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04-07-2022 #1Registered User
- Join Date
- Aug 2007
- Posts
- 25
72 Cutlass Supreme Low Budget and Slow Progress Thread
As I have been a member and lurking around here for years and figure now is time to make a thread to track my progress or lack thereof.
My grandfather purchased a 72 Cutlass Supreme back in 1989, the same year I was born. Growing up I would always see the car in the driveway, for some time my uncle was daily driving it and then it sat in the driveway for years. My dad always had a Camaro or firebird when I was a kid, but he wasn’t really into modifications in any way, but this got me interested in older American cars.
In high school I was able to convince my grandfather to sell the Cutlass and it was my first car. What I remember of the car at the time, original 350 2 barrel and drum brake car that had been converted to 4 barrel and front disk brakes. Had been repainted due to some minor front-end damage at some point and vinyl top was redone a few years before I got it.
I daily drove the car through high school only doing minor modifications that included headers back exhaust and radio install. As a graduation present, I got Hotchkis 1” lowering springs and sway bars, Bilstein shocks, boxed rear arms, and poly bushings all around. The lowering springs essentially kept the height the same as the old sagging stock springs, car ended up being squeaky, but I enjoyed the minor improvements at the time.
I did not want to keep the Olds on campus at college so I wanted a daily driver. This is where my focus shifted away from the Olds. I ended up getting an e36 328i. Over time I ended up s52 swapping, full m3 brake conversion, rear subframe reinforcements, lightweight flywheel, e34 m5 clutch, etc etc.
After the e36 I wanted a nicer daily. Got an 05 s60r, ended up modifying that. FMIC, dp, exhaust, turbo inlet, suspension, wheels etc. More neglect to the Olds.
During this time got interested in drifting. Picked up a 1990 volvo 240. Put a BMW m50b25NV in, zf trans, welded diff, built coilovers with koni adjustable shocks, roll center correctors, s60r front rotors with Cadillac Brembo calipers, hand brake etc. Drove this for a few years and it got beat/smashed up. Fixed all the damage and resprayed cortez silver and new wheels.
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04-07-2022 #2Registered User- Join Date
- Aug 2007
- Posts
- 25
Daily drove some Toyotas while I was still drifting the 240, back into another 05 s60r daily driver for now.
The Olds mostly sat in a garage. Over the last 10+ years I have done minor things and taken it out sporadically. It got MSD distributor, MSD 6al box, aluminum intake, edelbrock 1406 carb and GC steering box. I picked up a mostly complete minus intake/flexplate 425 with b heads many years ago and it has been sitting in my dad’s garage ever since unloading. Never did anything major, always put it off to mod other cars but have always wanted a pro-touring style build.
This brings us to the present day. I got rid of the 240 and I really wanted to start focusing on the Oldsmobile.
Over last fall and the winter I did some floor pan repair/patching, new sound deadening/carpet and swapped the worn body bushing for polygraphite which made a noticeable height difference. I also replaced some window weather stripping and trans pan gasket to fix a leak.
I needed new tires as they were last replaced in 08 so I opted to go with new wheels as well. Got the YearOne SS11 in silver, 17x9 square setup. I wanted to keep some classic styling while upgrading size and not spend a fortune yet.
To improve handling I went with BMR upper and lower a-arms. I wanted to get AFX spindles but after using the c5 brake template I found out my wheels would not fit them. Got g comp 2” lowering tall spindles and retained previous brakes for now.
To fix the stance (kinda) after all these changes I installed BMR 2” drop rear springs and UMI front stock height springs.
Get it all together and excited to test drive. Radiator has a pinhole/boiling over, my diy alignment wasn’t good need to revisit that, changed the oil/filter and I have some flakes in the bottom of the change pan.
I have ordered a radiator and will do an oil change again after some small drive time to inspect. I need to get the 425 out of my dad’s garage and over to my house. There is no plan for what I am going to do yet. I want to somehow enjoy the car this year.
Goals were to build the 425 and manual swap the car but I wanted time to collect parts. I may just have to check the health of the engine and slap it in for now. Never wanted to take out the Oldsmobile power plant but that idea crosses my mind more and more these days.
04-08-2022 #3