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Pseudonym
09-30-2009, 07:45 PM
Hi there!

My name is John and I am from Little Rock, Arkansas. I am 18 and a college student, but I love cars and wanted a project on the side, even though I can only work on it on the weekends I am home from school. For graduation, I searched for a few months and a man held onto a car for me that he was planning to sell to someone else as he liked that a young guy wanted to do something good with it. I put in a few hundred as did my father for a graduation gift, and we picked up Archie, which is what everyone I know calls my 74 Cutlass Supreme.

Archie is Colonial Cream in most places, and primer in the others where rust was repaired. This is why he only has half of a vinyl roof. I'm afraid (and sure) there is rust under that rest, even though it was carport kept for its entire life. It's a 350 3 speed with about 82000 miles, although since I got it, the odometer has become erratic and reads 93k. Other than just old age, it runs pretty well! I replaced the entire cooling system and it stopped running hot for the majority of the time. (Unfortunately the fan clutch just went out, and it overheats at idle after extended driving, but that should not be too hard of a fix). That is about it for this car...

I plan on getting it painted black, most likely Sikkens Deep Black, and not keeping the vinyl roof. The 350 will stay in there and be rebuilt for a good 350hp, and the tranny and rear will eventually go, to be replaced by a TH400 and a 3.73 Posi 12 bolt that a friend is planning to sell to me whenever he pulls it out of his '90 1-ton Chevy. Things are looking up for Archie, whenever I slowly pull in the money :)

Thanks for reading!

73CS
10-01-2009, 11:00 AM
Welcome John.

mdkingsley
10-01-2009, 01:12 PM
Welcome to the forum John. It is great to have some young people that are enjoying these cars. I would check on swapping that rear for yours it may be more trouble than it is worth if it is a 12 One ton rear. The 8.5 rear that is in these cars a pretty tough you may be better off getting a posi and a gear for yours.

cut77
10-01-2009, 01:39 PM
Welcome John! You will find lots of good reading, here, for your car. As for the tranny and the rear swap, you will have to find a BOP adapter for the th-400, change the yoke of the drive shaft + cut it because the th-400 is longer than the th-350 and finally the rear wont fit because of the leaf spring setup of the truck. The th-350 and 8.5 rear you have will handle 400hp without any problem :cool: The best is to swap the gears to have more fun :D

MrRocket
10-01-2009, 05:31 PM
Welcome John, my 74 cutlass is colonial cream too. I am planning on keeping mine that color. What color is your interior? Are you changing that too? Mine is buckskin. Hope you have fun with it, they're a blast to drive!

Pseudonym
10-01-2009, 06:35 PM
Cut77, thanks for the advice! That's gonna come in real handy, especially not having to swap rears.

And to Mr. Rocket, my interior is white, with green carpet. I want to keep the interior white, and with bench seats, but I want to get the new carpet in black, to match the outside of the car.