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Post by rcdynamic88 on Feb 27, 2010 13:30:28 GMT -5
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Post by RAM Z on Feb 27, 2010 14:21:42 GMT -5
I remember the 61 from Autorama, sweetest 61 bubble Ive ever seen. I also saw your gold 65 at Homecoming last year. Looks like a nice old Cutlass until you look under the hood. Glad you found the forum. There are a bunch of Michigan guys here.
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Post by rcdynamic88 on Feb 27, 2010 15:13:51 GMT -5
Thanks Jasen! After putting those pictures on here I went out to the garage and took some more to show how its coming along. I dyed the entire interior black, and bought some new front low back buckets front Scat-Procar. I made a new dash insert out of 3/16" steel and loaded it with Auto-Meter gauges. I have rewired it with a Ron Francis kit and got all the Air-Ride control components installed. My 455 is at the machine shop because I hurt it with a few too many hits of N2O. I'm putting it back together with a specially ground hydraulic roller cam from Lunati. No more nitrous next year...really don't need it! Here are some more pics. This is in the "up" position This is the "down" position This is my new dash Here is the interior, it used to be a light tan, "dirty" parchment color The trunk w/fuel cell & Air-Ride valves I smoothed the firewall with a new panel, you can see the tubular control arms and disc brake upgrade I'm kind of stalled out right now as I wait for my motor to get finished up. It won't be long now though, springtime is coming!
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Post by bubbasz1 on Feb 27, 2010 17:15:48 GMT -5
That baby's not too close to the ground is it, yikes I'd have to crawl to get in it!(just kidding) Sure would like some more pics of your suspension, looks interesting from what I could see, and glad you joined the Michigan Chapter of the only 65 442 Forum. ;D We sure have a large chapter! I seem to remmber seeing that car for sale not too long ago, how long have you owned it.
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Post by rcdynamic88 on Feb 27, 2010 18:23:02 GMT -5
I've had it a little over two years now. You are correct, I had it for sale on ebay and racingjunk.com, but no one wanted to come up with a fair enough offer to buy it. I actually had all the air ride stuff on this frame with another body on it. I had gone to Desert valley Auto Parts in Phoenix, AZ and picked up a rust free 65 Cutlass body to go on a frame from a totally rusted out 65 442 that I bought when I sold my 61 Olds. I tried to sell the air ride project with no success, then I tried to sell the gold car so that I could work on the air ride piece, no takers on that either. So I took the gold body off its frame and put it on the frame I had done all the air ride fab work on. I then sold the rust free body, doors and fenders to a guy restoring a 65 442 convertible that needed rear quarters. It does go quite low! It is hard for me to get in and out of it down there. I will of course drive it at a height much closer to the all the way up position. I had to add an upper shock cross-member for the Shock-waves on the rear. The front suspension is all "bolt-on" from Air Ride Technologies. I had used their stuff on the 61 Olds, and they told me that car sold a lot of parts for them, so they sort of "gave" me the components for the 65. I never thought it would take me this long to get around to using them.
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Post by bubbasz1 on Feb 27, 2010 22:12:29 GMT -5
Well it turns out it's a good thing you didn't sell it. If you have any pics of the suspension with the frame off I'd like to see it, I still haven't made my mind up on what I'm going to do but really put no thought in a air ride suspension.
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Post by rcdynamic88 on Feb 28, 2010 2:16:46 GMT -5
I have a few more pics I can put on here. The front Air-Ride pieces consist of tubular upper and lower control arms and Shock-wave air springs. The Shock-waves have a billet adjustable dampening shock mounted in side an air bellows. The lower control arm has a special mount for the bottom of the Shock-wave, and the top of the Shock-wave has a stud that goes right up through where the original stock upper stud used to go. Here are a couple pictures On the rear I added a new upper shock cross-member for the top of the Shock-waves, and some brackets to the rear end housing as well Air Ride Technologies offers a much easier way to do the rear that consists of two air bellows that sit on the existing spring perch's and a new set of shocks that mount in the same place as the original shocks. I believe its called Cool ride. The are also now in the business of hi-perf suspension stuff without air ride. You should check them out at Ride-tech.com
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Post by bubbasz1 on Feb 28, 2010 9:24:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the info.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2010 13:35:06 GMT -5
Love what you've done thus far! I noticed that it looks like you have a different profile tire on your 61 in the two pics. Did you change them up? Also, I guess no mini-tubs in store for the 65 project hugh? What kind of rims are you running on the 61?
