-30 cars that I can refer to when the occasion arises, which is an excellent source to have. By 1971 it was only available as a cover. Unless you can do all of the work yourself, I wouldnt touch it. If the latter is true,then it appears to be very hard miles. Its why its so hard for me to pay the crazy numbers they want now. 1970 Oldsmobile vehicle identification number (vin) decoder. That too has its own part number. If not, that would also suggest the miles advertised are off by 100k. The one major detraction from the car was a missing carburetor that Jimmy says is "probably the hardest W-31 part to find." The seller states, The original motor starts up and runs good. Who knows what else is wrong if the car cant be driven. The following year the car was changed to the W-31. 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass 1970 CUTLASS SUPREME COUPE REBUILT 455 V8 4 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION 442 TRIBUTE BEAUTIFUL BLACK PA . "This is the car that got me interested in the W-31 small-block cars," he said. Andy was asking for information about how to fix the harmonic balancer on the 350 in his 1970 Cutlass, a detail Jimmy recognized as "a rare part that only came on the W-31 cars.". A shuffling of the Macan SUV lineup brings more potent firepower to the now-midrange S model. It had ram air, sport mirrors, W-31 side stripes, and W-31 fender badges, but otherwise it looked just like a W-30. 1964-67 V8 models engine code is stamped on the right cylinder head. Sales receded to 920 W-30s for 1971 and just 772 for 1972. You CAN get a good indication if the motor appears to be original and unmolested, and if all the correct W-31 equipment is in place. I owned a 70 W-31 4-speed that was in much better condition than this car and sold it for about half of what the owner is asking for this car. Why don't you do something like drafting for a living? Not only does Minore authenticate classic Oldsmobile muscle cars, but he also works on them, seen here with a 1967 W-30. 1970 oldsmobile w31 production numbers ford recall check by registration, Is the Lotus Evija a hypercar, What was the biggest engine Pontiac made, Did Saturn make good cars, How reliable is a 2022 Ford F150, Which Lamborghini is the most reliable, CAR 5W.COM. I thoroughly check the codes on a W-30 carburetor, distributor, cylinder heads, and starter, as there are a lot of re-stamps out there. AS mentioned above, the Cutlass W-31 came with a 350 cubic inch V-8 engine with 325 HP. Email: contact@drivinithome.com. It is a bucket seat/no console environment, which is not encountered that often, though the shifter boot bezel is missing. In time, he also began buying Oldsmobile parts cars and stripping them. Does not have the original carb. Photos of assorted casting numbers and stampings are provided in the gallery below. The Cayenne is a great example of how sometimes more expensive vehicles are worth the investment since they do in fact hold their value for longer. Due to the low-vacuum at idle, air conditioning was not available, and power brakes were only available with an automatic transmission. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'barnfinds_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_4',148,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-barnfinds_com-large-leaderboard-2-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'barnfinds_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_5',148,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-barnfinds_com-large-leaderboard-2-0_1'); .large-leaderboard-2-multi-148{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;}.
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