Building a 64 Olds F-85 "rustbucket"

[therobski]

Hi guys new to the site, I never dreamed I would get this far in a build at home but it started out by buying a car off Evil Bay site unseen. My 64 F-85 post car "was" a 57,000 mile granny car that needed floors, trunk and all the braces for starters. The previous owner told me they were rust free. Anyway the car has come along way in three years, took it all the way down. With the floors and trunk welded in took the car to a restoration center and pulled the body. Took the chassis home and stripped it bare. Just got the frame back from the powder coat in May, decided to go with a complete Hotchkis front and rear suspension including springs, Hotchkis steering rebuild kit and tie rod sleeves, rebuilt and blueprinted Lee Mfr. steering box that I took out of a 96 Jeep Grand Cherokee. QAI single adjustable shocks, and a Moser 9inch with a 3:50 gear set. The front brakes I went with a B-spindle (tall spindle) conversion,took the spindles off a 92 Buick Estate wagon, 12 inch I-ROC Z 1LE performance package rotors, Caprice police car calipers etc.

[RicerwannaB]

Great progress man, Any ideas on drivetrain?

[Mr. Anderson]

Man these '64's are good looking cars!

My dad had an F85 almost identical to this (his had a white roof) when I was a kid. I loved that car. We have an identical red bench seat if you need a spare, haha. Can't wait to see how yours turns out!

[The Stickman]

Looking great so far. What are your plans for an angine and trans?

[rockytopper]

Welcome over here looking real good. Maybe another 64-65 olds will be reperesented at the lone star GG AX next year. I held my own in the 65 this past spring. Your project is coming along nicely. Only problem you are going to have is staying in place in that bench seat after installing all those suspension goodies.
Rocky

[therobski]

I am staying nostalgic, going to build a 65 Olds 425. I have collected a lot of goodies for the build including an unturned forged crank, ARP bolts, Miloden 7qt pan, Edelbrock performer intake, Dean Oliver prepared 800 CFM Q-Jet, .30 over custom Aris pistons with 2CC valve reliefs, and Joe Mondello built 425 rods. I got these rods three days after Joe passed away. Going to decide on a custom cam grind in the fall, then I can decide on the stall and have the 200R4 built to support the power-Olds torgue brother! I plan on keeping the stock granny bench seat and putting some SFI seat belts in. Granny was so cheap this car has no seat belts, no carpet or rear arm rests love it.

[therobski]

Rockytopper, I think I met you last year at Good Guys at the Texas Motor Speedway? I think you have the 65 with 64 front end and a LS motor?

[rockytopper]

That is me I am also on ultrahigh as realfast65 I emailed you about your stock rearend you were selling but had the wrong ratio for my needs. Were you in your 67? If so I remember meeting you.

[therobski]

Yes it was me in 67 442, hope all is well. I will be at GG in Sept. It is a small world.

[rockytopper]

Good deal looking forward to seeing you again.

[Mr. Anderson]

It may be too late....but do you still have the rear end? What gears are in it?

My '64 has 3.08's and is slowwwww.....

[therobski]

I have the rear with 3:08's too.

[SRD art]

What a great project! I like the mid-late 60's and early 70's cars as anyone does but Love to see the older models get done! There were some great (and not so great ;) ) design coming out of Detroit in the early 60's, yours is one of those. More of a subtle sleeper look than the more aggressive look in the later cars, I like that.

What's the plan for paint and rims and such???

Looking forward to seeing more!

[therobski]

I have the original red paint color already to go. I think they called it target red. Going to have someone like Wheelsmith build me two 15 or 16 inch by 8 rear wheels as soon as I get the body back on the frame and measure for max width IE; backspacing, height etc. There are a lot more tire choices with a 16 inch rim while still retaining the "look". I should be able to get a 275x60 or 55 on a 15-16 inch rim. I want the 64 dog dish hubcaps, low stance look. The front I will use the stock 15x7's put 215x70's on, rims will be painted body color. I want to re-use the granny vinyl bench seats and floor, The door panels are still good but the rears are shot. Problem there are no repo's for the base model interior.

[The Stickman]

I have the rear with 3:08's too.

Depending on what you plan to use it for 3.08's are fine. If it's just a cruiser and or track car they are fine. For drags they aren't that great. I have 2.73's and on track they were great. In the autoX it hurt a bit at the start off the line, but after that it wasn't bad. And you are much lighter than my car. Also you might want to lok into Wheel Vintiques. They should have the style wheels you want in most sizes even up to 17's I think.

[rockytopper]

I don't believe the one you was selling has 3.08 best I remember because I would have bought it as a spare sense I also have 3.08. Really depends what trans you are running. With the low first gear in the 4l60e the 3.08 is just about right. For drag racing I would benefit more installing a stall convertor rather than going with more Gear in the rear.

[therobski]

TTT, it's been awhile since my first post on the build. Getting some PM's asking where the car is. Appreciate the thoughts and already you guys on the FORUM have helped me a lot. Will update with some more pictures soon.

[therobski]

The body is being restored at a shop near by, the work is excellent. I got a great deal on the rotisserie restoration because it's fill in car between other jobs that need to be complete on a timely basis. The other reason is I am paying cah for the build and I want to build a rolling chassis complete with the 425 ($$$$) and 200R4 installed. Before all this started I has to locate 2 post doors, a left front fender, radiator support, ordered a new deck filler panel from Ames Performance. 64 GTO rear deck filler panels are identical. This car was a "Rustbucket" saved from a Granny's farm up in Ohio. Shown here I had repair a few areas on the frame where the body mounts to the frame. Rust compromised 2 holes. The powder coat shows a lot of pitting most of it on top, when I put the body back on you won't know it. But if I was building a car like a lot of guys are I would have located another frame. But after the first cruise like Power Tour???, it's not show car it's going to be my RV when I retire someday.

[The Stickman]

BTW if you are planning on doing any track events a stock converter is best. Higher stall speed ones will heat up.

[therobski]

I may get into some track time, I saw some of you guys at GG in Dallas last fall. I was riding on the track with my buddy in his LS 69 Camaro and liked it a lot. The 425 is going to see close to 500 hp at the flywheel. I have not picked the cam profile yet, few Olds builders are helping me decide. The cam duration is most likely going to have me pick a converter with stall around 2500 RPM and a vacuum booster for P/B . The motor is going to pull Vintage A/C, P/S. The Moser has a Tru Track with a 3:50 gear set.