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Post by rcdynamic88 on Feb 28, 2010 19:46:20 GMT -5
Thanks. Yes the 61 had two different sets of wheels and tires. The first photo was in 2002 at the Car Craft Street Machine Nationals. I built the car as a Pro Street car with a back-halved rear chassis. I used the Radir Tri-Rib wheels, 15" x 6" on the front and 15" x 14" on the rear. That winter I bought a set of wheels from Colorado Custom that were 18" x 7" on the front and 20" x 12" on the rear. I had a set of billet spacers/adapters made to make up for the difference in size of the Pro Street tires, and the 305 mm Nitto's that went on the 20" rims. That photo was taken for Popular Hot Rodding after I made it as one of the five finalist's for Street Machine of the Year at the Goodguys Show in Columbus, Ohio in 2003. No plans for mini-tubs or back-halving the 65. I have managed to get some 275/60/15 Goodyear Eagle GT's to tuck up in the rear wheel well by ordering some 15" x 8 1/2" wheels with 5 1/2" backspacing from Specialty Wheels LTD
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Post by RAM Z on Feb 28, 2010 19:54:42 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2010 20:01:46 GMT -5
Kick Ass!!!!
I take it these photos are with the Radir Tri-Rib wheels, 15" x 6" on the front and 15" x 14" on the rear? [/quote] I have managed to get some 275/60/15 Goodyear Eagle GT's to tuck up in the rear wheel well by ordering some 15" x 8 1/2" wheels with 5 1/2" backspacing from Specialty Wheels LTD [/quote]
This is good to know - did you have to do anything to the wheel well / lip to make them fit?
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Post by rcdynamic88 on Feb 28, 2010 22:14:32 GMT -5
Yes, that was when I had the Radir wheels on it, and was running dual quads. The next year I put on the Colorado Customs and I had also found an old Hilborn stack type fuel injection set-up that I had converted to EFI to put on the 394. The 275/60/15 tires fit without having to do any work to the fender-lip, and only a couple of small mods ( hammer smacks! ) to the inner wheelhouse. They even fit with the car in the fully lowered position.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2010 1:17:10 GMT -5
Hey Rick, I have never met you, but we share some of the same friends. I live in front of the Delta plant(not by choice, built it after I built my house). I remember a certain prostreet Monza with a Detroit news hood scoop lol. Love the 65. Someday maybe we can actually meet. lol
Again Nice 65!
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Post by rcdynamic88 on Mar 1, 2010 1:41:03 GMT -5
bud442 - Man, that takes me back a long ways! I had that Monza back in 1981. Back then I would load that car up and just drive it to Indy for the Street Machine Nationals, or down to Detroit for Friday & Saturday night cruising. Ran a tunnel ram with two Predator carbs and a narrowed rear end with McCreary Oval Star tires because the big Mickey Thompson's weren't even available back then. I had a 3.70 open rear end for cruising and a 5.14 Detroit locker for going fast. I got to where I could change rear pigs on that car in less than an hour! I will be at the Oldsmobile Homecoming Show for sure and will look you up an introduce myself. The 65 should be all back together by then. I had a Burgandy Mist 65 442 hardtop back in 1972, and when I climb into my 65 Cutlass and look out over the hood it all comes back to me like a dream. I refuse to grow up even though I am growing old! I hope to see you soon.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2010 2:21:17 GMT -5
I am hoping to get my 65 going for summer. just dont have alot of time to work on it. Presently I am working 7-10 hour days. Plus my lovely 1:10 hour one way drive(Live in Grand Ledge, work in Milford). Yes I will for sure look you up at the Homecoming!
I remember many Friday/Saturday nights out on Cedar st cruising the lots. Showing my age also.
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Post by stan65cutlass on Mar 1, 2010 9:09:28 GMT -5
wow, very nice cars, thats a lot of chrome on the 61 and a nice stance. cant wait to see how the 65 turns out. high school memories are unforgettable, mine involve a 65 delta 88 with a 425 tire burner. coooool. keep the pics coming. stan
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Post by Big Mike on Mar 3, 2010 9:04:35 GMT -5
Rick: That is one sweeeeeeeet Cutlass! I really love the color combination and I love the Gold, and the SSI wheels, very nice touch. So, with those intake hoses, do I assume there are only single headlights and the other buckets intake openings? Your 61 is one slick ride, I've always loved that year. The rear end looks like a rocket ship. That has to be the stoutest, meanest, full size Olds out there!
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Post by rcdynamic88 on Mar 3, 2010 23:53:48 GMT -5
Thanks Big Mike! You are correct, the inlet tubes go to the inside headlight openings and the hi/low beam combo are on the outside. That set up is from Spectre and its their Musclecar system. The air cleaner housing has a drop down base that is low enough to fit under the hood. The intake is quite tall and most of the other air cleaners I tried to use hit the hood unless I used a really short element.
The tail end of the 61 was my favorite part of the car, although the "bubble-top" look with the slim line rear post is cool too. Those cars are "custom" right from the factory. I like how Olds put the fins down on the bottom of the rear quarters instead of up on the top like all the other manufacturers were doing. Almost like ground effects circa 1961.
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Post by rallye469 on Mar 5, 2010 18:41:16 GMT -5
Great Cars! Both of them. The '65 looks really fun...nice work on the frame/suspension and dash...really clean. Where did you get the air cleaner? The chrome twin snorkel one on the '65?
-pete
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